FARFETCH X
BROWNS
FASHION

When I started with Browns, I put together a presentation to explain my ideas and what I planned to focus on when we got into the studio with the photographers. While everyone in the creative team in London liked and share largely the references I suggested, the real challenge was turning those ideas into a practical plan and making sure the team understood them and could embed them in their own creative practice.

Basically, I needed to figure out how to break down the project into smaller tasks, set goals, decide who does what, and when. And we needed a way to talk about all this stuff easily.

So, I had to come up with a plan that made sense to everyone and set up ways for us to talk and work together smoothly. It wasn't just about having cool ideas; it was about making sure we could actually do them. That meant getting everyone on the same page and working towards the same goal, which isn't always easy, but it's essential for getting things done.

Team synergy

My approach has always been about forming a creative connection with the people I work alongside. It's important to me that we build up a shared set of ideas we can use whenever we need them.

This not only helps us feel like we're all in it together but also makes sure we're all thinking along the same lines creatively and moving forward together.

By really getting to know each other, we can spot any gaps, whether they're in technical skills or personal style, and help each other out to fill them.

It's about making an environment where working together comes naturally, where we can use each other's strengths and knowledge to get the best results possible. This way of working not only makes our work better but also brings us closer together as a team.

Creative Meetings

To achieve this goal, my esteemed and talented colleague Esther Ruiz (check out their work here) and I devised an educational program centered around weekly Creative Meetings (CMs). During these sessions, the team and I would meticulously dissect every aspect of our workflow. We focused on prioritizing elements that required immediate communication and gradually delved into one-on-one sessions with each team member, including photographers and stylists.

One of the most exciting aspects of our initiative was taking the photographers literally to the streets surrounding our facility. This exercise aimed to push them out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to shoot intuitively based on the references we had previously worked on. The enthusiasm for this initiative was overwhelming and culminated in an internal exhibition showcasing the photos captured on that day.

This approach allowed us to form closer bonds with the team and gain deeper insights into their strengths and weaknesses.

Once the stylistic elements were refined, we shifted our focus to fostering collaboration between the photographers and the retouching team. Under our supervision, they engaged in constructive conversations to address challenges and streamline their respective roles.

This collaborative relationship involved technical meetings led by both photographers and retouchers, taking turns to tackle issues according to a predetermined agenda.

All these interventions culminated in the creation of a comprehensive set of business guidelines. These guidelines considered both the production needs for standardizing our shooting process and the unique creative challenges encountered daily in fashion photography.