Blue Lenz Awards: Miles Johnson and Crescent Take ‘A Lighter Touch’
Carved in Blue recently hosted our second annual Blue Lenz Video Awards. Out of the many videos posted to our Blue Lenz YouTube channel over the year, we chose the top films in each of six categories, and the winners were announced at a ceremony on Aug. 31. Thank you to everyone who entered, our judges and our host, Bluezone at Munich Fabric Start.
Crescent Bahuman Limited and Miles Johnson won in the Best Overall Video category for their film surrounding “A Lighter Touch.” The collection was made in lighter denim shades for a vintage look that’s also lower impact.
“We’ve worked well together the last year, despite our physical separations,” said Miles Johnson, a denim design consultant. “Always thinking of how we can keep moving forward, adapting to change and circumstances and making the best of denim with what we can achieve, using our heads, hearts and hands.”
Here, Miles chats about the video accompaniment to this collaboration—including the concept and how it all came together.
Carved in Blue: What was the concept or inspiration behind your winning film?
Miles: The inspiration and focus for this collection was to make fashion more sustainable. Waste is one of the biggest problems in the industry, so we focused on that—taking waste and finding ways to reduce or remove it from the process. This concept went all the way through to the video we made to promote the work.
Carved in Blue: Why did you feel it was important to explore this topic?
Miles: It’s important to us to explore and share solutions to everyone, in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand.
Carved in Blue: Could you describe the process behind creating this content?
Miles: I gave creative direction for look and feel. The creative team in Barcelona cast the models and scouted the location. The CBL team in Pakistan gathered the technical content, images and short videos. I recorded voiceover material to explain all the points and details. It was then edited into two video lengths for social and online purposes. It works. We love working on these videos.
Carved in Blue: What was the most challenging part of producing this video?
Miles: It can be a challenge to find exactly the right image to illustrate every point. The mood and tone also has to stay consistent, so it is not jumping around. It’s also sometimes hard to squeeze all the content and information into a time frame. There’s a lot to share.
Craved in Blue: What stands out as a memorable moment from behind-the-scenes?
Miles: There will always be mid-stage rushes, which allow us to see if it is coming together. This is an exciting time, to see what needs more focus, flavor and storytelling.
Carved in Blue: Why is video such a powerful medium for denim storytelling?
Miles: We want to show where the ideas come from, behind-the-scenes process, end results and keep facts at the center of the story. This video will become a part of the portfolio and archive of CBL. This keeps our visual records fresh, to build on, as we learn better solutions and can add to what achievements we’ve previously made.