From product idea to $1M+ brand.
Urban Southern.
As co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Urban Southern, I helped transform a small leather-goods company into a nationally recognized consumer brand—building the creative, product and marketing strategy alongside the business itself.
Brand building · Product design · Creative direction · Photography art direction · E-commerce · Campaigns · Social · Email
$10K → $1M+
Sales in three years
362 → 9,000+
Email subscribers
500 → 12,000+
Social followers
The Circle Tote began with a bold silhouette I couldn't stop thinking about. Inspired by the exaggerated proportions of circular runway bags, I sketched a simpler version built around one defining idea: a full-grain leather circle with the handle cut directly into the form.
That first sketch launched at New York Fashion Week and became one of Urban Southern’s most recognizable designs.
Inspiration → Original concept → Final product → Campaign art direction
NWFW SS ‘17
Runway debut of a raw cut leather collection, including our statement circle tote.
Building a community around the products.
I shaped the photography and creative direction around a simple idea: handcrafted leather should feel as personal as the women carrying it.
Get people talking.As the visual identity became stronger, Urban Southern began reaching audiences far beyond our own channels.
The brand and products were featured by national and regional media including Magnolia Journal, Fox Business, Southern Lady and MADE SOUTH, extending the visual world we’d created into editorial, broadcast and print.
Urban Southern wasn't built around polished studio product shots.
I intentionally created a brand that felt warm, lived-in and distinctly human—pairing handcrafted leather with real environments, natural styling and women who looked like the customers we wanted to reach.
I helped shape this visual world across photography, campaign concepts, styling, locations and content—building an image library that could move seamlessly from e-commerce to social, email, editorial and advertising.
Build creative that builds the business.
Urban Southern shaped the way I approach art direction today. I learned to care equally about the idea, the image, the product and the result—because every creative decision ultimately had to earn someone's attention, build the brand and help move the business forward.