Luxury brands embrace hand-drawn art as human craft becomes a premium selling point in the AI era

The scratch of a pencil moving across paper and the geometric outlines of a cartoon animal waiting to come alive open the teaser for Prada's 2026 holiday campaign. The films were made, in the brand's words, using the anachronistic craft of hand-drawn animation, in collaboration with longtime Disney animator John Pomeroy.

"I learned my craft with pencil and paper, old-school analog drawing with pencil and paper," Pomeroy, who left Disney in 2003, says in the teaser.

That kind of skill has become more valuable than ever, according to some artists, who say that with AI tools now widespread and accessible, more brands are treating handcrafted work as a selling point. In recent weeks, luxury houses Prada and Hermes have promoted their human-made art projects in social media campaigns, even tagging the artists behind the work to underline its authenticity.

Alina Golovlova, a stop-motion artist based in Prague, said her work feels appreciated more than in previous years as brands try to stand apart from the AI content flooding the internet. "In previous years, I felt like I was just some hired content creator. No one really cared to tag me or make a [collaborative post]," she said. "And I think now for brands, it becomes valuable to bring the artists together with the brand to show that they are working with real people."

Golovlova directed a short film for Anthropologie last month built around a needle-felted bunny, embroidered stars and stop-motion movement, all designed and assembled entirely by hand by a team of artists. The approach paid off online. "Beautiful! Love the creativity and seeing something human made and NOT AI," one commenter wrote, drawing thousands of likes. Responding to Prada's campaign, another user posted: "AI = Broke, cheap, lazy. Art from human hands = High-end, luxurious, high quality."

Animator Jon Densk, who worked on the hand-drawn Prada campaign under Pomeroy, said he doubts AI is ready to be used successfully in animation, though he has spotted signs of it in commercials. He pointed to Coca-Cola as a major company that has leaned into AI advertising, and said he has not bought a Coke in the two years since seeing its first such ad. "So having a stance against [AI], I think, is a smart move for brands," he said.

Coca-Cola's use of AI stirred controversy, and attitudes toward the technology remain split over labor and environmental concerns, along with fatigue over the flood of mass-produced material often dismissed as AI slop.

Even so, Densk said he did not expect the outpouring of support Prada's campaign attracted. "I think people that see people like us who are still drawing things, and even people working in CG animation, as true craftsmen, because that stuff really does take hours and hours and hours of practicing to get to a proficient level," he said. He called it a welcome resurgence of appreciation, adding that the response shows a company can still be rewarded for putting money and time into individual human artists.

French woodworker Thibaut Malet has noticed the same shift. Last month, Hermes asked him to create a miniature wooden reproduction of its flagship store at its historic Paris location. "During our initial discussions, Hermes explained its approach to collaborating with artists and its commitment to defending craftsmanship, traditional know-how and metiers d'art in response to the growing influence of artificial intelligence," Malet wrote. The piece was featured on the company's social media pages, where many commenters voiced their opposition to AI. Malet said craftsmanship has always signaled luxury and quality, but AI will sharpen the line between human-made creations and artificial production as brands compete to distinguish themselves.

Still, Densk finds it strange that handmade art might come to be seen as a luxury. "The funny thing about art is it's so intrinsically human to do that. I mean, my daughter learned how to hold a pencil and make a line before she learned how to walk," he said. "It's something that you can do at any point in your life, whether it's a little stick figure or a Monet painting."