I was tasked with launching a direct-to-consumer unisex brand for China market. I oversaw all creative including branding, creative and art direction, design and product development both for fashion products as well as e-commerce retail platform.
There is a big gap between native Chinese brands and international brands popular in China. While the Chinese consumer has a hunger for cleaner styles and aesthetics of popular western brands, native Chinese brands are largely mired in over designed, laborious styles.
Our goal was to bring to market an accessible price point, direct to consumer unisex athleisure line targeted at college students and young shoppers.
Strong structural lines, positive/negative spaces, reduced & restrained are themes that guided my design principles.
We decided to combine bold and graphic elements with a grid system to reflect the clean aesthetic principles we established.
Design: Alf Gadberry
We wanted to keep a clean and strong aesthetic throughout the campaign and lookbook photoshoots. We location scouted in Shanghai and several surrounding cities, finally choosing the Liangzhu Cultural Art Centre in Hangzhou.
For styling, we drew from ‘Take Ivy’ minus the vintage nostalgia, making it easy and relatable for urban school aged audiences.
Photography: Martin Hultberg