07 / 11 / 15 : Nynno Bel-Air & Karin Okoso shooting from Tokyo
16 / 07 / 15 : Shirts lost between Marseille and Accra
20 / 02 / 15 : Shirt set #2 in Japan. Karin Okoso shooting from Tokyo
19 / 02 / 15 : Shirts travelling from Marseille to Accra
11 / 02 / 15 : Simon Fejoz shooting from Marseille
24 / 01 / 15 : Shirts travelling from Istanbul to Marseiile
27 / 12 / 14 : Erkin Demir shooting from Istanbul
08 / 12 / 14 : Shirts travelling from London to Istanbul
22 / 11 / 14 : Federica Potenza shooting now from London
03 / 11 / 14 : Shirts travelling from Paris to London
06 / 10 / 14 : Ben Lorph shooting now from Paris
30 / 09 / 14 : Shirts travelling from Brussels to Paris
22 / 09 / 14 : Annabelle Podgornïi shooting now from Brussels
We love the world. We love the multitude of voices that exist within it. We are inspired by people who love their own culture and are fascinated by others. We love people who sing, write, take photos and share experiences. We believe in the universal language of creative expression. We know that despite all our differences when all is stripped down we are all human - every single one of us. We laugh, we cry and we live. We relate, over our happiness, our sadness and over life. Life is what we share wherever we are in the world, whatever skin colour, culture, faith, gender, age, sexual orientation or taste in music. There is really no reason for judgment. There is no reason for war. There is no reason to be disrespectful when we can connect over the shared value of life; the most precious of gifts passed on by our common ancestors, channeled into you, me, and us.
Some might say this is a naïve perspective. Others may say it is simply unfeasible. And this is why we want to do something; be proactive and explore the world, learn about others and know ourselves: why not live a world of connections, not disengagement?
So we love the world. And we love you. Yeah, we love you man, and we love you ladies of all marital-status (with the appropriate romantic or platonic expression.) It makes our day to know that you guys are well. And if you feel like these words are sinking in, feeling inspired to spread some good vibes across the world we definitely want you. We want a world where we can be proud of who we are, just as much as we are proud of a friend on the other side of the hemisphere. And we can make this more of a reality each day, with each person who choose to connect.
There are three ways to join the global fun. Read on and find out where you sit comfortably!
#1 Collaboration With Photographers
We are currently working with photographers from different parts of the world to create a global lookbook with us. Below are the photos shot and photographers confirmed so far:
Brussels, BELGIUM : Annabelle Podgornïi facebook.com/nanadanssabullephoto
Paris, FRANCE : Ben Lorph facebook.com/beatscratchandstuffs
London, UK : Federica Potenza instagram.com/hilaryfierce
Istanbul, TURKEY : Erkin Demir erkindemir.net
Marseille, FRANCE : Simon Fejoz 500px.com/Simoonf
Tokyo, JAPAN : Nynno Bel-Air x Karin Okoso nynnobel-airphotography.com instagram.com/in_karin
Accra, GHANA : Francis Kokoroko okokoroko.com
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA : Fabian Coetzer fabiancoetzer.com
Santiago, CHILE : Juane Morales juanemoralesfotografia.cl
Long Beach, USA : Asato Iida asatoiidaphoto.com
Los Angeles, USA : Amol Parikh instagram.com/amolparikh
San Francisco, USA (or Beijing, CHINA) : Daniel Szeto instagram.com/dkkszeto
Kyoto, JAPAN : Alan Algee x Sara Aiko Coe vimeo.com/alanalgee
Manila, PHILIPPINES : Jay Horolan facebook.com/jayhorolanphotography
If you are from ANYWHERE in the world and are interested in collaborating with us, please get in touch with your website, Facebook, Instagram or any online portfolio.
How it works
Our GOTS certified organic logo tees in size S (white) & M (black) are circulating the world between photographers located in different cities across the world. Once received, the photographer will complete a shoot within the timeframe of 2 - 3 weeks, then send off the same shirts to the next scheduled photographer located elsewhere in the world. Once the shirts are sent, the photographers are given 1 more week for post-production. The process continues until the shirts return to us in Australia.
Each photographer is encouraged to pursue their own creative direction and choice of models to develop a variety of looks, expressions and visual perspectives in the project as a whole. Our aim is to 'unite cultures' through a mutual respect for individual / cultural uniqueness and collective diversity in the world, which is also what our logo and its perfect circle represents in our social and environmental missions.
We are also excited to document the journey of the shirts (flying out from one place to another) through our social media outlets to include our family, friends and supporters in the journey too!
Please be mindful that any expense required for your shoot (e.g. model, studios) will be paid by the photographer. However, for shipping and cleaning (where needed) of shirts, please hold on to your receipts and we will happily reimburse you. We will also plant a tree on your behalf every time the shirts travel to a different city to offset carbon emissions :)
Further details will be provided for successful applicants, get in touch and we'll pass you all the details!
#2 Collaboration With Artists
If you're a musician, dancer, painter, gardener, poet, writer, MUA, illustrator, martial artist, surfer, mountain climber, yogi, circus performer, film maker, projectionist, meditator (and more) from ANYWHERE in the world who share our vision. We didn't want to limit ourselves to one medium (photography), but explore every possibility that unites us under the universal language of creative expression.
How it works
Jump onto your Instagram, hashtag your work with #projectreturnworld and tag @returnthisway so we can learn about your work as an artist. The more culturally specific, cross or trans-cultural you as an artist or work the better. We love people making unique expressions relevant to our lives through art.
From there, amongst the many things we can do, the one prospect we're most excited about is giving birth to new creative collaborations by hooking you up with other artists from other parts in the world with similar or completely different creative choice of output. The possibilities are endless when we're open-minded, and we'd love to be able to connect and document your trans-cultural creative journey with your inspiring partners. We can share the most amazing and inspiring work on our social media outlets, maybe even do a feature on you as an artist on our blog, or come up with some other amazing ideas that may spark out between creative minds. We're open to anything :)
#3 Collaboration With Everyone
We know that being a 'creative' or an 'artist' may not feel relevant to everyone. In fact, inspiration isn't limited to the arts. It comes from all sources, from anyone doing anything, like seeing a young man help a mother carry her baby-stroller up the stairs. And we want you to share your life snippets, your inspirations. All you need is an Instagram account!
How it works
Hashtag #projectreturnworld snap your own photos and stories of what it means to be part of the world, whether it's about releasing your art, acing in your career, discovering amazing food, immersing in music and naturescapes, exploring, travelling, going home, being part of a culture or simply connecting with your family: the people, animals or anything that grounds you in who YOU are.
We want to hear your stories however old, young, whatever your colour of skin, culture or creed, but without repeating ourselves too much: while everyone is so different, we're so similar at the same time at a deeply human level. We want you to be the catalyst to show that your experiences are just as beautiful as anyone else's in the world.
That's all from us. Now let's connect and do some amazing things.
Ryo
Learn more and follow us at:
Facebook: facebook.com/returnthisway
Instagram: instagram.com/returnthisway
Pinterest: pinterest.com/returnthisway/
Vimeo: vimeo.com/93332016
More articles under:
Expression & Being・Life & Perspective・Natural Lifestyle
World Cultures・Sustainable Fashion・T-Shirt Journals・Return Co.
