PAYLESS

At a time when “cheap chic” defined the category, Payless risked being perceived as simply cheap. We repositioned the brand by redefining its voice — shifting from aspiration alone to real women, grounding fashion credibility in authenticity, accessibility, and lived experience.

The work moved beyond campaign into system — aligning product, casting, photography, and messaging into a unified expression of style without pretense. Everyday relatability was paired with elevated visual design, creating a balance between accessibility and fashion authority that felt both honest and intentional.

This shift reframed how the brand showed up across retail, digital, and communication — reinforcing consistency at scale while allowing flexibility across categories and seasons.

The result was sustained year-over-year growth, including a period of accelerated performance where sales doubled annually — proving that clarity of voice and system-level alignment can drive both perception and business.

CHRISTIAN SIRIANO

As Payless repositioned itself within accessible fashion, I led designer collaboration initiatives that brought cultural credibility into the brand. Partnerships with designers such as Christian Siriano reframed perception — connecting high fashion sensibility with mass accessibility.

The Siriano collaboration extended beyond product into storytelling — including a digital series offering behind-the-scenes access to process, perspective, and authorship. This approach elevated the partnership from endorsement to participation, reinforcing authenticity across channels.

The result was sustained sell-through and increased cultural relevance — establishing designer collaboration as a credible, repeatable platform within the brand.

AIRWALK

Activated the under-leveraged Airwalk brand within the Payless portfolio — identifying an opportunity to unlock growth through cultural alignment rather than spend.

With a constrained budget, the work centered on a return to core identity — California surf and skate culture — expressed through motion-led storytelling, athlete partnerships, and a focused visual system built for speed and authenticity.

The approach translated directly to retail, delivering immediate impact with product selling out nationally at launch and across repeat drops — demonstrating the effectiveness of culturally grounded, system-led activation under constraint.

BRASH

To engage a new generation of shoppers, we launched BRASH — a youth-oriented footwear and accessories line designed by Steve Madden — through a culturally embedded approach rather than traditional advertising.

Partnering with indie band VersaEmerge, the brand was integrated directly into the band’s world — using music, content, and narrative as the primary distribution system. Product was introduced through experiential storytelling across digital and social platforms, beginning with a cryptic teaser phase followed by a serialized content rollout.

The approach prioritized participation over promotion — building an ecosystem of content that felt native to the audience rather than imposed.

The result was immediate sell-through, exponential fan-driven sharing, and a sustained content system generating over 30 long-form pieces — ultimately expanding into a larger, fully produced experiential European tour campaign the following year.

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