The Sum.
Owner/Operator/Designer

Background:

The Sum was a passion project turned global business. From soldering jewelry in my garage to being featured in WGSN, showing at Paris Fashion Week, and being carried by top global retailers like United Arrows, H. Lorenzo, American Rag, Mohawk General Store, and Machus. The Sum was as much a space to work being a futurist as it was a business. It was an opportunity to build a fully integrated brand that had meaning and purpose behind everything it created. I learned so much along the journey that culminated in the brand’s sale in late 2019.

Existing at the intersection of design, wellness, and a redefinition of masculinity, The Sum showed that even the smallest element makes a difference. The intent of every material, source, and fabrication process matters, and can be felt. The brand proposed that real strength is one's strength of character. The Sum worked to destigmatize men’s self-care while also melting gender constraints. These were all new view points when I started shaping the brand's strategy.

Existing at the intersection of design, wellness, and a redefinition of masculinity, The Sum showed that even the smallest element makes a difference. The intent of every material, source, and fabrication process matters, and can be felt. The brand proposed that real strength is one's strength of character. The Sum worked to destigmatize men’s self-care while also melting gender constraints. These were all new view points when I started shaping the brand's strategy.

The products that we wear every day become our signature pieces that shape our self perception and the way we move through the world. I saw an opportunity to create high quality beautiful products that were accessible to new consumers- products that were extremely unique yet approachable and never too precious or too expensive to be worn every day. Inflated high fashion and luxury products were out of reach for many, and they lacked deeper meaning.

One of the most rewarding elements of the entire business was adding perfume to the collection. No other product alters its wearer like perfume does. There's a lot to unpack and use to shape storytelling. I incorporated pieces of solid sterling silver into each bottle to tie into the jewelry collection and as a nod to the healing properties of silver. Working closely with the perfumer we established a shared  DNA amongst each perfume while still offering a collection with something for each of our targeted consumers. Much like the jewelry, each perfume was extremely unique while remaining daily-wearable and never overbearing. Not only were the perfumes an opportunity to get into the booming niche perfume industry, but the development process of these complex and nearly indescribable things elevated my communication and collaboration skills further than anything previously in my career. They were so fun to work on!