Is Desigual becoming hype?

A person in front of a Desigual store in Spain.

-

• What if Desigual, out of the radars of French fashion, became hype?

• The Spanish brand is now displayed on the back of one of the most trendy models of the moment, Clara Berry.

• “20 Minutes” looks at the brand's new youth.

Desigual, a “hype” brand?

The question has something to smile about, or something to choke on.

Take the test.

In a discussion with friends, at the coffee machine, with your bus neighbor or in the queue for the PCR test, let out a "Desigual, what does that mean to you?"

And watch the reactions.

Some will giggle nervously, others will be ruthless.

Because for many, Desigual and "style" are anything but compatible… Cantor of patchwork and floral motifs, the Spanish brand has somewhat emerged from the radars of hexagonal fashion, which has become infrequent.

A bit like the mullet cut.

So what amazement to discover it on the back of Clara Berry, one of the most trendy models of the moment?

Ambassador of the Spanish brand, she appears without complex in a total Desigual look on her Instagram account, a true temple of cool.

View this post on Instagram

Love Hina is my favorite manga and you?

@desigual @maria_escote ❤️ # DesigualxMariaEscote By @razasan_

A post shared by Clara Berry (@ clara.berry) on Sep 16, 2020 at 8:53 am PDT

In the same vein, last spring it was Miranda Makaroff, a young colorful Spanish artist, DJ and influencer, who signed a capsule collection for the brand.

A new and “cool” wind is blowing on Desigual, and if the brand (re) becomes “hype”?

Splendor and decadence

We are not going to lie to each other, the challenge is considerable for the brand, whose motto has however always been “La vida es chula” (“life is great”).

Created in the 1980s between the Raval district in Barcelona and the festive Ibiza, Desigual experienced a real golden age in the early 2010s, by imposing a colorful and fanciful wardrobe (some would say "improbable" or "ugly") , in full rise of normcore and a slightly flat fashion, whose flagship pieces were the bootcut jeans, the basic T-shirt and the Converse classics.

"This is the case study: the brand completely out of trend which is exploding, analyzes Dinah Sultan, stylist at Peclers, a trends consulting agency.

What characterizes Desigual is having a style of their own that has never been imitated.

And very identifiable in the street, like the patched coat which was a real fashion hit.

"

To this we can add punching operations, such as the famous “Seminaked” campaign where Desigual customers were invited to go to the boutique in their underwear on the first day of the sales, in order to be offered a complete outfit.

In Spain in 2014, it is an advertising campaign based on condoms with holes for Mother's Day, arguing "It's you who decides", which shocked several associations.

“There was a buzz effect, a race for clothes, it was also the great years of

where we consumed excessively without really asking questions.

All this to create the Desigual empire, ”said Dinah Peclers.

Before the fall ...

Difficulties in renewing oneself and coping with the tidal wave of street wear, massive establishments of shops, prices considered a bit excessive (count on average 200 euros for a coat)… The second part of the decade was a long tumble for the Spanish brand.

“She gradually lost her strength and began to age with her clients, it's the worst when you're a

brand

,” explains the stylist.

The challenge for the years to come is therefore to reverse the trend.

Youth goal

Because yes, it's as simple as that, but if “young people” start to wear a brand considered old-fashioned, or downright old-fashioned, it immediately re-enters the domain of “cool”.

Think of Birkenstock or K-Way for example.

And the most strategic target for retailers today is what is called Generation Z, born after the year 2000. “It is the one that is the most vector for new ideas in terms of style.

They are the ones who are going to know how to give a brand a second chance, they are very fond of reissues, and it is a clientele that knows very well how to manage the

and bring modernity to the silhouettes ”, specifies Dinah Sultan.

The collaboration with Clara Berry then takes on its full meaning.

And this is how the brand has operated since last year a real makeover: new slogan ("Yes to life"), new logo ("Desigual" is now written backwards), new muses (including Aleesha, a young Spanish hip-hop singer), and an increasingly strong presence on social networks.

“We want to be a relevant brand, which inspires and encourages our consumers to awaken their creativity and to be themselves.

With this new image, we also want to reconnect with our consumers and at the same time address our products and our experiences to younger targets, know them better and respond to their requests ”, explained to

 Guillem Gallego, Marketing Director of Desigual.

Clara Berry (foreground), presenting the Maria Escoté collection for Desigual.

- Desigual

Get to know them better, but also get involved by highlighting young creation.

With Miranda Makaroff as seen above, but also with the Spanish designer Maria Escoté with a very pop design, inspired in particular by the manga.

“Today a brand cannot exist without having a mission, a commitment,” explains Dinah Sultan.

I have the impression that they take a position of patron and curator of young creators by giving them visibility and making their community speak.

This can open up a lot of dialogues, with LGBT and feminist communities for example ”.

In another area, Desigual would also like to commit to sustainable development: eliminating plastic by 2021, reducing the carbon footprint, or even having 50% of biological tissue by 2023.

The impossible no one is bound ?

Getting younger is one thing, but how do you win over young people while continuing to please the brand's loyal base, customers in their mid-forties?

If some brands manage to reach different audiences, like Etam for example, the risk is also to lose everyone.

“Beyond age, we want to reach creative people who show their authenticity and are unafraid to be themselves.

We are inclusive and sensitive, and we believe that we will connect between the two, ”says Guillem Gallego.

Concretely, the brand currently offers its floral classics in stores and online, a capsule collection with Christian Lacroix, and one with Maria Escoté.

Despite all this goodwill for rejuvenation, commitment and inclusiveness, does Desigual have a chance to go up the slope after all these years in decline?

"Better to challenge yourself too much than to kill a brand, but I think it's the repositioning of the last chance," said Dinah Sultan.

If the fight is far from won, the designer still wishes to salute the originality of the sign: “Casually, they are a bit the last representatives of casual Spanish fashion, and that remains important.

We must not smooth the market, the world needs singularities ”.

Remember that the fashion and trend sectors are unpredictable… Who would have bet on the hip bag hype coming back 10 years ago?

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