Classic Specs: A Summer adventure

Luckily for us, the warmth of Summer lasts until December in our beautiful island. Even though It can be very overwhelming and tiring sometimes, it's sad to see Summer go. It feels like this sense of freedom is gone, an awful feeling. But anyway, I'll tell you a little bit about a Summer adventure I had with my friends Shaina Cohen and Yin-Lai Trinidad. One of those hot Summer afternoons, I was hanging out with Shaina; we were brainstorming about ideas for a collective collaboration to work together, so I immediately thought about Classic Specs. We wanted to visually explore the subject of living in a Tropical island, so we decided to take a little road trip to different places and see how we could use these environments with the frames to create a visual balance.

Beaumont Sunglasses in Brandy Tortoise

Beaumont Sunglasses in Brandy Tortoise

Amherst Sunglasses in Caramel Horn

Amherst Sunglasses in Caramel Horn

One of the best things about this collaboration was having total creative freedom. Exploring was also very fun, for us it was more like re-descovering the island and the wonders it has to offer; the long sunny days, the diversity in the colors, and of course its beautiful nature. We wanted to reflect all of these qualities in the pictures in our own way.

Head over to Framework Magazine to read the full story and a little interview :)

P.S.: I'll be sharing the girls' pictures in different posts this weekend so stay tuned!

In partnership with Classic Specs

Refresco

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I met Olga and Javier earlier this year in a sort of random way. I remember receiving a call from a strange number that seemed foreign, when I picked up the phone it was a very sweet voice with a strong Spanish accent. It was Olga de la Iglesia, she wanted to share an idea for a collaboration with me. That same week we met, I fell in love with them and their work. They are art directors, visual artists and photographers based in Barcelona. They have a project called Refresco, which is is about selected art and clothes from the Caribbean (Haiti and Dominican Republic) in Spain. All of the pieces come from the popular markets of the island, they look for prints and patterns that represent the idea of tropical style. A few days after I met them, we went to the flea markets to select some of the pieces for Refresco. I wanted to share this short interview because I thought it could inspire you the way they inspired me. 

Tell us a little bit about your background and how you guys met.

We both studied graphic design, Javi in Buenos Aires and Olga in Barcelona, after that each of us developed our creativity in different fields such as collage (Javi), photography and print design (Olga). We met by a friend in common who put us in touch, Julieta.

What inspired Refresco?

Mainly: The island, its people, landscapes, colors, spontaneity and freshness… its nature, the little houses around the island painted in pastel colors and their geometric shapes, the signboards and typefaces painted in the walls, the inimitable flavor of papayas, mangoes and avocados. The Caribbean context in its great totality is the base for the concept of the project.

Can you describe the process behind finding great pieces?

Javi and I choose the clothes. According to our aesthetic criteria we make a selection. We want to supply new alternatives, unusual and daring combinations, original prints and designs. Fresh pieces.

It all starts when Javi and I get in the red Mitsubishi Lancer ’76, a beauty, without air conditioner, we lower the windows, and the city’s intensity enters through them, we arrive at the flea market, all the vendors are friends by now, they greet us happily, the table is full of clothes to the top, the bustle from the streets is felt strongly, the heat, the loudspeakers, the music, the roving vendors… We divide and conquer to be more efficient; we each make a selection and later check that everything is in good shape. 

We spend around an hour there, sometimes more, we buy fruits and vegetables in the little market around the corner and then we’re on our way, this time the Lancer full of bags of clothes, we unload and do inventory.

Where do your passions for style, photography, art direction and graphic design come from? How do you put all of these disciplines together?

They all stem from a place we share, our being. What most excites us is to create. Color combinations, mixtures of textures, compositions, ideating images…to observe the life around us and create something from it. 

What are some of your favorite places in the Dominican Republic and Barcelona?

This last time that we were there, we felt something very special in El Morro, Montecristi. The nature is very beautiful and overwhelming.

In Cataluña, we really like Cadaqués and Menorca, but we’ve never felt something similar to the DR. The energy there is different, everything isn’t as exploited, it’s more unusual, intense.

What’s the best part of your job?

Creating, thinking of a new idea, and from that idea build another, and so on. Working directly with our artisans, watching them create is livening.

You only sell in Spain. How does that affect Refresco?

From our online store we sell worldwide, we’ve even sent pieces to South Africa.

I’ve noticed that you also work with artisans from DR, how do you choose the people you work with?

It’s more like their work chooses us, we have a vision and criteria of what we want to project, and based on that we pick with whom to work with. Sometimes we discover them by accident, with others we are already familiar with their work and we go find them to meet them personally, work with them, see their workspace, how they develop their work. We’re also passionate about Haitian Artisans, in our next trip we’ll go meet them in Haiti.

- Special thanks to Ana Valeria Castillos -

 

Mood Nº1

Inspired by the colors and life of Spring, I decided to shoot these flowers at my grandma's a few weeks ago. I thought it's very strange, how we don't notice things that have been under our nose for a long time, and suddenly they fade away. That's what happened to me with all these beautiful flowers. I was always aware of them, but not of their beauty.

And now, they're all dying. And my grandma's moving. Ironic, no? Well, I think this post just got too nostalgic and sentimental. I just wanted to share some thoughts. Hope you have a lovely day!