Graduate Portfolio: BA (Hons) Fashion Management & Communications

CHARLOTTE ROULSTONE GRADUATE PORTFOLIO

CONTENTS ABSTRACT 02 ABOUT ME 03 04 05 06

HOMMAGE INSPIRATION PROCESS REALISATION REALISATION

OROS 07 INSPIRATION 08 PROCESS 09 PROCESS 10 11 12 13

WABI SABI INSPIRATION PROCESS REALISATION REALISATION

01

ABSTRACT

ABOUT ME

I am a recently graduated fashion communicator with keen interests in branding and creative concept development.

Throughout my Fashion Management & Communication degree, I have specialised in marketing and branding, where I have continuously explored and challenged the ‘status quo’ within the media landscape.

I hope this portfolio will reflect my creative yet strategic approach towards marketing and communications.

02

HOMMAGE

INSPIRATION

03

Diversity and inclusivity continue to be leading the conversation in the fashion industry. In today’s society, men are frequently faced with societal and cultural pressures to conform to an ‘ideal’ body image that is constructed by masculine stereotypes. In consideration of the increasing media presence of the body positivity and the growing plus-size market, male consumers are appealing for menswear brands to offer a greater range of sizes, whilst using a more diverse range of models to embrace inclusivity and diversity within campaigns.

My final project was influenced by my dissertation which investigated how fashion media is raising awareness of male body positivity. I created a contemporary and youthful menswear brand, Hommage, that is built on inclusivity. My project outcomes specialised in branding and marketing, which included brand guidelines, a promotional strategy and a campaign film.

87% OF PARTICIPANTS

BELIEVE THAT

BODY

POSITIVITY IS PORTRAYED FOR

WOMEN

MORE THAN MEN WITHIN

FASHION MEDIA

HOMMAGE

PROCESS

The aim of the promotional strategy was to establish Hommage as an all-inclusive menswear brand. The campaign would promote the upcoming debut collection, which was inspired by mental health charity, Mind.

Through the implementation of an effective 12-week digital strategy to promote the launch of Hommage, the key objective was to build the brands’ presence within the menswear market.

Strategy tactics included direct marketing, social media and public relations.

Following the launch of Hommage and its debut collection, various key performance indicators including overall website traffic, social reach and engagement rate wouldl be utilised to review and analyse the success of the strategy.

The key message behind the strategy was to reflect Hommage’s inclusive vision that is focused on providing style to every man regardless of their body shape and size.

04

FASHION FOR MEN NOT THE MAN

HOMMAGE

REALISATION

Direct Marketing Email and text marketing are cost-effective direct and immediate forms of promotional tactics as Hommage can reach a large number of people all at the same time. Furthermore, they will build brand awareness and boost customer engagement through simple means of communication with customers.

Google Ads are an effective promotional tool for the launch of Hommage as the online advertisements can be targeted to reach a certain audience based on factors such as keywords, demographics and geographical locations.

05

REALISATION

Public Relations

HOMMAGE

To promote the upcoming launch of Hommage, the brand aims to work with male individuals who are in the public eye.

This will build a level of brand trust with customers whilst also establishing their online presence.

The selected ambassadors to support the brand’s launch are Jordan Banjo and Tommy Mallet. They are ideal Hommage ambassadors as they have both spoken publicly about body image and mental health struggles. They portray authentic and genuine personalities, which reinforces the Hommage ethos.

The two men have both acquired high engagement rates on their social media platforms. Hommage aims to promote the launch and debut collection through Jordan Banjo’s TikTok platform and Tommy Mallet’s Instagram.

Social Media Social media is a fast and effective means of communication to reach a large audience instantly. It will be a key component within the promotional strategy, as it will create a greater brand awareness and boost customer engagement, which as a result will increase website traffic.

Hommage will primarily use Instagram, YouTube and TikTok to establish their online presence whilst building their brand awareness.

Jordan Banjo

06

Tommy Mallet

OROS

INSPIRATION

This was a collaborative project with overseas students at Miami University, Ohio. They were creating a new and improved marketing campaign concept for Oros Apparel.

The aim of the project was to create an engaging campaign that reflects the brand’s NASA-graded garment technology in order to increase customer engagement.

Who would have thought that the same science used to insulate spacecraft at -450°F could keep you warmer than a bunch of goose feathers?

About Oros

“The science of staying warm hasn’t changed for hundreds of years, and OROS knows that “outdated” has no place in outerwear. It’s why we tore our technology straight from the cosmos - the same stuff NASA uses to insulate spacecraft - and science’d it into max-warmth, zero-bulk apparel destined to take you beyond.”

A REVOLUTION

IN STAYING

FASHIONABLY

WARM

07

ADVENTUROUS FUN ENERGETIC

PROCESS

08

OROS

#PLANETWARMTH

“Curiosity is the essence of our existence”

Behind the Campaign To reflect the garment technology of the products, colder climate locations would best represent the brand. Consideration of settings such as national parks, ski resorts, and mountain ranges should be used. This would also reflect the brand’s inspiration of the Alps.

The campaign video should start off with a rocket launch producing smoke, then using a smooth transition into a close up of snow spray from skiing. The camera then zooms out to capture the fast-pace movement of skiing. Various winter activities should be included in the campaign, with models wearing OROS garments to reflect the idea of warmth in a colder, icy climate. Furthermore, a combination of “go-pro” camera angles, wide shots, and slow-motion close-ups should be considered when shooting the campaign.

OROS

PROCESS

Improving the User Experience Currently the website displays the products in a basic studio setting, with the image quality not to the highest standard. OROS should consider doing a location ecommerce shoot, in order to attract greater customer engagement. An ecommerce studio shoot should be reshot also, to ensure that product imagery is of the highest quality. Pixelation of images must be avoided.

When scrolling through the product list on the website, the location product image should be the first view of the product that the customer sees. By altering the product presentation on the website will engage the customer better and therefore add to the user experience as the product imagery will have a more exciting appearance.

09

WABI SABI

INSPIRATION

Accepting one another for one’s natural self has never been more important at a time when society has created such a distorted perception of beauty. The upcoming trend, Wabi Sabi, concentrates on promoting the acceptance of beauty in imperfections with the focus on acne. Women should not be made to feel like acne is ugly, nor should they be made to feel ashamed of their appearance as a result.

In line with the Spring/Summer 21 season, Dove will launch a new product range introducing their debut facial skincare collection, called Glo’Naturelle. The range is influenced by the Wabi Sabi philosophy which encourages the belief that nothing is perfect. Dove will implement new technology alongside the product range, to create a personalised consumer experience.

10

WABI SABI

PROCESS

Over time, Dove has made a conscious effort to be an inclusive brand and by appealing to those with imperfections. These imperfections are mirrored within the Wabi Sabi trend, with the strong belief that imperfections and flaws should be embraced rather than be made invisible. Both Dove and Wabi Sabi focus on the idea of real beauty, with the aim to help women develop a positive relationship with their appearance, and to feel confident in their natural skin.

The Glo’Naturelle product range that Dove will launch will embrace the Wabi Sabi skincare philosophy, with the core focus to promote skin positivity. Using this upcoming trend will enable Dove to strengthen their existing brand image as well as promote their presence within the beauty and personal care market. By adopting the Wabi Sabi philosophy, Dove will create a greater representation of authenticity which will stand them out from competitors, such as Neutrogena, Olay and Garnier.

The key objective behind the Glo’Naturelle product range, is for Dove to expand their overall target market as a result of positioning the brand to a new audience. Whilst targeting a new audience, Dove will also aim to encourage their ‘Real Beauty’ vision further through promotional material.

11

REALISATION

12

Dove will associate with various influencers to create promotional material for the Glo’Naturelle product range. Individuals such as skin positivity activists, beauty influencers and individuals who are documenting their acne journey will be implemented to promote the range.

Kadeeja Sel Khan

Digital Strategy Dove will utilise Instagram as a key channel to effectively reach

@emeraldxbeauty

@mypaleskinblog

their new target audience of women aged 18-35. It will be the most effective platform to reach this wide demographic, as research demonstrates that Instagram has seen significant growth and is popular across all generations. Alongside Instagram, Dove will also use YouTube to collaborate with various content creators to launch the Glo’Naturelle range.

YouTube is evident to be the most popular platform among Gen Z for watching videos.

Whilst collaborating with YouTubers to create content to in creating short adverts to feature before YouTube videos.

Dove adverts will aim to last no more than 30 seconds and primarily focus on communicating the key themes behind the Glo’Naturelle concept. Using this shorter advertising method of skippable adverts will help Dove to promote Glo’Naturelle in a punchy way, with the added advantage of building brand awareness to their new target audience in a short space of time.

Sofia Grahn

Louisa Northcote

@lounorthcote

support the launch of the product range, Dove will also invest

INFLUENCERS @isotretinoinwiths

WABI SABI

Em Ford

WABI SABI

REALISATION

Physical Delivery The launch of Dove’s facial skincare range, Glo’Naturelle, will be delivered in a bricks-and-mortar environment. Currently Dove does not sell in their own bricks-and-mortar stores, and trades within various health and beauty retailers and supermarkets. Dove will launch the product range in a pop-up concession counter in Boots stores across the United Kingdom. Boots is the most used retailer when shopping for beauty and personal care items, with almost two fifths of consumers having shopped with Boots in the last year. By initially launching the product range exclusively within Boots will create easier access to customers in comparison to a single flagship store in one location.

As the leading health and beauty specialist, Boots will achieve a high footfall. This will benefit Dove as they will achieve greater exposure to their new market of women aged 16-35, alongside a secondary audience of consumers who may not consider to associate with Dove.

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