ROBYN DUTRA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR + WRITER
HEY THERE, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!
I live and work in Manhattan with my partner and our two pups, Princess and Frank (regulars at the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run). I’m a writer turned creative leader, immersed in culture, obsessed with style, and always on the hunt for the next big thing IRL and on those tiny screens. Currently vibing on Spencer’s spa’s vintage book table, Mary O’s soda bread blueberry scones (tip: go early), Jordan Howlett (@jordan_the_stallion 8) talking about anything, Le Monde Beryl flats, and Lola Young on repeat.
WHAT I DO
Creative director, executive leader, strategic partner and storyteller, I’ve been both agency and brand-side, including Unilever, Estee Lauder Companies, Saatchi, Ogilvy, and McCann (Gotham). Making culturally relevant campaigns and content for many of the world’s most loved brands, I motivate and manage diverse, high performing teams that thrive in collaboration. I have a depth of experience building brands in beauty, CPG, wellness, fashion, lifestyle, luxury, retail, and more.
I led the global rebrand of Olay, created breakthrough TV for Maybelline, gave Tommy Hilfiger a fresh brand platform, and helped Avon revive its legacy. I launched an internal creative agency at Estee Lauder Companies during a global pandemic, turning uncertainty into innovation. It’s been a wild and beautiful ride.
I've touched broader categories along the way as well, writing the long-standing Aquafina selling line, “Pure Water. Perfect Taste.” I scripted the award-winning teaser video and site for Mission Juno to Jupiter with NASA and produced Passport Kids (a multilingual online community for kids) with Sesame Workshop. It was a privilege to work with James Nachtwey, Pulitzer-Prize winning photojournalist, to realize his TED-prize wish of bringing to life his XDR-TB (Extreme Tuberculosis) awareness campaign, in a powerful video presented to the world. I even helped Beyoncé and her mother Tina to launch her first fashion brand, House of Dereon, starting with the tagline, “Couture. Kick. Soul.”
ON THESE PAGES
I’m a widely published writer on trends in travel, food, fashion, beauty, art, and design, appearing in BlackBook, Vanity Fair, Interior Design, Dwell, Surface, Soma, Ageist, Theme, The Fader, Death + Taxes, Let Them Eat Cake, BPM, Clear, Cool Hunting, Hintmag, Style.com, Merge.
I’ve profiled luminaries and founders like Maria Buccellati, the late Anita Roddick (Body Shop), Matthew and Andrew of Malin + Goetz, Hedi Slimane, Maria Cornejo (Zero), Cindy Gallop, Daniel Arsham, Hank Willis Thomas, Frédéric Fekkai, Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes), Death in Vegas, Katrin Jakobsdóttir (Iceland's second female Prime Minister), and many more.
BEHIND THESE PODIUMS
As an adjunct Professor, I've taught undergraduate courses in feminist theory, contemporary fashion, and media studies at Hunter College, New York University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. I’ve lectured and presented on pop culture, fashion politics, body image and beauty standards.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Beyond words and pictures, to holistic campaign and brand expression, I'm ready to create breakthrough work with you. Let’s win over hearts and minds while growing awareness, communities, and audiences. With a passion for ideas and shaping brand narratives, I invite collaboration with clients that want to change perception, challenge the expected, and make a difference in the lives of consumers everyday.
