I remember the Guess Jean ads from the 90s. Those sexy images of models and celebrities posing in soft black and white images produced by some of the world’s most famous photographers, including Ellen von Unwerth. The pictures defined an era of denim marketing.
Founded in 1981 by four brothers, Georges, Paul, Armand and Maurice Marciano in South of France. Moving to the United States, the Marcianos found great success, starting a high-end denim brand mingled with the California lifestyle.
At Pitti Uomo 105, the Los Angeles based label had a bit of relaunch. Using the menswear trade fair, Guess had an impressive display of showing the company’s past, present and future. Using the Florence music hall, representatives gave a tour along with a meet and greet of the installation, showing its evolution to sustainable production and new store designs.
Will it work? In many ways, Guess fell off the radar of trend conscious shoppers. Facing competition from behemoths Zara and H&;M, repositioning a fashion brand targeting young buyers will not be easy. The well known red question mark inside triangle has it work cut out for itself luring customers who shop with emotional attachments to apps searching for cheap clothing.
Is success written in the future, or will Guess just continue to cruise in the slow lane? If the Florence presentation was down payment on the next forty years.