Wealth Within
Life serendipitously brought me into friendship with the super-cool party-planning committee that is Empire Taste. The Wealth Within Artist Meals event was a flip of McDonald’s collaborations with high-profile musicians, which I believe we improved on immensely. Instead of repackaging existing menu items in pursuit of high-profit margins, we sat with DJ Mike Nasty and rapper Bohan Phoenix to create custom dishes inspired by each their respective hometowns from oppsite sides of the planet.
Empire Taste trusted me to bring the message into physical space. I designed a capsule collection consising of a shirt, hat, and the serving box for the food. Centering Empire Taste’s “Wealth Within” motto, I referenced the source material with a deep-red and beige color scheme. We used this reversal of elements to speak to the idea that true wealth is generated in the hearts and souls of our comunity, and not comforming to a consumerist format.
At our sold out event, over 100 attendees were able to enjoy a Memphis Golden Fried Chicken Sandwich or Sichuanese Twice Cooked Pork Burrito. We didn’t have enough napkins on deck but people came back for seconds and asked for empty serving boxes to take home.
Design and Creative Direction by me, Co-Creative Direction by Empire Taste, Photography by Jocelyn Hu and Tyler Hull