Melissa Crosson is an independent artist and fashion designer preparing to showcase three collections from her Unique Custom Threads label at New York Fashion Week 2025. She recently made the announcement on Instagram with a reel created by Studio Raconteur.
Full disclosure:
Melissa also happens to be my wife. That’s partly why she hires me to do her social media. But, make no mistake, Melissa is fiercely protective of her work. Married or not, she wouldn’t let me anywhere near her brand -let alone her Instagram- if she didn’t believe the content I produce genuinely represents her vision.
The NYFW reel we released is one of my personal favorites. It’s not just a 30-second video, it’s a narrative. A story of a designer arriving in the big city, bringing her one-of-a-kind energy, and realizing her dream.
So I thought I’d share how it all came together—the story behind the story.
It Begins With the Music
Practically every reel I make for Melissa, whether it’s for her fashion brand (@uniquecustomthreads) or her art (@melissacrossonart), begins with music.
The song sets the mood, defines the pacing, and provides the rhythm for cuts. Hitting a beat with each transition just feels right, and makes everything more compelling.
Music is also deeply woven into our lives.
Walk into our home and you’ll see instruments in almost every room. Drop by late on a Friday night and there’s a good chance you’ll find us sofa dancing to old music videos on YouTube well into the wee small hours.
So it’s no surprise that it plays such a crucial role in our creative work.
Melissa is intensely deliberate about the songs she picks for her runway shows. Listening on repeat, debating every nuance, ensuring the song perfectly captures the spirit of her collection, her music choices are as much a part of the performance as the clothes she designs.
For NYFW 2025, she chose “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve.
As someone from Wigan, England, where The Verve originated, this hit differently. To be in North Carolina, making reels for New York Fashion Week, to a track from a band down the road from where I grew up… let me tell you, that kicks a guy right in the feels.
As soon as she picked the song, I was all in. The ideas came instantly. I had the whole narrative mapped out in my head before I even opened Premiere. I’d already shot a ton of footage during Melissa’s 2024 NYFW trip, and now it had a purpose.
The Narrative Behind Melissa’s Reel
We open in black and white: stark shots of New York. Busy, familiar, but stripped of color. To a local, it’s instantly recognizable. To others, it’s mysterious. Where are we? What’s going on?
Then comes the first reveal.
The screen fades to black. One word appears:
SEPTEMBER
Something’s happening. We cut to the New York Times building, symbolic, iconic, fitting. This is news.
Then: Times Square. Billboards everywhere. And the Lion King on Broadway. The camera pans down to Melissa, walking the streets in a leather jacket. a subtle nod to the “Bittersweet Symphony” music video.
Still black and white. Still building.
Next, the words:
UNIQUE CUSTOM THREADS
We’ve now established the timeline (September), the place (New York), and the who (Melissa Crosson of Unique Custom Threads). All that’s left is the what.
Now, we cut to two final B&W shots: Melissa’s 2024 NYFW models walking toward the camera, then Melissa herself leading two of them up an escalator. She’s at the front—leading her fashion warriors into battle.
Then: fade to black. One word.
RETURNS
And finally, color. Vibrant, bold, unmistakable. Melissa in action. The color represents her. It represents her return.
We close on the New York Fashion Week logo. The announcement is complete:
Unique Custom Threads Returns to NYFW.
Then a simple CTA: website, social handle, done.
Editing And Emotion: Storytelling In Reel Form
Creating this reel was one of the most rewarding storytelling challenges I’ve taken on, and honestly, I think it shows. It made Melissa cry (in a good way), and it reminded me why I love doing what I do.
This is what storytelling through content looks like. And if it resonates with you, whether you’re an artist, a designer, or a brand looking to share your next chapter, I’d love to help tell your story too.
Fill in the form below and let’s cut through the noise together to get your story heard.