A CATALYST FOR CHANGE

I partnered with Changing the Face of Beauty to rally American fashion retailers, like the GAP, to be more inclusive in their brand photography. I concocted some fake GAP ads with the concept #bridgethegap to show unity through differences.

THE RESULT

CTFB these shared the ads with various retailers to rally their cause. And you know what? It worked. The GAP partnered with CTFB and casted their first model with Downs Syndrome soon after. In addition, GAP’s spring campaign 2017 very much mirrored this message, look, and feel.

THE THINKING

Be smart, authentic, and beautiful, and the youth of today will follow. The idea was to create an experimental campaign for a non-edgy, mainstream retail brand. GAP was the guinea pig since their original brand message had leaned into this arena once upon a time, though they had at the time completely lost this brand message by 2015. This campaign celebrates the unity of a seemingly opposite pair of characters, proving that our deep shared passions are stronger than our differences. Images are styled in 100% GAP and generously photographed by Laretta Houston. Model, actress, and Down syndrome advocate Lily Moore also volunteered her time.

The campaign centered around a fake digital and social campaign where you could, hypothetically, follow real pairs of people (hypothetically casted through a contest) who have opposite backgrounds but share a common goal such as political philosophies, social movements, etc. Kids advertising was a bit lighter - cat people vs. dog people and Marvel vs. D.C. Comics, as seen above.

WHO IS CHANGING THE FACE OF BEAUTY?

Changing the Face of Beauty empowers people living with disabilities by advocating for inclusive imagery, thus changing perceptions and igniting futures in the media and advertising industries. Changing the Face of Beauty will be achieved through partnerships with both private and commercial retailers, penetrating the creative and business world through marketing materials, educational programs, convention presence, and program support.