I am so honored and excited to be a part of Ilia Beauty's Summer 19 Campaign!
Ilia is a clean beauty brand focused on using safe, skin-friendly ingredients, made without Parabens, Phthalates, Sulfates, GMO, Synthetic Fragrances, gluten, and talc. They are also cruelty-free, with many of their products being vegan as well (the ones that aren't vegan contain beeswax).
Shooting this campaign and meeting Ilia's founder, Sasha Plavsic, was a dream!
Shot in DTLA by director/cinematographer Spencer Byam-Taylor and photographer Easton Schirra (two long-time friends of mine, whom I adore — we once went to Morocco together!), Ilia's campaign came to life with a set of talented, familiar faces. One of the greatest joys of my career is cultivating relationships and friendships over time, often working with friends and familiar faces. We reconnect, reminisce on life, create more openly, and enjoy each other's company (well, I can't speak for others, but I certainly do!) On this day, I was lucky to be working with Spencer and Easton, hair stylist Travisean Haynes, makeup artist Vittorio Masecchia, and my dear friend Monika Ottehenning. Another joy of my career is meeting passionate founders and creatives, discovering and learning about their creations, and hopefully honoring those creations to the best of my abilities. Shooting Ilia's campaign, it was so much fun meeting Sasha and having her explain her story, inspiration, and products. As we shot photos and videos, she would show me how to properly use the product, explaining their designs and performance aspects. As a girl that grew up wide-eyed, curious and fascinated with the processes of creation (watching every couture house's "making-of" videos), this real-life learning experience was thrilling.
All in all, it was a wonderful shoot day and I left as happy as a girl can be. Everyone on set that day was kind and talented. I felt so grateful to be there! Thank you, Spencer, Easton, and the team at Ilia!
scroll for photos, video and captured behind-the-scenes
Ilia Summer 2019 video by Spencer Byam-Taylor
BTS photos and memories!
XX