Fresh’s popular Soy Face Cleanser is sporting a fresh new look. The naturals brand collaborated with Parsons School of Design to create a limited-edition design for the hydrating cleanser, which debuted in 1999. It remains a favorite today among fans of the naturals brand that was founded in 1991 in Boston and was acquired by LVMH in 2000.

Based in New York City and home to more than 5,000 students, Parsons held a design contest within one of its courses. Students were able to submit an original design and concept for the opportunity to have their art featured on the Fresh cleanser.

Parsons student and former Fresh packaging design team intern Sammi Shen was chosen as the winner for her original interpretation of the vast blue sky and her fresh outlook. 

“The beauty of clouds in our sky is one of the only things that can be universally understood, no matter your age, race, gender identity, no matter where you are across the globe, because ultimately, we are all under the same sky,” Shen said in a statement.

Happi checked in with Fresh Co-Founder Alina Roytberg—a Parsons almuna— about giving the next-generation packaging designers a chance to create designs for real-world products.

HAPPI: How did the Parsons project come to fruition?
Roytberg: This partnership came about very naturally and really started with the fresh team. I’m an alum of Parsons – as are other members of our team – and I feel Parsons set my future as a designer. I graduated with a degree in Fashion Design and the design approach and editing discipline that the program instilled in me helped my transition to other design disciplines when we started fresh.

When we thought about a new creative direction for the packaging around our ever-popular Soy Face Cleanser, it felt like the perfect moment to partner with the next generation of design talent at Parsons. Parsons not only loved the connection that our team had to the institution, but also had the perfect curriculum to align with it.

This program happened during the pandemic, which created its challenges, but our packaging design director provided an amazing opportunity for the students to have a real-world design and development process with critiques and feedback before final reviews. It truly was a design workshop!  All the students we worked with were so talented and offered not only different design perspectives, but their own personal connection to the project and the product—so it was really inspiring to be a part of this project and share a deeper understanding of the fresh brand with them.

HAPPI: What did the brand really like about Shen's design?
Roytberg: Sammi really conveyed such beautiful emotion through her design and took inspiration from the traditional Chinese paintings she watched her grandfather create. The final design became this wonderful swirl of cloud-like brushwork that celebrated the traditional side of her inspiration, while also playing with our brand’s “Sky’s the Limit” mantra.

HAPPI: Does the brand have plans to do similar projects?
Roytberg: As a brand, we have made an ongoing commitment to empower future generations – around the world and here at our NYC home. We also have a long history of working with global artists of all kinds to reinterpret our iconic products and brand codes.

I am proud to continue my involvement with Parsons and we first worked with them on an illustration competition back in 2012. Our current partnership with Sammi and Parsons is the perfect combination of our brand history and values, so I’m excited to continue developing this kind of program in the future.

The Limited-Edition Soy Face Cleanser will be available for purchase for $49 in store and online at fresh.com now.