For the project I worked with the retail shop “Detours” at the La Fonda Hotel. The client wanted a new print campaign. I worked with the brand agency Ideas and People and stylist Susan Stella. We often work together on commercial and creative projects.
We chose Mary Colter’s suitcase to bring Colter’s story back into the light. Colter was the driving force behind the Fred Harvey House & Co, starting in 1902. She was the architect and interior designer for the hotels and restaurants along the newly minted southwest railroad. Mary’s work embodied the quality, comfort, and pioneered southwest design to include Native artisans. She supported the natives artistry in wovens, architecture, and murals.
While sensitive to the surrounding landscape and embraced many cultures, she was known to be intimidating and in power! Her collaboration with Fred Harvey Co. and Santa Fe Railroad is still present today. She blended Spanish Colonial revival, Mission revival and Native American motifs, which became iconic in the Southwest.
