Summer Dream
Summer Dream is a collaboration between founder of Virtue Magazine, Lo Thomas and founder of AN$WR NY, Justin Brock. The collaborative collection draws upon the summer childhood experiences within the pairs respective cities; Chicago & New York. Brock’s childhood in the summer was filled with moments of him roaming Spanish Harlem with friends or alone. Those days were filled with basketball, bodega runs, walks by central park, and buying Coquitos from New York’s iconic icee vendors. Spanish Harlem is filled with these community staples that serve the community and serve as cultural icons that speak to the Harlem experience. The vendors are usually middle aged men and women of Puetro Rican, Dominican, and Mexican descent. Brock being half Dominican himself turns this collaboration into a celebration of not only New York culture but also his hispanic heritage. Inspired by photos of Spanish Harlem by photographer Joseph Rodriguez, Brock uses this collection as an outlet to reference his roots within this community. Through color, object, illustration, process, and garment Brock connects his childhood experience with Thomas through her specific experience. Lo’s summer days were filled with exploration of the earth's landscape searching out crystals with her mother. As a little girl, Lo would see and cherish the beauty in the minerals found while running through the summer heat and would carry them into her home. The summers were filled with moments of appreciation for the universe’s movements, and every crystal and mineral collected in Lo’s box was a representation of every one of those days. Whether it be taking a trip in the warm weather to a local crystal shop or picking up a colorful rock from the front porch that seemed perfectly placed for her to find, these pieces were more than just nature for her. As an adult, Lo began to create a larger connection with the energies of the universe and these same crystals and has grown to understand the healing and growing properties of every piece. Her pieces in this collection are based on crystals that have strong growth and healing properties to give people the ability to take a piece with them that resonates what they may need for themselves at this very moment in their lives.
The look book can be viewed below by clicking the link below.
