Jan 2016. We find ourselves in New York, participating in the highly anticipated Liberty Tradeshow after winning an award from the CFDA during a showcase in Singapore. As always, there were alot left to do with the show just few days away. The first night after landing, we find ourselves heading to a nice little supper club - Fedora off West Village. Meeting our photographer to finalise some concepts for the shoot the very next morning. Exited the subway and were pleasantly greeted by the first snow fall. Somewhat magical, we knew this trip was going to be one hell of a kind.
By morning, the snow has reached our knee level. Thanks to the 2 biro Millerain Bags that possess remarkable enduring capabilities, we made it to the studio with the 30 over clothings intact despite the heavy storm. Arrived, loved the energy and passion everyone exhibited during the cold, harsh New York morning. Ryan whom has a great deal of experience with fashion photography (Details Mag, GQ, etc) along with Noma, a international model, quickly capture the essence of the kind of imagery we are looking for. Clean, crisp and detailed.
In between shoots, we adventured into the snow storm, grabbed coffee, took lunch and having fun in the snow. New York is indeed mesmerizing in every way. After over 3000 shots within 4hours, we concluded our shoot very satisfied and moving on to post production.
We were at the private SOHO House club along the Manhattan Meatpacking District going through the images and narrowing them down to the final 18 or so to be used for editorial and campaigns. Fortunately, Ryan has a really quick way of doing so and within 2 hours or so, we have our images. Final edits done, set for prints and ready for presentation. Looking back, the incredible feat from discussing the shoot, drawing up concepts, searching for models, locking down a model, booking a studio and till the final results of having excellent images in hand, all took place in a mere 1 week.
As we finally get through the tradeshow, it was a remarkable experience. With over 200 brands showcasing in the huge arena and thousands of crowd, there were alot to do in order to stand out. Over the course of 3 days, alot was learnt and we were fortunate to have made new friends, and introduced the label to buyers such as Maleh from Gentry NYC and Chris from Needsupply. Generally, there was a good mix of buyers from all over. And quite frequently, some of them will walk by, paused for a moment to check out the products that we have, give some comments and some; valuable advices.
Overall, this trip has shown and taught us lessons that are valuable in so many levels through the rich experiences and not merely by words or images. Breathtaking in its own ways, NYC, even at its coldest and most harsh season; has captivated us deeply with a want to return quickly and to continue work in this city.
