The first step in the process for this assignment was creating a mood board. This was based upon the location chosen for the collection which was El Paso Texas. It needed to capture the mood and essence of the location. It required pulling significant image, scenery, and concepts that relate to the location. For this, I wanted to target the cowboy history of the town. This capitalized on both the long standing history of the town as well as connected to one of the main trends at the time this was created. It also personally connected to myself and my love of western themes.

The next step for the process was creating the general basis for the collection. I took 6 key icons from the mood board followed by 8 main colors that were found often in the mood board. For these colors I took shades that connected to the rocks, the historic buildings of the town, the brown of the horses, the green of the cactus, and the open blue of the sky. With the icons there were a few concepts I knew I wanted to include, the sign of roses cantina, a large cowboy sign, the outline of Socorro Mission, a cowboy hat, an outline of a horse, and finally a cactus. Each of the elements would be used to create the main foundation for the collection.

The next task for this project was to create the fabrics that will complete the final designs. They connect to the colors and icons that were chosen on the last step. I created this items on photoshop, using the icons and creating thematic elements on each fabric. The first used the large cowboy sign to create a collection of aces. Followed by the Roses Cantina sign that was used to create a weave like fabric. The next utilized the Socorro Mission and numerous other religious symbols to create a thematic fabric. Then it was the Cactus icon that is used with a tumbleweed icon to create a fabric that is represented of the harsh deserts in the surrounding areas. Next was a the horse which was used with a star to create a fabric meant to connect to the law element common in western themes. The final fabric used the cowboy hat and various rifles and pistols to provide contrast to the previous fabric with an outlaw theme.

The final step was taking the fabrics and each of the two created colorways to make a collection of 8 looks. For these looks the assignment allowed for me to use any flats I desired but for myself I knew I wanted to create realism within the final product and so I utilized all designs and core items carried by Salomon. This included their iconic XT-6, Gore-Tex Snow Bibs, a long sleeve wool undershirt, and a beanie that included mine own touch of making it reversible with both versions of each colorway. This capsule was meant to be released for F/W 2024 and thus I wanted to create a blend of warm winter gear to a more causal gear to appeal to both consumer segments of the brand.