I was challenged to produce a promotional campaign for an upcoming designer. As entranced by the work of MFA Parsons graduate Sho Konishi, I created a launch party and social media campaign concept for the release of their “INSECTS” jewelry collaboration with 3D makeup artist and creative, Cupid.
Sho Konishi uses fashion design as a medium for his personal meditations on environmental issues, human anatomy and thought, optical illusions, reincarnation and religion. Born in Kochi, Japan and recently completing his studies in New York, Konishi is drawn to the push and pull of urban and natural landscapes.
His graduate collection “Garden of Eden” is self-described as ‘A wearable archive of life and nature as material’. He fuses his childhood love for DIY plastic art experimentations and his evolved sense of respect for all life forms to blend recycled plastics with flowers, bone, leather, and fur into sculptural garments.
I decided to construct a social media campaign and launch party concept for the release of Sho Konishi’s “INSECTS” jewelry collection that they constructed with Cupid, as inspired by their joint love for wearable life through nature. The project features ornate silver and gold rings, ear cuffs, septum piercings and mouth jewels that mimic the forms and features of insects
Press Release
The above press release encapsulates the mission of my promotional campaign. I also created a floor plan and adapted a diagram by the inspiring Fanplastic Folkestone (http://fanplasticfolkestone.com/) to depict the logistics of the event.
My inspiration to create the concept from Konoshi’s use of recycled materials for their garments, their personal, controversial struggle with loving plastic as a part of nature, and their memories of creating artworks as a child from household plastic. Moreover, Konishi spoke about how they felt inspired by seeing flowers in a rubbish bin on the streets of NYC and wanted to create items that make the audience reconsider what they deem as treasure versus ‘trash’.
Hence I created a pun on this idea by urging people to bring found plastic or participate in the treasure (or trash) hunt for plastic around the site, which could be 3D printed into replicas of the “INSECTS” collection at the launch party. By doing so I aimed to involve consumers who may not be able to afford the jewellery but love the designs, to buy tickets and aid the cause. I planned to create further incentives for involvement via the rare opportunity to live the floral makeup fantasy that Cupid is renowned for. They post breathtaking selfies with flowers, insects and household items that are applied to the face to produce wearable installations; alongside the stunning location, this provides Instagram-worthy content for attendees to further spread publicity.
Poster
I chose the location of the launch party to be the New York Botanical Gardens as this is a sublime location where the designer is based. I found visual similarities between the intricate presentations that are organised at the annual orchid show there and the jewellery. I highlighted this in the promotional poster where I merged an image from the official photography of “INSECTS” with a photograph from “Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope” 2020 orchid display at the gardens. I crafted this image onto the wings of a butterfly and placed it on the mouth of Cupid who models the jewellery, in the style of some of their posts. I aimed to combine the ethos of all involved by depicting the beauty of nature in it in close proximity with humans, as achieved through Konishi and Cupid’s ‘wearable life’ pieces.
Consumer Profile
The consumer profile for the “INSECTS” collection aligns with many attributes of Sho Konishi as a representative of their brand, the target client would be based in a city, most likely the bustling metropolis of New York, seeking to bring their love and spiritual connection with nature into their daily lives.
As a self-employed creative with disposable income, they have the conviction and freedom of expression to wear the bold designs that sit in the price range between $200-$940. As the jewelry is so complex, nature-inspired and intricate, I imagine the client to align themselves with minimalist NYC streetwear styles; this allows them to stand out as non-conformists and serene, a sculptural oasis amongst the chaos of the street.
Although the jewelry is unisex, I believe the predominant audience target to be androgynous men, as Konishi and Cupid’s styling is often gender-neutral and challenges the archetype of nature to be feminine. Moreover, as the jewelry market still houses damaging stigma towards men’s accessories, I believe the use of stereotypically masculine materials highlights the duality of nature as delicate yet hardcore – a sweet spot for Konishi’s designs to create waves in an untapped market.
Social Media Campaign
I chose Instagram as the platform to promote the designer and launch party as this is a popular choice for influencers and creators within my client profile age bracket. Instagram thrives on the sales of independently designed jewellery through its shop feature and therefore it would be an ideal space for the sale of “INSECTS”.
I have mocked up a series of posts that New York Botanical Gardens, Sho Konishi and Cupid would hypothetically post as a method of promotion of the event and collection.
Within this, I have included a photograph I took of the plastic “INSECTS” septum piercing I created using recycled pens, bottles and forks, as a prototype of the 3D printed versions that would be devised for guests.
As part of the social media campaign, I considered how a competition to post a selfie and tag three people, using hashtags and a custom created Instagram filter would be an innovative way to promote the event and collaboration. I created a mockup concept by incorporating the septum piercing design onto Instagrammers using the “Primavera” filter, as created by @visualize.mee on Instagram.
I chose this filter as an imitation of the floral makeup that Cupid is renowned for and guests would be decorated with. I thought this was a key way to promote Cupid’s makeup and for guests to see what they would look like with the jewellery to inspire them to attend and purchase.
It is also an interactive way to encourage circulation of the hashtags for the event, I transformed Konishi’s quote into ‘#wearablelife’ as I thought it was a striking theme that connects the artists and collection together. Moreover, for the future, it ties in with growing sculptural makeup trends, sustainable material use and innovation, and users can continue to link it to their daily life and surroundings as a reminder of Konishi’s ethos.
