The Brand Subliminal:
adjectivePSYCHOLOGY (of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone’s mind without their being aware of it.
Bliss: verbINFORMAL reach a state of perfect happiness, oblivious of everything else. “Josh is just blissed out, always smiling”
The idea behind the name came from the idea of teaching through self realisation and sending a message through means that people may not expect. These messages being sustainability, problems with mainstream society and it’s assumptions and creating a platform or base for self expression. The logo is more of an oxymoron, with the word subliminal being the main part, even though its meaning and approach is subtle. Then the writing of Bliss in the background is secondary and not as important as what is being subliminally told. The quotation marks are similar to Off-White and bring the familiarisation of that brand, whereas the familiarisation with H&M is more within the clothing.
“Everyone likes to know, but not everyone likes to be taught.” Subliminal Bliss, 2020
I’ll be talking about the collection, the way the collection will drop and how I’ll market the brand itself.
The tags are very reminiscent of the Off-White tags. Using a transculent diagonal lines tag, a tag for the brand logo then a tag containing the product information and price etc. The tags will be sturdy and made to last, as one of the pushes for the collaboration is longevity so having tags that can be kept if being resold or moved on is important. Gives the product more substance as well, more of a whole package.
The collection has numbered tags on all the products, I want the collection to be limited and give people the extra connection to the numbered piece they get. The accessories won’t be numbered. The collection won’t be sorted in to categories, so the tags will be the same on all the clothing, with the wash tags being appropiate to the products.
Some of the work is slightly controversal on a political level but within fashion, the term sustainable is interesting and is interpreted differently by each company and transparency is supposed offered by most brands, but is it? This t-shirt is portraying that message through a more creative means, using reflective material and quotes. The t-shirt says “This t-shirt is sustainable” whilst this is somewhat true as the t-shirt has been taken from the conscious range from H&M, the t-shirt still takes alot of process and transport to get to the customer. With the quotes on the back saying to “Shed some light on the situation” potentially talking about a lot of brands who might not be being truthful about their sustainability methods. If the flash is used on the front of the tee, a reflective message in 3M is revealed saying “This t-shirt can’t be sustainable.” This tee would come in black, white and grey.
My collab contains a lot of visuals and imagery on the clothing which is good but needs to be balanced out with lighter items so to speak. The first being this t-shirt taken from H&M’s conscious range, with just the basic brand logo. As a more accessible piece and lifstyle piece that can be worn with different outfits and other parts of the collection. This tee would come in black, white and grey. This base layer is one of the basic pieces I’ve created with the intention of it being worn underneath other items from the collection or being a more day to day addition to the wardrobe. It will be available in black with white text then reversed in white and black. This is heavily influenced by Off-White and its clear quotations of what a product is or how it should be used. This only comes in black or white
Whilst looking at designs and possible garments to use, I wanted to have some pieces that aren’t seen as much and offer something that the other pieces don’t. So this is a more unique top, with the zip neck and polo collar. It also has a unique logo to this tee, similar to that of the Nike x Off-White logo featuring of the Air Jordan 1’s etc. This logo won’t feature on any other piece but this. I feel giving all the items their unique part will give it more attraction and appreciation. Whilst every piece has to link together, I think it’s important that each piece has its own allure and caters to different consumers, offering something another piece might not. This would be available in blue, black and white.
When creating accessories, making sure I didn’t oversaturate was important, but I wanted to create something that was at lower cost and people could afford. Getting people involved and feeling involved in the collaboration is important and simple pieces like a tote bag or beanie is a good way of doing that. The beanie is simple enough and provides the Off-White branding and simple text. I liked the idea of the hat being a beanie and almost portraying being “Trapped in your own head”. The tote is a piece that can be reused and is helpful for more sustainable shopping, like a bag for life but a better quality. It’s more of a sublte piece but again, has the brands logo. The socks were added in homage to the fact Off-White make socks and they’re definitely a ‘flex’ piece. So, the socks offer that feeling of OW whilst being completely on the SB brand.
ALTERED PERCEPTIONS I’ve created pieces based off topics I‘ve observed in soceity. This piece for example shows how people tend to ignore the harshness of reality by living through their phone. Where they have more control over their phone and filter their perception of their life. The character is facing away from the negative words and their phone offers an escape and the illusion of the positive words in the light part of the image on the right. The tee is taken from Off-White’s collection, I choose this because the paint stroke affect added nicely to the general idea of the t-shirt. Tee available in white, black and blue.
This tee is a mixture of art similar to the tee on the left side, with inspiration taken fromSkepta album, named ‘Ignorance is Bliss’. With the image showing someone blindfolded unaware of the danger, or the flames around them. This relates to recent times and how there are many dangers in society that people are unaware of. Featuring a basic logo on the front also makes it a nice piece to layer. This piece has been made similarly to a traditional Off-White hoodie, available in three different colours, grey, black and white.
This tee is slightly more controversal and straightforward compared to the other pieces I’ve created. With the back being a ballot paper I’ve edited, showing how people other than you control your life and you don’t have a choice in what happens. This largely aimed at politics and the voting system in place. With all the boxes and candidates being replaced with people who don’t care, the only box you can’t vote for is yourself. Again, the name for this tee is inspired from a Skepta lyric from the song Konnichiwa. The added detail “everything written in black and white” round the neck, essentially meaing that the ballot paper on the back has control over you, a grip around your neck so to speak. To add to the general image, I’ve added the “hands” on the front pocket, instructing to leave your hands in your pockets at all times. Trapped. This hoodie will come in only black.
This is a different approach to how I’ve created the other pieces, I’ve taken straight from album art by Wretch 32’s FR32 album. The tee again is inspired by the idea of a freedom being taken or dreams and aspirations being popped like a balloon. The balloon is covered in positive words and positive songs by Wretch 32 and the hand holding the pin is covered in negatives and problems in Society like ‘austerity’ or ‘control’. The image shows a balloon carriyng someone up, but that being ended and ruined by someone who doesn’t want that person to rise. Quality is important on this tee as it can feel tacky if the print isnt right, which is why I want the brand to be slightly more expensive to make grpahics like this last, with the message going strong. The tee features the basic logo on the front centre. This will be available in white, black and grey.
This tee graphic is again, talking about ignorance to an issue or problems, facing away from them and trying to ignore them. The tee also contains the reversed logo on the front centre. This affect is on a lot of the tee, I think this helps layering, under hoodies or overshirts. This tee would be available in white and black.
Stock price Prices of the collection: Base collection Basic tee - £25 Base layers - £35 Reflective Meaning tee - £40 SB Origins zip polo - £40 Accessories “Head” Beanie - £30 SB Tote - £10 SB Socks (2 pack) - £20 Graphics Collection “Altered Perceptions” Tee - £60 “It can’t hurt me” Tee - £60 Hope Tee - £60 “Ignorance is Bliss” Hoodie - £100 “Corrupt Agenda” Hoodie - £100 This prices are a suitable range between the two brands and I think it’s important to have prodcuts that both brands consumers can buy and invest in. But, its also important to give some items more quality and this comes with a higher price tag. Comparisons can be made with Supreme and Palace’s price points and how they seperate some of their more basic products with the more sought after items. The base collection will have a higher stock number and be more readily available.Whereas, the graphics collection will be more limited at a higher price point, with a lower stock number. Thus, keeping the hype and attention to these pieces as I believe they can provide longevity and keep the collection relevant for longer, especially being a Off-White collaborative piece.
I wanted to create an exclusive experience, purchasing online or copping on an app doesn’t give the same satisfaction as buying in person, browsing products and being able to meet and experience the event with like-minded people. When looking at some of the largest streetwear brands and retailers like Palace, Supreme and END., and where they’re located, Soho seemed like the most logical place to locate my pop-up only collection. Then choosing a location within was about floor space and creating an modern artistic atmosphere, with multiple levels and a large shop front, this rental space on Greek Street was perfect.
With the exterior, I wanted something that wasn’t too loud but expressed the brand and caught the eye. So a window cover of the brand logo, across the already black and white architecture really suited what I wanted to create. Through the marketing of the collection, people will know where the shop is, so the base of the consumer will know where to go. But for capturing as much as the footfall as possible from the street, I wanted to create intrigue, so a semi transculent window cover seemed a good way to do this, so you can almost see what’s inside, but not quite... The interior will be dominated by a black and white colour palette, featuring the graphics pasted on feature walls. I want to find a blend between art gallery and a contemporary fashion environment.
Advertising the brand When marketing, I want get my message across whilst still portraying a sense of mystery. Letting people know what the collab is about but not showing the collab in its entirety. I’ll show some examples of online ads or insta adds for the collab and what it’ll looks like. Some of the examples on the opposite page show different places in London and different types of marketing. When looking at advertising my collaboration brand, I wanted to reach my market through physical advertising, keeping the colection as physical as possible. If you miss out, maybe you’re on your phone too much. There will be an online advertising presence as nowadays, everything needs an online presence, but it will encourage to part-take in the drop in person, similar to Palace and Supreme. The online advertising will be on Instagram ads and through influencers and artists stories, like Skepta, Wretch 32 and Dave.
Finding the balance for wearability and something that stands out was interesting and I think I’ve found a good formula that has longevity and can continue, using music and current trend pieces combined to create the brand and garments. The collaboration is supposed to carry more than just a physical meaning but impose on how and what people think. Looking at creating a physcological impact as well as a physical one. I don’t think a clothing brand would evoke that much of a change on someone but a process can be started, lessons can be learned subconciously and stories can be told. Finding a passion and combining that with morals or a sense of justice can be empowering and spark something new and exciting. It doesn’t have to be loud or outrageous but as long as it provides a positive impact or a quiet escape. Something like “Subliminal Bliss”.
Everything Written in Black and White