Capri Holdings X Pensole Lewis College
I have had the privilege to be selected for the highly competitive certificate program which is sponsored by the Capri Holdings Foundation and hosted by Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design. Throughout this 5 week program we were tasked with a brief to create a collection with one of the 3 fashion houses under Capri Holdings and collaborate with a non-fashion brand in an adjacent industry. Presented is my project which focuses on the collaboration between Jimmy Choo and Paige Bueckers and the WNBA.
Project Statement
​To develop a collection that resonates with the rookie phenom Paige Bueckers, who requires athletic and ventilated silhouettes, while also providing her with a tailored and luxurious throughout the collection.
01
Brand Research
When thinking about this collaboration I had to do extensive research about both brands and understand their similarities and differences. The WNBA is an ever-growing brand taking a huge spotlight over the last couple of years due to young talented players and who showout on and off the court. When thinking of Jimmy Choo the brand is recognized as one that has timeless pieces, unmatched craftsmanship and sustainability woven all throughout the brand. During the program our cohort recieved the tremendous opportunity to speak with Sandra Choi the Creative Director at Jimmy Choo and she was able to answer our questions regarding growth of the brand and how she operates within this role. These insights allowed me to have a better understanding of the brand and what it truly stands for.
02
Conceptual Design Research
My muse for this project is Paige Bueckers who is a decorated WNBA Rookie drafted 1st overall pick in the 2025 draft to the Dallas Wings and also recently won rookie of the year. She is an exceptional athlete who has a large fanbase who admire her on the court and off the court as well. Paige has a strong presence in the fashion space and her character and personality fit well with the Jimmy Choo ethos, this collaboration makes perfect sense due to the direction the WNBA are heading in and how the players personalized style can be marketed and tailored well to benefit Jimmy Choo.
03
Mood Board & Color Palette
For my color palette with this project my main color palette focuses on a red carpet event which Paige would be attending and I wanted to go for more of a monocromatic look really focusing on the elegance of Jimmy Choo through muted and simplistic yet exciting colors.
04
Ideation
Throughout my ideation process I chose to focus on two different silhouettes, the first one being an athletic loafer and the second one being a traditional basketball shoe. Since Paige walks the tunnel a lot and attends various red carpet events it was necessary to have a loafter which is atletic but luxurious as well. So for the loafer I chose to incorporate an open back concept with an enlarged ventilation unit to help with breathability while being in hot climate area such as Dallas Texas. Next for the basketball silhouette I wanted to really dive into Paige's play style as she is a very aggressive guard who looks to always attack and stop on a dime so having an aggressive traction pattern covering the heel and forefoot was necessary. Also I chose to add ventilation units towards the ankle to aid in airflow while playing and lastly added rubber ridges across the upper for increased grip while low to the ground and this detail mimicks an Atelier Bon Bon bag made by Jimmy Choo.
05
Materials Palette
For my two hero materials I chose to focus on Clarino Soranina Grain H-plus which is very sustainable material being made completely out of plastic water bottles and will give the luxurious leather feel incorporated throughtout both silhouettes. Also I chose to highlight Cordura AFT as my second hero material because it a highly customizable mesh that maximizes ventilation and breathability and has a high tensile strength as well making it exceptional for on the court and off the court.
06
Technical Cads Loafer
My CAD's were completed in adobe illustrator and presented are a few callouts which help distinguish certain materials throughout the silhouette.
07
Technical Cads Hoops
When it comes to the basketball silhouette I want to highlight certain material callouts which would benefit the type of player Paige Bueckers is which include Vibram rubber across the outsole and upper aiding in grip while being low to the ground and also a Dual-Density midsole consisting of Supercritical Foam in the forefoot and EVA in the heel.
08
Color Orthographics
The color orthographics help to show both silhouettes color blocked and what they would look like with full color throughout the silhouettes.
09
Final Render
The final renders were completed in Adobe illustrator.