CHALLENGE: Navigating Fashion and Venture Studio Growth

Born Outside Italy was ready to break into the competitive world of fashion, but it needed to establish a brand identity that could cut through the noise and resonate with culturally aware, fashion-forward consumers.

The main challenges included:

• Building a Strong Brand Identity: Crafting a clear and distinctive identity that reflected the brand's Italian roots while appealing to an international, modern audience.
  
  

• Developing a High-Impact E-Commerce Platform: Designing a seamless, engaging online shopping experience that would drive direct-to-consumer sales.
  
  

• Launching Provocative Campaigns: Creating marketing communications that would grab attention and create buzz, particularly in the sneaker and streetwear communities.
  
  

• International Retail Expansion: Expanding the brand’s footprint into prestigious retailers like Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, ensuring Born Outside Italy had a global retail presence.

  
  

SOLUTION: Strategic Branding, Cultural Capital for launch and scaling

Pay Close Attention’s approach to these challenges was comprehensive, focusing on building a brand that would stand out creatively, engage audiences, and expand seamlessly into international markets.

1. Brand Strategy and Identity

Pay Close Attention began by working on Born Outside Italy’s overall brand strategy, developing a vision that captured the brand’s rebellious, fashion-forward spirit. The identity needed to reflect the brand’s Italian heritage but also appeal to a broader global market that values bold, individualistic style.

• Brand Positioning: Pay Close Attention positioned Born Outside Italy as a fashion disruptor, targeting consumers who seek exclusivity, bold designs, and an authentic story behind the brand.

• Art Direction: The studio crafted a visual identity that included striking typography, bold color palettes, and imagery that evoked a sense of rebellion and edge. The art direction tied together the brand’s Italian roots with its global ambitions.

2. E-Commerce Platform and Digital Presence

To drive direct-to-consumer sales, Pay Close Attention developed a cutting-edge e-commerce platform designed for both ease of use and aesthetic appeal. The platform included:

• User-Centric Design: A seamless and engaging shopping experience that showcased the brand’s product offerings while highlighting the story behind each collection.

• Interactive Features: Integrated digital tools that allowed consumers to engage with the brand in more meaningful ways, including customization options and behind-the-scenes content that offered a look at the brand’s creative process.

3. New Product Development (NPD) and Cultural Capital

Born Outside Italy wanted to continually innovate with its product offerings, and Pay Close Attention guided the brand’s new product development process:

• Fashion Innovation: Collaborating on designs that stood out in the market and appealed to fashion-conscious consumers seeking exclusive, high-quality pieces.

• Cultural Capital Building: Leveraging Pay Close Attention’s expertise in cultural capital, the studio helped Born Outside Italy align itself with tastemakers and influencers, elevating the brand’s desirability and cultural relevance. This included partnerships and collaborations that reinforced the brand’s position in the fashion world.

4. Provocative Communications and Networking with Sneaker Island

To make a bold statement in the market, Pay Close Attention executed a series of provocative communications campaigns, collaborating with Sneaker Island—a hub for sneaker culture and streetwear aficionados. This included:

• Campaign Development: Designing campaigns that disrupted traditional fashion marketing, focusing on the fusion of Italian craftsmanship with streetwear’s global influence. The messaging was provocative, designed to challenge the norms of luxury fashion and appeal to younger, trend-driven audiences.

• Tactical Networking: Tapping into Sneaker Island’s community allowed Born Outside Italy to gain traction with the sneaker culture, generating buzz and securing partnerships with influencers who shared the brand’s edgy vision.

5. International Expansion into Selfridges and Harvey Nichols

Pay Close Attention played a pivotal role in bringing Born Outside Italy to prestigious international retail spaces like Selfridges and Harvey Nichols:

• Retail Strategy: Pay Close Attention guided the brand’s entry into these major retailers, ensuring that Born Outside Italy’s collections were presented in a way that maximized impact and appeal to the luxury fashion consumer.

• Global Footprint: Expanding into these prestigious stores helped establish Born Outside Italy as a global brand, reinforcing its status as a high-end, in-demand label.

  
  

RESULTS

The collaboration between Pay Close Attention and Born Outside Italy resulted in significant growth, both in terms of brand presence and market reach:

• A Distinctive Brand Identity: Pay Close Attention successfully created a bold, disruptive identity for Born Outside Italy that resonated with its target audience, establishing the brand as a standout in the fashion world.

• Robust E-Commerce Growth: The launch of an intuitive, high-impact e-commerce platform drove strong direct-to-consumer sales, providing a solid foundation for Born Outside Italy’s global growth.

• Cultural Relevance and Provocative Messaging: The provocative campaigns developed in collaboration with Sneaker Island generated buzz and positioned the brand as a disruptor in both the sneaker and luxury fashion spaces.

  
  

CONCLUSION

Pay Close Attention’s work with Born Outside Italy showcases the venture studio’s ability to build culturally significant brands and expand their reach into international markets. From brand strategy and identity to e-commerce development and provocative marketing campaigns, Pay Close Attention provided the vision and execution needed to elevate Born Outside Italy from a niche brand to a global fashion powerhouse. Through partnerships with Sneaker Island and strategic retail expansion into Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, the studio ensured that Born Outside Italy was positioned for long-term success, both culturally and commercially.