Simon Jersey Company Rebrand

A new strategic proposition, personality and positioning for Manchester-based fashion company Simon Jersey

Simon Jersey is the UK’s leading ‘wear for work’ fashion company and the brand behind the iconic cabin crew uniforms of Emirates Airlines, and the sharp tailoring of Team GB.

With more than 45 years of workwear heritage, it dresses the employees of small, independent companies and multinationals, providing functional, stylish clothes for industries ranging from beauty and healthcare to hospitality.

Expertise & heritage

Simon Jersey came to us to help it redefine its brand proposition, personality and positioning to support its 60% year-on-year growth, and ambitious global expansion. Its existing branding wasn’t resonating with the new generation of customers wanting function, comfort and style, so we were given the task of rebranding the business complete with a new visual identity that would reflect its expertise and heritage, while speaking to the new generation of consumers without alienating existing loyal customers.

Broad appeal

Our first task was an in-depth exercise to conceive and build a new, comprehensive brand strategy. We worked closely with Simon Jersey’s teams to thoroughly understand the relevant market categories, the competition and business challenges, always putting the group’s aspiration to be seen as a stylish, innovative and fast-paced ‘wear for work’ brand at the core of our thinking.

Key to the rebrand was our conviction that Simon Jersey should be clearly differentiated from both ‘wear to work’ and fashion retail competitors, but still appeal to both business and consumer audiences across a diverse age and socio-demographic range. We achieved this by using aspirational, lifestyle photography, relevant to all target audiences and effective across social media channels.

A new icon

We coined the strapline ‘Functional Fashion’ to reflect the stylish and durable ranges Simon Jersey offers, and designed a bespoke version of Manchester’s worker bee – complete with needle antennae, a button head and the SJ initials on its abdomen, to sit at the centre of the new brand imagery. The bee originated as a symbol of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution when the city was at the centre of Britain’s cloth milling.

Simon Jersey now boasts a clear brand proposition, positioning and personality, which together form the foundations on which the new brand now rests. The rebrand has already been well received by existing customers and puts Simon Jersey in a strong position ready for its expansion into Asia next year.

Client

Simon Jersey

Sector