Sophie Taylor
AD4606 1.
contents Fig 1.
PART ONE: branding: 3-11 3 - 11
introduction to branding
part two: vetements: 12-87 14 - 15 introducing vetements 17 - 81 vetements 20x20 82 - 87 THE CONSUMER
part three: h&m: 88 - 133 90 - 91 introducing h&M 93 - 129 H&M 20x20 130 - 133 THE CONSUMER
part fOUR: COLLABORATION: 134 - 211 136 -141 143 - 149 150 - 185 186 - 191 192 - 199 200 - 203 204 - 207 208 - 211
INTRODUCING “CULTURE DIRECTIONS” PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE/CONSUMER promotional development PHYSICAL EVIDENCE PRICE PLACE AND PROCESS CONCLUSION
REFERENCES: 212 - 214 IMAGE REFERENCES: 215 - 216
2.
Ppart A one. R T O N E
branding 3.
A BRIEF HISTORY Branding has been around from the mid to nineteenth century, and the attachment of name to product is what started the concept. It was around this time where aspects such as copyright and trademark legislation were introduced, for protection and reimbursement from imitators. Branding further developed with each industrial revolution and has brought us to where we are today, where new theories and framework are created and appropriated.
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BRANDING? In the current day and age, as well as the economic and social climate, the concept of ‘branding’ is more vital to a brand than ever. This is because they must be reaching the correct target audience to ensure their success, and this is achieved through using the correct marketing techniques. This is the way a brand creates a unique name and image within the industry and consumers minds, and helps to establish themselves a specific place in the market, leading to a gain of revenue and the expansion of potential consumer base – a brand needs these in order to survive and be successful.
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BRAND
IDENTITY
A brand needs to understand who they are and what they are about in order to present themselves accurately within the different market levels to reach the appropriate consumer (e.g. H&M being appropriate for the market level of fast fashion) and this is explored through creating a brand identity for themselves.
What’s
in
an
Identity?
The identity consists of their values and what they have to offer, and furthermore how they communicate these aspects of the brand is done through its personality – a different communicable approach individual to them. Personality is important to have engrained in the identity, as it engages with the audience on another level. It encourages understanding within the consumer and helps to set a brand apart from its competition.
ality is imp n o s r ort Pe an el.
oh tt
ty, as n ti ide
h
ngrain e d ave e i n
it engages w i t h t
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t h e
ce on anothe n e i rl ud a ev e
Vetements has an identity based around youth culture, the idea of the post-soviet aesthetics and the heritage of Georgia, whereas H&M reaches the consumer through offering a range of styles to suit a multitude of people, modern fast fashion choices then also collaborations with high fashion brands such as Erdem.
These values are important, as they communicate to a consumer what the brand is about, their ethos, promises, etc – this positions them, as brands need to be moulded from customer concerns so the values are aligned with the audience, therefore emphasising the importance of understanding your consumer. Values help to strengthen a bond with the core audience and increases the chance of loyalty. Without values behind a brand, it will struggle to be different and to stand out, as it will lack in reaching to a meaningfully engaged audience and it is the more memorable brands that win and keep consumers. The values contribute to the overall value of the brand, as they will affect how a consumer reacts.
v a l u e The value of a brand is its overall worth, and it can just take one small thing to affect it. For example, when Vetements create political garments, this can deter the consumer if they have differing beliefs. As well as the values, other factors that contribute to the value are reputation, image and loyalty.
VALUE VS VALUES
v a l u e s
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B R A N D
REPUTATION The reputation of a brand can come from who is attributed with it, with Demna Gvasalia for example having experience at Louis Vuitton and Margiela, this helped to create a positive image for the Vetements brand in terms of reputation, as it showed he was knowledgeable of what he did for the brand. The more who believe in and decide to invest within a brand increases its value, which is why brand loyalty is important. Without people making purchases, no money is being made.
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Some brands will rely on loyalty, as loyal customers will promote the brand to those around them – essentially making them a brand ambassador, as you are more likely to communicate a service if you believe in it. It will also come as an honest form of promotion, with friends and family inclined to trust friends’ opinions. This also makes new products easier to launch, such as Apple products, as so many people believe in the quality of what they have to offer already, so therefore leaves no risk to the brand as they project a trustworthy image.
This idea of brand image is all about how the brand is perceived by those it is projecting itself to and is therefore subjective to the individual. Brands must understand how and why they are perceived this way in order to continue, as it is this perception which influences the consumer. The way a person aligns themselves with specific brands also represents them and their personal image. Tangible and intangible factors help create this This is closely linked to semiology. Semiology is looking into how meaning is created and then communicated through different signs and symbols. For example, a person can attribute the colour red to the word ‘danger’, or know it means ‘stop’ in traffic signals. This is semiology. Within brands, this can be presented through specific logo’s or graphic symbols that you can instantly make a connection to whom they belong. This makes a brand distinguishable. Semiology is often also used in the promotion of a brand, to project the brand image.
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BRAND 20 X 20 10.
When it comes to understanding what your brand is about, the 20x20 theory is in place to aid this. The idea is that you look at the brand at hand, and choose twenty words of which help you to describe it. These can be anything - whether it be an actual adjective or a person, or even another brand. These are things you essentially associate to your brand. You then take each word you chose, and you research it further to understand why the brand embodies this word. This is a philosophy to further understanding of what your brand is. I’d call it the metaphorical backbone. This is a term that I’ll be using throughout this book, to help me to identify aspects of each brand that I’ll be taking further to create the DNA for my collaboration.
A CONCLUSION BRANDING to
Whenever a consumer interacts with a brand, that is communication. Companies need to be able to constantly be communicating their identity and message accurately. Successful brands can communicate elements like heritage and cultural relevance correctly. Promotion is a method of this. Advertising and promoting in a unique and appropriate fashion help to be different in such a saturated environment, and further portrays the identity. The seven p’s of promotion is an example of promotional strategy, and consists of price, promotion, physical evidence, people, product, place and process. These are all parts of promotion that work alongside one another to successfully market a brand. Communication really is key, but you must be marketing towards the correct demographic for what your brand represents and offers in order for it to be effective.
11.
Ppart A two. R T T W O
VETEMENTS
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introdu
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ucing vetements. introducing vetements. introducing vetements. introducing vetement
INTRODUCING VETEMENTS. VETEMENTS is a French luxury fashion label, known to be quite ironic, for example, the name itself translates to the very clear and straight-to-the-point phrase of “clothing”. Behind the brand is an anonymous collective of designers which was headed by Demna Gvasalia (prior to his exit in 2019), all coming from a range of design backgrounds, to create fashion and footwear which is known to go against the grain of conventional fashion. This background includes brands such as Margiela, Celine and Louis Vuitton to name a few, but are tied together by their roots – as they all originate from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts. (J Bumpus, 2015). Demna founded Vetements back in 2014 with his brother Guram, when Demna, and the anonymous collective all began to feel fashion to be lacklustre at the brands they designed under, due to having to follow the same metaphorical recipes laid down by the designers before them. In nature, the brand is political and controversial, and is a big part within the streetwear movement. 15.
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VETEMENTS 20 X 20.
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protest
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t and politics. protest and politics. protest and politics. protest and politics. protest an
PROTEST AND POLITICS. In its nature, the brand is presented as political and controversial, and is used as a platform for protest. Their Spring Summer 2019 show hit the headlines, when a T-Shirt branding the message “Don’t Shoot” in both English and Arabic was presented. The controversy behind it comes from the links it has, as a semi-replica to what was, “originally worn by journalists in Lebanon during the Israeli invasion of the country in 1982.” (E V Bramley, 2019). In a show which was (ironically) attacking the concepts behind capitalism and consumerism, so therefore to many the choice of print on the T-Shirt was misused. This same show saw models wearing name stickers saying, “Hello I am Capitalism”, along with reworked versions of PlayStation logos, instead reading as “PayStation”. 19.
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post-so
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oviet aesthetic. post-soviet aesthetic. post-soviet aesthetic. post-soviet aesthetic. post-
POST-SOVIET AESTHETIC.
This political nature is clearly driven from a background of political upbringing, as the styles presented by the brand come heavily from what is deemed the “Post-Soviet” aesthetic. The way the brand uses logos, aspects of sportswear, and its overall utilisation of “ugly” fashion, as this is what ‘Soviet fashion’ was described as, during its prime, for the fact they could not compete against the westernised ideals of fashion. The Post-Soviet aesthetic explores the new influences that were introduced to the Soviet-Union after its collapse. Prior to its collapse, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the largest nation on the planet, including countries that we know today as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia to name a few. Post-World War Two, the Soviet Union and the USA ended up in competition with one another, after previously having been allies during the more, causing the Cold War. This war ended in 1991 and it also marked the end of the USSR. The collapse of the Soviet Union threw the previously known soviet countries into chaos politically, culturally and economically. The countries which had been involved had previously been shut off from the influences of the outside world, but the collapse of ideas of Communism witnessed these same western influences burst in. These influences came in the form of music, entertainment, clothing and brands such as Coca Cola and MTV. 23.
oviet aesthetic. post-soviet aesthetic. post-soviet aesthetic. post-soviet aesthetic. postThis was the era of which Demna and Guram were growing up in - a renaissance-esque period. The “PostSoviet” look is attributed to factors such as deconstruction, 90s sportswear, logomania and items of poor taste and these are aspects of which we see captured by Vetements. Growing up, the Gvasalias had to flee their war-torn home of Georgia, due to ethnic cleansing going on. Demna Gvasalia still has not returned since, saying “I can’t actually…even now. It would be dangerous for me to go with my family name.” (H Shackleton, 2018). It also is being looked to more as fashion inspiration currently - as it had previously been brushed off by western cultures, for not being in touch with their cultural norms, deemed as “ugly” fashion, but this is what is triggering the demand and fascination within it.
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Exploring political thoughts and ideas opens Vetements up to the newer consumer. Younger generations are more interested in companies and brands using their platform to promote causes they agree with, as it fits in with the newer consumer’s respect for brand transparency.
-soviet
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sustain
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nable. sustainable. sustainable. sustainable. sustainable. sustainable. sustainable. s
VETEMENTS IS SUSTAINABLE. Sustainability is a huge topic of interest right now, and it only keeps getting more and more relevant, and Vetements recognises this. Their window display created with the NY department store Saks saw the creation of a display out of old unwanted clothing from the workers of the store, along with unsold stock and it continued to be added to until the project ended, August 10th (of 2017). This represented the constant creation within fashion, showing how more and more clothing is added to the equation daily. The pile was donated to RewearAble, “…a program designed to provide sustainable employment for adults with developmental disabilities that also recycles clothing.” (S Spellings, 2017). Vetements don’t just mechanically churn out collection after collection, and infact make less in order to give clothing more time on the shop floor. Guram said, “We don’t put out all the merchandise in the market at the same time. If you drop too much product, you lose attention…the point is if you go to see clothes on sale, it means there was more supply than there was demand…we always supply less than the demand, so we’re always sold out”, and this goes against the principle of what many market levels do. It is sustainably keeping to less than demand so that there isn’t any wasted stock, “it’s easier to sell one piece less than the market wants, so you are sold out, rather to sell a piece extra, and it doesn’t sell.” (I Hellyer, 2017) 29.
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fluidity
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y. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fluidity. fl
VETEMENTS IS FLUID. Vetements have opted to combine their Menswear and Womenswear shows into one, and showing in January, two months prior to Paris Fashion Week – allowing the clothing more time on the shop floor before it becomes sale season. This reaches out to younger generations in multiple ways. One way is that it is appropriating itself to the modern-day perspectives on gender, “showing men’s and women’s at the same time connects us to real life. Today, men and women dress in men’s clothes. Gender is not a given fact anymore…”, Guram told Vogue, (C Gush, 2016). Gender is something which is more fluid in the current social climate and is a big part of youth culture of today – people are more accepting now. This is something that Vetements is exploring, and it will resonate with consumers. This fits in with the current climate of fashion, where menswear labels are developing femininity within the clothing, through garment shapes and colours. Vetements recognises the importance in aligning brand values to that of the targeted consumer. 33.
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balenci
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Fig 4.
iaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balencia
BALENCIAGA.
Demna Gvasalia is currently no longer at Vetements, in order to “… focus on ‘new ventures’”, (E E Davidson, 2019). Presumably this means in order to focus on his role of Creative Director of Balenciaga. Having founded Vetements back in 2014, prior to this he graduated from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts back in 2006, before designing for womenswear at Maison Martin Margiela where he found much of the inspiration for Vetements. The years 2012 to 2014 saw him become head designer of womenswear at Louis Vuitton. Demna’s appointment to creative director at Balenciaga came in 2015, (L Milligan, 2015), and “…It was the hiring of Gvasalia in 2015 that returned Balenciaga to its status as a household name and – more importantly – a trendsetter known for bucking convention” (The New Luxury, HighSnobiety, 2019). Balenciaga and Vetements are very alike in the aesthetics they undertake and present, sprouting from ideas of exaggerated silhouettes and shapes, displayed through the massively oversized hoodies of which “Vetements” graces the fronts of in gothic font, to the Triple-S oversized chunky trainers released by Balenciaga under Gvasalia – the name comes from the three types of shoe soles stuck together, sole moulds for running, basketball and track. Focusing on brand history, Gvasalia’s Balenciaga is not worlds away from the initial ideas behind the label, with Cristobal Balenciaga, his “signature aesthetic also involved injecting volume to sculpt his clothing’s silhouettes from the wearer”, (The New Luxury, HighSnobiety, 2019). The stylings between both brands are in fact so similar (heavily inspiring the development of the streetwear movement), it was suggested that whilst still at Vetements, Gvasalia was keeping the best of designs for Balenciaga in order to perhaps prove himself further, leaving Vetements to deteriorate. It could be said that this concept of the best designs being kept for Balenciaga 41.
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balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga. balenciaga
Fig 5.
Fig 6.
along with their more accessible price points in comparison to Vetements (despite still also being a luxury label), more people would be willing to invest in Balenciaga – especially with it being a more recognised and profound name within modern culture. This would tie in with semiotics, and how Balenciaga is essentially a status symbol. The idea of Balenciaga being a status symbol boils down to this being the age of the internet and social media. Everyone is seeing influencers painted in logos, commonly Balenciaga, and it therefore is a status symbol of being young and able to afford these items. Younger generations have more disposable income than those before them, which is why it is more common and therefore fuelled by what is being shown over social media. For me, Balenciaga semiotically is recognisable, shows luxury, wealth, and a sense of being cool. This view in itself is shared with many other people of the generation, which is why naturally it would be doing better than Vetements – a cheaper and more recognisable name. Many of the clothing pieces that Vetements creates is deemed as statement. Their pieces include high leg boots, boxy silhouettes, logos, reworked denim, political statements, and spliced garments. The ideas are taken inspired from youth culture, streetwear and important issues and they are translated into a modern wardrobe and commonly have no seasonal normalities or themes attached.
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is vetem
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Fig 7.
ments dyung? is vetements dying? is vetements dyung? is vetements dying? is veteme
IS VETEMENTS DYING?... Recently, it has been penned that the brand itself is dying, from a HighSnobiety article, “Two Years After They Broke the Internet, it Looks Like Nobody is Buying Vetements” (A Leach, 2018) we’re introduced to certain retailers and even a past staff member of Vetements, all anonymously – to display the deterioration of hype surrounding the brand. Looking into this concept, it allows us to assume what may have led to this defeat, such as his appointment as Creative Director to Balenciaga (saving the best ideas), even the departure of five members out of seven from the original design team. This therefore causes a loss in the original message behind the brand, as it originally started off as a creative outlet for Demna and co. 47.
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gosha
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Fig 8.
rubchinskiy. gosha rubchinskiy. gosha rubchinskiy. gosha rubchinskiy. gosha rubchin
GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY. Gosha Rubchinskiy is a designer who is also a vital part of the PostSoviet aesthetic within fashion. Similarly to Demna and Guram, Gosha grew up during the times of chaotic change within the previously known Soviet Union. He is inspired by the present, rather than the past or the future, focusing on what is happening now within youth culture. Despite believing that the phrase of “PostSoviet” is a “cliché invented by the media”, his brand thoroughly represents it. Frequently using Lumpen – a Post-Soviet modelling agency focusing on people who match that appearance, with unconventional model faces, in order to reign true to his youthful roots. A lot of his clothing is inspired by old streetwear, logos, etc, which is all similar to that of Vetements. I felt it to be important to have looked into designers who also follow the Post-Soviet aesthetic in order to get a deeper and more thorough understanding of what it is about, and furthermore what Vetements is about. 51.
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Fig 9.
wear. streetwear. streetwear. streetwear. streetwear. streetwear. streetwear. streetwea
STREETWEAR & LOGOMANIA. Streetwear is something which came and completely flipped the fashion industry upside down and onto its head. Brands like Off-White, Vetements themselves and Balenciaga are few of very many who headed this movement and style of fashion. This also saw the rise in what is called ‘logomania’. Expensive branded T-Shirts have been incredibly stylish, and whether the wearer is aware or not, acts as a status symbol due to the semiotic attatchments to specific brand names. This is something that Vetements has been attributed to as helping to further the movement within the luxury market level, taking inspiration from lower level brands such as Nike and Adidas, for what we know to be streetwear and athlesiure clothing. Recently there has been a shift within the menswear industry, with tailored clothing seemingly taking back over once more, but this time with a feministic twist. Softer colours and styles, and even florals. So it begs the question - how will streetwear survive? There are only so many branded T-Shirts a brand can create and sell, and a person can own. Is streetwear dying along with Vetements, a brand who helped to set the trend wheels in motion? Or will it evolve? This is something I’m aiming to explore with the collaboration. 57.
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maison
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n martin margiela. maison martin margiela. maison martin margiela. maison martin
MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA. Margiela poses much relevance to the methodology behind Vetements. Demna Gvasalia previously was a part of the label, taking clear inspiration from plenty of styles presented (which themselves can be linked back to the works of Cristobal Balenciaga), such as the oversized aspect as well as the anonymous aspects behind the brand. 65.
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youth c
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Fig 10.
culture. youth culture. youth culture. youth culture. youth culture. youth culture. youth
YOUTH CULTURE. As a brand, Vetements taps into youth culture in many ways. One way of looking at it, is that they tap into the culture of Post-Soviet youths. In the style of their clothing, and the image they project. Western youth culture is understood via the brand also, shown through their arguable over-usage of logo and the part they play in the streetwear trend. They represent what youth culture is about today - and therefore what the new consumer is wanting. This usage of their platform as a stage for political protest, their unconventional style and anti-establishment persona, it fits directly within what the youth want. It is also displayed through their Instagram imagery, displaying imagery featuring their garments which would be considered “cool”, and essentially the type of thing that youths would “pin” or “reblog” on their retrospective social sites. Although, as the age of the blogger appears to be over, could this be where they are going wrong? Focusing more on an audience which no longer exists? Youth culture is a concept I’ll mention in more detail further on, as it is an idea that has developed to play an important contextual role within my collaboration. Vetements represents political unrest, taking a stand, streetwear, logomania and they do it through fun clothing. This matches the climate within youth culture. 69.
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VETEMENTS CONSUMER.
vetements
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The Vetements consumer wants change, and wants it now. A large part of the demographic for Vetements will resonate with their outlandish ways of protest and appreciate that they recognise aspects which reflects the culture they’re growing together in. Vetements understands the current social climate, for example, understanding that conforming to gender specific things is outdated, and this will reach the newer consumer on a more emotional level. They sit at luxury when it comes down to market levels, therefore their clothing is much so on the pricier side. This means that their consumer will generally have more disposable income. As a brand, they are all about not conforming, and being diverse culturally, and those who look to Vetements can share this same desire. They convey their consumer through their Instagram imagery, and as mentioned before they approach social media differently to your other luxury labels - it is more of a fun and non-serious approach, reposting imagery reflecting the youth. Even more so, they’re expanding this via opening a new Instagram account titled “@vetements_uncensored”. A private account, “What you are about to witness will disturb you. Even shock you. There is a dark side of humanity the censors won’t let you see... but we will” Is what we’re given as a preview, but behind the metaphorical closed doors of Instagram’s privacy settings, so far the two posts are comprised of partially nude women, somewhat covered by - you guessed it, Vetements gear. The most shocking part so far is merely the fact that Instagram has yet to remove the images, based on their history with the female nipple, so we’ll have to wait and see. But, they’re clearly aware that there is the concept of shock value attatched to the name, and are giving the audience what they want.
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Ppart A three. R T T H R E E
H&M 88.
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introd
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ducing h&m. introducing h&m. introducing h&m. introducing h&m. introducing h&m
INTRODUCING H&M. H&M is a high street retailer specialising in a variety of areas, ranging from Womenswear and Menswear to Homewares. Much of their brand lines up with the criteria of fast fashion, from the prices of the clothing being relatively low to the amounts of new items which are released. It is popular with people of many ages, for its range of available clothing, from selling basic garments and sophisticated styles, to youthful slogans and musical merchandise, featuring artists who would appeal to a younger audience, such as Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. The brand is built on Scandinavian heritage, with the clean and minimalistic attitudes displayed through their Instagram accounts for each specific aspect of the brand. 1947 is when we saw its stores open for the first time, as “Hennes”, twenty-one years prior to the addition of menswear and childrenswear - “Mauritz”. This came when founder Erling Persson obtained the outdoor apparel brand Mauritz Widforss - and the rest is history.
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H&M 20 X 20.
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Fig 11.
oration. collaboration. collaboration. collaboration. collaboration. collaboration. collab
COLLABORATION. With constant growth, it was vital for the brand to keep on top of its game in order to ensure the growth not to be stunted. In 2004 the brand began its venture into the world of collaboration. It’s something in the current day and age we see often, and all brands want a piece of the action. It is loved by consumers and bringing in more expensive brands to a fast fashion budget allows the luxury to extend its consumer base. It allows those who cannot afford luxury fashion to feel a part of a group, and to buy into it and the status. 2004 marked the first collaboration, created with Karl Lagerfeld. Since that first collaboration, they’ve continued to develop this idea further by collaborating with other luxury brands, musicians and even games such as The Sims through launching “a stuff pack”, containing “virtual replicas of garments from H&M’s summer collection…” (H&M, 2007). This shows how they were way ahead of the recent movement of digital fashion, (e.g. Carlings digital clothing collection). This is something I’d be able to try and incorporate into my Menswear collaboration, as it is positive towards a more sustainable world since there will be less fabric waste – it all makes sense for an era where most clothing is purchased for people to display on their online profiles, “platforms like Instagram are now virtual runways for millions of people that are expressing themselves in the most unimaginable ways”, (M Grubak, i-D, 2018)
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Fig 12.
ous and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious
CONSCIOUS & SUSTAINABLE. H&M themselves are no stranger to the idea of sustainability, a recycling scheme for garments was put in place by the brand with the intention “… to change the mindset of the customer [so they] see their old clothes as a resource rather than throwing them into the garbage or letting them pile up at the back of their closet.”, (C Brannsten [H&M sustainability team project manager], 2013). The brand also launched the “conscious collection”. The idea behind it was to promote better buying habits and ethical shopping practices, so is “ethically sourced and uses recycled and organic materials for ladies, men’s and kids’ fashion.” (B Cotton, 2018), but the article also highlights the flipside to this, “…with clothes as cheap as £5, is this just promoting our short-term habits of single-use clothing? This sustainable range accounts for only 5% of their overall products” and further claims that the recycling scheme further fuels a consumers need for consumption. Along with their answers to the demand for more sustainable practices comes an increased need for transparency between brand and consumer.
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scious and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious an
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question
On their website, they explain what goes into a product for it to meet their conscious criteria, “…a product must contain at least 50% sustainable materials, such as organic cotton and recycled polyester — but many of our garments contain more than that. The only exception is recycled cotton, which can only make up 20% of a product due to quality restraints.”, feeding this consumer need for transparency and honesty from a brand. The website is open about their strategies and reports in regard to sustainability, what they are doing as their bit, their code of ethics, “Our vision is to lead the change towards a circular and renewable fashion industry while being a fair and equal company.” (H&M GROUP Website). When looking online, I found that the concsious collection does expand further than just womenswear, but there is a big lack of promotional imagery on behalf of men. As my collaboration has a big focus on sustainability, it will be important to help set the wheels in motion in order to fill this gap, as this lack of a male presence could be detering men from looking into the collection.
nable? questionable? questionable? questionable? questionable? questionable? question
OR ARE THEY?
Despite all of this transparency about sustainable and ethical factors, there are still situations which show that what they say regarding their pledges for ethical factors and sustainability could be partially for show as they understand what younger consumers would want to hear. For example, a ‘people’s tibunal’ was held in 2012 in regard to Cambodian workers for the factory conditions they were having to work in, seeing “nearly 300 workers passed out in one week at a Cambodian factory supplying H&M”, (S Butler, 2012), where H&M (as well as Gap) were “criticised for not agreeing to attend hearing…”., then there was the situation which arose when “it used a black child to model a hoodie with the slogan “Coolest monkey in the jungle”. Social media users branded the advert “racist” and “unacceptable””, (M Bulman, 2018). These aspects will bear heavy detriment to the reputation of the brand, but, as it is a worldwide brand with a large quantity of stores and consumers, it won’t have as negative effect as it may do. Its important when approaching my collaboration that I take this into account, as I want to ensure that it reaches the consumers in an as accurate manner as possible and is aligned to their views and opinions. This will help to build loyalty to the brand and keep the consumers engaged and coming back to each drop. As partially I intend to create T-Shirts in the style of Vetements, it is important to bare this sense of an already fragile reputation in mind and ensure that this collaboration won’t pose a threat to it. 103.
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Fig 15.
ous and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious and sustainable. conscious
SCANDINAVIAN CULTURE. H&M as we know, heavily sticks to its on-brand heritage, using it as a basis for their brand narrative. Scandinavian style and design focuses heavily around minimalism and simplicity, with white and neutral colours heavily associated. This concept is visible within the images curated by the brand itself online, viewable on their instagram pages. This shows that their brand identity is heavily revolved around this, and keeping in line with their roots will be admired by the consumer. 107.
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the scandi muse.
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the scandi muse. the scandi muse. the scandi muse. the scandi muse. the scandi muse
THE “SCANDI MUSE”. With the fashion industry as with all aspects of life, things move on, develop and change as time goes by in order to stay current. Scandinavian fashion is no different. Recently, a new type of fashion has been taking over the Instagram feeds of many, as we are introduced to what is known as the “Scandi muse”, short for Scandinavian, a new era of Instagram influencer. They showcase a new, refreshed take on the ever-iconic Scandinavian fashion, by introducing pastels to popular Scandinavian styles. I find it important to note that when researching into this concept, it is apparent that there is a lack of male “Scandi muses”. This is something that could perhaps be developed through the menswear collaboration, encouraging to fill the existent gap in the market. 115.
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red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red. red
THE COLOUR RED. Within the H&M brand, something that we see consistently in what they put out marketing and promotion wise, is the colour red. The red colour is a stark contrast to the relaxed neutrals and whites we see within their campaigns and brand personality. Semiotically red is a bold colour, and will grab attention of the consumer. 125.
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culture. pop-culture. pop-culture. pop-culture. pop-culture. pop-culture. pop-culture. p
POP CULTURE. When looking to the clothing that H&M creates, it is easy to see how popular culture influences it. Whether its through their collaborations with Billie Eilish, Star Wars or The Sims - it is clear that they are reaching a youthful audience, likely to purchase product due to its ties to what is popular. Semiotically, pop-culture icons (or whoever is popular at the time, so to speak) are recognisable and therefore is a way of displaying your awareness for what is “cool� and current, and furthermore ties in with the psychological aspect of status symbols. This, to me, shows that pop-culture when applied to a garment, is essentially logomania - just in a different form to just a popular luxury brand name. A popular example for this is Coca-Cola. A huge amount of fast fashion brands have involved the well-known Coca-Cola company logo in the clothing they offer. This all comes back to brand loyalty. For collaboration purposes, I believe this word to be important as Vetements also involve pop-culture references into their clothing (E.g, Star Wars, DHL).
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gram, instagram. instagram. instagram. instagram. instagram, instagram. instagra
INSTAGRAM. I felt Instagram to be a vital part of the H&M 20x20 as this is essentially where they convey their brand image and narrative the best. They’re able to keep their images to a specific theme almost, with a clear influence from the Scandinavian roots. This shows that they do have a specific brand image that they are keeping to, and they’re able to reach a more youthful audience through their use of specific aesthetic, and the fact that they keep to it. This is similar to how Vetements operate their Instagram, using it to reach the correct consumer by utilising the correct aesthetics to create a visually attractive narrative. 129.
H&M CONSUMER.
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mer. h&m consumer. h&m consumer. h&m consumer. h&m consumer. h&m consumFrom the use of social media, we’re able to see that H&M Man displays their consumer on the daily. The images they use to promote themselves contain examples of their consumer group, which is highly diverse. It is easy to see that their promotion tactics are very clear and basic, and allow the imagery they use to speak for itself. They offer items of pop-culture, which will attract younger consumers who are more concerned with social status when compared to older generational consumers, as well as general bits of clothing which would be able to appeal to all audiences, no matter how mature. H&M Man is for the conscious consumer, who still wants to be able to purchase the latest trends at no higher cost, as we know that there is a big difference between a consumers actions and what they say when it comes to the concept of sustainability. The brand holds themselves accountable publicly, being transparent about their clothing and what goes into it, and this sense of honestly would appeal to a consumer and would therefore create an engagement with loyalty.
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COLLABORATION 134.
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INTRODUCING CULTURE DIRECTIONS. Having researched extensively into the signifying factors of both brands (Vetements and H&M) of which the collaboration is between, something which seemed apparent in both is that they represent different aspects to the concept of “youth culture”. It is presented by Vetements heavily through the Post-Soviet style, otherwise described as “ugly” fashion. This is something of which wasn’t taken seriously historically as western culture was essentially in charge of this sector - fashion. They attract the youth by their association with the modern day. For example, they’re aware of issues with regards to the environment and climate change, as displayed through window displays in collaboration with certain stores, combining Menswear and Womenswear into one conjoined fashion show – which also displays their understanding of the LGBTQ+ community and how diverse it is within everyday life.
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Fig 21.
ing culture directions. introducing culture directions. introducing culture directions. introducing culture directions. intr
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H&M is also aware of what their consumer wants, which is this idea of transparency, pursued through movements they do such as their Conscious collection and their recycling initiative, and the honest targets they set themselves publicly on their website as a company for anybody to see. There is also the idea of Scandinavian culture offered by H&M. It is all about tuning into the correct consumer, which both brands already do individually. The consumer is generally from the Gen Z group but is not limited to, as younger Millennials would be in touch with this aspect of transparency also – just not to such a huge degree. Brands as status signifiers do tend to tap more into younger and more technologically aware consumers, due to platforms such as Instagram where items are marketed by influencers. Being aware of youth culture, both past and present shows to me that there is a gap within it. A gap where there is no originality, nor is there a specific DNA infrastructure of our own, as this generation. This to many is attributed to the internet. A place where you can find out anything you need or want to know in seconds, where all history is recorded. The current concept of youth culture isn’t the way it used to be at all. For today’s generation of youth, it is essentially a copy and pasted recipe of multiple past cultures, spliced together rather than an environmentally generated thing. Youth culture to many, is dead. Fake even. We as the youthful generation can just take bits of what we like of the past – rather than moulding our own. We see ideas presented to us through influencers on Instagram and are led to follow like sheep, believing that it is what we should be doing.
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what is culture directions? what is culture directions? what is culture directions? what is culture directions? what is cult
SO, WHAT IS CULTURE DIRECTIONS ABOUT? The idea of the brand “CULTURE DIRECTIONS” comes from this theory that we have no original culture of our own, merely stealing and appropriating from our ancestors instead through the metaphorical time warping portal otherwise known as the internet. For my collaboration between H&M and Vetements, I envision it being less just a “collaboration” and more of a movement. Collaboration within fashion is quickly losing its grip, people are constantly evolving and begging for new ideas and concepts. I had an idea where this “collaboration” is described as a “feature” instead. Although it is indeed two brands collaborating on a project, it is more than just that. It is a supportive and sustainable way of building ourselves up and creating something of and for ourselves in a climate where it is deemed impossible. Both brands are supportive of other talent by nature – the platform Vetements created for young creators where there is help, talks and scholarships offered, and the H&M design award as a couple of examples. It would be a permanent fixture to the brand, with drops happening over time.
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THE 7 P’S OF PROMOTION.
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The form of influence would not be disclosed until post-purchase, and you find out through the unlocked content on the website with your code. This is to ensure people are buying the garment for the right reasons, not because they’ve seen that it was created with Skepta, for example. Although there is still that chance that people are buying the garment for the Vetements name, it is better than the garment being boxed to a smaller group of people. Plus, a big part of my decision to choose Vetements was because I found it interesting that the brand is believed to be dying – so it is also about rebuilding their reputation and introducing them to a larger audience. Products would feature streetwear styles with a refreshed look, due to the fact that it is said streetwear is dying - giving it a new life. This would be done through quirky slogans in the Vetements Post-Soviet style, and some pieces would be inspired by both ideas of Scandinavian fashion new and conventional.
LOOKING AT PRODUCT
The products from the collection would each be featuring another form of influence.
DEVELOPMENT.
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I’d have a variety of featured forms of influence within the collection. I’d choose artists from post-Soviet countries such as IC3PEAK – as this fits in with the Vetements PostSoviet youth culture influence, and it also gives them a platform as many musical acts from these countries are being stopped from performing as governments do not agree with their “messages”, and are therefore being stopped creatively. I’d also use UK influenced music such as Stormzy and Dave, artists who strongly speak their own opinions – being themselves and encouraging freedom of thought and expression, as this is also a big aspect to the collaboration – being yourself, rather than falling into the idea that you need to own X, Y and Z to fit in. Organisations too that specialise in sustainability and ethical aspects, as this is what the collaboration is for; to promote sustainable and ethical behaviours through youth culture by helping create a personal freedom within it.
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When looking into H&M, it is quick to see that their consumer is fairly varied – although their Instagram account seems to focus on that of Gen Z and Millennial. Similar with Vetements, Millennial is very focused on when looking through their Instagram. Both Instagram accounts are very quirky looking, and are appealing to a younger consumer, in their use of colours and the overall imagery. The collaboration will tend to aim more for Gen Z as the project as a whole is focused largely on youth culture – BUT, it would attract a fair variety of age groups as Vetements is a luxury brand, and can be seen as a status symbol – so to own a piece from the collection would allow the buyer to be buying into the label and subsequently the lifestyle and status that comes with it. The next page demonstrates an example of the consumer for the collaboration, through use of croquis.
LOOKING AT PEOPLE.
eople. people. people. people. people. people. people. people. people. people. people. peo
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CONSUMER PHOTOSHOOT To deepen the personality and understanding of the predicted consumer, I directed and shot a photoshoot showing stylings of Vetements and H&M, with an overall grunge feel.
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FEMININITY?
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As mentioned, femininity in menswear is becoming more prevalent in society and styles donned everyday. This has been a large principle in thinking up my collaboration, as Vetements is a very fluid brand. For inspiration behind developing the brand values, garments, and styling aspects for the collaboration, I’ve looked into recent shows and created visual outcomes.
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LOOKING AT PROMOTION.
motion. promotion. promotion. promotion. promotion. promotion. promotion. promot
To ensure the correct people are aware of the product, it must be promoted in the correct way for the audience it is aiming for.
My audience would be those who use social media on the daily.
Using aspects such as Instagram to promote the collection (Instagram stories, posts, etc) from both brands to ensure that the right people can see. I’d also want to look into magazines as a way of promoting the product, but magazines who line up with the idea of transparency, youth culture, and talking about important issues. Personally the first which comes to mind would be i-D. Promotional ideas are dotted throughout this part, to demonstrate the different visual approaches we could explore.
It would also be interesting to promote the brand collaboraton through free products, such as free fizzy drink with the brand logo donned alongside the drink brand, for example Coca Cola or Pepsi. This is something that both drink brands do as it is, so it would perhaps allow a wider aspect to the feature aspect of the collaboration, whilst not being too ‘outthere’ for the more commercial consumer.
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For my collaboration, it relies fairly heavily on the concept of physical evidence. The swing tags on the clothing will feature a QR code. This QR code takes the person scanning it to the website dedicated towards the collaboration. This is put to use, as when an item is purchased you get a unique code on the receipt. This code can work as certification of the product being legit. When the code is entered into the website, you’re able to unlock content regarding your garment’s journey from beginning to end, seeing the process. Sticker’s on the tags, and the swing tags can be created out of fully recyclable material, recycled material or compostable material. Carrier bags would be replaced with paper bags, and would feature the brand logos (H&M and Vetements) along with the collab logo - this essentiallt is free promotion, as people will be walking about with the bag on show, spreading the word of collection and unknowingly helping to develop hype.
LOOKING AT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
e. physical evidence. physical evidence. physical evidence. physical evidence. physical e
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LOOKING AT PRICE.
e. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. price. pric
Vetements is a luxury brand, averaging between £150-£400 for a T-Shirt. H&M is a fast fashion brand, meaning their clothing prices can start from anywhere like £4 for a T-Shirt
It’s important that the price is affordable for the H&M consumer, but that it also reflects the better quality and name that is associated with the Vetements brand. It must also be reflective of the ethical and sustainable nature behind each garment.
Naturally, as it will be reflective of all these aspects it is important to note that the consumer will be understanding, and more inclined to spend with the collaboration down to its transparency behind each specific garment. Approx £45-£60 for T-Shirts within the collection, Hoodies towards £60-70.
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Where will the collaboration be sold? This is a question which I’ve found to be difficult to place within the sustainable nature for the collaboration. I believe it to be important for this collaboration to be available in a multitude of locations geographically, as it revolves quite largely around introducing people to new (and old) ideas of style which they may not have been exposed to. I’d aim to have stock sold at as many locations as is possible. My thoughts are that because the garments are made sustainably and ethically, it would allow more product to be made, rather than it just being extremely limited and only in key stores, whilst not using suitable materials. It would show up as a pop-up, and would be instore for three days. Any left over stock would be split between donation, and sold online. Shopping now is all about experience. That is what the consumer values, therefore processes would be in place that would hold events to commemorate the collection drops, similarly to how Dover Street Market operates. This would include ideas such as concerts, and DIY T-Shirt printing. Because of store events, the stand for the collection would double as an events space - as shown below, it would be difficult to take it apart and put it back up suddenly.
LOOKING AT PLACE AND PROCESS.
s. place and process. place and process. place and process. place and process. place an
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PHYSICAL STAND MOCK UP. The sections would be curated to look like bus shelters, to match the urban atmosphere to youth culture. There would be a stand selling independant magazines and books that match with the concepts of the collaboration (magazines such as i-D, Dazed, and TANK!, and books about different cultures of which inspiration has been taken from).
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Culture Directions is a collaboration idea between H&M and Vetements. It is all about the concepts of youth culture, and how it varies and develops differently from place to place. This is exampled through the way Vetements approaches youth culture, looking at their Eastern Bloc upbringing and the political effects which followed them (and still continue to do), as well as inspiring and being inspired by the new wave of Parisian youth culture. Whereas H&M take the approach of their Scandinavian roots and mix it with pop-culture through their collaborations. If you take all of these influences and put them into a blender, then Culture Directions is the end product that you get. We aim to inspire and allow people the courage to be themselves, in societies where going against the grain of what is deemed ‘normal’, is frowned upon. In a time where influencer culture is rife, it is vital to keep true to who you want to be, and to act as your own influencer.
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TO CONCLUDE...
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REFERENCE LIST Balch, O. (2013, May 8). H&M: can fast fashion and sustainability ever really mix? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/h-and-m-fashion-sustainability-mix (C Brannsten Quoted) Bramley, E. V. (2019, June 24). “Don’t shoot”: why Vetements’ latest T-shirt is causing controversy. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/jun/24/ dont-shoot-why-vetements-latest-t-shirt-is-causing-controversy Bulman, M. (2018, January 9). H&M apologises following backlash over “racist” image of child model on website. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ uk/home-news/hm-apology-racist-image-website-child-model-backlash-twitter-monkey-jumper-black-a8147641.html Bumpus, J. (2019, August 14). Balenciaga’s New Name: What To Know. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vetements-demna-gvasalia-moves-to-balenciaga-what-to-know Butler, S. (2017, December 1). Cambodian workers hold “people’s tribunal” to look at factory conditions. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/02/ cambodian-workers-peoples-tribunal-factory Cotton, B. (2018, November 27). H&M and Zara, the ‘sustainable’ fashion brands killing the environment | Business Leader News. Retrieved from https://www.businessleader.co.uk/hm-and-zara-the-sustainable-fashion-brands-killing-the-environment/56166/ 212.
REFERENCE LIST CONTINUED Davidson, D. (2019, September 16). Demna Gvasalia has left Vetements. Retrieved from https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/46019/1/demna-gvasalia-has-left-vetements-balenciaga-georgian-fashion-designer HighSnobiety. (2019). The New Luxury: Defining the Aspirational in the Age of Hype. -, -: gestalten. Gush, C. (2016, February 5). vetements join burberry in combining menswear and womenswear into one show. Retrieved from https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/ article/neb5ek/vetements-join-burberry-in-combining-menswear-and-womenswear-into-one-show H&M https://hmgroup.com/ Hall, J. (2018, November 22). what is digital clothing? Retrieved from https://i-d. vice.com/en_uk/article/wj3jy9/what-is-digital-clothing (M Grubak Quoted) Hellyer, I. (2017, March 7). vetements’ guram gvasalia reveals why the brand is always sold out. Retrieved from https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/kzwaqa/vetements39-guram-gvasalia-reveals-why-the-brand-is-always-sold-out-uk-translation
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REFERENCE LIST CONTINUED Leach, A. (2018, April 11). 2 Years After They Broke the Internet, It Looks Like Nobody is Buying Vetements. Retrieved from https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/vetements/ Milligan, L. (2019, August 15). Vetements Designer Named At Balenciaga. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/balenciaga-new-designer-demna-gvasalia-of-vetements Roth, A. (2018, December 12). ‘Even a half-finished show is a victory’: Russian bands fight new crackdown. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/12/ were-not-scared-bands-defy-russian-crackdown-on-political-music Scheerhout, J. (2016, November 1). Cheetham Hill named the counterfeit capital of the UK. Retrieved from https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cheetham-hill-named-counterfeit-capital-10751013 Shackleton, H. (2018, August 13). how demna gvasalia is changing the world. Retrieved from https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/mb4xyy/how-demna-gvasalia-is-changing-theworld Spellings, S. (2017, July 21). Vetements’ New Saks Window Display Is Just a Pile of Clothes. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2017/07/vetements-new-saks-windowdisplay-is-just-a-pile-of-clothes.html Spellings, S. (2020, February 20). TikTok’s Biggest Star Went to Prada’s Show. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2020/02/tiktoks-biggest-star-charli-damelio-wentto-pradas-show.html 214.
IMAGE REFERENCES FIG 1: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_sMCC1DFDd/ FIG 2: https://www.instagram.com/p/B79i4sXB0Pz/ FIG 3: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8GfXzvhBGc/ FIG 4: https://selfservicemagazine.com/christmas-essentials-4/ FIG 5: http://imgbox.com/OMYvUzxW FIG 6: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/zmm8j4/life-lessons-from-the-autumnwinter-17-campaigns-everyone-is-talking-about FIG 7: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2020-menswear/vetements/slideshow/collection#10 FIG 8: https://jurnal.maskoolin.com/jurnal/fashion/fashion-advice/mengenal-trend-fashion-post-soviet-yang-booming-di-tahun-2016/ FIG 9: https://www.instagram.com/cvshed/ FIG 10: http://rebloggy.com/post/caps-palo-alto-nat-wolff-he-is-so-freakingadorable/106209908248
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IMAGE REFERENCES CONTINUED FIG 11: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9bTsfrA2xp/ FIG 12: https://images.app.goo.gl/WNSEzzpBZM7e66yw7 FIG 13: https://images.app.goo.gl/xJZRQrj83ckPM8cW9 FIG 14: https://images.app.goo.gl/GhuzK9VFh1dDwRCcA FIG 15: https://wowowhome.com/architecture/allen-key-house-by-architect-prineas/attachment/allen-key-house-by-architect-prineas-07/ FIG 16: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ff/30/62/ff306240d78399c7891c363cd6db2d9c.jpg FIG 17: https://images.app.goo.gl/G6YNYgSJpvhrK5cF6 FIG 18: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9WHd6lgrnC/ FIG 19: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9j2Ic6goNv/ FIG 20: https://www.instagram.com/p/B78UDA6BtcG/ FIG 21: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_jg9mKGdM/
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