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Olivia Buckley 1901813 AD4606 Brand Development May 2020 Word Count- 6688 3
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44 46 48 Lo 52 4 P’s 63 Conclusion
Table Of Contents 10
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Introduction
The Brief
Part 1 MENSWEAR
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Menswear Market -New Consumer
Part 2 OFF-WHITE
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Luxury&Fast Fashion Market
Part 3 H&M
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Intro to Off White -Consumer
Intro to H&M -Consumer
Part 4 COLLABORATIONS
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Previous Collaborations
Part 5 20X20
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20x20
Part 6 THE COLLABORATION
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ogo&Packaging of Promotion
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Figure 1- Louis Vuitton Menswear 2020
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INTRODUCTIO
NTRODUCTION History of
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Branding
INTRODUCTION
Marketing is the development, promoting and distributing of products to satisfy a consumer’s needs/wants effectively and efficiently. Marketing started during the industrial revolution (1700’s) when buying items became easier for consumers as mass production and transport links increased. Marketing strategies ranged from magazines, to posters and billboards. This developed during the second industrial revolution (1800-1900’s) as media increased further to include radio, TV and telephones. As these became saturated the introduction of mobiles, computers and Apple in the late 1900s- 2000’s, expanded marketing further. Outbound marketing is the traditional marketing technique which markets to a large quantity of people, not a specific audience. This is perceived to be a nuisance to consumers as emails, TV and radio adverts are never looked at by approximately 86% of people. (Plunkett, J. 2010) On the other hand, inbound marketing is more personalised as it targets inteested parties, this type of marketing is more common and less of a nuisance to consumers as they are only informed about products, they are interested in. The purpose of these marketing strategies was to enable companies to engage with the ever-changing consumer in new and innovative ways that would grab attention and entice them into buying products. Due to these new channels’, businesses became more competitive for consumer interest meaning brands became more distinguished.
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Figure2- Cara Delevigne in Chanel 2019
IMPORTANCE Brands develop as a means of commercial distinction. Branding was previously perceived to be logos and advertisements; however, it is more than this. Names, products, values and image are extremely important to a brand and help build a brands reputation and loyalty. By creating a core set of values along with fine-tuned brand communication strategies the culture and community of a brand can connect emotionally to an audience. Branding is important to be able to express these values to consumers. Furthermore, brands must stay relevant and up to date with cultural movements and an ever-changing society, to succeed, they must use their heritage wisely as well as be familiar, relatable and reliable to build emotional connections with consumers. Moreover, creating a positive brand reputation can increase brand loyalty, so, in turn loyal customers become brand ambassadors in their social group- essentially giving the brand free marketing as customers trust each other’s opinions. This loyalty means that it is easier for brands to introduce new products and ranges and not have to market them as much as customers trust the quality. The use of models/influencers is fundamental to brands, the lifestyle that is promoted by models and influencers online can be related to a specific label- generating sales. For example, Cara Delevingne is related to Chanel as Gigi Hadid is related to Tommy Hilfiger, they are the symbol the brand has used to promote their clothing. BRAND IMAGE The mixture of a brands value, values and loyalty all count towards a brands image. Brands wish to create their own persona of how they want to be perceived by customers this is their identity. However, it is how the consumer sees the brand that influences their decisions, known as brand image. Many things can influence a brands image for example, their CEO, customer service, upholding their values and online/instore experience. For example, Bizzarri’s recent partnership with Alessandro Michele
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Figure 3- ASOS consumer
at Gucci has increased revenues from $3.5 billion to $10 billion by 2020. (Bowles, H. 2019) This shows that by having the right people in charge a brands image can be re-established. In this way, John Lewis understands its consumer to be Baby Boomers and Gen X, their image of ‘Never beaten on price,’ lends itself well to the values of this consumer who want a reliable bargain. Loyalty is large for John Lewis, its brand image of reliability and quality keeps consumers going back, furthermore its loyalty card scheme gives customers exclusives and allows them to access sales before anyone else. On the other hand, ASOS as an online brand understands its own market and consumers, the fact that it is only online attracts Millennials and Gen Z customers. ASOS are known for being ‘brave, authentic and creative to [their] core.’ This resonates with their consumer who want something different from brands ASOS values to provide clothing for all and their continued efforts to promote body positivity, LGBT rights etc show they understand the values of their target audience. SUSTAINABILITY Today, sustainability is becoming a more important value for consumers and therefore brands. The push from consumers for more sustainable items in their wardrobe is reflecting on brands. Statistics show that 92% of millennials have admitted that they are more likely to buy from ethical companies. (Marketing Charts, 2015) These statistics show that sustainability is a growing priority in the fashion industry. Fast fashion is known to have a huge impact on the environment due to the amount of waste it creates, owing to this, high street brands are becoming increasingly transparent when it comes to how their clothes are made. Due to the internet, a brands values and the importance they place on sustainability can easily be researched by consumers, therefore 79% of businesses have said that social and cultural issues effect their marketing strategies.
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THE BRIEF
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Investigating how the Fast Fashion market could collaborate with a luxury menswear brand to create a more sustainable product for the more conscious consumer.
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Figure 4- Dior 2020
r A/W
The MENSWEAR From the brief, for this project, I have decided to collaborate the fast fashion, high-street retailer H&M with the luxury streetwear brand Off White. In this project I will explain about the menswear market, the new consumer, current trends, the brands themselves and how they identify as a brand, how and why a collaboration would work as well as how it would be marketed.
Currently the Menswear sector is said to contribute $460bn to the global clothing and footwear market by 2020. (Geoghegan, J. 2017) In the UK alone, the sector is continuing to grow twice as fast as womenswear and is predicted to have grown 12.43% between 2016-2021 to ÂŁ16.2 billion. (Hendriksz, V. 2018) These statistics show that the menswear market has been and will continue to grow at rapid rates, suggesting a current collaboration in the menswear market would be well received by consumers.
Part 1
MARKET
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The NEW CONSUMER The new menswear consumer is demanding functionality, technology, convenience, and community from brands. Today men are shopping more often than women both online and instore. Men follow a ‘Utilitarian’ way of shopping, shopping based on practicality. Men inform their purchases by researching about a product, brand, and price prior to buying. It is in this way they make sure they get the best deal this is evidenced as 69% of men check Amazon.com before buying the same product elsewhere. (Petro, G. 2019) Despite growth of online sales, for men shopping is a social event, they will queue for hours to gain the latest drop and in doing so strike up conversations with others like them. It is this personal experience that is driving brick and mortar sales amongst men. For younger generations shopping is no longer taking place in mainstream places such as Oxford street and Bond street in London, instead they are travelling to Soho spots to visit shops such as Supreme, Palace and Champion. The fact that men are willing to travel for fashion suggests that they are taking more pride in what they wear and do not just want the same ‘uniform’ they have been confined to for so long. The new consumer is now expressing their own personal style, linked to this is the fact that femininity is growing in the menswear sector as masculinity as we know it is being abandoned. Just 1/3 of 18-29 year olds said they felt completely masculine (Graff, M. 2018) this suggests that rebellion against male ideals is being expressed through fashion. A recent article in The Times analysed Versace’s Milan Fashion show and described how consumers ‘don’t care about gender, they just want to know what’s next.’ Many brands have merged their menswear and womenswear in recent years such as Gucci, this Unisex appeal is enticing millennials and Gen Z customers to luxury fashion labels. Current trends in 2020 are reflecting this further, menswear trends are developing to display the current political climate as well as this dispute against gender. Tailoring has been at the forefront of both S/S and A/W runways in 2020, oversized, double breasted suits give back a feeling of control and structure to men today. Other trends include leather, animal print, functional outerwear using technical fabrics, utility wear such as cargo pants and a resurgence in double denim as well as denim being re-invented to be worn in its rawest form. These trends have developed to reflect the changing nature of the menswear consumer and their values.
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An Introduction to Off-White
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Off-White is a luxury streetwear brand based in Milan that was created in 2013 by Virgil Abloh. Abloh defines the brand as ‘the grey area between black and white,’ mixing two semi-polar opposite things and making a space where they interact and intersect to create something that cannot be predicted. Off-Whites core value is to be made from the best available and particular opinion regarding fabric, fit and fabrication. In this way they are a young brand that are embracing the now and remain a label rooted in current culture at a taste-level particular to today. Off- White is known for selling mainly streetwear items such as hoodies, tracksuit pants and t-shirts but have also more recently stated to venture into creating lifestyle productsto further engage their consumer. Their items range in price from £300-£800 however, recently a new ‘For All’ has been created for lower earning consumers, ranging from £95-£170.
Part 2
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Virgil Abloh was raised in Rockford, Illinois by Ghanaian immigrants. His inspirations stem from growing up as a black teenager in 90’s America, skateboard and street culture mixed with hip hop music and protest via graphic t-shirts. Due to this, Off-White believe in creating a new meaning of luxury by taking streetwear and turning it into high end fashion. This identity is married with the brands use of quotation marks, bold black and white striped print, and their Helvetica typography. Virgil Abloh is best known for playing with irony in his brand in the use of quotations, ie: ‘Wallet’ on a wallet and ‘Hoodie’ on a hoodie. By questioning the authority and validity of words consumers are free to create their own perceptions and express their own creativity creating a connection to the brand. American culture in the 90’s was about being part of a society and tribe, streetwear was a huge factor in promoting this at the time, however it was mainly black communities that started this trend. This was ironic as black Americans were discriminated against, but everyone wanted to dress like them and have their sense of community. Abloh carries this influence into his fashion today, to buy into his products is to be able to afford and understand this tribal influence and be a part of a community.
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CONSUMER
Abloh describes his consumer to be millennials (20-40 year olds), ‘they have different needs and different cultural codes. The younger generation possess ideas that the older generation can learn from.’ (Johnson, F. 2018) These cultural codes are what make fashion extremely important to this generation, to wear a certain brand is to show your values, where you come from and which social group you identify with. Therefore, this shows that Abloh perceives his consumer to be forward thinking and so wants to create fashion to inspire them. This consumer looks for street styles that are easy, comfortable, and unique they should make a statement but be minimalistic in appearance. Abloh’s philosophy is to give his consumers a voice, he draws on his own past of limitation, to excite this generation of consumers. It is this emotional selling point of humbleness but aspiration that attracts consumers to the Off-White brand – setting them apart from their competition such as Gucci and Balenciaga. Off-White reach their Gen Y consumers largely via Instagram where they have 9.9 million followers. 95% of Millennials use Instagram (Newberry, C. 2019), so Off-White’s aspirational and aesthetically pleasing images tend to engage their target consumer. Moreover, their ‘behind the scenes’ videos and images of runways and future collections also create connections with consumers as they feel part of the brand being privy to private information. Furthermore, the celebrity names that have been associated with the brand such as Beyonce, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid further attract consumers to the brand with their influence as they market the brand over their own social media. Despite this, millennials are now slowly being taken over as the most prevalent consumers, the rise of Generation Z may cause Off-White to re-evaluate how to approach the changing consumer. Despite having similar values to Millennials this generation is more likely to use platforms such as Snapchat and Tik Tok to interact with brands due to Instagram becoming extremely saturated.
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Figure 5-Off White SS20 LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHION LUXURY FASHI
Currently Off-White sits within the high-end luxury market, luxury brands are regarded as images in the minds of consumers that comprise associations about a high price, quality, and aesthetic. Today, the meaning of luxury is clouded, luxury fashion is considered as a
complex social practice in which people engage to reform their appearances and not par-
ticipate in the dominant culture. Luxury fashion in 2020 has changed from traditional bags and shoes to streetwear items and trainers, Off-White has therefore benefited from luxury
fashion’s desperation to regain youth appeal. To create true luxury the consumer must have an emotional response to a unique item suggesting that consumers are willing to pay more to engage with a brands story/message. (Lowthorpe, R. 2016) The luxury fashion sector is said to amount to $116,137m in 2020 and is expected to grow annually by 2.2% until
2023. (Statista, 2019) Moreover, online luxury shopping accelerated in 2018, growing 22% to nearly €27 billion; it now represents 10% of all luxury sales. (D’Arpizio, C. 2019) This push of luxury sales particularly online is especially prevalent in the menswear market.
The growth of technology has allowed men to shop on a multitude of platforms and devices
meaning luxury fashion is more accessible than ever. Currently 52% of men have purchased designer items in past 3 years compared to just 43% of women. (Hendriksz, V, 2018) This shows that the luxury menswear market is growing as men are willing to spend more on
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items that they believe have quality and meaning.
Figure 6- Off White hoodie
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Figure 7- Sustainable fashion
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Figure 8- H&M Conscious
FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASHION FAST FASH-
On the other hand, fast fashion is still an extremely relevant market for menswear. ‘Fast fashion’ refers to cheaply produced and priced garments that copy
the latest catwalk styles and get distributed quickly through stores to maximise profits from current trends. The fast fashion market is currently worth 35 bil-
lion dollars as of 2018 however, it is set to grow to be worth 44 billion dollars by 2028. (Statistica, 2019) Fast fashion has grown in popularity over the years due to the consumer becoming impatient fuelling ‘only wear once’ culture, creating a need for fast and cheap sales. Regardless of this, fast fashion is failing due to
the scrutiny being placed on it by consumers due to its environmental impacts. Fast fashion is responsible for 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions, is the
second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply, pollutes the oceans with
microplastics and promotes unethical and cheap labour. Moreover, over 1 billion garments end up in landfill each year. It is for these reasons that fast fashion
is beginning to struggle as 73% of millennials have admitted that they will pay
more for sustainable items.(Curtin, M. 2018) This suggests that need for trans-
parency and sustainability being placed on brands from increasingly conscious consumers is forcing change.
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An Introduction to H&M
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Therefore, the brand I have chosen to collaborate with Off-White is H&M. H&M is a Swedish fast fashion, high street brand that was created by Erling Persson in 1947. Originally called Hennes (Hers), in 1954 after the opening of two stores in Sweden, Persson partnered with Mauritz Widforss and the brand became known as Hennes & Mauritz. Today H&M has 3,132 stores across the globe and has accumulated several other brands within its H&M Group: COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday, Arket, H&M Home and &OtherStories. H&M describe themselves as a brand that aims to exceed their customers’ expectations whilst offering the best combination of fashion, quality, and price. H&M is best known for selling mainly women’s clothing consisting of ‘basics’ such as t-shirts, dresses and hoodies but they also sell menswear, kids, teens and homeware. Therefore, H&M’s prices range from £5- £200 (for premium quality goods) attracting consumers with affordable prices.
PART 3
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H&M are known to be one of the most transparent fast fashion brands in more recent times, due to their creation of a ‘Conscious’ Line of clothing in a bid to become more sustainable as a brand. To qualify as conscious, a product must contain at least 50% sustainable materials, such as organic cotton and recycled polyester. Moreover, all their women’s basics contain 100% sustainably sourced cotton. This commitment to sustainability and ethical practice stems further than just the product the consumer buys, their increased importance being placed on equality and fair wages in their factories is also commendable. Furthermore, H&M introduced garment collecting in 2013, since this over 50,000 tonnes of old textiles have been brought by customers to the H&M stores to be reused and recycled, with the consumer gaining a voucher for the store after donating. “My grandmother has a pair of trousers and a blouse from H&M in 1947,” says Karl-Johan, Chief Executive. “And that’s what we want. We want the garments to last and not just be throwaway fashion.’(Pithers, E. 2017) Unlike Off-White, H&M does not create products to express a message as such, as a fast fashion brand they aim to deliver trend driven fashion at low prices. Despite this, they are like Off-White in that they create clothing that inspires creativity- they produce the basics, their consumers express their creativity by mixing and matching. Moreover, H&M have set up the H&M Foundation, this foundation reflects the values of its founder, Erling Persson. The purpose of H&M was to create positive change both within the company and outside of it. It is in this respect that the foundation supports people who are making a difference to make a better future. In this sense H&M express their Swedish heritage- Swedish people are known for being egalitarian and clean in nature- by placing importance on the Foundation, sustainability and ethicality H&M bring their heritage into today.
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CONSUMER
The main target consumer for H&M is mainly women that are Millennials and Gen Z. H&M offers high fashion at low prices for working/lower middle classes and students. This group is looking for affordable fashion and typically shop around for items to keep up to date with the latest trends. They look for basic items to pair with anything in their wardrobe, allowing them to keep up with changing trends, but express their own creativity. H&Ms values of sustainability and transparency are the main principles that set them apart from their competition such as Zara, Mango and Uniqlo as 92% of Millennials have admitted they are more likely to buy from ethical companies. (Marketing Charts, 2015.) H&M’s enthusiasm to reach its sustainability goals is communicated well across the brand, engaging consumers to support them in creating a better shopping experience. They mainly interact with their consumers via Instagram and Facebook as these are the main sites for millennials, all its platforms are cohesive in appearance and promote the products instead of the making of them unlike Off-White. With 34.8 million followers on Instagram and 37 million likes on Facebook, sustainability is one of the first tabs to pop up when entering any of their sites. Furthermore, they interact with their consumers by asking them to #tag them to be able to be featured on their Instagram page/story. This keeps the company ‘down to earth’ as consumers can see themselves in the brand. H&Ms overall online presence is relatively poor compared to other brands, but this eludes to the fact that they want you to spend in-store and interact with the brand face-to-face.
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P R E V I O U S
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C O L L A B O R A T I O N S
Figure 9- Off White x Nike
Figure 10- IKEA X VIRGIL
Part 4
Figure 11- Off White X Heron Preston
OFF-WHITE Off- White and H&M have created successful collaborations previously, such as Rimowa, Moncler, Converse, Champion and Heron Preston however, OffWhite’s most renowned is with Nike. The first collaboration reimagined the Nike 10, the detail behind the fabrics and colours as well as Abloh’s signature quotations and zip tags meant the range sold out in minutes. OffWhite’s collaborations are generally small but impactful- capsule collections or 10-16 pieces is the prominent theme. The collaborations are usually true to Off-White’s aesthetic but without undermining the other brands values. Moreover, quite a few of their collaborations have included unisex lines ie: Levis x Off White (2017) and Sunglasses Hut x Off White (2019) expanding the consumer base for collaborations. Finally, Off White have also collaborated with IKEA, this venture into lifestyle was well received by consumers and reflected a change in trend for the brand.
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Figure 12 - H&M x Giambattista Valli
H&M
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H&M have collaborated with many luxury names since 2004, their collaborations allow consumers to buy into luxury labels without the extortionate prices. H&M are known for letting the luxury designers take the helm to give their consumers something different. Some collaborations include Karl Lagerfeld (2004), Lanvin (2010), Versace (2011-12), Alexander Wang (2014), Balmain (2015), Erdem (2017), Moschino (2018) and Giambattista Valli (2019) to name a few. Each collaboration has been different but true to the luxury brand and their image. Some of the most successful collaborations have been Versace (2011) which crashed the H&M website within minutes, and Alexander Wang (2014) who’s menswear range sold out quicker than the womenswear. Luxury brands collaborated with H&M for multiple reasons one being the designers want to ‘democratise fashion’ this was true for the Moschino and Erdem collaborations. Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz said that he was ‘interested in H&M becoming luxury rather than Lanvin going public.’
P R E V I O U S Figure 13- H&Moschino
Figure 14- H&Mx Erdem
C O L L A B O R A T I O N S
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PART 5
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20x20 To further this research and understand how these two brands will intertwine to create a collaboration for the more conscious consumer, I will use the 20x20 research method. To do this I will write 20 words that can be associated with each brand and consider how and why they reflect the brand. This will enable me to find similarities between the brands and discover where this collaboration will cross over to engage consumers. Please refer to second book for 20x20 images and evaluation of words.
WOULD A COLLABORATION WORK?
Off-White’s purpose is to bring two semi-polar opposites together to find where they intersect, H&M and Off-White are very opposite brands however, from my 20x20 I have found that there are similarities between them that would allow a collaboration to be successful. They both share the same consumer of millennials; they both are sustainable brands to some extent; they both create simple and minimalistic products and they both reflect their heritage/culture in their brand. It is these values that can tie the brands together to create a collaboration which is true to both brands and their values to attract consumers. Despite one brand being fast fashion and one luxury, the consumer is shared and by each brand stepping outside their box, the consumers values, needs and wants could be targeted allowing for a collaboration to be successful. Moreover, both brands are forward-thinking whether it be in design, fabric, or sustainability, so a collaboration could draw on the ingenuity of both brands to provide something new and meaningful for the consumer.
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LUXURY
Artistic
Global
Re-Sell
STREETWEAR 90s MINIMALIST Collaborative HELVETICA
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CULTURE
Community
Colour
Sustainable
NIKE
MILLENNIAL
Abloh
EDGY
Irony
PYREX
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Global
Trendy
SIMPLE
SWEDEN
Transparent
Ethical
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RED
Basics AFFORDABLE
Millennial
Hennes&Mauritz
CHIC
Collaborative
CONSCIOUS
Monotone
Fast Fashion
Clean
SUSTAINABLE
ESSENTIAL
Recycle
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THE COLLABORATION
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THE COLLABORATION
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Collaboration
Identity From my original research into branding I feel that it is important not to stray far from the values of both brands in this collaboration. In this way the collaboration will be relatable, reliable, and familiar to the menswear consumer sustaining the emotional connection already held with each brand. However, in doing this I want to expand on both brands values, to stay relevant to the changing cultural movements enforced by the consumer. H&M’s main values of affordability, quality and sustainability will be at the heart of this collaboration whilst Off-White’s values of culture and creativity and community will be the main face of the collaboration. By expanding on the current values of each brand and bringing them together the brands can offer something new and exciting to the consumer. My research into the menswear market, consumer and trends will also influence this collaboration. The current consumer wants, community, sustainability and technology from brands and this collaboration will aim to fulfil these desires. Furthermore, the fact that men are researching into products more often will mean that this collaboration must have a transparent and informative presence online. Moreover, current trends of mixing streetwear and tailored pieces will also be explored. Despite the fact that Abloh has said he believes streetwear will die, statistics show no slowing of streetwear’s popularity in menswear, therefore this collaboration will include mainly streetwear pieces that can be matched with other H&M of Off-White products to allow the consumer to express their creativity and interpretation of trends. By making Off-White the focus of this collaboration as a luxury brand and using H&M’s Conscious line to create a sustainable foundation for this collection, the collaboration will be aimed at the more conscious male consumer. For H&M, this will not only change the perceptions of fast fashion as the products will be convenient and new but not at an environmental cost, but also boost the profile of the H&M menswear section and allow customers to purchase into the luxury brand at a more affordable price. For Off-White, this will allow them to reach a wider consumer base of more conscious consumers as well as lower earning individuals, as well as allow them to create sustainable products without losing the creativity and integrity of the brand.
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Collaboration CONSUMER For this collaboration for the menswear market, the consumer that will be targeted will be Millennials as this is the main consumer for both brands. Millennials are the group of people born from 1981 to 1996 (24-40 year olds). Millennials grew up in a changing technological age and so expect new technology to be available and exciting from brands. Moreover, they have witnessed economic hardships and so are savvy when it comes to getting the best deal. Furthermore, they will also shop around for a brand that responds to their values of sustainability, easy access, and good customer service. Millennials want to wear statement pieces and are known for wearing logos, however, more recently there has been as shift in this and instead they want to buy into the brand because of the company’s values instead of what the clothing looks like. In this way consumer loyalty is built due to the values brands represent. Millennials are also known to be a very socially active generation be it online or in person. The growth of social media platforms has greatly enhanced how millennials as consumers interact with brands, good communication with brands over the internet is crucial for this group. Virgil Abloh has expressed that he feels that there isn’t much in the way of fashion for millennials and believes they are an important generation for change therefore his brand targets this group. Moreover, H&M target them as they provide good quality, on trend garments at low prices matching the values of their consumer. Therefore, this collaboration will target the male millennial by being sustainable, transparent, and affordable. Despite the main target consumer being Millennials, the collaboration will also be open to Gen Z consumers. Gen Z consumers are the group born between 1992-2012 (8-28 year olds) like millennials they are value driven when it comes to choosing brands to shop with. They are the most diverse generation and given this value sustainability, equality, race, gender as well as honesty from brands. Moreover, Gen Z are the most digital and social media orientated generation, 88% discover products that they are interested in buying through social media. (Ortiz, D. 2020) Therefore, the sustainability trait in this collaboration as well as the importance of social media may entice them to purchase.
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M A R K E T This collaboration will sit in a mix of two market positions, the ‘Bridge Brand’ sector of the marketing pyramid and the ‘Diffusion’ sector. Bridge brands cater for the top end of the high street and bridge the gap between high street and luxury- they provide high quality items but without the price tag. Their prices usually range from £30-£500, this level entices consumers that buy into quality and a brand image at a price they can afford. On the other hand, the Diffusion level is where luxury brands water down their lines to create a secondary line for a younger consumer at a more affordable price. Therefore, my collaboration will be a mixture of this however, the ‘Diffusion’ level will take precedence as Off-White is the over-riding influence in this collaboration. As with previous H&M collaborations ‘democratising’ fashion from a luxury level will be key.
L E V E L
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For the logo I wanted to create something that would be a simple identifier of both brands- the red for H&M and the Black and White Stripes of OffWhite. These simplistic forms emulate the simplistic nature of the collaboration, and how each brand will be stripped back to their core values, but also shows how Off-White is the leading brand of the collaboration. From my 20x20, I decided to use the red box to show how each brand will be thinking outside their box to provide something new. I have also created a secondary logo for the filter t-shirt as a simple symbol of the collaboration, but it will also be a symbol that Instagram recognises to project a filter onto the t-shirt. The symbol reflects the sustainability of the collaboration with the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle arrows’ and the current OffWhite logo encased in the middle.
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The Logo
Defining the Grey Area of Sustainability
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BAGS Due to sustainability being one of the main values of this collaboration, this must be reflected in the packaging as well as the product. Currently H&M’s bags are made from paper and so can easily be recycled, this material will also be used for the bags in the collaboration.
The bags will be rectangular in shape, with an organic cotton rope handle and consumers
will have a choice of two designs. One bag will be black with the collaboration logo printed
over it and one that is white with the Off-White stripes in grey across it and with the t-shirt logo in the bottom corner.
SWING TAGS
The swing tags are a take on the Off-White tags, they are long and rectangular in shape tying in with the bags. There are 3 tags, one that is the collaboration logo that has an ‘instagram code’ on it, one that is the H&M conscious tag explaining the sustainability of the product,
where it came from and what it was made from and the third is the Off White ‘see-through’ tag with the price, barcode and QR code that links to further sustainability information
online. The code links to an Instagram community/account that consumers can access to
view/upload images to see exclusive images and information about the collaboration. The tags are held together by red Zip-Ties an Off- White staple and are all made of sustainable
and recyclable materials such as bamboo paper and biodegradable plastics. However, given
the nature of the consumer everything can be kept as a memory or kept to be resold online.
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P A C K A G I N G
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4 P’ S
THE PRODUCT With Off-White being the focus of this collaboration and H&M’s Conscious range being the sustainable
foundation the collection will construe of a capsule range of basic ‘streetwear’ items such as t-shirts
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P R O M O T I O N
and hoodies and lower priced items such as socks and reusable tote bags.
At the heart of the product will be sustainability-
by using the Conscious line, the products are guaranteed to be made of mainly recycled and organic fabrics. The product will also fulfil the want for
new technology from consumers, by creating an
Instagram filter that is linked to the secondary logo on a t-shirt or hoodie, the filter will be continually updated online so the consumer will constantly
be able to access ‘new’ clothing. Moreover, only a
small community of people will be able to see the filters making the product even more exclusive.
As well as the filter t-shirt and hoodies there will
also be a range of other items such as other t-shirts, hoodies, socks, bags, and jackets that will have the Off-White influence in their design. Moreover, the
products will follow trends from A/W20 collections where streetwear was mixed with tailoring and
monotone colours were popular. The monotone
colour scheme will fit well in this collaboration as
the black and white colours will match with almost anything, allowing consumers to mix and match
with pieces in their wardrobe and express themselves in their fashion with this collection. The
t-shirts and hoodies will also have the sustainable
information about the product on the outside of the product to enhance transparency but also link into the Off-White aesthetic of writing where the product was designed and when on a product ie: Bangladesh, 2020.
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Instagram Filter Possibilities I have created a few possibilities of Off-White inspired filters that could be used in this collaboration and have photographed them in woods and on the beach near to reflect the sustainability and environmental values of this collaboration. The filters can be constantly updated and changed to give the consumer the feeling of owning a new item without buying more. Moreover, the filters can be used to express a statement or message for the consumer to reflect on making the collection more meaningful. For example, these filters have raised issues around the use of plastic, sustainablility and the fact that we should recycle clothing.
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THE PRICE
Millennials (the target consumer) are known to want a good deal from their clothing, but also want to keep up with trends. For this collaboration, a range of prices similar to those already used by H&M would be beneficial eg: from £24.99 for smaller items such as tote bags up to £70-£100 for larger items such as hoodies and jackets. This will make the collaboration affordable without cheapening Off-White, moreover, this has worked in previous collabs for both H&M and Off White as the Nike x Off White trainers retailed for £130-£170 moreover the H&M x Giambattista Valli prices ranged from £29.99 to £600. This range of prices will allow many different consumers to buy into the Off-White image and feel like they have a luxury item from a fast fashion brand.
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THE PROMOTION Instagram is the main social media site for Millennials and Gen Z; therefore this will be the main promotional site for this collaboration. The t-shirt filters can only be accessed via the Instagram page which customers are given a code for on the swing tag of a product. This exclusivity also promotes a sense of community where consumers of similar interests can upload their photos to the page as well as gain access to exclusive information and images from the collaboration. This links into current actions of H&M who are engaging their consumers by asking them to send in photos to feature on their main Instagram page as well as Off White who built their brand mainly over social media. This filter could also be expanded onto platforms such as Snapchat and Tik Tok to also engage the Gen Z consumer into the collaboration. The collaboration would also be promoted online by influencers who are able to reach a large audience and further expand the consumer. It would be beneficial to have influencers that are known for smart/casual and streetwear styles that are used to expressing their creativity by mixing these items as this would encourage the consumer to do the same with the items in this collaboration.
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THE PLACE The collaboration will be sold in a pop-up shop in Soho in London, given that the menswear consumer is willing to travel for fashion but also looks for an experience and a memory to take away as well as a product a pop up shop would work well in this instance. Soho is one of the main streetwear and cultural hubs in London, there is a heritage and history associated with the area making it feel casual and laid back as a shopping area. Moreover, a huge range of consumers shop in Soho from tourists, to businessmen, to kids to streetwear fanatics therefore, given this collaboration is made of mostly streetwear products this shop will fit in well here. The shop will include a variety of spaces, including a seating area to promote communal and a relaxed feeling, a ‘Conscious’ information space where the consumer can find facts about the products, how they were made and the importance of sustainability in this collaboration as well as a Virtual Reality station where the consumer can ‘step into the Instagram filter.’ This experience will be exclusive only to the pop up and will fulfil the want of consumers to experience something new, furthermore 71% of consumers are more likely to buy with a retailer if they offer some form of AR/VR. The internal decoration will be clean and simple emulating the styles of both brands and the sustainability and product will be at the focus of the store.
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POP-UP STORE FRONT
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Conclusion In conclusion, this brand book has brought together the fast fashion brand H&M and the luxury streetwear brand Off-White to create a sustainable product for the more conscious menswear consumer. The menswear market is continuing to grow at rapid rates and the consumer continuing to evolve so a collaboration of this kind will be well received. The increasing pressure being put on brands not only in the fast fashion market but in the luxury sector to be more sustainable has been a huge factor in creating this collaboration. Furthermore, the values of each individual brand have not been overlooked in this collaboration, the simplistic, sustainable and affordable nature of H&M paired with the community, culture and artistic nature of Off-White have created a new and forward-thinking product for the consumer. Overall, I feel that this collaboration has met the values I wanted it to for the new consumer- community in the Instagram account and store feeling, sustainability in using H&M Conscious products as the foundation of the items and technology in the Instagram filters. These values are what will set this collaboration apart whilst upholding the brand image of both H&M and Off-White to keep the collaboration familiar to loyal consumers as well as allowing the brands to step outside their box and improve to keep up with cultural movements forced by the consumer in 2020.
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References Bowles, H. (2019, April 9) Inside the Wild World of Gucci’s Alessandro Michele. Retrieved from- https://www.vogue.com/article/gucci-alessandro-michele-interview-may-2019-issue Curtin, M. (2018, March 30) 73 Percent of Millennials Are Willing to Spend More Money on This 1 Type of Product. Retrieved from- https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/73-percent-of-millennials-are-willing-to-spend-more-money-on-this-1-type-of-product.html D’Arpizio, C. ( 2019, January 10) The Future of Luxury: A Look into Tomorrow to Understand Today. Retrieved from- https://www.bain.com/insights/luxury-goods-worldwidemarket-study-fall-winter-2018/ Fashion Revolution. (2020, April 21) https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fr_fashiontransparencyindex2020?fr=sNmI5NzYxMDk0OA Geoghegan, J. (2017, January 09) Menswear Growth to Outpace womenswear by 2020. Retrieved from- https://www.drapersonline.com/news/menswear-growth-to-outstrip-womenswear-by-2020/7017443.article Graff, M. (2018, December 03) Millennial men are ditching traditional ‘masculine’ values of physical strength and competitiveness: They care more about good health and altruism, study finds. Retrieved from- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6456461/Millennial-men-value-good-health-altruism-masculine-traits.html Hendriksz, V. (2018, January 09) Key facts on the booming UK menswear sector. Retrieved from-https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/key-facts-on-the-booming-uk-menswear-sector/2018010927555 Johnson, F. (2018, July 18) THE TEN Off-White x Nike Design by Virgil Abloh. Retrieved from- http://www.caramelrock.com/the-ten-off-white-x-nike-design-by-virgil-abloh/ Lawthorpe, R. (2016, April 05) What does luxury mean in fashion today? Retrieved fromhttps://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/gyg9yq/what-does-luxury-mean-in-fashion-today
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Marketing Charts. (2015, October 15). Retrieved from- https://www.marketingcharts.com/ brand-related-60166 Newberry, C. (2019, October 22) 37 Instagram Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2020. Retrieved from- https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/ Ortiz, D. (2020, January 16) 30 Marketing Statistics about Generation Z and Millennials [2020]. Retrieved from- https://www.cyberclick.es/numericalblogen/gen-z-and-millennialengagement-stats-marketers-need-to-know-in-2020 Petro, G. (2019, January 25) The rise of the new male power shopper. Retrieved fromhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/gregpetro/2019/01/25/the-rise-of-the-new-male-powershopper/#78d1b1643367 Petro, G. (2020, January 31) Sustainable Retail: How Gen Z Is Leading The Pack. Retrieved from- https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregpetro/2020/01/31/sustainable-retail-how-gen-z-isleading-the-pack/#758c124b2ca3 Pithers, E. (2017, April 10) Would You Wear A Dress Made Of Manure? H&M Thinks You Should. Retrieved from- https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/hm-sustainability-global-change-award Plunkett, J. (2010, August 28) - Retrieved from- https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/ aug/24/tv-advertising Salfino, C. (2020, January 09)- Those Pesky Kids Are Showing Up—and They Want Sustainable Clothes- Retrieved from- https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/lifestyle-monitor/millennials-gen-z-sustainable-clothes-psfk-social-environmental-microplastics-189021/ Statista (2019) Retrieved from- https://www.statista.com/outlook/21030000/100/luxury-fashion/worldwide
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Image ReferencesFigure 1- Louis Vuitton menswear 2020- Retrieved from- https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2020/01/10/louis-vuitton-ss20-mens-footprint/ Figure2- Cara Delevigne in Chanel 2019- Retrieved from- https://aeworld.com/fashion/ chanel-aw19-fw19-collection-pfw-karl-lagerfeld-tribute/
Figure 3- ASOS consumer- Retrieved from- https://algorithmxlab.com/blog/asos-plans-toboost-its-customer-experience-and-invest-in-ai-2/
Figure 4- Dior A/W 2020- Retrieved from- https://www.esquire.com/uk/style/a30620666/ dior-mens-aw20/ Figure 5-Off White SS20- Retreived from- https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/gallery/27645/26/off-white-ss20-menswear
Figure 6- Off White hoodie- Retrieved from- https://editorialist.com/style/off-white-hoodie-pieces-to-invest-in/ Figure 7- Sustainable fashion- Retrieved from- https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/zarajoin-life-outerwear-lookbook/
Figure 8- H&M Conscious- Retrieved from- https://medium.com/@tabitha.whiting/sustainable-style-the-truth-behind-the-marketing-of-h-ms-conscious-collection-805eb7432002 Figure 9- Off White x Nike- Retrieved from- https://thesolesupplier.co.uk/release-dates/ nike/off-white-nike/ Figure 10- IKEA X VIRGIL-Retrieved from- https://mannenstyle.nl/343693/ikea-x-offwhite-prijzen-virgil-abloh/
Figure 11- Off White X Heron Preston- Retrieved from- https://www.surrenderous.com/ blogs/news/heron-preston-x-off-white-collaboration
Figure 12 - H&M x Giambattista Valli- Retrieved from- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/hm-names-giambattista-valli-next-designer-collaborator/
Figure 13- H&Moschino- Retrieved from- https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/hm-moschino-uk-collection-lookbook-release-date-stores-fashion-style-a8623531.html Figure 14- H&Mx Erdem- Retrieved from- https://www.allinstyle.co.uk/2017/10/12/ best-pieces-erdem-x-hm-collaboration/
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