ROBYN DUTRA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR + WRITER
HI THERE, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!
Living and working 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 onscreen. Currently vibing on Spencer’s spa 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
Storyteller and strategic partner, 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 named and launched countless products in beauty, fashion, and CPG, while touching broader categories along the way. I wrote the long-standing “pure water. perfect taste.” you see on every Aquafina bottle. I scripted the award-winning teaser video and site for Mission Juno to Jupiter with NASA and helped produce Passport Kids (a multilingual online community for kids, inducted into the Smithsonian) with Sesame Workshop. I even helped Beyoncé and her mother Tina Knowles launch their first fashion brand, House of Dereon, starting with the tagline, “Couture. Kick. Soul.”
ON THESE PAGES
I’m a widely published writer on style and trends in travel, food, fashion, beauty, art, and design, my stories 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, and more.
I’ve profiled luminaries and founders including 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, and Katrin Jakobsdóttir (Iceland's second female Prime Minister).
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, audiences, and communities. With a passion for ideas and shaping brand narratives, a driver of digital and AI transformation, I invite collaboration with clients that want to change perception, challenge the expected, and make a difference in the lives of consumers everyday.
