When the founders of ethical clothing company Rapanui first came up with a tool for “traceability” – allowing customers to track where their garments came from and who made them – they had little idea how much it would shape their brand.
“At the time we started, in 2008, there was a lot of green marketing going on, a lot of stamps – for organic certification, for example – and I think people were getting a bit annoyed with the whole idea of ‘green’,” says co-founder Rob Drake-Knight. “So the thing that made us different was the fact that we didn’t just say ‘this is organic’ – we were able to show that ‘this is an organic T-shirt, it’s made ethically, in a wind-powered factory’.
“I suppose we were quite naive at the beginning, in that it seemed so obvious to us. We just thought: ‘Why can’t you find out where stuff is made?’ But it was the final piece of the puzzle, and I think that’s where we started to make an impact.”
Since Rapanui’s launch, it has won a host of awards for its sustainable values and business innovation, and has also seen impressive growth – achievements that Drake-Knight says are in no small part down to the company’s clear values and authentic message.
Having authenticity, and feeding this into your “brand story”, is crucial to success, according to Stefan Siegel of e-commerce platform Not Just a Label. Siegel’s business links consumers with up-and-coming designers, giving the clothes’ creators a bigger profit margin, while also running industry education initiatives and a consultancy service for government and big business to “nurture creative ecosystems”. He sees many fashion brands come into being, and only some of them survive.
“Our experience shows that the brands that always do best are the ones that are authentic and actually have a story. And authenticity doesn’t mean coming up with a great story, but telling your story in a way that’s great,” he explains.
It’s also important to know who you’re catering to. For the founders of Finery London, which launched in autumn last year and has quickly become a favourite among UK fashion editors, a target market was defined by drawing on their previous industry experience working for high street brands ASOS and Topshop.
“From our collective previous experience, we were aware that through the recession there had been a shift in direction and brands were focusing more on a younger market,” explains brand director, Caren Downie. “We saw the 25-35 age bracket as an opportunity – this older age group are fashion literate, they have more of a focus on quality and design, and we felt there was very little out there that had these qualities at an affordable price point.”
Clearly, not everyone will have such knowledge to draw on, so research is key, says Robin Clementson, brand communications director at brand consultancy I-AM. “Understanding the landscape and what others are doing helps to curate a relevant and concise strategic plan. In terms of fashion, it’s also about observation. In London, we have a richly diverse and eclectic mix of styles to identify with. Plot where you sit among competitors, and the wider market, to form and address clear objectives. Who are the target audience, and how will the brand benefit and appeal to that demographic?”
But a strong brand isn’t just about nailing down an idea and its audience; it’s how you present that idea. Both Finery London and Rapanui have given considerable thought to how they communicate.
“We’re very conscious about how we communicate with our customers – from the beginning we have aimed to make their experience on our site a personal one,” says Downie. “As an online-only presence, we feel it is hugely important to ensure that we make this emotional connection with our customers and to try and show them our personality through all customer communications.”
For Drake-Knight, too, emotional connection is crucial. “It’s not what people are buying; it’s what they’re buying into,” he says. “That’s something we’ve learned. People buy into emotional messages, and that creates action.”
In fashion, imagery is a big part of this. However, it’s also about how you talk and act – and how these different elements tie together. “Having a consistent message and tone of voice is of paramount importance,” says Clementson. “As is having a consistent behaviour and personality.”
If you can be creative with how you communicate the idea of your brand, so much the better. Siegel uses his own business as an example. “When we started we couldn’t afford flyers, so we bought little plastic toy soldiers, attached a tag to them and distributed them in London and Europe. They ended up on magazine covers because it was different, but it was the cheapest way for us to get something that we could gift and give away. Startups have opportunities to do things in a different way, be it online or offline.” He adds that a lot of brands that run into problems are those that try to do what the big names are doing, rather than taking their own approach.
Ultimately, there is a balance to be struck, notes Downie – between “being in tune with the mood of the moment and remaining true to your original vision”. Because once your brand has found its place, it’s vital to find ways to remain relevant.
Drake-Knight says the reason Rapanui has survived is innovation. “If we’d just kept doing what we did at the beginning, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” he explains.
Since its birth as a consumer clothing label, the brand has been strengthened by business-to-business collaborations with charities and other organisations wanting to produce T-shirts from an ethical supply chain, and the creation of apps such as T-Shot, which gives smartphone users the option to get their photographs printed on a t-shirt. The brand is also now on the cusp of launching a new venture that allows anyone to set up their own ethical T-shirt store with a few clicks, using the Rapanui supply chain.
But, he warns, it’s essential to innovate within a framework. “Sticking to what you define as your core concept is important, and being able to innovate within that is important,” he says.
Clementson agrees. “Develop a platform that a brand always adheres to,” he advises. “That key line that says exactly who you are. Everything the brand does has to relate back to this strap line, and if it doesn’t then it has to be questioned.”
This advertisement feature is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with MOO, sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network’s Branding hub.
