For my graduation project, I was to develop a brand narrative for a fashion business concept. Defined by the concept and target consumer, I was required to combine image, text and other design elements to create a visual representation of my brand, production and/or service. I was also to identify effective design strategies for the launch and promotion of my brand both offline and online. The deliverables for this project includes:

Complete Brand Identity & Collaterals

Campaign for the Brand’s Launch

Promotional Materials

Creative Business Plan

The starting point for this project stemmed from my own experiences as a consumer and personal fascination with media and technology. This also started while we were still in the throes of COVID-19 and faced strict restrictions on physical interaction. All these factors culminated into my conceptualised solution to create an agency that would work with brands to bring their products and services into the new frontier of omnichannel experiences.

“The difficulty in situating the fashion experience is exacerbated by the expectation of fashion’s fleetingness. By now it is a platitude to state that fashion does not simply reside in the garment. It exists first as a representation, and as association, finding itself within time in narrative action.” (Geczy, Adam, and Vicki Karaminas).  The new fashion experience is multi-faceted, often encompassing two or more spaces/mediums to become more engaging. For example, Burberry’s social retail store in Shenzhen was opened in partnership with Tencent, where users earn ‘social currency’ on a WeChat program to unlock exclusive content and experiences woven into the store. On the other hand, Balenciaga presented their Fall 2021 collection in the form of a mobile game, allowing their audience to traverse and explore the world they created, following an immersive storyline featuring characters dressed in the collection. 

The fashion world is increasingly relying on virtual solutions to design and showcase creations in an immersive and sustainable way. And with shop windows out of action and fashion weeks cancelled due to the pandemic, extended realities allow engagement between brands, designers and consumers to continue. Retailers must therefore gain a deep and up-to-date understanding of customer preferences, envision a new role for their stores in light of these preferences, and execute surgical changes to store formats and in-store customer experience. “Today’s shoppers expect more than a transactional relationship with retailers; they want a seamless and personalised journey that reflects the context of how they shop across devices and channels. The key to success lies in connecting in-store software with online systems so retailers can provide an uninterrupted experience wherever customers shop.” - Ross Mason. From further research, I found that tech-enabled experiences were much more common with commercial brands rather than niche brands. One reason for this might have been because the use of technology removes the feeling of exclusivity and distinctive personality of the brand. I started to wonder if there could be ways to express these technologies in ways the brands can identify with, while enhancing the consumer experience and allowing them to stand out against competitors.

My research culminated into the creation of my brand ARENA, a digital strategy agency that ideates new products, systems and spaces for brands to cultivate seamless and memorable experiences. The main focus of ARENA is to express art and conceptual fashion through creative technology, while concurrently supporting individual artists with digitally inclined skills, creating the opportunity of building a community of digital artists in East and South East Asia (ESEA). By sharing work that showcases the potential of fashion and technology, ARENA hopes to create a new standard of digital fashion experiences.

For this business, I researched and developed solutions for three case studies of fashion brands in Singapore. The case studies explored include KatbyKatk, Buro and Dover Street Market, the latter of which I developed a working prototype for my proposed solution.

The concept behind the Dover Street Market app was derived from the disparity between its online and offline stores. I wanted to create a solution that was also COVID proof, by allowing customers to have a similar experience as going to the store without being physically there. Proportionately, the offline store should also include digital touchpoints that allow consumers to shop safely and efficiently. The end result, the Dover Street Market App, becomes the intermediary between the online and offline spaces, by introducing web information within the store, and bringing the store experience online. I took current elements within the website and recreated it into a mobile experience that was more user friendly, but retained Dover Street Market’s online language and branding. Users can browse products, save items, look at runway looks, shop the lookbook and stay updated with news. There is also a shop by store layout function, where customers can see exactly what is displayed at each zone.

The app also has a scanning feature using a phone camera, which connects to a digital directory in DSM’s stores, which you can manipulate by using your phone as a remote device. With this approach, we are able to create a new type of shopping experience that merges the online with the offline while promoting low touch. Upon scanning the QR code of the directory, the information from your account on the application becomes reflected on the screen, allowing you to save items directly into the wishlist tied to your account. This creates a more intuitive and personalised experience.

This initiative is built to cater toward more functional shoppers, who like to be informed before they make a purchase, or consumers who know exactly what they want but dont want to navigate the whole store to find it or bother an employee. The current trend for retail is self service, freeing up employees from menial tasks of checking prices and sizes to providing more specialised services like styling, This also balances the power dynamic within the store, allowing the employees to be seen as store and brand experts rather than just people who serve you. This will lead to closer relationships between the employees and customers, cultivating brand loyalty.