The branding of a kidswear fashion concept for Stockmann PL aimed at aligning its image with a premium, modern, and joyfully cool experience.

Brand Development / Research / Concept Design / Fashion Collection Design 

Project
Fashion Brand Development Senior Lead Designer
Duration 12 months
2014

About

Stockmann, a Finnish retail icon synonymous with quality and sophistication, faced a pressing challenge: its tween girls' kidswear brand had become outdated. The task was clear: rejuvenate the brand to attract today’s young fashionistas while maintaining the timeless elegance that Stockmann embodies.

Design Process

My Role

Lead Designer, Idea & Concept.

As the Head Designer for Stockmann’s new kidswear brand, I spearheaded the entire design process, from conceptualization to final product launch. My responsibilities encompassed customer research, competitive analysis, concept design, and product development. Leading a talented team, I cultivated a fresh identity for the brand that resonated with today’s fashion-conscious tweens and their discerning parents.


Customer Research, Competitive & SWOT Analysis, Concept Design, Visual Design, Fashion Design, Iterative Product Development, Protosampling, Collection Presentations.

Credits to my team:
Eeva Siirama, Anna Lindth, Katja Sääkslahti, Piia Saario, and Jannika Aalto

The Challenge

Attract Today’s young Fashionistas While Maintaining The Timeless Elegance

Stockmann, a Finnish retail icon synonymous with quality and sophistication, faced a pressing challenge: its tween girls' kidswear brand had become outdated since its establishment in 1994. The existing name, logo, and designs were relics of a bygone era, failing to connect with a style-savvy demographic. The task was clear: rejuvenate the brand to attract today’s young fashionistas while maintaining the timeless elegance that Stockmann embodies.

Strategy & Business Goals: A Vision for Renewal

With ambitious goals set by company leadership, my mission was to redefine the brand's identity. This transformation involved:

  • Market Research: Conducting in-depth studies to understand the preferences and purchasing behaviors of our target audience.

  • Brand Identity Redefinition: Overhauling the brand's name, logo, color palette, and overall visual elements to appeal to the modern tween demographic.

  • Product Evolution: Introducing contemporary styles and silhouettes that resonate with young consumers while retaining Stockmann’s hallmark quality.

  • Visual Merchandising & Marketing: Creating engaging in-store experiences and leveraging traditional marketing channels to raise brand awareness.

Through iterative feedback and adaptation, our strategy was guided by insights gleaned from surveys and in-store interactions, ensuring that our direction aligned with customer desires.

The Design Process

To engage tween girls aged 7-14 and their parents, I conducted a comprehensive research process that included competitor analysis, customer base analysis, field studies, and the creation of user personas. These personas were crafted to reflect the unique needs and preferences of our target audience, ensuring that our strategy was finely tuned to resonate with both the young consumers and their parents. Establishing clear business requirements was essential to guide the overall direction of the project.

The revitalization of the brand began with the development of a compelling name, BEL, which embodied a modern, trendy essence while honoring Stockmann’s legacy. I designed all brand elements, including the logo, slogan, clothing labels, hangtags, and marketing briefs, ensuring a cohesive identity across all platforms.

My visual design concept included a comprehensive style guide that maintained consistency throughout our branding materials. Extensive research, including trend analysis and inspiration from fashion capitals like London, Paris, and New York, informed the creation of mood boards for seven seasonal collection drops.

The design process transitioned into collaborative sketching and prototyping with garment technicians, allowing for iterative refinements based on ongoing feedback. Rigorous testing ensured our prototypes met usability, functionality, and aesthetic standards, ultimately delivering a product that delighted our young audience. I organized all design assets for a seamless handoff to production, culminating in a successful rebranding of the tween girls' kidswear line that effectively captured the target market.

Fashion Collection Process

Following initial brainstorming sessions and validation of trend themes by the Head of Design, the process transitions to the sketching and iterative prototyping phase. Similar to the methodology in UX design, the process commences with rapid hand-drawn sketches, followed by the selection of key looks for each collection, and ultimately culminating in the creation of detailed instruction sheets for each style.

Collaborative teamwork plays a pivotal role, particularly in the early stages, as the designer passes on the initial sketches to the pattern maker (garment technician), who then transforms design concepts and CAD drawings into tangible 3D garments. This collaborative approach mirrors the developer handover process in UX design.

Testing

Throughout the development cycle, prototypes underwent rigorous testing multiple times. Due to company confidentiality policies, testing primarily occurred with fitting dolls. Key areas of testing included:

  • Usability: Ensuring the fit matched the intended design.

  • Functionality: Assessing if all elements served their purpose effectively.

  • 3D silhouette: Verifying that the garment moved and shaped as intended.

  • Overall coherence: Determining if items could be mixed and matched to create cohesive looks.

  • Inspirational appeal: Evaluating if the product aligned with current trends and evoked delight.

    The initial prototype focused on addressing critical usability errors. Subsequent iterations addressed issues from previous rounds and tested for less severe issues. Through iterative refinement based on testing feedback, we arrived at the final design.

Development Handoff & The Final Product

I adhered to the timelines and completed the branding in time for the fall 2014 launch date. The process of establishing the brand and crafting the collection spanned a little over a year, which is typically the duration for developing a collection without the additional brand development aspect.

Results

The branding phase was a pivotal moment in the journey, marked by significant growth and positive feedback. With the fall-winter 2014 collection, we experienced a remarkable turnaround, culminating in a re-launch that saw a remarkable 37% increase in sales within the first two months. This success was not incidental but the result of meticulous research, analysis, and iterations, where we adeptly balanced the allure of the old with the freshness of the new.

The new brand identity received widespread praise, particularly for its name, colors, key looks, and clear vision, which resonated with our audience and fostered a sense of connection. The introduction of comprehensive style guides brought coherence to our brand marketing efforts, offering customers a clearer understanding of the brand ethos and forging stronger bonds with our audience.

In my role, I spearheaded the creation of a robust portfolio of key items, strategically curated to meet market demand and customer preferences. These items flew off the shelves within days, underscoring the success of the rebranding efforts.

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