Workshop
Founded in 2015, Beyond the Vines had focused solely on selling womenswear before a top-to-toe rebrand in 2020. Today, it's a multi-disciplinary design studio making serious moves into south-east Asia.
Impetus for change
Though co-founder Rebecca Tings started feeling the need to change tack two years in, it took her another two years before she hit the brakes. A conversation with her business and life partner Daniel Chew revealed that she had lost the spark for running Beyond the Vines. ‘As the brand grew, our old identity felt cold and polished,’ shares Rebecca. ‘There was nothing wrong, but it wasn't representative of who we are.’ Engagement with customers started to feel transactional and the brand wasn't impacting the creative community in the ways they had originally envisioned.
The brief
Rebecca worked with Jerry Goh from Singapore-based agency Studio Grain on the rebrand. Apart from keeping the logo, they rebuilt Beyond the Vines from scratch. The brand voice is now less aspirational and more conversational; real customers from the creative community front its campaigns, rather than the professional models of the past; and its Instagram page was wiped clean, while Rebecca began hosting Instagram Live sessions where she answered questions on the fly. The brand's original identity was known for its minimalism and muted colors, but Rebecca wanted the rebrand to express the idea that good design ought to be accessible to all. This change takes inspiration from the Bauhaus movement, an influence that stems from her architecturally trained dad. ‘I've come to see how my childhood has informed my design sensibilities: functionality, geometric shapes and color-blocking,’ she shares.
A new ethos
The new look isn't purely cosmetic – it's a radically transformed company. The business has morphed into a design studio that caters to all genders; its lifestyle items, from camping chairs to film cameras, all carry a social element, reflecting its new vision of bringing communities together. ‘We've transitioned from e-commerce to social commerce,’ shares Rebecca.
Rethinking retail
Rebecca had signed a lease for the store prior to the rebrand, but she felt ready to open only when the redesign was complete. To her, this wasn't merely a physical space to retail products – it was an actualization of the brand's tenets. The store has since hosted showcases of collaborations with creatives to connect with its community.
Apart from the uplift in sales, Rebecca says the biggest difference is that the team feels comfortable in their own skins. ‘We're no longer designing in the third person,’ she shares.
A version of this article was first published in Courier issue 47, June/July 2022. To purchase the issue or become a subscriber, head to our webshop.
