As a new brand, just beginning to dip their toe in ready-to-wear and a direct-to-consumer approach, a large part of our role was helping them to cultivate their brand image and to do so with a forward mindset that would allow them to evolve and grow as their company grew.

At the time, APPARIS was attempting to cultivate a jet set image, connecting the owners’ Parisian roots to the brand’s home of New York City. They saw the Apparis customer as a citizen of the world, who was as fun as they were luxurious and ready for a photo op.

In Sept of 2019, we pitched the idea of shooting the collection in Havana, Cuba for the campaign.

We felt that rather than purely using a city as a backdrop, it was important to root the idea in something deeper.  

The model, Francis, whom we worked with on this project, is Cuban but had been living in Spain for many years. She was going to be traveling to Havana to visit family and we arranged to meet her in Cuba and spend two days around the city.
For the final looks, we shot Francis together with her 84-year-old grandmother.  These are some of our favorite pictures as they captured the genuine joy and exuberance they share between them. It was a beautiful experience, being able to document her reconnecting to her roots and spending time with her family.

In the end, the campaign was just as much about the glamour, and the vibrancy of the city,  as it was about the joy of connection.