Streetwear brand FEDERATION has been named the winner of the inaugural James & Wells: Fashion Communication Design Award ahead of two other distinguished finalists – CYBELE and MOOCHI.
Developed in collaboration between Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ) and James & Wells Intellectual Property, the award celebrates creativity and excellence in fashion-specific communication design, which seeks to inspire, inform and influence consumer audiences.
The winner was announced last night at the opening of a public exhibition showcasing the three finalists’ work – Fashion Communication Design: Sending Messages – which will run during the New Zealand Fashion Festival at Sale St in Auckland, from March 22-27.
FEDERATION will receive intellectual property services to the value of NZ$5,000 from James & Wells Intellectual Property, as well as an annual membership subscription from FINZ.
Founded a decade ago, by husband-and-wife team Nick and Jenny Clegg, FEDERATION now ranks among New Zealand’s most successful international fashion brands; being sold in 18 countries across the Pacific, Asia, U.K, Europe, Middle East and North America.
FEDERATION targets ‘anyone who’s into street culture’ aged 18-35 years and has developed an aesthetic that involves ‘taking elements of pop culture, past or present, and messing with them’. Its self-described brand personality is ‘unconventional, artistic, quirky, humorous and youthful’.
Nick Clegg, co-founder of FEDERATION, says: “This award means a lot to us, because we’re really conscious about our brand and how we tell our story. Regardless of whether it’s an individual print, garment, look-book or Facebook post; everything is FEDERATION.
“With us, it’s a case of deciding ‘this is what we’re doing’ and ‘this is where we’re going’; let’s implement it. And, that’s based on a combination of things, which often stem from bouncing ideas off one another. We have such a great team. These people are awesome and we’re not going to change who we are to try and fit every market. We have to stay true to ourselves.”
The judging panel was led by Mike Hutcheson, co-founder of Colenso and former managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi, who now heads Image Centre Holdings. He was joined by Carrick Robinson, partner at James & Wells Intellectual Property, and FINZ executive officer, Mapihi Opai.
Mike Hutcheson [co-founder of Colenso and former managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi] says: “FEDERATION is up-front in saying: ‘we design what we want to wear and don’t necessarily follow trends’. This implies honesty, creativity and self-confidence, which expresses itself in the personality of the brand. They really understand their target audience, because the communication design is deliberate, consistently slick and well integrated.
“This is an eclectic brand that you can’t pigeonhole. It’s always experimenting and continuing to evolve, which sparks your curiosity and makes you want to find out what’s next.”
Carrick Robinson [partner at James & Wells Intellectual Property] says:
“FEDERATION has clearly and confidently delivered its message to the world. It’s great to see a company with such a firm grip on who it is as a brand, and a willingness to execute a strategy around this.”
Mapihi Opai [executive officer at Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ)] says: “FEDERATION is a company that has a lot to shout about, but aggressive self-promotion just isn’t part of Nick and Jenny’s mindset. Instead, they choose to speak through the brand and it’s something they do exceptionally well, because that language transcends cultural barriers and is understood by people around the world.”
All three finalists will take home their respective printed works from the exhibition courtesy of Blue Star.
Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ) is the voice of New Zealand’s fashion and apparel industry. Established in 2002, the non-profit organisation was founded by the industry to provide representation and support for the industry.
New Zealand’s most dynamic firm of patent attorneys, trade mark specialists and intellectual property lawyers, James & Wells is proud to support New Zealand’s fashion industry and has been a longstanding partner of Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ).
Blue Star is a trans-Tasman communications group, providing market leading solutions across sheet-fed, digital and web printing, as well as print management, direct mail and logistics.
Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ) - Fibre2fashion.com
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