THE SOPHISTICATION
OF STREETWEAR

The tension.
Purple had outgrown its image. It had become the largest denim brand at Saks Fifth Avenue, with a loyal following among young consumers of colour and real credibility with tastemakers, athletes and celebrities. International demand was booming. To keep growing, it needed the sophistication of a luxury house without losing a shred of its street credibility.

The insight.
Streetwear has always had its own codes of taste and rigour. The answer was to give Purple the seriousness luxury affords itself, without sanding off the edge that made it matter.

The work.
A new brand platform, expressed through a flagship e-commerce site, style guides for design and art direction, product photography, editorial and campaign content.

The effect.
Purple began as a wholesale business, at one point around 90% of its sales, with customers buying the same jeans through the same outlets and little room for the brand to tell its own story. The brand platform and direct-to-consumer site we built changed that. For the first time, Purple had a home of its own for exclusives and storytelling, and a clear articulation of who it was. Co-founder Luke Cosby says the brand has since "been able to find our voice" (Cool Hunting). Everything that followed built on that foundation: a first flagship in SoHo in 2024, then womenswear and footwear (WWD).

My role.
The founders brought the challenge to me. I defined the brand platform, then assembled and directed the team that built it: Maui for development, Alexandra Vasilevski for design, Kai Regan for art direction and photography, and Afterhrs for production, with Phil Vasilevski leading development and Caitlin Hart leading business growth strategy.

Brand Development
E-Commerce Strategy
E-Commerce Design
E-Commerce Development
Styleguide
Graphic Design
Art Direction
Campaign Creation
Editorial
Product Photography