Featured Brand Review: Wacky Wears

Founded in 2021 as a collaboration between two sisters, Wacky Wears was born from their shared love of illustration, design, and all things creative.

Voted the Featured Brand To Review by the Superminted crew, our Brand Strategists were delighted to examine Wacky Wears in detail. From their Brand Foundations, to Brand Identity, and even their Brand Activations – we had so much to break down!

The Building Blocks of Brand Identity

What do we mean when we talk about Brand Identity? In our previous blog, Branding Masterclass #1, Superminted’s Principal Brand Consultant and CEO Nadine Wu described brand identity as such:”

“Brand identity is the tangible expression of a brand, it is the thing people associate with a brand’s reputation. It typically includes a logo, colour palette, patterns and shapes, typography choices and tone of voice.”

For Wacky Wears, we’re gonna be discussing the following elements:

Name and Logo

Okay, so first off – we LOVE  the name.

It’s catchy, memorable, and punctuated with alliteration. Top-of-mind recall is crucial for brands breaking into a crowded market (and let’s be honest, clothing and apparel is heavily saturated) and Wacky Wears manages to nail that right off the bat.

Crucially, the brand name is upfront and conveys its brand messaging clearly. Within 3 seconds, the audience knows exactly what the brand stands for and what it offers: quirky vibes and offbeat apparel.

Assets and Colour Palette

While the main colour present on their website is yellow, it leans towards a more muted tone than a vibrant one.

This palette and colour tone is reflected in their digital assets on Social Media posts and Product Pages. A cursory glance at their owned media points towards a carefully crafted stylescape that embodies this design philosophy.

Personality and Tone Of Voice

Wacky Wears doesn’t take itself too seriously, and much of its language uses a heartwarming and wholesome tone of voice. It embodies a warm and supportive persona, far removed from the exclusive language of “hype” brands despite its boutique nature.

It’s collaborative, collected, and curated.

Subverting Expectations, Meaningful Collaborations

Put together, Wacky Wears demonstrates a unified brand identity. Balancing an off-centre name and logo, alongside carefully selected colours and an earnest tone of voice, the brand has found a middle ground that comes across as sincere and passionate.

This leads us to our next set of questions – how does Wacky Wears develop brand awareness? What steps does the brand take to engage its audience and how does it drive customer actions?

"My grandma can dress better than you"

Through unique collaborations, Wacky Wears leverages its wholesome and earnest brand identity to release a novel and innovative line of products. The example listed below inverts long-held notions of fashion, steering the narrative away from physical attributes and focusing on intangibles instead.

Doggos, Cats, and Plants: A Tribute

This collaboration was interesting from our point of view, simply because without enough brand equity it could have been taken as a cash grab. Thankfully, Wacky Wears’ brand identity saves the day.

It’s the image they’ve cultivated, the wholesome brand, that supplements this collab which eventually became a rallying cry for animal and plant lovers everywhere.

That right there, is the power of branding.

Pre-Order Only?

Limiting their offerings to certain windows of availability is a smart move, in our books. It fosters a very boutique small-batch product experience. Furthermore, it motivates action from customers who might feel very strongly about a particular collection, they have to act fast to purchase or lose access.

Lastly, if we presume that collections disappear indefinitely after the initial offering period, it forges an exclusive feel to products. No more nightmares of matching outfits!

Room For Improvement

No brand is perfect, and unfortunately Wacky Wears has a thing or two it could stand to work on.

For one, their Brand Foundations could stand to be much clearer. At the time of writing, much of Wacky Wears’ website is product-centric. Consequently, they might have neglected to clearly demonstrate their brand’s mission, vision, and story. Brand Foundations provide a blueprint for any evolution in identity and expression. Neglecting this, Wacky Wears could potentially find themselves at crossroads as they scale and develop.

A simple and effective solution would be a dedicated “About Us” page that passionately describes their brand story and reason for being. It would go a long way in strengthening engagement with its core demographics, while providing a framework for further brand evolution. Likewise, given the brand’s approach to design and collaborations, the thought process behind these decisions could be very insightful talking points if discussed in a candid setting.

Live, Laugh, Love (Local Brands)

Love what you read? Want to see your brand featured by our talent team of brand strategists?

Reach out to us and find out how we can reimagine your brand today!

Daryl is a Copy Editor at Superminted, fueled by a love for bringing emotionally engaging stories to life. With  carefully selected words and a smart turn of phrase, he is devoted to helping brands shape their unique voice.

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