SERVICES
Branding
Packaging Design
Art Direction

CREDITS
Role: Senior Graphic Designer & Model
Models: The Black Hive, Bombas 2021
Photographer: Mark Clennon
Photography Assistant: Rashida Zagon
Makeup Artist: Mimi Quiquine
Hair Stylist: Gabe Jenkins
Set Designer: MZ. Icar
Consulting Stylists: Kendra Stepp-Davis & Justin Doss
Styling Assistants: Devan Casey & Sabrina Gonzalez
Digital Tech: Garren Pryce
Producer: Kendra Stepp-Davis
Art Director: Leslie Hanson

BOMBAS — THE BLACK HIVE COLLECTION

Approached by the founders of Bombas, the Black employees of Bombas (who lovingly called themselves the Black Hive) were asked whether we were interested in developing a new ongoing collection of socks, with a percentage of proceeds going to Black-operated charities and initiatives of our choosing. We thought it would be a great opportunity for our community and for us to tell our story, but to accomplish this, we requested that all aspects of the collection be under our control from concept to execution.

We all had an equal say in the colors and designs of the socks, but my specific role as a Graphic Designer was to develop the overall campaign. We decided not to feature Kente cloth patterns (a textile practice originating in Ghana and adopted in African and Black-American culture) because we felt it could be seen as cultural appropriation if worn by people who are not part of the diaspora. Instead, we decided to feature this respected aspect of our culture in our campaign. I conducted in-depth research on Kente cloth patterns and colors, and how I could connect them to the wider aspect of Bombas's core values, and how they could be used in packaging, email, social media, and web.