For Jillian Brown the phrase, "Look Up" is more than just a meme... it's how she discovered her calling. In 2012, while navigating her way to work though the streets of NYC, the marketing from up above caught Jillian's eye. But it wasn't the advertising that intrigued her, it was the thought "what happens to the billboards after the campaign ends??" After finding out those great durable billboards were discarded to landfills, the passionate environmentalist in her took over.
Jillian soon took sewing classes and immersed herself in the world of stitch. At first, she started threading together bags from meager samples of discarded vinyl. But now she works with ad agencies and media companies who provide her with gigantic rolls of billboard from out-of-season campaigns. Often she's given rolls weighing up to 250 lbs that she has to unwind and powerwash with water and soap. Jillian never knows what she's getting so from there she picks out the ‘cool stuff’ to cut out and repurpose for a second life. While the element of surprise is fun, because she can't control color or campaign, she has customers who wait months for the right color for their custom bag.
For Jillian, it's amazing being able to carry a piece of the city while at the same time pitching in to preserve the environment. Currently she lives in Huntington and has a manufacturing facility in Bay Shore where she produces various upcycled pouches and bags, all composed of billboard vinyl.