Background & Challenge: The heritage brand had been in distress for 10+ years with a declining customer base. The previous strategy was solely focused on product margin and driving outlet channels while relying on heavy discounting. Brand recognition was at an all-time low.

Strategic Approach:

• Brand Work: Re-defined brand positioning, including new consumer targets

• Agency Partnership: Collaborated with Ziba Design, a global and innovative brand firm

• Stakeholder Alignment: Shared the new direction with founders, leadership & board for alignment and socialized the vision with all teams for engagement and development

Product Design & Development: Team of 22

• Searched archives and defined a new fashion direction to create a fresh, modern & relevant approach

• Created seasonal concepts in support of new brand narrative "your muse is you" in relationship to the cultural zeitgeist

• Brought in updated shapes and materials connected through “softness” & “movement” designing the bags to look beautiful to the eye, feel soft to the touch, and feel good against the body as she wears it throughout her busy life

• Addressed materials, function, quilting, hardware, & shapes while establishing standards to streamline the PD process, reducing calendar by 3 months

• Designed bags to look beautiful to the eye, feel soft to the touch, and feel good against the body during busy life activities

Execution & Results:

• Within 6 months of launch, we realized: +700bps in awareness, strong brand attribute gains with target consumer viewing Vera Bradley as stylish, colorful and fun, +9 percentage points in brand penetration with the core target, +7 percentage points in new customer acquisition from higher income households, 105m organic views with #VeraBradley hashtag

• New Partnerships & Collaborations: Zooey Deschanel campaign: driving traction and sell-outs for select products

• Licensed collections success: partnerships with “Wicked” line and Disney IP have performed strongly—fueling revenue and bringing in new, higher‑value customers

• Urban Outfitters limited-edition launch: early sell-through and positive uptake at higher-tier wholesale accounts leveraging updated vintage and heritage pieces