✿ MAY FIRST ✿
May First is an apparel and accessories line founded by my sister but designed and art-directed by myself. While she leads logistics, business operations, and overall strategy, I am responsible for shaping the look and feel of the brand, bringing it to life through design and photography.
As something that has always been just an idea, May First has finally come to life as a project that combines all of our interests and passions. In line with the idea of new beginnings, May First is heavily inspired by the season of Spring—a time of reawakening, transformation, and creation. Visual motifs of spring have been incorporated throughout the brand and art direction, including greenery, florals, nature, and young.
The visual references for May First center on the idea of reawakening—a direct translation of spring as a catalyst for renewal. And as a project that has finally come to life after much postponing, we decided to fully lean into these cues in building the world of May First. Rather than relying on traditional, pastoral motifs, the creative direction prioritizes visceral abstraction. An attempt to capture feelings and sensations, like warmth after a harsh winter or the sudden clarity after experiencing a blur from a daydream.
Contributing Collaborators:
Apparel Design, Creative Direction, Photography (in Manila), Marketing Strategy, Graphic Design: Mikee Tan
Art Direction, Graphic Design, Photography (in NYC), Retouching, Animation, Video: Franky Tan
Styling: Yasmeen Allafi, Mikee Tan
Models: Yasmeen Allafi, Deianne Latonio, Ines Sarmiento, Chaz Tiempo
Packaging: Felix Tan
All images shot between Manila and New York City
All products made locally in the Philippines ✿