KCAD FLEX LAB RESIDENCY & EXHIBITON
SAINT ANDRO - Fashion Startup | Swim Concept
August 30 – December 15, 2023
Flex Gallery Woodbridge N. Ferris Building | 17 Pearl St Downtown Grand Rapids MI
Saint Andro focuses on androgynous styles, ethical production practices, and inclusive sizing. In its first small batch collection, SA is out to provide new possibilities in comfort for its wearer. To document this journey, Saint Andro has partnered with KCAD to present a candid look at what it takes to build a brand from scratch. Through research and development, prototyping a collection, and creating original visuals, this exhibit shares the how and why at the heart of a start-up that aims to become a new player in a predominantly binary, salty market - all from an honest, androgynous freshwater perspective.
photoshop demo
3D ice shoe mold designed in collaboration with
Kiernan McKay + KCAD FlexLab
“Authenticity” has long been a branding buzzword for Saint Andro. But much of what makes their claim to it ring truer than most comes from the transparent way they’ve evolved their ideas. Yesmunt and Cobb have publicly documented nearly every stage of their start up journey, from posting customer research and prototype experiments to social media to being open and honest about the challenges of entrepreneurship. They’ve even collaborated with KCAD Exhibitions Director Michele Bosak to create a fluid exhibition/incubation space inside the college’s FlexGallery, where they’ve been hosting community events and displaying thumbnail sketches, draft mission statements, garments prototypes, process notes, and branding development work for all to see. In many ways, the exhibition is as much about the changing landscape of creative entrepreneurship as it is about Saint Andro’s evolution. Yesmunt and Cobb are taking full advantage of an age in which the internet and social media have made it possible for anyone to actualize an idea outside of traditional, often exclusive channels. “You can follow your interest to incredible places and grow your network in ways that didn’t exist not that long ago, and you have more power than ever before to create what you want to see in the world,” said Cobb. “We want to show that it’s really possible.” words by Kyle Austin
Special thanks to:
Michele Bosak - KCAD Curator & Visionary
Amy Reckley - Gallery Preparator
John Shaw - Flex Lab Director
Kiernan McKay - Ice Shoe Mold designer/developer
Hailey Jansson - Residency Filmmaker
Christa Student - Residency assist
