In Paris last week for client meetings, I found myself surrounded by men and women of slender stature. And then I realised, it was Paris Fashion Week.
One company that certainly didn’t scream chic during this sartorial celebration was Pretty Little Thing (PLT).
Yes, it showed up. It hosted a launch event for the new brand featuring Naomi Campbell partying with Burna Boy, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jasmine Tooks. But unfortunately, its attempts at a new look were widely seen as a flop.
Dissecting the PLT rebrand
Let us take a step back. Pretty Little Thing recently entered into the quiet luxury trend with a rebrand and a full relaunch. The formerly uber-cheap fast-fashion company traded in its low-price-first positioning for something more upmarket, though not yet upscale. The brand also introduced a reselling marketplace for its clothes to try to combat the reality of just how unsustainable fast fashion is.
Unfortunately for PLT, it’s not a fast follower. Other brands have moved faster to combat the impact of fast-fashion – for example, H&M’s pre-loved site, which has been around for years.
Not only that, but rebranding yourself as a more ethical company is difficult when you pay workers only £3.50 per hour, as PLT’s parent company, Boohoo does. You have to wonder whether PLT’s new, highly increased prices will trickle down to ensure its workforce are paid a living wage.
On the surface, PLT has moved away from its signature party-girl feel to something more streamlined. It is calling its new look “elevated fashion essentials”. Even its candy-pink unicorn logo has been sacrificed in favour of new cursive burgundy script. All in all, the move feels, frankly, off-brand. And the outcome is decidedly unchic.
What mistakes did Pretty Little Thing make?
Why? Because PLT tried to impress but forgot about what it is in the process. I’m not surprised to see the criticism flooding in from PLT customers – with many expressing confusion or disappointment. Some X users have rebranded the company Serious Little Thing.
So what can brands that want to take the leap and invest in total transformation do to ensure they don’t repeat PLT’s missteps?
First, brands must look at what is true to them and the vision that lies at the heart of the business. Then, they must shape their rebranding goals and key messaging around those values and their vision. But brands can’t only look inwards. They must also listen to their current customers while considering the needs, wants and desires of the new ones they hope to obtain.
For example, our own research at Lippincott shows that if brands are chasing consumers 35 years old or younger – which seems to be the case with PLT – then they need to be careful about making claims they’re operating more ethically.
This younger set of shoppers less frequently believe brands they engage with are a net positive for society.
You have to wonder whether PLT’s highly increased prices will trickle down to ensure its workforce are paid a living wage
Younger generations can’t easily be convinced that brands have society’s best interests in mind, so it’s not enough to raise prices and change colour palettes without also changing the materials and methods with which clothes are made. There’s no pulling the wool, lycra, cotton or merino over their eyes.
Additionally, brands should be wary of “greenwashing”. If caught out, this will only lead to lower levels of trust among younger generations.
But perhaps one of the most salient points is that brands absolutely cannot ignore their customers. Yet they so often repeat this mistake –Jaguar, anyone?
Branding that communicates high fashion but is paired with very little tangible change is simply not believable. There has to be a branding strategy rooted in rigorous customer research behind the visual change to a brand; one that is embedded across the business.
The bottom line: when there’s tension between what your brand claims and how your customers perceive you, no amount of marketing noise will hide the dissonance - especially if it’s not truthful to where your brand came from, or to what your customers want.
Chris Ciompi is senior partner at global creative consultancy Lippincott
In Paris last week for client meetings, I found myself surrounded by men and women of slender stature. And then I realised, it was Paris Fashion Week.
One company that certainly didn’t scream chic during this sartorial celebration was Pretty Little Thing (PLT).
Yes, it showed up. It hosted a launch event for the new brand featuring Naomi Campbell partying with Burna Boy, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jasmine Tooks. But unfortunately, its attempts at a new look were widely seen as a flop.
