Fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands are globally facing many hurdles as they recover from the Covid-shock, navigate evolving consumer behaviour, and address retailers’ calls for social and planetary responsibility. There is no better time for innovative experiential brand positioning.
Challenge
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) challenged us to create a retail brand that would elevate New Zealand’s premium fashion and lifestyle champions in the Australian marketplace. The project was grounded on a time-bound concept store, located in one of Australia’s largest shopping destinations, Chadstone Shopping Centre, in Melbourne.
Insights
Turning Ideas into Global Brands
New Zealand has a rich design culture that rivals the best in the world. New Zealanders are inspiring in their knack to innovate thanks to fresh thinking and constant challenging of the status quo.
Discover New was launched to create an omnichannel retail showcase to give local Australian consumers and buyers an introduction to contemporary, sustainably led New Zealand design. The brand was to reflect a tactile, time-bound, artfully curated experience, which could potentially be rolled out in New Zealand markets across the world.
Execution
Designing Ingenuity
Our intention was to discover, uncover, and explore premium NZ brands by using an intelligent, sophisticated, and confident aesthetic to reveal a unique boundless lifestyle and retail experience.
The experiential retail space was informed by the New Zealand landscape - volcanic sand, rugged alpines, and green valleys. The Discover New brand identity provided a visual window into contemporary New Zealand design and quality craftsmanship. A window to shift perception on what New Zealand has to offer in premium lifestyle goods — a window into intrigue, style, and discovery.
Results
Cutting Edge Craftsmanship
Featuring leading and emerging New Zealand brands such as Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, JHL by Juliette Hogan, Yu Mei, and Meadowlark, the Discover New brand and concept store launched with a fanfare on 6 May 2021.
