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MAINBOCHER 2.0



Brand Revival Strategy for "Sleeping Beauty" Luxury Brands



How can an extinct or struggling brand be reborn in today's age and have a successful trajectory? This paper proposes a strategic, marketing plan by leaning into behavioral psychology to influence modern consumer decision-making.



Photographed by Irving Penn, Vogue, June 1961

Image Source: Vogue



The New Look, Decades Before Dior





"What I’ve been trying for, all through my career, has been to design dresses that enhance the wearers in new ways. If I can add distinction and elegance to my things the better.”

- Main Rousseau Bocher, 1970.


Established in 1929 in Paris by merging the name of its American founder Main Bocher, Mainbocher (pronounced "Maine-Bocker") was a fashion couture house known for innovations in evening wear in a French market. Owing to the slowdown in production facilities and the financial disparities due to the onset of the Great Depression, Mainbocher designed subtle, muted, and simple evening wear devoid of excess embellishments. Dubbed timeless due to their tasteful elegance and sophisticated styling without the overt display of wealth, the garments were an instant favorite amongst celebrities who demanded made-to-measure, limited edition pieces to be worn at private and high-profile events and appear distinguished and modestly elevated in comparison to other influential members of the upper classes in attendance.


Given the recognition of Main Bocher in the industry, the house of Mainbocher saw increasing success, attracting a clientele of the founder’s European aristocrats and American socialite network. Some of the brand’s most noteworthy clients were Baroness Eugène de Rothschild (member of the Rothschild family), Diana Vreeland (American Vogue, Editor in Chief), Gloria Vanderbilt (celebrated American artist & socialite, member of the Vanderbilt family) & Adele Astaire (actress, singer, sister of Fred Astaire) & Wallis Windsor (nee Simpson) who was unarguably his most famous patron. Mainbocher created a new color and named it Wallis Blue in her honor and designed her wedding trousseau for her marriage to the Duke of Windsor after he abdicated the British throne. (1)​



Wallis Blue by Mainbocher for the Duchess of Windsor

Image Source: Medium



Wallis Blue by Mainbocher for the Duchess of Windsor

Image Source: Medium



The Sleeping Beauty





“Everybody said, ‘Don’t touch it, it’s dead, it will never come back.’ But I thought it was a challenge.”

- Karl Lagerfeld on Chanel,
Creative Director & Celebrated Brand Revivalist.


Many fashion (and specifically couture) houses suffered during the world wars from limitations in fabric supply and financial instability. Leading labels of the time such as House of Worth, Paul Poiret, Jean Patou, Elsa Schiaparelli all perished under the ready-to-wear revolution stemmed from the need for industrialized clothing during World War I & II. Through the 50s and the 60s, the brand was often commissioned to style Broadway productions such as The Sound of Music (1959) gaining re-popularity amongst the arts and artists. In time, while the brand did re-emerge as one of the most coveted labels by socialite and debutant clients in America, owing to poor health, Main Bocher decided to close the brand and cease all collections in 1971. Main Bocher died 5 years later in 1976 without an heir to the brand.


After decades of extinction and in the hopes to revive the brand again in the future, the rights and trademarks to Mainbocher and the past collections were painstakingly bought/collected by Luvanis S.A., a private investment company based in Luxembourg that specializes in reviving “sleeping beauties”, a term given to brands that were once glamorous but are now struggling or extinct, only resurrect-able by an injection of financial support from wealthy companies.



“Making Mainbocher: The First American Couturier,” at the Chicago History Museum

Image Source: WSJ



The New Mainbocher Consumer





“Brands with an authentic heritage are important assets. The challenge is to revive them and make them relevant to today’s consumers,”

- Luca Solca, Managing Director,

(Luxury Goods) Sanford C. Bernstein Schweiz.


BRAND POSITIONING:

​

Mainbocher would be revived as a luxury couture house of brands as it was in its heyday however now with products made exclusively for events & occasion wear. Mainbocher’s collections would not be meant for day-to-day wear and command only special occasions “worthy of the fashion itself”. The vision is that a luxury consumer may wear a Gucci ensemble throughout the day but if they had to attend an event, the only brand they would wear would be a Mainbocher because “wearing Gucci wouldn’t be enough”.



TARGET CONSUMER: ​


Given the historic association of Mainbocher with a socialite, celebrity clientele, the Mainbocher client of the 2020s would be anyone who either already views themselves as a celebrity, whether it is in a micro influence of their social network, large social influencers, or mega-celebrities or aspires to be associated with that stratum of recognition. Mainbocher would service two tiers of consumers:


  1. Self-Expressers, Eg. Celebrities for marquee events.
  2. Achievers, Eg. Social Influencers.


Photographed by Donald Honeyman, Vogue, July 1947

Image Source: Vogue



Photographed by Richard Avedon, March 1960

Image Source: skorver1 on Flickr



Building Motivation Through Mainbocher’s Value Proposition





“Thirty-five years ago, old labels were old labels.
​Now everybody wants to revive a label.”

- Karl Lagerfeld,

Creative Director at Fendi & Chanel


MAINBOCHER CREATES:

​

  1. Occasion and event evening wear with innovations in function and utility.

  2. A differentiated and distinguished luxury couture house of brands that fulfills its clients' need to be unique and allows them to express their opinion through their style.

  3. A motion away from the norm signaling the path to a higher status. the house would not follow the traditional buying cycle of seasons and hence could exist above the layer of trends.

  4. A recognition halo that signals membership of a relevant reference group to those that desire it.


VALUE PROPOSITION EVOLUTION:


As the brands and products achieve adoption and integration by the target audience, the brands may extend into other areas of products such as accessories, limited-edition capsule collections, branded merchandise through collaborations with artists and creators to offer accessible lines to emerging mass consumers.



Seamstresses in the workshops of Mainbocher, 1937.

Image Source: WSJ



Product, Marketing & Distribution Strategy





“With a dormant fashion house, you have an inexhaustible reserve of storytelling to match, yet it comes with no liability, negative connotation or skeletons in the cupboard. There is no restructuring to be done and you can position the brand however you wish in terms of creativity, price points, and distribution channels. It is basically ‘carte blanche’ to devise a modern business model that comes with the benefits of aura and heritage”,

- Pierre Mallevays,

Managing Partner of Savigny Partners LLP



WHAT IS MAINBOCHER 2.0?


Mainbocher is heritage made new. The house of brands lies in the confluence of high fashion with street style, of the vast history of the brand with contemporary culture. The Maison aims to transform contemporary fashion into high fashion pieces by imbuing the brand's iconic elements and values into the designs and provoke a little controversy each time to appeal to the desires of wealth and luxury of the influencers of today.



WHAT IS THE BRAND ARCHITECTURE?


Mainbocher would be split into two distinct lines, Couture and Pret. This brand structure creates a varying level of distinction between each brand and customer so that those on every level do not feel encroached on by those “below” them.



WHAT IS THE MESSAGE?


The brands will carry the following messages across all levels of communication:

  1. A fine balance between the updated heritage.

  2. Old is New – A revival of a revolutionary legacy of innovation with the past.

  3. Artistry, craftsmanship, and attention to detail lie at the core of each handmade and curated collection

  4. Building an experiential attitude hierarchy:
    1. Projecting the confluence of the nostalgia of the past with the reflections of the future, Mainbocher builds on the affective, emotive feelings of such associations.
    2. Through the expert use of imagery and experience, the brand would build on the cognitive experience reinforcing a luxe belief about the objects, spaces, and personalities associated with Mainbocher.
    3. Finally, at the point of purchase and engagement, build on the behavioral attitude creation ensuring that the clients become brand partners.

  5. At every stage of consumer interaction, the brands would use the opportunity to create self-to-brand connections through associations of who one is influenced by and wants to emulate.


Illustrated by Douglas Pollard, Vogue, March 1931

Image Source: Vogue



Illustrated by Eric, Vogue, January 1934

Image Source: Vogue



For the complete proposal and concept, please feel free to reach out to me and we can discuss the idea and approach in more depth.


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