Claire Pierce B6001670
CONTENTS 6: An introduction 9:Exectuive Summary 10: Methodolgy and Product 13: Promotion 15: Brand Postioning, Brand consumer 18:Personal selling, Direct marketing 19:Bibliography
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AN INTRODUCTION The founder of Comme des Garçons, Rei Kawakubo, often said that her drive for the brand comes from wanting to show what is strong and beautiful, yet admits ‘It just so happened that my notion was different from everybody else’s’(Fashion, 2015) Which sets the precedent for CDG as it goes through the years, revolutionising the concept of beauty in the fashion industry. CDG arguably shot to fame in 1981, when Rei Kawakubo made her Paris debut. With a wide stretching umbrella over many off shooting labels and a revenue of over $220 million(Fashion, 2016) and with a list of protégées including Junya Watanabe and Gosha
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Rubchinskiy, it’s clear that this company is something special. The genius behind CDG goes back to Kawakubo’s passionate and unconventional way of doing things, she studied art and literature at Keio University. When she started designing at a textile factory, her style became viewed as a challenge to the bourgeoisie, being dubbed as ‘anti-fashion’. Even as her label and fame increased, Kawakubo never contradicted her view of what fashion
and beauty should be viewed as. Her first show startled the industry with people being unable to comprehended what was before them, dubbing it ‘Hiroshima chic’, however her popularity was to rise even more in the years following, leading her to become a leading influence in fashion; brand under the umbrella label quickly rose to fame arguably of Kawakubo.
“i never intended to start a revolution�Rei Kawakubo
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Executive summary Delving into the business empire that is Comme des Garçons, we clearly see the combination of Kawakubo’s individualistic approach to design teamed with Adrian Joffe’s business mind allowed for
growth of the brand in stores. Although as a company Comme is huge, with over 28 offshoot labels, something about everything they do still seems personal, whether it be from how Kawakubo nurtured the talent of Junya Watanbe or Chitose Abe (of Sacai) leading to them becoming famous by their own right, or how Dover Street Market and it’s infamy allow labels like ‘Paccbet’ by Gosha Rubinschkiy to flourish outside of skate and
street culture. (Fashion, 2016b). Not only is the creativity of CDG revolutionary, so is it’s business model. Usually the creative director is in the limelight talking about the brand, whilst Kawakubo remains in the dark, hardly ever giving interviews and leaving shows very quickly to help clear up and set up the viewings for buyers. (Sudjic, 1990) It is therefore a good job that her designs speak for themselves even if they take a while to understand, she was once quoted to say “Suppose everyone likes my collection and says, ‘The show was great’ and ‘the clothes were beautiful’ then I become very uneasy. I would hate myself for having made something so easy to understand” (Shimizu, 2005). This links into the fact that CDG is a brand that relies heavily on the consumer’s loyalty and commitment to the brand, in order for their limited advertising and exclusivity to really pay off.
However, the iconic logo of Comme des Garçons and the newer logo of PLAY (the “Little Red Heart” becoming instantly recognisable to all cultures) undeniably maintains a cult following of consumers of all ages whether it be older more fashion savvy customers or, younger fans of streetwear who aspire to own something that Kawakubo may have cast an eye over. It is easy to agree designer Azzedine Alaie who once said “For me, she’s the only person in the current fashion world who has a truly important worth.”
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The Product A good, idea, method, information, object or service created as a result of a process and serves a need or satisfies a want. (Murcko, 2016) Comme des Garçons has expanded its wide range of products over recent years, largely down to Adrian Joffe, who as well as being Kawakubo’s spouse, is also the president of the company and of Dover Street Market. Joffe oversees the international arm of CDG. Whilst CDG could have carried on very well with its signature lines such as Homme, Homme Plus, and BLACK, Joffe introduced
Wallet and Play lines, their affordability appealing to a new audience . PLAY was launched in 2002 and was described as ‘a sign, a symbol, a feeling’ (with the iconic heart logo being designed by a Polish artist Filip Pagowski). PLAY is known for use of a basic colour palette, defying seasons and leading to people instantly being able to recognise when someone’s part of the CDG club. The line is unisex and for children, with perfumes and a collaboration with Converse, and is also a lot more affordable as stated earlier, allowing
Methodlogy I began my research by visiting Dover Street Market in London, as it stocks many labels. I learned that whilst PLAY is the label that sells the most, all sections of CDG have a steady sales rate. Even the more extravagant pieces have a high consumer demand.
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I moved on to websites such as Business of Fashion and Hype Beast in order to get a good look at what industry professionals have to say and also books in order to get a wide range of information about the company and elusive creative director.
it to appeal en masse to all backgrounds. Comme des Garçons has now become one of the most recognisable clothing brands ever. Even the security team at Dover Street Market wear grey cardigans with the PLAY heart on it, showing how brand recognition is a key part to Commes success.
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Promotion The advancement of a product, idea, or point of view through publicity and/or advertising. (When was the last time you said this?, 2016) Comme des Garçons has always prided itself on being different, Kawakubo once saying ‘Commes des Garçons has always travelled at its own pace and will continue to do so.’ This is what leads to the company to having such a loyal following, with sample sales at DSM attracting 1000s of people with the only advertising being word of mouth from savvy fashion lovers. Comme des Garçon’s promotion and marketing are often subtle. Visit their website and you’re greeted with a series of images, the only text being slogans such as ‘Wear your freedom’. It then moves onto abstract images of the most recent collection, which in her own words was based around ‘punks of the 18th century’ further showcasing the revolutionary ideas that form in Kawakubo’s mind. It is completely different to any other “ready to wear” collection, being exclusively
hyperbole featuring corsets, florals, and extravagant shapes. This fits perfectly for a CDG ready to wear collection as nothing should ever be conventional, looking towards the future while still being influenced by the past. Another way that CDG manage to be so successful with very little promotion is the “hype”.
months before finally releasing. Anticipation for the products being brought out had built so much that people were prepared to buy pieces that they possibly didn’t want purely for stature. This of course means that items from this collection now resell for hundreds above their original price point. The fact that they have so many different labels under one umbrella means that celebrities and people with a higher budget wear the catwalk collections like Homme, Black and Junya Watanabe, whilst further collaborative pieces with Converse and The Beatles built anticipation with a lower price point and appeal to pop culture, so that everyone could own a piece. This combined with it’s limitation of stockists and teasing build ups to releases meant that it
Despite being a luxury brand that regularly shows on the catwalk, Comme also has a very high standing amongst streetwear fans. For instance, a collaboration with popular New York based brand Supreme was merely teased at the fans of both brands for
became arguably the most popular brand known.
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Brand Postioning Brand positioning describes how a brand is different from its competitors and where, or how, it sits in a particular market. ([CSL STYLE ERROR: 2016) Comme des Garçons position within the luxury and streetwear markets is as strong as ever. With the flagship store being in Aoyama, Tokyo (Japans high fashion district), boutiques in 11 countries around the world and over 28 different product lines there really is something for everyone (Terms, 2016) Comme’s exclusivity ma
kes it even more sought after. Collaborations with artists and other brands such as Supreme, H&M and Hermes make the value of limited items sky rocket. Its
key competitors in both luxury and streetwear markets are show cased in Dover Street Market which is a daring new concept for a market
Brand Consumer A brand for goods bought by the public rather than by businesses. • [CSL STYLE ERROR: 2016] CDG appeals to every consumer, mainly due to the incredibly wide range of labels and price points. From the avant-garde ready to wear catwalk collections to the more basic PLAY. They also
style shop in which, every season designers are invited to create a popup space in the store to show off their collection and style alongside Comme des Garçon’s current collections. Brands featured range from Erdem and Gucci to Palace and Thames, all of which are in direct competition with Comme’s lines. However, them being all under one roof means that the direct comparison between them is very clear. Of course Comme des Garçons has a unique selling point as being anti-fashion and is therefore a favourite of those who wish to stand out.
value a loyal customer base that are familiar with international brands, all whom are aware of the up and coming drops and see the collections as they go down the runway. (Terms, 2016b) Although they have no official online store, it is possible to source certain pieces on specialist websites.
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Direct Marketing any official social media profiles and even then accounts made in their name have up to 30,000 followers meaning that the demand for people wanting constant updates is high. This highlights how much CDG relies on its fan base. (Grand, 1998)
Any form of marketing where possible customers are contacted directly by the seller. (Financial times lexicon - the definitive dictionary of economic, financial and business terms, no date) Although Comme appeals to a younger more technologically aware age group they don’t have
Personal Selling When a company employs salespeople to offers its products, services etc to customers. (Financial times lexicon - the definitive dictionary of economic, financial and business terms, no date) Although when it comes to communication Rei Kawakubo may only give interviews very rarely and even then she is a woman of little words, her husband sometimes
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occasionally translates for her meaning that she can get her points across sometimes.
However, as a brand they do favour pop up shops, having launched a series of “guerrilla stores” in
up and coming areas across the world selling “sesaonless merchandise” in 2004, they have been renowned as a brand of coming up with clever and different ways of keeping retail interesting much like Kwawkubo continues to come up with new ways of making fashion interesting and enticing. (Fortini, 2004)
Biblography Fashion (2015) Rei Kawakubo | #BoF500 | the business of fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/rei-kawakubo (Accessed: 7 November 2016). (Fashion, 2015) Fashion (2016a) Comme des Garçons | discover Comme des Garçons’s company page | the business of fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/companies/comme-des-garcons (Accessed: 7 November 2016). (Fashion, 2016a) Fashion (2016b) How Comme des Garçons grew Gosha Rubchinskiy. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/bof-exclusive/comme-des-garcons-gosha-rubchinskiy-dover-street-market-london (Accessed: 9 November 2016). (Fashion, 2016b) Financial times lexicon - the definitive dictionary of economic, financial and business terms (no date) Available at: http://lexicon.ft.com/Search?searchText=direct-marketing (Accessed: 14 November 2016a). (Financial times lexicon - the definitive dictionary of economic, financial and business terms, no date) Financial times lexicon - the definitive dictionary of economic, financial and business terms (no date) Available at: http://lexicon.ft.com/Search?searchText=personal-selling (Accessed: 14 November 2016b). (Financial times lexicon - the definitive dictionary of economic, financial and business terms, no date) Fortini, A. (2004) Anti-concept concept store, the. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/12/magazine/anticoncept-concept-store-the.html?_r=0 (Accessed: 8 November 2016). (Fortini, 2004) Grand, F. (1998) fashion memoir. Edited by Jane Breton. 1st edn. Great Britian: Thames and Hudson Ltd. (Grand, 1998) Murcko, T. (2016) ‘Which of your friends needs to learn this term?’, in Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/product.html (Accessed: 14 November 2016). (Murcko, 2016) Shimizu, S. (2005) Unlimited: Comme Des Garcons. Edited by NHK. Japan: Heibonsha Limited. (Shimizu, 2005) Sudjic, D. (1990) Rei Kawakubo and Commes des Garçons. New York: Rizzoli International Publications. (Sudjic, 1990) Terms, P.I. (2016a) Copy of Comme des Garçons - brand management. Available at: https://prezi.com/djpexh6zigwe/copy-of-comme-des-garcons-brand-management/ (Accessed: 7 November 2016). (Terms, 2016a) Terms, P.I. (2016b) Copy of Comme des Garçons - brand management. Available at: https://prezi.com/djpexh6zigwe/copy-of-comme-des-garcons-brand-management/ (Accessed: 7 November 2016). (Terms, 2016b) When was the last time you said this? (2016) in Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/ promotion.html (Accessed: 14 November 2016). (When was the last time you said this?, 2016) (No Date) Available at: https://www.aqr.org.uk/glossary/brand-positioning (Accessed: 14 November 2016a). ([CSL STYLE ERROR: reference with no printed form.]) (No Date) Available at: http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=consumer-brand (Accessed: 14 November 2016b). ([CSL STYLE ERROR: reference with no printed form.])
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