Work experience report Marta Maillet Tapias

During these five years,
has been growing like a new
born into the world of fashion. It has since then been taking “baby” steps and growing
towards the aim of creating a successful women`s wear brand.
Up to the present, it has grown its infrastructure, network, identity… establishing itself
as a brand outwards to the public and also within, setting up fixed collections per year
A/W – S/S and identifying a clear design style for its clothing. It has been reaffirming
itself, its DNA, with every collection, to its target group with every garment.
With the time, the brand has faced challenges that all small companies and brands have
had to deal with; reaching out to the customer, the communication outwards and inwards,
limited budgets – that in some cases can even compromise the design choices-…etc.

Kerstin Krause Madrid since the beginning has seen that the women’s market is a though
market, hostile waters, as you are sailing in a sea of competition, with a high rivalry
between the brands.
Therefore any brand, has to find a niche a “something” that makes them stand out, be
different and at the same time offer a product (or service) that is different and attractive
to the customer.
Thus the brand, Kerstin Krause Madrid, is going against the flow on the idea of how
fashion is portrayed. The brand wants to create a concept of “slow fashion”, a concept
based on good quality, exclusivity and bets for a feminine but yet modern design. With
this concept, it has created clothing aimed mostly for special occasions and events, where
in these scenarios the expenses can be greater. Thereby establishing a really specific and
concrete target group to which Kerstin Krause Madrid wants to stick to.

However, now, after these five years of settling, Kerstin Krause Madrid is ready to
expand, to begin taking greater steps on its growing process and thus it is considering key
areas and elements for this to happen.
There are two directions for this next “Big” step: outwards and inwards
A near future aim for Kerstin Krause Madrid is to expand meaningfully its size, thus
taking both directions. However, the focus is on the customer, how can the brand have a
greater impact on the customer. The brand could ask itself:
How can
acquire future customers with a pret-a-porter
line without compromising the already women couture line?
: Kerstin Krause Madrid is a “young” brand as it was founded five years
ago (since 2010) and it is beginning to settle, having as base Madrid, Spain. It is a
women’s wear brand, with a different point of view when it comes to the concept of
fashion and heads more towards the direction of Couture clothing.
Kerstin Krause, the founder and head designer, identifies herself with designers who do
not seek a fashion that changes minute by minute going against the flow with the concept
of “slow fashion” and thus puts more emphasis on the quality, the exclusivity and the
finishing of each of her garments.
Moreover, Kerstin Krause Madrid sets a great importance to the relationship with the
client, because in her mind what really counts is each woman and her particularities.
Therefore when designing she wants to highlight the unique beauty of each woman
establishing a personal relationship with the client- values that can be add to the brands
philosophy.
For the moment the brand has a “one- man” structure and in this case women, since
Kerstin, a freelance designer, is been dealing with all the different tasks and sides of a
company. However, this structure is complemented with subcontracting, as when the task
requires it, she does hires professionals within the area. Therefore, when it comes to the
structure of the brand, it turns around the head designer as she designs, coordinates and
delegates the collections, the projects, the budgets, the production and the subcontractors.
The starting point of Kerstin Kruse Madrid as a brand to the public was when it launched
its first official collection on March 16 th 2011 with a Spring / Summer collection.

the product, the clothing at Kerstin Krause Madrid comes with an
incorporate service, a service that it is included due to the brands philosophy. As the
clothing made at Kerstin Krause Madrid tend to go towards the couture direction the client
is offered a garment with her unique measures, made to highlight her natural beauty, made
specially for her. Thus, this way the brand creates a personal relationship with the clients
and the creations become individualized products.
Geoffrey Beene, was an icon of American fashion and as Kerstin’s mentor has profoundly
marked the way she sees fashion. Kerstin carries on nowadays with the concept of the
modernized Haute Couture - thus slow fashion, keeping its spirit but simplifying the
garments. Thus, the type of clothing Kerstin Krause Madrid offers is – of good quality,
handmade- having the charm of the artisanal and of individual measurements relating to
the couture world. It is a product made to be worn on special occasions and events.
The designs are of a subtle elegance and timeless suited for any special occasion with
clean cuts and small colour details. The use of natural fibres fabrics and raw materials of
excellent ensure the duration of the garments guaranteeing when it comes to the clothing
a long-term investment.

Adding to the uniqueness of the product, the designs have an influence of the “Latina”
woman - vibrant, active, colourful, playful, feminine, warmth - due to the designer’s time
spent abroad in Mexico and Spain. This influences the designs and is portrayed when it
comes to colours, silhouettes, shapes, details…etc.
: Our type of product goes hand in hand with the women Kerstin
Krause Madrid identifies as a target group. The brand targets women between 35 and
above – in this case the age range is a factor that does not exclude them from being clients.
The Kerstin Krause Madrid woman can be said to be an ideal of woman, without a fixed
silhouette nor perfect measures, thus respecting the individuality and particularities of
each. There are three characteristic features of the Kerstin Krause Madrid Woman that
makes her stand out among the other: her individuality, femininity and style.
Moreover, her wardrobe is functional, comfortable and practical; the one of an active
woman who implements her style through clothing day by day feeling beautiful and
confident with a feminine-modern yet flattering look. Another key perspective of the
KKM woman is that clothing is at her service and not the other way around having her
priorities clear.

During these 10 weeks, most of my work assignments have
been centred around two main projects to which later a third was added. Each project was
a future collection of Kerstin Krause Madrid, one a showcase collection for this winter,
inspired on the painter Max Beckmann – which is also the name of the collection; the
other an autumn collection for 2016, Asian inspired.
In general, my role during the internship has been Kerstin Krause’s design assistant, when
it came to the collection building, designs, drawings and choosing fabrics of the two
collections mentioned above. Among many tasks, I have been working with the social
media issue of the brand, the communication outwards, advising and suggesting ideas.
I’ve had many tasks related with Photoshop: in charge of the moodboards (overall and
colour) of both collections, photomontage- collage with the aim of visualizing ideas for
future projects, made a wedding reportage of one of the brand’s wedding dresses. Among
many things, I have used a lot of time on research, background knowledge (the setting of
each collection) and image research for the respective moodboards. Adding to that I have
also got tasks related to pattern making and sewing, adjusting patterns and sewing the
sample of future pieces of the Max Beckmann collection. On top of all this recently, we
had a photoshoot for our Max Beckmann- taking place around Madrid.

Up to the present, Kerstin Krause Madrid, has had clear the type of clothing and service
it wants to provide to its customers. The brand has a type of product that appeals to that
type of target group, the Kerstin Krause Madrid woman. But now that Kerstin Krause
Madrid is on the process of expanding it wants to create a greater impact to the public and
start acquiring settled and loyal customers for the brand.
In this process of expansion, things change, the image dilates, new challenges, greater
infrastructure, new environments …etc. Thus, it is necessary to redefine the type of
product the brand is selling to the customer, so that Kerstin Krause Madrid can send to
the customer a clear and refreshed message of the brand and its products.
Moreover, to reach better the customer, Kerstin Krause Madrid has to have clear: what
are their products, what do they say about the company and its design. This redefining
has to happen from within, somewhere along the design process and the collection
building stage, and then be portrayed outwards to the customers. By the use of a collection
building method, this can be implemented easily on any type of collection as depending
if a product is profile, core or basic can help the brand segment its garments into helpful
categories for many different purposes, especially design wise.
Considering Kerstin Krause Madrid’s type of clothing and couture designing, we can fit
the brand into the prism model (appendix 1), consisting of a bigger segment of core
products, a smaller of profile and finally a small group of basic pieces. When putting up
a collection, this type of frame- does not limit you- it gives you a structured and clear
picture of what the products say about the brand. For instance the profile pieces are the
brand building, the eye candy, your showpieces to your customers and these and often
profitable and are high-end priced. The Core pieces define the brand, its DNA when it
comes to the design, these are the main part of the collection and characterise the product
and are of mid-price. At last, we have the basic pieces, the invisible pieces of the
collection but which the brand survival depends upon. It is here were we count on making
money, as these products are low-prices and basic for dressing.
Therefore, in these expanding times Kerstin Krause Madrid can benefit of using the prism
model, when building a collection, independently of the line, as subsequently it can
identify the pieces that define the brand, it can know where to invest design wise (profile)
or where to save money by having re-runners. Thus, the brand can put the emphasis where
it is needed for instance nowadays, which would be on the core products as well as in the
profile as it wants to redefine and build the brand throughout its own clothing. With this,
the brand also achieves an effective structure and a schematic way of seeing all the styles
and it can easily see the strengths and weaknesses of the collections.
With this Kerstin Krause Madrid can estimate, calculate, and plan what their products
portray to the customer, what defines the brand, where to invest and develop product wise
and where to make sure money. This in any design company establishes a fixed
methodology when setting up collections, Moreover it makes the design process flow
smoother creating a more efficient and internal brand structure. It is a long-term
advantage, benefit and investment as it can later be applied to any upcoming future lines.

What could also be an advantage to Kerstin Krause Madrid is that we too suggest a fixed
methodology within the design process. Meaning that for instance independently of the
inspiration, theme…etc. of the collection at the end of the process we have fixed
outcomes, in this case would be mood boards. With the making of moodboards, the brand
creates a very important and visual internal tool for the company. A tool that becomes
the starting point of any collection and that is later in the process, a reference point.
It is a tool that itself requires a process when making, research, theme selection, compiling
the research…etc. But, it is this process that later makes the mood board such a strong
statement of the concept/ theme. As what the mood board does is to visualize the message
and content in a clear and visual language that speaks for itself.
Therefore, it would an advantage for the brand’s design process, as it creates a stable and
concrete ground for any collection to be built upon. It can help you see which themes can
be good foundations for future collections and adding to that at Kerstin Krause Madrid it
would contribute with stability in the design process and a methodology can be applied
to any future collections and lines, result of the brands expansion.
Kerstin Krause Madrid’s always-present aim has been to maintain a constant process of
innovation and creation therefore; it is always among the brand’s purposes to develop
new products that respond to the continuous demands of the market. Therefore a solution
to the question: How can
acquire future customers with
a pret-a-porter line without compromising the already women couture line?
Can be launching a pret-a-porter children’s wear line- this new line would put in practice
the implementations of the fixed design methodology of the moodboards and the
implementation of the prism model to the collection building of the line. We can ask why
a children’s line, the strategy behind this children’s wear line would be introducing the
products since an early stage to the customer, and thus familiarizing since an early age
with the brand. They with time will get familiar, comfortable and used to dressing Kerstin
Kruse Madrid. Thus, at least from a theoretical point of view we expect a percentage of
these children to become settled and loyal customers in the future.
Nowadays many luxury brands for instance: Gucci, Chloé, Blumarine, Dior…etc expand
into a kids wear collection and junior collection in order captivate the clients for the
future. By doing this, the DNA of the brands –including Kerstin Krause Madrid- does not
change as these new customers are the younger generation of the brand’s target group.

To further, answer the question of why a children’s line, we need to mention the current
collaboration of Kerstin Krause – the head designer- with Florence fancy, an American
brand for whom now she is designing children’s wear. Florence Fancy is an American
brand located in New York, placed at BergdofGoodman. The brand features clothing for
specific occasions, focusing on the art of dressing children beautifully.
Based on Kerstin Krause’s successful collaboration with Florence Fancy one could ask:
wouldn’t it be possible to do something of her own related to the children’s wear and her
brand Kerstin Krause Madrid.
Thus, the head designer can contribute with her background knowledge and previous
experiences of working with children’s wear in her brand’s immersion to this new market.

Another reason of why a children’s line is that the designer can use the brand’s already
existing couture line as a source of inspiration to paraphrase its designs into something
infantile and child-like. Thus creating parallel lines when it comes to the theme and the
designs between the two different lines.

With this, Kerstin Krause Madrid is investing in future clients, in other words what is
trying to do is to create loyal customers to the brand by the use of its own products, putting
an emphasis on how to secure customers since an early age at an early stage. The brand
on one hand would to create its cache and image with its couture collection and on the
other hand, it would to achieve a flowing revenue throughout the children’s line and thus
with it auto-financing any other brand projects and collections leading to the brands
gradual expansion.

To conclude we can say that Kerstin Krause Madrid at this stage of expansion would
benefit with these implementations: the use of the prism model and the moodboards as it
would have a great and positive impact on its design process. It would create a necessary
internal structure in these times of expansion. Thus, it is easier for Kerstin Krause Madrid
to expand into the creation of new products.
Therefore, the proposal of launching a pret-a-porter children’s wear line goes hand in
hand with the new implementations to the brand’s design process methodology. As by
the implementation of these, the design process will be more effective and it can even
contribute to a better launch of the children’s wear line, having greater chances of being
successful from the first moment. By launching this new pret-a-porter line, Kerstin
Krause Madrid would acquire new customers with a potential chance of loyalty to the
brand. Moreover all this, without compromising the already existing women couture line.