KŌRARU

Introducing the concept of ‘circular luxury’ to swimwear

STRATEGY, NAMING, BRANDING, PACKAGING, BRANDED CONTENT, MARKETING & WEB DESIGN

Kōraru is the Japanese way of saying ‘coral’, which is home to one of the world’s most treasured, beautiful, but threatened ecosystems.

SUM has worked with the founders who are based in Tokyo to help create a truly circular brand, from strategy to the creation of the brand name, logo, visual identity, packaging, website, and social. It has been a true collaboration, with the single-minded aim of creating a new concept in luxury swimwear.

Circularity involves the use of recycled materials in the manufacturing process and then regenerating those materials once an item’s usable life has come to an end. It also involves buying fashion less frequently and then getting more use out of each item. That’s why Kōraru’s timeless design approach is for the years to come, and not just a single summer season.

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Kōraru swimwear is made from Econyl®, a super-soft fabric created from regenerated fishing nets. That in itself is not unique as numerous other brands are thankfully now also starting to manufacture from regenerated fabrics. But Kōraru takes the approach further, with its entire packing system designed to include circular solutions, and every other aspect of its business being managed in a way that is as sustainable as possible.

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For example, the lining of the eCommerce box includes biowaste fibres made from algae sourced from Norway, France, and Ireland. These are environments where excess amounts of the algae would otherwise harm the fragile ocean ecosystem. Instead, they are used in making a new kind of high-quality paper called Shiro Alga Carta®. And each piece of swimwear is wrapped in an origami envelope made from Paptic Tringa®, a new type of cellulose material that’s made in an eco-conscious way with wood fibres sourced from sustainably managed forests.

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In targeting the Millennial consumer Kōraru’s aim is to become a leader in the slow-fashion movement, and to do this the brand will need to go beyond its beautiful design, by instead making luxury swimwear a genuine part of the new circular economy.

The overall brand concept ‘Circular by Nature’ captures a direct connection with this new era of fashion, and is expressed in a variety of ways in Kōraru’s content strategy, for example:

- Kōraru has a collaboration with the Coral Reef Alliance, and for every item of swimwear that is sold, is given as a donation.

- For the campaign shoot, model Jena Goldsack was not only the perfect fit for the brand in terms of her look, she is just as importantly on her own personal mission to protect the world’s beluga whale population, and is therefore directly connected to Kōraru’s mission.

- To extend the use of fibres in each piece of Kōraru swimwear, when a customer feels that their swimwear has come to the end of its usefulness to her, she is invited to return it to us so that the fibres can be regenerated once again.

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At SUM, we believe that aesthetics, personality, and tonality are as important as the more rational parts of a brand strategy. For Kōraru, a unique tone of voice was developed, and it has played a major part in the creation of content at each and every brand touchpoint:

Slowed Down. Sensual. Timeless. At one with nature. Beautiful.

The Kōraru lifestyle is about breathing deep and appreciating all the beauty that surrounds us. It’s about finding the time to truly immerse in the present moment and take everything in, almost stretching the hands of time, the ultimate luxury.

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