Supreme Flagship Store New York City

The next university project entails us to create an individual 2 part brand zine, choosing a brand of our own from a list and analysing the brand, discovering its position in the market, it's competitors, its consumers, looking at brand touch-points and then finally creating a new concept for the brand. I chose Supreme, a New York born world renowned street wear brand. Whilst in New York I conducted an informal interview with a member of staff at the Lafayette Street flagship store.

What would you say the target age range of customers is?

I would say it’s very much changed in the past few years, it used to be primarily 12-26 but recently we’ve seen a lot of 25 and overs so I would say an age range of 12-40

What would you say is the most popular product?

Most definitely the hats, but it has changed again over time.

How would you summarize the brand?

The brand is wrapped together with Art and Music, punk, rock, reggae which all relates back to skateboarding being the main inspiration for both the brand and the flagship store here in NYC.

Could you run through the plain visual merchandising in store?

We have a plain minimal layout as we like to let the product speak for itself. We rarely change the visual merchandising in store as we like to keep true to the brands roots and keep it as simple as possible. We don’t like to go crazy or digital.

What is your personal favorite Supreme collaboration?

My favorite is the collaboration with Cartoonist Robert Crumb, as the graphics were originals for Supreme unlike collaborations with artists such as Keith Haring where the images are pulled.

What would you like to see from Supreme in the future?

Just to continue its work with artists and for the creative team to not pick what’s hot. To keep establishing good relationships with musicians and to not worry about what’s popular at the moment and about being popular.

Celine Brand Analysis

Celine was established by Parisian Celine Vipiana in 1945 as a children's shoe wear company, as an immediate success this pushed her into the women's clothing and accessories industry. 

Post war 1950's Celine had predicted a high desire for luxury goods and created her own range of luxury goods items. After a huge success the label launched a line of ladies clothing. By the late 1950s there were lines of Celine handbags and Celine shoes for women, The popularity of these items brought new clientele and represented an elegant turning point for the business

From the 1960's Celine had nothing to do but rise, providing popular lines of handbags, shoes and clothes which incorporated a new middle class market as well as the elite. During the 1970's Celine was known as an international luxury brand with stores situated all over the world. 

Vipiana believed that modern women did not need whimsical outfits, they needed chic clothes. The designer style of the brand was based around separates, the looks they created caught the imagination of modern women hungry for freedom and change. Celine collections were easy to wear and fundamentally Parisian yet global.

“Women grasped the idea immediately. They realized that Celine fashion was practical and easy care. The woman who travels can take lightweight things in one suitcase and remain neat and impeccable. For example wearing a skirt and blouse, which I made famous, was not in fashion”. In 2008 Phoebe Philo, the Paris born London based designer was appointed creative director of Céline. After graduating from Central Saint Martin’s in 1996 Philo went to work at Chloe with her friend Stella McCartney, becoming creative director of the label in 2001. In 2005 she was named British Designer of the Year and left Chloe in 2006 to spend more time with her family. In 2010 Philo was again named British Designer of the Year.

Celine as a brand doesn't use a lot of colour in an obvious way. The brand itself is a huge fan of colour blocking the process of putting colours that normally wouldn't go next to each other together. It has a colour palette of black, white, nautral and earth tones with a splash of colour.

Celine also uses pattern and has established it's very own 'Celine Check'. The main way in which Celine presents its elegance is through use of texture, the brand uses a lot of leather, silks and wools. 

Celines most famous and iconic product is the 'Celine bag' worn by celebrities all over the world. It is most famous due to its chic, elegant look and through Celines use of fabric and texture incorporated into their bags.