Project Overview: New SS-20 Collection & Lookbook for Boutique, Online Brand
Role: Head Apparel & Accessories Designer for the Brand
Timeline: March 2020-April 2020
In light of the pandemic, the original Spring/Summer collection release was ultimately scrapped. Work was definitively put on hold for the time being, but as the days of lock-down turned into weeks of quarantine, the global impact of the virus really blew up. Creatively speaking, there reached a point where the need to somehow document this monumental happening, unfolded in real time. The question became how, and the answer resulted in the design, execution, and delivery of the following Generation 2.0 collection in just a mere few weeks during that time.
New Inspo
The duality of fire in the digital age felt particularly poignant at the time of the pandemic as both an apocalyptic, "world on fire", kind of euphemism, and an increasingly popular, "outfit is fire", kind of social media speak. Wanting to explore this dichotomy further, and more specifically, through the lens of fashion, I compiled the mood-board below.
Collection Overview
The new SS-20 collection was 100% inspired by the real life strength and resolve of women whose lives had been unarguably turned upside down amid the Covid crisis. Above all, it embodies their fiery spirit in true Generation 2.0 fashion, juxtaposing playful modern media rhetoric with pop art style graphics.
Plain White Tees
Normally Generation 2.0 offers a variety of garments, styles, and color options, but this wasn't "normal" times. Resources were limited, shipping delays were extraordinary, and go-to suppliers were very few and far between. For these reasons alone, a new collection would be a struggle, but knowing this from the jump, concessions were made, and inventory was prioritized accordingly. Back to basics in a sense, but name a style staple more timeless than a classic white tee, I'll wait...
Where there's Smoke...
There's usually fire, as the saying goes, and in this case, the tees below most definitely agree. Each of the three individual t-shirt styles is one of three designated Generation 2.0 brand styles of course, however, each individual t-shirt design, is unique only to the SS-20 collection.
Tees 1-3 Line Sheet SS-20
Tees 1-3 Design Style Sheet SS-20
Tees 4-5 Line Sheet SS-20
Tees 4-5 Design Style Sheet SS-20
Tees 6-7 Line Sheet SS-20
Tees 6-7 Design Style Sheet SS-20
#TotesClutch
Thanks to lock down, design styles were limited to items already in stock. The yellow "mini" totes and red foldover clutches featured below, happened to be found amid the previously discarded piles of blanks, and from there, the trajectory was clear. Once the designs were finalized, a small number of each bag was then assembled, printed & embellished by hand, and said inventory, was made available for purchase.
Totes Line Sheet SS-20
Totes Design Style Sheet SS-20
Clutches Line Sheet SS-20
Clutches Design Style Sheet SS-20
Final Heat
Generation 2.0's SS-20 fashion jewelry was designed last, but certainly not least. As seen in the handful of pieces below, the overall aesthetic translated by way of matching jewel toned Swarovski crystals, and vibrant, matte, wooden beads. Each accessory projects a sort of fiery essence of its own, that's both distinguishable from, and ultimately complementary to, the rest of the collection in several regards.
Jewelry Line Sheet SS-20
Jewelry Design Style Sheet SS-20
Digital Lookbook
The SS-20 collection can be seen in its entirety in the pages below. In lieu of a socially distanced photo shoot, model mockups wearing the fashion tee designs were inserted instead. The totes, clutches & jewelry however, were shot at a makeshift studio, in-home.
