Tradition Meets Contemporary

Sana Moda is a contemporary fashion brand catered to the Kazakhstan career women market.  Before working with Sana Moda’ the brand consisted fully of an Eastern-European Madame silk blouse assortment with premium quality but silhouettes that were too similar to other brands in the market.

New pieces were added to the assortment (mix & match concept) in order to support the blouses’ sales; however, the brand still lacked of a distinctive element (Unique Selling Proposition).

For Spring 16, with the aims to be current with fashion trends and also to be distinctive, the Kazakh element was injected: developing a color scheme that is relevant to the culture but also according to market trends.  The pieces were embellished with all-over-prints, embroideries and trims that were developed based on traditional elements of the Kazakh culture; the silhouettes are easy to mix and match, always keeping the “easy wear” element to be comfortable at work and presentable at social gatherings after work.

All materials and trims were chosen carefully to match the outstanding craftsmanship of the garments, providing a garment that is easy to wear and easy to take care of.

A very interesting project that made me feel thrilled to be part of.  Designing for and learning from a culture that is totally foreign to mine.

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Roger ARTiga

Trying Different Faces for Fashion Illustration: From Innocent to Evil.

100 Years of Fashion Nicely Done... What's Next?

TOOL KIT TRAVELING BAG DESIGN

Design of a bag to contain travel tool kit for airlines.

Brand: Ted Baker

Bag must have an after use utility as well as be a unisex design.

I designed bag shape and patterns used on it.  Everything had to be aligned to the current brand message of 

TED BAKER LONDON - #Pinch Me  • All is not what it seems

Based on the brand message, materials had to be unconventional yet affordable for the budget constrictions.

Illustrations were sketched by hand and rendered by using Adobe Photoshop CC.

Today's Little Consumers are Tomorrow's Loyal Customers

I have been following the kids’ market more closely recently.  In previous posts (Monkey Sees, Monkey Does), I talked about how this market can become the next niche for brand expansion and how, from a marketing and brand strategy perspective, it is not about just shrinking the current products offered to the adult segment, but to truly capture the brand DNA and make it fun, functional and appealing for both: kids and parent (Pitti Bimbo SS 2014).
Checking some of the pictures from some well-known brands currently tackling this segment I found some examples of what I meant in my previous postings.

Dolce & Gabbana, the brand that debuted in Milan back in 1985 for women’s wear, decided to expand their business including kids ‘wear in 2001.  It seems that the brand has gained a lot of experience on how to play in the kid’s market arena as it shows in their current collection for SS2015: a great example of truthful brand DNA with a great appealing for kids and parents.
The genius kid’s collection features richly ornamented prints in bold colors, making it cohesive with the adult collection, therefore the silhouettes are fun and playful to allure kid’s mind.

Others brands that I found very strong understanding their brand presence and how to translate it into the kid’s market are: Roberto Cavalli still using its animal print staple but adapting it on girly silhouettes and daring boy’s outfits.

And Missoni using the geo knits and bright color palettes on easy, comfortable and totally fun silhouettes.

I believe good design comes from good brand strategy.  Understanding your brand will definitely be the key to open doors to new market segments and the mentioned ones are just a few of well positioned brands understanding the concept.  Creating brand equity not only to gain a bigger piece of the pie now, but thinking of the future… remember all these little ones will in a decade or two, be part of the workforce and if your brand can capture their hearts today  and keep them excited throughout the seasons,  they will be part of your loyal customers tomorrow.  

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Roger ARTiga

BACK TO FASHION SKETCHING

Fun project that forced me to go back to fashion sketching with one of my favorite techniques: grafito.  Old School techniques are never out of fashion.
Clubbing outfits for a "Girl's Night Out", Cocktail Dresses, and Evening Gowns by Artiga Design.  

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Roger ARTiga

Home Decor

Giving it a try to Home Decor pattern design.  I am currently taking an e-class about print design and though it is something I used to do for the fashion market, I have to admit I feel a bit rusty.  The assignments have just started but it is a lot of fun.  I will  keep on posting the assignments for the consecutive weeks covering other markets where surface/print design is also valuable.

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Roger ARTiga