Vionnet:
Created in the beginning of last century and its founder, Madeleine Vionnet, may be considered one of the most farsighted and creative designers in the history of fashion. Disrupting the trends of her times she has really revolutionized and innovated the fashion sector not only with the pure creativity of the pieces (what's more, praised, researched and copied by generations of designers to this day) but also with an approach to marketing (for example, the perfumes), communication (her relationship with the great designer/futuristic graphic artist, Thayaht) and with the "union" organization and work assistance which was unheard of at the time.
During mid 2008 the historic fashion house gains a new life thanks to Matteo Marzotto and Gianni Castiglioni who find in Rudy Paglialunga the refined creative mind behind it all. In February 2009 the press and the public was introduced to the fashion house with the first Spring/Summer 2010 collection which was presented at the trade in July 2009 with the main S/S'10 in Paris during the fashion week held during the month of October of the same year. In spite of the global and fashion sector crisis the public reaction was excellent. In 2010 the first F/W (fall/winter) collection will be introduced. The facility and functions (sourcing, delivery, etc.) of the "maison" will finally be established along with a series of important communication and trade events (celebrities, windows, trunk shows, etc.).
WHAT IS IT ?
In this step you will find information about the Brand Builder, who is asking you to propose a Solution for the challenge. He introduces himself (as a Brand of course :) The more you understand about the Brand, the more chances you have to create what is wanted.
IMPORTANT: There is a possibility that the Brand Builder prefers not to disclose who he is, usually for confidentiality reasons. Such Briefs will be published in an anonymous way. In this case the Brand Builder will say as much as he feels comfortable saying.
Here are two EXAMPLES
In case there is no problem with disclosing the identity (VISIBLE):
“NMN -No More Nicotine- is a Brand that promises to counteract the damages to the skin that can be caused by smoking. NMN is distributed in pharmacies and drugstores and its price positioning is middle-high; it is mainly promoted through professional endorsement and is not massively advertised.”
In case the Brand doesn’t want to disclose his identity (ANONYMOUS):
“Brand counteracting the damages to skin caused by smoking. Its products are distributed in pharmacies and drugstores with a middle-high price positioning; they are mainly promoted through professional endorsement and are not massively advertised.”
In summary: Who is your client (in a visible or “anonymous” way :)
The creative demand calls for the creation of a site, a window display of the new collections, that must contain all the "historic flavour" (which we would like to protect and honour). Together with a strong characterization of its modernity the re-birth of this House may be launched.
We intend to continue along the total look policy (clothing, including furs, handbags, shoes, jewellery) where, for the moment, clothing plays the most important role.
The space for two collections per season for clothing (pre-spring, main S/S, pre-fall, main F/W) is needed. But the other categories such as handbags, shoes, jewellery and other accessories also need space. The categories may increase with, for example, the potential arrival of licenses (for perfumes, eyewear, fabrics, etc.). The categories should also be viewed singularly.
The list of retailers is needed (the most important multibrand shops of the world) and the opening of stores is expected.
A space reserved for the stylist is necessary (evaluate if and how to insert historical anecdotes, passions, peculiarities, personality, ect.)
It is important that the pages per product category or per theme be easily identified.
A strong innovative element in graphics would be consistent with the history of the fashion house (Thayaht).
If and what kind of space to give to the editorials and basically to all press coverage with a link to the collections that they refer to must be evaluated.
Amongst the documents attached there is an outline of the possible structure of the site's pages.
WHAT IS IT ?
This is the task the Brand Builder asks you to accomplish. If you don’t understand it, you are completely out of luck !
EXAMPLE
“We ask the Creators to develop a print advertising campaign in order to increase Brand’s visibility. It will be used in national magazines this spring.”
In summary: It’s the objective of the client, therefore your objective too !
Our arrangement idea regards a fore front of ready to wear glamourous fashion, in complete competition with the most famous brandnames of the market, with a high PAP (pret-a-porter) arrangement (a few years ago this would have been defined as luxury…).
The target age is +25. Self conscious women with a strong knowledge of fashion and good purchasing power.
WHAT IS IT?
People that the Brand Builder wants you to entertain and persuade to think, feel or do something using your creation. Usually you will read about their age, sex, social level and behaviors. You should always keep that information in mind while creating, as the target audience is the final recipient of what you create.
EXAMPLE
“Smoking girls and women who would like to quit smoking but can’t. Usually health-conscious adults who care about their looks. They feel guilty about smoking because they know it is harmful. They read books about it. This is a real problem for them: it’s like “My brain wants something, but my body acts of its own accord”. They don’t relate to my brand, they are just waiting for a trustworthy “helping hand”.
In summary: Get under their skin !
The target must understand the unique history of the fashion house, must be fascinated by the look and compelled to purchase the product. We believe that in this particular historical moment it would be very interesting to repropose a project with strong "couture" concept/awareness (always maintaing all the sexyness and glamour, of course) respecting the wonderful heritage of M.V.
In fact you can almost feel the impatience/confusion that the trade and a few clients have towards major fashion houses that distribute the most.
The "Parisian" DNA seems to be very important.
WHAT IS IT?
The thing that the Brand Builder wants to make the target audience think/feel/do because of your creation.
Here are some very concrete examples:
∞ Some things people can think/feel:
- There is a new Brand (or product or idea or...) out there
- This Brand is better than the alternatives or than it used to be
- This Brand is worth paying more for
∞ Some things people can do:
- Start buying the Brand’s products
- Buy the Brand more often
- Stock more products of the Brand in their outlets
The above written examples are very concrete whilst often the proposition of the Brief is emotional. That’s even better as it can be more inspiring!
EXAMPLE
“We’d like to encourage smokers to use NMN in order to minimize the damage to their health while they are keeping giving up smoking (especially if they’ve already tried and failed before).”
In summary: Get inside their brain !
We believe in the extraordinary French energy and heritage of the brand tied to Italian consistency, craftsmanship and quality. And we believe that the passion for fashion that Matteo Marzotto and Gianni Castiglioni possess, along with their twenty plus years of business know-how and experience in other important projects tied to this sector, may be an added value for this project.
A certain realistic and humble approach and relevant post start-up investments complete the primary elements needed.
WHAT IS IT?
This is the key to achieving the objective. It is what supports the proposition and makes it believable. Usually it is a rational statement.
EXAMPLE
“Every cigarette you smoke is causing damage to your appearance. A recent study took several pairs of identical twins where one twin was a lifelong smoker and the other had never smoked. The smokers’ skin was a quarter thinner than that of non-smokers, and in some cases there were differences of up to 40%. NMN contains thinning-blocking anti-oxidants which counteract the effect of nicotine on the skin.”
In summary: You are looking for arguments? You’ll find them here!
The Vionnet brand is steeped with Madeleine Vionnet's personality and connoted by the "modern" re-interpretation of its stylistic dictates, hence:
∞ Refinedly "Parisian"
∞ Inspired by the legendary yet innovative history in interpreting it
∞ Sexy and glamourous with a strong and exclusive "Couture" connotation
WHAT IS IT?
It’s who the Brand is. Yes... who!
Treat the Brand as a human being, as it has its own personality. To know the personality of the “client” is fundamental in order to provide a tailor-made job. So, read carefully the listed adjectives...
EXAMPLE
“Scientific, trustworthy, result-oriented, ‘a party’ to achieve your goals.”
In summary: Imagine the live person !
Particularly, in this historical moment we believe that in communication a very important part of the investments must be directed towards trade; in addition to the site, our business model does not foresee investments in traditional communications (pages, advertising campaigns, etc.), but in editorials, celebrities and dedicated events.
The look books, normally pure sales tools, become a means of communication if made with care and filled with details.
Any other ideas will obviously be appreciated.
WHAT IS IT?
A list of places (or media, or things) where the target audience will see the outcome of your creation. In this step sometimes the Brand will also acknowledge you how much he plans to invest into production. This information will give you an insight whether to create a BIG project or make it small... :)
EXAMPLE
“This campaign is going to appear in lifestyle- and health-focused women magazines of New Zealand, during the spring of 2009. We plan to invest 500,000 USD, which means approximately buying 100 single pages.”
In summary: Consider the medium !
The sites of our direct competitors (all companies that are bigger than ours) that we appreciate the most are: Lanvin, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Balmain. Lanvin may be considered the most well balanced example, since, one way or another, the other companies omit or insist on specific areas (for example, Balmain does not mention any of its history whilst Balenciaga is not particularly clear and innovative in representing each single piece from its collection.
Only for illustrative purposes we have attached a few pieces from the Vionnet collection in order to help you understand the style of the fashion house.
From the creative minds we request the webskin of the site: design, layout, style, colour and font patterns.
The Vionnet logo (also attached) must not undergo any variation and/or change.
We accept any form of presentation but they must necessarily contain the visual images and a description of the project (.ppt, .doc, .pdf, .jpg, ect.), and the winner must hand over the original files (PSD).
It will be sufficient to show the home page, the page containing the current collection (with sub-sections) and the page with the band history.
Solutions that contain the representations of other pages that are particularly creative are accepted and appreciated.
If the Brand has preferences or technical requirements that your Solution has to match, you will find them here.
Here are some items that you may find in this section:
∞ Guidelines or mandatory inclusions (do’s and/or don’ts)
∞ Business objectives
∞ Market and competitors overview
∞ Good and bad samples
Depending on the Brief, you may also find some files attached with a logo, pictures of product(s), a template that you should use in order to submit your ideas, or any other file that the Brand wants to share with you. So, study the attachments before starting creating.
In summary: Anything else you need to know (not written in the 7 steps before) !
