ArchOther 1. Analysis / Strategy 2. Editorial 3. Lookbook 4. Minisite
Hannah Gui
1. Analysis / Strategy
“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?� - Zaha Hadid
Corporate Profile As partner of the Swedish H&M group, “& Other Stories” is the new brand driven by its strong personality, values and sense of good direction towards building its own fashion trend and charisma. The brand was launched in 2013 with a main objective of offering a wide selection of products; shoes, bags, jewellery, beauty and ready-to-wear at an affordable price. They found a space in the market to perform with mid-range prices between H&M and COS and so, they target a different audience. Moreover, their aim is to highlight costumer’s fashion stories in order to make them find their personal style and giving them the opportunity to express themselves with unique garments.
In addition, they like to follow trends by giving them a unique and special style. They are constantly breaking boundaries and limits so as to surprise their audience by providing them different point of views, inspirations, etc… They do a deep study and investigation in colours, materials and fabrics so as to find the correct one and apply it to their new collections. The fact that they are always innovating makes their audience stay close and curious to everything the brand does.
Regarding stores in their home country (Sweden), they only have one point of sales, which is Stockholm, the main potential area. However, the brand has stores around the world and they will definitely continue their expansion if they continue to perform as they are doing. For the moment they are located in UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and in the U.S.. The spots they have chosen have also been studied according to their image and lifestyle, which is reflected in their brick-and-mortar stores that are their main operative retail format.
The fact that they invest and focus so much on their stores makes it a strong point in their communication strategy and therefore the brand has no need to invest as much money in advertising, and also because they have H&M group as a support in terms of know-how. In other words, the brand is 100% consumer-oriented and will offer their audience amazing experiences in-store in order to engage them with the brand and make them feel part of the movement. Although, they also give the chance of purchasing products online. In order to have a brief idea on their prices, the average retail price of apparel is 99€, followed by bags with 85€ and then shoes with 77€. Then the price decreases with 44€ in accessories, 18€ in lingerie and 14€ average price in beauty. Having mid-range prices and targeting a wide range of audience.
Market Position As said before, the brand looked for a place in the market to perform calmly where there wasn’t as much brands. As a result, the competitors they have are similar to the style and quality but have higher prices due to those two factors. They have an excellent strategy because they offer the latest trends or tones at an affordable price making a strong and attractive brand for customers. If we analyse more in depth their products we can see that they are produced in a detailed and quality way, but also trying to do a good selection of its materials in order to make them last. Due to its quality and design, the prices start with the end price range of H&M. It’s a middle high range but with a wide offer. Every category has got several products, but the average price of each one consists on the following. So, their main competitors that are similar are mainly Filippa K, Samsoe Samsoe, Whyred and COS.
In terms of expansion strategies, the brand have advantages as it forms part of a big group with a good international growth. For this reason, the brand has been expanding in a slowly and exclusive way into other countries by being in very good locations.
Current Situation The company is always pushing themselves
to their maximum in order to satisfy the biggest number of costumer possible. They are constantly developing new ideas and creating new projects; such as collections, projects, values… that will raise with customers’ ideas, participation and engagement. One of their latest activities started in 2013 when they implemented its first recycling program for its beauty products’ line focusing on its sustainability and quality so as to reduce the environmental footprint caused up to date. The company reckons that Sustainability was no longer a trend but a must for a company to develop in right direction. Today, they have taken a step further and “& Other Stories” has launched an in-store textile program to encourage clients to recycle their old outfits, which they might think they will not wear again and give them a #SecondChance. This program carried out within three simple steps: 1. Find (old or unused) fabric and other clothing material that you would like to get rid off; 2. Pack it in a bag; 3. Take it to the nearest “& Other Stories” store and get your -10% discount voucher given in exchange to use in your next purchase.
From all the clothing and fabrics received, “& Other Stories” will produce new collections made from scratch! How will they do it? They will transform and modify all items into raw material to re-start the process and give it another design, purpose, style and of course, chance. And bring them to life again. “Second Chances” project is just an example of what is currently happening in the business however there are many others to come.
Coming
soon...
Dame Zaha Hadid, was one of the most renowned architects of our time passed away on March 31 at the age of 65 after heart attack. The Iraqi-born architect had dedicated her life to her projects and breath-taking buildings, leaving an important legacy behind. Dame Hadid inspired and keeps inspiring architects of her time. She used to live ahead of time, blending the rules of gravity and looking for the ultimate design to synchronise the buildings with their surroundings. She pushed and broke boundaries and limits established until now. Fortunately, her great contribution to architecture left us with the
most beautiful buildings of the XXI century. As such, the Riverside Museum in England, Vitra Fire Station in Germany, Ordrupgaard Extension in Copenhagen, Guangzhou Opera House in China, Broad Art Museum in the US, among other… Her exceptional career as an architect brought her to be the first Arab woman in winning the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, architecture’s highest honour and considered to be the industry’s equivalent to the Nobel. Peter Palumbo, chair of the Pritzker jury at Pritzker ceremony in honor of Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena this past April, remembered “her singular brilliance as an architect, her role as a standard bearer for the equality of women and her staunch and unremitting opposition to prejudice gave her a worldwide recognition given to a very few” Hadid used to say: “I f you want a easy life , don ’ t be an A rchitect ” and she really meant it because when you see all her creations it just dares gravity power.
She liberated the architecture geometry to express it in metaphor of the modern life: chaos, flux and futurism. She designed fluid forms so as to create multiple perspectives, which gave her that personal style and way of expressing herself. Her firm Zaha Hadid Architects will keep presenting and creating transformative, cultural, corporate and other spaces following her steps.
Fashion is also paying her tribute. “& Other Stories�, for instance, inspired by her powerful work will launch a new project dedicated to architecture. The way she expressed herself while creating and representing her values and visions are similar to how the brand performs. The new collection aims big and will be a very extravagant one in which we will see the most extreme forms, textures and colours blending into our clothing. Farewell Dame Zaha Hadid.
Communication Background Their communication strategy is very controlled and paused. They reckon that their sales will depend on how do they communicate and reach their audience so as to engage with them and make them feel attracted to the brand. The difficult part are the steps before launching the communication campaign because important decisions have to be taken so as to reach the adequate consumer, questions like the following must be considered: Who’s the target? Where can we find the target? What do we want to transmit to the target?
paigns nearly every 3 weeks in order to keep their audience connected to their social media and website and are not annoying. They are not always very used to do collaborations but they recently did one with a sustainable blogger in order to foment their recycling programs and make the blogger’s circle of followers aware of their new programs as they are potential customers. Moving on to their website, it’s well presented following the brand’s values and objectives where you can also see the entire campaign with a buying option.
“& Other Stories” communication is not massive they are concentrated and organized in some medias, pitches and places. For example, you will never find an advert of the brand in television as it’s not their objective however, they will post all their campaigns and activities in their social media platforms especially Instagram. They launch new cam-
Moreover, one of their strongest points in their communication is in-store where they offer experiences to their customers by creating a space of uniqueness and sending messages such as: “find your own personal style”. Their stores are decorated with all types of behind stories and are located in studied locations making altogether a very coherent strategy.
Target Market The brand’s target could quickly be defined as women from all ages who have a heart for fashion. Moreover, it’s also said that the main customers are older women around 30 to 50’s age range, which are more demanding than an H&M consumer. They focus mainly on style but they also consider quality as a decision to purchase or not. Their age range gives them opportunity to find their style and they are not scared in trying new things, they want to be different and feel unique when dressing. Their lifestyles suits the brand’s values because they are people that like to travel, listen music, read, etc… They are always willing to learn new things in order to develop themselves and always want do better. Customers all around the world will be updated to the brand’s new activities and projects as they are loyal to the brand. As the price ranges are not very high compared to what the brand offers, their work salaries will be useful in order to purchase regularly, however people with part-time jobs with less income or students are also able to shop sometimes to give themselves a little whim.
The brand performs to engage people who are interested in what they do, the way they do things is a reflection of their audience: trustable, patient and vital. With the new capsule “& Other Stories” pretends to target passionate people who share a love for the architecture. Giving an other point of view to the collection and transmitting a feeling which widens up their target to new segments. In a way, they will continue inspiring and surprising their loyal customer although they will try to attract more people with the new theme.
The Message The message will be totally coherent to the brand’s direction. The new capsule dedicated to Zaha Hadid, one of the biggest architects in the 21st Century, will be known as ArchiOther which is the mix of the brand’s name and suggesting the new theme of Architecture. Giving a feeling of curiosity and surprise, keeping their costumer updated of the newest collection.
Inspiration
Objectives The main goal of the brand when creating this new capsule is to keep inspiring their audience by making feel exclusive and different when wearing their pieces. The new collection is totally different giving the audience a feeling of constantly breaking boundaries and limits just like Zaha Hadid did. It’s definitely something new and risky but at the same attractive to the most passionates. And it’s whom they want to reach, people that will use their space as a source of inspiration to find themselves. Also, thanks to the new theme they can create new patrons, forms and movements that go a step beyond to their competition and can just be justified as architecture influence. As it’s just going to be during a time it will be super useful so as to get client’s feedback and know how they can improve and continue evolving. Talking to customers and receiving feedback is one of most desired strategies of all avangard businesses because it’s the only way to make the business human and therefore trustable. Finally, the company’s objective is to continue to create new concepts and transmit the love they did it with. ArchOther is just a new chapter of their long story and it will definitely be useful to improve.
2. Editorial
A START ARCHITECTURE & Other Stories new editorial called ArchOther is a collection inspired and dedicated to Zaha Hadid. Fashion like architecture is timeless.
STYLIST Jonathan Kaye will be the responsible for the stylism in the new capsule for ArchOther. He knows how to represent the brand’s values perfectly and will communicate a clear message to the audience, he has already worked with many other famous brands such as Maison Margiela, Hermes or Levi’s.
LOCATION The photo-shoot will be in an openspace Park called Forum in Barcelona, Spain. It was constructed in 2004 for the Fórum Universales de las Culturas and nowadays it’s used for festivals or events. The park is a perfect location for the campaign because it has a very futuristic scenery due to the huge solar panels, open concrete spaces and never-ending stairs.
MAKE UP & HAIR Tamara McNaughton will be in charge of the hair style as she has a strong personal style that suits the editorial’s theme. The make-up artist will be Ozzy Salvatierra that has experience in the fashion industry for many brands. The make up will be very natural but with a really strong eyeliner which gives a feeling of strength and power.
PHOTOGRAPHER Karim Sadli is passionate about photography and he transmits it in all his project. He has the ability of creating a minimalist aesthetic with a sophisticated touch which is exactly what the brand wants. He creates art in all his shoots and will be able to transmit the futurist and modern feeling. Sadli’s work has appeared in Vogue Paris, W Magazine, American Vogue and many others.
PAGE LAYOUT The editorial’s layout will be very structured and aligned as a sign of architecture influence. The pictures will be in black and white to represent the modern buildings and with big white margins at the sides. Simple and elegant at the same time.
MODEL Fei Fei Sun is a Chinese fashion model based in New York City. She has been in the industry since she was a teenager and is nowadays appearing regularly on some of the most highly selective runways in the industry: Alexander Wang, Prada, Valentino, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Chanel and many more. Sun will be one of the models for our editorial because she suits the modern life and gives somehow a futuristic feeling due to her characteristics which the brand wants to represent.
ARCHOTHER Dress: &OtherStories Shoes: Stuart Weitzman Forum, Barcelona Spring/Summer 2017
ARCHOTHER Cape: &OtherStories Forum, Barcelona Autumn/Winter 2017
ARCHOTHER Dress: &OtherStories Boots: Ash Forum, Barcelona Spring/Summer 2017
3. Lookbook
ArchOther ArchOther Spring Summer 2017 will be a very surprising collection. How can garments be influenced by architecture? “& Other Stories� has definitely taken a step beyond the mainstream and given the garments a different point of view. To be more precise, we could say: lines, geometric forms and shapes are the main characteristics of the new collection. Many people have taken part of this project to make it the most daring as possible. After a deep research, effort and time we are happy to show the first pieces in the lookbook. Hope you like it. For more information, contact us: archother@andotherstories.com
4. Minisite
Header Image
The main objective when creating the minisite was to support the ArchOther project by facilitating the information to all possible potential clients. As we all know Internet nowadays is huge and can target a wider audience, therefore it must have a online platform. Also, the brand reckons that it’s more visual and so people would understand better the aim of the new collection. The screenshots below are just a sneak peek of what the page looks like so as to show that it’s coherent, suits the project and follow the direction of the brand. Visit the blog: https://archother.wordpress.com Post Structure
Type of Feed
Blog Post Example
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Overral View
Bibliography
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