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19 8 THE FASHION DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
(Text)
Chapter 19: Branding
The most common mistake regarding brands is to think that the company
name and logo are the brand. They are not. The brand is what the designer
or company stands for. Designers that consistently follow through on every
endeavor with integrity are building a brand: Anything associated with their de-
sign work should ring true, aligning with what the brand has pledged to deliver.
Another misconception about brands is that they belong to the designer or
company. They do not. The whole idea behind a good brand is that it connects
with people, and the moment a customer is let down in any way the brand has
suffered a blow. Brands are emotional things in which both the creators and
consumers have made an investment. They begin to have signi cance beyond
the actual products. Over time, a brand builds a philosophy and a way of doing
business; for the customer, the brand becomes a cultural accessory and a
source of inspiration.
A note on the term “luxury brand”: Because the idea of luxury has become
such a cliché, designers must determine what it means within the context of
their own brand. Does it imply a company that produces goods and services to
which many consumers would aspire, but because of rarity and restrictive price
point are not readily attainable? Or does it mean a company that has used
luxurious materials and invested in glamorous advertising and slick packaging,
but in essence supplies a basic, albeit desirable, commodity?
BRAND CONSTANTS
Mythology
When a designer has committed to the brand promise, the job at hand is to build a mythology
and craft the symbols that make it easy to identify and identify with. The myth is in the mes-
sage. A myth cuts past rational thought and connects with individuals at a gut level, where
they imagine themselves in what they have observed. Chanel is a brand based on the history
and vision of Gabrielle Chanel, an embodiment of the thoroughly modern woman. With time,
that history has become lore and then legend. The continued success of Chanel is due to in-
novative of-the-moment interpretations of all the things that she stood for as a designer and
as a woman. The Chanel customer knows what she is getting and identifies with the brand
because it means something more than just beautiful clothing. Like Chanel, a great design
house will always deliver on their promise and manage expectations.
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Photograph by Petit/Hel/Prestige/Newsmakers.
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Job:02-30034 Title:RP-Fashion Design Ref and Spec Book
#175 Dtp:225 Page:198
198-203_30034.indd 198 2/27/13 5:11 PM