Illustrated People Launch Brave New World-Inspired Video For Their S/S 2013 Collection

Illustrated People’s S/S 2013 collection makes use of a variety of mediums to promote their 90s-inspired, print-heavy line, picking up where F/W 2012 left off.

In comparison to last season, photographer and art director Josh Greet says they were going for a more higher-res feel with cleaner visuals. The animation, spearheaded by Pablo Jones-Soler and Bradley Bell, was inspired by “Superstudio, Archizoom’s No Stop City, Dubai, spas, Brave New World, and general decadence.”

The video, with soundtrack by Dvnny Seth, takes us on tour through a Sims-like CGI seascape replete with wandering avatars decked out in garb from the new summer line, and provides an ethereal, laid-back component to a line that is just that—Illustrated People relish in slouchy, frock-ish shirts that celebrate stoner and lo-fi internet culture.

“Now the world has been populated, and everything has become artificially maintained (the indoor beach, artificial forests, and lakes) and commodified. It is an endless surface, passive and trivial, where you can keep your pores cleansed, stay well hydrated, and drink coffee eternally. In the first one, they [the avatars] were controlled by that sinister-looking bloke. This time it’s more like control through being lulled into a passive indifference—sort of like the shift from 1984 to Brave New World,” Jones-Soler said over email.

In addition to the video, they’ve launched a multi-layered, interactive look book on their website that features models often guilty of sandal-sock violations perched on top of graphically-challenged backgrounds that recall the proto-world-wide-web. The graphics make ample use of Renaissance accessories like swords and sabers suspended over a vision of a glorious, futuristic waterworld. Much like the collection's complex prints, the 3D look book images make for a unique scrolling experience that highlights their new browser-aware approach to fashion photography.

The summer collection definitely has some standouts. One of which is a drawstring army-cut jacket with a graphic leopard print, complete with large, boxy pockets.

Some other favorites are the various takes on classic pullover sweaters for women—one with a palm tree photographic print, another with a technicolor digital church print inspired by CGI animation, and the red and blue kaleidoscope print which is by far the wackiest of all, shouting some sort of jumbled mess of a Southwestern diamond pattern.

The menswear pieces elevate prints to their highest altar of worship—matching shorts and tees with prints of Von Trapp drapery-style foliage are paired with stark white backgrounds Leopard is no longer a gendered print(!)—men are also given the chance to embrace animal prints with a cat-pelt printed baseball tee.

Credits:
Label: Illustrated People
Photographs, Lookbook illustration and Art Direction: Josh Greet
Design, and Lookbook illustration: Drew Turner
Development: Richard Searle
Animation: Pablo Jones-Soler
Animation: Bradley Bell
Soundtrack: Dvnny Seth “Paychecks” (prod. Zach Nahome)

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