1. Brand analysis

2.  The company was a groundbreaker in  The brand specializes in making
the Jeans market introducing the RAW denim. This is an
concept of “luxury denim for the streets unwashed, untreated denim in
which awakened the fashion world which all jeans start out as after
towards both functional & symbolic being constructed. G-star is
nature of Jeans”. highly influenced by military
 G-star was founded in 1989 in the clothing, inspiration of their
Netherlands as Gap Star but changed its designs come from vintage
name after going global. In 1996, G-Star military apparel bought around
was the first brand to unleash a "Raw the world. Some examples
Denim" style of jeans, completely include special cell phone
untreated and straight out of the factory. pockets, and zippered arm
After this, the number "96" has been pockets on jackets.
sewn into numerous G-Star products as
a mark of respect for the year that the
signature "Raw Denim" was introduced.
 The products launched were jeans and
men’s wear. Currently, the brand has
expanded into Womenswear market &
also has a product extension in
footwears.

3.  The Jeans and urban clothing industry has many
competitors: Diesel, Levi’s, Replay, Acupuncture,
Wrangler, Lee, Energie, Gas, Paul Frank, Miss
Sixty, Calvin Klein.
 More specifically, with the new revival of stylish
jeans many brands have joined the jeans wave
such as Seven for All Mankind, Blue Cult, True
Religion, Chip & Pepper, Earnest Sewn, Citizen of
Humanity, Rock and Republic, Stitch’s and Yanuk.
 Even though G-star Raw started as a jeans apparel
brand and the fact that denim is still very present
in every season they are not perceived as a jeans
only brand anymore. In this sense now they are
regarded more as a urban fashion brand.

4.  Among all this brands and clothing companies that
target the casual fashionable youth the ones that
can be considered more direct competence for G-
star are Energie and Diesel. They manufacture
very edgy collections, most of them based on jeans
but also extending them to tops, shirts and jackets.
 Energie is an Italian based company that focusing
its collection on denim, it provides other clothing
alternatives, not so stylish and designed but also
appealing to a casual youth.
 Diesel is also brand of italian origin. It is well-
known worldwide brand, that was started as a
denim brand but now famous for urban lifestyle.

6.  Font Style
Brand is using the type of sans serif font in upper case
 Logo application
G-star has an image type displayed either inside or
around the logo.
 Color
G-Star is mainly known by the white logo against denim
grey backgrounds, all very colorless.
 Associated words
G-Star adds the word “raw” to extend their brand to try to
portray themselves as a brand that is only about the
produce, about the raw denim and that there is no candy
on top of it in a form of advertisement or other fashion
attributes.

7.  G-Star may change their ads every collection but the
art direction of the ads stays the same: models
posing in motion and pictured details of the clothes.
A very simple and traditional approach to clothing
advertisement. They shoot models again a urban
background and all standing on asphalt and being
very street and macho.
Absence of text Traditional use of
on the website photography in mosaic

8.  G-Star frame on comparison has a stress on being
cool, arrogant, hot and good looking and not
looking at anyone else. Their tag line “raw”
referring both at the plain construction of its
clothes, looking very simple and neutral and the
neutral advertisements where they announce “just
the product” (being false this assertion as well,
because the clothes appear on models and this
models act). The supposed coolness of the brand
with the models and fashion pose and its rawness
characterize themselves almost as a street fashion
brand with the coolness of the catwalk and the
freshness of the street style.

9.  The brand has followed a
differentiated market
positioning strategy by
focusing on a narrow
market segment. The
brand refers to the upper
end of the middle market
by positioning itself as a
premium high street
brand.
 As for audience brand has
always addressed to the
fashion leaders &
innovators who can relate
to the innovative values of
the brand.

10.  The company G – Star has a turnover of more than
$1 billion and the brand is sold to its customers
from about 5,860 points of sale in 70 countries
apart from the online sales & mobile applications
(IPhone)
 “New brands like G Star, Seven for All Mankind,
Juicy Jeans, Miss Sixty, Rock and Republic and
Hug have been performing particularly well as
they further expand the edges of the jeans market
by offering designer fashion or ethically
manufactured products.” (Mintel 2007)

11.  The identity of the brand has been reciprocated
in the tagline of the brand – “Just the Product”.
 The perceived quality of the products is a place
where G–Star never compromises & the brand
awareness is spread through the detailed
specifications of the product & the innovations
carried out in the style, wash, cut & fabrics.

12. The brand has mainly used development of promotional alliances as a
marketing communication tool to communicate to its customers
indulging mainly in inter-industrial partnerships for marketing
promotions.
• The core value of the brand is always a product itself, that’s
why they choose celebrities very carefully, only those who truly can
send the right message & represent their products.
• The brand had a promotional campaign in 2007 featuring
Alexandra Maria Lara (The Reader) and Toby Kebbell (RocknRolla),
stars of the 2007 cult music film Control, and was shot by the film's
rock photographer-director, Anton Corbijn to promote & highlight the
“Rock & Roll” ties of the brand & their products.
• G–Star’s known for its unexpected combinations, but they are
rarely as surprising as the juxtaposition of Hollywood beauty with
chess Grandmaster brains in the new advertising campaign. The
brand selected Liv Tyler and Magnus Carlsen as its brand
ambassadors to represent the brand.

13. • RAW Defender: • MARC NEWSON:
The collections with supremely technical &
The collaboration which saw Land Rover’s high quality garments have been extremely
most hardcore vehicle fitted out to a unique G- successful for both the brand & the designer.
Star specification was a result of the shared The collaboration began in 2003 & has been
aesthetic of supreme functionality & fit – for continued since then. The collection accents
purpose construction provided by both the Marc’s experience of designing in a wide range
brands in their individual products of disciplines from bicycle to concept of car &
restaurants or even the interiors of private &
commercial jets.
• RAW CANNONNDALE:
• ZHANG DA & QIU HAO:
It is a top line bike stripped down to its purest Both designers are based in China. They were
form incorporating high quality materials, given a G–Star Arc jeans to customize, this
supreme functionality, clean aesthetics & project was a part of “ARC ART programme”.
subtle design which stress out the unique
features of both Cannondale & G–Star.
• ANTON CORBIJN:
The innovative promotional campaigns by the
ace professional photographer have given the
brand the much needed freshness & edge in
the communications & promotions.

14. •Focus on the product
•Effective communication • Customers emotions are not
involved
•Brand collaboration • Some collaborations had great
•Different communication press attention but not
channels connection with customers
•Innovations
Strengths Weaknesses
Threads Opportunities
•Strong competitors • Influence on customers
emotions (involvement)
with great
• Win-win-win for collaborations
communication • New markets
strategy (Diesel ads)