Kate Isobel Scott creates an animation for the launch of the Andre Walker x Off White capsule collection

Virgil Abloh’s label Off White has launched a new capsule collection designed by fashion designer Andre Walker, as part of Virgil Abloh’s Foundations program that invites creatives to co-develop ideas and limited edition pieces for the brand. For the release, the label has created social content and invited animation artist Kate Isobel Scott to work on the project.

The result of which is a 30 second claymation animation that celebrates the launch of the Andre Walker x Off White capsule clothing collection, where Kate was briefed to create the main character that strolls the streets of New York City while wearing clothes from the collection. “The main character (inspired by Andre Walker himself), is riding his bike through the streets of Brooklyn,” Kate tells us of the concept. “At the start, he is dressed in a plain white t-shirt and simple trainers. The cyclist is minding his own business; passing shops, graffitied walls, general Brooklyn street vibes. Then all of a sudden, a plane flies over and bang, a print appeared on his t-shirt.” This print is on the real-life t-shirt designed by Andre and features a plane in the clouds. The character is also sporting a new pair of Off White trainers, plus a backpack from the Andre Walker collection.

“The print on the t-shirt isn’t so obvious at first glance but once you see it, it becomes central to the film,” continues Kate, who states how she enjoyed adding the Off White logos as well as the graphics, graffiti and signage throughout the film. Additionally, the basketball player and girls on the stoop are also wearing Off White clothes and accessories. “Their role is to stare in awe at the main character as he cruises by!”

Kate is known for her playful, colourful works, and we’re constantly in awe of what she makes – a recent offering being that of her Wombstories contribution for its collaboration with Bodyform. Most of her works are all moving image created in stop frame animation, but with this commission for Off White she decided to work with all the elements by hand (“I usually do”) and then shoot stills, before animating the film digitally. “This helped with the time constraints, but meant I felt (initially) a little out of my comfort zone,” Kate tells It’s Nice That. “Luckily, my agent Helen and producer Verity at Everyone Agency did a great job of navigating me through all the uncharted waters, I don’t really know how I would have made this film otherwise.” Kate also worked with compositor Stephen McNally who added the final touches to the film.

The project is Kate’s first venture into fashion, and never before had she imagined to replicate a collection in miniature form. “I mean, I like details but I wouldn’t say I have an eye for fashion,” she says, noting how she’d moved back home to Australia and living temporarily with her mum and dad at the time of this commission coming through. “This turned out to be serendipitous, as I was lucky enough to employ the help of my mum, who turns out is a total wizard at making miniature costumes out of fabric!”

Kate points out her favourite part of the film as being the bricks in the background – she painted each individual brick by hand. “And there are a lot of bricks,” she adds, preferring to work brick by brick rather than repeating the image in Photoshop. “I felt that making them all by hand would add to the overall hand-crafted feel. Something I regretted thinking halfway through painting but was really pleased I’d persevered with by the end.”

The full film can be watched above, meanwhile the Andre Walker collaboration with Off White’s Foundations program can be viewed here.