THE AFFAIR

A woman. Her handbag. One luxurious secret

Directed by Matteo Mosterts

words by Katie Huelin and Isabella Bazoni

With The Affair, director Matteo Mosterts transforms Ferragamo’s iconic Hug Bag into the object of a dangerously seductive romance. Created for the Italian fashion house’s FW25 collection and produced by Florence and Habitant, the film unfolds as a sultry portrait of love, betrayal, and desire—where passion is heightened, loyalty is tested, and elegance never slips.

The Affair doesn’t treat Ferragamo’s Hug Bag as an accessory so much as a co-conspirator.

The Affair frames the Ferragamo Hug Bag as a romantic co-lead, a companion, a temptation, a secret. Where did the idea for this relationship-driven concept originate?

We wanted to play with the stereotype of the Italian love affair, always filled with passion, drama, and perhaps a bit too much intensity. The twist, of course, is that the object of this overwhelming desire isn’t a person, but the Hug Bag. It is a delightfully silly premise, but the key was to coat that absurdity in elevated fashion photography. The narrative gives you the heat of a star-crossed affair while the visual language maintains the cool detachment of high fashion.

The film leans into bold playfulness flirting with melodrama and satire. How did you strike this balance?

Casting and performance are a massive part of my work. I can have all the stylistic intentions in the world, but the tone lives and dies with the performance. The answer here is simple: Natasha Dupeyrón. She has an incredible talent to bring absolute intensity to any scene. She moves between drama and humor without ever signaling that she is in on the joke. She is a star and her talent is electric. Besides my intentions as a storyteller, it was really her talent that grounded the absurdity and made this work.

“It is a delightfully silly premise, but the key was to coat that absurdity in elevated fashion photography.”

Ferragamo is a house known for timeless elegance. How did yourself and the team ensure the film still had that luxurious feel?

The Ferragamo team was a dream to work with because they championed the creativity from the get-go; they understood that for this to work, we had to treat the absurdity with the same reverence usually reserved for a serious heritage campaign. But maintaining that delicate tonal balance requires a production unit that is locked in on a granular level. I have to acknowledge my partners at Florence and Habitant. They weren’t just facilitators of logistics; they were a structural part of the creative process. When your production team understands the nuance of the tone as deeply as you do, execution becomes elevated. The luxury comes from that unwavering, collective commitment.

Visually, every frame looks composed with precision. What references guided you and cinematographer Sebastián Cantillo in crafting the final look?

Sebastián is incredibly talented and a joy to work with; the truth is, we just had a great time. But to correct the assumption: this isn’t cinematic; it’s photographic. We didn’t aim to make a movie. We drew inspiration from retro fashion photography, the work of Steven Klein and Helmut Newton. We wanted to replicate that flash photography effect with unapologetic hard light. In terms of composition, it might sound simple, but we let our artistic point of view guide us through the Downtown Mexico Hotel and the story. We didn’t over-intellectualize the framing; we let the location and our hearts inform the rhythm.

“There is no better playground than luxury fashion to take a completely silly premise, like a handbag as a secret lover, and treat it with deadly seriousness.”

Your background spans both commercial craft and narrative filmmaking. How does a project like The Affair allow you to fuse those worlds to bring brand storytelling into a cinematic space?

It’s a project where we let instinct and creativity drive without getting too brainy. It was a story we were all part of: Natasha Dupeyrón, the brand, and the crew. The joy of bringing such an exciting premise to life for a glorious brand was enough. We didn’t need to force the fusion; we felt ideas and creative solutions flow naturally. When you are having fun with the medium, the “cinematic space” fills itself.

Luxury fashion films can very often feel quite serious, but here humour plays a starring role. What excites you about pushing this space toward something more character-driven and memorable?

I have a mild allergy to fashion films that feel like a photoshoot in video form. They can, at times, feel like a video catalogue. The Affair is unapologetically a fashion film in its look, but it is the anti-fashion film in its soul because it brings story and tension. There is no better playground than luxury fashion to take a completely silly premise, like a handbag as a secret lover, and treat it with deadly seriousness. By injecting a narrative arc into a world that usually relies on vibes, we elevate the product from a prop to a protagonist with agency. That narrative friction is what makes the film what it is; we didn’t just ask the audience to admire the bag, we asked them to believe it’sa living being.

What’s next for you?

2025 was an important growth year. I intend to maintain that momentum and honor the trajectory we set. I am seeking out collaborations that demand a strong point of view, and opportunities to sharpen my aesthetic, stamp my signature on the work, and continue to evolve.

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a co-production by - FLORENCE & HABITANT

director - MATTEO MOSTERTS

talent - NATASHA DUPEYRÓN

client - FERRAGAMO

client - SERGIO HERNANDEZ

producer - JERAD ANDERSON – FOUNDER / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (FLORENCE)

producer - ROMY JO WALLER – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (FLORENCE)

producer - RICK THEBERGE – HEAD OF PRODUCTION (FLORENCE)

producer - ARTURO ARROYO – MANAGING DIRECTOR (HABITANT)

producer - MONTSERRAT BECERRIL – CHIEF OF STAFF (HABITANT)

producer - ELIZABETH TAPIA – HEAD OF PRODUCTION (HABITANT)

producer - MATÍAS GODOY – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (HABITANT)

producer - ANDREA FUMERO – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (HABITANT)

producer - MARA GUARCH – HEAD OF HOSPITALITY (HABITANT)

producer - MARTINA CERVANTES – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ASSISTANT (HABITANT)

line producer - DANIELA DOMÍNGUEZ — @DANITORMENTO

1st ad - GLENY VALENTE

script - DEBORAH URANGA

production coordinator - ARTURO DÉLEON

unit manager - AARON CABRERA

apoc - VIANEY ROCIO ZEPEDA GONZÁLEZ

foreign crew chaperone - ANDREA VALLEJO

set cleaner - ANA MARÍA LORENZANA

director of photography - SEBASTIÁN CANTILLO

1st ac - MAURO FERNÁNDEZ (SAMO)

camera / lenses rep - JOSÉ ANTONIO HUERTA ÁLVAREZ

dolly / slider - FILIBERTO DIEGO FRANCISCO

stills photographer - GABRIELA GUM

gaffer - LUIS TORRES

key grip - HÉCTOR ÁNGEL RODRÍGUEZ OTAÑEZ

staff - JOEL DANIEL GARCÍA TAPIA

staff - CARLOS DAVID GARCÍA TAPIA

staff - EDUARDO YAHVEH OVIEDO AGUILAR

staff - DAVID VILCHIS

makeup - GEORGINA PRIETO

hair stylist - NATALIA NARRAÑAGA

wardrobe stylist - JUAN JOSÉ LUGO

sound supplier - ERNESTO RODRÍGUEZ

sound assist - JUAN TERÁN

art director - VANIA JACOBO

art coordinator - ADRIANA PEÑA

swing - JOSÉ MARÍA HURTADO PEÑA

swing - ABRAHAM ANCONA RUBIO

picture car coordinator - RICARDO CAMACHO

vtr supplier - ARTURO SILVA REYES

vtr operator - ALAN FRANCO MELÉNDEZ

vtr assist - JUAN CARLOS ORTEGA RAMÍREZ

dit - LULA BOLLATI

dit - ALFREDO VILLALOBOS

editorial - CHURCH CREDITS

editor - DAKOTA GIGLIO

edit house - CHURCH EDIT

assistant editor - JORDAN HAHN

founder - MAH FERRAZ

md / ep - LEXI STEARN

head of production - ELYSE ROBINSON

post producer - KYLIE DEVRIES

color - ETHOS STUDIO

color house - ETHOS STUDIO

colorist - RYAN URZI

producer - MIRAIDA GUTIERREZ-COLÓN

head of production - NATASHA SATTLER

managing director / ep - ELIANA CARRANZA-PITCHER

founder / ep - JAMES DREW

sound post - DARREN MAYNARD – SOUND DESIGN & MIX

special thanks – location courtesy - SHOT AT DOWNTOWN MEXICO HOTEL, MEXICO CITY

special thanks – location courtesy - COURTESY OF GRUPO HABITA

special thanks – location courtesy - AND RAFAEL MICHA