SYLVIE & J

Industry: Fashion / Retail

CHALLENGE
Introduce an upscale fashion retailer with no clear point of difference into a crowded market. L.A.’s fashion community is notoriously hard to reach, harder to impress, and more than a little jaded. The marketing budget was equal to a small regional print buy.

INSIGHT
Hermès, Harrods, Tiffany & Co. Upscale retail therapy is all about the bag. Many shoppers will buy the cheapest item on the rack just for the cachet that comes with it, then reuse the bag to carry everyday things.

SOLUTION
Make Sylvie & J’s shopping bag the most sought-after bag in Los Angeles, starting with a new brand identity and a redesigned in-store experience. The new bag came with a built-in loyalty program that rewarded anyone who brought it back in. Street posters of models wearing the bags over their heads lined nearby shopping districts. Shopping bags carrying invitations to the relaunch party were left in high-traffic areas and mailed to press and influencers, and every guest went home with a whimsical book about the bag. During Fashion Week, models wearing the bags over their heads appeared around key events, drawing the media’s attention.

RESULT
A 300% increase in store traffic, worldwide coverage in influential fashion magazines, on TV, and online, and a brand that became top of mind in less than three months.

Deliverables: brand identity, shopping bag design, retail design, loyalty program, street posters, guerrilla distribution, launch party, press and influencer mailers, book, PR stunt
Roles: concept, brand strategy, creative direction, copywriting, account management

Red rectangular sign with a white background and a gray handle, displaying the word 'SAVE' in bold black and red letters, with two white shapes resembling cloud or speech bubble symbols on the top edge.
A man with gray hair and wearing a brown sweater and white pants walking on a city street, with a modern glass building in the background, traffic lights, and a sign that says 'SAVILE & 2' with some objects on the sidewalk.
A silver car parked on the street with a large sign on top reading 'SAVE &'. In the background, a building with a sign 'AMERICAN NUUJ' and a pickup truck with its hood open parked in front.
Empty red and white shopping tote bag on a green surface, with a paper insert inside advertising a promotional discount for Sylvie & J.
Invitation card for the Sylvie & J launch party, featuring event details and a red border.
A woman stands on a sidewalk with a bright red box on her head labeled 'SYLVIE J.' She is wearing a colorful striped strapless top, blue jeans, and tan sandals. There are lush green tropical plants on either side of the sidewalk, and a man in a gray
A group of people in a public indoor setting, with a woman wearing a large box on her head labeled 'Sylvie + J', and others standing and walking around, some looking at her.
Clothing store named Sylvie J inside a shopping mall, with mannequins dressed in red, black, and patterned dresses, and red display cases with clothing. The store has glass doors and large black sign with the store's name.
Fashion display window at a store featuring mannequins and colorful handbags.
Close-up of a book cover titled "It's a Bag, Bag, Bag, Bag, Bag, Bag, Bag, Bag, World." The cover has a red border and features a simple line drawing of a handbag. The authors' names, Sylvie and J, are visible at the bottom, along with the subtitle "
Open red book with pages showing a diagram of a black pixelated character with annotated labels, and bold text reading "Brain Challenge for the Fashionably Brilliant" on one page, and an introduction section on another.