We love seeing images originally designed for web blown up and given real magnitude, and that’s just what the team at digital fashion content powerhouse I Heart Studios has been getting up to. To celebrate the upcoming launch of their new creative studio suites, they’ve taken over Shoreditch Art Wall – a space dedicated to conceptual art projects in the bustling heart of East London – to showcase their recent collaborative work.
From the vintage-meets-contemporary aesthetic of Spitfire Sunglasses’ imagery, to textile storytelling via Ben Sherman‘s parachute collection, the unique outdoor art platform has played host to a series of I Heart Studio’s most original concepts, culminating in a collaboration with streetwear label Underated London, running until 20 February, which fuses modern stylistics with baroque renaissance imagery.
We met up with Creative Director Martin Winslade to find out more…
Tell us about I Heart Studios…
I Heart Studios is a digital content studio for the fashion industry, founded by Luke Reynolds and Emma Hampson-Jones back in 2008. We do product shots and creative shoots, but ultimately we’re very different to other studios; we understand that digital has changed everything, so I Heart has been designed to give clients what they need – not only more content, but better content, delivered through genuine partnership.
So, what is the Shoreditch Art Wall project?
In brief, it’s an art project, showcasing the best collaborative work we’ve undertaken for clients and partners. We wanted to demonstrate our creativity across a selection of different shoot types: editorial, campaign and creative product still-life.
How did it come about?
The project celebrates our forthcoming launch of seven new creative studio suites, which will open in March. We started in mid-January, with four successive creative executions, culminating during London Fashion week, which feels very appropriate.
Which brands have you collaborated with?
We started off with Spitfire Sunglasses and their bold SS14 campaign images, putting the vintage feel of the collection in a modern context. Next we showcased some fantastic conceptual product shots from the Ben Sherman SS14 Parachute Collection – here, we wanted to push the boundaries of what can be achieved through abstract product shots, telling the story of the collection’s origins by highlighting fabric type, construction and geometric print. We’re just coming to the end of a fashion editorial collaboration with Fault magazine, projecting our high fashion credentials through visual storytelling.
The project culminates in your creative partnership with Underated London – tell us about the imagery?
We’re really excited about this last collaboration. The guys at Underated are neighbours of ours in Bermondsey and they are doing such great designs. We wanted to shoot a set of images that used their seasonal prints and created something much more dramatic and opinionated, providing a background setting that reveals how conceptual street brands can be.
What is it about the identity of these brands that makes them suited to the Shoreditch Art Wall’s creative space?
The Shoreditch Art Wall is closely integrated with the street scene, so all our creative executions needed to work with the space. The images needed to be challenging and to engage with the audience, so ultimately all these brands had to be ambitious and inventive. We also wanted to work with brands that were fully committed to collaborating with us in what is a conceptual, art-inspired project – not just advertising.
Is it important to utilise outside space in conceptual art projects?
I think so. So much of the work we do happens behind closed doors, and its usually for specific, small usage, either online or print. Its important that this work is celebrated and showcased to a wider audience. I also love the contrast of taking images designed for online and giving them real scale.
Catch I Heart Studio’s Underated London imagery at Shoreditch Art Wall, 17-19 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, EC2.
Words: Mary-Jane Wiltsher