MEGAN PARDOE 20024819
WORD COUNT: 3271




MEGAN PARDOE 20024819
WORD COUNT: 3271
Loverboy is the fashion house birthed by Glaswegian designer Charles Jeffrey in 2015, emerging from a weekly club night of the same name that he created in Dalston. Since its launch, the brand has become synonymous with youth culture, gender fluidity and experimentation; with his garments emerging from his own autobiographical primary research - with inspiration coming from his friends and collaborators (London Fashion Week, 2020). He has gone on to win the British Emerging Talent prize at the 2017 Fashion Awards and earned an LVMH Prize nomination (Business of Fashion, n.d.). Loverboy is adored by its consumers, and recently has been worn by the likes of Harry Styles, Bimini Bon Boulash and BTS – with BoF editor Tim Blanks describing Jeffrey as “speaking to young London the way Alexander McQueen spoke to his generation”. (Business of Fashion, n.d.). The brand now sits comfortably within the middle - high end market.
WEBSITE COLOURS
OTHER LOGOS
Jack, 23
London, England
Full Time Photographer
They / Them
Believes quality over quantity - shops at Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood & charity shops
Instagram, TikTok and Twitter
HOBBIES: Shopping, Food with friends, Clubbing, Raves, Photography, Social Media, Concerts
CLOTHING COLOURS
INTERESTS: Art, Fashion, Politics, Sustainability, Gender, Drag
LOGO FONT
Loverboy’s Target Audience would be within the ages of 20-30, hitting both the Gen Z and Millennial audience. This is due to Jeffrey’s young age and the fact his garments are based around his experiences. The price point of the brand’s garments also makes them more of a luxury, meaning they will be accessible to those with full time jobs rather than students. Due to the brands genderless concept, with strong connotations to the LGBTQ+ community – its target audience is any gender, any sexuality and any ethnicity. Due to Jeffrey’s links with clubs and rave culture, his target audience would also be those with this as a common interest.
Loverboy’s current marketing is done through social media channels, particularly Instagram. The brand makes great use of the Reels feature, where they post short films and interviews with Charles Jeffrey and other designers. Their Instagram has 163k followers, and their reels bring in an average of 30k views. The brand also has a TikTok with 2.7k followers, but it isn’t being used to its full potential.
Loverboy’s main collaboration so far has been Loverboy x Fred Perry which began in 2021. This is a continuous collaboration, with 2 drops happening so far. The collections have been advertised through both brands social medias, particularly Instagram, and through a 5-minute film on Fred Perry’s YouTube. Hypebeast stated “British youth subcultures and punk notions frequent throughout both Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY and Fred Perry‘s design DNA, so in honor of this, the two labels have come together on an exclusive capsule collection” (Brain, 2021). The collections are available in certain Fred Perry stores. Loverboy also collaborated with Charli XCX and Samsung to launch the new Samsung Galazy S22 in 2022, creating a short film gaining them 2.5 million views in 5 weeks. The “fashion film pays homage to Charles Jeffrey’s dreamlike couture” (Samsung, 2022), where all characters are wearing Loverboy garments. This was a great collaboration for Loverboy to raise the brands popularity, with the brand gaining 1000 new Instagram followers in the week the collaboration was announced, much higher than their weekly average of 300 (Social Blade, 2022).
Since Thomas Hibbitts created their drag queen persona Bimini Bon Boulash in 2017, they have gone on to becoming one of the most successful British drag queens of all time, earning runner-up on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK Season 2 and almost 1 million Instagram followers. Bimini was “born out of a culmination of club, fashion and music references” (Newbold, 2021), with Hibbitts taking inspiration from designers like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Bimini’s passion for fashion is no secret, with it manifesting into them walking the runway at London Fashion Week and even gaining approval from Kate Moss. Labelled by Vogue as “Punk Fashion’s Most Fabulous Drag Queen” (Newbold, 2021), and by Dazed as “Consistently editorial and always just so hot” (Rodgers, 2021), it is no secret Bimini is a big deal, not only within the fashion industry, but globally.
YOUNGER
Mia, 21
Brighton, England
Graduate Fashion Intern
She / Them
Shops at Zara, Urban Outfitters and Chairty Shops - but splurges on Vivienne Westwood and Telfar when possible
TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat
HOBBIES: Makeup, Clubbing, Raves, Brunch with friends, Travelling, Fashion Design, Reading
INTERESTS: Art, Fashion, Drag, LGBTQ+, Gigs, Veganism, Animal Cruelty
Bimini is an individual with many different target audiences. Their main target audience would likely be Gen Z and Millennials due to their appearance on Drag Race UK, and the fact it aired on BBC3, a channel aimed at 16–30-year-olds (Medhurst, 2021). They appeal greatly to the LGBTQ+ community, and their fans are likely to be a part of that. Bimini’s target audience would be those who are conscious of decisions and politics, with liberal attitudes. This is due to Bimini’s beliefs. Their target audience is likely to mainly use channels that Bimini is most present in – for example, Instagram, Twitter, TV, magazines and even in person channels like tours and drag events. Bimini’s target audience are also likely to live in towns and cities close to what is happening rather than rural areas, this could be suggested as well as people in towns and cities have more liberal ideas than people who live in the countryside (Campbell, 2015).
Looking at WGSN’s Future Consumer 2022, Bimini’s target consumers would fall under the “The New Optimists” as they are aging in a world where people like Bimini have a voice. “This cohort, both young and old, wants accurate representation for all. Younger generations have seen first-hand the negative impact of visual stereotypes, and demand visual equality for all” (WGSN, 2020).
Bimini’s current marketing is done using social media channels, with Instagram, Twitter and TikTok being the most used. They have 957k Instagram followers and 145k TikTok followers. Bimini uses the Reels feature a lot on Instagram, with the views from them averaging at 500k, some pushing over 1 million views – meaning videos are clearly popular with their audience. They have pushed their popularity through other means as well, releasing 2 books in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The first book proved popular, with Bimini becoming a Sunday Times Bestseller, despite them releasing their book the day around 300 hard books got released at the same time (Instagram, 2021).
Bimini has worked with many brands after their appearance on Drag Race – especially fashion brands. They were invited to Paris Fashion Week 2022 by Vetements and Valentino, and even walked in Richard Quinn’s spring 2022 show at London Fashion Week. A limited clothing collection Bimini did with H&M launched February 2022, and posts promoting the collection on their Instagram garnered 20,000+ likes. After being invited to dinner with Christian Louboutin, performing at the party for the launch of Bridgerton Season 2 and having links to Miu Miu, it is clear why they are so sought after.
The target audience for the Bimini x Loverboy collab will be developed from both of their existing consumers. They both have very similar target audiences, due to Loverboy’s gender-neutral clothing and due to Bimini being non-binary. Bimini fans are also likely to already be aware of Loverboy – due to Bimini already wearing their clothing.
The age range of the target consumer of this collab will be Gen Z and pushing into millennials (20 -30). This is especially because of Bimini’s
fanbase being predominantly young after their appearance on Drag Race. Viewers of Drag Race are usually aged between 15 -30 (Reddit, 2018), which is information found out by fan-run polls. The target consumer will be any gender due to the garments being gender neutral. A poll of 108,000 LGBTQ+ people by the UK Government revealed that 6.9% of responders were non-binary (Gov.UK, 2019), showcasing there is a big target audience for this collaboration. 56% of Gen Z shop outside their “assigned gendered area” (Herh, 2021) and 38% of them ‘strongly agree’ that gender no longer defines a person as much as it used to, with 27% of millennials feeling the same way (Alnuweiri, 2018), concluding that there is a huge market out there for this collaboration for any gender.
The target consumer would also have traits that tie in with both Loverboy and Bimini. It is likely some consumers will be vegan or cruelty free due to Bimini’s stance on animal rights and being vegan themselves – the garments created for the collaboration will also follow this and be vegan and cruelty free. Loverboy’s consumers will likely enjoy club and rave culture, due to Charles Jeffrey’s club nights and his garments taking inspiration from the east London club scene. Both brands are very liberal so their consumers will follow these values. The overall consumer will be radically inclusive as “Gen Z see themselves as the standard bearers for acceptance and they increasingly expect brands to take a proactive stance on social justice issues and to up efforts around representation and inclusivity” (WGSN, 2021). Thankfully, Bimini and Loverboy already fulfil these standards.
Looking at the Cope & Maloney models of collaboration, this collaboration will be a mix of fashion brand and influencer, but also fashion brand and a related fashion professional, adding “kudos and the unexpected” (Cope & Maloney, 2016). The main objectives of this co-branding collaboration will be mostly for promotion and raising brand and individual awareness. Loverboy is the host brand, depsite Bimini having most followers. The overall campaign should aim to increase brand awareness - and new followers and likes will be tracked as well as sales of the collection.
Both Loverboy and Bimini will benefit in different ways thanks to the collaboration. For Loverboy, it is a huge chance to gain brand awareness and acknowledgment by working with someone with a bigger following. It pushes their products out onto bigger audiences and will increase sales. For Bimini, they will benefit by working with a more exclusive brand and it will lead onto even bigger things as they want to pursue further into the fashion industry. It fulfils Bimini’s ultimate goal, for non-binary individuals to be well represented in the industry, and Loverboy is a great brand for them to work with due to their similar values.
The overarching objective is to raise awareness on gender-neutrality and cruelty free / vegan clothing. These are core values for both Bimini and Loverboy. Business of Fashion state that “more important than ever that there is a sense of authenticity - a genuine connection between the collaborator / brand” (Business of Fashion, 2017), which is what Loverboy and Bimini already have. They have shared interests, similar views, live in and inspired by the same area (East London), and have already had interaction. This objective will be reached by a new gender-neutral and completely vegan collection, promoted by both Loverboy and Bimini on social media. A special one off drag night event will also be held for promotion of the collaboration, with Bimini hosting and performing while wearing the collection, complete with a vegan food menu for guests.
Loverboy often changes the “O” in its logo. The main example of this would be the gif on the website which appears on every page, where the “O” changes to show different gender symbols. This is homage to Loverboy’s gender fluidity. For the Bimini x Loverboy collaboration, one of Bimini’s logos will be used to replace the “O”. The lips are very symbolic of Bimini, hinting at their drag queen career and also linking to things like their lip filler, their love of Katie Price and their performance at Snatch Game within Drag Race.
- A new small completely vegan collection designed by both Loverboy and Bimini. It will consist of shirts, jackets, jumpers, skirts and accessories including bags and jewellery. This will be launched to the general public on the Loverboy website.
- A special one off drag night will be held at the Albert Hall in London, where Bimini will host and perform wearing the new collection. The tickets will be on a first in line basis, with some saved for the press and other drag queens. Invitations will be sent out to the press and drag queens with the vegan food menu attached - these will also be given to the first 500 in line. Vegan food will be served on the night with a Loverboy and Bimini theme. The show will be broadcast live on both Loverboy and Bimini’s Instagram’s.
- The collection will be launched live on the Loverboy website after the show has ended.
- People will be encouraged to share their experiences with gender on social media with the hashtag #LOVERIMI – this is to draw awareness of the struggle of gender identity and the stigma surrounding it.
Bimini is a cultural zeitgeist and the embodiment of 2022 in a person. They represent all things new and upcoming within both the drag and fashion industry. Their popularity couldn’t have come at a better time with the world so accepting of LGBTQ+ and non-binary individuals – and they are a unique selling point. Bringing in non-binary models and influencers is a huge USP to brands as not everyone is doing it – but there is a huge market out there of people who would love to see it. According to The Fashion Spot’s Diversity report, which looked at how many non-binary models were featured in fashion shows, “appearances topped at 20 for spring 2021 total versus 21 in the fall 2020 season” in Europe (Campuzano, 2020). This is not good enough representation for the hundreds of thousands of non-binary individuals. As well as Bimini’s gender fluidity, Loverboy also have this USP. All of Loverboy’s garments are advertised as being wearable by anyone.
Another USP of this collaboration is the vegan and cruelty free aspect. All garments will be made of vegan materials and will not be tested on animals to tie in with Bimini’s values. There are 600,000 vegans in the UK (Vegan Society, 2019). The Rise of Vegan Fashion Report by the Vegan Society found that 95% of British shoppers want more vegan-verified fashion options (Vegan Society, 2021), and another poll by YouGov found “93% of Brits reject wearing animal fur, and the majority (72%) support a complete ban on the sale of fur in the UK” (Humane Society, 2020). See Appendix 3 for further information on the collab’s strengths.
The following brand positioning graphs looks at other drag queens and their collaborations with fashion / beauty brands. There is a clear pattern that most drag queens are working with more affordable or fast fashion brands. Bimini has made it clear they will not work with brands who do not align with their values, and that “I want to build my way up to be able to work with bigger brands in the future and in fashion as well,” (Maguire, 2021). Therefore, Loverboy is the perfect brand for them to collaborate with, with them both sharing the same values and it being a more luxury priced point brand rather than fast fashion. There is also a huge gap in the market as seen from the brand positioning diagram. The only drag queen to work with a high priced, exclusive brand is RuPaul, arguably the most famous drag queen of all time. Working with a more high-end brand puts Bimini on a pedestal above other queens and compares them to RuPaul. It’s also a chance for Loverboy to venture into working with influencers and artists to see what impact it can have upon the brand – and follow in Balenciaga’s footsteps.
As the overall campaign is based upon gender fluidity and gender struggles – the LGBTQ+ community is a huge influence for the collaboration. 2 in 5 trans / non-binary individuals in the UK say they have been subject to hate crime in the past 12 months due to their gender identity (Stonewall, n.d.). Because of shocking statistics such as this one, and the fact that non-binary individuals are not well represented within the fashion industry, it is important for collaborations like this to happen and for brands like Loverboy to work with non-binary individuals. This enhances the brand awareness by making LGBTQ+ consumers want to shop with brands even more if they feel represented by them. The story will be the key part of the campaign - with money raised from the food at the event going to the leading Transgender charity, and the #LOVERIMI hashtag which will be used will give people a voice and platform to discuss their gender struggles and what it means to them.
INTERNAL FACTORS OPPORTUNITIES
- NICHE MARKET
- TARGET CONSUMERS
- GAP IN MARKET
- CHANNELS
- ROOM TO EXPAND COLLECTION / MAKE IT AN ONGOING COLLAB
- INFLUENCER / CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT (BIMINI)
- INTERACTIVE = CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
- BRAND VALUES BOTH ALIGN
- TAPS INTO TARGET CONSUMERS WELL
COLLABORATION
4
- POST CAMPAIGN: HASHTAG MAY NOT BE USED
- COLLECTION ISN’T HUGE
- HUGE ROOM FOR EXPANSION FOR CHANNELS DUE TO THE NICHE MARKET, EG. DRAG SHOW
- CAN FOCUS ON DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS AND IDEAS TO MAKE COLLAB ONGOING IF SUCCESFUL
THREATS (T)
- OTHER GENDERLESS / UNISEX COMPETITORS
- FAST FASHION REPLICAS
- SPECIFIC TARGET MARKET
- COULD USE OTHER CELEBRITIES OR INFLUENCERS FOR ENDORSEMENT TO WIN OVER CUSTOMERS FROM COMPETITORS
- HUGE FOCUS ON CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND AN INTERACTIVE CAMPAIGN
- IF HASHTAG IS SUCCESFUL PEOPLE WILL WANT COLLAB TO BE ONGOING
- ROOM TO EXPAND COLLECTION DUE TO ITS SPECIFIC TARGET MARKET
- ROOM TO EXPAND POST CAMPAIGN ONTO MORE CHANNELS
- THE PRICE OF THE COLLECTION WILL REFLECT ON THE PREMIUM QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE GARMENTS.
- THE GARMENTS WILL BE MADE TO LAST AND WILL FIT LOVERBOY’S EXISTING PRICE POINT.
- THE TARGET CONSUMER WILL HAVE SPARE MONEY TO SPEND ON THIS COLLAB.
- HUGE FOCUS ON HASHTAG AND SHARING GENDER STORIES - GIVE THE CAMPAIGN A VOICE AND STORY COMPARED TO COMPETITORS WHO JUST SELL CLOTHES
- CUSTOMERS CAN SHOP DIRECTLY THROUGH THE LOVERBOY WEBSITE. IT WILL BE CONVINIENT AS IT WILL NOT BE SOLD IN STORE, THIS IS TO MAKE IT ACCESIBLE FOR EVERYONE NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE.
The main social media channel used for this collaboration will be Instagram – where both brands main consumers are active. Both Bimini and Loverboy both have very large followings on Instagram, with them having over a million followers combined. As the collaboration is being aimed at 20-30-yearolds, the channels used should reflect this. 30.1% of Instagram users are 18–24-years old, and 31.5% are 25-34 (Hootsuite, 2022). There are 33 million Gen Z users on Instagram (Emarketer, 2021), making it the perfect place to base the campaign. It has already been discussed both Bimini and Loverboy make use of reels, which will continue with this campaign. 91% of active Instagram users watch videos weekly (Sproutsocial, 2022), and 54% of content marketers say videos are the most valuable tool of marketing (Appendix 3). Instagram stories will also be used a lot throughout the campaign to catch people’s attention, so they don’t miss it on the posts on their feeds. Instagram stories are used by 500 million people a day (Embed Social, 2021) and 58% of people say they’re more interested in a brand after seeing it on a story (Hootsuite, 2022).
The in-person channel of the drag show will bring in excitement and uniqueness to the campaign. 74% of consumers said they were more likely to purchase products promoted at a live event (Socialtables, n.d.). 36% of Gen Z say they would ‘definitely’ visit a pop-up event/store in the next 12 months (IDagency, n.d.). With 70% of Brits saying they have never visited a drag show (Megarry, 2019), this could be the perfect opportunity for them. The fact the drag show is being livestreamed on Instagram is also a big advantage for the collaborations target audience, with WGSN revealing “The pandemic has solidified existing Gen Z preferences for digital experiences, with livestreaming perfectly positioned to create shoppable experiences available in consumer pockets” (WGSN, 2022). Livestreaming presents the opportunity to share events and build up excitement, leading to authenticity which consumers love. 25% of Millenials and 15% of Gen Z also admit to using Instagram live to research products (see Appendix 5), making it a good way to advertise the new collection for the target consumer.
The in-person invite for the drag show will also increase excitement to those who get sent it in a PR package, and to those who are queueing to get into the event. Physical invites emit touch marketing, which uses senses to make a person connect with a product or invite and gives a higher rate of memory and recall. A physical invite is exciting and fun, something the collaboration aims to be.
The slogan for the campaign will be simple but reach the campaign objectives, with a main focus on gender identity. The slogan is a pun, highlighting on how Bimini is a drag queen, but also how gender norms should be dragged, eg, through the mud. This fits in well with Ke & Wang’s opinion on effective slogans, fulfilling the attentive value, memorability and readability sections (Ke & Wang, 2013).
BRIGHT COLOURS TO MATCH BIMINI’S AND LOVERBOYS BRAND GUIDELINES
WHAT THE COLLECTION COULD LOOK LIKE BASED ON WGSN CAD STOCK
RE-RELEASED GENDER CHARMS BUT IN BRIGHT RED COLOUR
RANDOM STICKERS WITH EACH ORDER - ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO POST THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
PRESENT
ONE NIGHT WITH
ALBERT HALL 15TH JULY 6PM
FIRST 500 PEOPLE IN LINE GET IN
15TH JULY 6PM @BIMINIBABES
biminibabes
So excited to announce One Night With Loverimi! The exclusive drag show will feature me for a whole 2 hours - what more could you want! Join us for a night showcasing our new collection, complete with some vegan food ;)
6 DAYS, 7 HOURS, 4 MINUTES AND 23 SECONDS
BIMINI WILL PERFORM WITH MULTIPLE OUTFIT CHANGES. THEY WILL DO STAND UP, SINGING AND DANCING.
CHARLES JEFFREY WILL JOIN THEM ON STAGE FOR A Q&A TO DISCUSS THE COLLECTION
FOOD AVAILABLE AT THE BAR BEFORE THE SHOW - CAN BE TAKEN TO GUESTS SEATS. 20% OF FOOD PROFITS GO TO MERMAIDS, THE LEADING TRANS AND NON-BINARY CHARITY
#LOVERIMI
Hi guys! Going to be doing a Q&A in the next few days regarding my gender and any struggles I have faced. The whole point of Loverboy x Bimini is to spread light on gender identity and struggles, while making incredible clothes you can all wear. Ask me questions below and use the hashtag #LOVERIMI to share your experiences on any social media.
BIMINI’S GENDER Q&A - STRONG ENCOURAGEMENT FOR OTHERS TO USE THE HASHTAG AND SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES
POSTS USING #LOVERIMI WILL BE RESHARED ON STORIES
- Strong and recognisable brand presence
- Unique, inspiring designs
- Celebrity endorsement
- USP of being a gender-neutral brand
- Taps into communityrave culture and also LGBTQ+
- Not as globally known as other brands
- Weak presence on social media channels: TikTok etc
- Hugely relatable to LGBTQ+ community
- Desireable: has worked with famous high end brands, eg: Miu Miu, Louboutin
- Upcoming music career
- Best-selling author
- Less known outside of the UK
- Not a good presence on popular apps like TikTok
- Plenty of room for expansion within current fashion climate
- Gender fluidity – everyone can enjoy
- Can expand social media channels further
- Other gender fluid competitors
- Ever-changing fashion industry
- Suppliers’ prices rising
- Expanision into other sectors eg, writing and singing
- Opportunity to expand channels further - TikTok
- Future brand collaborations
- Other drag queens featuring on newer Drag Race seasons
- Upcoming non-binary influencers
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
Sprout Social. (2022) Instagram statistics you need to know for 2022 [Online] [Accessed 20 April 2022). https:// sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/
Sprout Social. (2022) 30 TikTok stats marketers need to know in 2022.[Online] [Accessed 20 April 2022). https://sproutsocial.com/insights/tiktok-stats/
IN PERSON
CHANNEL: DRAG SHOW
INSTAGRAM AS MAIN CHANNEL
COLLECTION LAUNCH ON LOVERBOY
VEGAN FOOD MENU FOR DRAG SHOW GUESTS: PRINTED ON RECYCLED CARD AND ATTACHED TO INVITE WITH STRING
INVITATIONS TO DRAG SHOW: MADE FROM RECYCLED CARD AND STRING
KEYRINGS GIVEN OUT FOR FREE AT THE LAUNCH SHOW: MADE FROM SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
INVITES IN ENVELOPE WITH PRINTED KISS / LIPS LOGO