Abercrombie & Fitch teams with Black creators for line
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May 2020, a moment that sparked widespread protest and a call for solidarity, visual artist Francesca Miller cast her artistic gifts to adorn downtown Columbus with messages of hope.
But instead of illustrating the pain felt within the Black community of Floyd’s death at the hands of Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, Miller decorated building walls with images that are representative of Black beauty and resilience.
Less than a year later, the Bexley resident would lend her creativity to help spearhead Abercrombie & Fitch’s latest capsule, “For Justice, For Joy Collection,” a clothing collection that celebrates Black joy and showcases its visual forms with a selection of distinct pieces.
Considering the brand’s recognition, Miller, 24, said she was shocked when the American retail giant emailed her for the project.
“I was like, this is a spam email,” she said. “When they reached out, I was like this has to be a joke. I was completely shocked, I really was.”
Miller acknowledges that she’s never actually shopped at the retail giant, but after several conversations with company executives, the brand gave her the creative reins while providing the platform to convey her artistic message.
“It was refreshing to be working with such a big name company and you could tell it was genuine,” she said. “You can tell they wanted to help with the movement.
“They could’ve worked with other artists who work with other brands, but they chose local, which
speaks volumes about how intentional they’re being.”
Corey Robinson, senior vice president and head of design and merchandising, said the brand decided to contact Miller after several employees came across her work while marching in downtown Columbus last summer. He said the imagery and messages of joy depicted in her work on the walls of the Columbus Commons and Ohio Theatre were in line with the company’s goal to support people of color.
“There was magic in her expressive use of color and the way people smiled when seeing her work, even during such tough times,” Robinson said. “We reached out to (Miller) in hopes that we could spread that same message through this capsule, which aligns with our company’s ongoing goal to support and uplift the BIPOC community, and we’re ecstatic with the results. She, and her artwork, radiate joy and we couldn’t be happier to have partnered with her.”
The Miller-led capsule was launched July 8 and
is currently available in Abercrombie & Fitch stores across the country and online for international purchase.
The collection includes three T-shirts: one filled with the words “Beauty, Brilliance and Resilience” on the front and Black women dancing on the back; the second shirt has the name of the collection on the chest area and a small painting of two figures on the back; and the last shirt has a painting of Columbus artist CarolineINSPIRES Bennett placed at its center, who served as a major influence for the collection.
“I’m very intentional and love when everything gets connected, so I was really intentional about who and what I chose to reference for the designed pieces and shirts,” Miller said.
Like Miller, Bennett, 27, said she was shocked but thrilled to find out one of her images would be used for the collection. And even in the weeks since its release, the singer and poet said, “I’m still on cloud 10,000.”