The launch of Shmoofoil:
A Mark Gonzales Signature Apparel Collection
Created by skateboarding’s most legendary innovator, Mark Gonzales, the Shmoofoil collection is a focus line of basics that are anything but.
Subjekt teamed up with adidas and Mark to elevate the initial launch of this seasonal capsule and bring both Gonz’s creative vision and individuality to life.
SERVICES
Marketing Strategy
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Production
Post Production
ELEVATING THE ESSENTIALS
Down to the details, this collection had an obsession with delivering premium wardrobe staples that balance simplicity and sophistication while adhering to classic adidas aesthetics and the irreverent soul of skateboarding.
By bringing the collection to life in a premium way, where the quality of visual language was fully considered and as important as the product itself, we led with a creative direction that was understated with a refined simplicity. This elevated individual style drove aesthetic, while personality kept things raw and energetic.
FASHION-FORWARD AESTHETIC
By choosing the right individuals and shooting in poignant locations like Mark’s hometown and New York City, the fashion capital of the world, we laid the foundation for true authenticity and balance the raw energy of skateboarding against a more contemporary and fashion-forward aesthetic. Captured by skateboarder and iconic fashion photographer Quentin De Briey, the campaign featured Mark himself and fellow team riders Heitor da Silva, Magnus Bordewick, Nika Washington, and Diego Najera.
QUALITY AND CRAFT
Skateboarding led the style game in the streets long before fashion brands, with the hope of adding a shred of authenticity to their products, began to blatantly leverage skaters themselves in their ads. We highlighted the product just as it’s meant to be seen and worn, naturally blended into the cast’s everyday style and wardrobe.
To champion quality and craft and the art of imperfection, everything was shot on film, printed in the darkroom by Quentin himself, and then scanned back in for digital use. We embraced the beautiful, natural blemishes, film edges, film grain, and other one-off oddities visible with this technique.
REVEALING SHMOOFOIL
We developed a strategy to reveal the first Shmoofoil collection as a tease through the perspective of the team and crew themselves. The team “leaked” content in real-time, in the streets, through their own social channels. No brand hashtags or callouts, just the product in its native habitat, creating buzz and sparking interest from the riders’ followers.
At official launch, we led with a proper PR moment in NYC, including a full social brand-led campaign rollout, and aligned to the DTC launch online, where product photography was supported with premium product detail reveals aligned to our creative.
To extend the launch moment, we provided unique assets to the team for previously unseen skate-led content through their own channels. Further adding unforced validation, we included other prominent figures we naturally crossed paths with during our time in NYC to our plan. We provided these influential people with candid images of themselves hanging with the team, shot and printed by Quentin, to post and repost as well. Quentin himself, Bill Strobeck at Tompkins, Mark, and some of his studio artist neighbors, were a few of those featured.
SUPPLY & DEMAND
The impact of the combined moments was unmistakeable—we achieved a near instant demand, followed quickly by sell through on most articles from the collection, sparking the reassurance that the seasonal collection had a place within the larger adidas offering.
