How do you make underwear shopping fun for children? By creating a visual lexicon of stackable parts that build up to create a family of strange and unexpected characters, of course. Illustrator Stevie Gee – who has worked with brands like Patagonia, Paul Smith, Nike, Lacoste and more – has done just that in his packaging for Stella McCartney's childrens' underwear. A new collection of boxes display a different part of a face or body on each of their sides, offering the opportunity for kids to layer up and create "hybrid weirdos”.
Cover: Stevie Gee: Stella McCartney Kids
Stevie Gee: Stellaween
Gee was given full creative liberty to create the characters for the boxes – each containing items for boys, girls and infants. His collection mixes Halloween with disco costumery, cowboy-chic, and fearsome fantasy. Each different layer is characterised by his choice of sugary hues, which boldly provide the unifying link between the eventual stacked personalties.
Stevie Gee: Stella McCartney Kids
In total, Gee created eleven characters, each made up of three parts, with an added twenty-two random elements thrown in – teeth, hats, spectacled-eyes. Beyond that, every box contains its full character inside as a drawing – meaning this series is plentiful and super varied.
Stevie Gee: Stella McCartney Kids
Aside from the bold and bright colours, Gee was careful to avoid a saccharine vibe across the entire series of characters and parts. He also includes images of "a melting head, a sad-faced, skateboarding skeleton, dopey eyes and angry mouths" (interview, It's Nice That, January 2018) in an effort to ensure that different kids can gravitate towards the packaging for different reasons, and according to their individual tastes.
Stevie Gee: Stella McCartney Kids / original drawing
Stevie Gee: Stella McCartney Kids
Gee's glorification of unapologetic weirdness gives new relevance to retail packaging – offering buyers something fun, personal, and totally re-usable. The only question left unanswered is why these curious creatures haven't made it to the adults' section?
Check out more of Stevie Gee's work on his website and Instagram feed.