Premium Denim Brand 34 Heritage Prepares For A New Era And Announces Rebrand - Forbes

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34 Heritage

Like all arts, fashion has a history, and every era contributes its share of creative flow. What I am concerned about here is how to make the most of  brand image. How a fashion brand can look smartly updated in a modified natural sort of way. Effortlessly right. The art of developing image, of presenting an appearance of elegance and taste to the eye of the beholder, of being appropriately designed for our time, can be summed up quite simply; Control your design, don't let your design control you!

We've seen some fairly unbelievable logos in recent years, variously transformed by the technology revolution. But on sober reflection, I can't honestly say that I either regret or deplore three decades that brought so much excitement and fresh thinking to fashion and brands overall. It was indeed long overdue, in my estimation and menswear needed to be thoroughly shaken out of their stodgy, unimanginative ways of dressing.  If, in the course of this revolution, things go a little out of hand here and there, well- revolutions were ever thus!

I’m excited to share with you 34 Heritage’s  2019 rebranding and collection highlights. Inspired by the modern gentleman and his desire for comfort and luxury, the brand has concentrated on its highly developed senses of style and proportion which are the absolute requirements for living through our rapidly changing business times.  In short, true elegance is indestructible. It never dies; it's always there to be seen, not stared at, if you look hard enough.  Of course, there's more to a brand than that. An elegant, well defined logo, must have a sense of proportion. Proportion not only from a standpoint of physical measurement but also proportion in the sense of appropriate for our time, place and the occasion.

COURAGE_SAGE_SOFT_TOUCH by 34 Heritage

34 Heritage

Luxury menswear brand34 Heritage announces a dynamic rebrand to roll out in 2019. The scope of the rebrand includes the development of a unique brand identity and cohesive voice that positions and differentiates 34 Heritage to resonate with its target audience, as well as the design of a customer focused E-commerce experience that will enhance both B2B and B2C customer experiences.

34 Heritage initially was created to fill a gap in the wholesale denim market to cater to gentlemen who were seeking clean, classic styles that easily transitioned from work to evening in expanded sizing and fit options. The brand has since broadened its line to include luxury and performance fabrics to fit the lifestyle of modern men.

“Because of our wholesale roots, we felt we needed to enhance our brand story in order to better communicate who we are to customers,” says Arkun Durmaz, President of 34 Heritage. “We dove deeper to clarify where 34 Heritage sits in the competitive landscape, refined the brand identity and integrated this vision into all brand touchpoints; a refresh of the logo, color scheme, typography, copy writing, hang tags, packaging and digital design of the website.”

34Heritage New Brand Logo

34 Heritage

34 Heritage enlisted leading digital agency King & Partnersto spearhead the project. “King & Partners takes pride in helping amazing brands fulfill their potential,” says Tony King, Founder of King & Partners. “We worked with our friends at 34 Heritage to align the quality of their presentation with the quality of their premium jeanswear. From the creation of a beautiful logo and comprehensive brand book to web design/UX and art direction of a full lookbook, we set out to create a visual communication language that proclaims 34 Heritage’s positioning as a luxury denim brand.”

Launching alongside the rebrand, 34 Heritage’s Spring/Summer ’19 collection will be filled with classic and on-trend styles, a fresh palette of colors and new non-denim luxury fabrications, and an array of intricate details that add the essential finishing touch. These styles will be showcased on its revamped website designed to focus on the customers’ experience and help guide them through their journey so they can easily filter through products and be better informed about their purchases in one of our select premium retail partner stores or online.

COURAGE SAND COLORED DENIM by 34 Heritage

34 Heritage

34 Heritage was founded in 2011 and is a premium denim brand inspired by the Modern Gentleman, his pursuit of excellence in all things, and his desire to always be appropriately attired. As a brand that has always been focused on menswear, 34 Heritage’s primary attributes are excellent fit and outstanding comfort, in exceptional style. Any denim brand can create a classic 32”x32”, but most fail to address the needs of men who fall outside of that proportion. 34 Heritage offers a range of fits both modern and classic, for gentleman of varying shapes, sizes and personal tastes. With fits as premium as their fabrics and finishes, and exceptional handcrafted details, 34 Heritage is the perfect accompaniment to customers’ rich lives, suited for work, relaxation and recreation.

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34 Heritage

I recently had the privilege to speak with Arkun Durmaz, President of 34 Heritage about the true essence of the brand, the overall re-branding message and visual during these quick changing times and why he feels he needed to enhance the brand story in order to better communicate brand  identity!

Joseph DeAcetis: Talk to Forbes about the history of 34 Heritage and the brand DNA - the essence of the brand. 

Arkun Durham: 34 Heritage was founded in 2011 as a premium denim brand inspired by the Modern Gentleman, his pursuit of excellence in all things, and his desire to always be appropriately attired. We have always focused on menswear and our primary attributes are excellent fit and outstanding comfort, while always sporting exceptional style. Our products are the perfect accompaniment to customers’ rich lives, suited for work, relaxation and recreation.

CARTER_GREY_CASHMERE by 34 Heritage

34 Heritage

JD: What is the comparative advantage of the brand - what makes you unique? 

AD: What makes 34 Heritage truly unique is we recognized that any denim brand can create a classic 32”x32”, but most fail to address the needs of men who fall outside of that proportion. We believe that not all jeans are created equal, nor are our customers, which is why we offer a range of fits for gentleman of varying shapes, sizes and personal tastes. Our fits, fabrics and finishes are premium with delicate and exceptional handcrafted details.  

JD: Talk to us about yourself. How long have you been at the helm of the brand, what are your day-to-day job duties?

AD: I have been with 34 Heritage since the beginning. I get involved in all aspects of managing the brand from merchandising the line to attending to needs and concerns of individual retail partners with the help of our very talented and dedicated team.

JD: Why do you feel 34 Heritage required re-branding?

AD: 34 Heritage initially was created to fill a gap in the wholesale denim market to cater to gentlemen who were seeking clean, classic styles that easily transitioned from work to evening, in expanded sizing and fit options. The brand has since broadened its line to include luxury and performance fabrics to fit the lifestyle of modern men. Because of our wholesale roots, we felt we needed to enhance our brand story in order to better communicate who we are to our customers.

NEVADA CHINA by 34 Heritage

34 Heritage

JD: In your words, talk to us about the overall re-branding message and visual and what it means to you.

AD: The rebrand was a deep dive to clarify where 34 Heritage sits in the competitive landscape, refine the brand identity and integrate this vision into all brand touchpoints. Truly every part of the brand was finessed; a refresh of the logo, color scheme, typography, copy writing, hang tags, packaging and digital design of the website.

JD: Have you tested the consumer audience with respect to the re-branding? How so?

AD: We introduced some of the new branding elements with the FW18 Collection in specialty and department store channels and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The clean, masculine aesthetic resonated strongly with wholesale customers who’ve been buying from us for years, as well as new customers who immediately responded enthusiastically. We plan to do a full rollout online with our redesigned website to coincide with the Spring/Summer 19 collection. We anticipate we will see an equally strong reaction with direct-to-consumer customers.

JD: In your estimation how do you feel the consumer will filter the re-branding? Why?

AD: 34 Heritage was inspired by and created for the professional man. The new brand and site redesign personifies the quality, luxury and impeccable style of our denim and trousers and we’re very confident it will resonate strongly with our customers. We believe the online experience will be an extension of the upscale look and feel of the brand and our products. We are in the business of fashion and every brand needs refreshing to give the retail partners and consumers a reason for excitement. While our refresh is very different, it is also true to our DNA and quite natural for the product, and we expect the consumer to react ultra-positively without having to make any conscious effort.

CHARISMA MID KONA by 34 Heritage

34 Heritage

JD: Talk to us about the current collection and where the brand is headed in today's market?

AD: The Spring/Summer ’19 collection is filled with classic and on-trend styles, a fresh palette of colors, a plethora of new non-denim luxury fabrications, and an array of intricate details that add the essential finishing touch. In a market that’s saturated with youth-driven, fast fashion styles, we’re committed to serving gentlemen of all body types with perfected fits in progressive, sophisticated designs. There isn’t another brand that serves this demographic quite like us or as well as we do. And we see huge potential for growth, which is the reason we’ve invested in a new brand, positioning and website.

JD: What is your growth strategy for the next 5 years?

AD: Our belief is that if we put enough effort into every piece of garment we deliver and treat every retailer and consumer who comes in touch with our product with respect and attention, the growth will follow naturally.  

COOL LIGHT REFINED CHARISMA by 34 Heritage

34 Heritage

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