Arrels Barcelona’s Eccentric footwear adventure and rule-breaking attitude
Arrels, which means “roots” in English, is a Barcelona based footwear brand making shoes for the urban market. Founded in 2015, Arrels Barcelona is defined as an attitude in the shape of shoes: “Arrels is starting the day off on the right foot, putting the shoes of optimism on, and walking through life with a spring in one’s step.” That’s why their slogan is Upbeat Shoes. At the same time, Arrels shoes have their own soundtrack because they understand that fashion and music are two conductors of emotions and they love to mix them up.
A duality is reflected in the two colours of the identity and in the pattern created for the boxes and the shoes; an idea which was carried over to the brochure. The design of the pattern plays with the idea that if you were to rip up all the layers of concrete which cover the urban landscape underneath you would find the original, natural surface of the earth.
Creating the identity meant finding the right balance between their urban look and their rural roots and between being handmade and mass produced. When we were commissioned to do the art direction of the photography for their first collection SS2016, we thought each shot should convey the idea of rhythm, movement and freshness that exists behind the brand. So we came up with photographs that capture specific moments from different actions, just in the instant they are happening. Keeping with the idea of the pattern on the Arrels boxes we made the coloured paper prominent in the photography by using them as the background and floor of the shots.
One year later, for SS17 campaign, we wanted to bring to light their bold attitude towards life. Arrels is a brand which likes to play and experiment with shoes; they co-create their collections with illustrators and designers who freely express themselves. We came up with photography compositions where models posed in unusual positions to reflect Arrels eccentric attitude. Saturated vibrant colours and strongly textured backgrounds, synthetic textiles and doll skin all emphasized their rule-breaking, fun attitude.
