Case Study · Freedom of Beach
Freedom of Beach: Transformative Swimwear for Women on the Move
The Mission
A native Floridian, born and raised in the sun and sand, Colleen Cooper epitomizes beach life. Her lifelong love affair with fashion and her fruitless search for stylish yet functional swimwear created the perfect storm for a revolutionary idea: swimwear that could transform into outerwear. My mission was to cultivate a brand that could fully capitalize on this innovative value proposition.
The Outcome
I developed an expressive, memorable brand name, that describes the brand’s key benefit and gives a nod to the first amendment. I also developed a customer-centric brand strategy and visual identity to set the course for a successful launch and years to come.
Freedom of Beach is scheduled to launch Spring, 2021.
Services
Brand Strategy · Naming · Identity Design
Freedom of Beach makes unique, versatile swimwear that transforms into chic outerwear—so you can leave your change of clothes at home.
Brand Strategy and Naming Process
To kick off the branding process I started with some surface level questions around the business and mixed in some deeper questions that cut to the heart of the beliefs and reasons—the “why”—that lead Colleen to the decision to bring this business to life.
Next, we brainstormed a laundry list of brand attributes, sorted them into related groups, and labeled them with a phrase that captured the overall theme of each group.
After that we worked together to develop a positioning/onliness statement to carve out our place in the market.
Then we took a virtual walk in the shoes of the brand’s ideal customer. This process helped us to pinpoint the intersection of brand and customer by getting a glimpse into things like her daily life and motives, where she shops, how she thinks and feels, and where the brand could best serve and support her.
Finally, I developed a naming creative brief and facilitated some collaborative brand-naming exercises to identify some initial threads to pull at later.
A small selection from the dozens of names we explored along the way.
After letting all of the freshly cultivated insights from our discovery session marinate for a couple days, a unifying theme emerged: Freedom.
The idea of freedom was underlined and reinforced by the societal arc of women’s rights and freedom of speech movements that lead us into the present moment.
Freedom to go to the beach on a whim—without the need to pack an extra change of clothes. Freedom from pulling tight jeans over wet swim bottoms. Freedom to go where life takes you. Freedom to shatter glass ceilings. Freedom to dress modestly, or flaunt confidently. Freedom to choose. Freedom to express yourself. Freedom to be you.
Freedom of Beach.
With the name and strategy developed, I was now ready to design visuals that would help tell the brand story.
Brand Positioning
Freedom of Beach is for dynamic, modern women seeking bold styles of beachwear versatile enough to be worn at the beach and out on the town at an affordable price-point.
Competition
We Wore What, Bahimi Swimwear, PQ Swim, Amaio Swim, Target, Revolve, Nordstrom, Roxy, H&M, Lulus.
Consumer Insights
Putting clothes on over wet swimwear is uncomfortable and unsightly.
Pairing bikini tops with jeans and other outerwear is an increasing trend.
Some women buy bikinis just to shoot photos for social media.
Ideal Customer: Bianka Floros
Bianka is a 26-year old boutique stylist and aspiring social media influencer from L.A. with an untreated fashion addiction. Her thirst for adventure, glowing confidence, and positive outlook shine through brightly on her Instagram feed.
Bianka gets plenty of double-taps on IG, but longs to be part of a community, form more meaningful connections and gain a deeper level of validation.
Bianka is single and frequently travels solo. She is open to meeting someone so long as they don't cramp her independence too much. The rare times she's in her studio apartment is when she's showering, sleeping, or packing a carry-on for another spontaneous trip.
Desired Brand Experiences
Swimwear ahead of its time.
I love the versatility of this swimwear.
It's so nice not to have to slip my wet bikini into jeans just to be presentable.
It's crazy how easy it is to transform this from a bikini to a legit outfit. Is this real life?
Such a great price for a high quality swimwear line.
Finally a swimwear line that understands me and my body.
“I just felt I didn't know where to start. Even though I worked for fashion companies, when it's your own project you almost don't know where to begin. I had all this in my head, but you helped me verbalize it.”
—Colleen Cooper, Founder/CEO of Freedom of Beach