Gama Blue

An indigo-dyed apparel company that refashioned vintage clothes using the traditional Japanese art of Shibori dyeing. 

Overview

Inspired by Shibori dyeing, my team decided to build our own business incorporating these traditional techniques with modern Los Angeles fashion. I approached this business as a new narrative and focused on creating an unique experience using indigo dye and vintage clothing. By treating this business as a form of storytelling, I was able to weave a strong, unifying narrative through the development of a cohesive brand identity, website, marketing materials, and clothing line. With product sales and “open vat” events, we generated almost $2000 in sales for NFTE, an organization that encourages entrepreneurship in low income students.

My role: project manager and designer.

Focus: branding, digital design, event planning.

Team: Jenny Zhang, Will Berman, Jackson Berry. 

Tools: Illustrator, InDesign.

Process

Event planning

The core of Gama Blue was our "open vat" events, where we would teach people how to dye their own clothes using Shibori dyeing techniques, as well as sell some of our curated pieces. Initially, we were focused solely on online and in person sales of our curated collection. However, I quickly noticed how much people were interested in our indigo vats. This, combined with the rise of DIY culture in Los Angeles, inspired us to began hosting these open vat events. I oversaw the planning and execution of these events, from ideation to completion, ensuring that each step fit into the narrative of Gama Blue. 

Brand Identity

To ensure that our events and sales were successful, we had to develop a strong, consistent brand identity and narrative. I helped develop the core elements of the Gama Blue brand and ensured that they were seamlessly incorporated in every step we took. This was done through social media posts, flyers, instructions at the events, and more. Every material created was re-iterated constantly until we believed it fit our core identity.