Naël
Complete creation of a contemporary French fashion brand and its 360° communication strategy. From positioning to launch plan, including identity, competitive audit and multi-platform social media strategy.
A fashion brand built to last.
The fashion market is saturated with seasonal offers and overconsumption. Naël takes the opposite path: fewer pieces, chosen to last ten years. A brand designed for a client tired of disposable fashion but not militant. An answer to fast-fashion through elegance, not guilt.
Positioning
Naël is the French brand of essential wardrobe pieces, made to outlast seasons and trends.
A simple promise: less, but better. Fifteen pieces per collection, two collections per year, made in France and Portugal. Each piece is traceable down to the raw material, and designed to be worn for at least a decade.
Identity card
- Name Naël
- Sector Contemporary fashion
- Origin Paris · France
- Manufacturing France · Portugal
- Average price €180 — €420
- Distribution E-commerce + 1 Paris atelier
- Collections / year 2 (Spring + Autumn)
Sober, sensorial, timeless.
A visual identity that refuses trends. Refined logo in contemporary serif, palette drawn from natural materials (linen, fired terracotta, ink), editorial typography reminiscent of fashion press rather than fast-fashion.
Set in Cormorant Garamond, italic on the « ë » to echo the delicacy of the French diaeresis. No glyph, no ornament. The name speaks for itself.
Drawn from natural materials. No saturated colors, no pure whites. Terracotta is the only accent: a warm touch that signs the brand without ever shouting.
Cormorant Garamond for headings: elegance, fine letterforms, expressive italics. Inter for body text: contemporary readability and neutrality.
Who we're really talking to.
Not a demographic, but a real customer. Naël speaks to Camille, and to all those who resemble her: an active woman, past the age of chasing trends, but who has no desire to fade into the background.
Camille L.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities.
A young brand in a competitive market cannot be good at everything. SWOT analysis reveals where to concentrate efforts, and especially where not to fight head-on.
Strengths
- Clear and distinctive positioning in a market saturated with second-hand and fast-fashion brands
- Local production (France + Portugal) gives credibility to the durability promise
- Full traceability claimed as a communication tool
- Singular art direction, recognizable at first glance
Weaknesses
- Zero brand awareness at launch, to be built from scratch
- Entry price at €180 excludes part of the 25-35 fashion target
- Deliberately limited catalogue restricts purchase frequency
- No physical network outside Paris, a barrier to trying on
Opportunities
- Growth of the sustainable fashion market (+18% per year since 2022)
- Growing distrust towards Shein and Chinese fast-fashion
- « Less but better » movement carried by fashion media
- Strong demand for Made in France among urban CSP+
Threats
- Established brands on the same niche (Sézane, Sessùn, Officine Générale)
- Competition from the second-hand market (Vinted, Vestiaire Collective)
- Natural raw material costs rising continuously
- Saturation of Instagram and Pinterest channels in the fashion segment
Where Naël fits among the others.
Comparison across five key criteria against the three direct competitors identified in the French responsible fashion segment.
| Brand | Average price | Manufacturing | Pieces / collection | Positioning | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naël | €180 — €420 | France + Portugal | 15 | Timeless essential | Editorial, sober |
| Sézane | €90 — €280 | Diversified Europe | 120+ | Accessible Parisian chic | Warm, lifestyle |
| Sessùn | €110 — €320 | Mediterranean | 80+ | Mediterranean bohemian | Travel, sunlit |
| Officine Générale | €200 — €600 | Italy + Portugal | 60+ | Premium timeless | Architectural, unisex |
Strategic reading: Naël occupies free territory between Sézane (too voluminous and accessible) and Officine Générale (too premium and architectural). The bet: deliberate rarity (15 pieces per season) combined with manufacturing more French-claimed than direct competitors.
The Naël site, in free navigation.
Complete UX/UI redesign of the e-commerce site, designed in Figma. Homepage, product page, atelier page and purchase journey rethought to serve the brand's editorial strategy.
Six months to exist.
From D-90 to D+90, here is the orchestrated launch sequence for Naël. Each stage serves the next: we intrigue, we install, we convert, we retain.
Phase teasing.
Opening the Instagram account in mystery mode. No products visible, only close-ups of materials, ateliers, artisan gestures. Waiting list on a minimalist landing page with a countdown.
Phase press.
Press kit sent to the 30 priority fashion media. Press showroom organised in the Parisian atelier over three days. Preparation of influence packs for 25 selected micro-influencers.
Phase opening.
Going live with the e-commerce site and the first collection. Private event at the atelier (150 guests: press, influence, first waiting list customers). Simultaneous activation of SEA and social media campaigns.
Phase amplification.
First UGC content from micro-influencers reposted. Launch of the editorial blog with 8 first articles. Activation of Pinterest campaigns. First press coverage repurposed on social media.
Phase retention.
Launch of the « Atelier » programme: early access to new pieces, invitations to showroom events, exclusive editorial content. First email reactivation campaign for M0-M2 customers.
One project, three deliverables.
Naël is a complete brand strategy case study, presented during a pitch exercise to a jury simulating investors (academic supervisors). The project combines three complementary dimensions.
— 01 Identity
Complete brand book: logo, palette, typography, brand tone, applications.
— 02 Strategy
Documented SEO/SEA/GEO/Social plan, 12-month editorial calendar, projected budgets.
— 03 Website
E-commerce UX/UI redesign, Figma mockups, navigable prototype.
Personal project · 2025 · Fictional brand · Presented in academic jury