On October 8th, 2008, WWD reported that one of Los Angeles’ top salons and our long time client, Fred Segal Beauty, would be closing its doors after 16 years of business. WWD stated that owners, Michael Baruch and Paul DéArmas had filed a lawsuit claiming that:
“… Fred and Michael Segal rebuffed plans by Baruch and DéArmas to open a second space adjacent to the Fred Segal location on Melrose Avenue and to establish a branded product line, after initial assurances they could proceed.”
The product line in question was to be an innovative, 18-piece haircare line. We had handled the design of all packaging, collaborating with Zorbit who was responsible for product engineering and, should the line have continued, production.
In developing the line, we put into question the fundamental rules observed all beauty companies. “You MUST put the logo on the front of the bottle,” we were told. Why? As Martin Margiela has proven with his appropriation of the color white, or Burberry with its distinctive plaid, logomarks today are not the only way to convey a brand message. In the case of Fred Segal Beauty, we utilized their distinctive, trippy red and blue stripes as a spring board to develop individual stripe patterns for each package…a grueling job to say the least!
With Zorbit, we sourced beautiful, supple, matte white bottles, jars and tubes. We printed the individual striped patterns high gloss, creating a juxtaposition between the two. All practical information including the logo, product information, and ingredients were placed on the back.
Though everyone involved was quite disappointed with the unfortunate turn of events the project took, we look forward to hearing what Michael and Paul, two of the beauty industry’s most respected entrepreneurs, will do for an encore.
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