Planning Re-branding Strategy
Sep 18th - Nov 28th, 2019
Final Project
Fashion Brand Management 2019
Soobin Kim
Amrita Malik
Lito Paschali-Ritsou
Tomi Ayanleke
Anastacia Coelho
Polimoda International Institute Of Fashion Design And Marketing
Tending to be different, or develop in different directions, The Divergent is a seeker who is not afraid to take a distinct route. He is the true representation of Kenzo in the future since it neither challenges nor plans to change the course of society but simply forms its own path in search of joy. Courageous and cognitive, The Divergent is aware of the need of the hour and is ready to rediscover his subjectivity. He has his own beliefs and does not fear to differ from popular opinion. However, he never imposes them on anyone. He searches for purposeful relationships rather than superficial connections. The divergent is a person of substance who strives to live a life that means something, who chooses to participate in the upcoming future to steer his life in the desired direction rather than be a spectator in order to just exist.
The new symbol of the brand is a hand-drawing flower ending with the letter K which stands for Kenzo. Inspired by the heritage of the brand and its offerings representing floral patterns, the new symbol is an homage to the brand’s journey through time. Being one of the main identifiers of the past, flowers have an integral place in the brand’s DNA. Kiku (widely known as chrysanthemum), will be the new symbol of the house. Showcasing our concept which is about rediscovering one’s subjectivity and reawakening one’s senses in order to achieve self-expression, the new symbol is a freehand design of the chosen flower to exemplify Kenzo’s future ideals.
The new logo will be much more simple and concrete, consisting of plain but bold black lines, easy to read and eye-catching. Paris will be removed from the logo as it is an international brand without boundaries. Talking about subjectivity and stepping away from the overwhelming society we live in, the new logo of Kenzo will be simple and creative. Each letter ends with a curve instead of cold and austere simple lines.
Technological Development
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Based on our trend analysis and the new communications media that is slowly taking over the world, Kenzo will be launching a personal voice assistant for future branding purposes. Inspired by the new symbol of Kenzo, the Voice assistant will be called Kiku. It will be available across platforms to interact with consumers. As our market analysis shows that Generation Z is inclined towards customized services and experiences that involve technology, Kiku will be available in various languages and can be customized to your needs in order to involve a wider set of consumers.
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Kenzo will be collaborating with Dialogflow, a Google service that lets you design and build natural conversational experiences across multiple devices and platforms to bring about the technological advancements that are required for rebranding. Kenzo will create its Voice assistant ‘Kiku’ with the help of this technology. Dialogflow allows you to build an end to end interface that enables natural and rich conversational experiences on platforms such as voice apps, mobile apps, websites, the Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Facebook Messenger, etc. It runs of Google cloud platform which will allow Kenzo to interact with existing customers in many different ways ranging from smartphones, cars, speakers to even wearables. This will also help reach new consumers in order to build a new and wider client base. With the help of Dialogflow, Kenzo will be able to incorporate Google’s machine learning expertise into its operations making it extremely user-friendly, intuitive and natural.
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As KENZO begins this new journey hand in hand with technology, a new Chief Technology Officer will be appointed to head the newly added technology department in order to make sure that the transition is smooth. Travis Wright, a marketing technology entrepreneur and data analyst with a history of optimizing marketing strategies for hundreds of both B2B and B2C start-ups along with Fortune 10 companies, will be joining Kenzo from January 2020.
With omnichannel services taking the front seat, luxury brands must converge different sectors such as communication and retail together to bring about a seamless experience to their purchasers. Kenzo recognizes this change in the industry and will start the rebranding process by an extravagant series of pop-ups around the world. A set of four wireless, smart pop-ups will act as one joined physical store that is morphed into lively, immersive environment which will take viewers on a journey. They will capture real-time data by the audience, carefully diffusing the boundaries between the online and offline world. Kenzo will start this journey around the world covering different targeted landmasses - Asia, Europe, Africa, North & South America. This journey starts four months before the main drop which will take place on 27th Feb, 2021.
This smart store is divided into four zones, each representing different phases of the brand’s evolution. At the entry of the store, customers will register their fingerprint and basic information which will be added to the brand’s database. Keeping in mind Kenzo’s concept, this smart store will focus on reawakening all five senses and reminding you of your subjectivity. In the first zone, the audience will be welcomed by Kiku, Kenzo’s new virtual assistant. She will introduce herself and the brand. The theme of the room is Jungle Jap, inspired by the history of the brand. During this, there will be a 360-degree coverage of colors, prints and images with the help of virtual reality. The sense of hearing and sight will be awakened through this process. There will be a virtual recreation of Jungle Jap boutique and Kiku will explain how the brand was renamed to Kenzo. Kiku introduces the main muses of the house. The zone ends with visitors taking a personality quiz on these interactive walls to see ‘Which muse are you’.
Taking into consideration the era we live in, where the majority of people are multitasking and time is never enough, we have observed that society has dramatically changed and people need to be comfortable yet stylish in all aspects of life, not just ‘in fashion’. The design of Kenzo’s new merchandise is a shift from casual athleisure to utilitarian chic. It is a harmonious combination of chosen color palette, loose comfortable silhouettes, and playful patterns.
The new merchandise will focus on revamping iconic pieces such as the kimono jacket, remembering the roots of the brand. Relaxed shapes such as jumpsuits, jupe-culottes, A-line dresses will take center stage to complement Kenzo’s new concept, in order to provide both comfort and style to the consumers.
A subtle white etiquette with an invisible QR code will be externally sewed to every article including accessories. The customers will be able to scan it and Kiku, our Voice Assistant, will provide them with information regarding the production background, fabric information and also the significance of each pattern. This way the customers become integral participants of the brand, not just mere viewers.
