Nest / Loom To Luxury
Role: Branding & Growth Strategy
Duration: Sep 2020 - Mar 2021
About
Nest is a New York-based non-profit organization reimagining the hand worker economy. In 2012, Nest invested $1.2 million to set up a design studio for Loom To Luxury, one of the few remaining makers and suppliers of luxury Banarasi silk fabrics in Varanasi, India. Banarasi silk is an ancient craft dating back to the 15th Century.
My goal for this project was to make sure Loom To Luxury was positioned as a brand rather than just a social enterprise that would create a perception of charity. I coordinated with the New York team, a brilliant graphic designer, and interviewed potential consumers which resulted in sophisticated brand identity. I also wrote the fabric catalog copy and created a detailed growth strategy for its B2B and D2C businesses.
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Loom To Luxury has been a leading supplier of luxury handloom fabrics catering to clients like The Maiyet Collective in the UK, and The Row in NY. It wanted to enter the Indian D2C e-commerce market and offer its finished products directly to consumers. However, it was lacking a strong brand presence with a poor logo, an outdated catalog, and a user-friendly website.
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Despite the existence of a few established players in the Banarasi silk market in India, Loom To Luxury had the distinct advantage of being vertically integrated. This meant that it had complete control over its supply chain and could offer much better prices than its competitors. The brand was also ethical and sustainable in its practices which also meant less greenwashing, and therefore more transparency for consumers.
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A more luxurious and sophisticated brand identity was created replete with a new logo and color scheme. I also conducted in-depth consumer interviews over Zoom and Whatsapp and did thorough research on social media to create buyer personas. I also wrote the fabric catalog for B2B buyers at Première Vision in Paris. The final result was a much more sophisticated brand identity for a social enterprise brand that completed elevated its presence.
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