March 20th, 2020

How #TeamNaked
Works From Home

NAKEDCASHMERE x Jaye & Dri

NAKEDCASHMERE x Jaye & Dri

Tell us about your creative journey and your process as sisters and collaborators?

Our journey was birthed in the rolling, grassy hills of South Carolina. We discovered our love for design and photography at an early age, first capturing our childhood excursions in the countryside with Kodak disposable cameras, and by age 12 and 13 picking up our first digital camera ( a Sony Mavica with storage on a floppy disk). Guided by our admiration of environmental and conceptual fashion portraits, we quickly cultivated our own style.

Our creative process is often unconsciously implemented, yet still very calculated; a four step process fueled by coffee and dark chocolate. It begins with establishing expectations and finding inspiration, followed by formulating our ideas, allowing these ideas to materialize, and finally implementing them.

The dynamics of our relationship as sisters make it easy for us to navigate this system seamlessly. Although we share many of the same interests, our strengths are dissimilar which allows us to operate in the most effective way.

How has being in quarantine shaped your creativity?

Quarantine has produced a necessary stillness that has challenged us to slow down and focus on our personal creative development and the trajectory of our brand. From this experience we have actually been blessed with new opportunities that have permitted us to use our artistry in ways we may not have before. Spending quality time with those closest to us has been a rejuvenating wellspring of inspiration. We have also been motivated by witnessing how other creatives and entrepreneurs use this time to be fruitful. Overall, quarantine has reinforced what we already believe, that constraints do not limit innovation.

What was it like shooting the Naked Summer 2020 campaign?

This has by far been one of our most cherished campaigns. The enthusiasm surrounding it from start to finish has genuinely been like no other, and we have thoroughly enjoyed growing even closer as siblings throughout the process.

Interestingly, the beginning of our journey as photographers prepared us for moments like this. Starting out as amateurs we didn't possess the resources to hire an entire team to bring our creative dreams into fruition. Therefore we made it our mission to enlighten ourselves on every aspect of a successful photo shoot including hair, makeup, styling, set design, photography, and post production. Although it was demanding, we found enjoyment in learning new skills and tackling these duties together.

 In a beautiful way, quarantine has allowed us to come full circle and revisit many of these tasks that we used to enjoy so much. 

What does being “Naked”mean to you?

"Naked" to us, means being authentically ourselves and completely unapologetic about valiantly walking in that. That to us is the most empowering feeling.

The New Normal & Silver Linings with Leslie Gifford

Story about a man & his dog, both in cashmere

During these uncertain times when we have little control, it is save to say that our pets have been our salvation. While we spend our days in quarantine in our homes, our pets have been on the receiving end of a little extra love from us, a few more snuggles and couple of extra treats. We appreciate them more then ever for being our buddy, our support system and most important family member while we practice social distancing from other humans.

Well this story is no different, it is about a man, Andrew Gifford our Chief Marketing Officer and his dog Chunk, Chief Bark Officer. We sit down with Andrew & Chunk to get their take on how they spend their days in quarantine, their favorite cashmere and what is the first thing they will do when this is all over.

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Please tell us who you are and what you do at NAKEDCASHMERE?

I’m Andrew. Aka @skullcashmere. I am the chief marketing officer at 360CASHMERE. I’m responsible for overseeing the planning, development and execution of an our marketing and advertising initiatives. I ensure our message and voice is distributed across multiple customer channels and to targeted audiences in order to meet our sales objectives.

Andrew Gifford, Chief Marketing Officer

What is your daily routine in quarantine with Chunk?

Chunk is an expert quarentiner. He was built for times like this.

8:30a We wake up. I spend about 20 minutes saying good morning to Chunk. It’s important he gets the appropriate amount of snuggles and love before we start the day.

The day officially starts when the food hits Chunks bowl. It’s like when the military plays the bugle. I make a pot of coffee and put on a one of my NAKEDCASHMERE outfits and prepare for our morning walk. Once chunk finishes his breakfast, I let him digest while I finish my coffee so he can have a good poop on our morning walk.

Chunk is a creature of habit. Same spot every day. He takes his peeps at the little gardens outside of the building and once he finishes kicks his feet and covers the sidewalk in gravel. Immediately after his pees, as long as its not raining, he scoots over to Varick (around the corner) and takes his poop. He likes a view and reading a newspaper, always faces the Holland tunnel so he can watch the cars go by as he does his business. After he is finished, we proceed back upstairs and I officially start my day.

I play some music and clean my house and make my bed. I then check my calendar and make sure I’m prepared for all of the calls and meetings I have for the day. I make a checklist of things I have to do for the day and my goals. Its important to stay motivated and not slack off. Its easy to get distracted and put on the tv and return to whatever tv show I’m watching. I set enough time throughout the day to be creative, whether its finding inspo on Pinterest for our next photoshoot or sketching pictures of chunk in different positions on the coach. It is important to me to keep my brain stimulated.

6:00p I end my day around and set aside an hour to work out. I have a peloton and an abs machine and I do 30 mins on each. I look to come out of quarantine in tip top shape. For dinner, I usually cook or order in. I try and stay on a low carb diet and find it extremely hard to do so when there are so many options for delivery. I watch the news and read my favorite blogs to keep up with current events. I then feed Chunk dinner, take him out for his evening pees and head back inside to get ready for bed. I turn on my favorite show, crank out a couple of episodes, facetime my family then go to bed

Andrew is wearing blank and blank, Image with Chunk

What type of music are you listening to?

I’m currently listening to a lot of indie and 90s rock. The low tempo keeps me motivated and keeps me from losing my sanity. Here is a link! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5WcaZvLiXD7nYhg2bBBNBd?si=nX11QdHuQb2kdkzUc6mHmQ

How are you keeping busy?

Spending a lot of time with chunk. I’m learning to cook but I am quickly realizing that I’m better at creating messes than actually cooking. I also am starting to read which isn’t something I haven’t done in quite some time. I’m currently reading Shoe dog- a memoir by Phil knight

What are the latest updates from the NAKEDCASHMERE store?

No update. Until we can see the light at the end of the tunnel we have to keep the stores closed for the safety and health of our customers and our employees.

Image of the store

Tell us about your creative journey and your process as sisters and collaborators?

Our journey was birthed in the rolling, grassy hills of South Carolina. We discovered our love for design and photography at an early age, first capturing our childhood excursions in the countryside with Kodak disposable cameras, and by age 12 and 13 picking up our first digital camera ( a Sony Mavica with storage on a floppy disk). Guided by our admiration of environmental and conceptual fashion portraits, we quickly cultivated our own style.

Our creative process is often unconsciously implemented, yet still very calculated; a four step process fueled by coffee and dark chocolate. It begins with establishing expectations and finding inspiration, followed by formulating our ideas, allowing these ideas to materialize, and finally implementing them.

The dynamics of our relationship as sisters make it easy for us to navigate this system seamlessly. Although we share many of the same interests, our strengths are dissimilar which allows us to operate in the most effective way.

How has being in quarantine shaped your creativity?

Quarantine has produced a necessary stillness that has challenged us to slow down and focus on our personal creative development and the trajectory of our brand. From this experience we have actually been blessed with new opportunities that have permitted us to use our artistry in ways we may not have before. Spending quality time with those closest to us has been a rejuvenating wellspring of inspiration. We have also been motivated by witnessing how other creatives and entrepreneurs use this time to be fruitful. Overall, quarantine has reinforced what we already believe, that constraints do not limit innovation.

What was it like shooting the Naked Summer 2020 campaign?

This has by far been one of our most cherished campaigns. The enthusiasm surrounding it from start to finish has genuinely been like no other, and we have thoroughly enjoyed growing even closer as siblings throughout the process.

Interestingly, the beginning of our journey as photographers prepared us for moments like this. Starting out as amateurs we didn't possess the resources to hire an entire team to bring our creative dreams into fruition. Therefore we made it our mission to enlighten ourselves on every aspect of a successful photo shoot including hair, makeup, styling, set design, photography, and post production. Although it was demanding, we found enjoyment in learning new skills and tackling these duties together.

 In a beautiful way, quarantine has allowed us to come full circle and revisit many of these tasks that we used to enjoy so much. 

Shop the Look

How would you describe your personal style and how did it influence the Summer Campaign?

While our personal styles have morphed more than Mystique from X Men over the years, a few staples have managed to endure. Amidst our audacious fashion fascinations, we’ve always seemed to gravitate towards classic, effortless, future proof pieces that can be harmoniously integrated into our wardrobe. We wanted our Summer 2020 Campaign wear to echo that same feeling so we selected pieces that we felt epitomize timeless style which came with great ease because the NAKED brand embodies just that.

What are your favorite pieces from the Summer Collection and how are you styling them right now?

We are both obsessed with our Brittney dresses because they are so simple to style. The weather here in South Carolina has been pretty fickle this summer so it’s been refreshing to have a piece that is so transformative. So far, we’ve paired them with oversized denim jackets and tennis shoes, light cardigans and mules, or completely abandoned the layers altogether and worn them with fresh skin and our fav flatform sandals. Our other go to pieces include the Jesse unisex hoodie and the Bette cami which we have managed to pair with just about everything.

What does being “Naked”mean to you?

"Naked" to us, means being authentically ourselves and completely unapologetic about valiantly walking in that. That to us is the most empowering feeling.

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