Springtime at Bess NYC
If you live in downtown New York, chances are you’ve heard of Doug Abraham, founder of the SoHo store BESS. You’ve probably coveted a pair of his studded Converse high-tops, or admired his allegiance to a gritty punk aesthetic. Today, Abraham presents something that is sure to please his cult following: BESS’ Spring/Summer 2015 collection video.
The video is a collaboration between Abraham, stylist Jaime Kay Waxman, and director Simon Cave. Its roots trace back to Waxman’s first days in New York when she happened upon BESS’ Lafayette Street storefront, the former home to Keith Haring’s famed Pop Shop. “I was completely smitten with the store,” says Waxman of her initial experience at BESS. Waxman introduced Cave to Abraham’s designs and he echoes her admiration, describing the BESS’ aesthetic as “authentic…an unusual mix of old school and new school” and “a testament to Abraham as a creative.”
The resulting creation by this artistic trio is a head banging, Technicolor wonder of a video that places BESS’ Spring/Summer 2015 collection at its core. Waxman’s precise styling of the vivid, fluorescent collection is made electric through Cave’s innovative use of 3D scanning technology. The video is fast-paced and playfully aggressive; dancing bodies explode into pixilated streams of color, creating multihued tunnels around limbs and outfits. Models sport dyed hair and vibrant makeup, swirling and morphing while wearing BESS’ eye-catching collection. “It is a real luxury to work on something just for the sake of making something you love. This was just Doug, Simon and I doing whatever we wanted,” says Waxman of the collaborative process.
FOR MORE ON BESS, VISIT THE SHOP’S WEBSITE.