Vicky Elmer

Partnerships Experience

With over two decades of experience shaping global brand partnerships, I specialise in building collaborations that sit at the intersection of culture, creativity and commercial return. My work focuses on creating high-performance partnerships that strengthen brand positioning, unlock new audiences and deliver measurable value across global markets.

I’ve led platform partnerships, cultural collaborations and large-scale activations for brands including adidas, Hendrick’s Gin, BACARDÍ, Y-3, Soho House, The BRIT Awards, Virgin Galactic, Umbro, Ballantine’s and Wilderness Festival. My experience spans fashion, spirits, sport, music, luxury and entertainment, working across talent, media, retail, experiential and content ecosystems to create partnerships that feel credible, distinctive and built to last.

Partnership Philosophy

The strongest brand storytelling doesn’t start with the product - it starts with a world. A point of view. A mood. A belief system rooted in heritage, craft and relevance today. Within that world, the product doesn’t need to shout; it belongs. It becomes the quiet constant - worn, used, lived in - carrying meaning because of the story around it, not in spite of it.

My approach treats product as hero through context, not exposition. Craft, function and design are revealed through narrative, character and atmosphere, allowing desirability to build organically. When the storytelling is right, the product feels inevitable - emotionally resonant, culturally grounded and unmistakably of the brand - rather than engineered for attention.

Partnerships succeed when they honour this balance. I focus on collaborations that respect brand DNA, cultural nuance and commercial intent in equal measure, ensuring that narrative ambition and business outcomes move together. The result is work that strengthens long-term brand equity while delivering clear impact across awareness, consideration, trial and revenue - without compromising taste, integrity or longevity.

What I’m Known For

• Designing culture-first partnerships that remain commercially disciplined

• Translating brand strategy into lived experiences through talent, content and moments

• Building earned-led platforms that outperform paid media benchmarks

• Creating partnerships that scale globally while remaining locally relevant

• Balancing creative ambition with operational delivery across complex stakeholder environments

Selected Partnership Highlights

Global Culture Platforms & Brand Partnerships

• Hendrick’s Gin — Global Culture Strategy & Partnerships
  Led a multi-year overhaul of Hendrick’s global culture and partnership strategy across 100+ markets, spanning creative collaborations, advocacy, experiential and brand platforms. The work repositioned the brand culturally while supporting sustained commercial growth, category leadership and long-term brand equity.

• Hendrick’s Gin x Katz’s Delicatessen (US)
  Championed a hyper-local cultural partnership that blended heritage, humour and product storytelling, driving strong earned visibility, brand relevance and advocacy in a highly competitive market.

• Hendrick’s Gin x Accidentally Wes Anderson
  Led a global creator-led collaboration rooted in visual storytelling and cultural curiosity, delivering standout organic engagement and reinforcing Hendrick’s distinctive brand world.

• Hendrick’s Gin x Compulsory Films
  Secured and led a creative partnership to hero a core brand asset through film and content, combining craft, narrative and cultural credibility to strengthen earned performance and brand perception.

Fashion, Design & Innovation

• Y-3 x Virgin Galactic
  Directed a landmark fashion-meets-space partnership that positioned Y-3 as a product and innovation pioneer, delivering global earned scale, cultural credibility and strong wholesale impact.

• Y-3 SPORT x i-D / VICE
  Launched Y-3 SPORT through a content-first media partnership, blending film, editorial and live experience to drive brand reappraisal, retail momentum and global earned reach.

• Y-3 Paris Fashion Week Model Reset
  Re-engineered the PFW approach to prioritise content and cultural impact over traditional spend, unlocking stronger media performance, buyer engagement and wholesale growth.

Music, Entertainment & Experiential

• BACARDÍ Triangle
  Led global PR and content activation for a broadcast-scale music platform, repositioning BACARDÍ as a culturally relevant, music-first brand through a high-impact, earned-led experience.

• BACARDÍ Beginnings (UK)
  Reimagined BACARDÍ’s music strategy through an artist-led platform pairing established and emerging talent, shifting brand perception and delivering strong engagement, advocacy and cultural relevance among 18–34s.

• BACARDÍ x Soho House
  Redesigned the partnership into a co-created cultural programme focused on influence, experience and on-premise performance, delivering measurable sales uplift and brand relevance in a high-value audience environment.

• BACARDÍ x The BRIT Awards
  Led high-profile music partnerships and talent-led experiences that embedded the brand within the UK’s most influential cultural moment.

Sport, Retail & Brand Transformation

• Hull City AFC x Umbro
  Oversaw kit launches and led a supporter-led crest redesign, strengthening brand connection, retail performance and fan trust through a culturally sensitive, commercially disciplined approach.

• Club-Wide Brand & Partnership Reset
  Implemented a shift toward brand-building alongside performance marketing, unlocking growth across retail, ticketing and membership while modernising the club’s commercial narrative.

Festivals & Cultural IP

• Wilderness Festival
  Co-founded and led marketing and partnerships, securing cultural, charity and media collaborations that delivered strong ROI, critical acclaim and long-term brand value.

• Sir Peter Blake x Vintage Festival
  Delivered a landmark cultural collaboration that blended art, music and heritage, achieving significant global coverage and cultural impact.

• The Great Escape x The Guardian
  Brokered the festival’s first major media partnership, establishing a multi-year collaboration that elevated profile, credibility and delegate engagement.

Partnership Ecosystem Experience

Fashion & Sportswear
adidas (Y-3, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Porsche Design Sport), Umbro

Music, Entertainment & Culture
BACARDÍ, Ballantine’s, Boiler Room, Soho House, The BRIT Awards, GlobalGathering, The Great Escape

Creative & Media Partners
i-D, VICE, Wallpaper*, The Guardian, BBC Radio 1

Talent & Creators
Rudimental, Toddla T, Kele Okereke, Jessie Ware, AlunaGeorge, Friendly Fires, Sir Peter Blake

Purpose & Charity
Project Seagrass, Mind, WWF, Nordoff Robbins

In Summary

I build partnerships that feel culturally credible, creatively ambitious and commercially sound - where product, story and audience are fully aligned. Whether operating at global scale or within niche cultural spaces, my focus remains the same: create meaning, earn attention and deliver value that lasts.