Irma Boom - Chanel: Livre d'Artistes

Irma Boom, described as the ‘The Queen of Books,’ is a Dutch graphic designer who specialises in book making. Throughout her career, the Amsterdam-based designer has made more than 250 books, with an impressive 20% having found a home in a permanent collection at MoMA. 

Books created by Boom are characterised by the immersive experience she instills within them, such as the completed work commissioned by Chanel, the Parisian fashion house, for its Chanel No. 5 perfume. The 300-page book has no ink—each of the crisp white pages are embossed (even the copyright pages) with a line drawing or quotation that bring to life the story of Gabrielle Chanel, founder and namesake the brand. Clean, understated and ephemeral - the book encapsulates all that Chanel is, and is underpinned by design decisions that are innovative, genius even, in their representation of the high-fashion houses most famous scent.

The concept for the ink-less embossed-content book came directly from Boom's consideration of perfume - being that 'you don't see it, but it's there,' creating a more 'mysterious' resolution that enhances interest and appeal. The effect this has is pages that almost appear as textile. Additionally, Boom designed the book to be 5cm deep, in signifying and reinforcing the scent Chanel No. 5.

The book provides clear insight in to the power of finishing techniques (such as embossing) in the production of luxury material. In terms of sustainability the book also welcomes praise as a result of its no-ink production methodology.

ZARA: Boxes with a Past

In 2016, as part of a greater sustainability initiative (Join Life) introduced by the Spanish clothing and accessories retailer, Zara launched new packaging with environmental concern leading the campaign - of which is titled 'Boxes with a past.'

Made with 100% recycled cardboard, all of which carries the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certification, the international PEFC standard or an equivalent standard that promotes sustainable practices in forests around the world, the packaging boxes that arrive in Zara's stores are used up to 5 times before being recycled - where the 'Boxes with a past' name derives from. They pass through suppliers, distribution centres and central warehouses before arriving in stores, where they are reused while they are still in good condition for transporting clothes and store materials. When they can no longer be reused, the store recycle them and transform them into new cardboard to produce new boxes that are used to send online orders.

Despite being 100% recyclable and therefore sustainable, the packaging still appears stylish, contemporary and distinct - in keeping with the Zara brand. With limited feature of a bold, post-modernist aesthetic created via a white-printed sans-serif typeface communicating typographic information on the packaging, the boxes are understated, ultra-modern and effective in their simplicity.

According to the retailer’s website, 56 percent of all online orders are currently delivered in these recycled boxes. Zara also teamed up with a number of current designers, photographers, and creatives—such as interior designer Ciszak Dalmas and photographer Pierre-Ange Carlotti—to turn the recycled boxes into 'ultrachic' DIY projects complete with make-it-yourself tutorials on its website.

Chloé: Luxury Packaging Extravagance

Chloé  is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. After moving to Paris from her place of birth (Alexandria, Egypt), Aghion moved to France in 1945 before founding Chloé in 1952 with a vision to offer Ready-To-Wear, a new concept at that time.

Prior to Chloé's launch, luxury fashion houses had only ever produced Haute Couture clothing (custom-fitting). Aghion identified a gap in the market and decided to create a line of off the rack, high quality, soft, body conscious clothes from fine fabrics, which she called 'luxury prêt-à-porter,' giving birth to the Prêt-à-Porter (Ready-To-Wear) market we know today.

A recent purchase by a friend shows the true extent of Chloé's retail packaging, which seemingly lacks restraint in use of materials and resources. Like many luxury brands, Chloé's retail packaging features and abundant of materials including the following:

• Large (oversized) box featuring print and embossing.
• Cotton ribbon, for finishing and enhancement of consumer receival.
• Multiple card inclusions featuring print and embossing.
• Printed sticker.
• Tissue paper.
• Printed protective bag.
• Product, bearing tags featuring embossing.

The extravagance of materials used by Chloé, and many other fashion houses, for their luxury retail packaging is a strategic device used to successfully create appeal to the typical upper-class consumer, exploiting an abundance of available materials and finishing techniques and their ability to be used in forming both tangible and emotional relationships with consumers through theatrics and manipulation of luxury sector cues. It is the fine details, accents, personal touches and sheer volume of materials that truly encapsulate the niches of luxury brands and the packaging through which they deliver products. This type of packaging from an environmentalist point of view is unnecessary, boastfully extravagant and grotesquely grandiose — however, to restrict these devices and materials would be to disembody the soul of luxury packaging altogether.

Study Task 08: Pitching Your Ideas - Feedback

Idea 01

Luxury packaging by its very nature is twinned with the idea of excess materials. The impact of such an overabundance of packaging on the environment is clear, however it is this excess that differentiates luxury from the ordinary. Idea 01 proposes the re-creation of retail packaging (bags, boxes, wrap etc.) used by luxury fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Dior etc. using sustainable, recyclable materials to analyse the impact these have on brand perception from high-end consumers while exploring the debate between sustainability and luxury. Exploration of only  environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, such as recycled papers/cardstock, textiles and eco-friendly finishes instead of un-recyclable substrates, satin/cotton mix handles, and lamination /gloss finishing. Can the sector cues of environmentalism be appropriated by the luxury sector?

Feedback

Feedback received regarding idea 01 suggested that while the re-creation of retail packaging used by luxury fashion houses using sustainable, recyclable materials would allow for exploration of the debate between sustainability and luxury, it would be difficult to analyse the impact this would have on brand perception from high-end consumers as this would require attaining feedback from

individuals not within reach. 

Idea 02

Upon receival of luxury goods, consumers of high-end products can expect to be faced with multiple layers of packaging - most typically boxes within boxes within bags. This overabundance of packaging can be represented by Russian Matryoshka Dolls, repeatedly placed inside one another just as a luxury product is within any of its numerous packaging solutions. Idea 02 proposes a Russian doll style showcase of luxury packaging materials and finishes through this metaphorical strategy. Featuring embossed stocks, foiling, embossing, lamination and glossing in this format would capture all that luxury packaging seeks to provide to high-end consumers, whilst also signifying the enhanced sales appeal and greater consumer appraisal evoked as a result of heightened suspense of receival and/or ownership provided by such packaging.

Feedback

While the identified metaphor of Russian Matryoshka Dolls for the overabundance of packaging repeatedly placed inside one another was receieved well, it was thought that the ambiguity of the final resolution would make it difficult to understand the idea without prior explanation. Additionally, the form/shaping of the dolls would be hard to create and apply finishes to, making the idea redundant.

Idea 03

The luxury sector by all accounts does not hold sustainabilty of packaging high within its list of priorities, most probably because the materials and aesthetics associated with the enironmental sector of design do not create appeal to the high-end consumer who revels in the lustre and grandeur of luxury packaging. That being said, it is the fine details, accents, personal touches and finishes that truly encapsulate the niches of luxury brands and the packaging through which they deliver products. Idea 03 proposes application of these accents, personal touches and finishes to packaging made with sustainable, eco-friendly materials to explore the power these hold in creating appeal to the high-end consumer at point of purchase. Use of only environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, such as recycled papers/cardstock, textiles and eco-friendly finishes are to be used in production of this packaging.

Feedback

Idea 03 was identified as that with the most synthesis with my critical analysis content. This idea provides ample opportunity to explore different environmentally friendly, sustainable and recyclable materials, stocks, finishes etc. whilst analysing the possibilities of appeal to high-end consumers through upwards comparison potentials supplied through details / accents / personal touches / finishing. It allows for commentary on both the sector cues of the luxury packaging industry as well as environmental considerations.


Following this, further research into sustainable materials will be undertaken and their suitability for packaging.

Louis Vuitton: Imperial Saffron Retail Packaging

Louis Vuitton is an internationally renowned luxury fashion house known for signature monogrammed luggage, handbags & more.

Louis Vuitton’s heritage as a trunk maker preceded even the founding of the company.  In 1837, 23 years prior to the establishment of the brand, a 16-year-old Louis Vuitton Malletier arrived in Paris by foot and started apprenticing for Monsieur Maréchal after deciding he would become a trunk-master, a decision that would not only change his own life but the lives of his sons and future generations. 

At the time, horse-drawn carriages, boats and trains were the main modes of transportation, and baggage was handled roughly, leading travellers to call upon craftsmen to pack and protect their individual objects. Louis Vuitton quickly became a valued craftsman at the Parisian atelier of Monsieur Maréchal. This was the foundation of his highly specialised trade; the beginnings of his career in an artisinal industry that called upon skills to custom design boxes and trunks. 

Louis Vuitton stayed for 17 years before opening his own workshop at 4 Rue Neuve-des-Capucines near the Place Vendome.

In 2016, the brand introduced a new range of packaging named 'Imperial Saffron' which remains true to the house’s origins as a packer and provider of custom luggage.

The iconic brown chocolate color of Louis Vuitton packaging has been replaced by a bright saffron shade named 'Safran Impérial,' specially selected to create a distinctive new visual signature woven into Louis Vuitton’s history for over a century and a half. The color first appeared early in the history of the House, and can be seen in many iconic heritage pieces - the 'Citroën' trunk made by Louis Vuitton for an expedition to Africa organised by the French automobile firm in 1924 in particular.

The new retail packaging includes feature of another historic color, a complimentary striking blue used in early personalisation details from 1854 onwards and also for the House’s ribbons for many decades. The signature combination of the two colours creates a modern yet timeless aesthetic that is reminiscent of the golden age of travel.

Feature of a lighter tone on the sides and interiors of the new packaging echo the natural cowhide leather used by Louis Vuitton since 1860. 

Heavier materials, including thicker paper and cotton ribbon handles, and new formats have been designed to fold/fit conveniently in to luggage in keeping with the Louis Vuitton spirit of travel whilst allowing greater resilience during transport. The use of raw cotton and a flat-pack collapsible design are part of a greater focus on sustainability on behalf of the House, though symbolic signs of luxury have been maintained via appropriation of typical luxury semantics and signature style.

LACOSTE ECO POLO by Tom Dixon

In 2007 world-renowned sportswear brand Lacoste introduced their Holiday Collection Series – whereby a designer outside of the fashion world is chosen to produce a new interpretation of their most classic garment. 

The first chosen designer of the limited edition series was Tom Dixon, a self-taught British designer specialising in Lighting, Furniture and Accessories. Dixon's interpretations are devised from a more industrialist viewpoint – a well suited approach to Lacoste’s penchant for producing well-engineered textile products as well as his own extensive background in product and furniture design.

Primarily concerned with the ‘provenance and craft’ of manufactured materials, Dixon’s visits to Nigeria and India and the unique hand-dyeing techniques he witnessed there reportedly helped inspire his versions of the polo shirt. Eco Polo relies on chemical-free indigo dyes and rougher edges on its sleeves for its hip, slightly ‘distressed’ appeal.

As for the packaging, Dixon worked in collaboration with design consultancy Mind Design. Dixon's concept was to package the polo in the most eco-friendly way - this being to package the eco polo using embossing for typographic information as opposed to the use of any inks for printing. The packaging material itself appears as heavy recycled cardboard, a popular choice for initiatives concerned with sustainability. Additionally, tags for the garment also use heavy recycled card and embossing for cohesive use of materials across limited edition collateral.

This collaboration is a prime example of the achievable potential to create sustainable packaging with a luxury feel that would be accepted by consumers of high-end products as a result of finishing and aesthetic, or at least would encourage a greater consumer sector of environmentally aware/concerned high-end consumers. The packaging encourages the détournement of typical luxury aesthetics by re-appropriating recycled, sustainable materials through use within an alternative sector of semiotic acceptance. Dixon's interpretation does not attempt to antithesise the two sectors, sustainability and luxury, but instead bring them together to form a new potential sector of high-end consumption.

Sustainable/Recyclable Resources and Materials for Packaging

Recycled Paper

In regard to paper packaging, recycled paper is the greenest option. It uses less energy, water, and produces lower carbon emissions than the manufacturing of non-recycled paper and at the same time reduces the amount of waste to landfill – as paper can be recycled 4 to 5 times. With advances in technology and processes, recycled paper can now be as white and has the same print performance as non recycled paper.

• Burying waste paper as landfill releases methane gas, which is 23 times higher and more harmful to the environment than CO2.
• On average, the production of virgin fibre paper, followed by incineration uses twice as much energy than it takes to produce recycled paper.
• Recycling reduces CO2 emissions by 20% in comparison with incinerating the paper.
• Paper fibres can be recycled 4 to 5 times.
• The process of creating recycled paper uses 31% less energy* than the creation of virgin fibre paper.
• Producing a tonne of recycled paper takes 35,000 fewer litres of water* than producing one tonne of virgin fibre paper.
• It takes around 1.2 tonnes of recycled fibres to produce 1 tonne of recycled paper, but it would take 2.5 tonnes of wood to make 1 tonne of virgin fibre paper.

Cardboard

Recycling cardboard, similarly to paper, is about saving water and energy. Cardboard is one of the easiest and most environmentally effective materials to recycle since the fibre in cardboard has already been processed. By recycling one kilogram of paper and cardboard, production of greenhouse gases can be reduced by up to one kilogram.


Natural Kraft Paper

Kraft paper is a 100% biodegradable natural product as just like the leaves from the trees, kraft paper decomposes naturally within a few weeks, returning to its initial form of cellulose fibres, which can be fully assimilated back into its original natural environment, with no adverse impact on nature or human health. The pulp is made from long virgin fibres of maritime pine and is not bleached, to ensure minimum chemical processing and to retain the wood's natural colour.

Long, virgin, unbleached fibres have another major benefit, being that they give the paper a high level of mechanical strength, allowing for the design of reusable packaging using lower grammages of paper while maintaining the same strength. Stronger paper allows manufacturers to design reusable packaging and/or to reduce the weight of packaging at source, also saving energy in the process.

Natural kraft paper is also a highly recyclable single-material product. Its long fibres can be recycled several times, making it ideal for the end-of-life management of packaging. It can also be incinerated to produce energy.

Cotton

Cotton can be recycled from both pre-consumer and post-consumer cotton waste. Pre-consumer waste comes from any excess material produced during the production of yarn, fabrics and textile products, e.g. selvage from weaving and fabric from factory cutting rooms whereas post-consumer waste comes from discarded textile products, e.g. used apparel and home textiles. The recycling process involves the cotton waste first being sorted by type and color and then processed through stripping machines that break the yarns and fabric into smaller pieces before pulling them apart into fiber. The mix is carded several times in order to clean and mix the fibers before they are spun into new yarns.

Cotton is an extremely resource-intense crop in terms of water, pesticides and insecticides, however using recycled cotton can lead to significant savings of natural resources and reduce pollution from agriculture. Recycling one tonne of cotton can save 765 cubic metres of water.

Recycled cotton is often combined with recycled plastic bottles to make clothing and textiles, creating very sustainable, earth-conscious products. Even though recycling cotton cuts down on the harsh process of creating brand new cotton products.

Cotton paper

Cotton paper, sometimes referred to as rag paper, is made using cotton linters or cotton from used cloth (rags) as the primary material. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp-based paper, which often contains higher concentrations of acids. Cotton paper also also absorbs ink and/or toner better. 100% cotton papers can also be recycled as it is a natural fibre and is biodegradable, with any fibres that cannot be recycled can be composted.