FOCUS: BRAND FOUNDER MISFIT | AUDIENCE: INVESTORS IN SLUGGISH BRANDS
BY: SHOBHA PONNAPPA | BRAND BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIST | 45 YEARS | 125+ CLIENTS
I helped a top fashion label founder adapt her personal design vision to market demand … for investor confidence.
This fashion brand was known for bold, quirky designs reflecting its founder’s personal taste. While her style attracted a small, loyal following, broader market appeal was slipping. Retail partners grew wary, noting collections were too niche to compete at scale. The brand’s once-envied uniqueness was starting to feel like a limitation.
Investor meetings became tense. Instead of adapting to changing trends, the founder doubled down on her preferences, dismissing feedback as “watering down” the brand. This inflexibility created a widening gap between creative vision and commercial reality, leading to declining sales and rising investor frustration.
The issue wasn’t creativity … it was relevance. The founder’s taste acted as both the brand’s magnet and its cage. The market was shifting toward versatile, wearable fashion, while her designs remained hyper-stylised and hard to integrate into everyday wardrobes. Investors feared the brand’s inability to pivot might undermine its long-term value.
I realised that to win back investor trust, the brand needed to separate personal style from commercial strategy. This meant giving the founder a platform to express her artistry, while creating a parallel space for market-driven design that could generate the revenue and stability investors needed to see.
I thought hard about this brand-cum-ego issue … and developed a “Two-Line Strategy” … one line staying true to the founder’s signature artistry, and another designed for mainstream retail success. This approach preserved brand identity while unlocking broader market reach, showing that innovation could be paired with accessibility.
I positioned the founder as the creative visionary of the artistic line, and brought in a seasoned fashion director to lead the commercial range. This reframed her role from sole arbiter to collaborative leader, signalling to investors that she valued expertise and adaptability as much as personal expression.
I then built a content-led approach showcasing how the two lines complemented each other: creative inspiration driving commercial innovation, and vice versa. Social media featured behind-the-scenes looks at both design processes, emphasising the founder’s influence across the brand without making her style the only lens.
Investor updates focused on measurable growth in the commercial range, while also celebrating critical acclaim for the artistic line. This dual narrative not only kept both sides of the business visible, but also made the brand feel fresh, responsive, and well-managed in a competitive fashion market.
Here are 10 strategic ideas developed (and several executed) to support the new brand direction:
Split Instagram Profiles: One for the artistic line, one for the commercial line, each with tailored storytelling that reflects their unique audiences.
Behind-the-Seams Videos: Documenting design inspiration for both ranges, illustrating how artistry informs market-ready pieces.
Investor Update Stories: Visual recaps of quarterly progress mixing sales wins with creative milestones to show balanced success.
Customer Style Challenges: Inviting fans to mix-and-match artistic and commercial pieces, building engagement and purchase intent.
Designer Collaboration Features: Partnering with emerging designers to add variety and freshness to the commercial line.
Seasonal Lookbooks: Digital books juxtaposing the bold and versatile collections, making it easy for buyers to see the range’s breadth.
Virtual Fashion Shows: Separate but linked events for each line, streamed to investors, press, and customers for maximum reach.
Founder Interview Series: Positioning her as a thought leader who adapts without losing identity, appealing to both fans and financiers.
Retail Partner Spotlights: Showcasing how the commercial range fits seamlessly into popular stores’ existing offerings.
Fan Story Highlights: Sharing real-life customer journeys wearing the brand in various settings, boosting relatability and aspiration.
Commercial line revenue grew by 38%, stabilising overall brand cash flow.
Artistic line gained two major fashion magazine features, reinforcing creative credibility.
Investor confidence scores improved in post-quarter surveys, reflecting regained trust.
Brand social media engagement rose by 52%, with a stronger split between artistic inspiration and product promotion.
CONFIDENTIALITY CAVEAT: This case study represents a confidential engagement. For privacy, specific brand identifiers, campaign names, and project phases have been withheld. It has been shared with permission while preserving client discretion.
If you’re brand owner or manager seeking stronger brand performance, this Case Study Post I wrote could interest you: “How a SaaS Brand Traded Its Copycat Map for a Tigerish Path.“
And if you’re a solo expert looking to sharpen traction, this Case Study Post I worked on may resonate: “How a Wealth Coach Made Her Brand Add Up for Advanced Clients.“
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