2023 Lunar Gala: Morii

Lunar Gala, inspired by the Lunar New Year's tradition of wearing new clothes, is the largest annual fashion event led by students in Pittsburgh with 1200+ attendees.
Here are some show day photos!

System

MORII, defined as "the desire to capture a fleeting experience", is something that occurs in a moment of personal significance. The melancholy comes from the fact that we will never be able to preserve these past memories in whole, but throughout our journeys, these internal reflections are also a vibrant acknowledgment of personal growth. Just like the tradition of wearing new clothes during lunar new year, we hope to leap into the year of the rabbit with new learnings and beginnings.

As each designer constructs their own personal interpretation of MORII through fashion, the creative team aims to visually reconstruct and represent these concepts in a system of artifacts with photo driven imagery.
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Website

Link to Live Website

With the website existing in a digital space, we wanted to use these devices to emulate the motif of a capturing device — a camera. Inspired by the UI of a digital camera and iPhone device, we created a responsive website that playfully utilizes the focal point of the camera screen as a cursor to navigate elements in the viewport. The meta data is used to record time passing up until show day.

Because each line has their own unique interpretation of how a memory has fleeted, we created 13 unique posters and mass distributed 300 of them on campus for people to find. Assets are entirely gathered from people's personal photo libraries to construct a composition that attempts to reconstruct each concept through scraps of memory. These posters are then overlayed onto general assets and backgrounds to create a collective color palette for the overall brand.

The show programme was created as an attempt to immortalize a memory through the physicality of printed material. With various paper weights and textures wrapped in vellum and loosely binded by a single clip, the programme guides you through the show by explaining each fashion line's concept and directing you to the according instagram filter.

Upon detection by the camera, the OBJ files for each 3D scan would appear within the show pamphlet. These 3D assets were taken during line shoots and edited in post to preserve the sense of fleeting particles of it's surrounding environment.

Promotional Material

Link to Instagram

Link to Livestream

With Instagram being Lunar gala's main platform for recruitment and announcements, we planned a 5-week-long promotion week strategy with the PR team to efficiently advertise the show. (33 posts in total)

Merch

Process

Beginning with each designer's concept sketches and descriptions, our team invested a significant amount of time and effort into the meticulous task of comprehending them. Our overarching concept of "morii" guided this process, as we aimed to extract key words and identify potential research directions. This collaborative effort allowed us to delve deeper into the essence of "morii," exploring its diverse facets and possibilities.

Our team then explored various methods for capturing and altering photographic imagery. We delved into the realm of post-editing, experimenting with techniques that intentionally lose information, creating intriguing visual effects. Additionally, we dabbled in "inaccurate" captures through 3D scans and long exposure warping, adding a touch of unpredictability to our creative process. Each team member delved into possibilities within the medium that aligned with their specific outcome. The collaborative effort resulted in a diverse range of approaches, each contributing to the overarching concept of "morii" in their own unique way.

We also delved into visual motifs within the UI of capturing devices for the website and motion components. Shutters, timers, focus control, menu selectors, grid lines...

What better way to tap into emotions like nostalgia than through your own camera roll?

Our team created a collective Drive folder, where everyone could dump their ambiguously eventful photos. This treasure trove of memories would serve as a valuable library of assets for future explorations. Using the key words we had compiled for each individual line, we decided to piece together a representation of someone else's fleeting memory.

Reflections

The role of a co-creative director who has never been part of the creative team ever was a juncture that stirred both self-doubt and moments of sheer panic. As I grappled with the weight of the responsibility and the expectations that came with it, I can only feel grateful for this opportunity and the support/guidance that accompanied me throughout this transformative journey.

This role not only challenged my skills and leadership capabilities, but also taught me the value of embracing the unknown by pushing past my doubts. Working closely with these talented individuals, I realized the essential value of collective making.