THE ORIGINAL
DARKCIRCLE.CO NO PAIN NO PROFIT UK MFG. EST 08
LOGO’S THE ORIGINAL
DARKCIRCLE.CO NO PAIN NO PROFIT UK MFG. EST 08
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Ðark DARKEST
DARK RK I R LE A D x
TYPEFACES
DARK CIRCLE FUTURA BOLD
DARK CIRCLE HELVETICA LIGHT
DARK CIRCLE VINCENT
DARK CIRCLE BEBAS
BRAND COLOURS
WHAT IS DARK CIRCLE? Dark Circle is a UK/Birmingham based premium streetwear brand aimed at 20-35 year olds with a passion for Britains street and counter culture. The concept of “basic clothing created by digesting unique interpretations of elements from hip-hop, Skating, military, outdoor, traditional, etc. and also suggesting this lifestyle” is the base for all products and projects which Dark Circle is involved with, and always lives in the themes for the seasons. Established in 2008, Dark Circle is a design firm and creative collective. Through bold graphics and quality design, we create apparel that intelligently conjures thoughts of movements, individuals, and ideologies of days past and present. We seek to produce goods that neither sacrifice quality nor style. At Dark Circle our motto is simple: forget everyone and listen to yourself. Strength lies in the hands of an individual, not in the approval of oneʼs peers.
WHERE DOES DARK CIRCLE STAND? Dark Circle is currently an entry level brand to premium street/menswear. We are aiming to to place Dark Circle in a number menswear boutiques, Streetwear stores and select department stores across the UK. The price points of Dark Circle product has been set to reflect its place in the market. Not to cheap to be throw away or disposable but not to expensive to alienate people interested in buying the product. This price has been set to compete with existing brands in the same category but be slightly more expensive than brands aimed at a more commercial or younger audience but enough to sit next to the more respected and more established brands in the sector. By being slightly cheaper it can be seen as an entry level brand into the premium market. Being entry level and price reflecting that it can appeal to both the mass market and something a little nicer and at the same time appeal to customers used to spending more money on nicer product but might want a to purchase a few items instead of spending the same amount on 1 item from a more premium brand.
STORES, POTENTIAL & CURRENT STOCKISTS Below is a list of stores Dark Circle is currently working with and ones we are planning on working with in the future. Also there is a list for stores we really want to be working with in the future. CURRENT Mimm Shop - Nottingham Jingo - Worcester Liquor Store - Birmingham Minerva - Exeter Krusoe - Brighton Hannigans - Coventry S.O.S - Stafford BBS - London Kong - Leamington Diffusion - Wolverhampton Potential (Next drop) Kong - Coventry Garb Store - London Supra - London Woods - Manchester Dais - Huddersfield Well gosh - Leicester Union - Cheltenham Angry Daves - Bristol ASOS - London Selfridges - London Selfridges - Birmingham End - Cardiff Provide - Birmingham Open Lifestyle - Leeds Urban Industry - Exeter Donuts - Bristol DESIRED STORES GOODHOOD - LONDON Number 6 - London
COMPETITION Right now in the UK there are only a handful of british brands on the market that would be direct competition for our target audience. Below is a list of the brands and description of their placement to Dark Circle. Grind London Grind London is probably the strongest competitor for Dark Circle. They share a strong connection to music as Dark does. There price points match ours and we share the same demographic in customers. We want to tap into their market share quickly as be held in the same regard as Grind London Too Much London Another London based brand with a more casual approach to the premium market. Sharing a similar target demographic and price points. Too much London is a nice brand. Tapping into their customer audience base will be important. Wale B-Side The original UK based premium streetwear label. Price points are slightly higher on some products but some are lower than ours on other. This un-balanced price structure makes it hard to gauge what audience they are aiming for. They have a strong mix of casual and high end formal product which allows B-Side to be considered the strongest lifestyle brand out of the the UK brands in our market share. Maharishi Maharishi is a high end brand aimed at rich people with a taste of street fashion but are far removed from the actual street lifestyle. Over priced product and repetitive design but amazing branding and imagery, shows that clever branding can make the brand more than the product.
Inspirational Brands. Here is a list of brands that are the driving inspirational force behind Dark Circle. These brands collectively have an inspirational effect on the direction identity that makes Dark Circle. Their strong branding, clear identity vision makes there impact on Dark Circle constantly. These are the Brands we want Dark to be compared to. Quality, Imagery, Branding, Content and feeling. We want people to look at Dark Circle and see the same well rounded brand that they see when looking at these listed brands. Below is a list of brands and a description on their impact on Dark Circle. Neighbourhood Japan
Neighbourhood is single handedly the main Driving force behind Dark’s vision. We want Dark to sit next to Neighbourhood in stores and on websites and people not be able to decide which is better.We want our customer base to hold us in as high regard as Neighbourhood’s fans do. We want our product to be compared to them in quality, consistency and vision. Neighbourhood is the Standard in which we measure Dark Circle. http://www.neighborhood.jp/
WTAPS
WTAPS is another Japanese brand that optimises elegance and sophistication while maintaining a strong connection to streetwear. Their ability to produce product that appeals to 20 year olds to 50 year olds but at the same time keeping its street wear roots is what makes WTAPS a master of premium streetwear brands. Strong imagery and clean products that appeal to everyone is their U.S.P. people can go into their stores and buy product for their son and themselves, for the gym and for fine dinning. This versatile approach to menswear is something we would love to replicate with Dark Circle. http://www.wtaps.com
Supreme NYC
Supreme, although probably the biggest brand in this list, they are the brand that has managed to maintain demand and status for over 20 years and show no signs of slowing down. What is most impressive with supreme is the fanaticism they have managed to create amongst their devoted fans. To create the same kind of loyalty and devotion towards a brand is one of the main aims for Dark. Through clever promotion & marketing campaigns, amazing product placement and to top it off incredible quality product its easy to see why supreme is not only the leading streetwear brand in the world but also one of the most respected brands in fashion around the globe. http://www.supremenewyork.com/
Stussy World Wide
Stussy are known world wide as the originators, the founders of what we today call “streetwear”. Started in 1980 by founder Shawn Stussy, today the Stussy brand is still on top of the lists as one of the best brands in streetwear today. Their ability to constantly stay ahead of competitors with there trends, unique branding and product placement has allowed them to stay on top of the game for now over 30 years. Their consistent, clean and well marketed brand is the perfect example of what a streetwear brand could and should be. For Dark, Stussy is inspirational not just in the length of time the brand has been running but how it has never lost sight of the original vision and making sure that is alway apparent and clear for all people looking. The first Surf brand, The first Skate brand, The first STREETWEAR brand. http://www.stussy.com/
Inspirational Identity For Dark Circle the identity is something that needs to be clear, customers and potential customers need to see what Dark is about, stands for and represents as soon as they see imagery, branding material or pick up the clothes. The fits, fabrics and styling is all chosen to represent the brands identity right away. One of the ways we showcase the brands image and identity is through photography and videography. Finding ways to clearly show product and lifestyle in harmony of surroundings, environments and settings so it all looks natural but at the same time standing out from competitions imagery through well directed photo shoots, product placement and clear product shots. See some examples of images we like to understand the standard in which we will be aiming for.
LOOKBOOK / COLLECTIONS
EDITORIALS
PRODUCT SHOTS
CONTENT PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE SCENES, IN THE OFFICE, BLOGGING, INSTAGRAM ECT
GRAPHIC INSPIRATION