Case Study

Manmade

the summary

Reintroducing essential items to the Millennial Man

The Problem

United by a mission that propelled them into new territory, four high-energy founders set out to forge a new path for men’s essential products. Facing an unfamiliar market being dominated by commodity and larger, legacy competitors, I teamed up with Manmade to define an approach that would firmly establish their new venture.


The Challenge


How might we make underwear more meaningful to young men in North America, fostering a connection that transcends transaction and turns a mindless purchase into a prideful priority?


The Solution

By wholeheartedly championing Manmade’s most unassuming qualities, we devised a global strategy and new brand position that informed product design, defined customer experience, and realized an unclaimed perspective for men’s essential products.

Category

Fashion, Essentials, Startup

Things We Did

Brand Strategy + Positioning

Value Proposition Design

Communication Guidelines

Copywriting + Messaging

Creative Direction

Visual Identity Design

People Who Helped

Julian Rotondo | Creative Direction + Design

the results

Impacts

Press

Brand strategy process

the details

Building Context

Despite being ready to revamp the quality, logic, and attainability of men’s essential items, the Manmade team still remained unsure in how they would launch their first product—as well as their entire company. Not only did they need a viable way to enter an industry consumed by competition and commodity, but would have to do so by leading with a product that is largely under-appreciated and under-prioritized by a generation of men who are still collectively under-informed.


In the midst of developing their purpose and prototype, we set out to understand why items referred to as “essentials” are often treated as anything but. We explored how North American consumers discover and purchase new products, as well as how they think and behave in relation to men's essential products. We discovered that disinterest in essentials isn’t indicative of importance and, in doing so, found an untapped advantage that could exist within apathy.

Driving Change

Leveraging consumer bias and commoditization, we pinpointed where such views overlapped authentically with Manmade’s culture and core strengths—then boldly leaned into them. Fusing presumption with pragmatism, we reimagined the company not as a fashion brand but as a foundation brand. We then helped the Manmade team adopt their new approach and embed their brand promise throughout communication, content, experience, and product design.

Send a note
Brand strategy project
Brand Strategy Case StudyBrand Strategy Case Study
Brand Strategy DetailsBrand Strategy Details
Brand Strategy Details
Brand Strategy DetailsBrand Strategy Details

"We wouldn’t have been able to get this far on our own. The ability to speak to exactly who we are as a company, why and how we do what we do, and where we exist within the massive market we’ve entered is invaluable. It seemed like magic to take intangible thoughts and concepts and then make them real and actionable. The strategic foundation we developed continues to guide all our decisions—large and small; it ensures that we remain aligned with our customers, suppliers, and each other, and has been integral to Manmade’s overall growth."

Rob, Anthony, Phil, & Berto

Founders, Manmade

Ready when you are

You can wait for change to happen—or we can drive it together.

Let’s Talk