Work History / Lip Loi Creative
Jasper BrandsA golf polo line built to launch with a show
Jimmy wrote the product and brand brief for a golf apparel line built to give the unsigned golfers of Drive for the Dream an apparel deal, and to launch with the show. The brief runs from the faults of the standard polo to a nine-item assortment and a production calendar.
Brand · 2023
| Project type | Apparel line brief: brand, product and assortment |
|---|---|
| Industry | Golf apparel |
| Seat | Principal, Brand and Product Merchandising |
| Ran through | Common Ground, for Jasper Brands |
| Worked with | Jesse Fowler, who opened the engagement |
| Dates | July to September 2023 |
What it is
Jasper Brands is a golf apparel concept. Its deck opens on the claim "The World's Best Polo. Period." and names its customer as "the new face of golf". The Common Ground wiki records that the line started when a backer of Drive for the Dream asked for a clothing line beside the show, that Jesse Fowler opened the engagement, and that the polo now sits inside the show package.
This was product work as well as brand work. The deck carries construction notes, an assortment and a production calendar. The line was built for one moment: to launch at the same time as the show, so that its golfers, none of them signed, would have an apparel deal when the cameras arrived.
What Jimmy did
- Built the first version, "Polo Exercise", dated July 12, 2023, at 13 pages. It held the market case, a competitive price map, the pain points, the garment notes and the assortment.
- Added the mission, the customer and the color system in version 2, dated July 25, 2023. The final deck is dated September 22, 2023 and runs 25 pages.
- Wrote the mission: "To celebrate the culture of grit by empowering dreams through innovation and timeless style".
- Named seven faults of the standard polo and answered each with a construction fix. A lazy collar was answered with a structured collar and removable stays. Irritating seams were answered with minimal cut and sew seams. A restrictive fit was answered with gusseted side seams and four-way stretch. The first version listed eight faults.
- Wrote garment notes for the polo, the pant and the short, each pointing to a reference garment for fit, fabric or finish. The polo notes include an underarm gusset for freedom of movement and a longer back to keep the shirt tucked.
- Gave every color a meaning. Hunter green: "be the hunter, never the prey". Amber yellow: "relentless optimism and self belief". Gold: "gold is the goal". A reflective trim "honors the trophy case".
- Sized the market from published sources cited in the deck. The global polo shirt market was valued at $2.48B in 2021 and expected to reach $4.13B in 2030.
- Mapped competitors by price and by performance against lifestyle, and marked target positions on the same map.
- Planned a nine-item assortment with a colorway count for each item, from eight colorways for the polo to six for the cap, the shorts and the socks.
- Set size scales and a production calendar running from sample reviews to receipt of product.
Where it stands
- The September 2023 deck marks two steps done: the entity formed on September 8, and garments shipped to the factory for sampling on September 13.
- The line is on hold until the show is picked up. Its launch was always tied to the show's.