In Spring of 2014, Serena & Lily opened its first Design Shop on Sacramento Street in San Francisco. We wanted to invite people to come in and get creative with the assistance of our in-shop design professionals. The brand tagline that I'd generated years ago, Inspiration Delivered, was painted onto the store’s facade, while various pieces of printed collateral were created as take-aways. I wrote a brand statement to capture the spirit of the concept that we featured on the website and in print.
In 2010, as Serena & Lily evolved into a lifestyle company, we created a brand book to share internally and with our partners that crystallized our core beliefs. Much of what we stood for then still holds true today, though I’d make a few revisions if I had it to do over again.
It felt good to write for an emerging brand that is committed to doing right by our planet. Did you realize that fashion is the number two polluting industry in the world? Amour Vert is offering a new model. And the clothes are gorgeous. I helped shape the story for their first print catalog. A very quick project, but so much more to say.
I was hired by Athleta to support the editorial team one day per week, providing everything from product names (they have a LOT of fabrics) to editorial lines for catalog spreads and special email messaging.
When Serena & Lily launched a capsule collection of apparel for women, we infused the whole season with a fashion sensibility that connected the dots between the way you decorate your home and the way you dress. We called the first issue of the catalog The Decorator's Issue and wove in messaging about self-expression and what it means to have great style. I’ve also added some language from our seasonal brand book that didn’t make it into the catalog because they’re kind of fun.
Summer is our favorite and biggest season at Serena & Lily, so we always have fun with it. I’ve included a mix of nice lines and campaigns from a mix of catalogs over the years.
I was hired by Stone Yamashita Partners, a brand consultancy in SF, to help conceptualize and provide content for an employee attraction campaign for a women's apparel brand being launched by Gap. We ended up printing a beautiful set of fold-out cards with vintage prints and imagery and fun copy that spoke to our dream candidates.
I had the pleasure of helping Serena & Lily introduce its collection of original artwork to the world, crafting our brand POV on art in the home and directing online content to support the business, including our Artist Spotlight profiles and weekly emails to promote new collections.
A sampling of brand writing from my many years writing for this emerging brand…
I worked with Esprit in the early 2000s on a print campaign for store signage, creating inspiring brand lines that captured the spirit of the Esprit girl, in spring. The lines were printed and used in store window displays and in various spots around the store while techo music played and a soft voiceover said the lines. It was kind of trippy. (*I did another employee handbook project with them as well but am still searching for the samples, which appear to be lost in the cloud.)
Serena & Lily got its start as a baby bedding company, expanding quickly to include all the furnishings needed to complete the nursery, along with lots of design guidance. Soon after, they expanded into the world of kids. As their Editorial Director, I was tasked with shaping the voices for each, capturing the sweetness of life with baby and the colorful exuberance of life with kids. Here’s just a sampling of some fun statements and lines. Truth be told, there’s a whole lot more where this came from.
Many moons ago, in the heat of the dot com boom of Y2K, just as I left my job as Senior Copywriter at Gap to venture into the freelance world, I got my first gig writing for a small online fashion boutique. I include these because I think it showcases a fun side of my writing.