"I think that this campaign represents that love and that creative audacity and that commitment that he showed up with because he was there to inspire it," Indya Moore said.
Stephen "tWitch" Boss, 40, collaborated on a new campaign with Gap, The Brooklyn Circus, and his close friend, designer Ouigi Theodore. Today, both companies are honoring the late celebrity, who died by suicide on December 13. The choreographer and his radiant spirit are caught in a heartfelt video spot for the campaign as he models the capsule collection while dancing, laughing, smiling, and oozing the warmth and spark people loved him for. His wife Allison Holker Boss shared in a press release, “When Stephen and I first saw his images from the campaign, it brought tears to our eyes. He was so moved by how they captured his true essence, and he was excited for the world to see them." She continued, “We pay tribute to Stephen's life by sharing these images in homage to the joy and light he brought to everyone around him.”
Boss was a key player in this new collaboration that explored concepts of identity and mobility "through the blending of Black culture, music, academia and street style," and who had a close relationship with the clothing brand and its founder Theodore, PEOPLE reported. Boss, known for his role as a DJ and dancer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and was seen on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars, modeled for it before his passing.
“The Brooklyn Circus and Gap share in the heartbreaking loss of beloved icon Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, who was a longtime supporter of the [Brooklyn Circus] community, [founder and creative director] Ouigi [Theodore’s] work and a core part of this campaign thanks to his personal friendship with Ouigi Theodore,” a press release for the campaign reads, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Indya Moore from Pose, Javon Walton from Euphoria, and Bethann Hardison, a model, and activist, are some of the other trailblazing individuals shown in the advertisement. "I do remember when he was on set, he was extremely encouraging, and the way that he was on set to support Ouigi was something that was very moving to me," Moore tells PEOPLE exclusively of Boss' involvement in the campaign, sharing that "it was something that stayed on my mind, and I thought about throughout."
They added, "He was a very sweet and inspiring person and I can see why Ouigi wanted him to be there as an artist and as a visionary that he was. I think that this campaign represents that love and that creative audacity and that commitment that he showed up with because he was there to inspire it. I really appreciate the way that Ouigi has shown up for his family. I am also very grateful to have been a part of it and to witness such a love."
References:
https://people.com/style/stephen-twitch-boss-honored-in-new-gap-campaign-captured-before-his-death/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbHFQu8KVDk
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/stephen-twitch-boss-gap-campaign-1235313082/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Dia Dipasupil