Curating Brand Culture: The Orla Kiely Brand

Powerful brands possess a commanding brand story, one that utterly engages the consumer. As such, this paper highlights the Orla Kiely brand for its avant-garde approach to branding, and explores how in doing so it engages the... [ view full abstract ]

Powerful brands possess a commanding brand story, one that utterly engages the consumer. As such, this paper highlights the Orla Kiely brand for its avant-garde approach to branding, and explores how in doing so it engages the consumer, and further seduces them into becoming co-authors of its brand culture. Moreover, it explores how Orla Kiely appropriates high art modes of display to showcase its designs, thus, changing the creative conversation around branding. Focusing on performance art, this paper affirms the similarities between such artworks and Orla Kiely's presentations at London Fashion Week. Additionally, this paper examines how the brand composes themed performances and stages aesthetic atmospheres to best present their latest fashion collections. Furthermore, it uncovers how these presentations reinforce the brand’s self-concept as a design-led brand, while affirming its authenticity in its creative culture. Using the experiences of two bloggers, this paper shows how the viewer engages with these choreographed performances. Thus, revealing how as they share their experience online they become co-authors of the brand story. By identifying this artistic form of branding endeavor, this paper asserts the potential for further investigation of brands that curate brand culture.