Florence Broadhurst this week named Holly Hollingsworth Phillips, a Charlotte, NC-based interior designer, blogger and owner of The English Room, as its first U.S. Brand Ambassador.
In 2018, the partnership will focus on the “Florence Broadhurst: Fearless Design” campaign. Phillips will be on hand for a “Fearless Design” kick-off event during the spring High Point Market on Saturday, April 14 from 9-11 a.m. in Interhall space IH-004. The event is hosted by brand licensee Selamat Designs, also debuting new products in its Florence Broadhurst home furnishings collection.
“We’re thrilled Holly Phillips of The English Room is on board to share the bold brand message of Florence Broadhurst,” says Shannon Davis, co-founder, Selamat Designs. “Holly embodies the campaign’s theme in her interior design work, in the content she creates for her online audience and in her personal passions for travel and exploration.”
The Florence Broadhurst: Fearless Design campaign brings awareness to Broadhurst’s legacy as an avant-garde wallpaper designer, daring globetrotter and style icon. She shattered the glass ceiling of her time, while shaping Australia’s design identity in the 1960s and ‘70s. The campaign graphic features Florence Broadhurst’s signature in fiery red, a reference to her famously eccentric hair color.
“Florence Broadhurst was a fearless adventurer throughout her lifetime, including her entry into what was a male-dominated home decor industry,” says Phillips. “It’s an honor to be associated with the Florence Broadhurst brand and to share her story with the U.S. market.”
Phillips is recognized for sharing her own aesthetic, which parallels Broadhurst’s unbridled love of color and pattern, with The English Room’s more than 200,000 blog and social media followers.
“Big color statements, pattern mixing and a return to maximalism are all over the interior design scene and fashion runways today,” adds Phillips. “It’s the perfect time to revisit this intrepid designer’s point of view.”
The campaign will continue through the October High Point Market, leveraging The English Room’s online influence throughout this period. In her role as a brand ambassador, Phillips will highlight new Florence Broadhurst home decor offerings and promote an exclusive monthly giveaway of branded products.
Signature Design Archive (SDA) is owner of the expansive archive of prints created by Australian native Florence Broadhurst. The Sydney-based company is poised to grow the brand’s reach in the U.S. furnishings and decor categories this year, according to CEO Mark Smale.
“Establishing The English Room as our first brand ambassador is a critical step for growing brand awareness in the U.S. marketplace,” says Smale. “As interior designers and retail customers in the States gain exposure to who Florence Broadhurst was, and how her work remains relevant today, we’re confident the brand will attain the heights of its current popularity in Australia, the U.K. and Europe.”
SDA’s newest Florence Broadhurst licensee, in the wall coverings category, will be announced to attendees during the April High Point Market event. Licensees past and present include Kate Spade, Akira Isogawa, Selamat Designs, Husain International and Legend Linens.
