It is early morning in Santiago de Cuba. The sun opens over the hills and immerses the streets in golden light. In a cozy house, apart from the hustle and bustle of the city, there is a tense expectation in the air. The Josephine & Co. team is not only here to photograph the spring/summer collection 2025 of the Dutch label, but also to immerse themselves in the Cuban lifestyle-and to capture the essence of a country that fits perfectly on your topic: “Find your Happy Place”.
Before the team went on the Cuban adventure, Fashionunited created a tailor -made questionnaire to document the first -hand experience. Due to the interaction with the locals, the label combines fashion, culture and the surrounding area and authentically awakens its story. The shoot itself is a journey of spontaneity, cultural diversity and cooperation. Under the direction of a Cuban visagist and a photographer, the team decided on a local experience, thus supporting the community and created a lively storytelling.
Collection hits land
When the label designed its spring/summer collection 2025, the idea wanted to embody that luck can take many forms and can be found in countless places. Cuba, with his lively culture and the striking contrasts, became the ideal canvas for this vision.
Every drop of the collection represents a different ‘happy place’, from the energy of city life to the calm beauty of nature. The streets of Santiago with its strong colors and the timeless charm formed the backdrops for drops 1 and 2. Their retro-modern aesthetics in combination with colors such as royal blue and lavender should reflect the spirit of the city. The lush green and the calm water of the country were brought to life in drop 3 by covered tones – olive green and flowing satin – and stand for a more relaxed happiness.
The connection goes beyond the visual. Textures, colors and stories that are woven into the clothes represent the essence of Cuba – a country that brings liveliness into harmony with calm and modernity with timelessness.
Cuba through the eyes of the locals
A typical day of shooting begins early when the morning sun is already shining. The team quickly breakfast at a simple kitchen table while the city is slowly awakening. Then the model goes into the mask, the clothes are ironed, the equipment prepared and the locations finalized. But there is no fixed schedule. Instead, work is intuitively worked and the employees: inside can be guided by the rhythm of the day.
“We work in a guerrilla style,” explains the Josephine & Co-Team. “It is about capturing the moment while it unfolds – to discover beauty in unexpected places.” In one day, they could come across a hidden alley in Santiago, where a painted wall offers the perfect backdrop for a maxi dress from linen. On another day, her visagient may lead to a quiet nature reserve – an idyllic backdrop for the gentle, calming aesthetics of drop 3.
What makes this shoot so special is not just the special landscape or the artistically crafted clothing. It is also about how Josephine & Co. addressed the project – with a lot of care, respect and the desire to establish a real connection. By living in local houses and working with local experts: it made it work inside, it ensured that the community benefited directly from its presence.
When the sun goes down over Santiago de Cuba, the team comes together to take a look at the recordings of the day. It is laughed, eaten together and satisfaction spreads – the knowledge that not only the beauty of the collection has been captured, but also the soul of the country and the spirit of the brand.
Invitation to find your own ‘happy place’
The spring/summer campaign 2025 by Josephine & Co. is an invitation to think about your own ‘happy places’. Be it the lively rhythm of a city road or the calm of nature – the collection reminds us that happiness is not bound to places – it is a feeling that we carry in us.