Our first collection of the year is here and we couldn’t be more excited! With the start of a new year, Sweet Baton Rouge® is driven by a vision to establish a more unified and branded approach to our seasonal collections. We put a lot of time and effort into curating thoughtful designs that you’ll love to wear time and time again. Making our customers happy is very important to us, and we hope you love this new collection just as much as we do! Let’s take you behind the scenes of our thought process for each of our new designs for this Mardi Gras collection. We slipped away at the beginning of QTR 4 to focus on our QTR 1, for 2024 designs. Stepping away from the day to day is always an easier way to get your creative juices flowing. We had fun making our task list for so many things as I’m a visual learner for sure and seeing it all written out helps me visualize these designs to come to life during our planning phase.
The Mardi Gras Bead Tree has been a design dream since the end of 2022, and we're thrilled to finally bring this unique Southern gem, found near the parade routes, to life! Collaborating with X Design on this project was a pleasure. We provided them with a blend of real photos and visual ideas, envisioning the design as a captivating t-shirt. Keeping the spirit alive, we opted for the same beloved shirt from our Cajun Christmas design, knowing how much y'all adore it for Mardi Gras magic and a fun conversation piece when you travel during Mardi Gras.
Up next is the Nola Mardi Gras, and with this launch, I wanted to share a special story. Back in 2005, on the edge of graduating from Southeastern University with a degree in Marketing, I had a job interview that required a sales presentation. In a creative twist, I crafted a NOLA shirt for the occasion. I used a yellow Gildan t-shirt, found a screen printer, and created a basic NOLA design in purple and green ink, giving it that Mardi Gras flair. I printed about 24 shirts and distributed them during the interview, pitching the idea as a woman-owned business selling locally printed t-shirts in New Orleans. This story, almost twenty years ago and nearly six years before Sweet Baton Rouge® was even thought of, holds a special place in my heart, and I'm excited to pay homage to that time in my life with this launch of the Nola Mardi Gras. We worked with designer Megan Nolan, graphic designer out of New Orleans.
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler with our throwback vintage-inspired t-shirt! This design captures the essence of retro charm, and we've got exciting plans to weave this concept throughout the year as we dive more Cajun French saying.
X Design who created our branding in 2023 came up with the clever King & Queen of the Parade embodying our beloved Parade Petey in these two designs. It was fun to see these both come together and make the cutest couple of t-shirts for this Mardi Gras season.
You may recognize the gator from our “See Ya Later” shirt and sweatshirt that has grown in popularity over the past few months! This design was done in collaboration with Lauren Leopold @laurenashtonlights and we decided to put a Mardi Gras spin on the gator by adding some beads and changing up the wording to the classic saying “Laissez les bons temps rouler.” This font used is the script you will see used in a lot of our branding, so what better way to tie in our brand with this classic Gator design that everyone already loves?
Another design in collaboration with Lauren Leopold @laurenashtonlights is our “Where the Good Times Roll” shirts and pullover sweatshirt. We wanted a classic design with a minimalistic feel, but still have a Mardi Gras kick to it! Again, we have been honing in on our branding to create a more cohesive look with our collections, so we like to use our brand typefaces when possible. These small touches of Sweet Baton Rouge branding have really brought together our collection and we couldn’t be happier!
Our goal this year is to not only have t-shirts with our art but to begin making our art scalable for other uses like these prints for a fun Mardi Gras trio to your Mardi Gras home decor. Capture the spirit of Mardi Gras with our Louisiana Mardi Gras Map Icon Print! This 8x10 smooth matte print is available in three vibrant colors, making it the perfect companion for a festive Mardi Gras trip. Whether you grab them all for a colorful adventure or choose singles to adorn your walls, these prints also make fantastic gifts for local Louisiana enthusiasts who adore Mardi Gras! We worked with designer Emily Bruno, graphic designer @deepsouth.designco out of Lafayette.
This year has been so fun to work with so many creative designers and managing each project and getting to finish them all off as works of art collaborated together.
