Visual Resource of the Moment: Wovenplay

Source: wovenplay.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Theme of the moment: get inspired by Wovenplay. I'm in love with the stunning photographs featured on this children's clothiers' website, despite the fact that it is not abundantly clear what this retailer is even selling from its online "store." Perhaps the utter mystery is what drew me in after all but, regardless, Wovenplay's site is loaded with great photos of kids playing dress-up and pretending. I highly suggest that you have a look.

Wovenplay's online photos evidence a very smart method of branding akin to that of Anthropologie, another retailer that focuses its advertising less upon product than upon lifestyle. Year after year, Anthro has crafted an image that speaks to consumers through ethos and aesthetic. The ethereal, artistic quality of its magazine photos make viewers want to buy into the brand. Even its stores are decorated with care and are highly stylized and individualistic, a stark contrast to the traditional department store approach.

The editorial nature of Wovenplay's digital archives has me itching for more and likewise just itching to work on some of my own creative work. I love that in viewing a photo on this website I am transported to another place, a place of the child's imagination. This place is one often captured by the lens of one of my favorite photographers, Helen Levitt. Now deceased, Levitt's work has spoken to me for quite a few years and each time I reflect back upon it i'm reminded of a quiet stillness and excitement about childhood that I often long to recapture. Likewise, the photos from Wovenplay stir up a sense of restlessness for the times in which all things seemed possible and the weight of responsibilities carried little consequence. There's something good about responsibilities and accountability, but there is also something wonderful about the sense of freedom and wonder so often exuded in a child's demeanor. Most adults, I think, could stand to learn something from the likes of Wovenplay's subjects. A sample of Wovenplay's work is provided above, but you'll have to visit the site to get the full experience.