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THE RISE OF THE UNDERGROUND
To kick off the year, a special research report into a trend making a major impact on brand innovation, product styling and communication.
Street art uses colour, juxtaposition and social commentary to transform public spaces. Tattoos are graphic expressions of the wearer’s personality and the domain of many of the world’s most talented illustrators.
While both art forms deal with time and space in vastly different ways, they find common ground in their embrace of individualism and contempt for elitism. Underground artists regard galleries and museums as anti-democratic institutions. Walls and skin provide dynamic canvases for their ideas, with social sharing helping to propel their artistic visions from garage to global recognition.
Ever since James Dean loped around in Levi’s, youthful rebellion has been a valuable pillar of brand personality. But along with counter-cultural appeal, urban and tattoo artists bring a FOMO element to product design. For a growing number of consumers, a product created in collaboration with an artist is infinitely more compelling than a product that merely uses art – let alone a product that says nothing.
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Artist persona and creative process are important storytelling references, while the skill of urban and tattoo artists to uncover beauty and cultural relevance in everyday objects resonates ever more in today’s landscape. Specialness breeds attention and authenticity inspires buy-in. Remarkable products created under artist supervision are an example of brands using cultural connectivity to rise above the market noise.
A recent deep dive into my product campaign archive showed in excess of four hundred products created in collaboration with more than a hundred urban and tattoo artists.
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Alongside specialised brands like Obey Clothing (by urban artist, Shepard Fairey) and Kat von D Cosmetics (of Miami Ink fame), the overwhelming majority of brands involved are cultural tourists, dipping into the world of underground art in search of new sources of originality and intrigue.
Strangely, products with strong subcultural affiliations like sneakers, streetwear and denim only account for around a third of all projects (urban art 29%, tattoo 34%) – even more surprising given the high rate of design innovation among brands in these categories.
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Further up the fashion value chain, makers of shoes, ready-to-wear and accessories have intensified their adoption of urban flavours over the last year – Gucci’s hugely successful approach to defaced luxury was just one of many examples of prestige labels colliding with street culture in 2017.
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Beyond the realm of fashion, usage is significant and widespread, ranging from bold extensions into areas like wine/spirit packaging to products oriented towards core users: “urban goods” refer to community-focused categories like skateboards, art supplies and collector toys. Among the most consistent users are scene-outsiders like Kiehl’s (cosmetics), Hennessy (spirits) and Modernica (furniture). A curious point is the low rate of usage in papergoods, stationery and other categories oriented at high-school and college-age consumers.
Across most categories, tattoo art has a tendency to sit further up the price spectrum than urban art. Tattoo’s plain colour schemes and ornate patterns make it a natural point of interest for leathergoods brands as well as makers of high-value durables like cars, decor and jewellery.
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Throughout 2017, street culture’s infiltration of mainstream taste was a major feature. As their awkward relationship continues to develop amidst a climate of activism and political angst, expect to see underground artists playing a more prominent role in 2018 and beyond.
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THE BEST OF DECEMBER
The North Face x Timberland – last month’s match-up between two heavyweights of the outdoor lifestyle scene not only produced another classic example of reciprocal collaboration, it closed out a year in which VF Corporation actively encouraged cooperation and synergy among its portfolio of brands. Amazingly, this was the first time these two iconic brands have appeared on the same product.
Snow White x ASICS – several brands and retailers joined forces with Disney this season to celebrate the 80 year anniversary of its classic animated feature, Snow White. For ASICS Tiger, the occasion provided a platform to showcase its popular GEL-Lyte silhouette to women and, for the first time, children, via the release of a pack of special edition styles inspired by Snow White, the Evil Queen and each of the Seven Dwarfs.
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Leatherman Tread Tempo – Leatherman’s progression from multi-tools to watches via the ingenious Tread bracelet is a textbook example of a foothold brand extension strategy. Shifting focus from pockets to wrists is a feat already accomplished by Victorinox but, by packing thirty tools into a Swiss-made timepiece, Leatherman’s smart approach to wearable tech may give it a stronger niche to defend going forward.
New York Yankees x Gucci – Gucci was a constant force throughout 2017, but its final collaboration for the year may be its most influential of all. With luxury brands clamouring to appeal to a younger, street-wise audience, the label’s adoption of the iconic Yankees logo pre-empts a broader collaboration planned with MLB for Fall 2018. Alongside efforts like Koché’s reinterpretation of Paris Saint Germain, it may be a harbinger of deeper ties between fashion and sport in 2018.
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NEW YEAR / NEW HORIZONS
It’s the new year: a time when most of us are approaching priorities with fresh eyes and a clear mind.
With the economy looking brighter, the incentives we all have to stretch performance are bigger than they have been for a long time.
The first weeks of the year are great time to take action – before new initiatives are consumed by day-to-day distractions...remember all the ideas that stalled at the Post-It note stage last year?
Sure, bold new directions involve risk and need to be thought through, but too often we over-estimate the effort required to make a difference and fail to notice the shortcuts on offer. Leveraging what consumers already know and love is not only efficient, it can also turbo-boost new initiatives by turning them into remarkable ones – something that specific audiences are more likely to take notice of and remark on.
Exactly four years ago, I decided to dedicate myself to the idea that brands can risk less and achieve more by interacting with the ecosystems around them. Since then, I have devoted time every day to testing and documenting the premise. Some 8,000 or so cases later, I own the closest thing there is to a Wikipedia of collaboration.
But I also got something I wasn’t expecting: a map of how brands intersect with ideas, interests and each other.
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To make discoveries your competitors will never make, wide vision and an open mind are essential. Most of us know how important it is to look further afield for inspiration, but too many options and too little time often prevent us from doing so. This is an area where I can help.
My on-board tools and databases make it simple and quick to conduct comprehensive research into a brand’s environment and find the shortcuts on offer. As well as viewing the market through a larger lens, their ability to identify real-world, best-practice examples removes doubt from project development. Understanding how comparable brands solved comparable issues also helps project teams understand and buy into out-of-the-ordinary ideas.
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What remarkable new directions is your brand going to embark on in 2018? As you think about your business priorities for the year ahead, consider the benefits of breaking free from your competitors compared to the low cost of researching all available routes.
My new year’s resolution is to do more to ensure good quality information, insights and introductions fall into the hands of those that can make best use of them. Maybe we can put our heads together and orchestrate something special.
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THANKS FOR READING AND SHARING!
RECENT REPORTS:
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
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