What’s In A Brand?

When visiting Singapore recently, we stumbled across The Unbranded Brand. In a nutshell, the unbranded brand is a mens denim label that makes unwashed jeans with no label on them which aren’t supported by ad and PR campaigns.

Whilst we love the idea, the truth is that no label can be without a brand. In marketing we’re taught that branding isn’t just about the name. It’s about so much more – the ethos, the story, the concept, and the website for The Unbranded Brand is very much about creating and reinforcing a brand concept and way of thinking.

Sometimes, a brand concept is very organised and clear (think Nike or Apple). Other times, it can be almost accidental and more organic (we’ll let you think of your own examples… goodness knows there are plenty). Neither is necessarily better than the other and each has their own benefits. What is very clear though is that any given individual’s idea of a brand can be exceptionally difficult to change once it’s set.

Having tried out a few different things with the Bento brand, we’re now at the point where we need to be getting a little stricter with what exactly Bento means.

Bento should be timeless, understated and effortless. The label was started with the intention of becoming a luxe cult basics label. We’ve tried a few things on for size (like prints and shooting our lookbook in a campaign style) that didn’t fit, and others that did (like Australian-made fabrics and plain background lookbooks).

Now it’s over to you though. What do you think our brand is about? What would you like to see more / less of?