How Young
& Laramore Wooed Fashion Designer Jason Wu
Years before Jason Wu
catapulted onto the fashion scene with his design of First Lady Michelle
Obama's inaugural ball-gown, Indianapolis ad agency Young & Laramore worked
to forge a relationship between the young designer and its client, home-design
brand Brizo.
Although Brizo makes
bathroom fixtures, Y&L defined a strategy to make it more like a fashion
label. And rather than going with a traditional-media route, Carolyn Hadlock,
Y&L's executive creative director, brainstormed with stylist Brandon Cannon
to break Brizo out of the box.
Mr.
Cannon had introduced Y&L to Mr. Wu's designs when he brought a selection
of his dresses to a Brizo photo shoot. Immediately spotting the parallels in
the brands' timeless, exquisitely crafted design, the team decided to sponsor
the up-and-coming Mr. Wu at Fashion Week. Y&L sold Brizo on the idea by
drawing the connection of shared aesthetics and luxury-fashion aspirations. The
partnership grew from there, with Mr. Wu working up an exclusive product line
for Brizo.
The result is a lesson for all agencies
about making sure your shop uncovers talent before they become too
famous to work with you, as well one about having the foresight to expand a
brand's possibilities via unique strategic partnerships.
After all, who would have imagined that you
could take a fashion star and pair him with powder-room accessories? Yet for
Y&L the collaboration has been highly successful. Jason Wu fixtures for
Brizo -- from $15 doorknobs to $800 faucets -- are hitting stores now.
Click on the image above to see a timeline
of their journey, from the agency introducing the designer to Brizo back in
2006, to Mr. Wu's creation of necklaces and T-shirts for Brizo giveaways, to
the Wu-branded faucet's unveiling at an Architectural Digest event last fall.
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