Fashion · Case
Who shapes desire before clothes reach the store?
A fashion brand asked us to study how style references influence desire and clothing choices in Brazil.
Insight
The brand’s brief requires looking at what happens before a store visit. A person may arrive seeking a combination, a fit or an image of themselves first encountered elsewhere. When this happens, brands are compared within a set of references already taking shape.
The hypothesis is that visual references help form choice criteria. An aesthetic attracts attention, but it also needs to fit the body, the budget and an occasion. The distance between saving an image and buying a garment contains information relevant to collections and communication.
Research therefore needs to follow inspiration through to choice, including discarded options. Interest can fade at the fitting stage, when matching an item with an existing wardrobe or when assessing fabric. Understanding these transitions makes it possible to discuss desire without treating it as established demand.
Discovery
A visual reference enters the shopper’s repertoire.
Choice
Fit, use and price put desire to the test.
Business decision
Connect collections and presentation with the shopping situation.
Business impact
For collections, this perspective helps distinguish aesthetic codes that attract attention from features that sustain a choice. For communication, it clarifies what needs to be shown: a combination, how fabric behaves, fit or relevance to an occasion.
The brand gains a way to connect content, catalog and store experience. Rather than repeating a visual reference across channels, it can decide which information helps a purchase move forward at each stage. The proposed options follow this relationship between discovery and use.
Possible solutions
Enter the discovery journey with a distinct proposition
Translate relevant aesthetic references into combinations and occasions the audience recognizes. Assess whether this presentation brings the brand into consideration.
Make the garment’s value visible
Show fit, fabric, finish and ways to wear the garment. Investigate which information helps move shoppers from liking an image to choosing the item.
Connect discovery with the shopping experience
Test a coherent selection across content, catalog and store, with clear availability and information. Compare where shoppers continue and where they leave.