Founded in my dorm room in 2021, Secretaries is a streetwear brand creating the uniform for the new young professional. We set out to have a good time while also executing at the highest level, whether we are creating a pair of pants, shooting a campaign, or throwing an event.
I am the only owner, and all the work below is my world I am building.
From past to present, you can follow the journey below.
Secretaries Holiday 22’
This was a first cut and sew clothing drop and campaign, which I designed and creative directed.
I founded Secretaries in early 2021 with one simple purpose- Bring People Together. This purpose stems from hearing stories about the original Secretaries which was an old nightclub in my hometown, Halifax Nova Scotia, that my dad used to DJ at.
This shoot remains one of my favourites as it was a simple concept executed at a high level thanks to my amazing team.
Video
This was the first proper video campaign we were shooting for the brand so I wanted to really lean into the history of the brand and set the shoot in a dive bar.
While it is simple, it is also an extremely effective and eye-catching campaign that shows our community what we are all about, albeit in a dramatized way.
Images
These images were meant to be fun and reflect the same spirit of the video- playful, a bit oer the top, and setting the precedent for what a Secretaries campaign should be.
The point of reference for the clothing was ironic vintage tees that were very expressive and rooted in language vs rooted in graphic or illustrative elements. Sue Me! was an expression I had been using in the months leading up to this drop (initially ironically but, as things go, eventually unironically.) The tee is inspired by an old Toyotathon graphic. Finally, the video and camapign are inspired by Dazed and Confused, specifically the Emporium Scene.
Source Material
THE SECRETARIES RODEO
THE SECRETARIES RODEO
Inspired by the 1980 film ‘Urban Cowboy’, The Secretaries Rodeo was the theme for our SS23 release.
Imagery
Our imagery for this campaign centered around the idea of a ‘Secretaries Rodeo’, taking cues from old western films and rodeos. As always, we begin with product into campaign imagery and video and culminate with an event. Much of the campaign editorial work revolved around building up the idea of the Secretaries Rodeo, which led to a very successful event.
Video
Our video content for this campaign reflected the same 80s, cheesy references utilizing old Western film tropes and VHS style infomercials. Directed by Adrien Marquet and Jack Peros respectively. With support from our community, we were able to bring these concepts to life and hammer home the ideas behind the Secretaries Rodeo.
Event
The promotional run culminated in an event at Rock N Horse Saloon, a western themed bar with a mechanical bull and all the western fixtures. It is over the top, a little sleazy, but really fun and true to the source material. Typically, this bar plays a lot of country and Taylor Swift, but we brought in some really great house/hip-hop DJs to add our own spin and provide the over 250 guests with a unique experience.
Source Material
This entire collection was inspired by the film Urban Cowboy, a 1980 film directed by James Bridges starring John Travolta and Debra Winger. It’s a western/romantic set mostly in Gilley’s, a real life honky-tonk country bar famous for it’s 7000 person capacity, live music, and most importantly- it’s mechanical bull. It is cheesy, over the top, and awesome- which is exactly how this whole collection was meant to feel.
CHAINSTITCH HATS
CHAINSTITCH HATS
Inspired by vintage baseball caps, this product emerged from the desire to make something recognizable and uniquely Secretaries. A product you can distinguish through the haze of a nightclub at 3 AM or in the distance at a park on a sunny day. This idea continued into the initial campaign, which was all about standing out from the crowd and catching people’s attention.
Video
As mentioned, this campaign was meant to reflect the story behind the hats development- standing out from a crowd and being instantly recognizable. While we brainstormed numerous ways to make this idea come to life, we settled on this biking shot as it allowed us to get the idea across to our customers whilst also including a lot of cameos from the Secretaries community.
Direction: Adrien Marquette and Parker Murchison
DOP: Jack Peros
Starring: Luke Maclean, Chuck Finlay, Abby, Christian, Anna, Nick, Nour, Omar, Brian, Owen, and Sam Gietl
Source Material
Inspired by “The Cycling Reporter” section of the Wes Anderson film “The French Dispatch”. It was a pain to get the same framing, but we did it using a chest mount and ended up happy with the result.
Chainstitch Drop #2
After a sold out first release, I decided to bring the original colourways back in stock as well as debut a new colourway, the brown and yellow hats. Many brands, especially in streetwear, have a hero product that is recognizable and easy to access. For Secretaries, it is becoming these hats. I plan on leaning into this over the next year and release additional colourways accompanied by editorial shoots to build this program out.
Building programs is crucial for long term success to increase brand identity and recognition, customer loyalty, and improve our production efficiency.
Getting ready for a night out. A concept everyone is familiar with- you dash back from work on a Friday, coordinating with your friends
“Where should we get ready?”
“Can you stop at the LC?”
“Where are we going tonight?”
The endless possibilities that lay ahead cause a palpable excitment in the room as you and your friends congregate. You’re blasting your favourite music, drinking your first one of the night, and catching up on the week that has passed. Who knows what can happen tonight?
The Concept
For this shoot, I wanted to capture the excitement of a pregame that lies in the possibilities of the night ahead. Additionally, I wanted to put more trust in the artists I am working with and allow some more creative freedom. To execute this I reached out to Lucy, a super talented Toronto-based photographer. She absolutely killed it, and I couldn’t be happier with how these images came out. Together, we came up with a shotlist and fleshed out the concept, cast the models, found a location and went from there.
These photos were for the restock of the black and navy chainstitch hats as well as the introduction of the brown and yellow colourway.
Photos: Lucy
Models: Abby, Lisa, Amanda and Lauren
Sue Me!
Sue Me!
After the original hoodie went viral, I decided to capitalize and re-release this in a new colourway. It ended up selling out in the first 24 hours, and I am considering bringing it back in new styles that are more elevated to match the brands future output.
Video
For this campaign, we wanted to match the silly nature of the hoodie and lean into the idea of a lawsuit. After some research, I stumbled upon a video detailing the day in the life of a process server. It was a serious video, but we decided to flip the concept into a mockumentary style, with inspiration from shows such as The Office.
Written and Directed by Parker Murchison and Adrien Marquette
DOP Brian FM
Starring Sam Bird, Chuck Finlay, Abby, and Luke Maclean
FW24
FW24
Inspired by my life as an intern, the FW24 collection is titled ‘Coffee Run’ and depicts day to day activities of an intern, from days spent in the studio steaming clothes and moving boxes to nights on the town participating in the local scene. The clothes were designed with this lifestyle in mind, suitable for leading a meeting or dancing at a club after work.
This was the brands first foray into full cut and sew looks and it was a rewarding endeavour. The slightly more serious tone of the imagery is reflects the growth of the brand and myself as I am creating ‘real’ clothes.
Video
Per the name, we wanted to tease this collection with a classic intern stereotype- the coffee run. Inspired by the Devil Wears Prada when Anne Hathaway is often seen hustling around town on various errands at the whim of her boss.
Imagery
Our imagery for this campaign reflects the duality of the life of an intern- long days at the office followed by longer nights out in the city with your friends. We shot at Imperial Pub, a historic bar in Toronto with an iconic, jazz inspired interior. This is a bar we would often go to in university, so it was special to shoot there. The studio photos were shot at Adidem Asterisks, where I actually interned in 2022. The source material for this collection was really my life, and I wanted to highlight that with the campaign imagery.
