Case Study
Manmade
the summary
Reintroducing essential items to the Millennial Man
The Problem
United by a mission that propelled them into new territory, four high-energy founders set out to forge a new path for men’s essential products. Facing an unfamiliar market being dominated by commodity and larger, legacy competitors, I teamed up with Manmade to define an approach that would firmly establish their new venture.
The Challenge
How might we make underwear more meaningful to young men in North America, fostering a connection that transcends transaction and turns a mindless purchase into a prideful priority?
The Solution
By wholeheartedly championing Manmade’s most unassuming qualities, we devised a global strategy and new brand position that informed product design, defined customer experience, and realized an unclaimed perspective for men’s essential products.
Category
Fashion, Essentials, Startup
Things We Did
Brand Strategy + Positioning
Value Proposition Design
Communication Guidelines
Copywriting + Messaging
Creative Direction
Visual Identity Design
People Who Helped
Julian Rotondo | Creative Direction + Design
the results
the details
Building Context
Despite being ready to revamp the quality, logic, and attainability of men’s essential items, the Manmade team still remained unsure in how they would launch their first product—as well as their entire company. Not only did they need a viable way to enter an industry consumed by competition and commodity, but would have to do so by leading with a product that is largely under-appreciated and under-prioritized by a generation of men who are still collectively under-informed.
In the midst of developing their purpose and prototype, we set out to understand why items referred to as “essentials” are often treated as anything but. We explored how North American consumers discover and purchase new products, as well as how they think and behave in relation to men's essential products. We discovered that disinterest in essentials isn’t indicative of importance and, in doing so, found an untapped advantage that could exist within apathy.
Driving Change
Leveraging consumer bias and commoditization, we pinpointed where such views overlapped authentically with Manmade’s culture and core strengths—then boldly leaned into them. Fusing presumption with pragmatism, we reimagined the company not as a fashion brand but as a foundation brand. We then helped the Manmade team adopt their new approach and embed their brand promise throughout communication, content, experience, and product design.
