Matt Wright

Leading Global Creative Organizations Through Strategy, Storytelling, Design, & Consumer Experience.

New York, New York, United States

About

For more than two decades, I've built and led creative organizations for some of the world's most iconic consumer brands across fashion, sport, retail, and consumer products, including Nike, Levi's, Gap, Urban Outfitters, Foot Locker, and Away. Iconic brands aren't built through campaigns alone. They're built by organizations capable of turning strategy, culture, and consumer insight into lasting relevance. Throughout my career, I've been drawn to the same challenge: how to build brands that remain culturally relevant while continuing to evolve, grow, and create meaningful connections with consumers. My work sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, design, and consumer experience. I've built and led creative organizations across brand, product, content, retail, digital, social, film, and photography, helping transform creative teams into strategic partners capable of shaping both brand perception and business outcomes. I've led global campaigns, reimagined brand systems, launched products, developed editorial ecosystems, and built internal teams designed to create work that people don't just see, but feel. I believe the strongest brands are built through a combination of strategic clarity, creative excellence, and a deep understanding of human behavior. Creativity is not simply an output. It's a business function capable of creating relevance, differentiation, and long-term value. Whether helping define the next chapter of an iconic brand or building something entirely new, my focus remains the same: building brands people feel and organizations capable of sustaining them.

Experience

  • Vice President of Creative at Away
    May 2025 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos

    Oversee all creative aspects of the Away brand, leading the evolution of its visual identity, brand voice, and consumer experience across global channels. Rebuilt and restructured internal creative, editorial, and marketing integration teams to create a more cohesive and strategically aligned organization. Lead the development of refreshed brand guidelines and storytelling frameworks across product launches, seasonal collections, and innovation narratives, while defining consumer travel personas and cultural insights to ensure the brand remains relevant, drives customer acquisition, and supports long-term growth.

  • Vice President of Creative at Foot Locker
    Aug 2023 - May 2025 · 1 yr 10 mos

    Led the launch of new brand platforms and consumer experiences across Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, and Champs Sports, overseeing internal teams and global partners across social, digital, broadcast, and retail channels. Directed brand imagery, video, in-store experiences, editorial voice, partnerships, and creative production, collaborating with leading brands including Nike, Adidas, and New Balance, alongside top athletes, artists, and creators to strengthen brand relevance, deepen consumer engagement, and support growth across global markets.

  • Executive Creative Director at Urban Outfitters
    Jan 2022 - Aug 2023 · 1 yr 8 mos

    Rebuilt and led high-performing creative teams responsible for shaping brand expression across Urban Outfitters' global retail and ecommerce ecosystem. Oversaw concept development, budgets, and creative production for seasonal and monthly editorial across digital, retail, social, and paid channels, elevating the brand's visual and editorial identity through enhanced storytelling, casting, partnerships, and creative systems that strengthened customer engagement and brand perception.

  • Global Creative Director at Gap
    Jun 2017 - Jan 2022 · 4 yrs 8 mos

    Led creative strategy for Gap and Banana Republic across global campaigns, retail, digital, and PR, building cross-functional teams and directing agency partners across multiple markets. Developed new brand, technology, and media partnerships while investing in scalable photo systems, sustainable retail design, and creative operations, contributing to the brands' strongest traffic performance in more than a decade.

  • Global Brand Art Director at Nike
    Mar 2016 - Jun 2017 · 1 yr 4 mos

    Defined the visual direction for Nike's global studio photography and video ecosystems across brand categories, consumer touchpoints, and digital platforms. Led creative execution for nike.com and mobile experiences while building strategic relationships with agencies and production partners, helping position the team as a trusted creative partner capable of delivering both world-class brand storytelling and commercial performance at scale.