market.thing

BLVCK SUNDAY

After 4 years, Mega & Alfred’s brand is set to open up their pop up store on May 31st. They have had experienced calculated growth in these 3 years since Season 1 came out. I say calculated growth because they could have blown out the brand but chose to grow slowly and more organically. I know this for a fact because they both helped James and I with our advertising project that we presented in our Advertising Theory and Practice class.

Any brand planning to open a flagship store or in Black Scale’s case, a pop-up shop, is a great way to help define the brand’s identity. This is particularly important for mens brands/stores. It is a common statistic that around 80% of men surveyed would prefer to buy everything at one store if they could.

In my opinion, Black Scale has the advantage of having a very distinctive aesthetic. This means they can play off their overall dark feel in their store.  The store can be transformed into the physical manifestation of the world of Black Scale.

I promised myself this blog would stay marketing related. I could expand a lot more on the importance of store design and such but this post will stay as an appreciation of Black Scale. Thanks to the whole Black Scale crew for all the help and kindness. I learned so much in the time I got to observe everyone!

More pics

1798 San Jose Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94112

Mr. Ferrari Murakami

If you don’t know who this is, It is Mr. Ibn Jasper AKA Ferrari Murakami (pictured above in the obligatory shoe collection shot, atleast he doesn’t have a single shoe on a plate with fettucine hanging out of it). Stylist to Mr. Kanye West who has said he doesn’t have a stylist. While I don’t think Mr. Jasper dresses him I think Mr. Jasper might have an influence on Mr. West but then again style is based off of influences. And what better thing to do, than be influenced by Ibn Jasper.

I’ve followed him for a few years reading random interviews and blurbs that have popped up here and there. Recently Persona Magazine did a shoot with him that seems to have went really well.

I wonder how it feels for him to be the guy that influences Kanye and in return influences millions of fans and people (see: Dress Like Kanye West). Judging by the video, he seems pretty content with not taking the spotlight. Although I’m glad once in awhile he gets his time in the light.

See the video here.

Mos Def & Neighborhood

Out of all the things that I thought I’d never see in life, seeing Mos Def in a NBHD photoshoot is one of them. When I think of NBHD I think of guys on Harleys and weird engrish slogans on shirts that somehow still sound bad ass (see: The Fury Performance). I definitely don’t think of the multi-talented artist that brought us one half of Black Star and the classic “Black On Both Sides.”

Well, I guess he was seen wearing (w)taps on Letterman. My main point here is that having Mos Def in all Neighborhood and wearing it like nobody’s business is a great way to expand the target market in the U.S. Celebrity endorsements can affect brands in a good way in a bad way. And judging by the comments on Hypebeast and Mr. West’s blog the reception has been positive. Mos Def is just one of those personalities that you can see wearing a lot of things. If it were Lil Wayne on the other hand, the reception might be a bit different.

Another point of interest is one user commented on Hypebeast that Union styled Mos Def and did this shoot. If this is indeed true, it must be a kwinky dink that Mos Def was at Union LA over this past weekend for his new album “Ecstatic” listening party. I say it must be a coincidence cause somehow I doubt Mos Def fans will be lining up to buy NBHD at Union. Although maybe they’ll be more open to it now that they see a different way the brand can be worn.

View the rest of the shoot at Mr. Takizawa’s blog.

Positioning

Mishka has always been a brand that I have respected. In this scene (if you will), they have definitely carved out a definitive look for themselves. Marley Kate shot the new summer lookbook for Mishka and she did a great job. She also did the Peg Leg paint fight shoot for The Contributing Editor.

It’s interesting they used Dan Felton as one of the models who is what some people would say the new generation of male models. He is complete with tattoos and for lack of better words, a certain edginess.

That’s not what I want to blog about though. What interests me is in the Hypebeast post, the comments section is a cultural clusterfuck. One sarcastically complained “Good thing skateboarding is all about looking like scenesters.” Another person went on a random rant about “streetwear” being seen as minoritywear? The most fascinating thing to me is the Supreme comparisons.

Two reasons why this is interesting to me.

1. Photography plays a bigger role in consumer perception than some of the brands in the industry think.

2. Supreme has massive amounts of cultural capital

If Mishka had used the models they usually use and kept with their usual lookbook aesthetic, I am fairly sure that people wouldn’t have made a peep. Although, they switched it up and Marley Kate and it came out looking less metal, less tongue-in-cheek, less Mishka… I wonder if this change is just creative change, or has something to do with their new flagship store in Brooklyn? They are a full line now, they have their womens line, their store, this mean they are in it for the long haul. I know they go for a very specific target market, but I can’t help but think this lookbook makes their image seem a bit confusing. Confusing yet more approachable for the weekend warrior who wants to turn their swag on for the weekend. Just for the weekend though.

Next point on to Supreme. They are monsters now! They are in a position in the consumers minds that is the best place you could possibly be. It is hard to fault them, they put out good product and position themselves and continue to carve out a deeper brand image thru effective collaborations. It has gotten to the point where anything even remotely resembling something Supreme has done is viewed as a bite (I don’t know how you can bite a classic? Like an oxford). And it’s obvious consumers have already equated a certain photography aesthetic to them. I don’t even know where i’m going with this.

(note: On Mishka’s twitter a few weeks ago, I distinctly remember someone from their camp tweeting about how all brands “look like Banana Republic nowadays.” I can’t help but think Mishka’s new lookbook seems like they’re making the transition into business casual gone hip. And Supreme could probably put the Supreme team in actual Banana Republic clothes, do a shoot, and kids will buy it. That is a damn good position to be in)