It’s a brand that has enjoyed a cult following by fashion-forward urbanites in the US and Europe, but more than being a premium denim label, G-Star Raw is a lesson in how to market a product in today’s complex, technologically convergent world.
Check out its YouTube adverts and you’ll gain insight into a product that has seamlessly fused fashion with art, social media, film and global consciousness, turning a simple fabric into rock star cool, all over the planet.
The brain behind G-Star’s out-of-the-ordinary branding activations is Shubhankar Ray, its global brand director who was in Johannesburg for a Raw night event.
“The idea behind our Raw nights is to stage an experiential event mixing different elements in unexpected combinations,” he says. “It’s a platform for local artists, and a way for us to get across G-Star’s global brand DNA, within a modern, local context. It’s about having a dialogue, not a monologue.”
G-Star pioneered the introduction of the first sculpted, 3D constructed denim with its Elwood collection in 1996. Today G-Star Elwood are the top world jeans seller after Levi’s 501.
G-Star clothing is recognisable in boutiques because the items are not presented “2D” style on hangers but allowed to hang freely, as though someone just stepped out of them. “We moulded the clothes on models, so it’s like a tailored garment. It’s a characteristic point of difference, and an example of the fact that high innovation is the driver of this brand,” says Ray.
Innovation means G-Star Raw may be better known for cool denim clothing, but the brand has been cross-pollinating with everything from modernist furniture to camera brands.
At New York Fashion Week in 2010, Dennis Hopper made a surprise appearance at their presentation. In 2011 they launched a collection in Switzerland that reinterpreted classic furniture by the late French designer Jean Prouve.
Last year, Leica Camera introduced its new Raw edition Leica D-Lux 6, with G-Star as the designer.
Most recently, they hooked up with a company that makes yarn and fabrics out of recycled plastic bottles. Together they have launched a line of denim they call “Raw for the Oceans”, which will make its entry into South Africa at the end of the year.
These non-obvious collaborations sets them apart, says Ray.
“Sustainability is also at the heart of this brand. It’s not about ‘lifestyle’, but ‘mindstyle’,” he adds.
Interestingly, Ray, born in India but raised in the UK, started out studying chemistry, with a plan to become a research scientist. But he became disillusioned and “accidentally” ended up in the fashion business.
“When I was at university I was working in a nightclub and was exposed to a lot of fashion, music, design and film at a time when culture was underground.”
After stints at Levi’s and Caterpillar, Ray joined G-Star in 2006 as its global brand director, to reinvent and “reboot” the label.
* G-Star has a retail presence in 68 countries and last August opened offices in South Africa. Retailers here include 18 Markham outlets and the Foschini group. See the range at www.g-star.com.