paloma — wool
paloma — wool
RESEARCH FOLDER Ashton Hargreaves HAR15444270 Fashion PR and Communication: Year 3
CONTENTS -
Founder
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Nice Things Collections Overview Projects & Collaborations Liberty London Media Coverage Communication Branding & Packaging Target Audience Competitors Trends Issues & Opportunities Strategy
5 7 25 35 43 49 57 61 69 73 77 81
FOUNDER -
Paloma Lanna born 1989 in San Sebastian, Spain grew her passion for design from being immersed into the fashion industry at a young age. The daughter of Paloma Santaolla and Miguel Lanna, founders of Catalonian womenswear brand Nice Things, often followed her parents around the globe at work visiting suppliers and observing trends. Paloma studied Business Management at ESADE in Barcelona, Spain rather than choosing a fashion design pathway due to much discouragement and the influence of her parents wanting her to be equipped with practical knowledge on how to run a successful business. During a trip to Hong Kong during her studies, Paloma found a vintage film camera at a market and started taking photographs to document her trip around China. ‘When I developed the first photos at a lab in Hong Kong, I was shocked. I was so in love with this kind of photography that I stopped using digital cameras and I have never shot anything other than film since!’ (Interview: The Great Discontent, 2018). Unfortunately, whilst Paloma was on study
exchange in 2012, her father died. After her fathers death she went on to join her mother at Nice Things. Now residing in Barcelona and still committed to the family business as Marketing Director, Paloma founded her own multidisciplinary fashion project Paloma Wool (an English translation of her surname Lanna) that launched in 2014. The brand is a true representation of Paloma’s own personal style. The selftaught photographer explores and experiments with using film photography to document her design process and to produce editorial shoots for e-commerce content. By resisting the rules of the fashion industry, Paloma Wool is an advocate within the practice of slow fashion and does not conform to the fashion designer ideal of producing seasonal collections, mass production or slashed prices during sale season. Instead her collections are produced locally in Spain in small quantities to keep the brand as sustainable as possible as well as helping to support the local economy. 2
who is behind paloma wool? “ I share my team with the team at my parents brand Nice Things Paloma S. There is a lot of people behind everything. I am lucky enough to call them all my very beloved friends as well as coworkers. �
- Stella Zheng Interview, 2016
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NICE THINGS nicethingspalomas.com Nice Things Paloma S was created in 1995 by husband and wife duo, Paloma Santaolalla and Miguel Lanna which started off in their own home in Barcelona, Spain. The concept of the brand was to create a ‘universe where nice things happened from living working relationships, unique colour combinations, proximity to manufactures, closeness to clients and ethical production procedures.’ Their constant presence at international fashion fairs such as: Pitti Bimbo Florence (Italy); PREMIUM in Berlin (Germany), PURE in London (UK), PLAY TIME in Paris (France), has pushed them forward into their presence at international markets. Worldwide shipping is also available on their website whilst having their own stores in 58 countries including 3 stores in Barce
lona alone. As well as this, they have mono-brand stores which are situated globally. Today, Paloma Santaolalla and her daughter Paloma Lanna are the heart and soul of the brand and also the managers of the development of ideas of each collection in the firm. Their personal outlook on fashion gives Nice Things a strong personality that represents creativity and feminity for women and children. .
“My level of involvement with Nice Things has changed since I started working there. About 80% of my time is dedicated to Paloma Wool now, especially as it continues to grow. I’m really connected to my mom, though, so we continue to work together. And we share a space, because we’re in the same office as Nice Things. When I was more involved with Nice Things, I felt like I didn’t have the same level of freedom that I have at Paloma Wool. Now, I can really be myself—exploring and experimenting—and I don’t have to worry about whether it’s commercial or not, or if people will understand it or not.” - The Great Discontent, 2018 6
COLLECTIONS OVERVIEW -
ELLE es, 2014
The first item Paloma Lanna released under the project, Paloma Wool, was a sweatshirt. Numbered by hand and part of a limited edition of 50 produced. The sweater featured a photograph Paloma had taken on her travels in New Zealand, of a bush with pink flowers, using her old Yashica film camera. She shot the sweater on a friend and posted the image on Instagram. People began sharing it. Then they started buying it. In one day, her nascent website was flooded with visits from 69 different countries. “It taught me that content is so important, they were only sweatshirts, but the photos were so different to what other brands were doing that people connected to them.�
Collection 01: 2014 The brands debut collection presented a theme of marbled print clothing and sweatshirt’s, with a heavy presence of the colour blue on the simple designed garments. The collection was photographed on film to present multiple models wearing the items, placed in a studio setting. 10
collection 02
collection 03
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Collection 04: 2015 Paloma Wool’s fourth collection features inspiration and references to her favourite famous artists, Matisse and Picasso. The brands in house illustrator Tana Latorre interpreted the artists work by line drawing faces on the light linen fabric of monochrome and mint hues. The lookbook imagery shows one female model expressing her creativity through painting and sculpture, whilst wearing the collection of wearable art.
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Collection 07: The Bathing Women, 2016 Inspired by a painted scene of nude women by Émile Bernard, Paloma asked friend and illustrator Tana Latorre to draw a scene of feminine figures bathing in a river. These drawings were then transferred on to 7 linen pieces which were later photographed by Paloma Lanna to sell online and publish in the brands book 15- 15. The limited linen collection is a tribute to the role of woman in 20th century art. Within this collection, the ‘Leandre’ shirt was also created and has become one of best selling and most recongisable item of Paloma Wool.
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no 106 / Leandra Loose fit shirt with ‘Nude figures’ print by Tana Latorre. 100% viscose. Made in Barcelona.
Winter 2018 The winter capsule collection featured a lot of pieces produced with corduroy fabric in a variety of earthy colours with minimal tailoring and a seventies flair. Another key item from the collection is the Alpaca jumpers that featured astrology themed graphic prints that are advertised as a unisex item, modelled by males who were used by the brand for the first time for e-commerce photography and to attract a wider audience. The winter collection is priced at ÂŁ30-180 ranging from earrings to jumpsuits. This collection was also in stocked in store at Liberty- London during the Christmas period.
December 2018 For Men Too Paloma Wool’s first capsule collection for men launched in December 2018. The collection was launched alongside a newsletter and a short vimeo video which showcased the collection on four male dancers. The pieces can be found under the catergory ‘For Men Too’ on the website styled on male models.
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paloma — wool
Current Collection Spring 2019 Tana Lattore illustrated a flock of doves as a tribute to her and Paloma’s friendship. The print was then transferred onto the limited collection of linen pieces, which launched during spring 2019. Also during Spring, Paloma Wool launched a new accessory - the cap. The caps are available in a variety of colours with embroided logos of noticable branded illustrations. As well as the caps being a unisex item, they are priced at an accesible entry level price point (₏39). .
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P R O J E C T S & C O L LAB O RAT I O N S -
“When I started Paloma Wool my ambition was to create a platform for different artists to meet and create pieces together.� - Vogue Interview, 2018
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Paloma Wool often collaborates with international artists on projects whom she has a natural, organic connection with. So far, Paloma Wool has collaborated with artists to create unique ceramics, limited editions of silk scarfs, bathed in waterfalls to re-create an image to print, painted on a female body to express beauty, photographed her friends to express how the people around us inspire us every day and also produced installation spaces. All collaborations can be found on palomawool.com with photographic references to the inspiration and story behind how each project was produced and founded with each individual artist.
Romy Cole-Groth, July 2018 After founding a friendship with Romy via Insatgram, Paloma chose two of Romy’s drawings to develop a limited edition of silk scarves and t-shirt. Romy along with photographer Joony Revanche shot these pieces together with her closest friends in her hometown.
Tanya Posternak, October 2016 Paloma sent Tanya a direct message over Instagram to express her admiration for her illustration work in which Tanya responded by personally sending Paloma her drawings in the post. This found friendship resulted in collaborating together to produce a limited edition silk scarf titled for retail as ‘Tanya Scarf’.
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no 198 / Karin Haas We hadn’t seen anything like Karin Haas’s work before, we can’t be happier to be collaborating with her. Measurements: 80cmx80cm. Silk scarf with drawing by Karin Haas to wear or hang on your wall.
Thank You London, November 2018 Paloma Wool planned to stage a photo shoot with its London-based clients and followers during her Liberty London department store pop up, the brands first ever psychical space. “We’re not looking for models – just people who like the project and we want to represent everyone that wants to be apart of it” (Vogue, 2018). After posting the idea on Instagram Stories to reach out to the audience, they received 150 emails on the first day. The selection of people who participated showed interest and love for the project and was photographed as a group by Paloma herself, in the distinct look of the brand. 32
14-14 Paloma Wool published her first book titled 14-14, which narrates the first year of her fashion project. Within the first year Paloma Wool collaborated with some of Barcelona’s most relevant contemporary artists, this is displayed over 248 pages that presents her personal observations and photography. A fashion book is a desirable branded object and can be considered a marketing tool to promote the brands name in a different environment outside of a clothing retail store. For example, Paloma Wool’s coffee table styled books can be found in MACBA: Musuem of Contemporary Arts Barcelona gift shop. By creating a permanent record of work it also helps give context and give added meaning whilst offering a more accessible entry point into the brand. Graphics and editorial design by Querida Studio.
15-15 For the second year in a row Paloma Wool commissioned Querida Studio to design the second volume of her book series titled 15-15 that features all of the projects and collaborations with artists during 2016, which features the nude figure drawing from Collection 07 on the front cover. This is sold at a retail price of 30 GBP with 500 copies available. All 30 copies which were stocked at the Liberty popup were sold. 34
LIBERTY LONDON POP-UP -
29th October - 21st Decemeber 2018 The exclusive pop up showcasing the winter capsule collection, is the first time Paloma Wool has ever been stocked in a psychical space, not only in the UK but globally. The sculptured shop installation was designed by Dello Studio as an exploration of inhabited spaces. I visited Liberty after the first weekend it has been open after seeing Paloma Wool post about it on Instagram stories. Once locating the pop-up, I had a conversation with the employee who was responsible for the concession to find out more information. On the first week there was an emergency restock due to high sell out rates with popular items such as the unisex astrology jumper and the infamous Leandra shirt. I asked about who was
buying the brand and the staff reported that it was mainly a range of women aged 20-50 years old, as the products as well as their colours are very wearable for everyone. Another thing I got told about the pop up was that the clothing on display was only for display purposes only and customers should ask staff for a size. Paloma personally requested there to be a sign present to state this, although it did not happen. Paloma strongly felt the pieces from her collection should be hanged and presented like an art piece. Most pieces stock in-store from the capsule collection were also available online at libertylondon.com during this time.
Dello Studio @dellostudio The 8 week installation space at Liberty was designed in collaboration with Oscar Piccolo and Charlotte Taylor from Dello Studio, an art and design studio based in London that covers set design, creative direction spaces and objects. Paloma discovered the two young artists through social media platform Instagram and finally met in person at the opening night of the pop up. The square space consisted of curved white sculptures to hang and present each product surrounded by the entrance of arches that were situated on the second floor at Liberty, which is dedicated to casual and contemporary womenswear.
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The original 8 week long Liberty London pop-up was extended from the 21st December 2018 to 11th January 2019. The pop-up was not able to keep up with customer demand. When personally visiting the pop-up after the opening weekend, I spoke with the sales women to see who was buying into the brand and the success. Most pieces sold out within the first few days and Liberty had to place emergency orders to be shipped from the Paloma Wool’s studio in Spain. The main selling point for the brand, as the sales woman said, is when the pieces are sold out in the specific colour way they will not be remade as Paloma Wool does not mass produce collections. After the extending pop-up period had ended, Liberty London decided to permanently stock Paloma Wool as a brand on their website for customers to buy. This is the first time Paloma Wool has been available on a UK based domain website. Additionally, Liberty allows customers to click and collect items in-store for free.
M E D I A C O V E R A G E (UK) -
Press Coverage Paloma Wool has been fortunate to capture the eye of widely acknowledged and prestigious publications within the UK media. She has been covered in Vogue, ELLE, The Guardian and had an in-depth interview with quarterly magazine, Kinfolk. These publications align with the brand to translate the ethos and reach out to their readership to attract potential target consumers and a wider visibility. shiftlondon.org libertylondon.com
elle.com/uk
whowhatwear.com
vogue.co.uk
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graziadaily.co.uk
telegraph.co.uk
kinfolk.com
refinery29.com
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C O M M U N I CAT I O N -
Vimeo vimeo.com/palomawool
Vimeo is a video sharing website where users can upload, share and view videos for free, founded by a group of filmmakers in 2004. The site now has more than 80,000,00 creators worldwide. Paloma Wool uses Vimeo often to upload short videos of each project titled in numerical order, the link to the brands Vimeo account can be found at the bottom of their main website. The engagement and following of the brands platform is very low with videos reaching just over 100 views as it is not a very popular website for fashion brands to engage their audience. However, it is a good way to be able to express Palomas artistic approach allowing her to show and promote her projects further. Alternatively, Paloma Wool could create and upload videos on popular videosharing wesbite YouTube which would get more views.
Facebook www.facebook.com/palomawool
Paloma Wool’s Facebook content consists of linked Instagram posts therefore no new content is created or published for the purpose of this social media platform. Over 12,000 people like the brands Facebook page although the engagement is usually low with a post on average reaching 40 likes.
Pinterest www.pinterest.es/palomawool
Pinterest is another free social media platform the brand uses to post their inspiration and collections. The web-based pin board allows other users to explore, follow or engage with the brand through reposting pins to their own boards. Currently the brand has over 5K followers that follow Paloma Wool’s multiple boards consisting of interiors, women, hands and personal projects with images sourced from various artists and photographers.
Newsletter The option to sign up to the Paloma Wool newsletter can be found at the bottom of the brands website. Newsletters are sent almost monthly, which notify the mailing list of products that are back in stock, new arrivals and new projects and collaborations. The email messages are very briefly and hyperlinked for potential customers to be directed to the main website to view more. Newsletters are a cost effective marketing tool and a way to maintain connection with their loyal consumers by keeping them updated, especially customers who may not have or 52 use social media often.
Instagram instagram.com/palomawool The brand was able to first gain recognition from being a small start-up through the social media platform, Instagram. This platform is the most consistent and popular form of communication Paloma Wool uses, with a growing following of 265k. The brand actively communicates with their audience by posting items from each collection, inspirations as well as Paloma’s personal life up to 6 times a day. The Instagram Stories feature is frequently used daily to showcase a daily insight into Paloma’s life and any information regarding news of the brand or events. The Instagram page @palomawool, is also very interactive with followers and potential customers by reposting tagged user content as well as replying to most questions that are posted in the comment section. This is important for the brand as it provides them with feedback that expresses particular interest and demand for products that are only available to buy online.
@palomawool has a very distinct visual aesthetic whilst following a consistent colour palette on Instagram. The artistic direction is very cohesive to the brands key messages overall.
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palomawool.com The not so typical e-commerce website designed by Querida Studio, who were commissioned to redesign the website for the brands 4th anniversary and also designed the layout of the published books (14-14, 15-15). The website displays a clean and simple design that is accessible to view on desktop and mobile to help convey the brands essence further. Available products to buy are displayed categorically under the catergory heading ‘Shop’. Each item that is stocked online is photographed by Paloma on a film camera and uploaded as a short series of images to give the product deeper context as apposed to the popular ecommerce photography that is widely used to sell clothing that consists of shooting on a model in a white studio environment with controlled lighting. The models used are an integral part of her business, that represent a diverse mix of women and sometimes men to resonate with her customers. Since Paloma Wool launched, each collection has only ever been sold online allowing her to keep everything at a affordable price range by cutting out any middlemen costs. Shipping is available worldwide through the brands main website or on the few US domain e-retailers the brand is stocked at.
Desktop Version
Mobile Version
B RAN D I N G & PAC KAG I N G -
paloma wool is a project on photography, clothing, art and other experiments. It is evident that there is a clear visual brand identity that is consistent throughout the social media platforms, website, published books and packaging. Dark purple and white dashed patterned background with a centred hyphen is used as a profile icon for all communication platforms and it is also attached to each item as part of the clothing label. When a person thinks of the brand they will then assosciate it with the colour, purple in a dark shade. Peach-pink hues are another prominent colour used on the brands website, clothing labels and packaging. As the packaging is
very visually pleasing it adds to a positive customer experience overall whilst helping to stand out from competiton, this is a very important factor for an emerging brand.
There are very few pieces like the one in your hands. It is part of an idea, not a collection. Made in Barcelona.
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TAR G E T AU D I E N C E -
“ My client profile are young, sensitive girls, who value the garment beyond the action of wearing it. � - Paloma Lanna (Vogue, 2014)
Paloma Wool directly targets female customers who are active on social media aged between 20 – 40 years old with a middle-level income, due to the very wearable designs made in various organic colours. A high saturation of the brands current consumers come from the United States. Research and Development Agency based in Los Angeles, California represents sales for 5 womenswear fashion brands including Paloma Wool, resulting in the brand being sold on multiple US online retailers such as popular websites, Need Supply Co and Lisa Says Gah. Without being represented by any Public Relations agency internationally, the brand has a growing European following outside of Barcelona. Paloma describes her client profile as ‘young, sensitive girls who values the garment beyond the action of wearing it’. As well as them being people who are interested in the local product and therefore understand everything that surrounds the garment: the photos that accompany it, the furniture which it hangs on and the videos that portray it.
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CONSUMER QUESTIONNAIRE To help gain a further understanding of the current customer’s perspective and direction of the brand, I contacted people through Instagram direct message. I found public Instagram accounts of both male and females from different countries that have posted themselves personally wearing their own purchases from Paloma Wool and also tagged @palomawool in the image. I asked each person 5 short questions. Hello, I am a final year student at London College of Fashion and have chosen the brand Paloma Wool for my final major project. I am messaging you because I found your profile through @palomawool tagged photos and hope you will take the time to answer a few questions to help with research for my project. 1. When and how did you find out about Paloma Wool? 2. One to best describe the brand. 3. What influenced you in making a purchase and is it likely you will be a repeat customer? 4. Which online retails would you except to find Paloma Wool’s collection to be sold? 5. Which other brands do you like/buy into the most?
@yo_its_ang 1. I have been a big admirer/lover of Paloma Wool for about 3 years, starting in my third year of university. I am fairly certain I first found them on Instagram. 2. “Empowering” I have a few pieces from their collection and every time I wear each piece I feel very beautiful and feminine whilst also feeling extremely empowered. I love that they refer to Paloma Wool as a ‘project about getting dressed’. 3. I have a few pieces from Paloma Wool’s collection, my most recent piece being the Aries Sweater. Paloma Wool’s items are extremely well made and very beautiful when worn. I am already a repeat customer and plan on being one for as long as I can. 4. Lisa Says Gah and Need Supply Co. I believe these online fashion retailers to be a perfect fit as they sell other items with a similar aesthetic. 5. I do my best to stay away from fast fashion brands such as Zara & H&M—they have a negative impact on our environment, and I try my best to minimise my carbon footprint as much as possible. Besides Paloma Wool, I love and own a few pieces from Ganni, Comme des Garçons and Orseund Iris. I am also very into vintage shopping. Some brands that I admire dearly are Jacquemus, Celine (the old Celine), LOQ, Saks Potts, Molly Goddard, Nanushka, Rouje, John Elliot, Acne Studios, Maison Cleo, and Isabel Marant.
@phoebeshinn
@charlymonty
@borgessruben
1. I found out about Paloma Wool in 2018 through a clothing retailer called Lisa Says Gah.
1. I found out about Paloma Wool very early on because I am from Barcelona and her mother owns a famous shop there called Nice Things.
1. I found out about Paloma Wool in 2017 through an interview for ‘freundevonfreunden’ website.
2. Vibrant. When I was looking through the website it was very artistic and full of colours. 3. I always wanted to buy an item from Paloma Wool but it was too pricey. Recently I told myself I wont buy cheap clothes and invest in quality clothes so I decided to buy. I’ll definitely buy more clothes from them soon! 4. I’ve seen paloma wool on small name sites such as Lisa Says Gah or Nanin Studio. They’re both into slow fashion and quality clothes that last. 5. I try to always shop from small brands but time-to-time I’ll shop from Free People or Reformation.
2. Simple. 3. I really like the clothes as it is timeless, produced in Barcelona and from every collection only a few pieces are released. It is a bit expensive but that makes me take more time deciding if I do really like something and if I will wear it. 4. Lisa Says Gah. 5. & Other Stories, Arket, COS as well as lots of vintage clothes.
2. Timeless. 3. I’m a huge fan from Matisse’s work and the shirt I’ve bought from Paloma reminds me of the painting ‘Blue Nude’ I guess that was the reason that made me a customer and obviously I want to have more pieces from the brand. 4. Voo Store or SSENSE. 5. Lately I’m buying more second hand but I guess I’m into Sunnei, Prada and The North Face (purple label).
@r2bin @retrochinadoll 1. Probably on Instagram.
1. I found out about Paloma Wool a year ago. I was just exploring instagram accounts for inspo and they caught my eye!
2. Art or Unique.
2. Wonderful and unique but at the same time simple and stylish.
3. I love what the brand stands for – sustainability, buying clothes that double as art and are well crafted to last for a very long time and I just love the style. I am already a repeat customer. My favourite pieces in my wardrobe are Paloma Wool.
3. There was a piece I wanted for a long time so I ordered it along with other items whilst I was at it. I am most definitely a repeat customer because the quality is great along with the whole customer experience.
4. Garmentory, The realreal, Lisa Says Gah. 5. I mostly buy second hand. Paloma Wool is the only brand I actively seek out. I try not to buy brands that are unsustainable/ not eco-friendly/unethical.
4. Maybe Reformation due to sustainability but also because I find the brand to be really feminine which suits Reformation well. 5. I mostly buy vintage, second hand clothing but I like brands like Reformation, Realisation Par, Rouje, Carhartt.
@outsidexin 1. I found out about the brand a few years ago from a colleague. 2. Cool. 3. I like that they are a fairly niche brand that you don’t see overly saturated and that they promote feminism. Very likely I will be a repeat customer. 4. They aren’t a high enough price point for Net a Porter/Matches/Browns but they don’t fall into ASOS etc. I know they did a pop up in Liberty London and I think that’s their ideal customer. 5. Acne Studios, Dries Van Noten, Maison Margeila, Jacquemes and Ganni.
UK TARGET AUDIENCE
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2
3
18-26 year old women
27- 45 year old women
20- 35 year old male
Active on social media, expresses themselves through fashion, art and music
Independent and mature
Feminist
Reads newspapers and fashion, interior and lifestyle magazines
Career in the creative industry
Environmentally and socially conscious Minimal casual style Enjoys travelling
Strong sense of own personal style
Active on social media Lives in a city
COMPETITORS -
Paloma Wool is a relatively emerging brand, which positions itself as an artistic project that is more than another womenswear fashion brand. The project references the belonging of friendship and womanhood; this makes the brand appeal to an audience who value authenticity over buying into mainstream commercialised fashion labels. The price range of the products available within each capsule collection that avoids mass production is situated at an affordable, low-mid range price point on average costing ÂŁ100 GBP per item. I decided to research into competitor brands with a similar price point, aesthetic and consumer cliental within the UK womsnwear market. I also looked into brands which are currently stocked on Floor 2: Contemporary Womenswear fashion in Liberty London, where the Paloma Wool pop-up was situated.
Target Reformation Mansur Gavriel Ganni Emerging Rejina Pyo LOQ STAUD Shrimps Direct Nanushka & Other Stories House of Sunny YMC
DIRECT
DIRECT
& Other Stories launched in 2010 by a small group of creatives under the H&M Group. With three design ateliers in Paris,Stockholm and Los Angeles, & Other Stories grew from the ‘wish to give women the freedom of expression through one brand’. The &OS brand is positioned as a low-mid price point womenswear brand that sells clothing, shoes, accessories, jewellery and beauty products. This shows it is more than just a fashion brand. & Other Stories appeals and is accessible for the fashion conscious feminine woman who curates their wardrobe around staple pieces.
Founder, Sandra Sandor graduated London College of Fashion in 2005 and soon after launched her own label Nanushka in Budapest, Hungary. Nanushka believes that if a garment is designed to function well, it will by definition be beautiful. The brand delivers a modern, versatile, day to night wardrobe.
The brand can be found on the UK high street with 13 stores including a London flagship store on Regents Street as well as having multiple stores worldwide. & Other Stories also sells everything online with online exclusives and can be shipped to multiple countries. They use a more modern e-commerce approach to sell women only products with models shot digitally in a studio. Currently & Other Stories have over 1.5 million Instagram followers. The successful platform with a high engagement rate promotes their weekly new in and seasonal products with digital content of editorial shoots. & Other Stories regularly gift influencers who align with the brand and in return re-post content of them wearing their gifted product(s). If you are a student in the UK you are also able to redeem 10% discount codes online or instores, this incentive makes it more accessible for a younger demographic.
Nanushka show their mainline collection at New York fashion week. During Fall 2019, their menswear line was launched as a presentation. The designer told Vogue she believes fashion is going in a ‘genderless direction’. The brand operates a flagship store in Budapest along with a cafe. Her collections are now stocked in over 30 countries internationally through online stores, specialty shops and stores such as, Selfridges, Liberty and Browns, Net-a-Porter and Goodhood, as well shipping over 100 countries worldwide. The prices of products range from £170- £800 often reinventing items in Nanushka’s signature vegan leather E-commerce products are shot digitally, directed in an artistic way. The website is easy to use with a clean and simple aesthetic, similar to the Instagram account. #nanushkagirls is an active hashtag used on Instagram to promote women wearing the brand from A- list celebrities to influencers. Signing up to the brands newsletter on the bottom of their website allows customers to get 10% off their next order. 72
TRENDS -
Life Drawing WGSN published Life Drawing as an A/W 19 trend. Stating: simple life drawings of portraits and body forms emerge as the seasonal must-have. Devoid of unnecessary detail, pared-back line drawings are coveted by Millennials looking for Insta-ready styles. The ‘Leandra’ shirt is Paloma Wools most popular and best selling item often put into repeat production to fit demand. Since the loose fit, one sized shirt featuring line drawings was photographed by influencers wearing it at fashion week, it soon became an Instagram cult buy. Fast fashion brands also took notion of the growing popularity of the item. For example, TOPSHOP started to sell a noticably similar design titled ‘Abstract Print Shirt’ sold for less than half of the original designs cost and also mass produced.
Corduroy High Street retailer, Monki started to sell very similar pieces to Paloma Wool’s winter 2018 collection. Corduroy two pieces in the same colour pallette and design were made available to buy online and in their multiple international stores.
paloma — wool
Sustainablity Black Friday Boycott (WGSN) Black Friday - now one of the biggest retail days of the year in Europe and worldwide leads consumers to mindlessly buy for discounted prices. In response to increased consumption, many brands are supporting a backlash against the event with ‘buy nothing’ hashtags and statements about sustainability. Paloma Wool posted an image on Instagram to notify her following she does believe in Black Friday as good quality products should be valued.
Feminism As some fashion brands tap into ‘feminism’ as a commerical trend to appeal to an audience who care about brand values, Paloma Wool portrays itself authentically by supporting women throughout the project. Paloma acknowledges all women, from choosing models with different body shapes and race to represent all women. Womanhood and friendship is also presetened clearly within the artisic womenwear fashion label.
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ISSUES &OPPORTUNITIES
S W O T ANALYS I S Strengths Sustainable Affordable Cohesive social media and website aesthetic Diverse models to repesent all women Weaknesses Lack of advertising No permanent retail space Small production team Shipping costs Opportunities Collaborations Pop up events YouTube channel Permanent retail space More accessiblity in the UK Increase visibility in the unisex/ menswear market Threats Cheaper brands with similar aesthetic and style Increased production and shipping costs Internet attack
PE S T LE ANALYS I S Political Paloma Wool does not promote any politics although the fashion industry in general can be submersed within political factors. The Spanish goverment may impose new regulations, which could be an increase in tax, trade tariffs or foreign exchange rates. This would have a direct affect towards the accessibility and level of affordability of the products to customers worldwide.
Technology Brands should utilise the power of exposure and growth though consistent social media platforms as well as advanced interactive technology to connect with the consumer. Competition and navigation of online retail should also be reviewed and adapted often.
Legal Currently Paloma Wool is only a direct to consumer online website so it Economic is vital consumers are protected online As a relatively new company with 0 when purchasing products or it could physical stores the brand is accessible damage reputation. Ethical factors of for everyone with Internet access. If the workplace and production should the brand was to expand it should con- also be considered to further retain sider re-investing profit to promote the their reputation. brand further to attain relevant media coverage and advertising costs. Environmental The target audience will be very Social aware about the state of environmenTo stay relevant Paloma Wool must tal issues and invests in the concept of stay authentic to the ethos and keep up sustainability. Although Paloma Wool to date with attitudes in the media for builds a sustainable brand by producexample presenting representation, ing products locally and staying away gender fluidity and feminism. Con- from mass production each season, sumer buying habits may change and the international transportation and reflect on seasonal demand, the brand shipping is a environmental factor bemay also benefit from promotion of cause it directly causes pollution. celebrity/influencer endorsements rather than her friends modelling.
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S T RAT E GY -
Aim To position Paloma Wool as a relevant contemporary fashion label in the UK womenswear market.
Objectives To increase brand awareness by securing Paloma Wool’s collection on a UK based fashion e-retailer. Generate 10 pieces of UK press coverage on print and digital media over a 12 month period. Increase social media following by 30% by promoting a positive brand image with focus on feminism and gender fluidity.
tactic / no. 1 Although currently there is a growing following and media attention surrounding the brand in the United Kingdom, following the research it is apparent Paloma Wool is not very accessible to consumers. After the success of the Liberty London pop- up shop which marked Paloma Wool’s first ever physical space, Liberty decided to stock a limited range of Paloma Wools collection permanently on their website. When buying online at Liberty, the options currently offered to customers are click and collect, next day delivery and free UK returns. The first tactic will be a press event for the launch of Paloma Wool’s collection being made available to purchase on international online retailer, MATCHESFASHION.COM. The press event will be held in April to coincide with Paloma Wools new release of linen pieces for spring. Luxury retailer Matches opened a 7,000 square feet hub in a Mayfair townhouse in September 2018. 5 Carlos Place is set over 5 levels, which incorporates two floors of luxury shopping space, two floors of personal shopping suites and a permanent residency event space on the second floor to connect the psychical and digital. The Matches townhouse also includes subtle mobile technology throughout that is connected to the Matchesfashion app, which allows shoppers full access to the retailer’s product range. The technology will also give staff access to visitor’s sizing information, past orders and browsing history, using a bespoke algorithm that helps staff to suggest relevant and personalised recommendations. All Matches products are available to be tried on and purchased in the store, and are delivered from the warehouse within 90 minutes.
Why Matches? MATCHESFASHION.COM UK is the modern luxury-shopping destination for the confident global fashion customer. The retailer provides international shipping by delivering to over 176 countries, 90 minute delivery time for select London based postcodes and offers 24/7 advice online through fashion-concierge team MyStylist, this makes it very accessible purchasing online or via the app. On the website, Matches state sustainability is at the heart or the way they do business. They claim to actively seek out suppliers who share a commitment to their values. This is aligns with Paloma Wool’s core values which is an important factor to consider when partnering with a company and during expansion. Competitor brands are also visible on Matches. com; this shows the demographic of the Paloma Wool customer is likely to shop and search here to find similar styles.
Location 5 Carlos Place Townhouse Floor 2 Mayfair, London
In Conversation with Paloma Wool Founder, Paloma Lanna will be discussing the focus on her brands creative process, ethos and entrepreneurship. The guest list will be made up of both short and long lead fashion, business and lifestyle publications. The publications invited will have a readership that is compatible with the Paloma Wool target audience, this corresponds with the aim to gain press coverage and brand loyalty. Additionally, 4 relevant influencers will be gifted an item from Matches Fashion x Paloma Wool which will be delivered to them on the day of the press event. The purpose of this is to spread awareness of the launch. Potential customers will be able to be instantly directed to view and purchase the collection via swipe up links on influencer’s stories.
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MATCHESFASHION.COM COMMUNICATION Facebook 56K Likes Twitter 8K Followers Instagram 731k Followers Youtube 3k Subscribers
The April 2019 press event will be on Thursday 11th, with attendees set to arrive at 4:00 PM (BST). The open food table for guests placed in the middle of the room will consist of a fusion of sweet and savoury treats with beverages from Spain and Britain, for a Spanish inspired tea party. Alongside this, visually pleasing floral decorations will be situated on the table and around the room where railings displaying pieces of Paloma Wool’s current collection. Once all guests are seated at the table, Paloma Lanna will start her conversation giving an exclusive personal insight into the brand. The discussion will be video recorded and uploaded onto both MATCHESFASHION.COM Instagram page and YouTube channel, where content is uploaded regularly. After the talk has finished guests will be able to have to chance to intimately ask Paloma questions within the event space.
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tactic / no. 1 part two
As Paloma Wool’s success and growth stemmed from the social media platform, Instagram the Paloma Wool target audience is socially active and can be also considered a regular user who interacts with similar accounts such as following influencers who share fashionable content of what they are wearing. My research has found Paloma has previously not gifted influencers in the past and could positively gain from this opportunity in return to grow the audience, therefore gifting products will increase demand for the already profitable business. Through researching influencers to gift, I decided on 4 accounts, which all had worn and tagged an item of Paloma Wool in the past and all based in the UK. The gifting will be sent prior to the Matches Fashion Launch so all deliveries will arrive on the day of the launch. In return, influencers will be informed to share the experience with their followers of unboxing the items and tagging both @palomawool and @matchesfashion Instagram accounts in their story or posts.
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3.36% ENGAGEMENT
251.85k REACH
2.8% ENGAGEMENT
107.2K REACH @monikh Monikh Dale, London UK Following: 106K Monikh’s curated feed which she updates daily involves fashion, interior, travel and artistic inspiration images. Her style can be described as feminine and simplistic as she is often captured wearing neutral coloured clothing from a mix of high street and designer brands featuring from H&M to Nanushka, which sets the tone for her colour co-ordinated feed and blog.
@brittanybathgate Brittany Bathgate, Norwich, UK Following: 256K Based just outside of London, Norwich based fashion and lifestyle blogger Brittany sticks to a contemporary minimalist and monochrome aesthetic. She uses her blog and social media account to share her distinctive Scandinavian style and insights into her personal life through videoing and often talking to her audience about her outfit choice on Instagram stories. As well as this, Paloma Wool mutually follows her account. Brands that feature repeatedly on her account are COS, Arket and Acne Studios.
735.25K REACH 0.73% ENGAGEMENT
0.94% ENGAGEMENT
@camillecharriere Camille Charriere, London UK Following: 727K Camille is one of the fashion industry’s leading influencers. The half French, half English blogger is known for her sharp and irreverent take on mixing emerging and luxury fashion as well as her collaborations with brands including Chloe, Harrods and Mango. She regularly is photographed attending fashion weeks and events around the world. Alongside this, she also co-hosts podcast; Fashion: No Filter that gives her a voice on what happens in fashion behind the scenes.
196. 83K REACH @alicecatherine Alice Catherine, Manchester, UK Following: 193K Alice is a blogger based in Manchester, the north of England. Her own style is classic while at the same time very feminine, reflecting on her passion for vintage styles and the sixties. She updates her social media daily often wearing items she has found from Etsy, Vestiare Collective and Beyond Retro.
tactic / no. 2 For Paloma Wool to have a more recognisable presence within the UK, the brand will collaborate with a British artist. By researching relevant artists for an organic collaboration project, I scrolled through Paloma’s list of accounts she currently follows on Instagram to find Luke EdwardHall, who also mutually follows Paloma Wool. The Paloma Wool x Luke Edward-Hall collaboration project will involve launching limited edition scarfs and a small collection of 50 individually hand illustrated ceramic vases which portray Paloma Wools collection and ethos in Luke’s signature line drawings. The scarfs and vases will be photographed by Paloma Wool in her distinct aesthetic to be sold exclusively on her website. Past Paloma Wool collaborations with artists have produced silk scarfs that are designed to a wearable accessory or wall hanging. The cost of the previously limited edition silk scarfs has been £90; therefore this will be a suitable price going forward for this project. Additionally, Luke Edward-Halls products for sale are priced up to £500. As the ceramic vases will be individually illustrated and due to the limited amount available, a reasonable price to sell these items will be £200, still within the Paloma Wool target audiences price range. To promote the collaboration, a newsletter and a press release will be sent to relevant media sources immediately on the day of the release. The images included will be of the products and portrait images of Luke wearing Paloma Wool’s menswear pieces. The desired outcome of Tactic 2 is to gain the attention of fashion and non- fashion based UK media as well as aiming to attract a wider audience who are interested in art and interiors.
Why Luke Edward- Hall? Luke Edward- Hall is a London based artist and interior designer. His colourful aesthetic is informed by a love of history and appreciation of beauty with signature hand drawn illustrations in pastel hues. With a loyal and growing following on Instagram (70k followers), he has catapulted the become known as the young designer within the interior world. After graduating Central Saint Martins in 2012 where he studied menswear fashion designer, he started to work as an interior architect for Ben Pentreath for two years. Luke then went on to establish his own Camden studio in 2015. As well as creating his own ceramics, fabrics, furniture and accessories he has worked on a broad range of art and design commissions and interior design projects commissioned by high profile companies and institutions such as Burberry and Royal Academy of Arts. In March 2019 he joined the Financial Times as a columnist to answer readers questions on stylish living.
Collaboration Packaging Ceramic Vases
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tactic / no. 3 From the popularity of the brands success of the Liberty London pop up in November 2018, hosting another pop-up in London nearly a year later with a different concept will aim to further attract visibility and accessibility in the UK. Tactic number 3 will involve the plan of an interactive 4 day pop-up exhibition space that will showcase Paloma Wool’s style of photography and moving image media with audio which is presented throughout the website and social media channels to sell each individual product. This shows the brand is more than just a commercialised fashion label. 81 Redchurch Street is a prime location to attract the desired target audience and potential consumers towards visiting the pop-up event. Located in creative trendled East London, placed in the middle of Shoreditch High Street and Brick Lane, the minimal gallery space allows easy access for transport links. The 300sqft gallery space is split into two sections. The section near the back of the building is where the personalisation t-shirt station will be found. Paloma Wool sells graphic print t-shirts on the brands website at £40, this will be the set price for t-shirts designed at the pop-up event.
On the opening night of the event, only guest list will be able to attend. The guest list will be made up of friends, family, influencers and press focusing on London centric media outlets. For the next 3 days the pop-up space will be free entry for the general public.
Room 1
Enterance
Room 2
Location 81 Redchurch Street Shoreditch, London 300sqft - £286 per day
no 272 / Recuerdo PW Unisex t-shirt with PW composition. 100% organic cotton. Made in Portugal.
WEEKDAY Workshop Gรถtgatan, Stockholm WEEKDAY, a Scandi brand under the H&M Group, held a workshop in their store in one of their stores in Sweden. The workshop allowed customers in store to personalise a choice of unisex long-sleeved or short sleeve t-shirts or tote bags with digital touchscreens to move and position graphics such as objects, patches or text. When the customer is happy with their design, the product was sent to print instantly. The process was also posted on @weekdayofficial account via Instagram stories.
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tactic / no. 4 Paloma Lanna turns 30 years old on the 5th December 2019. To celebrate her birthday, free international shipping will be advertised for any orders placed on the website within the 24 hours. This will be promoted through an email campaign which involves a series of images on the brands Instagram page to direct the audience to sign up to the brands mailing list to receive an email with the promotional code. 77% of shoppers agree that discounts can influence where they shop, even more so than good customer service and selection of products. - retailmenot.com (2018) The current cost of shipping to the United Kingdom is â‚Ź6,50. Orders that are over â‚Ź120 are shipped for free with the estimated delivery being 3-4 working days. Making shipping available for free worldwide and especially the UK will attract potential visitors to the website as the brand is seen as more accessible due to this incentive. Customers who sign up to the newsletter to gain the promotional code will also be on the Paloma Wool mailing list for future emails that notify them on new stock that is available and ongoing projects. As well as this, customer loyalty with the brand is also a factor that is built.
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