Macy’s INC is celebrating its 30th year and to mark the occasion, the label has recruited the talents of Heidi Klum as its women’s brand ambassador for the entire year. The legendary supermodel shot the spring campaign with the unfairly gorgeous Gabriel Aubry and is keeping the party going with a TV commercial for the brand. Heidi teamed up with her pal Rankin to shoot the spot, in which she graces us with a rendition of the famous “Happy Birthday” song by Ian Love.
“It is a very famous song, we all sing it, but we kind of rocked it out a little more,” Heidi told us when we sat down with her yesterday to chat about the campaign. “Ian Love kind of changed it up and made it modern, made it 2015. We didn’t want it to be hip-hop, we wanted it to be more rock because we thought it would be different. Also for the brand, we thought rock would be very unexpected.” And if you were expecting a raspy, breathy rock version of the song, think again. Heidi’s take on the classic tune is all power. She mentioned that Love pushed her to really give the song an edge. “He was like, ‘Yell at me! Really yell at me,'” she told us with a laugh. “It just made it more fun that way.”
This isn’t the first time Heidi has worked with INC, appearing in a campaign back in 1997. But while the INC label is still as stylish as it was back then, Heidi sees how it has evolved. “Fashion always changes and they have to go with the flow as well. They have to be trendsetters and come up with great new prints. What’s coming up in stores right now — it’s pretty ballsy. It’s loud, it’s not boring basics, but a mixture of cool basics, but also bold, fun fashion pieces that are affordable.”
Heidi pointed to a pair of palm leaf printed drawstring pants, punctuated with black and white stripes — her favorite piece from the collection. “I would probably buy them one or two sizes bigger and wear them slouchy with a white T-shirt.” You could see the wheels turning in her mind as she imagined the outfit. “You roll them up with flip-flops and you can make them your own.”
In the commercial, Heidi truly taps into her inner rock star, spinning, flailing and rocking out as she prances around in INC looks. She had to unleash her wild side in the spot, for which Heidi said she is so thankful to have worked with her longtime friend Rankin. “When we do something fun like this, you want to trust the person on the other end,” she said. “You want to trust that they won’t make you look silly because [in the commercial] I’m doing really silly things. I’m dancing my little booty off! I’m just going nuts. You want to make sure you have someone who cuts things nicely together.”
As INC turns 30, we wondered if Heidi, 41, had any words for those who are also reaching the milestone age. Her advice? Stop worrying so much about getting older and enjoy the time you have. “You just have to have fun with your life,” she said. “You’re here one time and you might as well make it worth your while and not worry so much about age. I think people worry and talk about age so much that they forget about being in the moment. That is what you want — to age. That means you’re alive and you have a good life.”
Catch Heidi’s commercial for INC when it hits airwaves May 13.
