1 Dress Like Juju
Term Project part A
Justin Pierce
Berkeley College
FAS 3327: The Great Fashion Designers
Professor Esposito
Store Aesthetics and Target Market
My Store will be called Dress like JUJU; the name comes from my childhood nickname of juju and references the popular Instagram influencer @Dresslikejayda. Dress like JuJu aims to provide chic, stylish clothes tailored towards women seeking statement, standout garments for their night outs, or everyday wearable garments that are more reserved but still have a certain edge to them. Our pictured clientele is the woman who appreciates well-structured and tailored garments that have a sense of boastfulness that shows she is not afraid to peacock as well as those understated, simple yet chic pieces that elevate the everyday style. We want to equip our clients with those pieces that make you can’t wait to post them to your Instagram feed and the ones that make others want to know where you shop. Dress like JuJu will be designed to imitate Architectural styles found in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Not only do I hope that this choice in architectural design will bring a piece of the Big Easys’ sense of leisure, extravagance, and self-expression to the clientele, but also the strategy behind this is that the ambiance, decor, and employee service will differentiate customer experience from competitors, in turn, spreading buzz and good word about the store.
Why each inspirational designer was great and how their aesthetic translated to the
Current store
The fashion industry continues to evolve and develop. Credit goes to some of the unique and innovative designers. The three we have chosen to honor during this year’s festival are Rei Kawakubo, Valentino, and Jean-Paul Gautier.
Rei Kawakubo
Kawakubo is a Japanese designer (Image 1). However, her works are not limited to Japan because she is based both in Paris and Tokyo. She is the founder of two organizations, namely the multi high-end brand retailer Dover Street Market and the prestigious fashion label Comme des Garcon. She is one of the unusual designers, which is seen when she is coming up with a new design. She never sketches, and that makes her a unique and special designer not only in Tokyo’s and Paris’s fashion industry but across the world. The life of Kawakubo has been a great motivation for her designs. She grew up with her mother, who left her father (de la Haye & Horsley, 2020). Her mother left her father because the father could not allow her to work outside the house. In this case, it is essential to remember that fashion is the garment that one wears and the feeling that comes along with it.
One of the things that make Kawakubo one of the greatest designers is that she never went to school to study fashion; she was a self-made designer. She went to Keio University to study Art and Literature. The first characteristic of Kawakubo that is related to Dress Like JuJu is newness. Kawakubo was new to designing, which made her unique because she did not have prior knowledge and skills (de la Haye & Horsley, 2020). The same case applies to the store. The reason for stating so is that the store is commencing a festival and part in doing this is the promotion of new garments inspired by the great designers so while they resemble the old designers work they are completely new garments made and designed by completely different people. The second characteristic of similarity between Kawakubo and the store is the motivation of the designs. My store will be selling designs that provoke the feeling of boastfulness. Also, the designs are supposed to help women stand out due to their uniqueness. Looking at some of the works of Kawakubo, it is evident that she is a great motivation to the store (Image 2). Image 2 shows one of Kawakubo’s designs worn by a famous American artist by the name of Rihanna. The dress stands out and brings out a sense of boastfulness.
Image 1
Image 2
Image retrieved from https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/rei-kawakubo-commes-des-garcons-abstract-fashion-design-runway#image-54969
Valentino
Valentino Garavani is an Italian designer, owner, and founder of Valentino (Image 3). His passion for fashion is not something that any person can doubt, which is seen in his age. Even in his old age, he has been designing some of the best designs in the fashion industry, showing that he is a threat to the competitors. He invests most of the time in designing dresses that bring out the aspect of femininity in a woman. Red is his favorite color, and this is because of the aroma of love that it leaves behind. His female designs have three significant characteristics that make them stand out. The three characteristics are frills, silk, and sparkle. The main aim of why Valentino observes the characteristic is to bring out the sense of freedom and elegance among women who wear his design.
The purpose of a design is not only to make one standout, but it is also supposed to communicate the wearer’s emotions. Image 4 shows some of the designs that belong to Valentino. Looking at the designs that he presents in the image industry and their effects on the wearer, it is no doubt that the designer is a motivation to the designers of today. The similarity in Valentino’s designs and the designs that Dress like JuJu will be selling to customers is seen in the effects that the designs have on women who wear them. Image 4, photos 96 and 97 demonstrate the works of Valentino. The designs evoke the emotions of elegance and beauty. In this respect, it is no doubt that Valentino is a significant influence on garments sold in store as well as in fashion as a whole.
Photo 97 is a demonstration of one of Valentino’s designs, and it is a significant influence on the designs I plan to sell in store. The dress has characteristics of chicness with its flowy column silhouette and vibrant color while having a sort of over-acknowledgment of the wearer’s personal beauty in its dramatic shoulder cut out and its these qualities that the new store is looking for in its garments. The store is looking forward to providing customers with dresses that stand out in terms of design and well as color. The photo that has been referred to is a one-shouldered dress, red in color and long. It is a dress that perfectly matches the specifications that have been mentioned about Dress like JuJu. The dress is worn by a boastful woman who is not afraid to stand out from the rest. The swinging dress tail is a sign of power. With this in mind, it is no doubt that Valentino’s work is a major motivation for the garments sold in store.
Image 3
Image 4
Jean-Paul Gautier
Born on 24 April 1952, Jean-Paul Gautier is a designer who is based in France (Image 5). Gautier is one of the best designers not only in France but across the world. He stands out from the rest in two different ways (Domoszlai-Lantner, 2019). The first way pertains to his designs that are catchy and appealing before the eyes of fashion lovers. The second way is associated with the years that he has been in the industry. He has been in the industry for more than five decades, and that means that he is rich in fashion knowledge and experienced in the field of fashion. He is a diverse designer, which has earned him a favor from fashion lovers (Domoszlai-Lantner, 2019). The presentation of a wide variety of designs has helped him stand out, but it has also helped him meet the diverse needs of customers in the fashion industry.
Different characteristics of the aesthetics of Gautier translate to Dress like JuJu. Image 5 is a demonstration of some of the designs by Gautier (Domoszlai-Lantner, 2019). The designs that have been paraded are aligned to the characteristics that are essential to the store. The first design on the image is a dress that is well-tailored and stylistic. It is a dress that brings out the inner confidence in a woman. At the same time, it brings out the pride of a woman. The characteristics perfectly fit the type of dresses that store would like to be selling to its customers.
In image 5, one of the designs stands out from the rest, and it is the third design. It is a design that brings out the sexiness of a woman. It gives the woman the power to communicate her confidence and courage. One of the aspects that stand out is that a woman models the design with vitiligo (Domoszlai-Lantner, 2019). Vitiligo is a condition where the skin color becomes uneven, leaving the patient with patches. The store is aimed at providing fashionable designs to women of all backgrounds and looks. The design by Gautier becomes the perfect piece for the store. Such designs will help the store to attain its goal of presenting all women with designs that make them feel confident and beautiful and its designers like Gautier that we have to thank for preserving and exemplify garments like these in the fashion world.
Image 5
Image 6
References
De la Haye, A., & Horsley, J. (2020). Rei Kawakubo. Comme des Garçons. Art of the In Between. Fashion Theory, 24(1), 121-129.
Domoszlai-Lantner, D. (2019). Fashioning a Soviet Narrative: Jean Paul Gaultier’s Russian Constructivist Collection, 1986. In Engaging with Fashion (pp. 193-204). Brill Rodopi.
