SS18 campaign manifesto and lookbook
Shrimps, created by Hannah Weiland, prides itself on bringing timeless yet playful garments and accessories to women. Its target consumer is the sophisticated, well-dressed female, with the majority of the brand’s pieces being luxurious faux fur coats, printed silk separates or embellished clutch bags. Yet for Spring/Summer 2018 the small London-based fashion label will be refreshed, to widen the brand’s product range and image while keeping its quirky, girly style and brand identity. With the SS18 trend ‘Rebellion’ comes a reform of styles and ideas, and along with that we can see the brand being able to take its unconventional, artistic identity and designs to a new level.
While currently Shrimps appeals to the modern, willowy, perhaps professional woman, with this Spring/Summer 2018 campaign we can expect to see the audience broaden to include younger female consumers, of different body shapes and looks. This upcoming lookbook displays what would be considered a ‘plus-size’ model, with a more unusual look and body shape – as well as displaying stretch marks and skin blemishes – promoting an idea of female empowerment which could so easily be linked to Shrimps with its feminine branding and off-the-wall image style. The addition of pieces and colour palettes which would appeal to younger consumers also adds to this rebrand.
The theme of body positivity, female strength and support extends to the limited t-shirt range which will be printed with feminist, suffragette-style slogans, giving a nod in the direction of Shrimps’ interest in art and fashion history. These t-shirts will be sold with proceeds going to women’s charity Womankind who aim to raise the status of women and girls all over the world. This brings a new philanthropic route to the brand while also increasing attention and broadening consumer type.
To promote this new campaign and image, Shrimps’ social media outputs (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) will be utilised more effectively, as this is likely to be a more successful approach to promote the label to younger females. A hashtag, such as #shrimpsxwomankind could be used to promote buyers sporting their charity t-shirts, and thus prompting others to take a look at the fashion label and enable growth, as well as support for the chosen charity.
Advertisement in quirky, independent fashion magazines would also attract the desired audience, as well as the fact that Shrimps do not have any advertising in print as of yet. Using images from the SS18 lookbook, this will help to promote the brand’s image in a simple, clear and bold manner.
Women’s inequality all over the world is still continuing and becoming even more of a talking point with fourth wave feminism and the internet’s abilities to spread messages and concern. Body shaming particularly in the western world is also a source of outrage, so Shrimps aiming to fight against this by using more full-figured models and showing the body’s ‘flaws’ (whereas the majority of brands would consider these worthy of censorship) will help reduce these issues and make girls and women feel confident in their skin and in their clothes, rebranding the idea of a ‘powerful’ woman.