The Story of a Brand

It can be said that every musician needs some form of merchandise as a takeaway for their fans: stickers, CDs, records, shirts, etc.  It feels good to have tangible products that you can remember your favorite artist by. But why create anything more than a simple shirt with your name on it? Why offer your fans a “lifestyle” brand? 

I’ve had several careers throughout my journey to becoming a musician, one of which was working for Gap, Inc. as a distribution analyst in their corporate headquarters in San Francisco. My main duty was to ensure that puffy jackets and outerwear got to the most appropriate location. It was an interesting job to say the least. I left that position after a very short stint as clothes were really not my main focus, and I didn’t have a deep love and appreciation for all things retail. 

Fast forward a few years. I started to take more notice of apparel—what I like and what fits well on me. And then I moved to Nashville. The blend of California and Southern took on a whole new meaning to what was considered fashionable wear for me. I was inspired to pair pieces that I would traditionally sport in my homeland of California, like flip flops and Uggs, with more Southern-style ripped jeans and influencer hats (picture a wide-brimmed, Southern-style hat). I really tried to embrace and adopt this new Southern-style that I was seeing everywhere, especially on all of the tourists that liked sporting it too ;-)  

And then there are the photoshoots. Being a musician often means that you are taking photos of yourself, or having your picture taken, for many things: websites, marketing materials, branded assets, the list goes on. Those beautiful Instagram pics have to come from somewhere :) As I’ve been constructing numerous outfits for these photoshoots, I’ve been thinking a lot about design, clothing, and what makes people feel great. I’ve started considering clothing as an art form, one that tells a story. 

That’s my goal with my merchandise: design beautiful pieces of art that weave together to create an inviting and reflective narrative. A narrative that helps you better connect to me as an artist and greater humanity. The pieces I curated are intentional, spirited, and work together to form a connected narrative. Each piece that we’ve created is unique and has a specific history to it but all fit together to tell a broader story. 

Let me tell you the story behind my collection. 

Our signature bird and folk art motifs were both inspired by my Hungarian heritage (my grandfather was born in Budapest, Hungary, and immigrated to the USA right after WWII) and a reminder of my roots and where I came from. Every bird also has its own unique song, which is very fitting since I am a musician and have been inspired by sounds from all different artists :) 

The bear hug symbolizes the reason why I’m a musician—creating music to connect you to life’s journey of love and transformation, and to remember that you are never alone. Because what better represents love than a big ol’ hug?

Lastly, the concentric and repeating circles have multiple meanings to me: being on the continuous journey of life, coming full circle from the moment the lyrics for my first single, “Nashville,” popped in my head, and of course, a musical record. And now that my album, “Breaking Bread: Songs of Reconciliation,” is launching in a few months, the circle has taken on another meaning: making peace with ourselves to be able to spread that peace outward to others and to the greater society. 

I hope you now have a greater understanding of the history and vision for my collection and that it reminds you that we are all connected to this journey called life… and looking and feeling our best while we are all traveling together. And maybe you will be inspired to start your own collection too! Or take that leap that you've been waiting to :)

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Michelle Rhea Goddard is a techie turned Americana singer songwriter based in Nashville. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube; and read more of her musings on her blog.