How to build a luxury brand

Summary

This video script delves into the intricacies of building a luxury brand, distinguishing between premium, designer, and bespoke categories. It explores the importance of performance, aesthetics, and craftsmanship in luxury branding, emphasizing the value of time and brand history. The speaker shares insights from their career, discussing the challenges of different brand types, from basic to discount, and offers strategies for success in the luxury market. The script also touches on the speaker's personal journey with luxury brands, their experiences, and the creative process behind crafting premium products.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Luxury is not solely defined by high price; it encompasses various categories and brand types.
• 💼 Basic brands struggle to stand out without a unique selling proposition or significant history.
• 💰 Value brands offer premium products at lower prices, but face challenges with profit margins on platforms like Amazon.
• 💳 Discount brands risk devaluing their brand by constantly offering sales, leading to a reputation of being only worth the discounted price.
• 🏆 Premium brands charge more for their products, but not all are considered luxury; they must offer a distinct user experience or performance.
• 🏃‍♂️ Performance brands cater to consumers who demand high-quality products that enhance their activities, such as athletic wear.
• 🎨 Designer brands are recognized for their aesthetic appeal, often becoming desirable even beyond their functional benefits.
• 👔 Bespoke brands focus on craftsmanship and personalized products, offering a unique experience to customers.
• ⏳ The element of time is crucial in elevating a brand from designer or performance to luxury status, as it builds reputation and heritage.
• 🛍️ Brands can position themselves based on tactics, fulfilling user needs, or translating an artistic vision, each with different market approaches and challenges.

Q & A

What are the different types of luxury brands discussed in the script?

The script discusses several types of luxury brands including Performance Brands, Designer Brands, and Bespoke Brands. Performance Brands charge a premium for products that offer superior functionality, Designer Brands succeed based on the aesthetics of their products, and Bespoke Brands are based on craftsmanship and creating custom items for consumers.

How does the script define 'luxury' in the context of branding?

The script defines 'luxury' as a brand category that goes beyond just charging a premium. It involves a combination of performance, design, bespoke craftsmanship, and the aspect of time, where a brand has a history and reputation that makes it synonymous with quality and desirability.

What is the difference between a 'value brand' and a 'discount brand' as described in the script?

A 'value brand' is one that offers products at a lower price point, arguing that price is the main reason people buy. However, a 'discount brand' starts off normal but then relies heavily on sales, becoming synonymous with being purchased only when on sale, which can erode brand value over time.

Why does the script suggest that being a 'value brand' can be complicated in 2024?

The script suggests that being a 'value brand' can be complicated in 2024 because of the rise of platforms like Amazon, increasing fees, and competition from overseas communities that can produce and sell at lower prices. Additionally, the competition includes entities like Timu, which can ship directly to any country, offering lower prices.

What is the role of 'time' in elevating a brand to the luxury category according to the script?

The script suggests that 'time' plays a crucial role in elevating a brand to luxury by establishing a reputation and history. It implies that a brand that can consistently deliver on its promises of performance, design, or bespoke craftsmanship over a long period can be seen as a luxury brand.

How does the script differentiate between 'premium' and 'luxury' brands?

While the script acknowledges that 'premium' and 'luxury' are often used interchangeably, it differentiates by suggesting that not all brands that charge a premium are luxury brands. Luxury brands have additional elements like a strong heritage, consistent high-quality performance, and a reputation that extends over time.

What are some of the insights from the speaker's history working with various brands that are shared in the script?

The speaker shares insights such as the importance of understanding the dynamics of luxury branding, the significance of performance in outdoor and tactical brands, and the celebratory aspect of luxury as seen in custom-made products. They also discuss the challenges of creating and maintaining a luxury brand in a competitive global market.

What is the concept of 'displacement' as it relates to product design mentioned in the script?

The concept of 'displacement' in product design refers to creating a product that is made from an unexpected material or has an unexpected functionality. For example, making pants that look like flannel but are actually made of leather, or designing a beach pant from a knit material to be lightweight and airy.

How does the script discuss the idea of 'elevation' in product design?

The script discusses 'elevation' as taking a common everyday item and enhancing it with better materials, construction, or design to make it more premium. It's about offering a product that is not just functional but also aligns with a higher standard of quality and aesthetics, such as creating a cashmere hat that feels ultra-premium at a reasonable price point.

What advice does the script give for testing product ideas for a brand?

The script advises starting with a single unique product in the $1 to $150 price range, leveraging organic content and ads to test the market, and iterating based on feedback and sales performance. It emphasizes the importance of having a flexible brand identity that adapts to cultural shifts, personal passion, and market validation.

Outlines

00:00

💎 Building Luxury Brands and Understanding Premium Pricing

The paragraph delves into the intricacies of constructing a luxury brand and the various types of luxury in the market. It challenges the common misconception that high price equates to luxury, emphasizing the need to understand different brand categories. The speaker outlines the video's agenda, which includes discussing strategies for luxury brand building, the distinction between luxury, premium, and designer brands, and sharing personal insights from a career working with such brands. The paragraph also touches on positioning a brand based on skills, products, and potential for success, using examples like Bonaga jackets and smoothies to illustrate the concept of perceived value and luxury.

05:00

🛍️ Types of Brands and Their Market Positioning

This section categorizes brands into basic, value, and discount brands, explaining the challenges and market dynamics each faces. Basic brands struggle to stand out without a unique selling proposition, while value brands, despite offering lower prices, find their margins eroded by platforms like Amazon. Discount brands risk becoming synonymous with sales, attracting price-sensitive customers but not building brand loyalty. The paragraph then transitions into the realm of premium brands, which command higher prices but are not necessarily luxury. It introduces the concept of performance brands, which offer superior functionality and justify their premium pricing through enhanced user experience.

10:01

🎨 The Intersection of Design, Performance, and Bespoke Luxury

The speaker explores designer brands that thrive on aesthetics and the historical shift towards design as a differentiator. They discuss the evolution of brands like Alessi, known for their design-centric approach, and the power of design in commanding a premium. Bespoke brands are introduced as those offering custom craftsmanship, providing a personalized experience that justifies a higher price. The paragraph culminates in a discussion on how time enhances a brand's luxury status, using examples like Herman Miller to illustrate how a combination of design, performance, and longevity can elevate a brand to luxury status.

15:02

🏔️ Navigating the High Peaks of Performance Brands

The focus is on performance brands, which are revered for their functionality and ability to meet the demands of extreme users. The speaker shares personal experiences working with outdoor and tactical brands, emphasizing the high stakes of meeting performance expectations. They discuss the transition of brands like Arc'teryx and Benchmade from performance to luxury, highlighting the importance of time and consistent performance in establishing a brand's reputation. The narrative also touches on the celebratory aspect of luxury, as seen in custom products for special occasions, and the speaker's journey in the luxury sector.

20:03

🚀 Launching Brands with Tactical Excellence and User-Centric Design

The paragraph discusses three types of brands: those that excel tactically by leveraging platforms or relationships, those that fulfill a user need by offering superior experiences, and those that translate an artistic vision into products. The speaker advocates for a realistic approach to brand building, emphasizing the importance of identifying a brand's unique angle. They share their experiences with creating products that resonate with their audience and the market, focusing on concepts like displacement, elevation, and the unobtanium factor. The speaker also stresses the value of customer feedback and iterative product development in shaping a brand's identity and success.

25:04

🌟 Elevating Everyday Items to Luxury Status

The speaker shares their process of creating luxury products by elevating everyday items, using a cashmere hat and fuzzy dice as examples. They discuss the decision-making process involved in material selection, design, and branding, aiming to offer premium products at more accessible price points. The paragraph highlights the importance of vendor collaboration, product iteration, and the balance between artistic vision and market demand. The speaker also reflects on the dynamic nature of brand building in the digital age, where customer engagement and feedback play crucial roles in shaping brand identity and product offerings.

Keywords

💡Luxury Brand

A luxury brand refers to a label or brand that offers products and services at a higher price due to their perceived quality, status, or exclusivity. In the video, the concept of luxury branding is explored as a way to differentiate products in the market and command a premium price. The video discusses how luxury brands are built and the various types of luxury, emphasizing that not all premium brands are luxury brands, but luxury brands often have a strong heritage and are associated with a certain lifestyle or experience.

💡Premium Brand

A premium brand is one that charges more for its products or services, often due to enhanced quality, features, or customer experience. The video script discusses the distinction between premium and luxury brands, suggesting that while all luxury brands are premium, not all premium brands are luxury. Examples in the script include high-end performance gear and designer fashion, which are premium due to their superior materials or design.

💡Performance Brand

A performance brand is characterized by its focus on the functionality and effectiveness of its products. These brands charge a premium for their products because they offer superior performance or features that cater to a specific need or desire for quality. The video gives the example of high-end athletic wear that is designed for optimal performance in sports, thus justifying a higher price tag.

💡Designer Brand

Designer brands are known for their unique and often aesthetically pleasing designs, which are created by a named designer or design house. The video script mentions that these brands can charge a premium for their products because consumers are willing to pay for the distinctive style and the prestige associated with the designer's name. The script suggests that designer brands have historically combined function with aesthetics, but in modern times, the emphasis is often more on the aesthetic appeal.

💡Bespoke Brand

Bespoke brands are associated with custom-made or personalized products that are crafted to meet the specific requirements of individual customers. The video explains that these brands charge a premium because they offer a unique, tailored experience. An example from the script is a brand that makes custom shoes to fit the customer's foot perfectly, providing a level of craftsmanship and personalization that justifies a higher price.

💡Value Brand

A value brand offers products at a lower price point, often sacrificing some level of quality or exclusivity for affordability. The video script discusses the challenges faced by value brands, especially in a competitive market where platforms like Amazon can drive down prices. The video suggests that value brands must argue their price as the main reason for purchase, which can be a difficult position in a market where margins are continually compressed.

💡Discount Brand

Discount brands are those that frequently offer their products at reduced prices, often leading to a reputation where customers only expect to buy when there's a sale. The video script warns against positioning a brand as a discount brand, as it can erode brand value and lead to a cycle of constant discounting, which can be detrimental to the brand's long-term profitability and perception.

💡Brand Positioning

Brand positioning is the strategy a company uses to create a unique place for its brand in the minds of consumers, relative to its competition. The video script delves into various strategies for brand positioning, such as focusing on performance, design, or bespoke craftsmanship. It emphasizes the importance of finding a niche and standing out in a crowded market, which is crucial for a brand's success and ability to command a premium price.

💡Tactical Branding

Tactical branding refers to the strategic use of specific tactics or advantages to create a brand that can succeed in the market. The video script mentions that this could be through understanding a particular sales channel, like Amazon or TikTok, or by leveraging personal connections or skills. The key is to identify and exploit a specific advantage that can give the brand an edge over competitors.

💡Artistic Vision

An artistic vision in branding refers to the unique creative direction or aesthetic that a brand embodies, often driven by the founder or designer's personal style or philosophy. The video script discusses how some brands are built around translating an artistic vision into physical products, which can be a powerful way to differentiate and create a connection with consumers who resonate with that vision.

Highlights

The video discusses the intricacies of building a luxury brand and the different types of luxury brands.

There's a distinction between premium, luxury, and designer brands, and not all premium brands are luxury brands.

Performance brands charge a premium for products that offer superior functionality.

Designer brands succeed based on the aesthetics of their products.

Bespoke brands offer customized craftsmanship, which justifies a premium price.

The function of time is crucial in elevating a brand from designer or performance to luxury status.

The video shares insights from the creator's history working with various luxury brands.

Positioning a brand based on skill set, product offerings, and market positioning is crucial for success.

The video delves into the creator's work with valuable studios, focusing on Kashmir leather and other luxury materials.

Different types of brands include basic, value, discount, premium, performance, designer, and bespoke.

The video explains the challenges of being a value brand in a competitive global market.

Discount brands risk becoming synonymous with sales, which can devalue the brand.

Premium brands that charge more need to offer something that justifies the higher price to consumers.

The video provides examples of how to create a brand with a tactical, user need, or artistic vision.

Testing products with a specific price point and running ads can help validate brand ideas.

Brand identities should be flexible and adapt based on cultural trends, personal passion, and market performance.

Transcripts

everyone wants to charge a premium for

their product build a luxury brand we

see $12,500 bonaga jackets $23 aan

smoothies youor charging $210 a plate

and you get that weird feeling of who is

buying them and why are they spending

their money on them it happens with

almost any expensive object there's a

number of reasons but price doesn't

equate luxury and even though we often

use the words premium or luxury

interchangeably there's actually a lot

of different categories that I like to

use to describe where a product or a

brand sits so in this video we're going

to talk about how to build a luxury

brand the different types of luxury

Brands and then dive into difference

between luxury premium designer all the

various ways that you can charge more if

you're creating your own brand or begin

to understand as a consumer why you're

paying for what but in addition to that

I'm going to hit my history working with

these kind of various brands of

different types and the insights and

lessons I learned throughout my career

Journey we're talk about how to position

your brand based on your skill set the

products that you're making and where

you'll be able to find success and then

some of the specific products I've been

making for valuable studios in Kashmir

leather and more so you can learn a

little bit about how elevated things

come to life and strategies and

positions you can take to actually

produce because the Journey of how these

things come together even if you've

begun to understand how you can actually

order and create things is really

interesting to see and then to then

gauge their commercial success let's

dive in so first there are different

types of brand we'll start with what I

would consider just to be a basic brand

brand that sells a reasonable thing that

people like there are other alternatives

to at a reasonable price this alone if

you don't have some kind of stored

history and availability isn't enough as

a new brand to stand out and a lot of

lot of Brands get caught up in this

position and don't understand why they

don't have any specifics that allow them

to go anywhere then we have a value

brand a value brand takes something you

can get at a higher price and literally

just offers it for a value they're going

to argue that they position themselves

price being the reason that people buy

and this is a Surefire way to win but it

becomes really complicated in 2024 you

log into Amazon it is filled with value

brand while Amazon continues to raise

their fees and if you're one of the

people positioning based on price your

margin is getting continually eaten into

by one of the largest Platforms in the

world and you're competing with an

increasingly active overseas community

that doesn't need us people to go

enforce and create those Brands they're

able to do it on their own and sell on

value against anyone who's doing that

domestically and win and the same thing

goes for Europe as well and even worse

you're now competing directly with timu

shipping and even worse you're now

competing directly with timu who is

going to be shipping into any country

that you're in and offering still things

at a lower value and you are competing

with the lowest of the low China pricing

which is what these value Brands would

do already they would go to to get the

cheapest thing they could from overse

and bring it over and offer it at a low

markup now you're competing with the

people that do that directly this is a

place that I can recommend anyone right

now start a brand in without some huge

massive significant advantage that they

already own through a factory or a

process or Machinery that I'd say 99.9%

of us don't have but even worse position

to be in in my mind is Discount Brand

This is a brand that starts off normal

then you start running sales and you

realize oh we get more customers when we

run sales and all of a sudden you're

running sales all the time your brand

becomes synonymous with buying it when

it's on sale to the point where you're

running sales almost constantly this is

a position where you're basically

attracting customers have little to no

brand value they only buy based on that

lower price point and you're setting

yourselves up to always be in this

discount scenario and there's some

regulation around always offering

something at a lower price versus being

at a higher price but also there's just

something intrinsically about always

being on sale that does not present you

as a premium brand to the customers

you're selling now you can still provide

value we'll talk about that a bit later

because I'm doing a little bit of that

with my brand but it's not a place you

want to set yourself up so now let's get

to the category of Premium Brands brands

that charge more for the things that

they offer which is where a lot people

want to live and honestly I think it's

one of the only categories that's going

to survive our current Global sales

competition where we're actually

competing directly with people shipping

out of the countries that make most of

these products anyway is if you're

positioned from a premium angle but not

all brands that charge a premium are

luxury Brands and I much as anyone else

will use those words interchangeably

just because it's just natural to roll

off the tongue but we have a couple

categories to dive into the first is a

Performance Brand performance Brands

charge a premium for something that does

better for people that care about having

better in whatever experience it

provides so satisfy I look at as a

Performance Brand they are charging $420

for running short how much better can

their running shorts be than any other

running short on the market when you

dive into it and break it down you look

at okay they're preparing you for

certain weather conditions they have all

this you know specific trademarked

custom Fabrics they've developed

specifically for running Ultra

lightweight they thought through every

aspect of the user experience for

someone that is a absolute pro at this

that cares the most of our performance

they are giving every single thing that

that person wants and they are charging

a premium and if you are able to engine

engering experience matters this much to

the people that care they'll pay almost

anything for that and this is a good

example of why this brand gets to a

success level they have and then you'll

have a brand like arct that's done this

forever I'll talk a bit about my history

with arcs later then you get to a point

where because so many people who are

engag in performance wear it you know

everyone who's kind of Crest some you

know crazy Mountain that people who want

to then feel akin to that or who look at

those people as aspirational begin to

buy the brand even at a premium price

point even though they don't need its

capability because of the logo the

association of the brand there's a power

in becoming a Performance Brand then we

have designer brand so designer Brands

succeed based on the Aesthetics of the

object and this is in our current modern

world an excellent way to stand out but

has been for long long time and it used

to be I feel like designer Brands had a

combination of function and Aesthetics

you can look at it from that perspective

too like a brand like alessie design is

the differentiator and that design can

be purely aesthetic or it can be

aesthetic and function but you know this

may may or may not be the most effective

juicer that you can buy but it is

certainly one with a particular

aesthetic and so standing out as a

designer brand being known for the

design of the objects is another way

that you can charge a premium because

people will pay for Aesthetics and for

the names associated with we'll get into

the names in a second cuz an is a great

example of people buy this espresso

machine because it is a concrete block

it's amazing brutalist it's Unique and

they succeed purely based on the design

of this no one knows Anza they don't

know what they stand for they don't know

who the designer is but something that's

consistent across all these things that

I feel separates a Performance Brand or

a designer brand eventually into a

luxury brand comes from the aspect of

time but before we get to time we're

going to talk about bespoke brand so

bespoke brands are based on

craftsmanship and there's a couple words

you can use to describe this but spoke

as a go if you are buying the

craftsmanship a person or set of persons

that make something custom to you that

they're taking the time to give you

something of innate craft tailor to your

whether it's your house as a Furniture

item or it's a suit which is kind of

your most common cobbler making you a

pair of shoes direct for your foot is

the idea of a customized experience

created specifically for you there's

another reason to charge a premium

instead of buying a mass-produced object

you are buying something customized for

your experience so let's look at all

three of those topics designer Brands

based on their design performance Brands

based on what they actually do for the

user's experience and then bespoke band

Brands based on Crafting something

unique for a consumer those are three

Surefire ways for your brand you can

charge a there are some other

positioning based things that we'll talk

about later that's kind of Three core

topic now then you add the function of

time on top of all so Anza for instance

doesn't have the function of time

they've made one thing that's gotten

relatively popular they haven't done a

bunch else with it but let's assume that

they were to release a number of items

and over the course of 10 years become

very much known for applying their

aesthetic and even better if it has a

great function goes or someone like

Herman milk great example saying start

off is a designer brand but also a

performer they are taking two

combinations of these you want to sit in

their chairs because they are good for

you they have lumbar support ergonomic

but also they have beautiful design and

they continue to exe execute those

across time and I would say that they

have elevated themselves into both a

designer and Performance Brand that also

borders on becoming luxury I don't think

they present themselves necessarily as a

some like Heritage Luxury company but

they are and because of the amount of

time that's been spent there and people

treat buying a Herman Miller as a luxury

experience something that that they do

and spend their extra money on because

of its performance its look and its

history and name when you're able to

achieve all three of those things like

adding in that reputational time element

I feel like you've really entered into

this zone of luxury when someone chooses

to spend their premium for these reasons

and they've chosen to continually do

that over like a long spam or becomes a

resisting choice in their life that's

something I think all brands can aspire

to whether we put names on it or not I

think that's when we create things

something we want to look how do we have

that longevity how do we have something

the worth matter how do we have a brand

that stands for something and stand for

something worth paying because plenty

people create brands that stand for

their particular product or that exist

in the market and people know of there's

a difference between that and you know

what when I have a choice I choose to

spend my money on that at a premium

which brings me into some of my

experiences with luxury I'm going touch

on this and then we're going to get into

types of Brands and how you kind to

position yourself for Success whether

you're in performance or design or any

of these categories but first I want to

talk about my intersections with luxury

because something I stumbled upon end up

working most of my life in things that

are priced at a premium price but it

really started when I was a graphic

designer I went to school for design

came out I was design in for a

Hospitality firm they did a lot of like

Staffing and events and things like that

and then I got a client that was a night

one of my first recurring clients I

created their brand identity and they at

the time this is maybe 15 years ago sold

expensive exclusive items they had $30

drinks with gold flakes inside they had

a wall of Ace of Spades like in the in

the back of the area um I have one of

those bottles you floating around you

may have seen some of my other videos at

the beginning you could only access with

a memb car which was something I

designed it was like engraved in wood

wooden menus something else I had put

together but it was all in the Founder's

Vision you know he had kind described

this I I put some of the Aesthetics into

reality but he basically wanted to have

the trappings of something exclusive to

be able to create that that certain

sense that when someone came in it was a

super small area it's prestigious the

menu matched the aesthetic matched the

clientele that he was able to attract he

had a vision for what a destination was

worth a premium looked like and then

match that aesthetically and as someone

who hadn't had any experience in that

industry kind whatsoever this was very

interesting to me to begin to see and

understand that and as someone who

couldn't afford to you know shop or be

at any of the places I was designing

something for began to really understand

these dynamics that play and how you

mark it that way and then I work to the

outdoors in which has a huge emphasis on

performance and a premium for

performance a subculture of guys who

spend tons of money to go on rare trips

to either hike a mountain or some exotic

hunt and at the same time mayd be paying

a bunch of money for a like inlaid

silver rare wood item that goes with

their hobby where a brand like arteric

and at the time before they had their

pop culture moment was like inherently

related to those who really were taking

on Feats of Strength in their own way

people who wanted to actually go scale

that mountain or go on like exotic ski

trip and who needed that performance

because they were training for something

same thing with the Solomon brand at the

time which was something where I was

working with a lot of people in the

military who really highly regarded

Solomon wear as something that they

would wear you when they were actually

deployed if they had the option and so

you begin to establish this notoriety as

a Performance Brand and if you want to

separate yourself it really came down to

standing that test of time and standing

that performance standard of what people

needed when they were doing a once in

the lifetime experience or doing

something that was a life or death

scenario if you do position his

performance the sticks are high that you

actually achieve

it if you want to create a brand that is

for marathoners or for the best

weightlifters or for people that are you

know actually need something deep in the

mountain you are need to make something

that succeeds because if you don't it is

a super serious thing that people are

engaging with and those customers are

while they can build your brand because

of how much they respect something that

does well for them can crush your brand

if it is a poor

experience and to find that premium and

to begin to get the respect of those

people was interesting the difference

between a regular knife and a Benchmade

knife focus on utility Etc I like

Benchmade as an interesting example

because you it became it's utility item

that branched into you know utility

Cutlery and they were able to kind of

Branch out into a number of you know

subvertical based on their like success

in the kind of tactical Outdoors area

when you take that same performance and

apply it to other areas in life for

those people might buy products and

you're known in that category that's how

you can expand a performance lineup and

then recently about 2 years ago I spent

some time working at the surgeon I

worked on sourcing products I work with

a design team work a little bit of

marketing and they would craft these

truly incredible designs for luxury

clients but everything was handmade in

Los Angeles designed by like a really

special team and other luxury Brands

recognized them as best-in class so

Bentley would come and collaborate lvmh

but what was interesting to me there is

they're offering this bespoke experience

and the people would get it for

different so for instance you'd get

cleats for obj for a special game or

just as likely you get someone

celebrating an event in their life who

want to celebrate it with like a custom

pair of shoes that like fit their Vision

because they hit a certain objective in

their life or they want to celebrate

time spent with somebody else or as a

gift to a friend and that idea of luxury

as a celebratory aspect much like your

Rolex 20 years into a position but then

reflected in something new reflected in

sneaker and the idea of how luxury kind

of permeates based on people's taste and

then people using as a celebration was

an interesting thing that I hadn't

thought about as much before you know

being immersed in it working there so

what does that mean for you we're going

to talk about types of Brands I'm going

to show you some of the actual things

that I've made a bit of how they came

together so you can understand some of

how these types of Brands make it into

reality the first type of brand and a

lot of this is related to how you

position by position I mean how do you

attack the market with a way that's

going to make sure you succeed every

brand needs an angle if you just exist

without an angle then you probably fail

so the first angle is brands that

compete on tactics they take something

other people already do but they know

they can do something they can either

get the product at a lower price than

other people which gives them more money

for marketing or allows them to offer it

in a value proposition or more likely

they're actually better at a network for

instance someone that really understands

Amazon is going to be able to take a

category that's big off Amazon if it's

not already big on there bridge the gap

to that platform Tik Tok what's

happening Tik Tok shock is a shop as the

perfect example now any big category

that exists elsewhere if you are really

understanding how succeed on Tik Tok

shop you are able to then Arbitrage that

to a new platform where people are

buying same thing with Organic social

media or if you have retail

relationships whatever it is if you have

some Advantage via relationships skill

set connections you can use that to

create a brand with a tactical based

value so your value isn't in the product

itself it is in what you're able to do

you specifically as an entrepreneur then

we have the second type of brand which

is the best type of brand which is

brands that fulfill a user need there's

something where you are providing a

better user EXP experience for somebody

than what is available to them already

selling based on this is the best way to

sell for anything and you can look that

across any category so for instance

ollipop and Poppy in these Prebiotic

sodas have blown up recently but it's

because it is a superior user experience

a lot of people do not want to drink an

extremely sugary drink like a Pepsi or a

Coke in from that era and they want

something it is significantly healthier

but still taste decent that is a user

need it fits into people's Lifestyles it

gives them a better experience and that

is part of why those brands are

destroying it you could argue the same

thing for a Yeti where they're

engineering a perfect cooler experience

most performance Brands fall into this

user need and if you can find a value

proposition here that is the best way to

go about creating a company that has

value because if you get it in front of

the consumer with which it does better

for and they embrace it you're going to

win and then you have as long as you can

to uh create some sort of moat before

other people come in and come after it

and this is the cycle of busm the third

type of brand is a brand that translates

an artistic Vision if you have a

specific aesthetic Vision to bring into

the world sometimes that involves just

form sometimes that involves Form and

Function and you can create a brand that

is a singularly unique in its way of

I've done a lot videos on gentle monster

gentle monster is the epitome of this

where this brand is just art that

happens to make sunglasses they use

sunglasses as a vehicle like in Commerce

to get their Concepts and ideas out

there I'd also argue something like like

off-white is just a vehicle for Virgil's

design Vision to enter into the world

and for most fashion brands this is

really what you have you are saying I

have a certain aesthetic or design and

that vision is worth being brought into

life and here's where the problem

arrives is that 99% of those Visions

aren't actually interesting enough to

want to be brought to life or there's

unrealistic goals of where that Vision

can take them like you may have a vision

to appeal to a small subsection but

powerful enough to create some massive

you have to be realistic about what

those expectations look like and if

you're not any of these things if you

don't succeed based on certain tactics

or strategies that you have if you don't

fulfill a really specific user need and

if you're not translating some really

powerful artistic Vision then you're

kind of failing you're don't have a

position in the market which you're

going to be able to act and so it's

worth identifying as you think about

your approach which of those do you fall

in and also wor noting that building

Brands isn't for everybody but having

that framework to look at and choose

between the three helps you decide where

you so I'm going to talk about some

products that I'm working on and making

and how they've come to life to show you

a bit about what that process looks like

and I think a lot about Concepts as you

can probably tell in this video and I've

been thinking a lot about the concepts

that appeal to me that I feel are

interesting to people online whe they're

going to be able to come across

interesting on social media whether

they're going to be interesting in the

version of someone's going to want to

buy it for a specific reason or they're

just interesting to me and I am in this

third category right now I am making

some products that mainly are for my

aesthetic Vision I have some few things

that are functional based but still it's

about myself as a creator with an

audience creating things that are

interesting to me that I feel like will

have resonance with certain but to my

previous point my expectations are

realistic do I think this is going to be

a hundred million brand like probably

not and if it is I'm going to have found

something way more functional along the

way that I can lean into but in the

interim do I think it can be a

multi-million dollar brand sure and time

will up but the concepts I'm very

interested in I'm using a lot of are of

a break them ding so the first is

displacement something made out of

something unexpected are uh kind of the

kings of this right now kings queens

whatever you want look at like this

shirt is leather looks like a flannel it

is literally L this is a recurring theme

in fashion and something that's very

interesting to me how can you make

something that people use or see but do

it in a slightly different way so one of

the first products I put out was these

Knit pants that are a very light version

of that and I'll get to a little Deep

dive in in a second and the second

concept is elevation we've all heard

this term like elevated Basics things

like that but like its core elevation is

about the idea of let's take something

normal that you use every day and then

take the construction or the materials

or the concept of it to a higher level

an unexpectedly interesting level that

really really appeals to me for a few

reasons I I'll break them down and

something I'm still wrapping my head

around I have like a name for the

concept but I think about it a lot is

the idea that there's these like

unobtanium products people release some

fancy brand or brand with a huge

following will release like oh I'm doing

this $55,000 product and it's sold out

now no one can get their hands on it

even if you did want it you you're not

to be unable to hunt it down and I look

at lot of those things and I go hey I

actually know how to make those same

things I've hunted down similar

factories I've worked with similar

people I understand the construction of

it I can make something with which is

like that and there's sold out of it you

can't get your hands on it there's

probably some way to bridge a gap there

and even more so since a lot of those

are charged to kind of outrageous

premiums oh I can also make that as a

fraction of the cost and in this world

where we frequently talk about the

Virgil's 3% rule the idea you can change

something 3% and make it your own I

don't quite subscribe to that I'm very

interested in like the 25% of like all

right let's take some of these existing

Concepts and then you know shift it just

enough and then offer a different value

proposition as part of how it Chang in

terms of cost or availability and again

that's not a fully formed concept but I

want to just share a little bit of how I

think about this and this ties into like

the brands I've worked with and the

strategies we have is is like really

kind of diving into okay what are these

Concepts like why do they resonate is it

do they is this something the consumer

is going to think about are they are

they subconsciously or consciously

thinking about it diving into that

really gets you to start understanding

the why behind some of the brand

branding and and most importantly

product cuz that's what people are are

at the core buying so first I'll talk

about the dis so uh I released these

these Knit pants the idea was to make a

beach pant that um was light was Airy

would dry fast you could wear over your

bathing suit or you could style as its

own individual object and I like the

idea of pants but you know they're

they're made of something completely

different there I saw these knit shirts

happening on it' be cool to do that in

pants uh and then also have it be like a

cheap thing you can throw in a bag

you're not worried about having

something to be too premium um and then

also make it interesting because you

know there's a choice there much like

when you're wearing like a leather full

handle shirt it changes the way you

interact with that object like when you

have these pants they're nip that means

they're basically they see-throughs that

changes how you style it how you think

about it you can't just wear it with

anything becomes a thing that requires

intention and that's really interesting

to me and it's a complicated purchase

Point I've had people that bought them

being like Hey how do I wear these or

like actually it's kind of weird with me

to wear this with underwear or other

people be like hey I love this because I

need to think intentionally about how I

wear it or it's a conversation piece and

this is the item that I made that I wear

a lot of what I've done out and about

all the time and I get asked about these

constantly and if you are able to kind

of stomach the okay I'm you know it's a

little bit different than what I

normally wear I'm showing a little more

leg or whatever they're unisex and girls

have a weier Time wearing it and

existing with it but I mean for guys

it's a little more interesting if you

are kind of work with that you get a A

Conversation Piece an interesting

fashion item and it's affordable and it

has some utility and so that was an

interesting concept for me to put out

there and that also highlights a bit

about like the conversation that is had

with so I'm releasing these you know I

got a couple hundred um cream and black

and it wasn't perfect it's not a perfect

item and I wasn't sure what people were

going to think and if it was going to be

mainly a male user or a female user cuz

I know my demographic Skuse male but

it's an easier item for a female we made

unisex I also knew like I was unsure

okay are people actually going to use

the pockets are they actually going to

wear it to the beach like as why I

released it I'm getting a lot of

feedback like on those things and as I

actually wear it and use it and I go hey

you know what I'd actually prefer this

if it was like a slightly different you

know let's change the material Let's uh

okay this back pocket isn't big enough

we actually would wanted to have cargo

Pockets I've had a lot of people ask if

it should be baggier you know like

there's a few of those things that are

continuing to happen but that

conversation is an important thing we

can do right now didn't exist as much

before so I can have that online via

email and on social media with my

customer and I can hone in you know

through generations to make a perfect

product and a lot of people want to have

that perfect product before they launch

but if you have enough utility or enough

aesthetic interest you can get to one

level and they continue to progress it

to further levels down the line but then

let's talk about elevation so this is a

cashmere hat a valuable cashmere hat uh

this is actually a sample so we did this

Embroidery in white but because of the

size of the embroidery you can only use

a certain number of styles I didn't like

the way it actually kind of shown on

here uh so I ended up swapping and I

I'll I'll unwrap the new one kind of see

it but the reason this was interesting

was because of this uh Lop Piana item so

Lop Piana sells a lot of these hats

they're $495 they are Kashmir they are

stormproof Kashmir which is not not what

I didou nicer Kashmere than what I'm

getting they obvious have access to some

of these best materials ever but it

basically this hat became sort of the

cheapest things you can buy from the

Ropo and because of its popularity the

popularity quiet luxury and sucession

and all that all these people wanted to

buy into the chir luxury lifestyle and

they sold a hell a lot of these $500

hats as a entry level price point to the

brand uh and then looking around at

other brands that are doing it like

Vince has one um this brand has one and

it's expensive you know they're saying

the $300 and this one I found after I

made this and it's like almost the same

in terms of like the fabric uh that's

being used at your double wool cashmir

blend baseball cap and so I looked at

and said okay cool they're selling $300

for that I know how this is made I can

make this for significantly less they

are getting massive margins on this uh

and so I thought about the user

experience of that let me unbox here for

a second the these are our valuable dust

bags we have for some items a couple

different bags I'm trying out you'll see

across different items I actually do but

this hat that we have here so you'll see

I went Brown on Brown which I felt looks

a lot better natural leather band on the

back graved it some macro shots over

there but it's got this fuzzy cashmir

which when you see it in person looks

Ultra Premium feels Ultra and is

something that we're selling for I

believe it's like $72 versus 300 or 500

and it's not weatherproof um like the

luro one is but for people wondering

like I've had a lot of questions about

like is it hot like it's a standard

shell inside we have on any other hat a

little valuable tag but I just like this

interesting idea of okay I like the idea

of an elevated hat what materials can we

have I don't want to do just a standard

D hat with a design on it um but I do

want to say hey for the fact that you

getting this much cheaper you're also

representing my brand kog have on it

that's interesting concept to me and

something that is premium at a realistic

price point and also branded and I feel

puts things in the right perspective and

I want to look at this as just a kind of

a phase one and where we got tons of

colors of these we look at applications

there but really it's about the

materials about me saying okay we've

seen leather hats we've seen you know

like elevated cotton or things on that

too like what else could I potentially

make this out of that makes it

interesting or has utility um but mainly

kind of has a like a looking feel that

feels synonymous with the brand and when

you go work with the avender on this

like I worked Avenger I worked with done

tons of hats and it was literally like

hey what Fabrics do you think will work

what can you get your hands on here's

some of what I can get my hands on let's

try some samples let's see how let's

tone in you know hone in the embroidery

let's say okay that going to be too hot

let's should we adjust the shell you

begin to look at those decisions and

you've made something interesting almost

inherently by just kind of elevating the

material and then this third concept

I've seen these Chrome Hearts fuzzy dice

and they have a leather uh version as

well um but basically these are $5,000

you know or there were thousands of

dollars when you got them they're

retailing on grill for 5500 uh I've

Loved fuzzy dice and car Dice and I have

a whole car theme like inside the brand

so seemed very natural and so I went and

did a couple versions of this so one I

first did these these kind of leather

ones with a more basic stud U which I

liked a lot and then for actual release

um which is this version here comes the

same dust

bag slightly modified it so was a

shorter chain

the shorter chain makes it easier like

based on the vehicle you have um to be

able to put them in the car or to hang

them on wherever you want to but they're

large they're chunky and then I'm

looking at for the future going with

like a different chain uh a like a

really high quality leather and maybe

doing like some level of custom studs

but just taking an item you have like a

pure embellish but just giving it its

own like stylistic identity and you

notice some of like the difference we're

a couple Generations into samples on

this so it's perfectly ver this is the

first generation of sample on this from

a different vendor and it's a little

more puffy we're going to have to kind

of change a bit of how we actually put

it together to get to the construction

that matches this those are the things

you think about with uh the various

vendors that you're using and you know

to do this I measured out a existing set

of regular fuzzy dice um I you know I

picked from a variety of materials I

sent them like a breakdown of the actual

sizing the length of the chain the type

of the chain with the connection points

will look like you know and they had

some thoughts on how they can actually

make it constructed in fact they're

actually worried on some of these

samples cuz they the the corners aren't

like super perfect I'm like that's it's

not kind of what the product is right

it's more of a conceptual product about

having like a perfect corner and we kind

of move moved forward on on production

either way but those the conversations

you'll have you know with vendors but

that's not the process that I'm going

through as I look at like a new thing I

want to make an accessory or I want to

make a product I want to make a hat how

do you then take a material that is

different and offer something that is

elevated or offer something that is hard

to get but at a more reasonable price

point like how do you kind of bridge

those things together those are ideas

that are interesting to me that I'm

connecting together through iconography

and some of the storytelling that I and

eventually we'll kind of uh find the

brand identity and that's an interesting

thing to think about too is I feel like

in today's world you can take the time

to find the brand identity and you can

take the to have the customer

conversation those are really

interesting points like I have a lot of

ideas about this brand and what I think

it stands for uh and what I think could

be important about it but I get to

actually engage with what resonates from

a Content perspective and what I

actually can produce and put out and

then continually kind of shift that

until you find the right way which is

something that is available because the

internet gives you feedback based on how

your content performs how what people

actually choose to purchase when they do

see that content and you should be able

to adapt your brand to it much like the

conversation angle we have like talking

about those pants I'd sent some uh

samples to my friend Zach he'd been like

hey like this pocket is too small I feel

don't feel comfortable kind of wearing

these but like this other item you did

because of X and Y and just being able

to have those conversations is really

important for someone to think

critically about it for me to think

about okay for this type of user they

engage with this or engage with that

that's part of the brand building that

happens naturally now and uh I did a

little Meetup in La this morning where a

bunch of people from uh Instagram and

and Twitter came and met with myself and

Ashwin at Chago on on social and one of

the things that came up is a bunch of

people had their own like kind of

smaller Brands we're talking about how

do they do how do they test they have a

lot of money what do they do and one of

the things I recommended I think is

interesting is is if you do want to test

you want to test what will sell from

content and you want to test running ads

especially that's kind of how I present

most people to test what you're doing is

be like all right can I post organic

content in it sells or can I put meta

ads out and it sells uh and if you're

Tik Tok proficient enough can I put it

on shop but that's another level and to

do that it's like okay you don't need

five things you need one thing and a

reasonable price point and I love $1 to

$150 cuz it gives you a lot of room on

meta to make a sale with a with an ad um

it's like hey don't just get like a

standard t-shirt or a standard thing get

your unique item your you know

go and get your mq 100 200 you can find

someone who will make you 100 or 200 of

something of like a really specific

jacket performance short or car

accessory whatever it is find it in that

price point that speaks specifically to

it and then run that organic content and

Those ads like to sell through it until

you do and keep testing until you do

sell through it and then you're going to

learn a lot about what actually worked

if that price point is relevant if your

performance is there before you actually

go invest in a bunch of items people

want to kind of jump in fast usually and

have a wide collection of validate add

more iterate change based on what Tex

brand identities need to be flexible

based on both like what's happening

culturally the things that you feel in

love and what actually works and we're

in a time period now where we just get

more feedback on that faster than ever

via direct conversation with customers

that we can have or via like actually

the performance of how we sell things so

things worth noting and worth so if you

have any questions about like how some

products come together these ideas of

luxury and performance and premium

products uh drop them in the comments

I'm kind of shaping how this series of

this goes you know over time and I would

love to kind of put out more about it

thank you for watching