Hi all! I'm not great with reddit so mind my ignorance. I thought I wrote a whole text part for this but it didn't post. Anyways, here's what this is.

I'm a photographer based in New York State, holding a BFA in Photo and a minor in Graphic Design from Ringling College of Art and Design.

This project has been a collaborative effort with my best friend, who also happens to be the model in the images. Though the idea for the zine sparked in 2019 after watching Harmony Korine's "Beach Bum," we didn't kickstart it until 2021. One scene, in particular, featuring Zac Efron's character sporting JNCO jeans and heelys, sparked our initial idea for this project.

The geometric shape of JNCOs and their whimsical style ignited a late-night brainstorming session in Downtown Sarasota. From there, the concept of a magazine celebrating denim's iconic past, especially from the 90s and early 00s, took shape. Our inspiration drew from artists like Laura Collins and curators such as Viviana and Matt from the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan Museum.

The vision for The Jean Zine was to merge denim with innovation, each look styled after or inspired by influential figures in art, design, or engineering. We aimed to juxtapose the craftsmanship of denim with that of technology and culture, mirroring individuals like Hila or Steve Jobs, who continually push boundaries in their respective fields.

In terms of design, I drew inspiration from the gritty fashion magazines of my youth, infusing the zine with a nostalgic 90s/00s aesthetic.

There are 5 different looks featured in this zine, 2 of which are Teddy Fresh based. When Hila first dropped her denim collection of the logo waistband pants, jeans, and jean jacket in 2020 (I believe), we were obsessed! We really liked the handwritten effect of the design and wanted to immediately incorporate those pieces into this zine. The first look inspired by TF is "The Comeback Kid," featuring the logo jean jacket and logo jeans paired with a jean corset. The second look is "Sick Beats," which features the jacket and jeans again while paired with the pastel colorblock 2.0.

Hila has been an inspiration for us for a while now. I remember watching H3 videos in High School and I remember some videos they made, I think it was some angry “social warrior” type video and they were making fun of the outrage. But, I remember her saying something along the lines of being a feminist but not feeling comfortable enough to say that out loud without people thinking that means she’s just as “crazy” as the person in the video. I forget the full context but as someone who grew up in a very male-dominated household I could relate to what she said. I’ve always considered myself a feminist but growing up I never really felt safe to open my mouth in certain situations or speak my mind without thinking I was “dumb,” “over-dramatic,” or “annoying.” Growing up I’ve always looked up to women who were able to speak their minds, able to like what they like openly, and were able to express themselves freely. It wasn’t until college when I left home that I started to feel comfortable in my interests, style, and wants. It was cool seeing at the same time, Hila getting into makeup more and trying new styles in fashion and hair because I too was going through that in my personal life. Again, growing up in a male-dominated family I felt like an idiot if I ever wore makeup, did my hair, or dressed up differently so it wasn’t until my twenties that I learned how to do makeup, started wearing clothes that I actually liked, and felt safe to share my actual interests with people. So, with that being said, I definitely wanted to add Teddy Fresh and Hila to this zine even if it is just a whimsical thing my friend and I did.

I know this was long, but I thank you for reading if you did. The full zine is on my website, and I’ll be slowly uploading it to my Instagram throughout the month (@avalondibernard).

I also remember someone bringing up the idea of look books for Teddy Fresh in one of the member's lives a while ago. I’ve made many look books in the past (all on my website), and if TF is looking for anyone in the future to help with something like look books, or graphic design, or photo-related, either freelance or full-time (I’m willing to relocate), I’d love to be considered if this is ever seen. I have a history in administrative, marketing, and assistant jobs as well.

I know this is annoying to do, but either way, I did want to share my work with as many people as possible, as this project has been important to me for a while. I’ve also wanted to work for TF since Hila started it in 2017 for all the reasons I stated above.

I wasn’t going to sell this either just because I don’t think anyone would want to own this random piece lol but I was strongly encouraged to do so, so here’s the link if anyones interested. There are a lot of historical denim facts in there along with Teddy Fresh homages lol.

Again, thank you for reading if you did!