Brief: Develop a premium apparel collection for Valiant that leverages Michigan’s recent and past Rose Bowl appearance(s) to capture the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) market.
Constraints: All floral elements required a "gold-dipped" finish to align with the official Rose Bowl double-stemmed trophy iconography and all designs need to adhere to University of Michigan licensing guidelines.
Project Thoughts: To gain D2C market share, I felt it important to move away from standard championship apparel layouts and create "streetwear-adjacent" pieces that felt like vintage finds rather than modern souvenirs.
Results: TBD capsule yet to be released.
Strategy
Gold-Dipped Rose
Rather than treating the gold-dipped rose as a static badge, I integrated it into all rose illustrations. This ensured the mandatory branding felt like an intentional design choice that fit the entire composition, rather than looking like an afterthought.
Vintage Aesthetic
I integrated distressed textures and a vintage inspired compositions to tap into the '90s sportswear trend. This addressed something always present on my mind during a project like this - make merchandise people actually want to wear.
Composition & Hierarchy
I prioritized 'full-story' compositions by intertwining roses with the Michigan 'M' and Winged Helmet. I also used my custom typography to fit the vintage aesthetic.
