THE PUFFY HEART
Channeling nostalgia through purpose-driven storytelling to reposition a New York–based jewelry brand for contemporary cultural relevance.
Client: Roxanne Assoulin
Creative Direction, Brand Identity, Photography
The jewelry brand partnered with me to reintroduce the brand with a cost-effective strategy. My approach was led with storytelling alongside a progressive approach. These elements applied to: casting, design, and visual identity, we repositioned the brand towards a contemporary audience. The campaign reframed the brand’s relevance, going viral.
The Process
Going back to basics with archival research and consistent focus on purpose-driven marketing: which meant focusing and defining brand values, while prioritizing deeper connections with the brand’s loyal customer base. The process resulted in reintroducing a 1992 design that was heavily inspired by 90’s grunge pop culture and fashion, which resulted in driving contemporary and cultural relevance.
A design pulled from the archive- where the designer created The Puffy Heart for an editorial back in 1992.
"I get slightly obsessive about working in archives because you don't know what you're going to find. In fact, you don't know what you're looking for until you find it.
— Antony Beevor
The launch of the design was successful- selling out multiple times, becoming the brand’s best seller, leading to a line based off the line regarding multiple variations, earrings, necklaces, and bag charms.
The Opportunity
Through research, the strength lied in the fact that the designer had an archive that dated all the way back to the 1990s. Cross-referencing this history along with current fashion trends such as Y2K, grunge- revival, and nostalgia- we pulled a style from the designer’s archive.
References from the designer’s archive dating from the 1980s and 90s.
The Outcome
The style went viral overnight. The product sold out multiple times, leading to designs of multiple color tones, variations such as earrings, minis, and charms. The style resonated with fashion enthusiasts all around the world, and reached people from the most unexpected places. Creators from all over had their own interpretation of the design and eventually, dupes flooded the market- but that didn’t stop the design from its success. Eventually it was successful in reviving the brand’s relevance and continues to be the brand’s best-seller.
