A profound sense of style has always been innate in designer Ann Doty Payne. Her love affair with fashion started as a child but it was shortly after graduating from Ohio State University when Ms. Payne launched EMA Maternity, that she began to leave her mark in the style industry. This combined with her years of experience as design director for Haddad Apparel Group, launching powerhouse brands such as Sean John, Nautica and Izod, while serving as the senior vice president of design and merchandising at Fishman and Tobin Inc., and her most recent position as creative director for Original Penguin, has given her what she needs to create her unique Kia Soul. Responsible for the design of all products from clothing to timepieces, along with their corporate image, Payne wanted to take the elements that are traditionally Penguin—retro, old school, and masculine—and translate that into the design of her Kia Soul. “We created a car that would make the driver feel as comfortable behind that wheel as he is on his couch,” she says. Consistently lending her unique aesthetic to Original Penguin by introducing new patterns as well as reinvigorating heritage prints with new colorways and silhouettes, Payne has no problem expressing herself. “To me, Soul Xpression is a single thought completed that brings satisfaction to the artist as well as the person viewing it.” Well done.
Currently Resides In: Bedford, New York
Client/Collaborations: k2
Creative Influences: Bill Cosby and Russell Simmons
Ulitimate Roadtrip: To take a drive across North Africa—Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt
Favorite Music: Nirvana, David Bowie, The Who
Design Philosopy/ Creative Influences: Create product with the end consumer in mind. It must be wearable but have personality.
5 Things in Your Car at All Times: A bottle of water, old CDs, the latest issue of Antenna, reusable shopping bag, gum
Did you find this project challenging?
Using rock and roll flames to show how fast and crazy I am.
What does Soul Xpression mean to you?
It was fun. We like to think of Penguin as a lifestyle brand and this was an opportunity to
create the car we think the Penguin Man would drive.
Your favorite part of it...
The brainstorming portion. Pulling all the loose ideas together to create the concept for our car.