Transforming a Designer’s Vision into a Digital Runway
Overview
Romey Roe is a New Orleans–based fashion designer known for bold, theatrical pieces blending Southern glamour and high couture. Before this project, his digital presence existed only on social media, making it difficult for clients, stylists, and media to explore his collections or request commissions.
Challenge
Create a cohesive online identity for a fashion designer who previously had no website, translating his vibrant visual aesthetic into an elegant, functional platform.
Solution
I designed and developed a portfolio site centered on photography and storytelling, using minimal navigation and cinematic visuals to let each collection speak for itself. The layout emphasizes movement and texture, pairing bold imagery with clean typography and a black-and-gold palette that reflects Romey’s brand identity.
Goals
✓⃝ Showcase fashion collections and editorials through an immersive visual layout
✓⃝ Integrate contact and inquiry options for commissions and custom pieces
✓⃝ Highlight press features and collaborations to enhance credibility
✓⃝ Design a site adaptable for future e-commerce integration
✓⃝ Ensure performance and accessibility while maintaining luxury aesthetic
User Research
Since Romey’s previous online presence existed only through Instagram, the discovery phase focused on understanding how audiences currently interacted with his brand. I analyzed engagement patterns on his social posts, reviewed the visual tone of his past campaigns, and identified how other emerging designers used digital storytelling to balance artistry with usability.
Key Insights
✓⃝ Users wanted to explore his collections in a more organized, full-screen way.
✓⃝ Clients needed an easy way to submit inquiries for custom pieces.
✓⃝ The photography carried enough visual power to drive design hierarchy — words could step aside.
Research Synthesis
From the user research, these themes emerged and shaped the design strategy:
Storytelling through image — the collection photography must take center stage without visual clutter.
Editorial luxury meets usability — the design should appear premium but not hinder navigation.
Clear pathways to action — stylists, press and clients should easily access press releases, contact information, collection galleries and inquiry forms.
Scalable content structure — the site needed to support future collections and editorial features with minimal overhaul.
Information Architecture
The site architecture creates a clear and elegant flow that mirrors the Romey Roe brand experience. Visitors can explore collections and craftsmanship, discover press and runway features, and connect directly for bespoke services, all through a simplified and mobile-first structure designed to highlight both artistry and accessibility.
Information Architecture
Explore → Credibility → Connection
Home
Collections
Atelier
Press
About
Contact
Prototypes & Testing
After mapping the structure and refining the visual direction, I built the prototype directly in Squarespace to test how the new layout supported both storytelling and conversion. Early feedback sessions included fashion clients, collaborators, and returning visitors familiar with Romey Roe’s previous social presence.
Testing revealed that users preferred larger imagery and text spacing, especially on mobile, where the visual storytelling felt more immersive. They also responded positively to simplified navigation labels and the clear separation between collections, press, and atelier services.
Based on feedback, I refined button hierarchy for better clarity, increased heading contrast against backgrounds, and streamlined the scrolling rhythm across pages to maintain a consistent editorial feel. The result was a smoother, more intuitive browsing experience that kept the luxury tone while improving usability across devices.
Implementation
The Romey Roe website was developed on Squarespace with extensive custom code to achieve a fully bespoke visual identity that couldn’t be replicated with standard templates. I built modular sections using custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for precise control over layout, transitions, and motion effects. This approach allowed for an elegant, high-end presentation that matches the tone of the brand, even though future updates require developer support.
For the latest collection, I integrated short runway videos as gallery thumbnails to create a cinematic browsing experience. The looping clips immediately convey texture, movement, and fabric flow, adding energy to the page without overwhelming load times.
I optimized images and videos for performance, used lazy loading to minimize bandwidth, and structured metadata to support SEO. Accessibility was maintained through semantic markup, alt text, and careful attention to contrast and readability across devices.
Results & Impact
The Romey Roe website successfully established a strong digital foundation for the brand, translating its luxury identity into an immersive and high-performing online experience. The integration of runway videos and cinematic imagery captured the motion and texture of each collection, creating a visual depth that elevated the site beyond a traditional portfolio.
Lighthouse testing recorded an 85 performance score, 96 accessibility, 100 best practices, and 92 SEO, confirming both design quality and technical precision. Despite heavy visual content and custom animations, load times remained smooth across devices.
The redesign strengthened the brand’s credibility and user engagement, increasing the time visitors spent exploring collections and media coverage. The result is a digital space that reflects the artistry and modern sophistication of Romey Roe while performing at a level that supports continued growth and visibility.
Jacob bridges brand artistry with refined digital presence — blending high-end visual storytelling with expert web design to create luxury online experiences.
Romey Roe