Founder • Creative Direction • Design • Collaboration
“Talk about a head trip… Derrick Cruz’s pint-size shop of curiosities is divided into two areas that symbolize each hemisphere of the brain.”
— Time Out New York
ROLE
Concept, identity, creative direction, product development, package design, store design, copywriting, social marketing
CONTEXT
Lower East Side, New York City
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Inspired by a pantheon of fringe thinkers and risk-takers, the OCCULTER collective brought together artists whose work embraced darkness, science, and wonder. Members created challenging work across a variety of media, organized highly attended group exhibitions, and displayed and sold their work at OCCULTER’s brick-and-mortar gallery/store on the Lower East Side.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
The gallery/store hybrid paired members’ artwork with a selection of branded and curated goods, extending the collective’s identity into a physical retail experience. OCCULTER’s online presence attracted a passionate international following, reflected in strong social media engagement and retail conversions.
RECOGNITION
The JCReport placed OCCULTER second to Comme des Garçons Black in its Top Five Small Shops.
