My art director partner, Nick Fecteau, and I used to work on lawn chairs in the home section of the Minneapolis Kmart. We noticed that the shoppers had more style in their pinkies than anyone we knew. They didn’t care about brands or labels and could style something out of nothing.

In a culture obsessed with ‘who are you wearing,’ we wanted to transform Kmart from an embarrassment into a point of pride. We used no stylists, just street-cast talent, allowing them to style themselves using the entire Kmart store however they wanted. Then, we placed billboards outside prestigious clothing shops in New York, on Rodeo Drive, and along the Sunset Strip. Shot by Chris Heads.

Even partnerships had to align with Kmart’s new rebellious spirit.