Kate Spade Needs to Pull A Loewe

My ideas for Kate Spade's next campaign

No luxury brand has more buzz surrounding it right now than Loewe. The whimsical luxury fashion house has dominated red carpets, fashion weeks, and all of our feeds. Taylor Russell, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Drew Starkey, Rihanna, Ayo Edebri, Mike Faist—I mean, the list of your favorite celebrities who have adorned Loewe recently could go on and on.

Loewe campaigns

Kate Spade on the other hand is a brand you probably haven’t thought about for a while. Kate Spade has been hidden in the shadows for years as their cool younger sister Coach has been reveling in the success of their recent rebrand. But unlike Coach’s recent classy chic vibe, Kate Spade continues to produce some really unique playful pieces that are wearable but still make a statement. I mean just look at some of the items they have on their website right now! Unique shapes, fun patterns, and bold pieces dare I say, feel similar to Loewe. I know it might sound crazy, but when you really break it down, the 2 brands are more similar than you think.

For Kate Spade to execute this rebrand, must fully commit to the idea that they are not the chicest or simplest moderately priced luxury fashion house. At a lower price point than Loewe but still pricey enough to be considered a luxury, Kate Spade can bring fun fashion to a larger consumer base than Loewe ever could. To achieve this though, the Kate Spade branding needs a refresh.

Kate Spade’s most recent campaign with brand ambassador Madison Beer

Hero Products:

Every good brand going through a little refresh needs at least one hero product. Kate Spade should focus their marketing strategies on their Grace bag and their Deco medium bag. Similar to what makes Loewe’s hero product, the Puzzle bag, the Deco and Grace have a unique shape that feels both chic and unique. I think the Deco and Grace can be really successful, but as seen in the venn diagram, the brand has a confusing buyer persona. Kate Spade constantly seems to flip between targeting younger consumers and targeting Gen X. Their luxury quality and reasonable price point hint towards Gen X, while a majority of their products and campaigns are catered to a younger audience. If Kate Spade wants to be successful, they need to plant themselves right in the middle and convey that sense of nostalgia and excitement that appeals to Gen X with the “trend factor” that Gen Z craves.

The Deco (left) and the Grace (right)

Overall Campaign & Digital Branding:

To really get the Deco and Grace the attention they deserve, I think Kate Spade should go full in on their art deco whimsy vibe. For their next campaign, Kate Spade should focus on a 60s vibe. Think voluminous hair, Twiggy inspired makeup, and campy poses showcasing the bags. Beyond this being just a fun unique vibe in general, it would further segment Kate Spade from Coach, as Coach focuses on this metropolitan cool girl vibe. Loewe’s campaigns are simple yet engaging, and I think Kate Spade should follow the same formula.

The hair and makeup vibe the campaign should have

As for the actual photo shoot, I think the set should look like those old hand painted nature scenes from old movies. Except for Kate Spade, it should be gorgeous rolling green hills to capture the classic green in the Kate Spade brand identity.

I really like this idea of a campy vintage hand painted set as seen in the Glossier campaign and the Barbie movie. For KS, I think it would look great for the set to be made to look like these luscious green hills

Then like the Loewe campaigns, it should just say Kate Spade at the bottom in a nice bold font. I think it would bode well with the Kate Spade brand identity, but would also rejuvenate their current branding portfolio. Please let me know what you think of this mock campaign! Can you see it working well with the Kate Spade brand?

As always, thank you for being here! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

<3,

HMC