Task 4.Who else is out there? How good are they?

I will be competing against lots of different clothing brands. Examples include Addidas, Boxfresh and Carhartt. I chose these brands specifically because they are great examples of  brands that have branched out into music and film. They supply clothing for artists and actors. The film 'Kidulthood' was sponsored by Boxfresh, the clothing is clearly worn by the actors throughout the film.

In the french film 'Le Haine' one of the main characters Hubert wears a Carhartt hat almost the whole way through the film.

Another example is seen in adidas' exploitation of Hip Hop. Adidas would argue that it has promoted this underground subculture, however I would argue that they only jumped on the band wagon once their clothing was accepted and flaunted by the young people of the the Hip Hop movement. They saw an opportunity to  make money through sponsorship deals with artist from all areas of the Hip Hop scene.

To try and set myself apart from the competition I would setup pop up shops at music events/festivals and film festivals. During the day these would serve as retail stores and at night they would be used to hold live events. Events that might include live art/graffiti, music by artist or DJ's or open mic events, dance of all kinds for example breakdancing and screenings of untapped talent from the film world. Artists could then have the opportunity to be sponsored by my clothing brand. This type of self promotion would help connect with  customers and potential clients in a genuine and hands on way at the grass roots level. This would enable me to interact with the public which gives a more personal touch. Especially within the urban fashion, music and film industries. In todays world potential clients want their customers to be able to relate to the products so that they feel comfortable wearing their clothes. My view is that my brand and identity need to be true to what it represents and not only concerned with selling for profits .The audience want to know that the brand identifies with them.