Client Case Studies

Pivoting from an esteemed career as a Professor of Social Work and a Fulbright Scholar to becoming a multinational fashion entrepreneur was an extraordinary career move for Maurice Gattis, Ph.D. Navigating the launch alone, however, was not his plan. He connected with former Finn Partners colleague Lori Zelenko to spearhead marketing communications for his upscale apparel line, Fort Mose 1738.

The brand is named for the first free, legally sanctioned Black community in America, located near St. Augustine, Florida — a historically significant site and the subject of an important PBS documentary.

Maurice Gattis created Fort Mose 1738 to fuse two identities: one rooted in being fully American, with an educational foundation originating from enslaved Africans taken from West Africa; and the other a modern aesthetic. These seemingly disparate elements were intentionally merged into one brand to demonstrate a global connection through fashion.

Reflecting this “past meets present” concept, Fort Mose 1738 found its audience as a digitally based enterprise, offering made-to-measure looks for men and women. Each piece is sustainably handcrafted by artisans in Accra, Ghana, using Kente cloth — traditionally the fabric of African royalty — featuring richly textured, handwoven silk and cotton enhanced with golden threads in a brilliant color palette.

LSZ COMMUNICATIONS successfully expanded the appeal of Fort Mose 1738 to new audiences. This included press eager to spotlight an unconventional fashion direction, as well as influencers across creative arenas such as music and media. The brand earned a stellar reception across global broadcast, print, and digital platforms.

Coverage appeared in newspapers, luxury lifestyle magazines, and international news sites reaching well beyond the United States. Newswires distributed stories throughout Ghana and across Africa, reinforcing the authenticity of Fort Mose 1738 and its commitment to West African artisan culture.

Fort Mose 1738 became a go-to choice for high-profile models and French influencers attending Paris Fashion Week. When L’OFFICIEL, the iconic French fashion magazine, cited Fort Mose 1738 as an innovator shaping the new frontier of multicultural fashion, it marked the brand’s true global arrival.

Hip-hop bible THE SOURCE, along with national and local news outlets in key U.S. markets, further amplified the brand’s visibility. Coverage notably included Maurice Gattis’ hometown of Daytona Beach, Florida, where his entrepreneurial journey made front-page news and generated excitement for Fort Mose 1738.

The brand’s bases in Richmond, Virginia, and Miami also proved pivotal. In Miami, Fort Mose 1738 stood out during Men’s Fashion Week runway shows, strategically advancing LSZ COMMUNICATIONS’ goal of building the momentum needed for the brand to present at New York Fashion Week.

Building buzz for this indie fashion brand began with leveraging its historic roots, a brand relevant to the present but still very much connected to the past, Then moving into trending messaging, we created  a "loud luxury" positioning aligning the line with the trend blending hip-hop, streetwear, and high-end design with iconic, colorful, and statement pieces. As luck would have it Pharrell Williams went in a similar "loud luxury" direction for LVMH making the intuitive concept comparatively more mainstream.   The vibe was recognized and applauded by THE SOURCE, the "bible" of hip hop culture. We dressed the writer in Morning Glory, the line's signature purple Kente suit. She shared her look socially, giving this start-up brand immediate credibility with a trend-savvy audience. 

LSZ COMMUNICATIONS recruited DJs and visually exciting performance artists (including the Hip Hop Opera Man) as well as famed restaurateurs and media personalities (including a star of TV's The Traitors) to wear the looks with flair, bringing bold authenticity to the brand. Runway shows in Richmond, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida paved the way for New York Fashion Week. The well-trafficked Fort Mose 1738 pop-up adjacent to the original Fort Mose structure in St. Augustine, Florida served as a test for future retail and earned a feature in Gannett newspapers syndicated to Yahoo. LSZ COMMUNICATIONS created a comprehensive brand book showcasing media coverage, influencers and brand direction to aid in retail sales efforts made by The Folklore, the VOGUE-endorsed global platform, digital showroom for Fort Mose 1738. Offering media  and influencers the opportunity to actually wear the looks from Fort Mose 1738 created a vital sense of engagement and created uniquely personalized brand-building opportunities.

• Capturing historical significance with up to the moment style, Fort Mose 1738 earned relevance and recognition through LSZ Communications initiatives

• As a counterpoint to "quiet luxury," Fort Mose 1738 was positioned as fashion representing "loud luxury,” a vibrant look Pharrell Williams showed for LVMH on the Paris runways, inspiring confidence, excitement and energy

• The LSZ COMMUNICATIONS campaign for Fort Mose 1738 kicked off with a feature in THE SOURCE - the "bible of the hip-hop community"- officially connecting the brand to Black History Month

• Celebrating the designer and CEO of Fort Mose 1738, the Daytona Beach News-Journal published an extensive front page interview (print and digital) with Maurice Gattis in his hometown paper

• Luxury lifestyle outlets spoke of the brand's relevance particularly but not exclusively in relation to Black History Month  

• Digital fashion outlets shared new looks as well as the brand story in connection with runway shows in key markets for the brand

• Gannett's St Augustine Record addressed Fort Mose 1738's dual messaging with a designer interview syndicated to additional outlets including Yahoo

• Influencers from TV's The Traitors and the Sherri Shepherd Show loved the looks, wearing them in dynamic lifestyle moments - at ease or at events - as they shared personal posts 

• Newswires for Africa spread the news of the USA launch of Fort Mose 1738 with syndicated features

• LSZ COMMUNICATIONS created a comprehensive Fort Mose 1738 brand book for The Folklore, the comprehensive global platform featured in VOGUE for its representation of luxe brands with diverse origins

• Consistently throughout the campaign LSZ COMMUNICATIONS emphasized the interlocking themes of commerce, culture and history represented by the "sophisticated threads" of Fort Mose 1738.