Adobe InDesign Matteo De Meo Fashion Marketing and Communication Level 5 2017-2018 5FAMK003C CWK1 Nicolas Gordon
Spring / Summer 2019 BRIEF (Visual Communication)
ANALYSIS/STRATEGY _______ 6 Background, Market position, Current situation, Communication background, Communication task.
EDITORIAL _______ 21 Editorial brief, Photographers, Location, Models, Art director
LOOKBOOK_______ 38 WEBSITE_______ 50
REFERENCES_______ 58
The objective of this strategy is to fulfil the gap of unfordable clothes and promotion of Y3 to a bigger target. Aswell to increase the awareness of the brand to a wider audience thanks to a more affordable and wearable capsule collection. This collection will rise the sales of Y-3 and will create a new range of costumers that normally buy Adidas: they will see in Y-3 a more premium aspect focused on technical wear.
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nfordable clothes for the majority: The price of the brand makes it hard if not impossible for the majority to afford. And the lack of promotion of the brand has its gasps in the market: no a lot of people knows that Y3 is a collaboration between Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto. Also, A lot of costumers of Adidas knowns very little or nothing about Y3.
The capsule collection will be distributed through the normal Adidas store around the world, in a small sector of the shop, displaying the editorial photo-shooting. A small explanation and description of the immense collaboration between Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto will appear in order to demonstrate what the brand is about to the ones who don’t know about it. The price of the products will be between 50€ and 65€ for the t-shirts and between 70€ and 90€ for the sweater with hood. The products will feature 3 different range of coulours (black, white and red). When the product will be purchased, the packaging will be an invisible plastic bag with Y-3 logo on it, giving a raw and alternative look to the experience, and there will be inside the editorial of the brand.
CAPSULE COLLECTION
Year - 2002 Headquarter - Herzogenaurach,Germany
BACKGROUND
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didas is a German multinational company born in 1949 dedicated to the manufacture of footwear, sportswear and other products related to sport and fashion, and sponsor of events and sports figures worldwide. Yohji Yamamoto was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1943. After graduating from Keio University with a degree in law in 1966, he entered Bunkafukuso Gakuin Design School and graduated in 1969, in which he began is outstanding career as one of fashion’s top designers.
“With adidas we created something that did not exist before and completely projected the future. My desire was and is to make sportswear elegant and chic. Adidas is very personal inspiration to me…it enriches my creative life” - Yohji Yamamoto Y-3 is the collaboration brand born from the partnership between Adidas and Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. His collaboration with adidas aims to bring Yamamoto’s sartorial aesthetics to the adidas brand by fusing high fashion with advanced sportswear. The “Y” stands for Yohji Yamamoto, the “3” represents adidas’ three signature stripes and the “-” signifies the link between the two. The collaboration between renowned Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto and the authentic sports brand adidas has revolutionized the industry, creating a new category in fashion. Y-3 represents design, true craftsmanship, and the future in sportswear. The fusion of innovative design, sport functionality, fashion elegance and spotless craftsmanship all accumulate to the success of Y-3 since its inception over five years ago. Today, Yohji Yamamoto continues to defeat the ordinary with his endless creativity. He continues to show during New York and Paris Fashion Week with couture and collaborations with designers.
“..with adidas we created something that did not exist before and completely projected the future. My desire was and is to make sportswear elegant and chic. adidas is very personal inspiration to me…it enriches my creative life”
The project entailed the general restyling of the brand in order to translate the values of minimalism, fashion elegance and functionality into a bold, consistent and cohesive design system. The brand identity went through a complete restyling process, including logo optimization, renewed look & feel, redesigned stationery and guidelines for the development of the main communication touch points, including invitations and product labeling. Art direction consulting and color behavior analysis were provided for every application of the brand’s ad campaign, including photography, printed matter and web platforms.
HIGH QUALITY
MARKET POSITION
LOW PRICE
HIGH PRICE
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LOW QUALITY
-3 offers a service based on high-quality designs and a wide variety of technical fabrics. However, the prices are a real issue because the quality doesn’t satisfy the expectations of the customer. Brands like A-COLD-WALL* or UEG focuse on more high quality products for a higher price. On the other hand, some competitors of Y-3 are premium lines of brands like NIKE, who develop a more alternative style of sportswear, and emerging active-wear brands like THISISNOTCLOTHING, who focuse on digital textile manipulation. Based on what its competitors offer, Y-3 had always put an effort to influence consumer perception of the brand and of the product (development of a strategy build entirely on wearability and designs) but should develop what the quality and durability of the product means for the brand.
Y-3 is not enough relevant in the fashion industry and its low influence doesn’t prove the potential of this collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas: the brand needs awareness to increase their sales and needs to attract a wider audience in order to create a new type of customers. Basing ourselves onto these objectives, this capsule collection will be sold in a more affordable price, it will be distributed worldwide in the official adidas stores (allowing the customers of Adidas to get familiar with the brand) and will be displayed into the official social medias platform of Adidas. Y-3 previous and present communication activity is based on story driven and conceptual campaigns, editorials, lookbooks and short-film: for example, for AW 2011, the brand featured the football legend Zinedine Zidane who fronted the campaign amongst black and white photography coupled with contrasts of lightness and darkness, creating a dramatic and poetic story, or, Y-3 has just released a campaign based on future of sports in Fashion , promoting the Adidas Y-3 Spring/Summer 2017 collection. The film traverses a futuristic dystopia: from the artistic underground to the corridors of power, the film is a compelling investigation of political hierarchies and it questions the viability of privacy in a world of state-sponsored surveillance while revealing the shifting interplay between consciousness and memory.
This style of communication is targeting a small variety of costumers that are interested into innovation and futuristic concepts. Y-3 elaborates sartorial aesthetics of Yamamoto in order to fuse high fashion with advanced sportswear: since 2002, the brand aims to offer activewears with high quality fabrics in order to bring a certain energy and feeling to the customer. Y-3 focuses on innovative designs, sport functionality, fashion elegance and minimalism. This editorial expose a originative style to the collection, revealing a “state of the art” concept in the imagery but remaining simple according to the brand identity. The overall look of the editorial is visually captivating to a wider audience and creates a direct interest to the product.
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didas and Yamamoto combine the expertise of a huge sportswear business and an avant-garde designer to target a new audience of consumers with a new high end, premium fashion sports niche. The collaboration between them has taken a completely new audience and variety of person. Sports clothing has never been so refined and luxurious in quality. The target are educated, vivid and creative/artistic young men and woman. Contemporary individual with
They want clothes that makes them feel special and unique. To stand out from the crowd by wearing modern, street wear inspired pieces with interesting design and shapes. They rather express their individuality than following specific trends.
Demographically classification: Age between 20 to 45, Gender neutral, income: medium - high, education: collage graduate, Occupation: Professional.
“People started calling me ‘The Master’ but I doubted that ordinary people were wearing my clothes. At the time I saw so many people wearing clothing with those three white stripes and I said to myself ‘This is it.’ That was how we began.” -Yohji Yamamoto. a city lifestyle, between the age of 20 to 45 years old, with an interest in fashion, architecture, design and aesthetics. They most likely work in an creative field, and have an annual income ranging from 20,000 to 90,000. The price of the brand is not very affordable for most university students, so the costumer requieres to have a steady job with a stable income unless they come form a high class family.
Psychographically classification: creative young individuals interested in fashion, architecture, design and aesthetics. The main focus to express individuality and uniqueness with their clothes. Made for people who are art driven rather than worrying about the next trend in fashion. Y-3 is visually compelling and should inspire creative minds.
TARGET MARKET
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-3 target a new audience of consumers with a new high end, premium fashion sports niche. Known for operating away from popular trends and fashion, the Y3 brand is remembered by adding intricate detailing to classic silhouettes. The target consumer is a hybrid of the two brand’s interest groups, allowing the product to enter the more expensive segment of retail pricing. Y-3’s target is a mix between those with a love for sport’s tastes and those who appreciate the Japanese “master tailor”. Sports clothing has never been so refined and luxurious in quality: in fact, the Y3 legacy is already secured and is responsible for a whole new category of luxury sport clothing, extending the reputation of both entities to a level which couldn’t have been foreseen. Y3 is the perfect choice of clothing for the fashion conscious sports enthusiast and looks set to raise the bar of standards in the sector yet again.
“To me it represents a new trend. It’s very cosmopolitan. There is such a people and culture mix. There is a real level of cultural sensitivity here.” - Yohji Yamamoto.
GOALS
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-3 break the boundaries between commodity and art, by creating clothing that ranges from basics like athletic shoes and denim jeans to couture-inspired gowns that are nothing short of malleable mobile sculptures. Yamamoto balances the seemingly incompatible extremes of fashion’s competing scales. Y-3 defines and redefines the language of sportstyle with fearless innovation. Why do we stand out? Innovative and futuristic fabrics and designs inspired by unisex outwear and street wear. The fact that the brand consciously creates the collection to suit both men and woman. (Gender bending, unisex) the idea of creating the collection in a way where both female and male can wear it and even borrow one another clothes. Brand values: unique, strong knowledge in textiles and designs, elegant and chic sportwear, minimalist (dark color palette), urban, sophisticated
EDITORIAL
Where does the inspiration of the collection comes from? The landmark collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and adidas follows a simple directive: fuse the best of Yohji with the best of adidas. His desire was and is to make sportswear elegant and chic.
The editorial shouldn’t include designs and styles that do not represent the brand identity and image: for example, the editorial will feature, as always, dark color palettes and photos that show the models in a continuous movement. However, Y-3 expose a more ordinary style of imagery in order to attract and influence a wider audience.
This editorial is dynamic, young and minimalist. It explores the dimension of an active, spirited and energetic lifestyle in an urban and technological environment. The editorial expand the curiosity, the fascination and the inspiration for this type of lifestyle. The main objective of this editorial is to make the viewer confident in wearing innovative designs for a sporty product.
Alessio Bolzoni combines image and fashion to create perfect portraits that blend urban and elegant styles. In his portfolios, the protagonist are the garments, while the rest of the elements are in the background. The drama also excels in his work. Preference in terms of models: “I like models with personality, power and good energy. I like when they bring something to the story.”
“The real challenge for me is to find a way to do something new and unique.” - Alessio Bolzoni. The angles that he takes when shooting sometimes create the illusion of body distortion, leaning the arms and legs into spindly members. A mix between a real and surreal balance. The poses then are created as a result of precise intentions, mixed with casualty and controlled mistakes. Many of the images are also shot while looking up at the subject, making them bigger than nature or emphasising either their facial features or the garments being worn.
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-3 casted this type of models because of their contemporary and sophisticated look. It is important for Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas to define and explore the future. The type of models Yohji Yamamoto choose ensure innovation and are related to these new aesthetics and silhouettes he always try to create. These models iconify an interesting and impactful vision: It is fundamental for him to create a connection between the model and the dark color palettes that represent the brand. Hair: Chi Wong Makeup: Zenia Jaeger Styling: Mauricio Nardi Art Direction: PL Studio Production: Pony Projects
Serge Sergeev: Agency: The Bro Models Height 186 Chest 70 Hips 80 Shoes 43
Tay Demery: Agency: TIM MGMT Height 180 Bust 78 Hips 86.5 Shoes 39.5 Tyg Davison: Agency: The Hive Managment Height 181 Bust 78 Hips 87 Shoes 40
The collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto and adidas follows a simple directive: fuse the best of Yohji with the best of adidas. As Y-3’s statement eloquently puts it, it’s “poetry meets punk.” Tones of Black, white and Red are used throughout the range to highlight the striking designs of the garments. Syntactic light is used for harden the poses of the models and highlighting the garments. The makeup and hairstyle is inspired on the latest trend of 2018 “less is more” with the rise of the #nomakeupselfie on Instagram. All this creating a raw look for the models which goes perfectly with the brand image. The editorial captures a dynamic energy as models delicately fall into each other to create unique contorted shapes that the photographer Bolzoni captures from surprising angles. There are one set of clothes outfit per page, with a total of 8 looks. Each look are set on different positions from the same location. With a raw architectural industrial area as its setting, the campaign emerges a contrast of energy poses with the main focus on eye catching design with printed combination of the Y-3 logo and the iconic 3 stripes from Adidas.
The Ludwig Erhard Haus - named after the father of the social market economy and the German economic miracle - is the communications and service center of Berlin’s economy. Architecture that combines functionality and grace is the challenge of every architect. A building should be beautiful, it should at the same time fit into the surrounding ensemble and stand out from it. But a building should also serve its purpose, should create spaces in which one likes to stay, in which one likes to work. In the collection FW17, Y-3 explores the relationship between nature and technology. The location reflects the connection between these two topics: the models are surrounded by rocks, grass or dirt, but the environment is a high-tech and modernistic building. The contrast is impressive but it displays perfectly the concept of the collection. As usual, the models are moving: it shows that the collection is sportwear. This location represent what the brand is about: a definition of the future based on this connection between nature and technology. Y-3 always try to improve and redefine itself: in fact, the location demonstrate that this futuristic clothing can be used in a everyday life.
Ludwig Erhard Haus (BERLIN) Architect: Nicholas Grimshaw
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his lookbook is a professional set of photography displaying Y-3’s collection. It is assembled this way for marketing purposes and for grabbing the attention from the viewer.
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It shows off each product in its entirety: it is a wholesale lookbook that is going to be essentially distributed to buyers, consumers and even press in order to reach individual audience and lasting impressions. The lookbook is inspired by the minimalism but still creative mind of Yohji Yamamoto. It combines diferent products from the Y3 website. The faces, arms and legs of the models were taken and mixed with the garments.
LOOKBOOK
Hooded Sweatshirt $350.00 Track Pant $290.00 Sneakers: $381.00
Turtleneck jumper $413.00 Track Pant $266.00 Sneakers $350.00
Track Top $320.00 Track Pant $290.00 Sneakers $350.00
Hooded Sweatshirt $453.00 Track Pant $280.00 Sneakers $452.00
Hooded Sweatshirt $320.00 Jogging Pants $260.00 Sneakers $350.00
Poncho $510.00 Track Pant $450.00 Sneakers 350.00
Long Dress $320.00 Socks $30.00 Sneakers $350.00
Turtleneck Jumper $413.00 Track Pant $499.00 Sneakers $320.00
Blazer $550.00 Sneakers $320.00
Hooded sweatshirt $534.00 Track Pant $310.00 Sneakers $452.00
WEBSITE
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he studio is divided in three parts:
Site map drawing
- SHOWS expose some of the looks of Y-3 runways. In order to swipe, the user must press pause/play button or press the arrows in the two directions. - EDITORIAL is composed by a list of links (FW19) that the user needs to press in order to see it fully. - LOOKBOOK displays 10 looks with their relatives product category and prices. In order to see the totality of it, the user needs to swipe down.
WEBSITE
The HOME page displays a quote from Yohji Yamamoto, explaining the concept and the reasons behind the collaboration with Adidas. MEN and WOMEN pages present each type of products and their relative prices. The products are divided in three categories (t-shirts/sweaters, accessories, sneakers and bags).
ABOUT is divided in two parts: - BACKGROUND explain the two brands backgrounds,how their collaboration started and developed, the concept and the ideology behind it and what they expect from the future. - STORE LOCATOR displays a Google Map. The user need to press it in order to locate Y-3’s store in Milan.
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Movila, G. (2018). Interview with Fashion Photographer Alessio Bolzoni. [online] Virtual Photography Studio - Photography Business Resources for photographers. Available at: https://virtualphotographystudio.com/2015/08/interview-with-fashion-photographer-alessio-bolzoni/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2018]. reddit. (2018). Y-3?? โ ข r/streetwear. [online] Available at: https:// www.reddit.com/r/streetwear/comments/2dw0z2/y3/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018]. Team, H., Dike, J., Mak, H., Stanley, J., Boatman-Harrell, J., Estiler, K., Mak, H., Team, H., Montes, P. and Boykins, A. (2018). Y-3 | HYPEBEAST. [online] Hypebeast.com. Available at: https://hypebeast. com/tags/y-3 [Accessed 20 Dec. 2017]. Thebromodels.com. (2018). The Bro Models | Serge Sergeev. [online] Available at: http://thebromodels.com/portfolio_page/serge/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]. Thehivemanagement.com. (2018). TYG DAVISON - The Hive Management. [online] Available at: http://www.thehivemanagement.com/ main-board/tyg-davison/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]. Theindustrymodelmgmt.com. (2018). Tay Demery - The Industry Model MGMT. [online] Available at: http://www.theindustrymodelmgmt.com/model/new-york/555-tay-demery/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]. Unomodels.com. (2018). Rachide Embalรณ | Uno models Barcelona & Madrid. [online] Available at: http://www.unomodels.com/es/hombre/new-face/2682-rachide-embalo/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]. WGSN Insider. (2018). Y3 by Yamamoto. [online] Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/blogs/y3-by-yamamoto-%E2%80%93ss-2012/# [Accessed 21 Jan. 2018].
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