NSTO was the parent company of Need Supply Co. and Totokaelo — two of the most culturally significant independent fashion retailers in America, carrying Acne Studios, Dries Van Noten, Maison Margiela, and A.P.C. across five global flagship stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Japan before closing in 2020.
I built the brand narrative and cultural strategy for Need Supply Co. from the ground up.
Operated with full autonomy to define what the brand stood for culturally, who it spoke to, and what conversations it had the authority to lead.
The work centered on identifying and platforming emerging cultural figures before mainstream recognition: building alliances that established the brand's cultural credibility before any campaign could have manufactured it.
Without a doubt, interviewing Virgil Abloh was a highlight. However, profiling early talent before they came to prominence is where I’m most invested. Among those platformed early were Arlo Parks, who went on to win the Mercury Prize, a BRIT Award, and appear on Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter. Mayukh Sen, who became a James Beard Award winner and National Book Critics Circle finalist. Marcelo Gutierrez, who was named to the Dazed 100 and went on to work with Louis Vuitton and Chanel.
The strategy positioned Need Supply Co. as a cultural voice rather than a retailer—a distinction that VP of Brand and Marketing Fanny Damiette described directly in Footwear News: "In the long term, you will see engagement growing, and you can definitely attribute it to certain pieces of content, to certain people we've featured."
Skills: Brand Strategy, Brand Narrative, Cultural Strategy, Cultural Forecasting, Cultural Narrative
Archived Editorial Copy
Archived Profiles
VIRGIL ABLOH
Archived Landing Pages
Lost Interviews
Social Media Integration
DECIEM
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