Lulu LaFortune — Claire E ONeill

Claire E O’Neill

I work closely with artists, institutions, and brands to craft their stories to share.

Current:
Strategic communications for
arts & design and consumer brands

Coming soon:
LIXIR Hard Honey

Before:
Paula Cooper Gallery
→ Dia Art Foundation
Kasmin Gallery
→ Lulu LaFortune
→ Hill Holliday

Click → for Select Projects

Information
Email
Instagram

Lulu LaFortune

Brand Strategy & Communications

(Index)

Lulu LaFortune is a bespoke furniture line that's handmade by skilled craftsmen in Los Angeles and led by designer Lulu LaFortune. I helped launch the brand and subsequent collections, working with Lulu on the communications strategy and voice. Since the brand name is eponymous, it was important to make the voice fun and quirky, just like Lulu.

In addition to brand building, I created collection themes based on the designs and production methods.

→ Explore the brand here

Brand Manifesto

Since 2018, Lulu LaFortune has been dedicated to designing your next heirloom. Through extensive research on what makes an object worthy of being passed down through generations, Lulu has perfected the recipe of timelessness. Crafted in the US by expert craftsmen, each piece balances unique materials, impeccable fabrication, and bold design. This highly curated collection of furniture and lighting is designed with the classics in mind and infused with youthful energy, a juxtaposition that allows the pieces to stand out today and stand the test of time.

Your piece is made just for you.

Joie de Vivre - Collection one concept & manifesto

Since French design inspired the first collection, we named it "Joie de Vivre" [joy of life] to convey timeless classics infused with Parisian joy.

Inspired by the fundamentals of the Arts and Crafts movement and Parisian style, the Joie de Vivre collection showcases craftsmanship while radiating joy. In homage to their mastery, pieces are named after designers and artists from the Arts and Crafts movement. These designers and artists started the story; now it's your turn to write the next chapter by letting these pieces bring joy into your life.

Le Passé est Présent - Collection two concept & manifesto

For the second collection, we stuck to what works: fun copy with a playful tone. Named “Le Passé est Présent” [the past is present], we made long-form copy print ads where I channeled my inner Don Draper and wrote some meandering copy that suited Lulu's casually confident voice; see below.

Le Passé est Présent is a collection full of harmonious contradictions. The collection's concept brings the past into the present. Therefore, the core concepts are constantly at odds, seen in the forms, colors, and names. The designs fuse 1800s craftsmanship techniques and Instagram color palettes, reviving classic forms with trendy colors and fabric. All pieces are named after classical artists, while the colorways draw inspiration from pop culture moments—the perfect mixture of 1821 and 2021. Or, if you will, Le Passé est Présent.

Brand Positioning

The brand's goal merges traditional styles and craft with the youthful energy of pop and (select) online culture.

The pieces in the collections are all named after an artist or designer from the Arts and Crafts Movement. Beyond the aesthetic inspiration, the movement’s ideology influenced the brand’s production, as Lulu worked with local Los Angeles craftspeople.

To match the design's eclectic style and bright hues, all the colorways are named after highly specific pop culture references.

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