ASK THE EXPERT: EVEREVE'S CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER AND FASHION DIRECTOR HEIDI WATSON

Our new series on the blog! I've been doing design for a long time and I STILL don't know it all! I thought it would be fun to get different perspectives from experts in their field of all areas of design. I'm so excited for our first expert: Heidi Watson! Heidi is the Chief Creative Officer and Fashion Director of EVEREVE. 

Question: Tell us a little bit about your current role in the company and what a day in your life looks like.

I am the Chief Creative Officer and Fashion Director at EVEREVE.  In a nutshell, I lead an incredibly talented team that creates all our internal and externally facing content – everything from emails, catalogs, website and yep, you guessed it, our social styling.  My days are wildly different – which is what makes my role both challenging and invigorating.  On any given day, I bounce from strategic meetings on social content, to image approvals for an upcoming catalog, to product styling reviews for upcoming campaigns.  

Question: What led you to this role as Chief Creative Officer?

I like to say I’ve taken the road less traveled.  I have been in retail my whole career – starting as a salesperson on the floor at my local mall’s Banana Republic.  My passion for retail has always started with the customer and thinking about what they want – so this has brought me to all corners of this field.  I’ve been a commission sales associate, a store manager, a buyer, a trend forecaster, a product development manager and now, CCO and Fashion Director.  My broad experiences have allowed me to be a bit of a jack of all trades – but has also slowly but surely helped me narrow my focus and passion – storytelling, trend, and creative problem solving – things I lean into every day in my current role.

Question: What is your creative process for EVEREVE’s creative work?  

It all starts with our commitment to our customer – to inspire her to move forward in her fashion and in her life.  We are passionate about the energy of what comes next – so are always looking to stay fresh with our work, to introduce new ideas and to challenge ourselves to help pave the way for our customers to live courageously and with a spirit of joy. 

Here are some of Heidi's favorite EVEREVE looks for summer: 

*Click Each Photo To Shop!*

Question: Where do you “find the gold” in your everyday life/while creating fashion designs? 

EVEREVE is guided by our HEART values (humility, empathy, authenticity, relationships and tenacity).  When we use our values to steer our work, and when we keep our customer front and forward, we see this come to life every day.  

Question: How do you see fashion inspiring home design?

Over the course of my career, the influence has changed dramatically, potentially never more so than in the past year.  Color, print and pattern and even fabrics cross over now, and often within the same season – it used to be a much slower thread of connection from the runway to the home space.  I believe that our favorite rooms in our homes are much like our favorite outfits – comfortable and effortlessly put-together and work best when they are undeniably authentically you.

Question: What inspires you about your home? 

We moved about six months before the pandemic began.  While it was such a bummer to not be able to open our new home to friends and family, it did give us a chance to really live in our house (hello distance learning for 3 kids under 11) and see how we wanted to use our space.  I also had the opportunity, since I was working from home, to see how the light shifted and moved through our space throughout the day.  I describe our home as a modern Tudor, and the warmth of wood, plaster and black, terracotta and rich green accents continue to be fun to play with and play up.

Question: What patterns/colors are you excited about for this summer in fashion and home design?

Texture, texture, texture!  There just isn’t anything more chic than an airy white sundress in a gauze or linen, or a room filled with natural and tactile fabrics and materials in shades of white and cream.  On the other end of the spectrum - florals.  I love the smaller scale floral prints that are making a comeback this season in tops and dresses.  On the home side, there are so many fun ways to bring floral in – vintage rugs, wallpaper – it’s a fun and forward risk to take that pays off in spades when it comes to bringing personality to a room.

Question: If you could have dinner with the person who most inspires you, who would it be?

Can I invite two people?  I’d love to sit down with Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent.  They are masters of the mix – both in their interiors and their fashion.  They live their lives with intention, love fiercely and are whip smart.  Plus, Nate is from Minnesota so I could talk crazy accents and snow with him.

Question: If you were planning a birthday party & it could be any theme under the sun — which theme, would you choose? 

I’d go all in 70’s.  But Bianca Jagger/Jane Birkin/Diane Von Furstenberg/Jane Fonda hyper - chic fabulousness.  I just finished watching the Halston mini-series on Netflix, and I am all in on everything from that decade. 

A huge thank you to Heidi for being our first expert and for sharing her wisdom! Want to learn more about EVEREVE? Check out their website by clicking HERE. Let me know what you think of this style blog and the next expert that you would love to see us interview! 

Like this blog? Check out our other blogs like HOW TO TRANSFORM ANY ROOM ON A BUDGET. Click HERE to read!