Lantern rebrands Californian fitness brand Strut This

In recent years, sport and wellbeing has gone from simply a pastime to a lifestyle choice. The boom in social media sites such as Instagram provide an impetus to look good, as well as feel good – globally, a huge variety of brands now cater to the fitness population’s aesthetic needs. And launched in 2011 and in an area for some the fitness hub of the world, California, US wellness lifestyle brand Strut This is no different.

A product of the dreams of mother-daughter teams Cynthia and Aubrey Sieder and Barbra and Raquel Lessner, Strut This is a boutique sport-lifestyle brand with a difference. For Strut This, working out and looking good are synonymous with feeling good. “We wanted to create a brand of quality workout clothing that everyday women could wear to the gym, on their coffee dates, to the grocery store, or to a class lecture,” explain the company. “Our dream was to reach bright-eyed teenagers, working moms, and fit grandmas all who share this same ideal.”

Importantly, the company permeates a body-positive message – something it was keen to own through a redesign of its brand positioning and design. Working with London-based independent brand agency Lantern, the Californian brand has introduced a fresh look which reflects its no-nonsense attitude to owning your body and enjoying getting fit. Flexibility is a key feature of Strut This, in both material and brand application; the ‘restless’ ambition of the brand is reflected in the energetic identity created by Lantern.

“Given the variety and scale of applications that the brand touches, it was crucial there was an ownable flexibility in the identity system” says designer at Lantern, Henry Brown. “Whether it’s through the new monogram or a creative headline, the new look is instantly recognisable and brings with it an inherent confidence. Visually and verbally, the minimalism and simplicity of the system allows the clothes and models to be the real heroes of the brand.”

The new identity system designed for Strut This is underpinned by an ‘st’ signature, a versatile addition to the brand portfolio which allows Strut This to reflect its identity across all products and can be used in isolation to help identify of the wider Strut This brand. For Lantern, the signature also complements the portfolio of brand imagery which situates Strut This in its California home and works as a signifier to achieve a comprehensive brand experience.

For Strut This co-founder Aubrey Sieder, even the sizeable distance between the UK-based agency and the US-based brand has not hindered Strut This’ ability to deliver an on-brand message to its ever-growing audience. “The new look has really captured Strut This, and our audience, with timeless style,” says Sieder. “Even though we’re on opposite sides of the planet, the working relationship has been a breeze.”

With lifestyle and wellness brands a regular sight across image-led social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, achieving brand differentiation is key. In listening to the nuanced needs of Strut This, brand agency Lantern has developed a unique identity around the brand’s commitment to empowering its loyal and growing audience.

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