BRAND TOOLKIT
All content in this guide is property of Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic and Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture. Copyright 2013.
shabby chic brand toolkit
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Brand Introduction pg 9 Brand Architecture pg 11 Brand Positioning pg 13 Brand Promise pg 15 Brand Profile: Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture pg 17 Brand Profile: Shabby Chic pg 31 Brand Philosophy pg 45 Highlights from Our History pg 63
brand profiles 5
Brand Profile S E C TION 01
BRAND BOOK
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Welcome to the World of Shabby Chic introduction Creating a brand synonymous with her aesthetic and lifestyle, designer Rachel Ashwell founded Shabby Chic in 1989 on the philosophy of beauty, comfort, and function. Her first store, located in Santa Monica, CA, sold Rachel’s washable furniture slipcovers and fabulous flea market finds. Today, there are 5 Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture™ flagship stores located in California, New York City, the UK, and Texas, “The Prairie” a Bed and Breakfast in Round-top Texas, and an e-commerce site. Celebrating 10 years, The Simply Shabby Chic® line of bedding and home accessories, created in 2004 through an exclusive partnership with Target stores, continues to bring the brand’s blend of English elegance and California casual to Target customers nationwide. In addition, the brand benefits from international exposure through an exclusive partnership with House of Fraser in the UK and a distributor in Japan who will be opening 2 retail locations in 2014. Rachel Ashwell has also published nine books with the most recent, “The World of Shabby Chic,” published in 2015. Celebrating over 25 years in business, Shabby Chic will be developing an expanded marketing and licensing campaign with plans to grow the Shabby Chic family of brands at retail.
brand profiles 8
brand profiles 9
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
One Vision Infinite Opportunities b r a n d a r c h i t e c ture The Shabby Chic family of brands are united by a set of core values. It is this unique foundation that has cultivated a variety of market opportunties and continues to foster new opportunities for growth. PUBLISHING and SOCIAL MEDIA
Our architecture is structured to leverage different facets of the market in order to expand the Shabby Chic offering, experience, and lifestyle to customer’s around the world.
with a 200,000+ social media and web following
Shabby Chic: SUB-BRANDS
Catalogue, E-commerce, Retail Mid-Tier
same DNA but differentiated market strategy as it relates to:
Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic Couture:
target customer retail positioning merchandising strategy marketing strategy
Brand Philosophy
SHABBY CHIC “MOTHER”
High-end Vertical Retail and Wholesale Distribution Custom Design Services
Brand Story
BRAND’S CORE VALUES
Brand Promise
Brand Heritage
Publishing: Teaching Design Philosophy Building Brand Awareness 9 Books and Counting 200,000+ social media following The Prairie: Lodging and Hospitality Products
Brand Positioning
brand profiles 10
brand profiles 11
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
$$$$
BARBARA BARRY KELLY WEARSTLER
RALPH LAUREN HOME
CALVIN KLEIN
AERO: THOMAS O’BRIEN
Two Brands Positioned for Success
KNOLL BOCONCEPT
ABC HOME BLOOMINGDALES
c o n s u m e r p r o d uc ts positioning ANTHROPOLOGIE
tr ad i ti o na l /c l a s s i c
ETHAN ALLEN BALLARD DESIGNS ARHAUS
JOHNATHAN ADLER
BASSETT
POTTERY BARN
HGTV HOME WEST ELM CB2 MARTHA STEWART
c on te mp o r a r y /mo d e r n
DWELL STUDIO
RESTORATION HARDWARE
Both Shabby Chic brands are aligned with a clear, focused aesthetic vision, offering the market a unique POV, and customer’s at every touch-point, a familiar experience and product offering that they can mix and match together. Key Takeaways: • Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture is positioned as our aspirational and coveted “halo” brand, helping to increase desire for and raise the perceived value of the greater Shabby Chic offering at-retail.
IKEA CINDY CRAWFORD KATHY IRELAND TARGET/THRESHOLD
• With a more democratic price-point and direct to retail strategy. Shabby Chic presents an expanded offering, building brand awareness and reaching a larger number of customers at retail.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
$ brand profiles 12
brand profiles 13
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Shabby Chic is not just a brand, it’s a lifestyle A practical, comfortable home can be lived in and still be lovely by never forgetting the Shabby ChicŽ mantra of beauty, comfort and function.
BRAND PROMISE
brand profiles 14
brand profiles 15
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture b r a n d s y n o p si s With a commitment to craftsmanship, quality and aesthetics, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture® represents Rachel Ashwell’s true labor of love. The stores sell custom
machine washable slipcovered furniture and vintage accessories, along with bedding and other home furnishings. The focus of the brand is to offer luxury, bespoke home furnishing services and products. Any piece of slipcovered or upholstered furniture can be customized. All vintage accessories are hand picked during Rachel’s travels to Texas, London and places in between. KEY TENETS:
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High-Quality Materials and Craftsmanship
Bespoke: Custom, Handmade, Curated
Strong Aesthetic Point of view: Indulgent, Moody Luxurious, Coveted
Vintage Furniture and Accessories, Imperfect Beauties
brand profiles 17
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Sumptuous, Comfortable, Practical Luxuries
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brand profiles 19
Moody, Indulgent, Luxurious,Coveted
High-Quality Materials and Craftsmanship
Customized for the way One Truly Lives
Hand-picked by Rachel, One-of-a-Kind Flea Market Finds Rachel’s passion for authentic vintage treasures is at the core of Shabby Chic’s “the beauty of imperfection.”
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Overview RAchel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture RETAIL OVERVIEW
PRODUCT CATEGORIES
A truly unique and personal experience, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture is the product of Rachel’s hand’s on involvement in every concept, detail and decision. She breathes life into every object she chooses to share with her customers.
RASCC offers a unique variety of products across all furniture and home decor categories:
Distribution: • •
Veritcal Retail through Wholesale and Licensing Partnerships E-Commerce
Special Offerings: • • • •
• • • • • • • •
Furniture Bedding Tabletop, Hard and Soft Home Decor Accessories Pillows, Candles, Throws, Mirrors Lighting Flooring and Rugs Fabrics Baby Storage Solutions Bath Textiles and Accessories Stationary/Home Office One-of-a-kind Vintage Finds
CUSTOMER:
FUTURE OBJECTIVES:
•
•
Build the business by expanding RASSC locations around the world.
•
Build new parnerships in manufacturing and wholesale distribution locally and internationally.
•
Celebrating our 25 years in business with an expanded licensing and marketing push.
•
•
brand profiles 28
Bespoke and Customization High Quality Materials and Craftsmanship Custom Design Services Unique One of a Kinds Future Heirlooms
• • • •
A customer willing to make an investment in furnishing or decorating their home or part of their home (master bedroom, living room, etc.). A customer looking for more customization options, design services, and who expect highquality products and unique one-of-a-kinds. Those who appreciate comfortable luxuries that are btoh beautiful and practical at once.
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shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Shabby Chic: Classic, Comfortable Settings for All b r a n d s y n o p si s Designer Rachel Ashwell’s trademark sensibility is fresh, lovely and totally livable. Born and raised in England, and now living in Santa Monica, she creates designs that blend her English heritage with her eclectic California lifestyle. Rachel’s Shabby Chic collection offers a classic palette of soft colors and clean whites applied to a myriad of furniture and home decor products. Perfect for creating classic, comfortable and inviting settings for all.
KEY TENETS: English Elegance meets Laid-back California Casual Everday, Classic, Approachable Simple, Clean, Bright
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Mix and Match for Infinite Decorating Solutions that fit your lifestyle. Comfortable and Inviting
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shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Mix and Match Decorating Solutions to Suit your Lifestyle.
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brand profiles 33
Comfortable and Inviting
Everyday, Classic, Approachable
Simple, Clean, Bright
English Elegance meets Laid-Back, California Casual
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Overview Shabby Chic RETAIL OVERVIEW
PRODUCT CATEGORIES
Our retail strategy is to develop direct to retail and licensing partnerships in order to distribute a wide range of products in the mid-tier channel.
Through licensing partnerships within each category Shabby Chic intends to develop furniture and home decor accessories for all areas of the home:
Distribution:
• • • •
• •
E-Commerce Catalogue
Special Offerings: • • • • •
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Elevated “Designer” Brand Aesthetic Versatile and Practical Mix-and-Match Home Decorating Solutions Better Quality Product at a Value-Driven Price-point Easily Accessible through Open-Market, Direct to Retail, International Partnerships. 25 Year History as a household name brand
• • • • • • • •
Furniture Bedding Tabletop, Hard and Soft Home Decor Accessories Pillows, Candles, Throws, Mirrors Lighting Rugs Fabrics Baby Storage Solutions Bath Textiles and Accessories Stationary/Home Office One-of-a-kind Vintage Finds
CUSTOMER:
FUTURE OBJECTIVES:
•
Shabby Chic’s philosophy is democratic. For anyone and everyone who so chooses to embrace the Shabby Chic lifestyle as their own.
•
Rebuild the brand from the ground up through e-commerce, catalogue and licensing partnerships..
• •
We believe the Shabby Chic customer is looking for versatile, durable, aesthetic driven products that can work with their existing home decor. With an eclectic, traditional yet casually modern attitude, Shabby Chic products can compliment anyone’s personal taste and style.
Celebrating our 25 years in business with an expanded licensing and marketing push.
brand profiles 43
Brand Philosophy S E C TION 02
BRAND TOOLKIT
shabby chic brand toolkit
A Word from Our Founder R A C H E L A S H W ELL “As both a mother and the creator of the Shabby Chic brand, my thoughts about decorating are that a home can be truly lived in and still be lovely. I believe in cozy relaxed settings where kids are free to put their feet on the sofa and guests can place their cups on the coffee table without a care. For me, the secret to living well is to surround myself with beautiful things that are practical and deliciously comfortable. A faded, peeling old dresser, a cracked white chandelier, a chipped metal trash can painted with roses. To one person, these items are rejects from the junkyard, to another they are a bounty of riches. Discovering beauty in finding new uses for the old and worn discards of others greatly appeals to me, there is no better place to find the faded and decayed, the crumbing and the scuffed than a salvage yard or flea market, garage or estate sale�.
brand philosophy 47
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary can speak. -Hans Hoffmann
brand philosophy 48
brand philosophy 49
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Beauty, Comfort, Function, Soul b r a n d p h i l o s o p hy Comfort, the beauty of imperfections, the allure of timeworn objects, and the appeal of simple practical living: these are the cornerstones of the shabby chicŽ brand philosophy. Like the cozy familiarity of a well-worn pair of faded jeans, the dilapidated elegance of an italian villa, the worn grandeur of faded velvets and mismatched floral china handed down from your grandmother’s attic. The brand is a revived appreciation for what is used, well-loved, and worn, it is a respect for natural evolution and a regard for what is easy and sensible.
co m for t function
be
au
ty
soul
brand philosophy 50
brand philosophy 51
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Beauty
The beauty of imperfection. The beauty of what’s real. Accepting things the way they are. Dilapidated elegance. Beauty of the tattered. The beauty and balance of the perfect mismatch
brand philosophy 52
brand philosophy 53
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Comfort
Deliciously comfortable. Relaxed and mushy. Cozy familiarity. Freedom to live freely. Truly lived in, but sill lovely
brand philosophy 54
brand philosophy 55
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Function
For the way one lives Easy, Sensible, Comfortable Paired down Simplicity One thing can become another This is the evolution of things
brand philosophy 56
brand philosophy 57
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Soul
A quintessential classic. the perfect patina, the perfectly functional, practical piece. These are the elements of forever. These are the elements that separate magic from mediocrity and create soul
brand philosophy 58
brand philosophy 59
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
An object worn by the love of everyday life An authenticity, a rich patina of human history Soul is in the details. The bits and pieces. The details that give an object life, a history, a SOUL
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Brand Heritage S E C TION 03
BRAND TOOLKIT
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
Shabby Chic is a Brand that gets Better with Age highlights f r o m o u r 2 5 y e a r h i s tory Shabby Chic today is a product of its evolution. An evolution that has seen ups and downs, celebrations and road bumps, but as a company and brand, Shabby Chic has never been better. Along with our history comes great knowledge and we have continuously leveraged our learning experiences and turned them into exciting opportunities The following pages showcase the moments in the brand’s history that have helped evolve Shabby Chic into the brand, personality, and household name that it is today.
brand heritage 64
brand heritage 65
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
1989
1995
2000
2005
2010
present
Oct 1989
1996
2000
2007
2011
2013
Rachel Ashwell opens Shabby Chic stores in Santa Monica, CA and SoHo, selling flea-market furniture and big, squashy couches with white denim slipcovers.
Rachel Ashwell publishes her first book, ‘Shabby Chic’, featuring alluring images of unmade beds. This book launched a long publishing career resulting in 8 books with another in the works.
Dwell Magazine, the neo-modernist bible, begins publication. Rachel Ashwell sells Shabby Chic T-shirt sheets, made out of T-shirt fabric. Oprah mentions them on her show and Shabby Chic makes the news.
Shabby Chic begins to roll out a plan to open nearly 60 stores.
Rachel Ashwell opens The Prairie, a B&B in Texas with a Shabby Chic store included on the property.
Rachel Ashwell opens a 5th store in San Francisco and publishes her 8th book “Rachel Ashwell Couture Prairie and Flea Market Treasures”.
1991 Various Shabby Chic knockoffs appear, including a line of baggy slipcovered furniture called Washable Posh from Domain.
1999
2004
The ‘Shabby Chic’ television show is broadcast on the E! Network
Target introduces its Simply Shabby Chic line which results in a ten year relationship, and the longest ever private label brand partnership with Target.
1992 In its annual trend report called ‘Book of the Year,’ editors at the Encyclopedia Britannica cite Shabby Chic for reproducing the slipcover
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Sept 2009 Rachel Ashwell opens flag ship Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture stores in Santa Monica, NY, and London.
Aug 2011 Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture E-commerce website goes live.
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2014 and Beyond: With marketing and brand building initiatives set for the 25th Anniversary, The Shabby Chic family of brands are stronger than ever. Expect: Expanded Offerings The rebirth of the Shabby Chic brand 10th Anniversary Celebration at Target New Store Openings locally and internationally
shabby chic brand toolkit
shabby chic brand toolkit
The Beauty of Imperfection
brand profiles 68
brand profiles 69