We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Phillip Robert Holmes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Phillip Robert, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of my most meaningful projects is something I am currently working on. I am partnering with a local perfumeist, Cayla Gray, to develop a heritage fragrance line. The scent collection is highly inspired by my ancestors and highlights scent notes that evoke the senses and remind you of home. This project is meaningful to me as it is a part of my namesake and is an effort to help create a legacy and highlight memorable figures who have impacted, guided, and cared for me. It is also an opportunity to bridge all my talents and experiences into one medium and create a tangible item for others to enjoy.

This project has taken over nine months to bring to fruition, from ideation, concept, development, and execution. It is a brainchild from myself and business partner Cayla Gray. We launch on 11/3/23, so stay tuned!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My marketing, modeling, and content journey started in 2015 while living in SF. I was in the process of attending grad school at the Academy of Art and landed a corporate position with Banana Republic as the Senior Stylist for Men’s and Women’s apparel. This role was fascinating, helped me fine-tune my skills and craftsmanship, and presented me with many opportunities to network with some key players responsible for driving the brand globally. After a few years with the Banana Republic, I was offered a role with the Australian-based company Cotton On. I acquired the position of Head Of Global Brand Styling and moved about 8,000 miles away to Melbourne, Australia. In this position, I was responsible for developing the brand’s DNA across six global regions; this consisted of developing brand aesthetics, producing photo shoots, helping develop marketing campaigns, and casting models and influencers for brand projects. After my two-year tenure with Cotton On, I realized that I could do this as an independent contributor and decided to take a year off, travel Europe, and start my own Content Creation, Styling, and Creative Ideation company, Phillip Robert LLC. We have been operating since 2020 and have had significant milestones and wins, such as collaborating and producing content for Airbnb, JW Marriott, Saks Fifth Avenue, Express, and Talking Stick Casino. Additionally, we are currently coaching a few local small businesses on social media optimization.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My success in building my audience and online community was heavily driven by consistently posting, developing my aesthetics, and collaborating with other creators within the space. When starting my account, I knew I wanted to create an environment where I could highlight things I love; from fashion, travel, food, and fitness. I knew the best way to get going and build was by setting a schedule and posting frequently to showcase my lifestyle and build awareness. From there, I could nail down my brand aesthetics in terms of look, have a method of editing photos, talking to my audience, and engaging with brands. Lastly, I collaborated with many brands and other creators, especially if we have things in common. This approach can be challenging at first because you want to be sure you do this authentically, but this strategy can allow you to cross-promote and build relationships with others.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

One of the best ways I have received new clients is through word of mouth and working with a talent agency. I am currently signed with The Digital dept. talent agency.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.philliprobertholmes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philliprobert/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phillip.r.holmes.3
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-robert-holmes-81024629/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philliprobert7

Image Credits
Dillon Ivory and Orlando Pelagio