4 Lessons Brands Taught Us When They Became “Cool”

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This blog was written by Setup’s Business Development + Marketing Associate, Alexis Quarcoo.

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Fashion trends are cyclical in nature, constantly going in and out of style. There are some brands, however, that were never trendy, but are somehow currently defying the odds and catapulting into mainstream fashion. The strategies these once undesirable brands used to thrust themselves into the fashion spotlight are applicable to marketers everywhere.

Here are four takeaways from notable brands' marketing campaigns that have impacted their resurgence:

1. The Power of Influence

Influencer culture is a game changer for brands, especially ones trying to re-emerge in the market. Influencers help brands build trust and rapport, thus making the brand more appealing to consumers. For many of these previously “lackluster” brands, the result of working alongside A-list celebrities and influencers was popularity. 

While some brands strategically partner with influencers and celebrities to flaunt their products, others are purely lucky when a celebrity happens to be styled in their brand. The sportswear brand, Champion, is an example of the power of luck and strategy working together.

Champion was a premier athletic brand in the ‘80s and ’90s, and was responsible for making iconic NBA jerseys and the Olympic “dream team” uniforms. According to Better Marketing, at their peak in the ‘90s, the brand was bought by the Sara Lee Corporation, better known for their bread products. While this acquisition seemed like a good idea at the time, Sarah Lee eventually started focusing more on the food industry aspect of their business, leading to a loss of resources and money for Champion. Completely losing their appeal after selling their merchandise to department stores like Walmart and Target, Champion strategized and decided to partner with the popular streetwear brand Supreme in 2010. 

Once this collaboration took place, celebrities started wearing Champion, bringing the brand back into the eyes of the consumer as a valuable brand. This momentum led to trendy retailers like Urban Outfitters and Pacsun adopting the brand and selling the merchandise at a much higher price, thus increasing the inherent value of the brand and making them “cool” again, especially to younger consumers.

2. The Vintage Appeal 

In recent years, wearing “vintage” clothes has become all the rage. Funnily enough, most current trendy vintage wear includes brands that the youth of previous generations deemed undesirable. 

For example, according to Creative Review, New Balance Shoes were initially targeted towards people who were avid runners and wanted a supportive shoe, leading to a shoe that was made for comfort rather than style. Chunky and comfortable, the shoes became beloved by middle-aged people in the ‘70s and eventually deemed as a “dad shoe,” even mocked during fraternity pledging. 

After decades of New Balance acting as the go-to shoe for dads, the vintage community took the brand over by storm and popularized its unique style for young people. 

“Sneakerheads’,” or younger people with an affinity for shoes and their history, love for the brand exposed the shoes to the general public. 

Younger people usually revive fashion trends, but New Balance was never “trendy,” making this recent attention for the brand exciting. In fact, New Balance’s newfound popularity has given the brand the leverage, momentum, and confidence to become more brand-centric as the brand is selling even more “vintage” products in addition to newer product releases. 

3. Switching Things Up

Vintage apparel isn’t the only trend thriving in the fashion world. “Futuristic” designs are growing in popularity as an increase of designers are working alongside brands to reimagine their products.

The work Salehe Bembury did with Crocs is a perfect example of designers taking the prototype and using new colorways and designs to create something unique that appeals to the younger generation. He’s taken Crocs’ original framework and, uses inspiration from nature to add texture, rifts, valleys, and color to give them a new feel. Salehe’s designs transformed how many people look at Crocs and choose to wear them today. 

Image via Salehe Bembury’s Instagram

Collaborating with cool artists is just one example brands have used to level up. Companies have used this trick to resurrect their brand's reputations for years. Most recently, Kanye West partnered with Gap to include Yeezy pieces to attract a younger crowd to Gap storefronts. 

4. Designer Brands Having Their Own Take

Image via Balenciaga.com

Some designer brands created their own versions of “dead brands.” Balenciaga is known for taking previously undesirable fashion and making it “Camp,” or appealing by intentionally leaning into tackiness. For example, Balenciaga released their own versions of the “dad shoe” and Crocs that are eccentric and sometimes jarring takes of the original merchandise. Their first collaboration with Crocs was in 2018, and, according to Business Insider Netherland, the shoes were available exclusively through Barney’s and sold out before it hit stores. Also, according to Insider, Balenciaga’s collaboration with Crocs helped their sales explode, and ironically helped launch the once ugly or childish shoe brand into the world of high fashion.

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Marketers have a lot to learn from brands that have resurged. Influence and timing are factors that affect a brand’s success, but the icing on the cake is purposeful positioning and capitalizing on the pulse of trends.