I created the voice for a groundbreaking apparel startup, and amplified it through crafty strategy & storytelling.
I built the voice for a brand that builds pants for women who build for a living.
As the first utility brand to take women’s workwear seriously, Dovetail Workwear has quickly established itself as THE industry leader in women’s utility apparel. (And the product is so good, even guys wear it.)
Dovetail’s slogan,“Get Dirty,” is a recognition of women who do tough work. It’s also a provocation to the sexist world of construction workwear.
This call to action also inspired me to roll up my sleeves and take extra initiative, wearing multiple hats in my 4 year contract as Copywriter, Strategist & PR liaison. I had a blast getting dirty with Dovetail…
FLAVOR: sharp, strong, unfiltered
Bold. Gritty. Purposeful. That’s the Dovetail woman. It’s also the voice of the brand.
I was Dovetail’s first copywriter. This meant I got to create a voice from scratch—and all the tools to support it. At every opportunity, I worked to evince the “get dirty” message and convey the deeper truth behind it: women have grit.
Fierce and feminist, Dovetail also embraces a humble, down-to-earth ethos. This complexity is built into the brand voice, where innuendo and playfulness never discredit the serious work of the women at the end of that appeal.
The Dovetail voice is dirty. It’s also clean: no apparel industry jargon, no “greenwashing.” This bullshit-free approach comes straight from the brand DNA. While every second brand claims to be “authentic,” Dovetail’s scrappy story, extensive chain of wear testers, and mission-based business speaks for itself. There are no models in Dovetail catalogs and campaigns, only real working women (like welder Rae Ripple here). At Dovetail, what you see is what you get.
MEAT
As Copywriter, I worked my pants off at Dovetail!
Deliverables included:
• Product copy—6 seasons, 60+ rotating products on the site shop & for 300+ retailers & e-tailers
• Content design & copy—including product Features & Benefits and Fabric, Sustainability & Care tabs
• DTC website page copy
• Campaign copy & web sliders
• Email content & subject lines
• Blog/newsletter content (30 + “Woman At Work” interviews)
• Brand Guidelines (external and internal), including creation of House Style Guide and PR/Customer Service macros
• All press releases
As sole copywriter, I took care of copy big and small. Small stuff is big for the Dovetail consumer. It’s hard to buy pants—let alone online. Women need to know how they feel. How they fit. Where they come from. On the company side, Customer Service needs copy to do heavy lifting, to protect staff resources and minimize returns.
MORE MEAT
How do you differentiate a scrappy new denim brand, in a world of giants? As Strategist, I worked closely with the founders & marketing team to make a big impact, on a bootstrapping budget.
• I created DoveLab™, a space to park edgy products and show the BTS workings of a workwear brand.
• I led the Work Like A Mother campaign, which delivered the first ever maternity utility jeans to the US market—and simultaneously marked Dovetail as the ultimate women-first utility apparel brand.
• I devised the Dirty Work, Clean Marketing PR strategy, which resulted in robust earned media placement.
• I helped strengthen brand authority by launching partnerships with influential women and organizations, from Women In Trucking to National Association of Women In Construction.
• I initiated the DX Ranch collaboration, the first ever women’s ranch performance workwear, in partnership with a fourth-generation Lakota-owned ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.
JUICE
Dovetail’s bold moves—and encouragement of bold voices like mine—has paid off.
The brand has grown fast:
• 2018—1 pant style sold from 3 women’s garages. 2022—Dovetail is the largest exclusively women’s workwear company in the US.
Dovetail has won a bunch of industry awards:
• Outdoor Retailer Innovation Award (maternity) • GearJunkie Best in Show (thermal) • PCIAW Worldwide Best Design (No Fade black collection)
Dovetail has garnered great press:
• Editorial features in Forbes, Bust, Outside, among other national magazines. (These are legit editorial. Dovetail does not “pay to play.”)
• Stellar reviews in key trade publications, including Wood, Electrical Contractor, and Mother Earth News. (This is earned placement. Dovetail does not sponsor reviews or engage in advertorial press.)
PROPS
I got to work with the best damn britches and the best damn…bosses at Dovetail. They even gave me a goodbye quilt made from their own beloved OG jeans! <crying emoji>
Co-Founder Kate Day’s testimonial below:
“Amanda is that person at your organization's table making everyone think better, deeper, and bigger. Her role as creative strategist, press liaison, and copywriter catalyzed my company, Dovetail Workwear, and launched us into our national expansion. Amanda guided my leadership team to create a series of integrated, multi-disciplinary strategies defining our brand identity, market competitiveness, and product positioning. She is an intellectual rockstar, able to activate diverse audiences by creating deeply compelling, creative, and authentic content. Add the fact that she is a delight to work with, individually or on teams—I’d jump at the chance to collaborate with her again.”