Case Study: Little Black Shell

Little Black Shell – Luxury Fashion Blog (2014–2016)

Little Black Shell was originally created as a strategic portfolio while I was studying fashion merchandising and working at Nordstrom, with the goal of standing out for luxury fashion internships. Through the blog, I developed hands-on expertise in curating product selections, presenting fashion pieces online, and creating compelling digital assortments.

Digital Merchandising & Content Experience

• Product Curation & Storytelling: I learned to select and showcase products in a way that resonated with a specific audience, translating physical merchandising instincts to a digital platform. I built an online environment where fashion and lifestyle content naturally guided consumer attention and engagement.
• Digital Merchandising Execution: Grew Instagram to 30,000 followers and maintained the website as a curated showcase of fashion collections, creating a seamless experience between imagery, product styling, and brand messaging.
• Collaboration & Brand Partnerships: Partnered with leading brands including Shopbop, Citizens of Humanity, Agolde, Sisley Paris, Makeup Forever, ASOS, and River Island, aligning product storytelling with brand identity while optimizing content for audience engagement.
• Analytical & Iterative Approach: Tested which visual formats, product groupings, and narratives drove engagement, building early experience in data-informed merchandising decisions—skills directly applicable to optimizing e-commerce performance.

This experience was foundational in translating my luxury merchandising instincts into a digital-first approach, bridging the gap between in-store curation and online presentation—an expertise I now bring into digital merchandising.

Lifestyle Traveler (2016–2021)

After pivoting from fashion to luxury travel, I rebranded my blog as Lifestyle Traveler, further developing my skills in digital product storytelling, curated content experiences, and audience engagement.

• Curated Luxury Experiences: Crafted visually compelling content to showcase destinations, hotels, and travel products, focusing on aspirational presentation and storytelling—skills directly translatable to luxury product merchandising online.
• Cross-Channel Optimization: Managed website and social media (Instagram growth to 30k followers, Pinterest to 3M monthly viewers), ensuring product visuals, captions, and content layouts were optimized for user engagement and conversions.
• Brand Collaboration & Merchandising Alignment: Partnered with global brands and hospitality groups (Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, IHG, Shopbop, River Island, and tourism boards) to create content that highlighted products and services in a curated, aspirational context.
• Data-Driven Insights: Monitored engagement metrics to refine content presentation, testing layout, imagery, and product/service placement—early experience in optimizing digital merchandising performance.

This project allowed me to refine the art of curating aspirational experiences digitally, preparing me to translate merchandising instincts into a luxury e-commerce context.