Creative brand-development firm, Practice announces the launch of Unison, the culmination of nearly three years of consulting, strategy, writing and design. Over the course of the engagement, Practice helped rethink Unison’s consumables and materials as well as advised on their supply chain to minimize environmental impact while developing a brand that embodies their bold vision for the future.

The partnership began as the Australian companies behind French Connection began to pursue a more socially-engaged customer. “As big believers in sustainability, we understood how motivating this issue is to their audience,” explains Practice Founder Michelle Mattar. “Yet for so many fashion brands, it’s not a priority. Thankfully, their team shared the same vision for the future, we lept at the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of a business operating at such a large scale.”

Typical of Practice’s uniquely long-term engagements, the team began with brand development – a process that goes beyond creative construction to impacting the aspects of a client’s entire business. Starting with the concept of a modern, sustainability-minded mass fashion brand, Practice began with internal and external research to identify open space in the marketplace and understand the customer. From there, they entered the traditional brand building process: naming the project, designing a visual identity, and crafting a distinct tone of voice.

Unison’s first collection draws inspiration from the brand’s name by honoring their legacy while taking a bold step into the future. Customer favorite styles have been given a new home as Unison Essentials, a permanent collection that makes it easy for customers to find the styles they rely on. “Our idea was to take customer favorites like their chinos and create a ‘core’ essentials line so people wouldn’t panic that their favorite styles are gone post-relaunch. Now they can easily find them,” says Mattar. At the same time, the new line’s focus on easy-to-wear yet elevated looks speaks to the brand’s commitment to modern Australian style.

Australian identity also plays a role in the brand’s focus on transparency. Besides being more proudly Australian in their style and messaging, they’re also providing new details about the fabrics they use, including the unique strengths of each textile, why it’s the best choice for a given garment, and its environmental impact.

Practice further pushed the brand and category towards more ethical commerce by leading a bottom-up redesign of all Unison’s consumables – tags, hangers, shippers, shopping bags, and more – to embody the brand’s identity while minimizing its environmental impact. In addition, they advocated for Unison’s shift to using organic fibers like cotton in their clothing, a focus on fully recyclable consumables and, with the help of Brandbank, the removal of 6 million non-recyclable shippers out of circulation. They then paired this effort with a new retail environment, designed from scratch. This new concept store design was recently launched at Chadstone, one of Australia’s most prestigious shopping centers.

Beyond the initial launch, Practice’s process also prepares Unison for the future – equipping their team with a set of content pillars that outlines a digital marketing strategy for their entire first year after release. This collection of storylines, imagery and language is channel specific and designed to minimize Unison’s marketing workload while ensuring the brand lives in the world as vibrantly as it does on the page.

“We’ve worked on countless brand expansions, but the depth of our process makes the launch of a totally new brand like Unison a rare and exciting event,” adds Mattar. “The nearly three years we spent working with their team demonstrates our commitment to both our work and our partners. Now Unison is a fashion brand that sets a new standard for everyday Australian style and a new benchmark for mitigating the environmental impact of high-volume clothing businesses. We’re proud to help build a brand embracing its responsibility to consumers and the planet.”