To celebrate 25 years of their iconic baguette bag, Fendi has launched limited-edition customisable versions of the signature style. One is made from coated linen and comes in a kit with coloured markers, stencils and a waterproof cover, whilst the other full-sized version is made from perforated fabric and comes with an array of coloured embroidery thread. The third kit includes a micro version of the bag and comes with everything needed to create a one-off marbled design. 

Whilst this approach to product design may not be appropriate or possible for some brands, it certainly raises some ideas that companies and designers of every size should have in mind.

Redefining Luxury 

For an increasing percentage of customers, logos and labels no longer necessarily equal luxury – especially with the counterfeit market running strong. Rather, people are searching for ways to stand out from the crowd whilst still desiring or owning aspirational products and brands. They want to bring their personality and individuality to their homes, outfits and surroundings; valuing points of difference, and the skill and craftsmanship behind a piece more than ever before. 

With this collection, Fendi has utilised the recognition of their iconic baguette bag but married it with opportunities for truly unique customisation. Whilst some commenters criticised the price of the kits given that ‘customers would be doing the work’ – they range from £950-£3000 – those who have actually purchased them have shared praise for the opportunity to create something meaningful and personal, whilst still maintaining the prestige of the Fendi name. 

At Top Drawer earlier this year, Better Trends Co. named New Heirlooms as one of their prominent emerging trends. One customer described designing her embroidered baguette specifically so she could pass it down through the generations. This is a wonderful example of how with time, customisation and personalisation can increase, not decrease, the value a customer places on a product. 

The New Wave of UGC

User-generated content (UGC) has never been more valuable to a brand’s digital marketing, however as attitudes to social media continue to change, customers are less inclined to share their purchases unless there’s a reason. 

The customisable element of the Fendi bags means that each purchaser is likely to actively want to share the details of their purchase online. What’s more, as each design is sure to be different, Fendi will have a much larger and more stylistically diverse library of content to re-share than if it was just one product style. 

It doesn’t have to be as bold as a whole product re-design, but brands should start to consider new and exciting things that they can do to encourage their customers to share their purchases across social media. It’s not always enough to simply include a ‘post to social with this hashtag’ CTA anymore. There needs to be an incentive, whether it’s financial (a discount) or emotional (excitement), to get the customer to take that next step. 

Live Research 

Giving the design power to the customers puts Fendi in a unique position to see what their community want to see on their bags in live time. Through social media, they can hear why a customer is employing a certain design, see which colours they opt for, and gain a deeper understanding of how they plan to use their bags. 

Beyond just the customers who have purchased the kits, from comments and social media engagement, they can get a sense of which designs resonate with the brand’s wider community too. These insights could be invaluable when it comes to designing for the next season. 

For these reasons, brands of every size should consider if they’re sharing enough research-opportunity content on social. Customers love to feel like they are part of the process, so find every opportunity to get their opinions on design, ask them what they want from a new collection, and monitor all of their responses and feedback.