Creating a brand with patterns

Back in the days, we wrote an article for textile designers about the need of creating a brand of themselves (the article is written in Finnish): if a customer is considering purchasing a pattern, and it has two equally talented designers’ works to choose from, most likely, the pattern of the better-known designer will be chosen.

Branding is all about conceptions and the same need for creating a brand applies to any textile manufacturer.

We have met several manufacturers, who have modern and huge machinery for textile manufacturing, but they concentrate only on manufacturing and running of the factory. These companies prefer working as subcontractors for companies that don’t have a production capacity of their own rather than taking a risk and creating a brand of their own and developing it. These same textile manufacturers may, or may not, have a stock-collection of fabrics with random pattern designs, which are sold to any kind of customers, anywhere in the world. With a good price for sure.

Also, we have met retailers with their own interior/clothing brands, who neither have a single designer working with patterns nor use outsourced textile designers. These retailers think that a brand gets created on its own with those above-mentioned manufacturers’ stock-collection fabrics, as long as the brand label is visible.

We don’t blame them. Customers are very price-conscious these days, and this way brand owners get the products manufactured in a cheap way.

Also, we have met, and are working with, manufacturers, retailers and brand-owners that have understood the importance of visual R&D, and are willing to invest in design for differentiating from their competitors with either good, unique patterns or yet better an entire collection.

Brands that know their style, know also where they come from, and know where they are going. In the world of patterns, people working for these brands know what they are looking for in every small detail, and how to get what they are looking for. They may not have their own designers in-house, but they use outsourced designers – us or someone else – who work according to a comprehensive design brief. Only the sky is the limit for these companies, as they are able to increase their own brand value

Competence in any consumer goods sector is harsh these days. The survivors are companies with a strong brand and brand identity. Don’t hesitate to be in touch if you need help in creating one.