BORN ON FIFTH X ANTONIO MELANI
Creative direction and design for an accessory line launched exclusively at Dillard's stores.
Client:
Dillard’s Stores
Duration:
5 Months
Responsibilities:
Creative Direction
Line Building
Client Presentation
Accessory Design Tech Pack
Factory Communication
THE PRODUCT
An Accessory line for the Spring 2022 Influencer collaboration Born on Fifth x Antonio Melani for Dillard’s department stores.
THE PROBLEM
Grandmillineal influencer Emily Hertz is collaborating with Dillard’s on her second apparel collection for Spring 2022.
Her 2021 collection was wildly successful: it drew in a new customer base to Dillard’s and the excitement around this fresh marketing approach helped drive stock prices up more than 100% in 2021.
We’ll need to pitch to the high-profile Collaborations team at Dillard’s that the Born on Fifth collection needs accessories to compliment the apparel line, and that our company uniquely understands the Influencer’s brand lifestyle.
THE GOAL
To open a new account by designing accessories tailored to fit the brand lifestyle of the Influencer Emily Hertz and her audience, while still speaking to Dillard’s core customers, price point, and margin goals.
MY PROCESS
Brand research
PITCH STRATEGY
Our pitch strategy was to contact the Influencer Collaboration team at Dillard’s through our existing network. Though DNA has designed various accessories for Dillard’s exclusive brands for the past ten years, this is a separate team and a higher-profile project.
INITIAL Collateral
After we received some interest from Dillard’s, my team immersed ourselves in the Born on Fifth brand. Internally I created a profile to set the brand profile for our design team. We then sent Dillard’s a teaser document to show a few of our existing handbags and belts that aligned with Emily’s look.
HAT IN THE RING
Our goal at this point was to keep Dillard’s interest in DNA’s design and fulfillment abilities, demonstrate we understood the brand identity, and hopefully garner some feedback we could use before developing concept designs.
Dezine News Accessories
Dezine News Accessories
design concept samples
ESTABLISHING DIRECTION
After receiving our design teaser, the Dillard’s team shared the Born on Fifth Spring 22 mood board. The collection was centered around an over-the-top garden party: straw bags, brimmed hats, and picnic baskets.
The Challenge
A key consideration when planning an Influencer collection is that each item must integrate into the overall brand lifestyle story. The audience loses interest when the posts become too sales-y and inauthentic.
The Solution
A picnic basket is the perfect example of an item that can be styled in a lifestyle story. Selling the idea of an aspirational picnic isn’t just a beautiful image or product, it allows the audience to imagine being a bon vivant, a fun mom, friends al fresco, all attainable at Dillard’s.
@bornonfifth
concept samples
The design team used the Born on Fifth Instagram feed as our primary source of inspiration. Bag shapes were a mix of vintage and ladylike to style back effortlessly to Emily’s ultra-girly aesthetic.
The Challenge
Fitting the client’s design objectives into our company’s established factory network.
The Solution
I worked directly with each factory to review the design brief, established what they could achieve, and then tailored the design details to each factory’s unique capabilities.
concept presentation
Then it was off to Atlanta, to present our concept samples to Emily Hertz and Alexandra Dillard.
The Goal
To present the sample collection as if it was a boutique designed specifically for the Born on Fifth brand.
The Strategy
To enhance our presentation, our graphics team photographed the key items in an aspirational picnic setting. We brought additional examples of our belts, hats, leather bags, and beaded clutches in a range of pastels I felt could be inspirational to the development process. With enough brand-right ideas, Emily could “shop” and play designer.
The salesperson and I presented and worked directly with Emily to establish her favorite pieces, and remix shapes and details to create a capsule collection she felt reflected her brand.
Revise & resend
After the initial line building, the design team got to work on revising the bag specs and getting the product sampled at the appropriate factories in India and China.
The Challenge
We had one round of sampling to get our perfect approval samples for the client to place her order.
The Solution
Details such as hand-embroidered artwork, a Pantone specific print, high-quality straw bags had to be communicated carefully on technical specs and remote conversations between Dallas and the factories overseas.
style-out & SELECTIONS
We submitted the requested samples and pricing to the Style-Out meeting where the influencer would review samples from Apparel, Table-Top, Shoes, and Accessories to determine her collection assortment and ultimately place her order.
The Collection
Emily’s final collection was edited into three accessories, each that had multiple ways in which to style and market within her lifestyle story.
In addition to handbags, the baskets can be used as Easter baskets, beach bags, chic storage, or floral arrangements.
Reflections
I hand-painted our submission box to fit the brand which delighted the client
What Worked
By analyzing the Born on Fifth brand identity on Emily Hertz’s blog, past collaborations, and social media my design team was able to demonstrate our clear understanding to the client and get our foot in the door.
Each step of the way we tailored the presentations and product assortments to the brand’s lifestyle and audience and listened for opportunities to increase the functionality of the marketing. Emily developed confidence in our design skills, which made collaborating on the product assortment efficient and (mostly) fun.
Looking Forward
In future Influencer collaborations, I will design into the “story-telling” marketing with more intention, ensuring each piece can be both a prop for social media and a functional accessory for sale to a customer.
MORE OF MY WORK
ACCESSORY DESIGN
DANCECARD