You may have heard of English social media personality Francis Bourgeois who’s fast made a name for himself globally for his love of trains that he regularly posts to TikTok and Instagram.
Such is the 21-year-old’s newfound fame, he’s been snapped up to star in a new ad for a collaboration between fashion brands Gucci and (Dan Andrew’s favourite brand) North Face.
The duo have teamed with streetwear brand High Snobiety for a new outdoor range with a distinct 80s and 90s feel with Bourgeois playing the excitable British Railway conductor in the colourful, retro-inspired work.
The ad’s the work of High Snobiety’s in-house creative team. Check it out:
Francis Bourgeois has amassed over 2.1 million fans, 37 million likes, and countless more views since debuting on TikTok when the COVID-19 pandemic first kicked off.
Commenting on the ad, Bourgeois told High Snobiety: “One of the most gratifying things is hearing about other trainspotters and their experience in school.
“They’ve said that people would bully them for their trainspotting hobby, but now they feel more confident and people respect them for it.”
“That’s a really defining thing for me because I experienced the same thing. It isn’t a cool hobby, so I didn’t make it very public, and I think giving other people the power to feel like they can be confident with it is very special for me.”
“The linearity in the predictability of trains satisfies the side of my brain that likes to know how things are done. Then the spontaneity and unpredictability of the nature of trainspotting itself fulfil the other side of my brain that goes, ‘Oh… what’s going to happen next?’”
