Ibrahima Gueye
SIMB Collection

A case study in structuring a culturally grounded luxury image system.

SCOPE

Editorial
Cultural positioning
Art direction

FOCUS

Image system design
Narrative construction
Cultural translation

A dense symbolic universe without hierarchy.
Ritual structures, power archetypes, childhood mythologies and fluid identities
were present, but not structured into a coherent visual system.

The risk:
Aesthetic richness without strategic clarity.
Or cultural references reduced to surface-level signifiers.

I ide I defined the brand’s core cultural tension:
Heritage expressed through a contemporary visual language 
without assimilation or dilution.

I built a structured image system:
translated symbolic references into a clear narrative framework
aligned casting, silhouette construction and visual rhythm
controlled the balance between cultural specificity and luxury positioning

Cultural references don’t create meaning by themselves.
They require structure.

A culturally grounded editorial image system including:
a defined narrative axis (heritage vs contemporary expression)
a controlled visual language (color, materiality, light)
casting reflecting identity without stereotype
coherence between image, styling and textual discourse