Weekly Highlights
Highlight from this weeks articles, conversations and creative inspirations from Rosie Lee and our community. Opening the lid on topics, news and inspirations that affect our thinking and our work.
Mark is away in Japan this week, but the work doesn’t stop! We’ve finished projects, paused projects, taken on new ones all at a pace that I would have been alarmed by 10 years ago! Mark’s article on Sunday talks about the intangible benefits of experience even when things don’t go as expected, and Wednesday’s Q&A with Chris Brugge demonstrates how a random, casual meeting can lead to amazing friendships if we let people in.
We’ve edited our conversation with Leila Fataar from last week and are excited about releasing it for you to listen to next week. Aside from all of this, we’ve generally been scheming, and evolving our long term vision for Rosie Lee Group. See below for other bits of news from us.
Unorthodox Blend
UBA103 - You Win or You Learn
Mark was recently invited onto Leila_Fataar’s podcast “Cultural Voices” and a phrase she used stuck with him - "You can measure performance, but you can't always measure presence."
In his article “Win or Learn” Mark reminds us that when something doesn’t quite pan out as you thought, when the hit just isn’t hitting, there are still huge gains to be had - knowledge, insight, skills to name a few.
Friends
Friends - Chris Brugge
Mark met Chris whilst having drinks at their local spot - The Escapist - two alley cats propping up the bar and striking up a chat. The conversations meandered from following your dreams, to being the odd one out, to Chris’ his passion for making surfboards and his recent relocation to Portugal to be closer to the surfing community.
Inspirations
New Polaroid Campaign
Polaroid’s latest outdoor campaign has arrived in New York City, London and beyond with a clear message: put down your phone and look up. In a bold celebration of analogue life, the brand’s billboards and wheat-pasted images are a creative call to resist the numbing scroll of digital culture.
The Future of Retail is Offline
A Nice article with input from Blackbird Spyplane founder Jonah Weiner, Hannah Rieke and Margaret Austin, Paul-Anthony Smith and Christopher Green, and Emily Dawn Long taps into something we write about here - that curious moment when everyone's convinced the future is digital, yet the smartest brands are going physical.
Maxwells new portable cassette player
So forget Spotify playlists Maxwell wants you to fall in love with analogue sound all over again. And yes, there's USB-C charging and Bluetooth built in.
If you have any inspirations that you’d like featured on UB, then please share them with us.
Rosie Lee News
Retail concept for A'ja Wilson's 1st signature Nike shoe in stores now
Rosie Lee Creative
In May 2025, Nike introduced the A’One, A’ja Wilson’s first signature shoe, marking a landmark moment in women’s sport and sneaker culture.
Our team led the design of the retail launch campaign across all Nike-owned stores in the U.S., capturing A’ja’s fearless mindset and redefining what a signature shoe can represent - power, style and unapologetic individuality.
Credits are too long for this email but please check here for details of all the amazing people we collaborated with on the project.
News from our friends
Graham Budd Auctions Mickalene Thomas x DART Car Zoë Helmet
An epic piece at Graham Budd Auctions' British GP sale is the DART Car x Mickalene Thomas helmet - a hand-painted, FIA-certified piece worn by Zoë Barry during the SRO Sonoma Series.
Created by friend and collaborator Mickalene Thomas , the helmet merges motorsport with bold, textured art rooted in themes of identity and power.
"Wearing Mickalene's helmet was one of the most empowering moments of my career," said Barry. "It's about redefining what excellence looks like in spaces that have traditionally excluded women."
Work with us
The school year is ending, seasons are changing, and the financial / political world continues to throw curveballs out for the rest of us to deal with. But we’re still here trying to do good work for good people, and to have a good time doing it. Get in touch below if you want a chat, a laugh, a cry or an argument.