Kutula by Africana
Kutula by
Africana
California
Photography: Cory Osborne
Model: Nikia Phoenix
Videographer: Carlos Medina
Stylist: Sussy Campos
Copywriting: Lyndsay Rush
An established & revered brand in Los Angeles for decades, Kutula sourced one-of-a-kind fabrics from Zambia and hand crafted them into custom-made pieces. Having grown their team they made the decision to offer select pieces online as well as offering services beyond this. They needed a platform that not only allowed them to have their first online store, but also showcase their other services (such as film styling) and position them as a cultural-icon to potentially create a lifestyle brand around. Kutula now graces the bodies of glamorous celebrities on the red carpet and is the hot new-item in many wardrobes.
Services
Brand development
Logo design
eCommerce design & development
Packaging design
Custom lettering
Social media design
Collateral design
Objective
We needed to create a brand where Kutula was seen as both a leader and friend in the field – one where they could cultivate a loyal audience who wanted their unique statement pieces and also wanted much more from the brand. They also needed a platform for media representatives, celebrity stylists & film costume designers to trust them and reach out for bespoke services.
eCommerce website
We kept the online store minimal and simple to allow the brand to showcase each season or campaigns photoshoot. As the products are all statement pieces with bold, bright patterns this would allow this to shine through as the Kutula philosophy is about mixing and matching their pieces with your quality closet staples.
Kutula Blog
We developed an idea to seperate the blog into two sections – one for their writing pieces and one for their outfits. Placing a strong emphasis on the public investing in their statement pieces to mix with their staples, the outfit section was designed to show them how they could do this and collaborate with quality minimal brands and online retailers. The outfit featured the selected Kutula item and then linked back to it directly. They also had the option for Kutula only outfits or no shout-outs to other brands.
The swing tags for the product were laser cut into a minimal wood piece and doubled up with a campaign photo on the tag behind it (which included the clothing details including size, barcode, price etc). The opaque logo was designed to be a ‘window’ into the Kutula world. You could see the bold, striking patterns peeking through and it could be using in front of clothing items and travel across social media whilst encouraging customers to do the same.
The box packaging for the online store was crafted to have a magnetic open/close entry point for a sleek, minimal design. The logo was printed raised for a tactile touch & look. Inside, the clothing items would be wrapped in soft tissue paper before being sent.
For in-store customers, the shop bag required an update. We reflected the style of the box, kept it minimal and raise the logo for that same elegant look & feel.
