my brother and I want to take a moment to share not only our point of view and inspiration but also that of our team members and our photographers from Exo Photo to give you the inside scoop on the making of the umano | classico lookbook. our classico core collection is the culmination of a very personal three-year journey. authenticity and integrity is the cornerstone of our design point of view and this collection is the heart and soul of our brand's aesthetic and showcases the elevated simplicity and understated confidence of the umano girl. it's the material definition of our luxe but straightforward and unpretending style. the inspiration for this lookbook—and in large part our classico core collection—is an ode to classic American roots, to an all-too-often forgotten heritage of craftsmanship. these seven heroic styles are iconic and timeless, and we wanted to capture true grit, true roots, and true romance. the beauty beneath the surface of a dilapidated garage is a nod to character built from hardships. the baseball field and vintage motorcycle is patriotic pride in our past. the blackberry field, barn, and vineyard shows the romance from an era of tradition. then we seamlessly meshed these inspirations with our elevated fashion basics and conceptualized the lookbook with our friends and partners from Exo Photo. I hope you enjoy it as much we enjoyed making it. With love from Athens, GA. Xx, alex brother & co-founder every photo shoot is an adventure, an opportunity to tell a story or share a mood/feeling. we like to approach every shoot with a set of ideas (predetermined locations and compositions), but it's important to stay fluid and flexible. you can't plan everything and often times the best pictures are the result of experimentation. black & white photography is particularly great for creating powerful shapes, shadows and textures....so we were excited to be asked to "think outside of color". relying on natural light presents a unique set of challenges. when looking at the collection of images you can see the variable lighting conditions throughout the day. working with sunlight and natural diffusion (clouds/trees/various shadows) creates an organic experience which adds a sense of creativity, adaptability and sincerity to each photo. manually reflecting, bending and diffusing the sunlight worked well in this case and we only incorporated strobes into one set of images (the motorcycle shots). when the golden hour was upon us we were blessed with unbelievably beautiful light. for this reason, we are particularly fond of the images taken at the auto garage. working on these types of projects is incredibly rewarding and it's particularly gratifying to work alongside such amazing talent. the umano classico collection is gorgeous, the models were on point and despite the sweltering heat the weather was great. the entire team was flexible and committed to getting the best shots possible. what more can a photographer ask for? - grant beecher and dede giddens photographers, Exo Photo “style is very personal. it has nothing to do with fashion. fashion is over quickly. style is forever.” –Ralph Lauren our classico core collection cultivates a style that is everlasting so we wanted to make sure our signature effortlessly sexy, boyish style was consistent throughout the lookbook. we accomplished this by carefully styling each look thanks to local boutiques Dynamite and Community  and some awesome thrift stores around town. boyfriend jeans and cutoff denim shorts pair perfectly with our iconic silhouettes. worn-in booties and well-loved sneakers polish off our elevated but casual look. for makeup, we did the “umano girl” look that Elijana Cosmetics has perfected. the makeup very natural, contouring and highlighting the face while subtly coloring the lips and lining the eyes. on the hair front, we could not get enough of that messy just-got-out-of-bed look. Model Citizen Salon carefully coifed the hair by using a large barrel curling iron and a sea salt spray then tousling by hand the oversized spirals. while we did shoot in the heat of Georgia summer, the humidity did little to damper the hair. the makeup, however, was another story. luckily, Elijana had a miracle sweat remover that kept our models looking cool (literally). for us, style isn’t comprised of garments and accessories. it’s a look, a feel, and an attitude that is transferred from one environment to the next. “…style is forever.” for more umano style and inspiration check us out on Pinterest. ciao, lara stylist intern & Pinterest curator