Urban Outfitters Concept Boards

I recently applied for the photo art direction internship with Urban Outfitters and was tasked with creating a concept board that demonstrated a potential campaign that would appeal to the current demographic of Urban outfitters or something that you think would resonate with the Urban Outfitters brand. I initially created 1 that was fit for the demographic but then I felt like I needed to make something that showcased diversity and representation and that was unique to me. 

For my 1st concept board, I was inspired by the y2k trend. More specifically I was inspired by this influencer who has launched her own version of the y2k trend called aliyahcore. Aliyahcore is edgy but cutesy. When thinking of the demographic of Urban Outfitters shoppers this was the trend that immediately stood out to me for what shoppers would want to see visually in a campaign. However, I felt like I wanted to push the vision of Urban Outfitters. 

With this concept board, I wanted to push further than the y2k trend and include diversity. In the late 90s, there was this trend called afro-futurism. You saw it in many artists of the time's music videos like Janet Jackson, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, etc. As the y2k trend continues to grow in popularity, the afrofuturistic trend is growing in popularity again in the black community. For us, it is showcasing black people in a light that we haven't been in before. It is taking back all of the styles that "weren't fit for us", and not only reclaiming but making it our own. In this trend, we see black people sporting their natural hair in new styles, bright colors, experimental makeup, out there fashion and poses, silver, etc. Also too with this trend, there is a sense of edge to it that makes it uniquely black and beautiful. I felt it was important to include this with my submission because it is important to showcase that we as black people are creative, beautiful, and the pioneers of a lot of trends and its time we showcase that!