SUPPORT

LAST THURSDAY NIGHT OUR CASTLE HILL STORE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A SAMANTHA WILLS EMPORIUM. HERE IS THE STORY:

FOLLOWING LAST YEAR’S DEBUT PARTNERSHIP, WE HAVE AGAIN TEAMED UP WITH ‘MOUNT FRANKLIN’ FOR AN EXCITING COLLABORATION, IN SUPPORT OF THE McGRATH FOUNDATION TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS DURING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.

I WAS VERY HONORED TO COME ON BOARD THIS CAMPAIGN AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR & AMBASSADOR. WHEN I WAS WORKING ON INITIAL CONCEPTS FOR THE CREATIVE ELEMENTS OF THIS CAMPAIGN, I DREW DIRECT INSPIRATION FROM THE LEGACY OF THE MCGRATH FOUNDATION FOUNDER, JANE McGRATH; JANE’S LEGACY IS THAT OF ONE WOMAN, WHICH NOW CONTINUES TO IMPACT WOMEN ACROSS THE NATION. THE MORE WOMEN UNITE FOR THIS IMPORTANT CAUSE, THE FURTHER JANE’S INCREDIBLE MESSAGE GOES. WITH THIS MESSAGE AT THE FOREFRONT OF MY MIND, THE VISUALS FOLLOWED, WHEN I WATCHED (FOR ABOUT THE 100TH TIME!) BEYONCE’S 2011 BILLBOARD PERFORMANCE OF ‘RUN THE WORLD’.

THERE WAS THIS POWER & AUTHORITY OF WOMEN BANNING TOGETHER, AND THE WARRIORESS THEME WAS BORN… I WAS EXCITED WHEN MOUNT FRANKLIN ASKED ME TO DESIGN A T-SHIRT FOR THIS CAMPAIGN, OUR FIRST FORAY INTO APPAREL, AS I WANTED TO REPRESENT THIS NOTION OF A GROUP, AN ARMY OF WOMEN, WITH EPAULETTES ON THE SHIRT TO REPRESENT STRENGTH, AND IN ROSE GOLD TONES TO REPRESENT FEMININITY. THE ORIGIN OF EPAULETTES IS TO SIGNIFY THE RANK YOU HOLD IN AN ARMY, AND I WANTED TO CREATE A SHIRT THAT SIGNIFIED THAT TO THOSE WHO WORE IT, FOR THEM TO SHOW SUPPORT AGAINST & RAISE AWARENESS OF BREAST CANCER, TO BE EMPOWERED BY HOLDING THE HIGHEST RANKING. THE ILLUSTRATION ON THE FRONT, BY MY FRIEND, ARTIST KELLY SMITH, SIGNIFIES STRENGTH, A HELMET OF COURAGE, BUT WITH A VERY FEMININE TOUCH.

THESE T-SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE FROM SAMANTHAWILLS.COM/MOUNTFRANKLIN, & $30 FROM EACH T-SHIRT SOLD WILL BE DONATED TO THE McGRATH FOUNDATION, TO HELP FUND BREAST CARE NURSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

THE WARRIORESS THEME CARRIES FROM THE T-SHIRT, THROUGH TO THE BOTTLES WHICH ARE AVAILABLE IN GLASS STILL & SPARKLING + PET BOTTLES, HITTING FRIDGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY NOW. TO ROUND OUT THE OFFERING, THERE IS ALSO AN EXCLUSIVE JEWELLERY COLLECTION RELEASING ALONGSIDE THE T-SHIRTS, WHICH WAS DESIGNED WITH ‘GLAM-ARMOUR’ IN MIND.

THERE ARE MANY ELEMENTS TO THIS CAMPAIGN, AND AS SUCH, I WILL BE MAKING A FEW POSTS OVER THE COMING WEEKS TO SHARE MORE WITH YOU. YOU CAN JOIN US ON INSTAGRAM TO SEE MORE, VIA @SAMANTHAWILLS & @MOUNTFRANKLIN, & BY SEARCHING THE HASHTAG #UNITEDWESTAND

I ADAMANTLY BELIEVE THAT IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY, THERE IS NO ‘NEED’ FOR WHAT WE DO. WE ARE AN INDUSTRY THAT DESIGNS FOR ‘WANT’ – FOR US, BEING ABLE TO BE INVOLVED IN RAISING FUNDS & AWARENESS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR BRAND'S FOOTPRINT.

MY MANY THANKS ALSO TO FELLOW AMBASSADORS, ELEANOR PENDLETON, TAHNEE ATKINSON, EMMA LUCEY & INDI CLINTON – WOMEN I INVITED TO BE A PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN AS EACH HAS A UNIQUE AUDIENCE, OF WHICH WE FEEL IT VERY IMPORTANT TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS & AS WE STAND TOGETHER, WE HOPE YOU WILL STAND WITH US.

UNITED WE STAND – SWx