Early-Stage Brand Building
Creative Direction
2021-2022

The early creative direction was about introducing Thaely through clean imagery while putting a strong emphasis on how the shoes were made. With a limited budget, I wanted to find a simple but compelling way to showcase all four original colorways and make the production process part of the story. We took a strategic approach with the launch video, bringing in someone who had previously worked on Business Insider’s “How It’s Made” style content and having him pitch the film to their team. The video went viral and was eventually featured by Business Insider, where it has now crossed 5 million views.

For this campaign, I wanted to create an early 2000s magazine style shoot that felt timeless, clean, and slightly nostalgic, drawing inspiration from old Calvin Klein ads. I wanted to use the exaggerated proportions of a fisheye lens to make the shoes feel larger than life and keep them as the central focus of every image.

For this campaign, I wanted to take Thaely outdoors, using lush grass and natural surroundings to capture a sense of hopefulness and the optimistic, Solarpunk themes at the heart of the brand. I again used a fisheye lens to create exaggerated proportions and make the imagery feel playful and surreal. I also shot some of the images on film to give the campaign a more tactile, nostalgic quality. I’m particularly proud of the styling, which helped bring the futuristic yet optimistic world of Thaely to life.