Fashioning a Brand
Posted: July 25, 2014, 10:49 a.m.
by Amber Ingram.
The fashion industry is always changing and evolving. Brand names specifically play an important role. It takes more than just connections to build a lasting image that stands behind a name. It takes people who are creative and ambitious. The communication process — research, planning, execution and evaluation — is what makes these brands so successful.
Hayley Phelan, from fashionista.com with help from consulted experts, provides nine tips to new fashion branders in her article, “How to Brand Yourself in Fashion: A Guide.”
Each tip relates to Phelan’s valuable advice that “Your personality is the product.”
Her tips include making sure the brand has a target audience and picking social media outlets that fit what the brand is trying to express and accomplish. All of this advice is just a glimpse of what PR professionals are capable of doing.
To put this into a better perspective, Altar’d State is a perfect example for meshing the fashion world and PR. This women’s clothing store is based off Christian ideals. The company’s current mission statement is summed up as “fashion focused. cause motivated.” Its whole identity is based on giving back to the community and providing “fashionable alternatives to young women who want to make a difference” so that they “stand out for good.”
Its website color scheme is made up of neutrals and earthy tones. The logo is a butterfly, which incorporates nature. The meaning behind the logo can be left up for interpretation. It could be considered a symbol of change, girls growing up to become young women. The reversed capital “D” in Altar’d is also a creative addition that adds to the overall concept of looking at things differently.
What is in a name? An image. That is what connects PR and fashion. There is a whole process behind creating a brand name. It is imperative to take the right steps at the start to make a positive and memorable first impression. Then it all comes down to maintaining that image.
