A LOOK BEHIND THE LENS

On February 1st we are going to be launching our Spring 2021 collection. The line continues on with our mission to merge style and function with a sustainable approach to design & development

Before any collection is brought to you our family of talented friends get together in a special location to capture our products in a setting that we desire our products to live within.

Our Spring 2021 campaign is no different. On this occasion in late December 2020 our good friends Zak Bush, Adrian Alston. Jeremy Knies, Chris Schulstad, Nate Smith, Kahana Kalama and Nevin Pontious met in the High Desert. Our location for the two day shoot was the Graham Residence, a mid century modern master piece hidden away in the boulders of Yucca Valley.

What feels like many lifetimes ago I was on a campaign shoot in the outback of Australia in the town where they filmed the infamous Mad Max, sitting at the bar of the only watering hole in town after wrapping up for the day when a local squawked at me “did ya cop the after burn up there fellas?”

I had no idea what this local bar fly was talking about but after inquiring and being sent outside to see for myself I found out that in those parts the sky burns all colors of the rainbow in that hour after the sun dips below the horizon of the sunburned landscape.

The intense hues of reds, oranges, pinks and blues that were suspended above us in the sky of the high desert brought me back to the Australia outback and made me a little homesick.

The people that make these shoots come to life amaze me with their dedication to their respected crafts. Whether it be Zak Bush behind the lens capturing every key moment and angle with ease, Adrian Alston bouncing light from seemingly impossible locations, Jeremy Knies capturing the candid reality of what really happens on set, Shuey our Design Director putting together aspirational outfits for the talent, and Kahana, Nate and Nevins always looking their best even after cold nights and not the most restful sleeping arrangements.

There are few moments on these shoots that you get to stand back and take in what is happening. Out there in the High Desert it was a little easier than usual as the pristine landscape and no other handmade object for miles gave an uncluttered back drop to the images. It was so nice to stand back and watch the guys work their magic.

On the afternoon before the shoot started we were making our way through town when we spotted the ROCK & WINE SHOP sign on the outskirts of Yucca Valley. I am not sure what caught our eye first... The strange combination of rocks and wines being sold together or the extraterrestrial standing at the front door. I think it could have been the alien as all the passengers of the car spent some moments getting a selfy with the very real looking statue.

Jeremy Knies is our retail manager most days but the multi talented Angelino drops the cash register and replaces it with his SLR for each of our campaign shoots. Jeremy is there to capture all the happenings behind the lens of Zak Bush. Another talent is crushing a few tins whilst shooting. As pictured above.

Our Spring 2021 collection will be dropping into stores and Online on the 1st of February. We cant wait to see how you put together our new collection.

Be sure to tag @banksjournal for all of your Banks Journal outfit choices.

- Words and images by Rama McCabe