A Baton Rouge-raised influencer’s department store clothing line

Hadley Greene is weaving her story into designer pieces with Dillard’s.

Baton Rouge-raised influencer and designer Hadley Greene dropped her clothing line with Dillard’s on Monday. The line, which Greene says has been more than a year in the making, was designed in collaboration with Gianni Bini, a Dillard’s Exclusive line of women’s fashion and footwear.

“It’s a genuine dream come true,” Greene says. “My grandmother and mom took me to Dillard’s in Baton Rouge almost every weekend growing up. Design has always been the most honest way I know to express myself, so getting to put my own collection on those racks feels like such a full-circle moment.”

On Oct. 16, Greene will return to that same Dillard’s in the Mall of Louisiana for a VIP meet and greet and Q&A event to discuss her designs from this collection. Since launching, the line has received hype on social media with fashion fans posting their hauls. Greene herself even made a video visiting a Dillard’s outside of Los Angeles to see the display in person. In that video, she talks about how she spoke with someone on the Dillard’s team who described the drop as “unprecedented.”

Greene, 25, is currently based out of Los Angeles and works as a junior designer at Milliard Diamond Concierge. She says that she spends her days designing timeless pieces that clients will hopefully be able to pass down for generations, accumulating years of history until they become heirlooms. She also enjoys working with raw materials that are similarly steeped in history. 

“I’m obsessed with the materials: The diamonds, the gold, the stones that have been around far longer than any of us—things that tell a story,” Greene says. 

Greene carries her love of story and origin into her new collection with Gianni Bini. The line was designed as “an ode to her Louisiana heritage and the ease of LA, the two places that have shaped her sense of creativity and inspiration,” according to the brand.

She says that though she has lived in southern California since moving there for college, the South is still in everything she touches and continues to influence her design decisions. Both of Greene’s homes are represented in her collection.

“Louisiana gave me a sense of occasion, the Southern idea that getting dressed is its own small celebration. LA taught me ease and how to let things look a little undone,” Greene says. “The collection is both of those girls, and I can only hope that translates.”

The collection comprises 17 clothing items and seven styles of shoes. The entire line is characterized by dramatic silhouettes, bold patterns and pops of bright colors, with a meeting of stiff military elements and playful animal motifs.

“I didn’t want to put my name on something that already existed,” says Greene. “I wanted it to be personal, original and trailblazing.”

Items like the Dolly Button Down, Boomer Button Down, Caroline Sweater and Krissy Khaki Trench take a more traditional approach. These pieces are more along the lines of laid-back wardrobe staples with neutral colors and timeless fits. 

The rest of the drop, however, is where Greene’s personality really shines through. 

The McCombs Military Jacket, which comes in red and black, incorporates gold embroidery and a structured fit that puts its own spin on military chic. This jacket pairs perfectly with the gold-studded Palmer Pants. 

Greene also includes a lot of animal imagery in her designs. The Swan Song Jeans feature two embroidered swans on the back pockets, the Marylebone Mini Dress sets a bevy of swans against a satin lilac backdrop, and the St Charles shoes replace the heels with the majestic bird itself. Even the Prince Pants have a nod to the swan motif, with a small swan pin detail on the ankle, opposite a dachshund pin.

Butterflies grace the Mills Maxi Dress, and zebra stripes line the inside of the lime green King Coat. The King Coat, which also comes in a skyway blue with red patterned lining, is Greene’s favorite piece in the collection and one she feels is universally wearable.

“It’s the piece that changes the most depending on who’s wearing it and how. Button it up over a dress and it’s very polished, very lady-who-lunches. Throw it on open over jeans and a tee and suddenly it’s effortless, a little undone,” Greene says. “That’s the kind of clothing I love—the same coat, a completely different woman.”

For Greene, designing this collection was both a joy and a challenge. The line was very personal to her, and she says a lot of time was spent perfecting every detail to ensure that her vision came across in the final designs. 

“The hardest part was learning how many decisions live inside one finished SKU—the button, the lining, the exact shade of blue,” she says. “As a customer, you never see any of it, and I have so much more respect now for every person who touches a garment before it reaches you.”

Still, the tedious, time-consuming months at the drawing board paid off, and Greene says that she has enjoyed getting to see her designs translate into real life.

“The most rewarding part is watching things that only existed in my head become real and wearable, and knowing people are going to wear them to their own big moments,” Greene says.

Customers can shop the Gianni Bini x Hadley Greene collection at the Dillard’s website and in-store while supplies last.