By. BullaBolla
By. Malene Birger is a Danish design company founded by Malene Birger. Her ambition was to create clothes for modern women who valued style. Malene quit designing recently in 2014, and Mathilde Torp Mader has been the creative director for the organization since then. The organization was founded 15 years ago, but the designing brand started to stand out in 2014 when Torp took over. She had a different aspect on the current design and she said she wanted a “new look that’s intelligent and joyful”. It was this that led to the popularity of the organization and the international spread of the brand.
The main product that I would say “shaped” the organization was their bags, wallets, phone covers, travel bags, suitcases and other accessories. They all have the same pattern design, in different mix of colors. They also have limited collections for spring and fall.
If I categorize By. Malene Birger in a style of design, I would define the organization in contemporary design, rather than modern and postmodern. The pattern is very clean. It has a lot of details but it’s always the same and has never changed. It’s the same with the actual functionality of the products. It’s simple, plain and clean. The prices on the designer brand is also reasonable. It’s not cheap, but it’s not too expensive either. To be compared to contemporary design, the consumers age is usually between 20 and 30 years old. Not a lot of women can afford expensive designer bags at this age, but the organization By. Malene Birger can provide the opportunity to do so. In other words, they work as a substitute for more luxurious brands which has price tags so high that a lot of consumers can’t afford. These are all factors that help to define By. Malene Birger in the category; Contemporary design.
What makes By. Malene Birger stand out from other design brands is the consumers association with the brand. You could compare By. Malene Birger’s shoulder bags to Louis Vuitton’s shoulder bags, because the pattern on both bags can be similar. But if I see someone with a Vuitton bag I automatically think “He/she must have a lot of money”, and that’s it. But if I see someone with a Malene Birger bag I get the association of that person seems down to earth, but still classy. This association is common among a lot of young girls and women. The brand is so stylish and when you wear the bag or other accessories you get the feeling of that person being sophisticated. This is what that makes By. Malene Birger unique. Brand building is about making the brand connect with the consumer to that point for the consumer to make a purchase. It’s important
If someone is into fashion design, the person would have to feel that they have the opportunity to express themselves. And I think the organization By. Malene Birger gives the consumer this usefulness.
References:
- Seminar 3,4.9, Guest Monika Hestad (Powerpoint, slide 28)
- Notes from class
Making sense of art and design industries 