*SPEC WORK
As a fan of both hot sauce and sneakers, I created this concept to honor Valentina—an icon of Mexican culture and a cult favorite in the U.S. In Mexico, Valentina is everywhere: from movie theaters (yes, we pour it on popcorn) to pizza, fruit, chips at the park, even micheladas.
This sneaker blends that spicy legacy with streetwear style. The bold red suede, orange laces, and green Swoosh reflect the bottle’s signature colors, while the Valentina logo on the tongue ties it all together. A tribute to flavor, nostalgia, and culture—reimagined as a sneaker.
I had just lost my job; I was depressed, broke, living in a small 3 bedroom apartment in NY and I wasn’t in the feeling to go anywhere. It was also winter and being outside is intolerable in the city.
In anxiety, I started to go to my rooftop around sunset to get some fresh air just for the time of a quick smoke. On the rooftop, I stared at the city for motivation, One day l pulled out my camera and started taking picture of the sunsets everyday that summer - that got me into photography.
I still take pics of the city on sunset, not everyday but if there is a good sunset going and I am “in between projects” you would probably find me around Williamsburg piers or a looking at NY’s skyline.
As a celebration of her 36th birthday, my friend Peggy asked me to photograph her as her way to fight the toxic conversations she has had about her body and women all over. In her words:
“You're too skinny. Your arms are chubby. Your ass is flat. Your torso is too long. You're too short.
Comments people have made about my body over the years. Comments I've made to myself over the years. I am turning 36 in a few months, and I've never been more proud of my body. Because I am stronger than I've ever been—physically and mentally. ~~~ Because I started to realize a body is not something to be ashamed of. The more we hide our parts, the more we feed into the idea that something needs to be hidden. Why is it scandalous for women to show off their curves when men feel totally comfortable walking around with no shirt on? Who made the rule that the male nipple is okay for public eyes and the female nipple is not? ~~~ Your soul is not in your body; your body is in your soul. Here's my soul, completely bare.” - P
More to come
Awards:
Applied Arts Magazine
After spending days and nights working with our creative partners, we realized that we actually spend more time with them than with our significant others. So in February 14th 2014, we launched “LoveYouAdly.com” , a website where you can send some love/hate to your creative soulmate.
What started as a joke for us, got big!! That day only we gathered over 3,000 hits, over 300 cards where share in over +100 countries . After that in just one week, we’ve been featured on Design Taxi, Agency Spy, Hello You Creatives, and some internacional blogs that we can’t even understand!
AD: Joaquin Alvarez / Angela Granados
CW: Joaquin Alvarez
Code: Angela Granados
