LILITH
Completed as a designer at Bodega Ltd. in 2020.
Lilith NYC is a luxury footwear brand for women and femmes based in Queens, New York.
We created a holistic brand ecosystem, creative direction and textile design based on the founder’s passion for sneaker culture, and her roots in both Elmhurst, Queens and Sri Lanka. The regions’ respective histories inspire storytelling that weaves the grit of the city with the lush of the jungle.
Sarah Sukumaran, the founder of Lilith NYC, has a rich interest in folklore. According to Jewish and Mesopotamian myths, Lilith was the first wife of Adam, preceding Eve. She was written out of history by male scholars because she chose not to be submissive to man, and subsequently was labeled a temptress or evil spirit.
We studied mythology and iconography across the world, specifically focusing on serpent symbolism, the divine feminine, and the narratives around embracing of the totality of self, the merging of the male and female counterparts and the powers associated with that integration.
Place, as a story, is a very important aspect of Lilith NYC. The low-rise housing that occupies much of Queens exhibits themes of identity, adaptation and differentiation through their assemblage-like way of developing over time. Meanwhile, within the Tropical Modernism movement, Sri Lankan architect Minnette de Silva fused European technologies and trends with regional landscapes and traditional craftsmanship and her contribution has often been overlooked in the male-dominated industry.
The tension of Queens and Sri Lanka balances forces of city and nature.
We were interested in merging streetwear of the concrete jungle with a tropical, global perspective.
The Lilith NYC wordmark uses timeless letter forms and circular geometry as a nod to the brand’s feminine roots. The curvature speaks to a full moon, a female form, and traditional Tamil letter geometry. A geographical identifier nesting under the wordmark can change to activate different markets, planning for the brand’s global executions.
The brand ecosystem pairs the wordmark with a collection of artifacts, illustrations, patterns and collages. We balanced the past and present, pairing centuries-old sculptures and ornamentation from around the world with current-day photographs of Queens, New York. Tropical plants mix with elements of the street to highlight a balance of lush and grit. The branding shows up in printed products, packaging, clothing, and the website.
The patterns we designed feature artifacts, both modern and ancient.
Goddesses, deities and serpents tell stories of power and strength and intertwine with contemporary storefronts, street signs and Google maps.
Lilith NYC believes in empowering women and femmes to express their unique style, gender, and sexuality across a full spectrum of individuality. The brand is a testament to this ethos, and challenges the standard one-dimensional view of women in sneaker culture.
Streetwear styling and fashion tend to center around casual separates and tomboy vibes. With Lilith NYC, we wanted to include but expand beyond traditional sweatsuits to include flowing dresses, neoprene skirts and separates, as well as bodysuits and sports gear.
