How fashion houses communicate brand identity
Fashion houses sell more than products. They sell an image. A lifestyle that consumers want to be part of when they purchase their products. Brand identity can be kept the same for years and years or changed every season. Brand identity is a well-curated atmosphere chosen by the creative director and communicated to the customers through the communication strategy. It comprises every decision the brand takes. From the campaigns to the selection of the models walking the runway to the setup of the stores, are all decisions that have to follow the brand identity to send the final consumer a clear idea on what they are representing when they are buying that specific brand.
Runways are the image, the concept, the aesthetic brands share with the public, whether they are buyers, fashion publications, or customers. Decisions like the setting or the use of models have all an impact on the message the brand wants to transmit. Take, for example, Saint Laurent. Since Hedi Slimane rebranded the house in 2012, they want to transmit the rockstar aesthetic. Their collections are flooded with skinny jeans, cropped biker jackets, and leather boots. Their runways are set under the Tour Eiffel or a sandy beach in Malibu. Pale, tall skinny models with messy grunge looks walk to the rhythm of the Rolling Stones as if they don’t even care what they are doing. These are all stylistic decisions taken by the creative director to convey the identity of the brand in an immersive way. In some way choosing the lifestyle of the people that want to buy Saint Laurent.
Campaigns range from publicity to videos to any graphical representation of the soon to come collection. In this case, Gucci is a master in making their whole communication strategy coincide with their brand image and the direction they are taking for that season. Gucci is all about inclusivity. Making everyone look extravagant in their own way, by of course wearing Gucci. This translates into their campaigns by casting a wide range of models, each of them representing their own styles and setting them either in supermarkets in England or in some Roman ruins in Sicily. The spokespersons of the brand have also a huge role in representing the message they are trying to convey. The faces we see the most running around Gucci’s campaigns are Harry Styles, Lana del Rey, and Jared Leto; who are usually advocates of self-expression, and when we usually see them all together with Alessandro Michele, wildly extravagant.
Instagram is one of the newest strategies for direct marketing. Instead of investing in billboards and commercials on TV, the focus now is on our phones and in the in-demand social media application. Brands have different approaches to structuring their Instagram strategy in order to fit their needs. Lately, I’ve seen that upcoming brands are adopting mood board schemes that basically showcase photographs that represent the brand’s identity but are not specifically of the brand or produced by a brand. Take for example Sporty & Rich, Emily Oberg’s brand. Their Instagram instead of showcasing photographs taken for the brand specifically showcases vintage photographs of Italian villas, and gyms in the 80s, maybe some fruit bowls, land rovers, and sometimes a photo of a model wearing a branded hoodie with a golden Rolex on her wrist. More than an Instagram account for a brand, it looks like the Instagram account of a real person, in other words, the type of person that Sporty & Rich wants to sell to or the type of person a customer would like to be when buying a hoodie that costs 100$.
Creating a brand identity, and more importantly, delivering the message to the consumers is not an easy job that most houses are unable or simply don’t do. Of course, brands can still make a profit without customers having a clue on their brand image, but by doing it, they are creating a cult of people that will marry their brand and serve as the spokesperson of the house; with not spending a dime, the contrary, while earning a bunch.
