Is Health the New Black? : Health Awareness in Support of a High-End Brand Image
Ojala, Hanna (2022)
2022
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022052612212
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022052612212
Tiivistelmä
In the 2020s, fashion has taken hold of its power to increase health awareness and inclusivity. The purpose of this case study was to explore the phenomenon of the rising health awareness from the perspective of the global eyewear retail industry with special focus on two brands: Italian Fendi and Finnish Balmuir. The main objective was to describe the key benefits luxury and lifestyle brands aim to achieve with brand extensions to the eyewear category and describe the process to support future developments.
As for methods, key stakeholder interviews of the brand managers of Balmuir and Fendi Eyewear combined with the Author´s insight from the project of developing the first Balmuir Eyewear collection, launched for the Spring-Summer season 2022, formed the basis of this case study. Moreover, the theoretical background for branding and brand extensions was reviewed in order to provide comprehensive understanding of how to successfully position and extend a lifestyle brand. To provide a broad context, the on-going transformation of the global eyewear market was presented.
The recent developments in the global eyewear market support the findings of this case study: eyewear as a category is becoming more relevant for high-end fashion brands. The results of this case study highlighted how vital it is for brands in the highly competitive luxury goods market to engage with all aspects that could give the brand added value, credibility and create an innovative image. Consequently, a successful extension of a high-end brand to eyewear category is supported by the end product being fully integrated with the parent brand.
In the wider context of the fashion business becoming more connected with the values of the consumers, this case study sees new business opportunities emerging for the eyewear industry, as combining the emotional desirability of luxury products to functional product attributes is starting to make sense to the consumer and thus to the business.
As for methods, key stakeholder interviews of the brand managers of Balmuir and Fendi Eyewear combined with the Author´s insight from the project of developing the first Balmuir Eyewear collection, launched for the Spring-Summer season 2022, formed the basis of this case study. Moreover, the theoretical background for branding and brand extensions was reviewed in order to provide comprehensive understanding of how to successfully position and extend a lifestyle brand. To provide a broad context, the on-going transformation of the global eyewear market was presented.
The recent developments in the global eyewear market support the findings of this case study: eyewear as a category is becoming more relevant for high-end fashion brands. The results of this case study highlighted how vital it is for brands in the highly competitive luxury goods market to engage with all aspects that could give the brand added value, credibility and create an innovative image. Consequently, a successful extension of a high-end brand to eyewear category is supported by the end product being fully integrated with the parent brand.
In the wider context of the fashion business becoming more connected with the values of the consumers, this case study sees new business opportunities emerging for the eyewear industry, as combining the emotional desirability of luxury products to functional product attributes is starting to make sense to the consumer and thus to the business.