n e r d l e i h h t C f o D
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Brand Communications Project
19/20 BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing LCF Full-time Year 1 Student ID: 18005314
Contents page
PART 01
PART 05
Page 2
Page 64
Situation Analysis and Communications Audit
Estimated Budget
PART 02 Page 22 Customer insights research and concept proposal PART 03 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page 3
Page 46 Integrated Marketing Communications plan PART 04
REFERENCE LIST
Page 69
APPENDICES
Page 67
Page 60 Ethical considerations 2
Executive Summary Children of the discordance aims to popularise the Japanese brand into the UK market, most specifically in London. This report will illustrate the criteria in which consumers within the UK will fit into the brand, which includes males ages 16-25. The brand targets consumers who are likely to afford high end, luxury clothing as well as those who shop with a sustainable interest. Within the UK, children of the discordance aim to target luxury boutiques within a western market, therefore, target consumer and niche markets to develop further. These shops will be placed in stores including Selfridges and Harrods, and Browns. Children of the discordance will open two or three bouquets in the UK depending on the demand of the consumers. The business designed to create a niche market for consumers within Figure 2
the UK that adopt a streetwear aesthetic. Consumers are more likely to purchase from the label within the UK as reports suggest both social media and Hip Hop music within the UK influence the buying behaviours of Generation Z. Consumers from the UK are likely to receive luxury products sustainably sourced by Hideaki Shikama himself from countries such as Palestine, Mexico and Kenya. The exclusivity of the products diverse the communication of the report and explains clearly how the UK’s branding will fit into the Children of the discordance’s ‘customer profile’. With the hope of bringing the brand to the UK, it will increase global recognition, store representation and increase advertisement. The report will be presented as follows; to illustrate how the team is going to help Children of the Discordance enter the UK market and will include 3
Executive Summary
many marketing farmworks. Firstly, to summarise the brand the Kapferener’s identity prism will present the main etiquette and messages Children of the Discordance will present to the public. Then a SWOT will highlight the strengths, and opportunities they have to offer such as sustainability (explained in the ethical swot), as well as the weaknesses and threats, including those entering the luxury market. To continue from this, the report allows for a greater understanding of the macro-environment through a PESTLE analysis and in-depth study of the ideal consumer through a pen portrait and extensive, up to date trend research for the targeted city of London. In order to communicate this to the consumers, Lasswell’s linear communication model walks through the steps of how the ‘communicator’ will present the message to the ‘receiver.’ For the brand to increase their brand awareness in the new market, the main methods of communication will mainly include social platforms and influencers in addition to various celebrities, whilst also using a variety of above and below-the-line media including social media platforms and PR events. The first strategy will be focusing on targeting the famous YouTube fashion show PAQ, we will be collaborating with them and creating a show on their channel which will allow a mutually beneficial outcome. In addition to this, the brand will also be making great use of the social platform Instagram, through this app we will be running several ‘giveaways’ where
Figure 3
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the overall aim is to spread brand awareness through the ‘follows, likes and shares. The brand will also engage in cultural collaboration to increase awareness in the target market. Brand awareness is the brand’s main KPI; therefore the primary objective of these ‘giveaways’ is to reach future potential customers and raise the interest of the new London market. As marketers, the team will make sure these are in place by using the AIDA and DRIP framework, most specifically differentiating the brand through their sustainable efforts. To conclude the PR packaging (which includes animations and a look book) and budgets are set by a team in order to position themselves within a niche market which will overall maintain a higher market share. Children of the discordance will create a sense of luxury by including press releases and several other information surrounding CotD, For example, a lookbook for the upcoming seasons.
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1
PART 01 Situation Analysis and Communications Audit
About the Brand
Children of the Discordance is a men’s luxury streetwear brand created by Hideaki Shikama in 2017. Intertwining Japanese culture with ‘laid-back sportswear,’ allows for unique designs which as a result, has allowed the brand to reach a global audience, (Silbert, 2019) highlighted through the achievement of the Tokyo fashion award in 2018 (Harada, 2018). The brands key visual codes are its use of vintage patchwork, which has become its
signature look, as well as denim embellished with geometric fabrics and its great focus on bandana prints.
Figure 5 6
The main idea is to transmit the fragrance of the streets through all of the designs. Hideaki Shikama chose to incorporate his 2000s styling, silhouette, volume of garments and edges with current fashion trends in order to create more updated and sophisticated looks, making the overall designs more unique (Grobe, 2020).
The brand started when Shikama and friends of his began printing T-shirts, and reconstructing other pieces. The experience and logistic support that Shikama gained from working as an in-house designer for SHIPS BLUE JET (Silbert, 2019)allowed him to be fortunate to start his own brand in 2011 “Children of the discordance.”
Figure 6 7
Competition Tokyo is known for being the trendiest city in Japan as they often
two important questions which helped research the competition
adapt to tween trends, subcultural looks and street styles. Hideaki
behind Children on the Discordance. Firstly, when customers think
Shikama of Children of the discordance, currently pulls from a
about brands that provide street style fashion, what companies
variety of subcultures as he revisited trends from the 20’s and
come to mind? Responses included the following: Supreme, Off-
the 90’s. Many competitors in both Japan and the UK target
White, Prada, and Balenciaga (all of which are luxury brands).
the same consumers as fashion outlets such as H&M, import
Secondly, what is their favourite fashion brands and for what
garments are known for street style (Keet, P., 2016).
reason would they choose them over others available. Responses helped to establish retail selling techniques, for example, Stella
However, children of the discordance follow high-end clients as
McCartney provides ethical choices, Prada and Alexander
products such as their bandana print shirts are retailed £400-
McQueen’s eloquent Designs, and Dior’s brand history. Similar to
700. The brand focuses on bandana prints as Hideaki Shikama
Stella McCartney, Shikama sources all ethical fabrics which are
signifies hip-hop music, which lots of designers take huge
mainly fair trade-related materials (Grobe, 2018). Shikama also
inspiration from. For example, Marc Jacobs fall 2017 collection
has a history with his current competitors and his career started
was inspired by the “Hip-Hop Evolution” as Jacobs memories
by opening the multi-brand store Acycle in Tokyo which stocked
of New York lived around Hip-Hop Subculture (Berlinger, 2018).
huge street style brands such as Palace, P.A.M, and Maharishi.
Streetwear fashion brands are heavily represented in Tokyo and
Children of the Discordance was inspired by the huge streetwear
recently in the UK.
brands Stüssy and Supreme (Grobe, 2018).
Whilst conducting primary research, the team asked consumers
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Brand Image Children of the Discordance is differentiated through their sustainable approach; the brand strongly believes in the ethical sourcing of fabrics which led them to the discovery of their main fair-trade materials such as their symbolic bandana prints along with the Palestine keffiyeh through Mexico’s Zapatistas (Promostyl, 2020). Hideaki Shikama introduces the image of “Children of the discorance” by collecting fair trade materials from places and people such as Masai tribesmen in Africa (Shikama, 2019). The brand image was created along the backbone of the designer, using his deep knowledge of the third world and youth-culture to influence the perception of the brand to a wider audience. Furthermore, Children of the discordance aims to create a respectable brand for the people they work alongside. Hideaki Shikama in an interview with Jake Silbert for Hypebeast Magazine (2019) claims “The importance of ethical craft aside, I like to work with people who have good vibes. If they’re unhappy or if they’re in some kind of trouble, I want to do everything I can to help them.”
Brand Identity Prism
Figure 7
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Figure 8
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Touchpoints
Children of the Discordance’s touch points included social media platforms, the main one being Instagram, the brand is able to communicate and display products through this app where current or potential customers are able to interact with the products as well as give opinions and inform themselves on the current products that the brand has available.
In addition to this, COTD also has their own website where customers are able to see all of their full collections and purchase them through the list of stockists that the website offers. The website also includes the brands contact details in case of any queries. Along with this the brand has also opened a pop-up store in Tokyo where customers were able to try on and interact with the product, this aided the overall ability to influence consumers into buying whilst gathering customers opinions and their perception on the brand.
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Figure 9
The current communication strategy Figure 11 Figure 12
Online
12 Figure 13
Figure 14
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Communications Audit
The current communication strategy
Offline
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Figure 15, 16
DRIP Mode Analysis
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Figure 19
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Communications Audit
Figure 18, 19
Figure 20
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SWOT Analysis
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A strength that the brand could benefit from is the fact that the operations are sustainable, where sustainability is an ongoing and significant topic globally and
Situation Analysis
specifically within the fashion industry. •
It is evident through social media platforms, industry person talks and even articles online and offline all continuously remind the public about the importance of sustainability, allowing Children of the Discordance to benefit from this greatly as well as potentially attract various individuals and groups with similar interests and passions.
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Similarly, another strength is the fact that the production and quality of the garments are up to standards, focusing on various issues regarding workers and working conditions (Grobe, 2018).
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A possible weakness could be, similar to most high-end streetwear and designer
brands, that it could be difficult to afford for our target market of younger audiences. •
Not having the appropriate disposable income and the pieces are listed as relatively expensive in relation to more mainstream brands.
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Being an international brand could be a weakness as it may be difficult to reach the correct target audience needed to succeed and strive in the new foreign market.
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Additionally, finding the correct and suitable resources to operate sustainably may be difficult due to the new environment and probable lack of connections when first entering the uk market.
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A prominent opportunity that the brand could benefit from is entering new markets. Entering a new market, specifically a western market allows the target consumer and niche market to grow and develop further, potentially and ideally allowing various different consumers from across Europe and America to discover the brand.
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Multiple opportunities arise from this occasion such as being able to operate in unfamiliar places and launching the ideals and products to a potentially untapped market.
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Other opportunities could include collaborations with influencers from the UK as well as other brands. Entering a new market allows Children of the Discordance to keep options open when considering various marketing and promotional strategies to collaborate and co-create with people as well as similar and suitable brands that could appeal to the target market.
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A possible threat we could face is the fierce competition due to the nature of the fashion industry.
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Similarly, the highly competitive and arguably saturated market with specific regards to streetwear is something Children of the Discordance could struggle with.
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Brands such as Supreme and Palace have dominated the streetwear trend and market for years, potentially making it difficult for the brand to actively promote and market their brand to a new and unfamiliar market.
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Figure 21
PESTLE Analysis
P
olitical
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As Brexit is now currently being implemented in Britain’s political structure this could raise issues regarding individuals and groups not from Britain who work closely with Children of the Discordance. It may restrict possible trading opportunities within the EU and globally due to their political decision.
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Various restrictions on trading and tariffs that could be part of a country’s political system may affect the running of business for the company, whether beneficial or not. There could be opportunities that arise from these differences or there could be difficulties obtaining goods and necessities to operate the business.
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Similarly, political stability is uncertain, specifically when regarding the fashion industry. Therefore, this could impose restrictions for the new brand entering the UK market as well as once it has presumably successfully entered the market.
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E
conomic
Various exchange rates ranging from Japan to Britain may be a difficulty not only for those involved internally with the brand, but also with regards to the consumers whether they are existing consumers or new consumers. Placing their products and brands into a new and unfamiliar market with unfamiliar exchange rates could set back the development of the brand in the UK and possibly hinder success and further progress in Japan.
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The income and wages may differ for employees and staff members involved with the business. It will be important for Children of the Discordance to research and analyse the differences in the income and how to act accordingly.
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The employment rate in the UK could mean more people are searching for jobs, however it may also mean that most people have secure jobs. Specifically, within the fashion industry, a highly competitive industry by nature, there could be difficulties to find the appropriate staff and personnel. However, this could also mean there is an excess of qualified personnel for the job which would mean great variety for the brand.
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S
ocial
•
Consumer behaviour may be different in the UK as opposed to Japan. This could mean their buying habits, response to products and marketing strategies could work in Japan but not necessarily in the UK. On the other hand, this gives Children of the Discordance an opportunity to cater their products and marketing strategies to a new market which could benefit them greatly if they manage to predict and assume the consumer response and reaction and act accordingly.
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Due to the fact the streetwear market is such a large market, it could be difficult to find a niche market and target it the correct and most appropriate way to the target audience without getting
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lost in the midst of other rival streetwear brands.
echnological
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Various technological differences could hinder the production and development of the brand in the UK. The technological systems in Japan could be more developed than the ones in the UK, meaning there will be a slightly delayed, less modern and possibly less efficient way of working in the new market which could affect possible future tasks and goals. Similarly, the cost of technological structures and development could differ from what the brand is used to, suggesting that they need to find the most cost effective yet efficient method of production. This could be a long process as the brand is unfamiliar with its environment and has to research outsourcing in order to find new distributors, etc to run the business successfully.
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Technological barriers may exist between the UK and Japan, creating a divide between their different target consumers as well as not being able to benefit from the high technological standard of Japan to enter the
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new market in the UK.
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Different laws and regulations exist in Japan and in the UK which could possibly delay or even throw off the senior management of Children of the Discordance, as they will have to familiarise themselves and teach their staff the laws and regulations for the new UK market.
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Additionally, due to Brexit there might be shortage in individuals being able to work in the UK due to possible issues with Visa’s and qualifications as well as considering the likely difference in wages and taxation between the two countries. 21 Figure 22
Consumer Insight Push and Pull factors There is various different factors regarding the encouragement and discouragement of entering a UK market are to be considered in order to ensure the most efficient marketing strategies are used. Push marketing essentially suggests a strategy focusing on driving potential customers to a new market or product, or also known as direct marketing (Kayla Carmichael (2019) noted the ‘Push vs Pull Marketing: How They Differ and Work Together’). Some strategies that will be considered are through social media platforms as it is an efficient and productive way to target a niche market as well as similar markets. Through the use of social media, targeting various different individuals could also aid the brand awareness for Children of the Discordance in the UK.
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Similarly, with regards to Pull factors it is deemed to be a vital marketing strategy to use for saturated markets, such as clothing companies (Kayla Carmichael (2019) noted the ‘Push vs Pull Marketing: How They Differ and Work Together’). Pull marketing strategies commence internally and are perfected within the company in order to create a perfect marketable brand to already existing and potentially new customers.
Both strategies and factors help drive internationalisation with various different aspects to be looked at such as resources, management expertise, company culture and environmental factors that could affect the possible marketing for the brand.
Figure 23, 24, 25
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Demographic Brain Potter, 19, Male First year college student Middle class family Renting flat with his girlfriend
Geographic Living in London, the United Kingdom Hanging out near Shoreditch
Behavioural Purchase/ Usage Occasion: Daily usage User Status/ Purchase Frequency: Regular User; Buys new fashion items three time a month Loyalty Status: Split Buyer Readiness: Aware Attitude to Product or Service: Enthusiastic Adopter Status: Early Adopter
Psychographic The person is looking for streetwear fashion items with affordable prices. He likes purchasing garments from Palace and Supreme. He seldom buys from Lv and Balenciaga due to the higher price, although he likes those brands. He has a huge interest in street style fashion and hip-hop. He likes to do sports such as skateboarding, mountain cycling and surfing. He is a Londoner but wants to go to LA or Japan for holidays. He likes to play video games and
Pen P
spray-painting in free time.
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Portrait
Figure 26 25
Customer profile De mog ra p h i c
The target demographic of Children of the Discordance is males from 16-26 years old. The brand does not offer womenswear at this moment, but the clothes could be quite unisex and wearable for females. A part of the brand’s consumers are college students and young teenagers who have relatively a large amount of pocket money to spend on fashion. While the others would be people working in the creative industry such as graphic designers, music artists and fashion bloggers.
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In terms of salary, the target consumers are from middle income and upper-income level. They are expected to have a monthly disposable income between £2,500 to £3,500 due to the average product price (Farfetch, n.d.).
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Figure 27, 28
G eo g rap hi c
Children of the Discordance’s is established in Japan but will be expanded to the UK.
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Figure 29, 30, 31
Its core customer lives in urban areas, such as Shoreditch, Piccadilly, Soho and Covent Garden. The brands would sell in department stores including Selfridges and Harrods, and would also be available in buyers’ stores such as Browns. The company will open two or threes bouquets in the UK according to the customers demand.
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Figure 32, 33, 34
B e havi o u r
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In terms of the purchasing behaviour, the target customers would like to shop from both high street and luxury brands, from Supreme, Off-White, Palace to Prada, LV and Balenciaga. They are mainly early adopters and early majority who follow the fashion trends, but also want to keep up an individual style.
A typical customer of the brand has a good and quiet picky taste about fashion and pays lots of attention in the way he dresses. He would like to match up multiple brands together and match some accessories including rings and necklaces. The interviewees state that they tend to purchase new fashion items a few times a month (50 percent) and often shop in department stores and online platforms.
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P sych o g ra p h i c
The brand’s target customers are likely to share a particular lifestyle and interest. For example, they like to read fashion blogs about the latest trends and enjoy keeping up with street style. Along with this, the target consumer could love to use Instagram, youtube and other social media platforms frequently as being a younger generation. From the survey conducted, it showed that music is a key interest for the potential consumers, including urban and hip hop music. Some of the main artists are Lil tjay, Skepta, ASAP rocky, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi vert, Yung Bans, Travis Scott and Young thug (Appendix, Q11).
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Figure 35, 36, 37
That is to say, the brand could feature some music from these rappers in its stores, and therefore develop a closer relationship with its customers. They also tend to be creative and have interest in both art and fashion, especially with designer collections with artists.
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Men’s Trend Figure 38
TRE ND RESE ARC H
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CONS U M E R IN S IG HT S IN T HE U K
Style Co n cepts S /S 21 35
Be proactive with sustainability
Create youthful patterns and textures
using
hand-made
sustainable approaches.
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S OURCE: WGS N Figure 39, 40, 41
Customised Colour Including the use of waste dyes, ecoand vegetal dyes and bleach laundries to make nature, haphazard and fun looks.
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Using a mixture of jacquard and print forms to create graphic, youthful and innovative fabrics.
Hyper Camouflage
Figure 42, 43, 44
PH OTO S FRO M WG SN
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PH OTOS F ROM WGS N
Also experiment mixed-media such as adding prints and embroideries to classic military patterns to create mix-andmatch collaged looks.
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Figure 45, 46, 47
Be innovate with textile uprecycling and customisation
Rising trends for utility and performance items Increasing customer demand for individuality and limited-edition
P H OTOS F R O M WG S N
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Upcycled Utility Focus on vintage upcycled looks and use fabrics from overstock items to create one of a kind looks due to the increasing demand for individuality and limitededition.
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Embrace art and culture
Summer Initiative Using modern technology to create lightweight utility items inspired by nature and the sea. Take traditional Japanese patterns and prints from nautical themes and add up technical details.
To be appealing for the younger generation in the UK.
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Figure 48, 49, 50
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Figure 51, 52, 53, 54
Art and Cultural Perspective I M G F R OM WG S N
The
garget
audience
becoming
more
interested in art works.
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Collaborations with JW Anderson to build a crossover from art and street culture. To make garments in to seamless art pieces and using tag #artinfashion in social media.
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Integrated M Communicat KPI and Objectives “The ultimate purpose of a KPI is to identify what needs to be done to improve performance and keep the strategy on track… The SMART rule was originally developed to establish meaningful objectives for projects and later adapted to the identification of metrics and KPIs.” (Kerzner, 2017) It is important to establish some predetermined objectives for Children of the Discordance (CotD) prior to the integrated marketing plan so that the brand can execute actions to achieve goals. The main purpose of CotD entering a new market in this situation one deemed appropriate for the brand to commence their globalisation, the market chosen being London. The first predetermined goal that will be measured over a one-year period beginning from market entrance is brand awareness. Brand awareness is key to CotD as they are a unique brand that has not effectively utilised the golden age of social media with just over 20k followers on Instagram, (Instagram, 2020)this will harm their transition as they will have a smaller sector of established customers present in London. This is why brand awareness is so important to market the company and get their brand message out there, the increase in brand awareness will be measured over the one-year entrance period and will target to gain 15k followers from the London market.
MOOD BOARD 46
Marketing tion Plan Figure 55
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The AIDA Framework The AIDA model was created by Elias St. Elmo Lewis as a model to attempt to demonstrate how personal selling works. It is consistently used in the modern day to allow companies to identify how and when to communicate to the consumers through each stage through different platforms (Hanlon, 2019). For Children of the Discordance, the report has used the AIDA model to demonstrate how the brand will communicate with its target consumers in a new market.
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Figure 56
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Commun PESO model
As mentioned previously, Children of the Discordance will use the AIDA model to help communicate their message to the public. This will mainly be through using social media platforms to gain awareness such as Youtube (PAQ) and Instagram, both of which target the appropriate market. Moreover, in relation to Fills Drip model framework, the brand will be able to differentiate themselves against competition by communicating their unique selling point of sustainability across all platforms (Fill, 2006). However, to further understand how they will communicate their message to consumers the PESO model can be used.
Feature in PAQ Being a streetwear brand, Children of the Discordance aspires to use PAQ’s Youtube show. It is presented by four friends from London exploring the world of streetwear and men’s fashion, from thrifting secondhand clothes to exploring hypebeast trends. This global show rooted in London lifestyle, includes the latest from Supreme, North Face, Palace, Patta, Off-White, Raf Simons, Yeezy, Balenciaga and has more than 803K Subscribers. On instagrams the four boys have around 300k followers each all tagging streetwear brand within their posts.
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nications
Figure 57
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PAID MEDIA: ‘Giveaways’ on instagram: This will encourage people to buy their clothes and publicse new collections EARNED MEDIA: Publicity through influencers: famous influencers such as Asap Rocky and Skepta will be seen wearing the clothes both of who represent the target market Awards: Winning the 2018 Tokyo fashion award helps to increase their appeal to the luxury market and have a competitive advantage. SHARED MEDIA: PAQ: collaborating with youtuber PAQ will help the brand gain huge publicity Supply chains: Supporting ethical supply chains such as in Masai and Kenya OWNED MEDIA: Social media: Including instagram, twitter, facebook and youtube to reach a large target audience
Youtube_Mockup
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Online Marketing
Brand communication: PESO Model
Social Media Influencers & Posts Mockup
Figure 58, 59 53
Billboard Mockup
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Offline Marketing
Figure 60, 61
EARNED MEDIA: Brand collaboration: Children of the Discordance x JW Anderson Invitate influencers Fashion magazine editorials OWNED MEDIA: Lookbook Press pack Special event: Pop-up store (3 weeks duration PAID MEDIA Billboards & Campaign shoots to increase brand awareness on high street, busstops and department stores INCENTIVE MEDIA Offering brand ambassadors free garments for their performance
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Lookbook Mockup
Figure 62
Spring . Summer 2021 56
Press Release Children of the Discordance Transmits Hip-hop Culture With British fashion style in SS21 Lookbook Children of the discordance is a Japan-based fashion brand that offering high-end designer streetwear clothing. The label is well-known for its innovative design and sustainable use of fabrics and raw materials. The brand targets individuals who are into street style fashion and have a specific interest in Hip-hop culture. The quality products designed by Hideaki Shikama aim to directly target consumers who share similar experiences and interests. The Japanese designer created Children of the discordance based on his own experiences working as a designer for SHIPS BLUE JET (Silbert, 2019). Since then he has won many awards for the collections including the 2018 Tokyo Fashion Award (Harada, 2018), allowing the brand to gain huge publicity. For the SS21 collection, CotD offers a new look book featuring a crossover in art and street fashion by collaborating with the UK fashion house JW Anderson. The company believes the upcoming collection will help the brand to enter the new market and increase the overall brand awareness. There will be a pop-up store opening at New Bond Street on May 1st, with a 3 weeks duration. The store will offer its latest collection with JW Anderson. The collaboration features inspiration from Japanese and British subcultures, including an interesting crossover of hip-hop and street art. Moreover, the new offerings include t-shirts, trousers, jackets and accessories, alongside exclusive packagings and giveaways. The garments embraced sustainability, textile upcycling and customisation, with a larger emphasis on cultural collaboration. All of the products will be limited editions to demonstrate the exclusivity. Also, CotD will work with famous hip-hop artists to feature its products in their performance, as well as on their social media pages including Instagram, Youtube and TikTok. The brand’s ambassadors, such as Skepta and Asap Rocky will also be at the opening of the Pop-up boutique in London. For more news updates about the new collection, be sure to check out the brand’s Instagram account @children_of_the_discordance. COMING SOON 57
In order to enter the UK market, Children of the Discordance would collaborate with other British fashion brands. Collaborating with a native label enables the brand to reach a wider target audience in the market, and helps the business improve its reputation. For instance, Children of the Discordance and JW Anderson could present a collaboration project showing a crossover from art and street culture.
A Closer Look
Children of the Discordance x JW Anderson
+ Limited edition + Special packaging + Pop-up stores + Live catwalk shows on IG TV + Inviting influencers including music artists, bloggers and celebrities
JW Anderson Homme Automne-Hiver 2020-2021
Figure 63 58
Press Pack.
Figure 64, 65
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Ethical consideration
A key differentiating point for Children Of the Discordance within the luxury market is its ethical consideration across the fields of sustainability, pay and diversity. For example, the sustainable approaches such as reusing old vintage materials help to extend the garment life cycle, whilst also making up the iconic patchwork style. Moreover, their fair-trade practices focus on creating a positive working environment in which Shikama believes better paid workers lead to a better final product. This is conducted by the brand working closely with a textile factory in Palestine run by refugees and another in Masai, an African tribe in Kenya. Finally, Children of the Discordance is presented as a diverse brand with the inclusivity of different races and ethnicities throughout its runway models, positively communicating their personality to consumers. (Shikama, 2020)
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Figure 66
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Positive working environment: The brand works with people across the world such as; textile factories in Palestine, Mexican fabric providers for the bandanas, as well as the Masai an African tribe in Kenya.
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Sustainability: focuses on reusing and repurposing old vintage materials such as bandanas and other vintage/retro materials.
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Diversity: Taking inspiration from a number of different faucets including skateboarding to 90s New York hip-hop, which translates across into the brands inclusivity and diversity of ethnicity, specifically with their runway models. In recent years runway models have seen an increase in people of colour than previous years with the fall of 2019 seeing approximately 38.8 percent of models where nonwhite. This was no exception for CotD’s runway as their cast of models possessed a wide variety of race and ethnicity. (Saltzman, 2019)
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Gender diversity: Although indeded to be a genderless brand, there is a lack of female representation on both the runway and social media. The brand has yet to outline a womenswear section of their clothing which could represent their slow entry to market.
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Pricing: The pricing decision is terribly important for more than the simple reason that it is what the customer has to pay to acquire the product. At the same time, it may also raise questions of
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Fairness, discrimination, and exploitation.” (Brenkert, 2008). The brands price points range from £640 for a shirt and up to £1,465 for their new season coats. This could be seen as opposing their ethical viewpoints as it excludes certain economic-groups from obtaining these garments.
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Wrong message associated with coloured bandanas: Coloured bandanas have garnered a representation for gang affiliation within the United States. Globalisation of the brand could lead to the perpetuation of gang violence within the US as it has been suggested before that gang colours should be banned within schools, a key demographic for Children of the Discordance. 61 Figure 67
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The target market: With the brand being sustainable, a study shows that ‘Gen-Z’ is willing to pay 50 percent-to-100 percent more for sustainable products (Ryan, 2019). This could potentially increase the price in which they sell their products.
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Quallity: Due to the happy environment the brand sources its clothing from, the quality of products created as a team is greater(Shikama, 2019)
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Reduction of the brands carbon footprint: A decrease in the carbon footprint will be a result of the brands consistent use of repurposed materials and other sustainable options that help maintain the company’s high ethical standards. With both Tokyo the origin of the brand and a city with a ‘high’ level of air quality compared to London a ‘low’ level of air quality (Numbeo, 2020), the entrance of the brand and their sustainable initiatives will be encouraged into the new market.
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High cost of materials: A reason behind the increase in price for eco-friendly and sustainable material is because of the lack of demand compared to the other side of the fashion industry. The ethical threat of pricing is that it affects both the supply of, and the demand for, a particular product. (Dawson Books, 2012) therefore having a knock-on effect for other prices and selections.
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Forcing consumers into the fast fashion industry: with high prices and limited selections this may encourage consumers within lower socio-economics to shop for fast-fashion. On average a UK household spends 4.2% or £24.30 a week on clothing and footwear, (Williams, 2019). Therefore this ‘average’ household will not be able to afford the brand’s apparel but rather choosing fast-fashion options.
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Lack of female support: Due to the lack of diversity, females may not support or contribute to the brands strategies such as runways or social media. Although the 90’s New York hip-hop culture was largely dominated by male subcultures it has nevertheless changed and the market for female streetwear is sizable. 62
“I NEVER WANTED TO WEAR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE
WORE OR LISTEN TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE LISTENED TO. THE WORD 'DISCORDANCE' REPRESENTS MY GRATITUDE TOWARD THOSE CULTURES THAT I GREW UP WITH, LIKE FASHION, MUSIC AND SKATING.” --- --- HIDEAKI SHIKAMA
Figure 68
63
Estimated Budget
5
As a general rule for estimating budget it is said that companies willing to maintain their position in the market should spend around 5 percent of their total revenue on marketing activity and a company aspiring to grow within the market or attain a larger market share should spend 10 percent of their total revenue in order to grow (FrogDog, 2019).
In the special case of Children of the discordance a brand attempting to break into a new market will presumptuously cost more e.g. 20 percent of all total revenue. To calculate this Children of the Discordance have based their numbers of similar brands that have existed in the same period within the new market, ‘A-COLD-WALL’ a 4 year old company with a net worth of almost £400,000 (Company Check, 2019), CotD’s estimated budget will stand at £80,000.
Figure 69
64
65
Appendices
Answers include: • Supreme, • UO, Madness, • Zara, Uniqlo, • Yohji Yamamoto, • H&M, Uniqlo, pull and bear,
Answers include: • MiuMiu I feel this brand is more suitable for young grils, cute and elegant. • Cos，for its simplicity • Uniqlo, Pricing, comparable with other brand • Uma Wang, design
• • • • •
• • • • • •
Off-white, Balenciaga, Gucci, Adidas Supreme, more luxury brands Off-white, Supreme, Prada Balenciaga Off-white
A&F, soft Gucci- cool designs Stella McCartney for its ethical choice Prada because of its designs Dior, design and feeling Alexander Mcqueen，because I like the design
66
67
Q11 What are some of your favourite rappers? Answers include: • • • • • • • • •
Lil tjay, polo g, Skepta lil Keed, fivio foreign, ASAP rocky, Playboi Carti, dababy, drake,
• • • • • • •
gunna, lil baby, future, Lil Uzi vert Yung Bans Travis Scott Young thug
68
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