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HEALTH, LOVE & PEACE OF MIND

LT Apparel / French Toast 

Campaign, Social Media, Experiential, Print

As the world adapted to the pandemic, French Toast, a brand traditionally centered around school uniforms, had to redefine its relevance. With students learning remotely, the challenge was not just about selling uniforms but supporting families in unprecedented times. The brand needed to pivot its messaging to reflect the changing landscape while staying true to its core mission. Key Messaging Shift: The campaign was built on three pillars: health, love, and peace of mind. Each value was represented by clean, impactful iconography—a plus sign for health, a heart for love, and dual symbols for peace of mind: a peace sign hand gesture and a piggy bank. The piggy bank symbolized the financial security offered through French Toast’s significant sales and discounts, helping families save during a time of economic uncertainty. This reflected French Toast's deep commitment to the well-being of its community. Key Initiatives: Free Washable Masks: French Toast provided free washable masks to every student, made from ultra-soft fabric for maximum comfort. This initiative not only addressed immediate health concerns but also showed families that the brand cared about their safety during these difficult times. Free Embroidery for Partner Schools: Schools that were part of the French Toast web stores were offered free embroidery services. This small but meaningful gesture strengthened the sense of community and school spirit during a time when many felt disconnected. Digital Resource Hub: To support both at-home and in-school learning, French Toast launched a digital resource hub filled with learning tools and wellness resources. This platform ensured that students could thrive, no matter their learning environment. Uniform Donations: Over $500,000 worth of uniforms were donated to students across the country, offering direct relief to families struggling during the pandemic. Sustainability and Style: Collaborations with influencers demonstrated how school uniforms could be styled beyond the classroom, tapping into streetwear and the “Gossip Girl” aesthetic. By emphasizing versatility and sustainability, French Toast presented uniforms as adaptable pieces for everyday life. Feel-Good Mask Campaign: To foster creativity and connection, French Toast encouraged students to personalize their masks and share their designs on social media. This initiative created a sense of community and empowerment, with participants tagging French Toast to proudly display their creations. The campaign boosted engagement and brand visibility while allowing students to express themselves in a fun and meaningful way. Showroom Design: To bring the campaign’s spirit to life, French Toast developed an immersive showroom design. Cut-outs of kids in school uniforms, styled with streetwear-inspired layers, floated on clouds, embodying freedom and individuality. On one side, a girl stood in front of a melting rainbow, while on the other, a boy leapt into a large rainbow cut-out. This rainbow extended as a wall decal, leading to a sustainability-themed section with the message: "A Brighter Future for All. People, Planet, Positivity." The design wasn’t just visually striking—it was emotionally charged. Bright colors were used throughout to uplift and energize visitors, helping ease the emotional toll of long periods of isolation. The space was crafted to make people feel good as they returned to the office after challenging stay-at-home times, addressing both the fear of leaving home and the fatigue of being stuck there. Results: The Health, Love, and Peace of Mind campaign not only provided practical support to families but also elevated French Toast's connection with its audience. The campaign's engaging initiatives boosted brand visibility, drove social media interaction, and strengthened French Toast’s role as a supportive, forward-thinking partner for students and parents alike. This groundwork laid the foundation for future successes, including the #B2STogether campaign, ensuring the brand remained relevant, empathetic, and ready to meet the evolving needs of its community.

Mask Customization

French Toast invited students to decorate their masks and share their creations on social media, encouraging creativity and engagement. The campaign promoted a sense of community and empowerment, with participants tagging French Toast to showcase their personalized masks.

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FRENCH TOAST BRAND REFRESH

LT Apparel / French Toast

Brand Identity

Steinmann and her team at LT Apparel worked with G+G on the total strategic and creative reinvention of the French Toast brand. In order to capture a larger market share in the school uniform category, we brought deeper meaning to the brand beyond product, developed communication that better connects with schools and retailers, and created new visual branding.

A VERY MERRY ZOOM HOLIDAY

French Toast / LT Apparel

Campaign, Film, Social Media

As a follow-up to the successful Health, Love and Peace of Mind campaign, French Toast's "A Very Merry Zoom Holiday" was designed to capture the silver linings of the pandemic. Despite everyone being weary of Zoom classes, we found ways to focus on the positives—like connecting with friends and family through virtual dance-offs. This campaign marked French Toast's first-ever end-of-year celebrations initiative, with messaging that balanced comfort and holiday tradition. On one hand, we emphasized the cozy feel of PE products, which featured soft fabrics. On the other, we highlighted classic plaid ties and skirts, ideal for kids family holiday photos. A key channel focus was on driving traffic to the Amazon store, leading to one of the best sales years in the brand’s history. The campaign’s success was recognized through several Telly Awards.

French Toast
AMAZON STORE

Driving traffic to the Amazon store became a key focus, resulting in one of the brand’s best sales years to date.

#B2STOGETHER

LT Apparel / French Toast 

Campaign, Film, Social Media

The #B2STogether campaign was designed to capture the excitement and joy of a kid’s return to school while reinforcing French Toast's commitment to supporting students, educators, and school communities. This initiative also aimed to strengthen brand loyalty and drive consumer engagement.

In August 2021, French Toast hosted vibrant back-to-school events at Young Leaders Elementary in The Bronx, NY, and Urban Community School in Cleveland, OH. These events were filled with fun activities to celebrate the start of the school year while giving back to thousands of students and educators. The campaign aligned with French Toast’s “We Dare to Care” initiative, which focuses on making education accessible and memorable for all children through charitable contributions and community engagement.

A campaign highlight was a giveaway featuring Jetson hoverboards, scooters, and apparel from Adidas, Carhartt, and French Toast. To participate, kids, parents, and teachers were encouraged to create something expressing why returning to school "meant more" to them this year. Entries were shared on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, using the hashtags #MeansMore or #B2STogether, and participants followed and tagged @frenchtoastschool to qualify.

Check out the article on Newswire

 

TEENS

LT Apparel / French Toast 

Campaign, Social Media

What I find remarkable is that this text has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since some printer in the 1500s took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book; it has survived not only four centuries of letter-by-letter resetting but even the leap into electronic typesetting, essentially unchanged except for an occasional ‘ing’ or ‘y’ thrown in. It's ironic that when the then-understood Latin was scrambled, it became as incomprehensible as Greek; the phrase ‘it’s Greek to me’ and ‘greeking’ have common semantic roots!

Steinmann Studio is a creative practice focused on brand strategy, design, and advertising. Our mission is to develop brands that are authentic, powerful, and unforgettable.

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