By Max Logan
From humble beginnings on the West Coast of California, Stussy has built itself a legacy like no other. We take a look at the history of
CONTENTS • • • • • • • •
The origin of stussy – page 1 The DNA of Stussy – pages 2-4 Stussy ad campaigns and mood boards – pages 5-9 Mission statement – pages 10-11 The consumer – pages 12-13 Branding – pages 14-17 PESTLE analysis – page 18 SWOT analysis – page 19
The concept behind It was New York that really set Stussy on a new trajectory. James Jebbia opened Union in 1989 on Spring Street in New York. The shop was one of the first of its kind. It stepped away from the baggy hip-hop look of the time, but still embraced the street attitude, played hip-hop music and offered a curated selection of younger, boundary-pushing labels.
Stocking Stussy at the time wasn’t easy, and Jebbia’s desire to sell it at Union wasn’t enough to convince Stussy to agree until Paul Mittleman gave the co-sign and brought Shawn to the store to see it for himself.
He agreed, and Jebbia would go on to open the first Stussy store in New York in 1991, and started Supreme a few blocks over whilst still working there. In '92, both Stussy and Union expanded over to the West Coast and were housed together in a store on La Brea avenue called ‘The Stussy Union’. One half of the store was filled with Stussy and the other half filled with Union’s tight brand selection. It was a unique concept at the time, and before long both had outgrown the space and opened up in separate stores next door to each other, where they remain today.
The DNA of The Tribe was another important factor in the spread of Stussy on the international stage. Shawn would send clothing out to individual creatives and tastemakers in various cities across the world. Stussy had been making varsity jackets for a few years before Shawn had the idea to make special, one off ‘International Stussy Tribe’ versions, customised with each individuals name. In todays culture, this might be viewed through cynical, marketing eyes but it was all organic.
There was a genuine connection between people with similar interests and style cues, people were proud to wear these jackets and these people became the ‘unofficial, official’ spokesmen for the brand. As Paul Mittleman attests, ‘a lot of the people that formed the tribe went on to carve the niche for what would become streetwear and street culture’. However organic it was, it was still a stroke of genius from a brand building point of view. Frank Sinatra Jr, Stussy cofounder explains ‘we wanted people who cared enough about what they wore to go out and discover us, and feel like they had found something unique, not available everywhere, that said something about who they were and how much they cared for what they wore. We weren’t advertising from the top down, we were about being discovered from the bottom up’.
The DNA of
As the 90s rolled on, more and more labels were springing up that were willing to cash in on whatever was hot, whilst Stussy stood firm in not allowing the market to dictate its product. People began to get confused with Mossimo, a label with a strikingly similar hand drawn logo and a distribution strategy at the opposite end of the spectrum to Stussys; selling its products to any store that would take them. The American market was becoming diluted; unwilling to bow to external pressures and becoming disenchanted with a lack of enthusiasm from his team for his desire to push the brand forward, Shawn left at the end of 1995.
The DNA of Frank Sinatra Jr persevered, and kept the brand legitimate with the help of other members of the tribe and the people around them in the New York scene. The rise of the Ura-Harajuku movement in Tokyo, spearheaded by a key member of the tribe, Hiroshi Fujiwara, gave Stussy a whole new lease of life in Japan. They appreciated the authenticity and the heritage. After the turn of the millennium, the rise of sneaker culture and the increasing frequency of brand collaborations also gave Stussy new outlets and customers. Collaborations with Nike, including the first Huarache LE in 2000 and 2002’s Blazer Mid pack are among some of the most highly sought after shoes still to this day. Info sourced from - https://goodhoodstore.com/mens/features/brand-focus-stussy-history
COMPARING THE 80’S CAMPAIGN TO THE S/S 18 CAMPAIGN As you can see the vintage looking Stussy aesthetic has been kept up until this day, you can tell that Stussy are still trying to keep within Shawn Stussy’s style and ideology behind the brand.
Stussy spring/summer 18
STUSSY’S MISSION STATEMENT With a path of more than 30 years, Stussy is way more than just a brand, it is part of streetwear history.
STUSSY’S MISSION STATEMENT Attributes – To be punctual with deliveries, ensuring full customer satisfaction. To make sure prices are showing good value for money with the quality of product, showing more competitive price ranges in comparison to other brand competition. Distinctiveness – Stussy packages in a brown paper bag with a simple printed logo, it gives a clean cut less is more look. Novelty – Stussy packages include a variety of items such as stickers, look books and zines. This shows a competitive edge over other companies that Stussy see as competition.
TARGET MARKET/DEFINING THE CONSUMER Fans of the brand are perceived to be around the ages of 16-25. Your typical Stussy fan is not your regular Hollister fan, they are a part of a creative community that see’s the vision of Stussy and what it stands for as a brand.
CUSTOMER PROFILE – LEWIS AND LOIS
Age – 18 Gender – Gender neutral (open for anyone) Personality traits – loves music (indie, mellow rap, alternative rap, old school hip hop), loves street wear and some high end fashion, both enjoy socialising and meeting new people. Both open for new opportunities, and loves experimentation with clothing. Favourite social media sites – Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Favourite magazines – Lois: I-D, Dazed and vogue. Lewis: Thrasher magazine, high Snobiety and Palace Zines. Attitudes and morals – Lois: wants to help towards climate change, loves animals, quite boujee and is diverse with fashion, she incorporates high end and street wear together. Lewis: follows the skate scene, loves food (Jamaican food), laidback and easy going. Where do they live? - They both live in a small Town, with not much going on. They want to push creativity and being different within the community. Future aims - They are not currently students, doing gap years hoping to save some money. Lois want to be a fashion designer, and Lewis aims to become a Fashion Photographer. His aim is to eventually work for a brand such as Stussy. Where do they shop? – Lewis’s most used shops are Size, Note skate store in Manchester, End, and the Hip store in Leeds. Lois enjoys shopping online, specifically Urban outfitters, Asos, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.
MAP FOR BRAND POSITIONING High quality
High price Low price
Low quality
BRAND ONION Essence • • •
Aesthetic Stand for the youth Big focus on culture
Action Values
• • • •
Always developing and keeping up to date as a brand Always a high quality experience online Adapts tp audience as well as showing there own views and creativeness as a brand
personality • • • • •
Original Aesthetic One off collections Youthful Suitable for a range of consumers
• Collaborations • Specific collections • Unique stories behind different collections • Specified target customer
Physique • High quality • Long lasting, made for skating/wear and tear Relationship • Value for money • Durable garments • Well respected • Various collaborations on a regular basis • Reaches out to the youth Reflection • Suitable for everyone • Elements of vintage and modern fashion • Aesthetic • Keeps to their roots
Personality • Creative • Youthful • Suits low and high fashion Culture • Surfing, to skate wear, to street wear. • Relaxed • Creative drive • Doesn’t follow the rules • Influential to the street wear scene
BRAND IDENTITY PRISM
Self-image • Some releases are exclusive, some are not • Drives the street wear scene • Leading the culture of street fashion
REPOSITIONING THE BRAND WITH CHANGES TO THE TARGET MARKET (ADULT) AND QUALITY (HIGH) High quality
High price Low price
Low quality
POLITICAL • Import tax could increase due to Brexit • This could limit stock coming into the UK
ECONOMIC
ENVIRONMENTAL
• British retail is under fire as 85,000 high street jobs could be lost, this could include the London based store, reducing business in the UK
•
due to sheer amount of shipping that stussy does into the UK and EU, this could increase the carbon footprint due to constant flights of clothes being shipped
PESTLE Analysis SOCIAL
LEGAL
•
• Laws of consumer rights • Health and safety acts should play a factor when a new store opens
• •
TECHNOLOGICAL
Due to growth of social media, it has allowed stussy to grow as a brand and a movement Most orders are dealt with online nowadays, which is much more quicker and efficient
•
Stussy recently created an archive for fans to come and shop, this was a could a chance for people to experience the past culture of stussy, and combine it with the modern culture we see today Stussy have 3.6 million followers on Instagram
SWOT ANALYSIS OF STUSSY
External
Internal
• • • • • • •
STRENGTHS One of the most established and thought after brands Stores all over the world Very strong and solid brand image High quality Large underground following Large online presence Celebrity approval OPPORTUNITIES • Further building of their social media platforms and networks • A further increase in stock and online availability
Positive
WEAKNESSES • High pricing, can sometimes be too un-affordable • Limited inventory of stock
THREATS • Threats could include competition from national retail chains such as Urban Outfitters, Size and Asos. • Risk of departing from the underground roots due to commercialisation.
Negative