Plush Skate Shop

Sneaker drops, shot on the streets around the shop

Two store photos side by side: a white tiled column of shelves with bags, tees and jeans beside a wall of skate decks, and a curved white wall of lit sneaker shelves above a white bench

01 · Shot in place

Each drop was tied to a New Haven landmark from the history and core of the city around the shop: the gold railing at the Hall of Records, and the Calder sculpture at Federal Plaza for an exclusive Nike Dunk drop. Others used the shop itself: the fire hydrant out front, custom painted Plush orange, and the tile wall inside. I shot the place first, then the shoe, and composited them by hand in Photoshop, matching light and shadow. The shoe looks like it was always there.

Black leather Asics with gold stripes held up in one hand inside the shop, with the front window and the street behind — As shot · In the shop

Black leather Asics sneakers with gold stripes resting on a gold railing, with a painted brick wall behind — Composite · Hall of Records, on Street View

Nike SB Dunk Low pair in slate blue and orange suede held up in a tattooed hand in front of the red-orange sculpture — As shot · In hand

Nike SB Dunk Low in slate blue and orange suede, floating in front of a red-orange sculpture — Composite · Calder sculpture, on Street View

Grey and navy Converse sneakers with orange accents on the sidewalk at the foot of an orange fire hydrant — As shot · At the shop’s hydrant

The shop's orange fire hydrant on the sidewalk, chipped paint and a hanging chain, without the shoes — Plush’s orange hydrant

The grey and navy Converse sneakers floating against a close-up of the orange hydrant's chipped paint and chain — Composite

Black and white Nike skate sneakers on a sheet of paper laid over the shop's green marble, lit with a flash — As shot · On the shop’s marble

A wall of square white tiles with grey grout, shot straight on — Tile wall

The same black and white Nike skate sneakers composited onto a wall of grey square tile — Composite

02 · On the shop floor

I shot product on the store’s green marble, so each piece looks like Plush before you see a logo. Plush-Tek is the shop’s own clothing line. For the online store, I shot each piece flat and cut it out by hand.

Bella crouched on the shop's dark green marble floor in a purple sweatshirt, photographing two Stüssy crewnecks laid flat, with a wall of skate decks and glass block behind — Shooting a flat lay on the shop’s green marble

Dark wash wide-leg carpenter jeans with white contrast stitching and a yellow Plush-Tek label, cut out on white

Plush-TekOnline catalog

Plush-Tek · Online catalog

03 · The room

The store is a made room: glass block arches, green marble and a lit wall of sneakers.

Wide view of the store: a lit sneaker wall, a green marble platform, white benches and the street through the front window

Rows of skateboard decks hung on a curved white wall, with dark green marble tile and a P rug on the floor

Film photo of a man in a plaid shirt sitting on the store's white counter under shelves of caps and bags

04 · Social and print

I also designed for the shop’s events: a poster for Skateober Fest (an RNDCO pop-up at Edgewood Skatepark, sponsored by Plush) and a social campaign to raise money to rebuild the park.

Orange post: Rebuild Edgewood Skatepark, a plaza-style park for all skill levels, with a line drawing of a skater — Rebuild Edgewood · Social campaign · Orange post illustrations by Sir Michael Barrow · Park design and renderings by Bobby Murphy

Orange post: Edgewood Redesign project update, explaining the funding math, with a rendering of the park and its sections — Rebuild Edgewood · Social campaign · Orange post illustrations by Sir Michael Barrow · Park design and renderings by Bobby Murphy

Cream poster for Skateober Fest at Edgewood Skatepark: a halftone beer mug with the Plush P, a pretzel, a green skateboard and blackletter title type in brown — Skateober Fest · Poster