A judgement-free community for tweens, built from zero inside Victoria's Secret, from cultural research to naming, identity, launch and a Roblox world.
Map what a new generation needs from a brand, and prove whether VS&Co should build it.
I was selected for a blank space innovation team under Victoria's Secret PINK, a skunkworks project running alongside my seasonal concept work. Our job was to map cultural and behavioral shifts, analyze consumer and parent insight, and validate whether a new brand was needed at all.
Not a smaller PINK. A brand positioned around belonging rather than binaries.
The research pointed away from a younger version of an existing brand and toward a gender-inclusive community, one that reflected real tween culture rather than tween culture filtered through a corporate adult lens.
Kids 8–14 who didn't see themselves in legacy brands.
A generation that values comfort, self-expression and identity without labels, and whose language, humor, digital behavior and peer-to-peer influence no one in the category was designing for.
A judgement-free community for tweens.
Everything, from the name to the Roblox world, was built to make the brand a place to belong, not just a place to shop.
I led the full creative direction from idea to launch, covering naming, identity and marks, tone of voice, the visual world, packaging, product storytelling, the digital experience, content systems and campaigns.
We launched happynation.com in April 2022 with a startup-speed approach to building, testing and iterating, and extended the brand into a companion Roblox world, where tweens actually form community.
For happy nation body care, I led creative direction for the debut assortment (body mists, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant and more) and directed all still-life and product photography, building a playful, inclusive tone that felt fresh, gender-neutral and parent-approved across e-commerce, retail and launch.
A profitable launch in April 2022, and on Roblox two months later.
happy nation launched digital-first as a size-inclusive, gender-free brand for tweens, with sweats, swim, bras, undies and family-friendly body care. In June 2022 it debuted on Roblox with three obstacle courses built around community, giving and the planet, plus a donation feature with Undies for Everyone. It was the first time Victoria's Secret activated in the metaverse.
Creative direction, strategy and new business. Tell me what you're working on, or ask for my résumé.