It had been a few years since DTC retailers had any substantial story-telling support around the bread and butter franchise of the brand.

We took an authentic approach to casting, celebrating the creativity and diversity of real consumers, not models. Rich and diverse, these authentic groups of friends were cast via Instagram and championed the creativity and friendship of youth.

They took us along for a day in their life, documenting it all with a top-notch, run-and-gun photo and production team. This campaign consisted of six stories of groups of young creative friends. This is one of those six photo shoots.

Creative direction is the fine art of over preparing and then letting go. There is a lot of effort made selecting the right photographer, casting for personality as much as for look, styling, location and lighting.

Ultimately creative direction is about world creation. But it’s a world you create for others to inhabit. It is creating an environment of trust and fun, where your team is not afraid to take risks, become vulnerable and show their authenticity. The right photographer knows how to capture that. And on set, you help to coach the pace, without setting it. Eventually your goal is to get out of the way to let the magic happen. There is a difference between leading and managing. You try to lead by putting your trust in others.