Brand Moodboards Book
Contents Page 2. Contents Page 3. 20x20 4. Political Agenda 5. Queues 6. Multi-Media 7. HypeBeast 8. StreetWear 9. Collaboration 10. Generation Z 11. Art 12. Dark
13. Repetitive
14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 2
“The Other Ten� Off-White Summary Lifestyle Essentials Fast fashion Sustainability Understandable Encompassing Quality Accessible The other eight H&M Summary
20x20 This book is a collection of words associating with brands I’m collaborating with. The aim of this book is to think about what I think these brands project and portray. I’ll achieve this visually through moodboards accompanied with a short description of why I’ve chosen the word for that brand. I’ve chosen a select amount of words to visualize for each brand and the other words will be shown and explained at the end of each brands section. Firstly, lets look at Off-White...
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Political Agenda “Political agenda was quite an interesting thought and can be taken in a number of ways, I’ve taken the thought of it relating to OffWhite quite broadly but the images I’ve chosen relate more to an anti-political movement. I think the way clothing and Off-White portrays a luxury, but street style is in itself an agenda against a higher society almost, creating something that makes a richer person associate with a so-called lesser way of dressing.”
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Queues “Queues, the bane of people’s life sometimes, in this case, securing a place in that queue for the latest sneaker collab or supreme drop can make a person’s month, let alone day. Building up the anticipation and excitement for the product is very important and nothing shows this like a queue outside the drop or on the website on the morn of release.”
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Multi-Media “Off-White’s father Virgil Abloh, has mastered and disciplined himself in many areas, including DJing and through a lifestyle point of view. Fueling Off-White to be a way of life, not just what you wear. Through collaborating and working with the likes of Skepta, Drake and many more, Abloh has created a multi-dimension platform on which he showcases and evolves his work. I believe this is a big part of why Off-White has longevity within the fashion world.”
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Hypebeast “Hypebeast, such a commonly used word that no one wants to be identified by. They exist and I like to think everyone has been or subliminally is one (this is not going to be a popular comment). But its true, those Off-White Jordan 1’s wouldn’t be reselling for thousands of pounds if they weren’t an Off-White collab and that’s okay! I think the acceptance of the word will make the word meaningless but it’s a solid word to describe Off-White nonetheless.”
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Streetwear “Streetwear, quite a subjective word, but when it comes down to it, OffWhite is a luxury streetwear brand. Creating those premium hoodies, tees and sneakers, but doing it well, meaning they’ve created their own fashion genre almost. Not every brand could make the same looking product and make it look as elegant or luxurious like Off-White have. This relates to the agenda against what luxury fashion should be and how Abloh has challenged and changed that perception.”
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Collaboration “The future of fashion? Collaborating is a great way of joining two different cultures or communities together. For example, Abloh and IKEA collaborating was brilliant, two leading brands in their respected fields, creating pieces that both audiences could appreciate. Then obviously looking at sneaker culture and the likes of Kanye and Adidas (sorry Nike) and Travis Scott with Nike, which I think will dominate the early 20’s. Collaboration is where I think fashion is going and has already gone.”
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Generation Z “Generation Z, a group close to my heart, seeing as I am one. Snowflakes word be another term often used, I suppose circumstantial really, as we’ve not seen an event to really test our generation individually. But I’ve chosen this word as I feel as a generation, we can be quite materialistic, wanting the newest iPhone just because, wanting a new outfit to wear once on a night out then never to be seen again. Off-White adheres to this audience, especially with its popular logos and simple ways of showing how to be cool.”
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Art “As much as I think Off-White is a streetwear orientated brand, many of the pieces show an artistic influence, with famous works like the Mona Lisa and Caravaggio’s workings being manipulated and added to elevate Abloh’s work. This can be related to the idea of multimedia and using different platforms to project a message.”
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Dark “This is really an aesthetic word, and how I’ve scene Off-White been shot on social media, using a darker scenery, inner city alleyways and nighttime skylines. From a purely artistic point of view, the fact Off-White is such a photographable brand makes it much more appealing to Instagram users for example. People more willing to buy pieces they can ‘flex’ in. Going back to the dark theme, a lot of the pieces themselves utilize a darker palette, I think this is more wearable look for a lot of people where you can fit in, but also show off the Off-White logos at the same time.”
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Repetitive “One of the staples of Off-White is the logo side of the product, with logos that people suddenly associate with and can pinpoint to the brand, this is a great way of letting less fashion knowledgeable people know about how stylish your clothing is. In my opinion, the logos are cool and can be nice as a secondary piece in an outfit, but I think Off-White need to make sure they don’t keep just repeating a tweaked version of the same product season on season. I think through the collaborations they will branch out but something I think Off-White does suffer with is repetitiveness.”
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The Other Ten Innovative – Off-White has changed how luxury fashion approaches streetwear and will continue to do so, it will be interesting to see how they take on the formalwear trend that seems to be happening so far in the 20’s. Athleisure – This is relating heavily to their collab with Nike and a nod to how Off-White is really trying to conquer different areas and become that lifestyle brand you can wear in any scenario, a good lifestyle brand, but an expensive one at that. Resell – Quite an obvious association, Off White equals a resell market, whether that be a collaboration piece or that paint splatter hoodie everyone seemed to own in 2016. Mainstream – One for the cool kids who buy Off-White to stand out, sorry guys, everyone has an Off-White phone case or piece nowadays. Brands like Heron Preston will be the new vice for people to indulge in to seem a bit more fashion educated. Ripped off – When you make a lot of money off designs that can be easily copied, they’re going to get copied. A lot of fast fashion brands, Zara I’m looking at you, have taken heavy influence from Off-White but I suppose that’s the trickle-down effect for you. Even Nike have taken designs very similar to the ones from their collab and slapped it on a hoodie which has then gone on to sellout. Find a formula that works and roll with it I suppose. Millennials – With a higher disposable income and more sense, Off-White is still worn by a slightly older consumer and has lines that definitely offer a sophistication and social status for those wanting it from the brand. Music – Very similar to Multimedia, Abloh has been a big presence in music for the last decade, very similar to a certain Adidas collaborator. Connection – I think Off-White is one of the first brands I look at when I see a high-end store have an online sale, because I have that instant connection with them. They are one of the hottest brands around in terms of the demand for their clothing. Identifiable – The Off-White arrows and diagonals are a dead giveaway and can be seen on people in a nightclub, on the high street or at most events you go to. As a brand, they’re super easy to identify and differentiate from other brands. Informal luxury – Taking from previous words, offering the higher market levels to take influence from the lower, offering a more aspiration version of what fast fashion and the high street has to offer. Instead of buying in to these, save, achieve the goal of buying one Off-White hoodie for £400 instead of a whole wardrobe, I’m sure it’ll be worth it.
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Summary I think through this method, I’ve narrowed down the core brand identifiers to be about the logos, how Off-White is built off how the association with streetwear and wearability is a big factor into people making it a go to brand. Something that I think Off-White has done well is make itself a cornerstone in the industry in terms of a brand to keep an eye on and see what they’re up to essentially. I think this is part of the reason Abloh was scouted for the head of menswear at Louis Vuitton, because as well as Off-White, whatever Abloh was doing, was what every other designer wanted to do. He was a trendsetter in a way, LV saw this and decided to liven up their brand, even though LV always have and most likely will have a large presence in the industry, they still need fresh ideas and new perspectives to see what is happening within the industry and society in general. The use of different medias is also important, messages and ideas can be told through art, music and fashion within one campaign or brand, Off-White and Abloh is proof to this as OffWhite uses art as an influence, to create new pieces from manipulating and creating new works of art.
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Lifestyle “H&M is a brand that has multiple outlets and fronts, from men and womenswear to having kids wear as well. They also have a home range that can decorate any part of your household. H&M covers a lot of areas to make them a lifestyle brand, having a product for most needs. I think this is important because it means you could have many different reasons to visit their site or go instore.�
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Essentials “When I personally think about H&M, I think about essentials that I can buy for a lower price but still get a solid quality. H&M are a brand that have plainer and simpler pieces. Offering a familiarity for people who know what they need and don’t want to go through loads of different items to find what they need. “
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Fast fashion “H&M are a fast fashion brand and even though I think they’re slightly ahead of some of their competitors, they still offer good prices for basic pieces. I will say I think their policies and what they offer the customer in terms of money back for clothing and their sustainability is good and something other brands could take note of. H&M still operates on a quantity over quality basis.�
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Sustainability “H&M offers a good and transparent sustainability mission statement, something that I think is important is how strong the message comes across instore as well as just text on a website. When going through their products, you can clearly see tags identifying whether they’re part of their conscious range or not. Something I learned whilst researching is that they offer a £5 voucher for every bag of old clothing you bring to them. This is a great initiative to help people recycle their clothing instead of throwing it away.”
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Understandable “Something that could potentially scare customers away is overcomplicating what you offer, using unnecessary wording or confusing customers. H&M will tell you exactly what something is and give outfit inspiration for pieces so they can almost shop for you. Something I liked about the website was how all of their items of clothing came with shots on people, giving the customer a good idea of what the item will actually look like on. As I know some websites still don’t do this.”
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Encompassing “Something the likes of Primark do very well is advertise and sell clothing for all the family, for many occasions. H&M does this as well, on a better level purely because they can offer a higher quality, larger range of clothing. Including matching sets for all the family in seasonal times. This isn’t something that particular applies to me at the moment, but I can see how it could be useful for a family to go shopping for everyone, all in one place.�
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Quality “In terms of quality for price, I think H&M offers the best at a fast fashion level. My reasons for this would be that the items are always on trend to a point but are wearable also, so you don’t need to completely change your style to work all of the clothing they have to offer. They offer a good range of casual and formal wear, suiting many occasions and the clothing isn’t tacky and doesn’t come across as a fast fashion brand. Whilst the quality isn’t that outrageous, the way the brand carries themselves with their online presence and instore experience, you do get the feeling of a fast fashion brand that want to be more than just that.”
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Accessible “As I’ve mentioned, H&M has a good instore and online presence. With the instore experience being pleasant and easy, I’ve never actually had a problem getting a size or product whilst instore. Everything is easily accessible online as well, with an easy to navigate site that makes shopping stress free. I think their Instagram pages promote a positive and clean aesthetic that gives a customer the reassurance that the shopping experience will be the same. “
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The Other Eight Reliable – H&M have built up a consistency in the market that people can go to. When I’m shopping on the high street, I will more often than not go to the H&M and there will always be something I could walk out the door with. Encourage – Whilst they keep it simple, they also offer articles showcasing seasonal trends and outfit inspiration along with them so you can indulge in these trends with some advice if you need it. Stylish – I really enjoy the simple but effective aesthetic that H&M pushes, its impactful subliminally almost, it gives me a professional but laidback feel, creating something you can trust but not overdo or overcomplicate. Inclusive – There’s not a lot of areas they don’t cover in terms of sizing and consumers, I think they manage to offer inclusivity without shoving it in your face constantly which I like. They provide plenty of services and if you know what you want, you’ll find it. Wide-Range – This is similar to inclusivity but different in the way that it gives many individuals, loads of different things to wear, meaning I could go on and buy a whole wardrobe full of different outfits if I wanted to. Trends – Keeping up to date with trends, with supporting articles and lookbooks to help like I’ve mentioned. Making sure you give all consumers something to buy is important, whether that be a classic piece or something new that people haven’t seen before. Trickle-Down – Every fast fashion brand does this, taking ideas and designs from the higher market levels and making them more attainable for people, giving people that aspiration feel like they own something they’ve seen a celebrity wear. Like from a red-carpet event or Paris fashion week etc. Aesthetic – Quite an aesthetically pleasing brand is H&M, easy to understand and intricate enough to know you’re getting something worth buying.
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Summary Overall, H&M is a simple brand, who are very open about what they offer and how they offer it. One of the aspects I like about H&M is the quality and how this translates very well across their media platforms. When compared to their competitors, they have very strong social platforms and the consistency across all channels is superb. The general vibe is similar to that of IKEA, or a company like that. Aesthetically pleasing and transparent, within 5 minutes either online or instore, you can get to know H&M well enough to understand what they’re about. H&M offers a good base for more fashionable and complex pieces in my opinion, creating that canvas so to speak for the more artistic brands to shine, like Off-White for example. This is something I’ve gained a better understanding for after this process. Looking at how I can use H&M strengths to my advantage to get the most from H&M and give them the best in return.
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Everything Written In black or white