Afrigather Gobi is the biggest cashmere garment producer in Mongolia. What makes it particular is that each garment is sustainably produced in Mongolia and by Mongolians. With a workers of over 1700 individuals, 75% of whom are ladies, all the pieces stays inside the nation, from harvesting the uncooked cashmere by means of processing, design, manufacture and distribution,
Headquartered within the nation’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, Gobi started in 1981 as a state-owned firm specialising in 100% premium cashmere. In 2007, it was privatised, and it now has two official department shops in Berlin and Düsseldorf and 62 franchise shops globally.
It has an excessive amount of fairness and recognition in Mongolia, however wished assist in rising the model exterior the nation. So that they turned to world artistic company Mucho.
Transient and analysis
Mucho wanted to find its distinctive story, one which may very well be translated right into a extra premium feel and look whereas nonetheless being accessible and representing Mongolia’s heritage and tradition.
The Mucho staff started by studying extra a few nation they knew little or no about. “It was essential that we uncover the true tradition, historical past and heritage of the nation,” explains associate and artistic director Rob Duncan. “We wanted to grasp the individuals, local weather and topography, in addition to the method that goes into manufacturing cashmere.”
As they noticed it, the one manner to do that was to journey to Mongolia for every week of discovery and workshops. “And the one time to do that was in the course of winter when it was -20°C through the day and -30°C at evening!”
This was essential as a result of one of many causes Mongolian cashmere is thought to be the very best is its distinctive local weather. It will get actually chilly through the winter and actually sizzling through the summer season, so the goats naturally develop longer coats and shed extra to deal with such extremes. This creates a higher-quality, noticeably softer product.
Rob instantly fell in love with the individuals and the panorama of Mongolia. “We visited museums,” he recollects. “We led strategic and artistic workshops with the C-level executives and their groups to essentially perceive how you can place Gobi.”
The staff travelled to distant places to fulfill with the herders, their households, and the goats to learn the way they dwell whereas having fun with conventional delicacies. They visited the manufacturing facility to study in regards to the manufacturing course of. They interviewed staff to grasp why they selected to work at Gobi and why a few of them had been there for so long as 30 years.
Understanding the corporate’s tradition was simply as essential as understanding its aggressive atmosphere. “There are a number of luxurious cashmere firms on this planet, akin to Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli, who’re very unique,” notes Rob. Naadam is a giant participant within the trade, however it feels extra like a start-up.
“By our discovery course of, we understood that every one of those cashmere firms had one factor in widespread: they arrive to Mongolia to reap the uncooked cashmere however then take it overseas and again to the US and Europe to fabricate their merchandise. Due to this fact, taking the cash exterior of Mongolia.”
Gobi, nonetheless, works with herders in Mongolia to reap uncooked supplies. Additionally it is processed in Mongolia, manufactured in Mongolia by Mongolians, and distributed from Mongolia. “As an organization, Gobi is absolutely giving again to the Mongolian individuals,” says Rob. “This makes them distinctive, and it is the story we wanted to inform and construct the Gobi model round.”
Image, wordmarks and icons
With this data, Mucho developed a mission assertion and positioning assertion and established design rules. This resulted in a definite path for Gobi whereas creating guardrails to work inside through the design course of.
A brand new image and wordmark take pleasure of place within the new id. The image, created by interlocking 4 coronary heart shapes, represents a virtuous cycle during which all the pieces from the uncooked product to the clothes is produced in Mongolia by Mongolians. Every form represents one of many 4 essential connections that make Gobi distinct: goats, herders, staff, and clients.
The bespoke Gobi wordmark, in the meantime, was designed to really feel timeless and stylish. It alludes to the historical past and heritage of a rustic with 1000’s of years of information and tales to inform and represents the luxurious high quality of Gobi merchandise.
Typography, promoting and pictures
When it got here to the model typography, Tomato Grotesk was chosen as a result of it’s fashionable, easy, and geometric whereas having a contact of quirk and aptitude. The distinction of weights inside the typeface makes it really feel extra humanist, pleasant, and natural.
As for copyrighting, the tagline ‘Really Mongolian’ was created for use throughout all collateral. “This actually distils what makes Gobi distinctive,” says Rob. “No different world cashmere firm collects the uncooked product, manufactures it, and distributes it in Mongolia by Mongolians, so it is a tagline that solely Gobi can personal.” To launch the brand new model id, Mucho created a marketing campaign titled ‘Go. Be’; taking part in on the sound of the corporate’s identify and highlighting its qualities and advantages.
For the pictures, Mucho advisable that Gobi use and promote Morocco’s tradition and environment in genuine conditions. “Capturing open air and exhibiting off the atmosphere, local weather, and landscapes actually accentuates what makes Mongolia and Mongolian cashmere particular,” explains Rob.
As a substitute of hiring fashions, they used and paid real-life herders, their households, and world staff. As Rob places it, ” It was an effective way for the photographs to really feel actually genuine and provides again to the neighborhood. By introducing yurts, wagons, animals, and Mongolian artefacts inside photoshoots, we emphasised Gobi as a really genuine Mongolian model which cares about its land, animals, heritage, and folks.”
Icons
One other ingredient of the visible id is a brand new set of brand name icons. Rob explains how these took place. “Throughout our go to to the Chinggis Khaan Nationwide Museum in Ulaanbaatar, we seen a stunning set up excessive above the doorways,” he recollects. Featured was a set of household manufacturers that they used for branding their livestock, courting again 1000’s of years.
“There was one thing so uniquely Mongolian about how these had been designed that they impressed us to create a set of icons, together with 4 distinctive icons to characterize the 4 seasons in Mongolia. “
These symbols are used all through the branding system. Seasonal lookbooks, garment sleeves, and in-store graphic shows characteristic these symbols in sq. and totem codecs.
“Creativity, high quality, professionalism, and cooperation are only a few phrases that come to thoughts when working with Mucho,” says Amarsaikhan ‘Ama’ Baatarsaikhan, CEO of Mucho. “What units them other than different branding companies is the devotion and involvement of their leaders, who play an energetic position all through the total period of the challenge.
“Their intensive expertise fused with dedication to offer an genuine and actual story of Mongolia’s distinctive tradition enabled us to seek out our story that we are able to share with the world for generations”.
All in all, the rebrand captures a definite narrative distinctive to Gobi, positioning it as a robust participant within the world trend trade whereas honouring its Mongolian heritage and dedication to sustainable and moral manufacturing. And it is already had an affect, with the corporate not too long ago asserting that its merchandise are actually being bought in Nordstrom within the US.
“What I like about being a designer is absolutely studying, understanding and discovering what makes my consumer distinctive, as a way to assist remedy their drawback, and make them profitable,” says Rob. “Having the chance to journey to Mongolia, to find a rustic I knew little about, however extra importantly, to work with an organization that really cares in regards to the socio-economic scenario of Mongolian individuals could be very particular.
“The extra profitable Gobi turns into, the extra profitable their staff turn into and the extra profitable and recognised Mongolia turns into as a rustic. It is uncommon for a designer to work on initiatives like this, which may actually assist make a distinction on this planet.”
