The indulgence of kings. The treasure of maharajas. How do you take a luxurious, yet rare natural fiber and turn it into a lifestyle brand? Dick Forté had a vision. His family had been purveyors of the ultra-fine fiber for more than 60 years. He wanted to create a brand as luxurious as the product itself. He called BOLTGROUP.

To create a lifestyle brand based entirely on a single product—cashmere—required deep insights into the target consumer. We needed to ensure the product viability and firm up the qualities the brand would have to possess. First was to conduct a quantitative research study aimed at discovering brand attributes to fulfill this vision. Aside from unwavering quality, elegance, and luxury, our brand needed to communicate heritage, passion, and integrity. A visual brand strategy was formed along with a product launch strategy and schedule.

The BOLTGROUP fully-integrated visual brand identity system included: business papers, packaging, trim, labels, line sheets, video, website, advertising, a fully-equipped booth for market, showroom, and a way to get retailers to the table. The brand was ready to go. We even had a plan for a direct mail strategy featuring Dick on his trips to Mongolia, sending postcards and pictures to customers.

Our launch strategy included a direct mail piece of the coveted raw cashmere, followed a few days later by a coffee table book depicting a couple’s attentiveness to each other and the products they loved. The timeframe to respond was short and we were only banking on getting a few appointments. The actual result? Overbooked markets and buyers spilling into the aisles. The brand was on its way.