Clove:
The Clara 1
Inspired by the partnership of Nike’s Jordan collection, Clove created the first sneaker collab in the healthcare space. The Clara 1 is intentionally designed and strategically produced to dedicate a launch to an iconic healthcare professional influencing change in both the community and the hospital floor.
The
Brief
The Process
The
Finale
Air Jordan, but make it healthcare. Our task was to work hand in hand with Clara Jones, N.P., to create a campaign that would appeal to not only her dedicated following, but also the general Clove customer.
From the start, Clara and I connected on a personal level — we were both Korean Americans and she wanted to incorporate elements of our shared culture into the sneaker. I worked on pitch decks and manifestos to finalize the key design of the Clara 1: the Mugunghwa flower. As South Korea’s national flower, the Mugunghwa represents the resilience of our history and people, just like every healthcare professional today.
All of the copy needed to seamlessly incorporate Clara’s down-to-earth character and brand, while also feeling elevated. I balanced conversational copy in Clara’s point of view with more sophisticated lines that doubled down on how exclusive, exciting, and one-of-a-kind this collaboration truly was. Plus, I always made sure to communicate that what our customers love about Clove (easy-to-clean design, grippy outsoles) stayed the same despite the newness of the launch.
As owner of our Instagram and TikTok channels, I utilized Clara’s following and platform to upload partnership posts (which was a newer feature at the time), created tons of video content for better engagement, and carefully curated an eye-catching feed. We also sent our team out in the wild with customized Clara 1 mailers to interact with our customers in real time.
I wrote for every asset that went live in the real world, including:
Product: sneaker boxes, cards about the collab
Website: product description pages, long-form blog posts
Social: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Digital ads: Google, Meta
Out-of-home ads: bus placements in Atlanta, Clara’s hometown.
With our successful social strategy, we sold out of the Clara 1 in a few weeks, reached the highest engagement rates in all of Clove history, and began creating what would soon become an extension of this collaboration.
A special note: Creating a sneaker takes months in the making. This was my first opportunity at Clove to be involved at every single step, from the design inspo to the campaign’s execution. The embroidered Mugunghwa reminded me of the resilience of my own family, immigrating and persevering through a foreign land. This one will always be near and dear to my heart.
