3.1 Phillip Lim is a global independent fashion brand seeking to expand their value beyond clothing, physically and digitally. For my master’s thesis, I created a four-part brand program titled the 3.1 Salon to establish 3.1 Phillip Lim as the leader in fashion and lifestyle.
Experience Designer
UX/UI
Experiential Design
Experience Strategy
Sep - Dec 2020
With the outbreak of the coronavirus, the fashion industry came to a breaking halt. Fashion weeks were cancelled. Retail stores were closed indefinitely, some closing for good. The COVID-19 outbreak sped up the expectations of the fashion industry by five years, and many smaller, independent labels like 3.1 Phillip Lim found themselves needing to re-evaluate.
With physical retail no longer an option, e-commerce and digital marketing became a necessity overnight. Currently, 3.1 Phillip Lim's official site is less than optimal in accessibility due to lack of visual contrast, confusing site structure, and hidden information. Social media still remains the main communication line out to customers about new collections, projects, and collaborations, but many of these announcements are also easy to miss.
As an individual, Phillip Lim encompasses so many different worlds, from architecture to cooking. He's practically a brand unto himself. He's carried these interests into his projects and collaborations, building credibility as a creative director with integrity. However, many of these ventures end up as one-off instances that don't get the attention they're worth, despite their potential.
Move from being a lifestyle brand to being a lifestyle brand.
A four-channel branded program designed to foster the interaction between fashion, arts, and culture. The 3.1 Salon is inspired by tradition of historical fashion salons that emerged during the golden age of fashion, helmed by magnates like Christian Dior and Coco Chanel — gatherings that united intellectual, artistic, and political contemporaries.
The 3.1 Society is a coalition of 3.1 Phillip Lim's closest partners, collaborators, and friends. They form the collective of people who inspire us as creators and the work we produce.
In response to COVID, 3.1 Phillip Lim moved its operations from a separate building into the NYC flagship. As part of the 3.1 Salon retail strategy, we would transform our current stores into multi-purpose studio spaces to host masterclasses, discussions and workshops in collaboration with our 3.1 Society members. These events would be first-come, first-serve with limited capacity to encourage safety and an intimate setting.
I created a dedicated space for the 3.1 Salon within the 31philliplim.com infrastructure. As a dedicated main page in the menu navigation, the 3.1 Salon page now becomes the home for any non-clothing/non-commerce related activity for the brand. In addition to featuring the 3.1 Society roster, the 3.1 Salon page also features four additional sub-pages:
Because each store caters to a unique and local demographic, the Salon events would also be localized per store. For example, the LA store events might focus topics around diversity in fashion and entertainment in Hollywood, bringing in Society members based in LA or existing partners such as Gold House and CAPE. This would also encourage each store to truly work on engaging with the local demographic as well as their neighbors to support local and small business.
Not every 3.1 Phillip Lim fan is based in a large city with a physical store. In addition to the owned channels through the stores and through 3.1 Phillip Lim.com, I created concepts for creating an official YouTube channel to host public 3.1 Salon content along with the rest of the brand's marketing. Currently 3.1 Phillip Lim only has a Vimeo page with little to no engagement.
3.1 Phillip Lim has become a staple of the New York fashion scene, and a brand that advocates for local business and partnership. In creating 3.1 Salon, I wanted to emphasize the importance of community when it comes to survival, identity, and growth. The 3.1 Phillip Lim network is a global community that is united by aspiration, hope, and a desire to make the world a kinder and more beautiful place. By focusing in on each local community, we can create exponential influence.
The people who wear and represent 3.1 Phillip Lim exude charm, confidence, and courage. The 3.1 Society as a collective holds incredible power in the creative fields and are inspiring the next generation to pursue their dreams. In creating the 3.1 Salon, I also wanted to provide a way for 3.1 Phillip Lim to be actively involved in inspiring the next generation of creatives by providing access to their own resources of inspiration, their people. Who knows? One day a 3.1 Phillip Lim fan could become a Society member.
I have always had an interest in fashion but always admired it from a distance. It wasn't until I decided to take on this project that I realized I had more to offer than I had initially thought. Fashion has always been about representing culture in a moment, and now, we have more tools at our disposal to create unique and compelling stories. I plan to continue researching how the future of fashion will unfold post-COVID with emerging technology and a return to physical experiences.
