Spending most of my formative years in New York, I’ve always been casually fascinated by the intersection of the personal and sartorial choices we make. I like to go on walks and make these sorts of mental bookmarks about what people are wearing, which always leads me down a trail of questions. Why those pants? What is he/she trying to tell us? Barring the odd time I could engage them about it, I was always left coming up with my own answers. When you think about it, these facets of being human really ladder up to style, both in a metaphorical and literal sense. More often than not there’s an interesting story behind why people are the way they are, and what they choose to wear. Most of the time these stories are left unheard or unspoken, yet they’re palpably present when you encounter someone. I wanted to make a film that shared a window into these stories and allow them to shine in a way that felt playful and relatable, like you’re having an intimate chat with a close friend. I think there’s a bit of a perception of NY fashion as being dark, unapproachable, or rigid, and I wanted to break that box a little bit. Because the truth is that it’s this sort of evolving, playful entity that’s amorphous and alive. I’ve always been inspired by the unfiltered, candid aesthetic of photographers like Daniel Arnold and Vivian Maier, and the human stories Brandon Stanton captures for ‘Humans of New York’. There’s something truthful in the images they produce that I deeply relate to and get excited by, and I aimed to tap into that spirit. The docu-style approach felt like the best way to let our cast’s experiences and personas take center stage, but also to keep each vignette feeling real and grounded. On the other hand, I’m always trying to color outside the lines of reality in my work. So with true statements as the cornerstone, I was able to place our cast in these scripted scenarios that channeled something about who they are and what they wear.

Matt Vega is a director and writer known for a vibrant body of work that spans commercials, branded content, music videos, and short films. Influenced by music, fashion, and street photography, Matt’s work favors a heightened sense of reality across his commercial and artistic endeavors. Early on, Matt developed an eye for the extraordinary in the everyday through 35mm photography. Focusing on studio and street photography in his hometown of New York City, he laid the foundation for his signature style: a blend of stylized aesthetics with polished, narrative storytelling. Leveraging a deep attention to detail and focus on performance, Matt brings an energetic and collaborative spirit to every project.