Tender & Mellow is a character based collection designed to encourage reflection, curiosity, and self awareness. The characters that inhabit this world represent various emotions and ideas designed to foster conversations about the relationship between one’s self and the inner workings of their mind. As it stands now, the collection is a mix of prints and products that consist of screen printed t-shirts and tote bags, an embroidered patch, two sticker designs, a tapestry, and a 5×8 40 page lookbook. The designs feature my cast of characters paired with messaging that reflects the heart of the collection. This project has gone through many phases of ideation and tweaking. I had initially envisioned a pop-up space where the world of Tender & Mellow would come to life— however, as we all know, 2020 likes to put a wrench in people’s plans. In an effort not to be too ambitious in the planning of a physical space, I began to imagine how I could walk people through the collection in a virtual way, and thus the idea of the lookbook was born. I settled on a lookbook because I knew I would still be able to curate the voice of the collection through a page turning experience, and I could include all of the key elements to the project: the characters, the branding, the designs, and the products.