Design & brand direction for Jaylen Brown's apparel brand
7UICE
I was given the rare opportunity of an open-ended brief, that allowed me to share my industry and trend knowledge, branding skills, and personal insight & research into Boston Celtic's player Jaylen Brown, and present all of this creative direction to his team.
Wanting to set perimeters for the scope of my project, I narrowed down the open-ended brief to this statement
An quick overview of where Jaylen Brown's brand currently stands, evaluating its quality and positonality.
Points for brand growth that I found to be very tangible and could be built upon to better position 7uice as more than a "merch band"
I created three style direction key areas of style lens' and trends in which all future 7uice product offering would sit. All three areas were inspired by Jaylen Brown's infatuation with the 19070s.
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Each area features looks that describe it that Jaylen has already worn to show how it fits in his personal style, as well as three pieces from Black-owned brands and designers that give visuals to the defined style direction.
TRENCHES
A double entendre describing both the rough areas in life we've been through, and the classic trench coat. Within the trenches category lives clothing pieces that are based in rugged workwear, and meant to be layered.
Pulling from runway looks from Black design houses Ahluwalia and Pyer Moss, as well as a jacket from a recent Masion Chateau Rouge collection, these layered pieces highlight the baggy cuts, luxury but still durably built, feel that describes this style direction. Material callouts feature heavy duty canvas, denim, and leather.
FLARE
Inspired by the originality of Black fashion in the 1970's, this style direction pairs understated flamboyance with intentionality multi-functionality of it's pieces.
Bold graphics and patterns rooted in Black culture, multi-functional details such as satin-lined headwear, and energizing while still muted texture and color callouts drive this category.
POSH
Redefining the traditionally snobby, preppy look to oxymoronically match the relaxed look of streetwear. Quality made, draped looks dominate this area - just as they did in the 70s.
Together, looks give off an feeling of sophistication, while individually pieces can still stan alone as statements in streetwear.
Storytelling
After identifying style directions for 7uice, I created three key stories to pull from for color, material, and cut inspiration.
Pulling from collective history and originality of the African diaspora through fashion, with focus on 1970s African and Caribbean street fashion.
Remixing iconic wax print designs of the African diaspora to further tell more personal stories, and redefine the use of bold, big face prints and logos.
Invoking a sense of nostalgia and storied history while connecting the brand back to its sport roots.
Inspired by soulful fonts and graphic styles of 1970s Black pop culture, icons, and tastemakers.
Pattern inspirations looking back at the waviness of the 1970s, as well as elevating the status of more traditional African diasporic geometric patterns to that of high fashion.
Experimenting with the 7 font from the 7uice logo, I developed several different monogram patterns that pull from the grandeur of classic monograms in high fashion.
Color Story 1
Elevating the classic Boston Celtics team colors to give new life to a colorway that is epitome of luxury.
Color Story 2
Pulling from monochrome browns of beautiful Black people, as well as the earthy shades of yellow and orange that make us shine and were popular during the 1970s.
