Behind the Collab: Z SUPPLY x Warm Collective
We are excited to announce to launch a limited-edition collaborative collection of vintage-inspired eyewear and swimwear that has been a long-time in the making. After years of friendship, Z SUPPLY President Mandy Fry and Warm Collective Founder Séréna Lutton's shared passion for creativity and design laid the foundation for this exciting collaboration. When Mandy approached Séréna with the idea of co-creating the line, there was no doubt in her mind.
From there, the creative process took off, fueled by a shared vision and creative synergy. Together, they brainstormed ideas for the collection, drawing inspiration from their love for the ocean, creating the perfect selection of timeless treasures for summer.
We chatted with Mandy and Séréna about the collaboration, how it came together, the creative process, and what makes this partnership a perfect match.
Mandy Fry
How did you meet Séréna?
We met years ago when Séréna was working on Herewith Magazine. She was a very talented photographer and artist, so of course, I wanted to work with her. We have shot together on and off over the last 10 years and have become good friends during that time. I have loved watching her grow Warm Collective and Warm Agency.
Why did you decide to collaborate with Warm Collective?
Who doesn’t want to collaborate with a friend, especially one who is as creative as Séréna and her Warm Collective team? I love collaborations in general, and I was ready for one that felt organic and heartfelt.
One day, Séréna and I were talking, and she was telling me about all the amazing things she is working on, not only with Warm Collective but also with her agency. I asked her if she would ever want to collaborate on an eyewear collection, and without hesitation, she said, "Hell yeah!" I was immediately excited about the idea of combining the creative talents and aesthetics of Z SUPPLY and Warm Collective to bring a unique point of view to our eyewear collection. During that same call, we brainstormed about what our sunglasses could be, and then, we couldn’t help ourselves and added a swim collection to the mix, along with the cutest Warm Tee.
What a dream it is to collaborate with such a creative and talented friend on two of my most-loved categories: bikinis and sunglasses. I am excited to share Z SUPPLY with the Warm audience as well as introduce swimwear to our Z SUPPLY customers for the very first time!
What inspired the prints, styles, and product choices behind the collection?
We both share a love for the islands, and both of us spend a lot of time in Hawaii and Tahiti. It felt like the right time to bring the traditional hibiscus swim print back into the market but in new modern silhouettes and a fresh new coconut brown colorway. We complemented the hibiscus floral print with an off-white baby rib solid suit that has the cutest shell trim. It is the perfect little bikini to pair with any coverup, and it sure looks great with our Warm Tee.
Our eyewear features three very cool shapes, each in three different shades of taupe to match a variety of skin tones. Tonal eyewear is one of our favorite trends right now, and all three pairs of sunnies are tonal to match our bikinis and tee. The perfect summer vibe!
What did the collaboration process look like?
We had so much fun designing together. When we came together for our first design meeting at the Z SUPPLY office, I loved that Séréna and her team came with a clear direction. They knew what they liked and were very clear on what they believed their audience would love too.
We picked the eyewear first and landed on a color palette with shades of taupe. Then, we moved into swim, where we explored print ideas and a beautiful shade of brown and off-white that we felt would look great on a range of skin tones. When we explored print ideas, the hibiscus was quickly a winner. We explored shades of browns and taupes, but our coconut color was a clear winner with the Warm team. We sketched up several different silhouette options and knew we wanted something a bit sexier with the String Bikini and a bra with a bit more coverage like the Golden Bikini Top, and then, we also wanted a one-piece. Our Riley One-piece has underwire for more support, and the High Neck One-piece was made for surfing, stand-up paddling, or in Séréna’s case, shooting underwater. Our factory nailed the fit, so when Serena and I came back together for the photoshoot, she was so excited to see the styles sewn up and the fit perfected. We shot with two of our dream girls and loved seeing our designs turned into reality!
What makes this collaboration special to you?
There are two reasons this collaboration is special to me: my career started in swim, so I am thrilled to be introducing swimwear to our Z SUPPLY customers for the first time, and I am really honored to work with Séréna and see our shared vision come to life for her Warm followers as well as our Z SUPPLY customers. It is so much fun to collaborate when there is not just a shared vision, but also, creative synergy like we had.
Séréna Lutton
What is the story behind Warm Collective?
Warm Collective was born from the wish of building a community in an industry that can be too secretive and shine a light on talents that decided to not follow a conventional path. Warm Collective is the community side of our creative agency: Warm Agency. With Warm Agency, we work with multiple brands on their creative vision, from marketing campaigns and design work to brand campaigns. We travel A LOT and somehow master storytelling in the fashion, surf, and outdoor industry. With Warm Collective, we mentor and educate other creatives and give them the tool to grow their own creative career based on our own experience. We host workshops, retreats, talk and also propose personal mentorships—no gatekeeping here. As real as it can get!
This project is inspired by all the women that I met when I moved to America, that influenced me and mentored me. It’s a way for me to give back for the incredible journey and career that I’m able to pursue. Most of the women in my life before moving in the U.S. were following a path that was chosen for them, but meeting so many passionate, independent, and fearless women during my journey here in the U.S. really inspired me to believe in me, to believe that anything was possible, even for the girl coming from the small village in the countryside, and to create a path that was unconventionally fulfilling me. If I take a step back and look at where I’m from and the chances that were given to me, there was no way to imagine that my creative career and life would look like this, and I really want to help others to do so.
Tell us more about the women behind Warm.
I have such deep respect and admiration for each of the women involved in Warm. We all have our unique stories and come from different backgrounds.
Lily, my New Mexican sidekick, spicy creative partner, has been with me, trusting me since the early days. She can learn it all and master it all—a creative genius. She can write beautifully, capture magic on film, has punchlines like nobody else, and she also holds a science degree and would kick your ass on any science talks. She’s something else.
Shadia, another amazing photographer, content manager, and retoucher. She’s our quiet force. She has a strong Lebanese background and brings her family nurturing values to the team. She took a water photography workshop with us years ago and slowly integrated into our team. Can’t see Warm without her.
Katie is our video queen. She’s our East Coast girl, always down for an early surf with me before work and always down to travel the world with her camera. The easiest person to travel with, she will put her entire soul into projects. It’s so beautiful to see her vision through what she captures.
Julia, a.k.a. Jules, is our Aussie business master. The only non-creative of the team that keeps us all in check, haha. She works on all the contracts and all the technical stuff that gives me a headache. Another woman I look up to, she moved from Australia with her husband and firstborn the same year as me. She’s also the co-owner of Common Room Roaster and Milligram, a badass businesswoman.
Alexa is the Warm studio manager (Warm-studio.co). She takes care of all the studio bookings, keeps our creative mess not too messy in the space, and makes sure our plants are not dying while we travel. She’s also an amazing photographer, in and out of the water!
Cami is the latest addition to our team. She was our intern for a few months last year, and as the Graphic Designer position became available, she joined our team. She’s an amazing designer that reminds me of me and Lily at the beginning of our careers, so passionate and determined. Can’t wait to see her grow with us.
It’s actually hard to be all together in one room as we’re laughing way more than we work. Maybe not my best business move, but dang, how amazing it is to be surrounded by such a team.
Outside of this core crew, there are so many other women behind Warm that make it what it is, whether they were part of it in the past or collaborators over the years: Julianna, Elisa, Sarah, Micah, DK, Candy, Trin, Jo, Jess, Isabella…I’m so grateful for all of them.
What is your relationship with Mandy and the Z SUPPLY team?
We met when I was running Herewith Magazine. I then started to shoot campaigns with her and worked on design projects. I always loved the timeless, feminine, and elevated vibe that she brought to any project she touched. Mandy has always supported me and saw in me what I was not seeing yet. She gave me so many opportunities to create branded content that I loved and that fulfilled my creative visions.
Outside of her creative talents, I really admire Mandy for the way she treats people, the respect she has for her team, and the time she holds for anyone she works with. Some of her team have been following her every step of her career and grew with her, and I think that says a lot about who she is. The Z SUPPLY team is like a second work family for me. There are so many familiar faces and people I’ve been working with for years.
Why did you decide to collaborate with Z SUPPLY?
Mandy approached me with this idea and I got so excited. I said, “Hell yeah, let’s do it,” as I knew that we are creatively super aligned, and then, I was like, “Wait—why? Why us?”
We’re such behind-the-scenes people at Warm, the ones holding the cameras and telling other people's stories, that I actually questioned the collaboration a few times. Let’s be honest. Collabs are rarely with a group of passionate creatives. More proof that things can be done unconventionally!
What did the creative process look and feel like to you?
This was the most seamless creative process EVER. You know when something is meant to be, everything aligns so well.
We had a few creative meetings—I sent a few of my ideas, and the Z SUPPLY team came back to me with our dream collection. I couldn’t believe it. Most of my work is timeless and vintage-inspired, and it was really important for me to be able to translate that into the collection.
From the pattern Z SUPPLY designed based on a few words I sent them to the fabric and cuts of the pieces everything flows so well. The synergy between the Warm Collective team and the Z SUPPLY creative team was incredible.
If you’ve ever organized a shoot, you know how much of a roller coaster the pre-production of a shoot can be. Everything for this collab was a dream: the location we shot at, Holly Graves and Zahara Davis being our muses, the sunrise we got during the campaign shoot day, the people involved, the energy...everything.
What makes this collaboration special to you?
This collaboration is special for a few reasons.
I’m so honored to collaborate with Mandy and her amazing team and so grateful for the opportunity to create in a category that we would usually not touch.
We’re used to being part of projects from A to Z, mostly for campaign shoots or marketing launches, but this was a whole other level. Having the Warm team be part of the creative process of the collection creation to the strategy behind it, the creative direction of the shoot, and the launch. It’s full circle, and it was so special to work on this the past few months.
Now, I can rock my dream sunnies every day and wear my timeless bikini when I shoot and also when I surf!
It’s going to be a warm summer. Dive into the collaboration here.