Ani Smith
Marketing · Communications · Digital Partnerships

Ani
Smith

A marketing and communications professional for luxury fashion and lifestyle brands, with a passion for creativity and efficiency. Strategy and execution across creator and affiliate partnerships, PR, e-commerce and creative direction.

New York, NY LinkedIn Substack Email
Ani Smith in a camel trench and silk scarf in a Florentine courtyard
Ani L. Smith
~5x

monthly creator sales year over year through the ShopMy channel she launched and leads

7.2x

affiliate ROAS, the brand's highest-returning paid channel

2.8x

active creators year over year, now a top 5 source of new site visitors

1.1M

views from VIP footwear gifting for the July 2026 footwear launch, with every creator posting

3x

homepage conversion year over year, working with the creative team

#1

Google rankings for key denim searches after her PDP and SEO work

+24%

conversion among search users after the search and filter rebuild

$100K+

raised for breast cancer research through a campaign she co-founded

How she reports

A month-end performance recap she presents to the C-suite, anonymized to percentages only.

Download the sample
About
Ani Smith

Ani Smith is a New York-based brand marketer who creates cultural moments and connects them to results. She works where fashion, art, music and hospitality meet, across creator partnerships, PR and VIP, campaigns and digital.

For more than three years she has worked at Nili Lotan, a founder-led house, alongside the founder and senior leadership. She launched and leads the brand's creator channel, now nearly eight times larger than a year ago, manages its VIP and celebrity relationships, and brought The Kills into the brand for its Fall 2025 campaign and first handbag launch. She also leads site merchandising and reports performance to the C-suite each month.

Her path runs through Paris Fashion Week with Issey Miyake, backstage at Khaite and galas at Oheka Castle. Beyond work, she is the founding organizer of Make Cents Out of Breast Cancer, which has raised more than $100,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation since 2014, volunteers with Horseability and writes Designing Ani Lee on Substack.

Relationships first. Details always.

Based in
New York
Currently
Nili Lotan
Education
Fashion Institute of Technology, Polimoda
Worked with
Nili Lotan, Issey Miyake, Khaite, Oheka Castle

Featured projects

Nili Lotan · 2023 – Present

Ani introduced Nili Lotan to ShopMy, launched the channel and built its strategy. What started small has grown into a channel with real revenue and momentum. She now leads it, working with the CMO, the Director of Digital Marketing and E-commerce, and the PR Manager to scale it.

  • Lead on strategy, organic and paid gifting, collaborations and monthly reporting to the C-suite
  • Expanded beyond Women's into Men's, Footwear and Handbags
  • Led the ShopMy rollout for the July 2026 footwear launch: 18% category commission, a paid opportunity with 10 top creators and VIP footwear gifting across the US, UK and Europe, reaching 1.1M views
  • Built five creator tiers and the VIP commission structure; strong results led leadership to approve paid budget for creator whitelisting
  • Two-tier gifting: wardrobe essentials to introduce new creators, current-season pieces for top VIP talent
  • Manages the creator budget across monthly bonus opportunities, dedicated VIP bonuses and gifting, setting incentives and commission structures
  • Creator-first partnerships, from a personal lookbook for a creator with a distinct point of view to tailored commission
  • Monthly recaps for leadership measuring volume, social views and clicks by program, guiding where to invest next
  • Launched creator whitelisting on paid social and exploring affiliate-tracked TikTok Spark Ads
  • Seasonal gift guides and holiday placements with fashion creators and Substack writers
StrategyGiftingBudgetReporting
Monthly creator sales, October year over year~5x
7.2xaffiliate ROAS, highest paid channel
7.5x to 8.5xreturn on paid creator opportunities
2.8xactive creators year over year
+684%December creator revenue year over year
+113%September year over year
+380%November year over year
+152%September creator link clicks year over year
44%of October volume from one organic gifting push
+43%September UGC mentions year over year
7.4KUGC mentions
Creator content
Creator story styling the Mitchell Jean
Creator story featuring a corduroy jacket
Creator story in Shon corduroy pants
Creator story in the Joan Jean
Creator wearing Nili Lotan jeans
Creator story in Nili Lotan denim
Creator story featuring a transitional jacket
Creator in Nili Lotan trousers

Ani contributed to the creative direction of the redesign, working across creative, design, merchandising, buying and development to let performance data shape creative decisions. Analytics, search behavior and conversion data informed which stories the site tells, how campaign imagery and product are composed on each page, and where clients needed a clearer path to purchase.

The result is a site that reads as editorially as the brand itself, and performs: story-led category pages pairing campaign imagery with product, built to drive growth and revenue.

  • Creative direction grounded in data, from page storytelling to product placement
  • Cross-team partnership with creative, design, buying and development, from brief to launch
  • Homepage, product pages and every collection edit, each season
  • Category page rebuild: +16% category conversion in the first 2.5 weeks after launch
  • Mobile speed index down from 20.5s to 7.4s
Creative directionData-ledCross-teamShopifyUX
Category conversion, first 2.5 weeks after launch+16%
20.5sMobile speed index before
7.4sAfter the rebuild

Scroll within each page to view it in full

Nili Lotan homepage, full length
Homepage · Fall
Celia Jean product detail page, full length
Product page · Celia Jean
Fringe Details category page, full length
Fringe · Details
Leather Shearling category page, full length
Leather · Shearling
New In Fall category page, full length
New In · Fall

Ani onboarded Nosto to the site and now curates what each client sees when they search. Pinned products for key terms, redirects, synonym rules, a considered search flyout, and the product attributes that make the assortment discoverable.

  • Onboarded Nosto to the site, from setup to launch
  • +24% search-user conversion in the first 2.5 weeks after launch
  • Fit, rise, length, stretch and fabric attributes, so every filter and search returns with precision
  • Bounce rate down 20% year over year
NostoMetafieldsFilters
Nili Lotan search flyout with suggestions and featured products
Search flyoutSuggestions and pinned product

Ani began at Nili Lotan building PR, VIP and events alongside the founder and CMO, and she still supports this work today. Working with the team, she helps run each launch, from timelines and seeding to press tracking and the day itself.

  • Stewarded the VIP and celebrity roster, seeding and coverage
  • Led press, showroom and sample operations through Launch Metrics
  • Directs and mentors a PR assistant and two to four interns
VIPPressProduction
Stores
Store openings
Event planning, guest lists, VIP seeding and press
Launches
Seasonal, Menswear, Footwear and Handbag launches
Events, press and campaigns
VIP
Celebrity dressing & seeding
Relationships, gifting and coverage across campaigns
Brand activations
Brand partnerships
From concept and budget through the event and its recap
Featured campaign · Fall 2025Nili Lotan × The Kills

A 360° campaign that tied a music partnership to the launch of Nili Lotan’s first-ever handbag collection. Ani worked on it end to end, from the partnership itself to the press it earned. The handbags largely sold out.

The Kills performing at Café Carlyle for Nili Lotan
The Kills at Café CarlylePre-NYFW handbag launch concert
Partnership
Bringing The Kills into the brand
Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince as the faces of Fall 2025
Creative
Campaign creative direction
Shot by Gray Sorrenti at Sear Sound, where the band recorded its second album
Launch
Debut handbag collection
Campaign story built around the first bags, incl. the Lou bag
Event
Pre-NYFW concert at Café Carlyle
A 15-song set by The Kills; guests incl. Beck, Maggie Rogers and Laura Prepon
Community
Intimate gathering at the flagship
Close friends and family of the brand at 183 Duane Street
Art
Alison Mosshart art exhibition
Her artwork shown at the Nili Lotan flagship
Press
Coverage across fashion, culture and design press
Vogue, WWD, Surface, The Zoe Report, Fashion Week Daily, Observer
VogueNili Lotan Invited The Kills to Bring the Noise at Café CarlyleThe Café Carlyle night, in pictures.View on Vogue Fashion Week DailyNili Lotan Rocks Out After Dark at Café CarlyleThe Kills’ set and the guest list.Read the story The Zoe ReportNili Lotan Just Launched Her First-Ever Handbag CollectionThe handbag launch and its tie to The Kills.Read the story SurfaceNili Lotan Collaborates with The KillsBehind the campaign at Sear Sound.Read the story WWDAlison Mosshart Brings Her Artwork to the FlagshipThe art exhibition at Duane Street.Read the story ObserverThe New Luxury: Why Story, Experience and Authenticity Matter More Than ExclusivityNili Lotan on instinct, creative integrity and building a brand that is culturally vibrant and commercially impactful.Read the story
Evenings at 183 Duane StreetMusic, art and community at the flagship
David Broza performing at the Nili Lotan men's store opening
Men's store openingDavid Broza performs at the opening
An evening with Nikita
Live performanceAn evening with Nikita
An evening with LMNE
Live performanceAn evening with LMNE
The flagship, after hours
183 Duane StreetThe flagship, after hours
Personal brand · Substack · Creative direction

Designing Ani Lee

Her personal brand and editorial voice. Ani writes, edits, styles and art directs every issue, from first concept to final edit.

Read Designing Ani Lee anileesmith.substack.com
  1. Trend forecastingThe season ahead
  2. Styling inspirationThe wardrobe
  3. Travel & food guidesThe address book
  4. Essays & think piecesLong form
  5. Self-improvementThe practice

Brands & clients

A selection

From marketing and PR intern to owning the creator channel and site merchandising at a founder-led New York house.

~5xcreator sales year over year
+24%search-user conversion
VogueWWD, T Magazine and more
Visit Nili Lotan
Seen in Nili Lotan
Scarlett Johansson in Nili Lotan
Scarlett Johansson
Jennifer Aniston in Nili Lotan
Jennifer Aniston
Jacob Elordi in Nili Lotan
Jacob Elordi
Rose Byrne in Nili Lotan
Rose Byrne
Matthew McConaughey in Nili Lotan
Matthew McConaughey
Emily Ratajkowski in Nili Lotan
Emily Ratajkowski
Karlie Kloss in Nili Lotan
Karlie Kloss
Domhnall Gleeson in Nili Lotan
Domhnall Gleeson
Abi Hoffman in Nili Lotan
Abi Hoffman

Day-of operations at Paris Fashion Week, working with the creative director and creative team and carrying their vision through to vendors and staff.

PFWSpring/Summer 2027
Conceptto post-production
Day-ofoperations and team communication
Visit Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake runway show, Paris Fashion Week
The show, Paris

Strategy and execution for galas, fundraisers, award ceremonies, art auctions and weddings at a historic estate, from client brief to delivery.

350seated guests
Conceptto completion
Day-ofclient-facing lead
Visit Oheka Castle
Ceremony on the lawn at Oheka CastleOheka Castle salon set for a receptionOheka Castle ballroom set for a gala dinner

Talent booking and coordination for the free Music Under the Stars summer concert series, building relationships with the bands and handling their contracts, with marketing support across each season.

1,000sof guests each night
Talentbooking and coordination
Contractsand band relationships
Visit Town of Oyster Bay
Music Under the Stars summer concert series poster
Music Under the Stars
Town of Oyster Bay seal
Town of Oyster Bay

Backstage at New York Fashion Week, working with vendors on show setup and with the creative directors and designers to carry their hair, makeup and styling vision from rehearsal to the live show, then checking in VIP guests and guiding them to their seats.

VIPcheck-in and seating
Visionhair, makeup and styling
Timelinesdressing, rehearsal to live show
Visit Khaite
The ivy-covered Khaite show spaceKhaite look in ivoryKhaite look in a gold coatKhaite look in leather and sequins
The show space and the runway

Planned and filmed her social content, capturing behind-the-scenes moments from travel days, tours and concerts, alongside media moments, throwback press and life at home.

Plannercontent calendar
Filmedtours, concerts and travel days
Supportto her manager and producer
Visit Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor performing
On stage
Gloria Gaynor on the cover of The New York Times Thursday Styles
The New York Times, Thursday Styles

Paid social and search for a local fitness studio, from campaign setup to optimization.

Metaad campaigns
GoogleAds campaigns
Localaudience growth
Visit Xpress Mind and Body Fitness

A personal passion, and time given to the Horseability community.

Visit Horseability
Co-founder · Fundraiser campaign

Make Cents Out of Breast Cancer

$100K+Raised in total across all events, campaigns and partnerships
Pink Out DayA district-wide day across Farmingdale schools, plus a game dedicated to Make Cents by every sports team
BCRF gala with Gloria Gaynor
BCRF gala with Gloria Gaynor
The Chop Shop activation, Long Beach
The Chop Shop activation, Long Beach
The Chop Shop storefront, dressed for October
The Chop Shop storefront, dressed for October
Raffle table, all proceeds to BCRF
Raffle table, all proceeds to BCRF
Think Pink raffle at The Chop Shop
Think Pink raffle at The Chop Shop
Farmingdale Pink Out Day banner
Farmingdale Pink Out Day banner
Make Cents Out of Breast Cancer mark
Make Cents Out of Breast Cancer mark
Pink Out Day ribbon wall
Pink Out Day ribbon wall
Signed Islanders jersey raffle
Signed Islanders jersey raffle

Software & tools

Fluent in
  • Google AnalyticsMeasurement
  • Meta Business SuitePaid social
  • Google AdsPaid search
  • ShopifyE-commerce
  • ShogunPage builder
  • Shop AppMarketplace
  • NostoSearch merch
  • SearchspringSearch
  • ShopMyCreators
  • RakutenAffiliate
  • KlaviyoEmail · SMS
  • Triple WhaleAttribution
  • LoopReturns · Metrics
  • 42 TechnologiesRetail analytics
  • RLMWholesale · PLM
  • Fashion GPS · Launch MetricsPR · Samples
  • Microsoft ExcelData · Modeling
  • Google SheetsReporting
  • PowerPointPresentations
  • Jira · AsanaProject mgmt
  • FigmaDesign
  • CanvaCreative
  • AdobeCreative suite
  • SubstackEditorial

Skills & capabilities

Capabilities
  • 01Data Analytics
  • 02KPI & ROAS Analysis
  • 03Digital Marketing
  • 04SEO Targeting
  • 05Budget Management
  • 06Vendor Management
  • 07Client Management
  • 08Event Marketing
  • 09Site Merchandising
  • 10Search & Filter Merchandising
  • 11Creator & Affiliate Partnerships
  • 12PR & VIP Relations
  • 13Product Launches
  • 14Executive Reporting
  • 15Team Leadership & Mentoring
  • 16Fundraising & Cause Marketing

Education

New York · Florence
2021 – 2024

Fashion Institute of Technology

B.S. Advertising and Marketing Communications, minor in Economics. Magna Cum Laude, Dean's List.

2022

Polimoda, Florence

Study abroad in Italian language through art, fashion and film.

Certifications

Google & Stukent

Digital Marketing & E-Commerce Professional Certificate, Google Data Analytics, Stukent Digital Marketing.

Awards & achievements

Recognition
Nice Pal Award certificate presented to Ani Smith
Nili Lotan

Nice Pal Award

For kindness, support and a welcoming presence that helps create a positive, harmonious workplace. Presented by Nili Lotan, CEO and Creative Director, and Allison Sepe, COO.

Energizer Bunny Award certificate presented to Ani Smith
Nili Lotan

Energizer Bunny Award

For boundless energy and enthusiasm that keeps the team motivated, uplifted and inspired. Presented by Nili Lotan, CEO and Creative Director, and Allison Sepe, COO.

Fashion Institute of Technology

Magna Cum Laude

Dean's List. B.S. Advertising and Marketing Communications, minor in Economics.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

$100K+ raised

Co-founder of Make Cents Out of Breast Cancer, raised in total across all of its events, campaigns and partnerships.

New York Institute of Technology, School of Management · Dec 2020

Business Competition Winner, Global Marketing and Promotional Plan Strategist

Planned and developed the marketing strategy for Blink Fitness's Farmingdale location, from creative strategy, competitive and market analysis and research interpretation to a full marketing plan built on social media, public events and community engagement. Associated with Farmingdale High School.

Contact

Strategy, story and execution for the next chapter in luxury.

LinkedIn Substack
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