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 if we were interested in developing a new ongoing collection of socks for which a percentage of proceeds would go 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 controlled by us 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 to not feature Kente cloth patterns (a textile practice that originated in Ghana and is adopted in African and Black-American culture) because we felt that 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.
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
Selected Works
Marks of MajestyEditorial, Art Direction
Otherland — Beach ClubCampaign, Packaging, Art Direction
Otherland — AdornedCampaign, Packaging, Art Direction
Otherland — SoHo NYCPackaging, Retail, Signage, Art Direction
Prim N' Poppin'Editorial, Art Direction
Seizing the ThroneEditorial, Art Direction
Modern FamilyEditorial, Art Direction
TotokaeloRetail, Packaging, Art Direction
AthletaCampaign, Advertisement, Art Direction
PhlurVisual Identity, Packaging
Neely & ChloeVisual Identity, Packaging, Art Direction
The Dean HotelVisual Identity, Hospitality, Naming, Copy, Website Design
Park Grove MiamiVisual Identity, Real Estate, Editorial