Dime Mtl Editorial | Kyla Evans, AD4802 Brand X

Contents Consumer moodboard

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Dime MTL background

4

Target market

5

Collaborations

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Brand philosophy 9 Palace & Supreme

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Vincent Tsang 12 Loewe 13 Conclusion 14 References 17

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Consumer moodboard

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D

ime Mtl is a skater-focused streetwear company globally recognised for its brand and product range which includes t-shirts, fleece, pants, jackets and accessories.

They were established in 2005 when a group of Canadian teenagers started posting skating videos that sparked interest and created a following, emerging the formation of Dime.

Their first company move was to create a batch of 100 t-shirts at a local print shop under the original name, “Dimestore Crew” after their first successful batch, they shortened their brand name to “Dime Mtl”. They reached out to friends in the skating community to wear their second batch of t-shirts, hoping to create more exposure for their products. After gaining popularity in the skater community, Dime expanded its crew by welcoming Vince Tsang as their new art director. Tsang played a crucial role in refining the brand’s style and giving it a cohesive identity. With his contribution, the brand reached new heights and became the recognisable label it is today.

Vince Tsang designed Dime’s current logo which may be considered a bootleg logo, it is recognisably similar to the luxury brand ‘Dior’, but there is little information on this so my opinion is Dime seeks to deliver a brand that is considered luxury due to Dior’s recognisable quality, creating something familiar is always useful in fashion.

Fig 2

Although the crew are no longer teenagers, they still maintain their “humor-first, skatingsecond” approach that made their brand visible in the first place by creating skating videos while simultaneously pushing their design vision forward.

which

The clothing is viewed more as

“an extension of the videos” they post,

I think this is what gives the brand its effortless ‘cool’ factor. Dime is unlike most streetwear or skater brands due to its authenticity, they have 4

is

kept their core

principle skateboarding. Dime

understands the meaning of skateboarding and its culture as well as its association with the fun and creativity for which skateboarding is known. Keeping this in mind I think the lesson behind Dime is to have fun and experiment, being cool or popular isn’t the goal, to challenge yourself and push boundaries which is what the skateboarding culture is all about. I think this is why the brand is so well regarded, customers

want to be a part of the Dime experience, they want to be a part of the tribe and wearing Dime is a code that can only be understood if you appreciate and respect skate culture.

Dime produces items of limited quantity, they do so to embrace the small niche market, whilst still balancing this and the mass audience they work with, because their drops are limited this brings exclusivity to the brand. Their considered approach to supply less than the demand breeds a culture within their consumers to always keep up to date and act fast when new collections are released, therefore purposely selling out and creating ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out) for any consumers who didn’t purchase during the release. The ideal Dime consumer is an individualist, someone who doesn’t try too hard to be ‘cool’, they want to discover new ways to express themselves through clothing and showcase their craziness, following this, Dime does not follow trends.

I believe their target audience includes teenagers up to middle-aged individuals who can still skateboard. Although their fanbase is predominantly male, much like the sport of skateboarding itself, their clothing line is gender-neutral and worn by women on their website.

Fig 3

ago would have been very unusual in streetwear according to Christopher Shannon. Although this could be understood as bringing inclusivity into the brand, I feel it comes across as forced as ultimately Dime is a male-dominant brand and it’s uncommon for black women to be in the skater community.

d” n o c e s g n i t a k s , t s r i f r o “Hum

Dime’s vision seems to stretch further than conquering the world of skate culture.

They want their identity and brand to go global, but always keep their authentic roots of skateboarding, in a similar fashion to so many brands before them…

Furthermore, their size guide does not provide information on whether the clothing is designed to fit either men or women.

Dime uses very everyday-looking models for their shoots, that aren’t particularly classified as having a fashion editorial appearance, my understanding of this is that consumers may find this more relatable. Initially, this brand would have used their friends for photoshoots but recently Dime has been using black women to promote their products which a few years

The Carhartts, Dickies, and Timberlands of the world. Crew member Phil Lavoie touches on this; “You can’t keep control of who is

wearing your tee shirts, so if people outside of skateboarding are down to support, that’s really chill. As long as the brand stays true to itself, it’s just a plus if someone who doesn’t know what a kickflip is wears it.”

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Fig 4

Collaborative marketing involves two brands coming together to produce a product that represents both brand identities. Afterwards, they collaborate to create an advertising strategy to promote the end product. Through collaboration, brands may provide inclusivity for a wider range of consumers of different style interests. Dime has previously collaborated with many familiar brands such as Thrasher, Vans, DC, Adidas and Reebok.

It is through these collaborations Dime created their in-famous skateboarding event; The

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Glory Challenge. Dime’s Glory Challenge officially launched in 2015, it is described as being a “non-competition skate competition” and the “physical manifestation of the

Dime philosophy; nothing is really meant to be taken seriously and the result is spectacular”. In other words, it’s

a competition with ridiculous challenges and bizarre costumes. Introducing this competition has opened Dime up to a wider audience in the skateboarding culture and in recent years The Glory Challenge has been the foundation of Dime’s collaborative projects, Van’s presented

the Dime Glory Challenge on several occasions which strengthened their partnership as well as advantaging Dime to become the globally recognised brand they are today.

As outlined before, Dime has collaborated with a short list of brands, as well as ASICS and sportswear giant Adidas. Their collaboration with ASICS is rather interesting as several years ago they were seen as a disinteresting brand with little fashion credentials, but I think they realised working with brands such as Dime was a tactical way they could sell more shoes. The products themselves are relatively simple, it is the existing products with the Dime/Dior-esque logo in the corner, not massively interesting but they sell which supports my previous statement in regards to customers wanting to be a part of the Dime experience.

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Fig 5

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To add more to my previous points, Dime is not aiming to be perceived as a serious brand, their “humor first, skating-second” mentality is also reflected in their visual branding. For instance, in one of Dime’s collaborations with Vans, they introduced the “Banana Stomper” shoe.

According to Dime, “nobody had ever

made a shoe designed for those who have a banana stomping fetish.” It’s

apparent to me that Dime has quite a comical and bizarre approach to their brand. During a recent Dime x Vans pop-up in Paris, they held a skater challenge which is unusual and unlike any other brand, Dime’s innovative and unconventional marketing strategies set them apart from other brands, which is likely why they are thriving in the industry. I believe the message behind this is not to play by anybody else’s rules, to differentiate yourself and push boundaries.

Fig 8

Fig 6

Referring back to my previous mention of Dime’s unconventional brand ideology, I discovered this image that I thought had an interesting concept, there are no products in this image, it’s more of a code Dime consumers would recognise. Despite that, I thought it was clever how they made a cat the main focus of the image, it is a combination of how a cat’s characteristics are similar to a skateboarder such as agility, balance and fearlessness but it also ties into their humour first approach, additionally, it shows that you can do a funny idea and it works with the brand.

Fig 7 9

Dime is undoubtedly a streetwear brand in terms of style, but their products’ quality and cost are comparable to luxury brands such as Palace and Supreme, Dime has also received the same online popularity.

P

alace was founded 4 years after Dime was first established, the London-based brand was formed by Levent Tanju and his skater team.

Similarly to Dime, Palace used skaters to be the face of the brand, giving us the impression that the brand is more community-focused rather than the actual products.

Up until September 2023, Palace did not offer unisex clothing, but if it can even be called unisex is a matter of opinion, despite the title being unisex on the products, they are very oversized pieces so they could fit anyone.

Interestingly when researching Palace’s gender audience, 62.25% were male and 37.75% female, contrasting Dime’s statistics which were 56.25% male and 43.75% female. I found this data surprising given that Palace has newly introduced products for women, differently from Dime where they haven’t matter-of-factly affirmed their clothing is suitable to fit women at all.

Palace’s t-shirts have a higher price point than Dime’s, retailing for £46 compared to Dime’s £34. This could be because Palace wants to be considered as a more luxurious brand, or it might be because they are in high demand and know that they will still sell even with a higher price. The higher price tag could also be a strategy to drive better revenue. To further support my opinion, Palace collaborated with Wedgwood, an English bone china manufacturer, to produce a teapot. The teapot currently retails at £320, which suggests Palace is positioning itself in the luxury market. I was surprised to see a skater brand like Palace partner with a well-established English brand like Wedgwood. Dime has also mimicked this by introducing a product with a significant price difference, Dime candles which retailed for approximately £32.95. The candle suggests to some degree a chic brand, slightly a bit more lifestyle and premium.

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The designs that Palace produce are influenced by elements of British culture and 90s streetwear fashion, as a brand they are recognised for their

irreverent and playful mentality. In

a visual form, their products typically have bold logos and retro-inspired graphics. What I discovered during my research is Palace’s bizarre product references, they are not what you call useful as such, “it’s random, streamof-conscious thoughts, with in-jokes, comments on the news cycle, stoned humour and life advice thrown in, always in caps lock.”

This aligns with Dime’s “humor-first, skating-second” philosophy.

Although Dime does have a presence on all social channels, platforms such as Twitter, TikTok and YouTube have been inactive since 2021-2022, additionally they have a newsletter

to which you can subscribe to. Unlike Dime, Palace have limited their online existence to YouTube and Instagram however they have a more active presence, as well they have a mailing list where you hear first on new drop releases and reminders etc.

S

upreme is the oldest of the two brands Dime and Palace, they established themselves in April 1994. Supreme has transitioned from a small skate shop in New York City to a 1 billion dollar streetwear company.

Supreme has gained global recognition for its significant influence on

Fig 9

of the brand. Similarly, this is what Dime did with their ‘Dior-esque’ logo as I previously mentioned, did Supreme inspire Dime to capitalise on the recognisability of other brands, rather than build their own from the foundations up.

It is widely known that Supreme releases very limited collections and once that drop has sold out they don’t sell the same design again , this generates hype around their products and resellers quickly catch on to the potential for profit. Supreme products can resell for up

to 30 times their original price, and

it’s common to see them on reseller websites.

There are even guides available on the internet for reselling Supreme products. This marketing strategy is similar to Dime’s releases of limited quantity. By doing this, it creates a sense of exclusivity around the brand, and fans feel like they’re part of something special.

In my opinion, Supreme has lost sight of its core principle as a brand, as the hype around Supreme grew, the ego followed in line with this as they went on to sell fashion-irrelevant items such as bricks, a crowbar and a fire extinguisher. I believe this watered down the brand and led to saturation, as the demand for Supreme now is less than a few years

“Supreme remains one of the biggest brands on the planet but it isn’t nearly as culturally powerful as it was, say, five or six years ago, and the decline is tangible: not in the ago.

quality of its product, not in the power of the branding, but the lack of buzz around what was

streetwear culture. The company offers a diverse range of products, including clothing, accessories, and skateboards. Supreme’s iconic box logo has a striking resemblance to the artwork of contemporary artist Barbara Kruger. The logo’s bold, red and white colour scheme makes it instantly recognisable to fans

once the buzziest brand in the world.” I think Supreme’s audience now is mostly resellers seeking to make a profit rather than genuine fans. This differentiates itself from the likes of Dime’s devoted following, Dime has stayed rooted in their brand principle of skateboarding, which makes it more authentic than Supreme.

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Fig 10

V

incent Tsang is an artist, photographer, and sculpturer, alongside being the creative director of Dime. He became the newest addition to the Dime crew in 2011, initially joining the company to handle marketing and e-commerce, he quickly interjected his artistic skills into Dime’s designs. Tsang's artistic creations can be described as abstract with a sense of humour behind them, they are also

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Fig 11

relatively simple, paralleling Dime’s designs.

Tsang understood the designs needed to match the brand’s personality however I think he also understood that due to their cult-like following fans were more likely to purchase their products because the logo was visible not necessarily the product alone.

I think the possible collaboration between Dime Mtl and fashion luxury house Loewe would work for many thinkable reasons, before I do so I would like to explore some background of Loewe. Before Jonathan Anderson took over Loewe as creative director, the Madrid-based brand was in desperate need of rejuvenation, although Loewe’s business model had been a success since the 1800’s it started to see a decline

Fig 12

in 1997, Loewe’s president said “Loewe is a

Spanish brand expressing Spanish culture, but it needs a more resolutely modern, contemporary look.” It was clear to Loewe that consumer demand had dropped and they needed to pivot and evolve their offering to preserve their namesake as a luxury fashion house.

Loewe began to thrive when Anderson adopted the role of creative director it is thanks to him he was able to present a new vision for Loewe

“Far from frumpy and unchanging, Anderson’s LOEWE is playful, fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously” Fig 13

Fig 14

- Ollie Cox, culted.com 2023. This sounds familiar to Dime and their ‘nothing is meant to be taken seriously’ philosophy. I believe for the collaboration to work, both brands need to have a similar ideology to see success.

Loewe is known for their exceptional quality and craftsmanship in leather goods. If they collaborated with Dime, they could elevate Dime’s products and marketing strategies.

Expanding on this, Dime stocks accessories such as belts, gloves and wallets, Loewe could upgrade Dime’s existing leather goods and introduce them to quality and craftsmanship.

As I have previously touched on, Dime lacks a strong online presence compared to Loewe. In my opinion, a collaboration with Loewe would be highly beneficial for Dime, as it could drive better revenue and help the brand expand its audience rather than just being limited to the skater community, this however would benefit Loewe because it would broaden its audience to new potential customers such as skaters.

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Conclusion After thorough research, I have concluded that Dime is an intriguing brand to study. Initially, I thought their products were uninteresting with all too familiar skater silhouettes, but upon further investigation, I discovered that there is more to the brand than just the designs.

Beneath the clothes, there is a community of skaters that respect and appreciate Dime, I have understood that Dime’s only principle is skateboarding, and I forsee them as being an authentic brand, “Designed by skaters

for skaters” (Flatspot, 2021) I imagine this

makes consumers feel they can relate to the brand. I think from a marketing point of view, it is powerful to have a community that follows a brand, as long as Dime doesn’t lose its brand principle, they will always have customers.

One thing that puzzled me whilst researching Dime was their social presence being very minimal, they are inactive on major platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.

Although they do post on Instagram, it is not daily or consistent. If they had a stronger online presence they would see better revenue, in saying that I have to remind myself that Dime isn’t looking to be ‘taken seriously’ could this be an example of their ideology by limiting their online presence?

Dime has a large list of stockists which you can find on their website, yet they only have one flagship store which is located in their birthplace Montreal, “they sell their own merchandise as well as a curated selection of skateboarding and streetwear products from other brands.

The store has become a ‘go-to’ destination for the local skateboarding and streetwear communities.” (Jose Partida, SoleSavy, 2023) I think having only the flagship store makes their brand more exclusive.

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One of the things that surprised me when I researched streetwear and skatewear is how male-dominated the market is and how most of the brands are male-led. In saying this, some diversity has begun to form in recent years, I shared that Dime has presented its products on women however there is no written context to suggest the clothes are suitable to fit women which I thought was questionable.

In my own opinion, I wouldn’t purchase a unisex product unless it specifically disclosed it was.

Although the skater community boasts diversity it is not evident as famous skateboarders have said in summary that girls shouldn’t skate, I hope that this will change.

Initially, I couldn’t see how a skateboard brand such as Dime could collab with luxury brand Loewe but this began to fade as I gained more knowledge on Dime, after JW Anderson took over as creative director, Loewe attained

a humour that could be compared similarly to Dime, I could use this

knowledge to my advantage going forward into my project. Something I have considered would be a challenge is that Loewe is a quiet luxury brand whereas Dime uses their logo so it’s visible on all their products, therefore I think I would be off-brand if I did not include the Dime logo in any visuals.

I am excited to see how all my learnings will feed into my developmental work, and help me to lay a good foundation of ideas down to build on and lead up to my final outcome.

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References Contextual

Imagery

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Fig 17 Back cover, Illustration (https://

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Fig 17