SUPREME 2.0competitor

analysis

resubmitted

competitor analysisAuthor: Bianca Hammond (0909167)Unit Leader: Mary Carson

efmm 3002 final major project

april 2012

contents pageINTRODUCTION // 1SECTION 1: Competitors in Nice Youth Market

STUSSYThe Brand // 3The Product // 4The Price // 5Customer // 6The Place // 7Digital communication/Online presence// 8Promotion // 9SWOT// 10OBEYThe Brand // 11The Product // 12The Price // 13Customer // 14The Place // 15Digital communication/Online presence // 16Promotion // 17SWOT // 18TRAPSTARThe Brand // 19The Product20The Price..........................................................................................................................................................................................21Customer.........................................................................................................................................................................................22The Place........................................................................................................................................................................................23Digital communication/Online presence.......................................................................................................................24Promotion.......................................................................................................................................................................................25SWOT...............................................................................................................................................................................................26SUMMARY OF FINDINGS.........................................................................................................................................................27SECTION 2a: brands within the wearable technology sectorcutecircuit

The Brand.......................................................................................................................................................................................28The Product.............................................................................................................................................................................29,30Promotional....................................................................................................................................................................................31Customer.........................................................................................................................................................................................32electricfoxyThe Brand........................................................................................................................................................................................33The Product...................................................................................................................................................................................34Promotional...................................................................................................................................................................................35Customer........................................................................................................................................................................................36SUMMARY OF BRANDS IN WEARABLE TECH SECTOR............................................................................................37SECTION 2B: POSSIBLE NEW ENTRANTS TO THE SECTORwescThe Brand.......................................................................................................................................................................................38Current Product...........................................................................................................................................................................39Wearable technology..............................................................................................................................................................40eastpakThe Brand........................................................................................................................................................................................41Current Product...........................................................................................................................................................................42Wearable technology..............................................................................................................................................................43SECTION 3: competitors based on productappleThe Brand.......................................................................................................................................................................................44The E-charge backpack..........................................................................................................................................................45Consumer.......................................................................................................................................................................................46ralph laurenThe Brand.......................................................................................................................................................................................47The E-charge backpack.........................................................................................................................................................48Consumer.......................................................................................................................................................................................49polaroidThe Brand.......................................................................................................................................................................................50The Camera Glasses..................................................................................................................................................................52Consumer........................................................................................................................................................................................53SUMMARY OF COMPETITORS BASED ON PRODUCT...............................................................................................54APPENDICESLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONSbibliography

This competitor analysis will take shape in three parts:part 1: Analysis of Supremes main competitors in the Niche Youth market, based on the target consumerpart 2:Analysis of wearable technology companies and brands who are possibly moving into this marketpart 3: Analysis of brands/companies with similar products to the ones proposed for the new Supreme range

Part One: Competition in the Niche Youth SectorIn the youth sector a competitive edge is key in order to differentiate from strong competition. Innovation and technology are increasingly important in this market sector and many brands within the youth sector are using technology within their marketing strategies and retailenvironments to communicate with their tech savvy consumer. By looking at Supremes main competitors within the niche youth sector there is the opportunity to analyse what these brands are doing in terms of innovation and then create something which is even more in-novative for the Supreme brand. The main areas that will be looked at include both the products and the brand communication strategies. Based on primary research, the 3 brands i will look at in the youth sector include Stussy, Obey and Trapstar.

Part Two: Brands in the Wearable technology sectorThe wearable technology market is still in its development stages and there is no clear structure to this market with companies/brands indifferent sectors working on developing products based around wearable technology. In some ways this is an open market with no focusseddirection or any focussed consumer target. This report will attempt to research and analyse how companies have so far attempted to ap-proach this market and how successful this has been. I will then analyse the ways in which Supreme can learn and improve on these things. In this part of the report I will also look briefly at brands who may be showing signs of moving into this market. The brands I have chosen to cover for this section include: CuteCircuit, ElectricFoxy, WESC and Eastpak.

Part three: Analysis of brands offering similar productsThe final part of this competitor analysis report will be made up of an analysis of brands who are offering similar alternatives to the products proposed for the new Supreme range. This is an important part of my competitor analysis. In this section I will be looking at in particular how these brands have promoted the products, the level of awareness of the products in the market and lastly who these products have been targeted at. This information should help to tweak and develop my strategy even further. The brands I will cover in this section include: Apple, Ralph Lauren and Polaroid.

introduction//

Direct competitors in the Niche Youth Market. Based on tARGET CONSUMER.

Direct competitors in the Niche Youth Market. Based on tARGET CONSUMER.

Effortlessly cool and instantly chic, Stussy is the trendsetters choice for comfortable and stylish fashion

Who are they?Stussy is one of the oldest streetwear labels with over 30 years of experience in the field. Its raw and modern aesthetic soon developed into a platform for fashion and cultural expression. As the brand spread worldwide it gained influence from interna-tional musicians, skaters, DJS and artists with similar tastes which helped to shape the brand into an international streetwear label. Today Stussy exists as a brand with worldwide respect and independence.

BRAND DNA: Stussy is Cool, Urban and Creative. It is a classic streetwear brand

mission statement: “Built for the long haul”

usp Stussy created a brand based off of a lifestyle before there were blogs or the internet to do such a thing.

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The Product: Range//The Stussy brand products are available to both males and females but it is par-ticularly popular with the male market. As well as the classic stussy range the brand offers, Stussy Deluxe, the higher end label of Stussy compromised of classic menswear that mirrors the root of streetwear. The collection focuses on attention to detail and quality, cut from luxurious Japanese fabrics. Its a premium version of the classic Stussy. The brand also have Stussy Limited edition, a collection featuring the brands latest products and collaborations and lastly Stussy Sport the brands relatively new range of activewear. Brand col-laborations include Nike, Dickies, Penfield, BAPE, Levi’s, A Tribe called Quest, Fred Perry, Champion, Futura, Dr Martens as well as many more....

The Product: Style and Quality//Stussy offers a top product from a name you can trust. Streetwear is all about credibility and this is what the Stussy product offers its consumers. The style of clothing can be described as comfort with an injection of style. Simple but eye-catching with vivid branding.

product direction //In recent years the brands product direction has changed in two ways. One is the tendency for the designs of their classic Stussy range to take on more of a main-stream touch. And secondly the brand have focused heavily on developing their premium line. The brand have done many product collaborations and this all signals the brands desire to grow and reach a bigger audience.

T-Shirts

shirts

hoodies

sweatshirts

jackets

pants & chinos jeans

hats & beanies

accessories

price//Stussy would be considered a Premium brand and the brands pricing strategy reflects this premium position. Consumers know they are getting good value for their money with Stussy. In general the Stussy consumer has a high satisfaction with the design and quality of the product offered. Because of this fact pricing becomes less of an issue for them and they are happy to buy into the brand irrelevant of expensive price tags.

However the brand offers a wide range of styles with varied price points and therefore there is something for everyone interested in the brand. The brand is not out of reach for anyone based on price. It is acces-sible to people of various price needs.

The brand makes stylish affordable products as well as producing limited specialty products which will cost abit more. In this way the brand is able to be both accessible and aspirational.

Stussy original collection: lead in £30 exit price £225

Stussy accessories: lead in £10 exit price £135

Stussy deluxe collection: lead in £40 exit price £385

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THE STUSSY CUSTOMER//Fans of the brand are perceived as being around 16-25 years old. However the Stussy customer is different to the kid that shops at the mall in stores such as Superdry and Hollister. The Stussy con-sumer is part of a community with different inter-ests than those of the mainstream.

place//The brand currently has no UK store following the closing of the brands London store. A possible result of the recession.

The brand however is international and still maintains stores in Euro-pean cities such as Amsterdam, Milan and Madrid as well as a variety of stores in North America and Asia. In the UK the brands products are sold through multiple stockists, examples being Urban Out-fitters, TheHideout, Harvey Nichols and the Original Store. Compared to its competitors Stussy’s distribution policy is not too tight, with the brand being stocked at many multi-brand stores. This indicates that Stussy may be more of a mainstream streetwear brand, with less need for a tight control on the image of the brand.

The lack of Stussy’s own personal retail space in the UK suggests that the brand is missing out on real interaction with its custom-er and the ability to create a real brand experience for its consumers. In this way although the brand may be able to maintain their loyal fol-lowers the lack of a store will certainly hold them back in attracting new consumers to the brand.

With no store retail space, the development of the brands online presence increasingly becomes impor-tant

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digital communication &

Online presence//

WEBSITEThe Stussy website features the brands online store which is the main place for the UK market to purchase from the brand since the closing of the UK retail store. The website also features detailed information on the brands collaborations and a blog with content on the latest Stussy brand information and general updates on the streetwear scene. However the website and blog is not tailored enough towards the UK market with much of the focus being on the American and asian markets.

SOCIAL MEDIATwitter: 21,527 followersFacebook: 128, 450 fansVimeo accountInstagram

Regarding the brands social media activity, like most brands today they use Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote their new product re-leases but there is a lack of real interaction with the consumer, which is a missed opportunity.

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promotional strategy//

Image advertising: Stussy has “Always relied on the image philosophy of advertising to convey its brand. To some its iconic logo radiates a sense of freedom, nature, culture , ex-pression and creativity. (Insert Source)

Collaborations: Another key way the brand gets its name out there is collaborations with other brands, musicians and artists. These collaborations allow the brand to maximise visibility and attract new customers to Stussy.

Stussy’s promotional strategy is quite dated. There is no sign of the use of cutting edge technology, or experimental marketing. The brand is still relying on the Stussy’s reputation in the street wear scene and small niche events to create their buzz.

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StrengthsLarge collection range- offering products at varied price pointsExtensive list of collaborations with other brandsIconic brand image within the streetwear scene- loyal dedicated followingWeaknessesInability to tailor online social media presence to the UK marketNo UK store- No real interaction with the consumerOpportunitiesDevelopment of the brands digital communicationsUpdate of promotional activities in line with new innovative technologies and market trendsThreatsBrands with more innovative and interactive communication strategies

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Obey has evolved into one of the most controversial yet progressive symbols of this century (Insert Source)

WHO ARE OBEYObey is the clothing project of street artist Shepard Fairey. Using his iconic designs and artwork he initially created a range of Obey T-shirts that are as cool as they are political. The brand evolved into an extension of Shepards street art and the line embodies his graphic design, style and sense of humor. Slowly Obey has gained rec-ognition as a worldwide symbol for youth culture.

Brand DNAA mix of progressive design, classic streetwear, and apparel basics. With political undertones inspired by street art.

Mission StatementA message that means more than “ It looks cool”

USPWhile most clothing companies start by making product then trying to tie in art af-ter the fact, Obey started the exact opposite way. Beginning as a street art/graffiti project.

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The Product range//The Obey clothing range has grown into a complete line of apparel including graphic t-shirts with design pieces from Shepards artwork, pants, denim jackets, hoodies, caps, belts, wallets among other things.

The Obey range is made up of various collections, including, the ‘Classic Obey’ range, the ‘Obey Awareness’ range which aims to educate and generate funding for causes. And the ‘Standard issue’ collection which represents and produces classic timeless products featuring traditional styling and trade-mark iconography.

Product collaborations include: Public Enemy, Levis, Keep a Breast and Big Boys, just to name a few. The brand does not undertake many collaborations with other fashion brands in comparison to it’s competitors. obey’s choice of collaborations point to the brands dedication to politi-cal issues and this is clearly a main focus for the brand along with the actual products.

The products: Style and Quality//Every Obey Clothing garment is designed with the Obey message in mind

The product direction //The brand seem to be working on increasing the volume of their range cloth-ing range. In terms of accessories the brands range is relatively small. It is surprising that they have not chosen to develop this area further considering the fact that the brands hat range is a best seller.

price//Unlike Obey’s competitors the brand is not necessarily considered tobe a premium brand and its pricing reflects this, and although it is stilla fairly niche youth brand the price points make it extremely accessible in comparison to its competitors.

The brands accessory line in particular is on average priced much lower thanthe accessory ranges of the brands competitors. This suggests that this elementof the brands range is not as developed as those of its competitor’s.

obey ACCESSORIES: LEAD IN £20 exit price £55

obey classic range: lead in£20 exit price £200

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THE OBEY CONSUMER//The thing about Obey is that it fits in with anyone not just skaters or graffiti artists but also metal-heads and even hip-hop backpackers.

Place/Distribution//

Obey do not have a retail store and currently sell their merchandise via the brands online website. Stockists of the brand include the likes of Natterjacks, Selfridges, Size and Supra.

However the brand does host pop-up store events, sample sales and artwork installations. This is where the brand benefits from real life interaction with its customers.

VM: When the brand hosts a pop-up store event the visual merchandis-ing is always creative and in the style of a gallery exhibition. The visual merchandising reflects the message of the brand which is all about expression, creativity and art.

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digital communication &online presence//

websiteThe brands website represents the main platform of where the brand inter-acts and sells to its consumers. Features of the website include the online store, a gallery which showcases a collection of Shepard Faireys art prints and a street art tab which showcases street based Obey artwork. The web-site also features its own blog and a section dedicated to mentions of their friends and other creatives.

social mediaTwitter: 26, 455 followersFacebook: 68,662 fansMyspace account

The brand uses its social media spaces to promote its product sales and spe-cial offers as well as to update its followers on the latest events. The brand could be doing a lot more interactive and dynamic things online. Considering the nature of the brand there could be more attempts to push the envelope, especially since the internet creates endless possibilities.

Too much showcasing of artwork and creative projects and not enough con-sumer interaction, excitement or innovation.

promotional strategy//Since its inception Obey has done little advertising and the brand is mostly marketed through word-of-mouth.

Obey clothing has been spotted on trendsetters in Shanghai to Osaka, from Moscow to East London, and of course Brooklyn, Miami, Houston, Seattle, and Los Angeles. What it takes to make such an impact with a subtle splash, is more than creating a unique graphic T-shirt design or range of designs that appeal to a wider audience. It also includes a method of marketing distribu-tion: word-of-mouth appeal that has cred. (Insert Source)

As they say at Obey, the message is in the medium. The people who under-stand this medium, then pass the message along.

Another key promotional tool used by the brand are events such as pop-up stores and sample sales. It is at these events where the brand can gain true interaction with its consumers and so these events are extremely important. The brand also hold events/exhibitions which are more closely linked to the brands artistic origins.

Use of technology?The brand does not incorporate much technology into any of its marketing and promotional activity. The brand sticks to a more authentic and organic form of promotion. This is possibly a missed opportunity in helping to build the brand. Technology is an increasingly important communication tool, simply owning a Facebook or Twitter is not enough, especially for brands in the youth sector.

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StrengthsCustomers from a range of backgrounds: Streetwear, Artists, Creatives.USP: The brands political stance helps them to stand out from other brands and establishthemselves as a brand with a real cause.Brand history steeped in creativity and art.WeaknessesVery small and under-developed clothing rangeTendancy to focus on art rather than the clothingOpportunitiesIncreasing spend on promotional activities- to reach a wider audienceUse of technology and new art in order to remain relevantThreatsBrands with more interactive, engaging promotional activities

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The ‘Game’ is ever evolving; here is the starting point, who knows where it’ll lead us.....

Who are trapstar?Trapstar is a London conceived streetwear lifestyle clothing brand which started in 2006. Trapstar was created from underground inner city sub culture. Influenced by iconic cinema, photography, music and contemporary art all the way to military references. Trapstar remains true by not following the clichés and regulations of fashion. The brand has become an ambassador/spokesman for the new era of for-ward thinking creative minds. Known to transcend the ethos of the brand through themed collections which come in the form of clothing. But is also heavily related to music, photography and art. (Source: Trapstar)

Brand DNAWe feel that we’re just a product of our environment. We project our past and present experiences into our collections.

Mission statement: When we saw that only American and Japanese streetwear brands got any recog-nition, we felt that the UK was left out and should do just as well if not better, so we made it our mission to represent! We are the UK streetwear titans

USPThe clothing brand that PUTS IN WORK !......................The end.

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The Product: Range//The Trapstar product range has come along way from its origins which started in the creation of clothing for the founders friends and family and screen printed t-shirts.Over the last two years the brand has expanded their product range considerably. The Trapstar collection consists of tees, sweatshirts, shirts, hats/beanies, jackets, hoodies and shorts. The brand also produce an even smaller female collection mostly made up of t-shirts.

The brand occasionally collaborate on their product ranges and examples include :Trapstar x Goonies: M40 collection, Trapstar x Gshock East and Trapstar x Donuts.

The Product: Style and Quality//Trapstar’s clothing and designs are funky and comfortable to wear. They aren’t over the top or cheesy, they’re stylish and definitely original. The brand believes in selling limited edition runs, so people who buy into the brand know that it will not be worn by every Tom, Dick and Harry. Therefore in terms of the product the customer has to purchase straight away on a ‘snooze you lose’ basis.

Despite the gradual growth in the brands collection, the size of Trapstar’s product range is still relatively small, especially in relation to the brands competitor’s

price//Trapster’s pricing indicates that the brand is accessible but this is not necessarily the case. The brand sell their collection in extremely limited editions. The pricing of the products in some way encourages the consumer to buy, especially since they are aware that the products will most likely not be available again

The brand seems to be moving into producing items with a higher price tag and more design detail after recently having launched their new limited edition leath-er biker jackets priced at around £350. This is an indication that the brand may be trying to move into a more premium clothing market. Perhaps in the future they will develop a full range premium collection.

average clothing price: £50

trapstar clothing: LEAD IN £30 exit price £255

trapstar hats: all priced at £30

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the trapstar consumer//We didn’t set out to target a type of audi-ence because the brand is made up of many influences and cultures as we as Londoners are made up of a variety of cultures. We’re all dif-ferent ages and have different backgrounds. (Source: RWDMag)

place//In 2010 Trapstar launched it’s first store in Portobello London. The store Visual Merchandising represents the brand perfectly and plays on the British roots of the brand. It’s a small intimate shop with great customer service and a laid back atmosphere. The launch of the store is extremely beneficial to the brand in terms of increasing their visibility and meaningful customer interaction.

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digital communication &online presence//

websiteTrapstar’s website has multiple interactive features including the online store, the Trapstar blog, collection previews, mixtapes of the week, music posts on the latest in underground/urban music and event promotions.

social mediaFacebook: 4,771 fansTwitter: 3,570 followers

This amount of followers is relatively low compared to other similar brands which reflects the brands relatively new entrance to the streetwear scene. Trapstar although extremely popular among its loyal niche community, is not a well known brand with much exposure.

There are possibilities for the Trapstar brand to further develop their online presence. Maybe something viral that will create a buzz and introduce the brand to a whole new consumer base.

Trapstar’s strength lies in their ability to interact with their consumer online. A section of their website allows for the customers of the brand to send in their Trapstar pictures to be posted on the site. There are also competitions which allow the online community to win Trapstar merchandise.

promotional strategy//

Over the last few years the Trapstar brand has began to gain national andinternational coverage. This has come from quite a few factors such ascelebrities such as Rhianna, Tinie Tempah and Drake being spotted wear-ing the clothing or influential people in the UK underground scene wearing the brand.

Events: The brand has tripled the amount of events compared to previous years. These events are called invasions where Trapstar do store take-overs for a limited period of time and launch product for that space and time period..

These events are the brands strong point in terms of promotional activity. There is a real sense of community and a feeling that the brand truly knows their customers on a personal level. These events are documented regu-larly on the brands online blog where they post pictures of the customer at these events. You see the same faces at all of the events and some posts even have the consumers names, there is a feeling that these consumers are friends of the brand rather than just customers.

In terms of marketing the brand pretty much takes advantage of guerrilla techniques. Trapstar believe in self promo and are very heavily internet based and utilise their website, blog, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. The brand even have a customer Blackberry pin called Trapberry where they talk, interact and answer any questions about the brand

The brand have their own Youtube chanel: 2020 vision which gives a deeper understanding of the brands designs the lifestyle of the brand.

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StrengthsBritish orgin of the brand- truly represents the UK underground streetwear sceneSense of community and the relationship with its customersFast growth of the brand and the buzz related to it- celebrity customersIconic brand events and unique conceptsWeaknessesSmall customer base mainly in London and other large UK citiesSmall number of followers on social media accountsLimited product range will eventually limited the growth of the brandOpportunitiesExtensive use of digital media to attract more customers and create more awarenessExpanding the product range International expansionThreatsBrands with bigger financial backing and larger marketing budgetsDevelopment of new innovative London based streetwear brands

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KEY CONCLUSIONS FROM Analysis OF THE YOUTH MARKET//

Online presence: All three competitors could be doing more innovative things with their online presence and communication. There is a lack of interaction with the customers and the brands are relying on obvious social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter which all brands have. There is scope to explore so much more, especially since these brands are targeting the Youth market.

Promotional strategies: All three brands stick to small niche promotional activities. There is no use of cutting edge technology or experimental marketing. Word-of-mouth seems to be the main form of promotion in creating a buzz. There is an opportunity do something on a grander scale and creating an even bigger buzz. However it should be noted that elements of Trapstars promotional strategies should be taken note of as there are factors which are extremely effective.

Product direction: All three brands (especially Trapstar and Stussy) appear to be moving towards the devel-opment of more premium luxury ranges, with a focus on more upmarket sophisticated designs. This is generally a obvious move for these types of brands. If Supreme choose to develop their accessory range with the integration of technology this will be something which is different to what other Streetwear brands are doing

Store environment: OBEY and Stussy do not have London stores, for Supreme having a store is an advantage as they have a bigger platform on which to promote themselves. Supreme could therefore work on their store environment to take it a step further, focussing on innovation and experimental retailing.

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BRANDs WITHIN THE WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY MARKET AND POS-SIBLE BRANDS MOVING INTO THIS MARKET.

Cute circuit//CuteCircuit is a fashion company based in London that designs amazing wearable technology and interactive fashion. CuteCircuit products are innovative intelligent clothing that integrate new beauty and functionalities into fashion through the use of smart textiles and micro electronics. CuteCircuit is the first company to merge wearable and telecommunication technology to create emotionally rich experiences.

One of CuteCircuit’s products, the Hug Shirt, was hon-ored as one of the Best Inventions of The Year by Time Magazine. The K-Dress by CuteCircuit is the first inter-active fashion to be featured in the designer fashion department of Selfridges. (Source: CuteCircuit)

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products//The Twirkle T-ShirtA t-shirt that adds sparkle to your style day and night. During the day the colorful crystals sparkle in the sunlight and at night an array of tiny full color LEDs twinkle and glow following the movement of the wearer’s body thanks to sensors embedded into the t-shirt. The Twirkle t-shirt is washable and is powered by a rechargeable battery. It charges via USB from your computer and with a two hours charge you can sparkle for days! Priced at £150 and available via the brands website

Hug shirtThe Hug Shirt is a Bluetooth accessory for Java enabled mobile phones. Hug Shirts don’t have any assigned phone number, all the data goes from the sensors Bluetooth to your mobile phone and your mobile phone delivers the hug data to your friend’s phone and it is seamlessly transmitted Bluetooth to his or her shirt! Sending hugs is as easy as sending an SMS and you will be able to send hugs while you are on the move, in the same way and to the same places you are able to make phone calls (Rome to Tokyo, New York to Paris).- This product is not yet available

The M-Dress is an elegant silk jersey dress that is also a functional soft electronics mobile phone. The M-Dress accepts a standard SIM card and allows the wearer to receive and make calls without carrying a cellular phone in their pocket or purse. Simplicity is elegance.The product is not yet available for sale

Armour DressThe Armour Dress features the digitally printed armour pattern on 100/ silk jersey knit with hand-embroidered crystals.The Armour dress is designed to create a gor-geous body shape and it features soft heat bonded details. Priced at £350 and avail-able via the brands website

promotional strategy//Celebrity endorsements Have been one of the promotional strategies the brand has adopted in order to get their products and company recognised. Cu-tecircuits choice of pop icon Katy Perry to wear one of their designs to a red carpet event is a great choice as the star has developed a reputation for daring outfits and an experimental attitude. This will certainly help them to get their brand talked about and increase awareness.

Customisation OptionsThe brand have provided an interactive and customised service to their online sitewhich allows consumers to vote on which products they would like to see addedto the collection.

Press attentionThe brand and its product’s has been featured in a wide variety of fashion, design and technology publications. Notable press includes, Grazia, Elle, WWD, The Times, Wired and Design Matter as well as many others. Indicating that people are inter-ested in these new products. However such extensive media coverage but still little brand awareness indicates that something is missing from the brands promo-tional strategy.

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cutecircuit consumer//So far the brand seem to have targeted more of a celebrity market, with celebrities such as Katy Perry and singer Safura having worn some of their designs. The nature of some of the brands products also indi-cates this leaning towards a celebrity consumer as some of the designs are suited to outfits for stage performances.

However development of products such as the ‘Hug shirt’ and theM-dress indicate that the brand does plan on entering into a more com-mercial market attracting a different consumer.

In general Cutecircuit seems to be aiming at a female market. Perhaps a woman with a more quirky style of dress who enjoys experiment-ing with clothing and is interested in unique and innovative design. The relatively high selling prices also suggests that they are not aiming at the mass market but more of a high end consumer market.

electric foxy//Electric foxy aims to merge the intimacy of clothing with the empower-ment of technology, electricfoxy strives to enhance our lives by offering a much richer language for self-expression, improvement, and healthy living.

As an outcome, rather than simply attaching technology to clothing, electricfoxy investigates on-body experiences that are beautiful, wear-able and connect with software and services resulting in a new aes-thetic of form and behavior that become a core part of our expression, our identity, and our individuality

The brand believes that not many wearable technology products suc-cessfully target consumers outside of sport, medicine and military fields. They aim to generate market desirability through their selection of wearable technology products (Source: ElectricFoxy)

The product development is achieved through a collaboration with the ElectricFoxy brand and a variety of product designers.

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products//Ping- A social networking garment-Ping is a garment that connects to your Facebook account wirelessly and from anywhere. It allows you to stay connected to your friends and groups of friends simply by performing natural gestures that are built into the mechanics of the garments we wear. Lift up a hood, tie a bow, zip, button, and simply move, bend and swing to ping your friends naturally and automatically. No phone, no laptop, no hardware. Simply go about your day, look good and stay connected.

Zip: control your music Zip is a garment that explores the aesthetics and interaction of wearable technology solutions that have built-in music controls. There are many products on the market today ranging from snowboard jackets to hoodies that allow you to connect your music player and control it using buttons integrated into the textiles. However, most of the solutions simply take the music player’s hardware controls and replicate them on the sleeve or inside the lapel using eTextiles.

Run: race, jog, train, and play tagRun is a training and gaming system that allows casual runners to detect and run with other runners without letting geography get in the way. The system includes an intel-ligent shoe, a web site, a cell phone application, and an infrastructure that includes a series of experiences for multiple niche markets within the sports and gaming com-munities

These are just a few examples some of the featured products on the website, there are many more products. With such a wide variety of products it is clear that the brand is aiming to target multiple markets and therefore multiple consumer types.

None of the products on the online site are for sale which indicates that it’s a company that is still in the stage of working to develop products and promoting the wearable technology market in general rather than at the selling stage.

promotional strategy//The brand’s main promotional activity involves them participating in a vari-ety of wearable technology industry events. This fact along with the wide variety of products the brand develops suggests that the companies core focus is not the fashion industry.

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electric foxy consumer//Due to the variety of products that the brand is working on there is no specific consumer typology for the Electricfoxy brand Different products will inevitably have different target consumers. There is a possibility that the brand will not at-tempt to sell these products directly to the consumer market, but will instead adopt a strategy of licensing their products to other companies.

summary of brands within the wearable tech market

Early stages: Both of these brands are at this point in time in the stage of developing the productsrather than selling them. This has lead to a lack of clear promotional direction, which has affectedthe awareness of these brands in the commercial marketplace.

awareness: People generally not aware that these products exist. Therefore promotion will a an important areaof focus for the new proposed products range.

Product portfolio: Both brands work with a variety of wearable technology products. My strategyis to work only with products which link to social media. If my products are more focussed in onedirection it will allow for a more effective promotional strategy and direction

Which market?: Both of these brands are not solely targeting the fashion industry with their productstherefore there is a gap here for a brand to do so.

Key Points- Most wearable technology products have not been made available to the commercial market- Most people are not aware that these products exist, a result of poor promotion- The key to tapping into the commercial market is the selection of products with some relevance- Possibility of working with wearable tech product designers like ElectricFoxy and continually keeping an eye on the latest developments for a more long-term strategy.

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Brands who show signs of entering the market.

WeSC//WeAretheSuperlativeConspiracy

WeSC was founded by six avid skateboarders and snowboarders in 1999 and is cur-rently established in nineteen countries. WeSC is not merely a brand in the fashion industry, but rather a company within the skateboard culture. A company that today makes clothes, but in the future, will represent product lines in other areas. WE cre-ates “street fashion”, a fashion with its roots in a subculture that sets its own rules and follows its own trends. WeSC is addressing people with awareness, no matter the race, religion or financial background, that all share the values and lifestyle of the founders. WeSC delivers “life after skate”, a more developed style that also targets people outside the skateboard community, but still shares its values. (Insert source)

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current product//CLOTHINGWESC’s clothing line consists of a diverse range of garments including jackets, jeans, sweat-shirts, shorts and accessories like bags and caps. WESC is not like other fashion companies.WESC is unpredictable and does not follow trends.

electronicsAlthough WESC is a clothing company they are also well known for their headphones which in fact are becoming what the brand is known for rather than its clothing line. This association with the WESC brand and the electronics market could result in an opportunity for the brand to move into a new direction.

Product StyleWeSC clothing offers a laid back, no-fuss, clothing style. The unique annual campaigns of the brand are catered toward similar laid back and no-fuss individuals who view fashion as if it were it second nature. WeSC clothing goes against the idea of taking so much fuss with fashion and the identity you exude with it.

wesc & wearable technology?

WESC recently dabbed in the wearable technology market with their KarmaTech concept which was designed by digital media students. The project was based around use of RFID technology to link the real world with social media. (Appendice 2.: WESC case study)

what does this mean?This particular project was more conceptual based, the product was never for sale. But the brands interest in this type of technology indicates that they may be looking into working on these sorts of wearable tech products in the future and could therefore be a potential future competitor.

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eastpak: the brand//Eastpak is an American manufacturer of bags, luggage and clothing. The Eastpak brand is world renowned for its excellent quality and durability. Eastpak has set the benchmark to which others refer and takes pride in being recognised as an innovative, fun brand. EASTPAK was the first bag company to use Cordura for non-technical daypacks and to experiment with bright colours and prints in the early 80s. EASTPAK is seen as a leader in its field which is why creative icons such as Walter Van Beirendonck, Raf Simons and Eley Kishimoto selected EASTPAK as a partner above other brands.

Current Product//

Eastpak have been making high quality packs and bags since 1952 and more recently diversified into ap-parel and accessories whilst keeping backpacks, lug-gage and other bags as its core focus.

The product portfolio consists of, backpacks, shoulder bags, luggage and a small collection of clothing com-promised of t-shirts, jackets and sweaters.

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eastpak & Wearable technology?

A recent Eastpak project involved transforming a backpack into a unique piece of art. With the help of Austrian fashion designer Lisa Walde the brand was able to design a handmade prototype incorporating flashing red LED lights. Although the intention of the bag was to create an art piece, the unique design coupled with the use of LED technology makes this bag quite attractive for cyclists with concerns of visibility. (Source: Fashioningtech)(Appendice 3: EastPak wearble tech case study)

The creation of this bag is not a definite sign that the brand is trying to move into the wearable tech market because this creation was intended as an art piece. However there is some possibility that Eastpak could be looking into moving into the wearable technology market in the future if they see an opportunity to do so.

Competitors based on the products.

the brandApple Inc is an American multinational corporation that designs and mar-kets consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers.The Apple brand is about lifestyle, imagination, liberty regained, innova-tion, passion, hopes, dreams and aspirations; and the power to the people through technology.The Apple brand is also about simplicity and the removal of complexity from people’s lives, people-driven product design and about being a really humanistic company with a heartfelt connection with its customers. (Source: Marketingminds)

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the product//including the price, place & promotionThe Infinate Solar Charge Backpack . The bag uses energy stored by the high-performance solar panel to charge your ipod or iphone wherever you are. The design of the bag is basic indicating that it is not designed for fashion purposes but solely for the functional benefits that the bag affords.

place & price:The bag is sold exclusively via the Apple brand websiteat a price of £129

promotion: There seems to have been minimal promotion of this specific product. The product is sold as an add on in line with the rest of the brands accessories and therefore not a core product for the Apple brand.

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the apple consumer//Apple is a company with various different customer profiles. On a general scale, the Apple consumer tends to be a technologically savvy early adopters, who appreciates great design, innovation and rich media experiences. Those working in creative fields are also more likely to buy into the Apple brand.

The target consumer identified in the market research report overlaps with the Apple target consumer as most of my target group are likely to buy into the Apple brand. In this way they are a strong competitor, however they have failed to incorpo-rate strong design elements into the solar backpack and this is something that my target customer values.

ralph lauren//Ralph Lauren is the definitive all-American lifestyle brand. Established by designer Ralph Lauren in the 1960s, the collections redefined simple preppy styling with clean lines, casual cuts and meticulous tailoring. Famed for their iconic polo shirt with a signature polo-playing emblem, Ralph Lauren has grown into an international empire encompassing a se-ries of comprehensive day and eveningwear apparel labels for him and her, including Polo, Blue Label and Black Label along with Ralph Lauren Children and Ralph Lauren Home (Source: Harrods)

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The solar panel backpack designed by luxury brand Ralph Lauren as part of the brands RLX range (Luxury, technology and performance) enables users to charge their portables including iphones, ipods and other mobile devices in less than 3 hours.

The backpack seems to embrace the geekier side of design rather than the usual Ralph Lauren style, comes in black or orange and is made from waterproof material. (Source: Wired)

place & price:The bag is available on the brands website and priced at £800

promotion: Ralph Lauren have not spent as much advertising this product as they would for their mainline fashion products. The bag has been featured on many gadget and environmental websites which indicates that the bag is not geared so

much towards the fashion market.

THE PRODUCT Including the price,place & promotion

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THE PRODUCTralph lauren rlx consumer

The consumer for this line (which the bag is part of) is the traditional Ralph Lauren preppy clean cut customer but with an active outdoor interest. The consumer is concerned with sport, health and fitness but at the same time enjoys luxury good quality items.

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the brand//Poloroid: An iconic, powerful instant photography brand, with a fo-cus on instant gratification. However the brand is currently trying to reestablish itself in todays new market as a brand which provides instant film and cameras reinvented for the digital age.

New mission statement: ‘Experience the next generation of instant, create and share like never before’(Source: Polaroid)

Polaroid and its creative director Lady Gaga co-designed an orginal line of products for the brands new Grey Label.

The GL20 camera glasses: These snapping specs house two LCDS that cover your peepers. Giving instant photo viewing a modern twist, you can capture photos with the built in camera and then upload your pictures straight onto the LCD for all to see. (Source:Hot100.t3)

place & price: The GL20 glasses are available on Polaroids website and priced at £123

promotion: Polaroid have promoted this new line of products with a launch which helped establish the grey label and its products. And the new collaboration and products have received press attention. However the brand could have taken their promotional activity a step forward as this line and its products do not have a high awareness among the mainstream market.

THE PRODUCT//including the price,place & promotion

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polaroid x gaga consumerPolaroid are a mass market brand meaning that this range will aim to target a wide range of consumers. However the GL20 glasses aims to merge both fashion and photography which suggests that they will target a more creative type of consumer with a love for photography. With Lady Gaga as creative director there is also a sense that a con-sumer with an interest in innovation and unique concepts will buy into this product.

summary of brands/product alternativesAPPLE: E-charge bagApple’s E-charge bag does not have great consumer awareness as the brand do not consider it to be a core product. This means that they have not advertised this product at all and it is generally sold as more of an ‘add on’ accessory. The design element of the bag is also basic indicating that the brand are not selling this as a fashionable accessory but solely based on the functions that the bag affords. There is an opportunity to develop this product and market it as the latest ‘it bag’ accessory.

Ralph Lauren- E-charge bagRalph Laurens version of the E-charge bag is slightly more fashion orientated then Apple’s version. However it is still marketed more towards the outdoor lesiure market. Therefore there is still scope to make this type of product much more fashionable. In line with Apple the awareness of the product is relatively low and therefore there is scope to market this product in a much more fun, creative and innovative way for the youth fashion market.

Lady Gaga x Polaroid- Camera glassesThis product is not a direct alternative of the video stream glasses I am proposing to develop but is the closest competitor within the market. The product has received a fair amount of press coverage but not huge amounts. The brand could have taken their promotional activity a step forward, especially considering that the product has been designed in collaboration with Lady Gaga but they have failed to achieve a high awareness among the mainstream market. This is an element i will focus on when developing my product, generating a buzz and anticipation of the product.

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list of illustrationshttp://hypebeast.com/2011/04/bricksworth-stussy-2011-spring-lookbook/

http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/1575/st%C3%BCssy-lookbook-by-rj-shaughnessy

http://swagsyndicate.com/2011/05/05/stussy-canada-springsummer-2011-preview/

http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/2008/09/12/stussy-harajuku-a-first-look/

http://thestyleraconteur.com/tag/varsity-jacket/

http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/2009/11/15/fred-perry-x-stussy-deluxe-spring-2010-collection/

http://hypebeast.com/blog/julesgayton/2009/07/vintage-stussy-ad/

http://www.urb.com/2008/12/04/obey-clothing-2008-sample-sale/

http://www.obeyclothing.co.uk/home/streetart_im-age/344096.html?file=Truman-Brewery-piece-Jan.jpg

http://culture.evo.com/2011/08/

http://spacecucciolo.blogspot.com/2010/12/fineart.html

http://streething.com/news/478

http://lookbook.nu/look/2682925-Norse-Projects

Picture sources listed in order as seen in the report:

http://i-firstpersonsingular.blogspot.com/2010/09/dirty-south-dance-2-cd-t-shirt-poster.html

http://obeyclothing.co.uk/home/streetart.html

http://news.lulaapparel.com/

http://www.ltdldn.com/2011/06/trapstar-have-joined-forces-with-their.html

http://iamatrapstar.com/wordpress/?p=3737

http://www.ecouterre.com/katy-perry-wears-glowing-led-gown-to-met-costume-gala/

http://www.fashioningtech.com/profiles/blogs/katy-perry-wears-illuminated

http://www.cutecircuit.com/safura-takes-the-stage-at-eurovision-song-contest-grand-finale-in-cutecircuit/safura_cutecircuit_2/

http://www.fashioningtech.com/profiles/blogs/jennifer-darmour-interview

http://www.electricfoxy.com/zip/

http://elitechoice.org/2010/05/25/the-new-hip-wesc-head-phones-rock-your-way-into-summers/

http://thegallant.com/fashion/wesc-winter-2011-cam-paign/

http://www.core77.com/

http://www.wasabimag.com/?p=502

http://www.selectism.com/news/2011/01/21/kris-van-assche-for-eastpak-autumnwinter-2011/

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/TX399ZM/A

http://livinglifejustthewayitis.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

http://livinglifejustthewayitis.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

http://thecoolgadgets.com/rlx-solar-panel-backpack-ralph-lauren-green-energy-backpack-for-helping-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-victims/

http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/09/inspiration-polaroid.html

http://technorati.com/technology/gadgets/article/will-ladies-go-gaga-for-gadgets/

Lulaapparel: Brands: Stussy (Online) (Accessed 1st December 2011)http://www.lulaapparel.com/stussy.php

Carter, B: Stussy: The Ultimate Streetwear (Online) (Accessed 1st De-cember 2011)http://ezinearticles.com/?Stussy---The-Ultimate-Street-Wear&id=2193278

Jour20313 (2011) 30 Years of Image Advertising (Online) (Accessed 1st Decemeber 2011)http://jour20313.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/30-years-of-image-advertising/

UrbanExcess: Obey Clothing (Online) (Accessed 1st December 2011)http://www.urbanexcess.com/c-1362-obey-clothing.aspx

Trapstar Facebook page: About the brand (Online) (Accessed 1st December 2011) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trap-star/41798906904#!/pages/Trapstar/41798906904?sk=info

CuteCircuit: About the Brand (Online) (Accessed 1st December 2011)http://www.cutecircuit.com/about

ElectricFoxy: Brand Projects (Online) (Accessed 1st December 2011)http://www.electricfoxy.com/projects/ping/

Karmaloop: The Brand: WESC (Online) (Accessed 1st Demeber 2011)http://www.karmaloop.com/brands/WeSC

Carnaby: The WESC Store (Online) (Acccessed 1st December 2011)http://www.carnaby.co.uk/store/wesc

Retail Design Blog (2011) WESC Interactive Window Display (On-line) (Accessed 1st December) http://retaildesignblog.net/2011/06/20/interactive-window-display-by-hyper-island-students/

BIBLIOGRAPHYBrandneusense: WESC Clothing (Online) (Accessed 1st December)http://www.brandneusense.com/clothes/wesc-clothing.html

DeBoer, C (2011): WESC Fall Collection Headphones (Online) (Accessed 3rd December)http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/head-phones/wesc-fall-collection-headphones

Melanson, D (2011) WESC Karmatech Concept (Online) (Accessed 3rd December) http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/29/wesc-karmatech-concept-makes-your-shoes-more-social-with-rfid/

TheLabelFinder (2011) EastPak Bags (Online) (Accessed 3rd December 2011) http://www.thelabelfinder.com/storesearch/san-francisco/eastpak-bags-stores/index.php/shop/city/682204/5391959

Syuzi (2011) Illuminated EastPak Backpack (Online) (Accessed 18th December 2011) http://www.fashioningtech.com/profiles/blogs/katzbag-an-illuminated-eastpack-backpack

MarketingMinds: Apple Branding Strategy (Online) (Accessed 1st December 2011) http://www.marketingminds.com.au/branding/apple_branding_strategy.html

Meinhold, B (2011) Ralph Lauren Solar Powered Waterproof Backpack (Online) (Accessed 3rd December 2011)http://www.ecouterre.com/ralph-lauren-launches-800-solar-powered-waterproof-backpack/

Carr, A (2011) Gaga Polaroid Camera Sunglasses (Online) (Accessed 1st December) http://www.fastcompany.com/1714843/lady-gaga-polaroid-camera-sunglasses