The fashion industry globally has witnessed many famous fashion designers from major cities such as Paris, Milan, New York to London who have worked tirelessly to create distinct signature style over a period of time.
Having a signature style that comes through explicitly or in subtle ways through every piece of fashion item that your brand produces is one of the best things you can do for your fashion brand.
We can think of famous fashion brands such as Burberry, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nike and a host of many other designers with unique signatures that make it easy to identify them.
One thing, I stress on when interacting with emerging designers in Ghana is to invest time in understanding their brand by making sure they have fully answered out the what, who, why, where, when and how of their brand. For instance what their brand is about, why they are making these products, who they are targeting, where they will make it available, when they need to make it available and how they are going to market the brand. Once these are clear from the beginning, they can be able to work out their signature style.
I personally think a lot of designers in Ghana are mainly driven by passion and have not achieved creating unique signature styles that make them stand out.
Having a signature style for your fashion brand involves a continuous effort at creating a distinct brand look and feel over a period of time. For instance in Ghana, the late Kofi Ansah is known to pioneer modern African styles and design with his design signature which includes the unique use of quilting, embroidery and appliqués.
Why is it important for your brand to have a signature style?
Gives you an identity
Having a signature style gives you a name, it gives you an identity. One that is easily recognizable because it makes you stand out among the crowd. Getting noticed in the fashion world is quite a tough one especially for new entrants who may have a lot of work to do to get noticed.
Being able to create a signature requires that you invest in charting a path that is unique while playing around with lots of designing elements such as colors, prints, patterns, silhouettes, embroidery etc and finally settling on what works for you. Even your own personal style could be an influence in creating your kind of style.
Helps Create Emotional Connection
When your brand is unique, you are able to attract your intended target audience. These customers over time become connected to the brand and begin to trust your brand. This trust is built by aligning with the emotional values of your audience.
Having a signature style helps you to achieve that connection with your customers who become your tribe and work to support your journey and success.
Build a Tribe around your brand
We all know it’s not easy to break through in the fashion industry. With new talents sprouting every minute, having a signature helps you build a tribe of customers who repeatedly patronize your pieces collection after collection.
In the end, the primary function of any brand is to sell their product or services and that can only be achieved when these customers can identify themselves with the brand’s offering while adding value to their lives.
With a growing demand for fashion designers globally, the industry is always on a look out for best designers. If you want to earn a distinct place in the industry, then you have to develop a unique taste and style and pay close heed to creating your signature.
This post was originally published in the Business & Financial Times 2/3/2018
Photocredit: Fashion Forum Africa (FFG4)
Outfit: Nadrey Laurent
Important Notice: Currently ongoing is the Sunsum Sessions at Ano, 1 Lokko Road in Osu from the 17th of February to the 10th of March, 2018 which highlights and celebrates some of the works and designs of the late Kofi Ansah with Clothes lent by Fashion Forum Africa.
If you are in Accra, you may want to check out some of his amazing works at the exhibition.
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