Most of the energy in the market today comes from big, iconic sneaker brands doing limited edition drops and generic collaborations with other established brands or artists. It’s an approach badly in need of a refresh.
Sneakers are a 100 billion dollar market worldwide. No longer bound to courts or fields, sneakers have become iconic fashion pieces that can be worn casually or in a completely elevated way.
In recent years, there has been a tidal wave of Instagram DTC starts trying to tap into this burgeoning market. For most, the story has been exactly the same: high craftsmanship at a lower price. Beautiful but boring.
Client // Novella
Assignment // Research & Insights, Brand Strategy, Global Advertising Campaign, Photography, Film, Global Messaging and Campaign Toolkit
FPO headline here and here and here and here and then.
What they need today, is a new chapter in their story. One that is true to their adventurous spirit. But can speak to a broader, wider, more diverse audience.
Placeholder Hype Video.
Chapter 1
This started to bug us and drove us to find another way. We realized that the formula for these launches was basically all SNEAKER, no BACKSTORY. Which got us wondering, what would happen if we flipped this model? What if we turned a shoe brand into a storyteller? From this, Novella was born.
From the start, we treated Novella as a blank canvas. A space and place where people can share their story with the world. But rather than celebrating established entities, let’s elevate uncommon artisans. People who are out there doing beautiful things every day. Things that most of us have never seen or heard of.
Today, we exist to tell their stories. Each drop, we’ll take a blank canvass and transform it into a beautiful human story. About a barber or poet or comedian or chef. Extraordinary creators who inspire joy through craft. Every detail of the shoe (accents, colors, materials) will be carefully considered to tell their story.
