David Schwimmer has brought back a pivotal Friends moment in a new Christmas advert for Quince, the luxury fashion brand's first UK campaign. The 59-year-old actor, who directed the iconic season eight episode featuring the red sweater, now stars in a commercial where he desperately searches New York for his 'dream sweater'.
The advert begins with Schwimmer sitting on a park bench, sketching a red sweater in a notebook and titling the drawing 'Dream #238'. Although the commercial never explicitly mentions Friends, the red sweater is unmistakable to fans of the sitcom, especially as Schwimmer spots people across the city wearing it.
A Chase Through New York
As Schwimmer sits on the bench, he sees a man wearing the red sweater in the shade Coulis Red and exclaims, 'Hey! That's my dream sweater!' The man sprints away, and Schwimmer gives chase but cannot catch him. He then ends up on a main road, where another man on a scooter wearing the same sweater rides past, yelling, 'Watch out, Schwimmer!'
Schwimmer hops on a scooter to follow, but stops at a red light as a yellow cab drives by with a female passenger in the red apparel waving from the backseat. Even a small white dog wearing a canine version of the knitwear barks up at him, prompting Schwimmer to say, 'Oh, come on!' The dog's owner, a tall, muscular man in a sleeveless vest, retorts, 'What did you say to my dog?'
The Search Ends
After avoiding a confrontation, Schwimmer returns to his notebook, which contains multiple sketches of the dream sweater. He looks up to find a red sweater draped on the park bench in front of him. He puts on the Quince sweater, made from 100% Mongolian cashmere, which fits perfectly. However, another man appears and says, 'Hey! That's my dream sweater,' and Schwimmer runs off before the man can take it. The campaign tagline then appears on screen: 'The search ends here.'
Schwimmer said that when Quince approached him with the idea, he 'thought it was really funny', adding, 'After all, a red sweater and I go back a long way.' He also noted, 'This time, I'm chasing the sweater, and somehow everyone else has one. Even the dog. They didn't know this when they approached me, but I was already a huge fan of the brand. I don't understand how they make such great quality stuff at the prices they offer. And I loved how they found such a clever way to have some fun with it.'
The original scene, from the 2001 episode 'The One With the Red Sweater', revealed that Ross was the father of Rachel's baby, prompting screams from the live studio audience. The Quince women's oversized cashmere crewneck is priced at £110, and the men's crewneck at £60.
