Sonamu New York’s Brand Reinvention & Market Repositioning Strategy
OVERVIEW
SONAMU New York was known for its exquisite leather craftsmanship and understated aesthetic, but it was losing traction.
Sonamu New York Rebrand. Positioning leather for the young professionals.
SONAMU New York was known for its exquisite leather craftsmanship and understated aesthetic, but it was losing traction. Competitors were growing younger—attracting Gen Z with affordable entry-luxury, trend-driven bags. SONAMU New York’s audience was aging.
I led the brand reinvention: making it relevant to a younger, style-conscious audience without sacrificing the artisanal core.
Date
2024
Role
Brand Strategist, Creative Director
Industry
Fashion / Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Accessories
Brand Situation
Redefining the problem of profit margin loss, focus on strengths and cover weakness.
We redefined the problem: Quiet Luxury wasn’t selling to Gen Z. While other brands scaled fast with fast fashion tactics or ultra-minimal pricing, we leaned into our strength—real luxury at an accessible entry point.
Project Overview
We positioned SONAMU New York to be more than visually appealing. We celebrated the frugality of stylish youth while retaining a rebellious alignment.
We positioned SONAMU as a “REBELLIOUS LUXURY BRAND”
Challenging the Status Quo of Luxury Brands by providing modest prices.
Utilitarian in its core, cutting off excess and championing opportunity of experience of high quality leather.
Retained artisanal quality, upped brand storytelling
While we created alignment of lower prices, at the same time increased prices to align with brand value and increase margin
Compared directly to Hermès, Cuyana, The Row, but for the emerging career class
PAST: DISCOVERY & APPROACH
What does the business stand for? Who is buying the products? We needed a reason for community.
Strategic Repositioning
Our new audience: Young professionals entering the workforce, making their first serious investment in style and substance.
Visual Language
Refined brand color palette blending natural tones with neutral modernism
Designed logomark for small-scale recognition
Elevated photography direction and editorial layout
Verbal Identity
Moved from soft, abstract language to confident minimalism
Created modular messaging for packaging, site, and socials
Rebellious Luxury Brand, modest prices for frugal champions.
— Sonamu New York, Positioning Statement
Branding System Core Values
PRESENT: BRAND STYLE
Applying the core values to the consumer touch-points.
A New Brand Experience
A clear corporate logo builds up brand recognition and awareness. We took out what was previously known to customers and added a new style that meets users’ expectations about Tic Tac Tiles.
We focused on the customer experience of understanding a variety of ways of utilizing Tic Tac Tiles products and that is aligned with a statement that Tic Tac Tiles are a clean yet straightforward way of interior styling.
Simplicity & Clean
Create a pure, open, and accessible experience. It is always a challenge to create a user experience that balances both business and customer needs. Tic Tac Tiles’ customers have been sharing their Tic Tac Tiles experiences through social media, our team of experts needed to navigate its paths to a fun and captivating user experience that satisfies both customers and the company itself. Our team, composed of a copywriter, a marketer, a campaign manager, a visual designer and a user experience strategist, worked together to find the best way to optimize the customer experience of Tic Tac Tiles in the most efficient manner.
Measure, Test & Adjust
Through a multiple series of researching which include market research, online reputation management, and its current approach to marketing campaigns, we created a journey starting from the user’s needs to bonding with community enthusiasts. Tools like visual prototypes, user monitoring, social media management systems, storyboarding were essential to the process to map out the customer journey.
BUSINESS OUTCOME
+24.7% YoY Sales Growth and 89.6% Q1 Profit increase after rebranding
Application
KEY TAKEAWAY