Gearbox

Gearbox started as a product idea I couldn't get out of my head. Premium metal drinkware designed around the visual language of the garage — pistons as wine caddies, engine geometry translated into glassware forms. I sketched the collection in 2017 and then spent years waiting for the right tools to tell the full story.

The problem wasn't the product. It was the world around it. Without physical prototypes and a real shoot budget, I couldn't build the lifestyle campaign a brand like this needs — models, vintage cars, poolside scenes, bar setups. Everything that makes drinkware feel like culture instead of just inventory.

In2025 I revisited it with generative tools — Nano Banana and Flux — and treated AI like a production studio. I art directed every scene: lighting, camera angle, product placement, reflections. The work is mine. AI handled what a shoot budget couldn't. Everything else — the naming system, logo, color,patterns, iconography, packaging architecture, and brand voice — was built the same way it's always been built.

What came out the other side is a complete lifestyle brand. Collectible product line. Scalable identity. A world you can step into. Gearbox is still a concept, but it doesn't look like one anymore.