What Stussy Got Right From Day One
It takes most brands years to determine who they are. Stussy lacked that, and it seemed like that was a blessing in disguise. Early decisions were not made for 5-year planning. They’ve been created by two guys who were looking to sell out of a car and a lot of things they did were right on the money. No plans were laid to restrict supply. There were just too many shirts to print and too many surf shops along the coast for Shawn Stussy and Frank Sciarra.
It was not selling less, it was a limitation!
That’s a restriction that was a coincidence to the brand’s learning, but a valuable one nonetheless. If it’s hard to come by, people want it more and officialstussyy.com found that out decades before anyone formulated it in a business plan.
Rather than purchasing media space, Stussy gave away products to skaters, surfers and DJs who had influence in their respective circles. That band eventually was known as the International Stussy Tribe.
Trusting a Scene Over a Campaign
This is not the kind of “influencer marketing” that we know today. There was no contract, no posting schedule, no money attached. People wore it because they really liked it; that’s what made it work.
A paid endorsement gets people to engage in a behavior the first time.Paid endorsements cause people to engage in a behavior once. A genuine one gets people to wear it for years.
you might as well stick to the basics
The interlocking S began as a literal signature, which surfboarders used to write on boards before any thought went into it being written on a shirt. It didn’t come from committee and it was not subjected to a focus group test.
a logo that is both personal and corporate
It’s this accident of origin that helps it feel personal instead of made up. Consumers don’t brand themselves with a logo simply because a brand strategist told them to do it. They do it because the mark has already been used and had meaning, prior to its use as merchandise.
Stussy Treated didn’t play by the rules, instead using other people’s credibility as a pawn to secure their own.Stussy Treated didn’t treat it as if it’s equal to them, it was used as a pawn to get their own credibility.
Stussy began to work with other brands and designers and never did it as if to get more legitimate. The pairing was a perfect match as both names already had their own platform.
The Stussy x CDG Partnership
The most obvious is the relationship with Comme des Garçons, a partnership that’s been going strong for decades without either brand taking on the other’s style. Our [guide to Stussy’s collaborations with CDG] goes into detail about each release and how it is different from the typical streetwear partnership. If you’re looking to find out why this specific mix has managed to endure most of its competitors from the same time period, it’s well worth a view.
Newer brands tend to go for name recognition, hoping that it’ll bring some of the name’s credibility to them. Stussy didn’t have to do that, as it walked into every collaboration already standing on its own.
Stussy made a local identity instead of one global look
Instead of operating all of the markets in the same manner, Stussy opened its own market space in locations such as Tokyo, London and Paris. They were all operated by individuals who had a familiarity with the local scene and not franchise managers brought in from head office.
Allowing local governments to participate in a branding effort rather than being branded.Ensuring local governments participate in a branding effort rather than being branded.
With that decision, the brand’s appearance and feel was slightly different depending on the environment. If a head office had demanded a uniform appearance in all countries, it would have destroyed all of the chapters’ interest.
Stussy stayed small long enough for it to matter
Perhaps the most underestimated aspect of Stussy’s was his lack of haste. There are lots of brands that have got a strong start who want to go after mass retail when they have the opportunity and they lose something in between.
Patience can be an accident of strategy
Stussy expanded its growth over a number of years rather than quarters. When it was made more widely known, the base was sturdy enough to support the weight on it.
This is what newer brands can’t duplicate. You can recreate a logo or a drop schedule, but you cannot skip to the years that it takes something to actually exist.