Maesa creates beauty range for Urban Outfitters
To create the range, the company worked with contract manufacturer Maesa Group, who has previously worked with other big name retailers to create private-label beauty ranges.
“We were very pleased at the opportunity to interpret Urban Outfitters’ signature look into fragrance and cosmetics,” said Ludovic Bertron, creative director of Maesa Studio.
Perfume atomizer provided inspiration for range
He explained that Urban Outfitters’ marketing team had given the design team at Maesa the task of creating something that was ‘industrial’ and ‘rough looking’ yet at the same time retained a feminine touch.
It was thus an antique bulb atomizer presented to the marketing team that formed the focal point of the entire line, as it fulfilled all the requirements of the brief, Bertron continued.
The product range, which was launched late last year across all Urban Outfitters stores, consists of 8 distinct products including lip balms, an eye & lip palette, and an Eau de Toilette.
Secondary packaging presented design challenges
As the product range forms an extension of an existing brand concept, Maesa Beauty was anxious to use design aspects of Urban Outfitters’ Kimishi Blue brand, yet these proved challenging to incorporate.
Laure Pellarin, packaging director for Maesa Beauty explained that for the secondary packaging, the team was provided with a swatch of metallic fabric that was a staple of the Kimishi Blue brand.
“Mimicking the look of that fabric was a challenge in development,” she explained. “In the end, we created a proprietary paper, custom embossed and printed with a digital scan of the original fabric itself,” she added.
To make the range consistent with Urban Outfitters’ collection, the final touch was to recreate the Kimishi Blue ribbon which forms part of the apparel labeling.
Maesa experienced in creation of private-label beauty ranges
Urban Outfitters is just the latest retailer to engage Maesa in the creation of a private-label cosmetics or personal care range.
Last year, the company produced a body care range which was launched in the supermarket outlets of French retailer Auchan, and most recently created a range for Old Navy, part of the GAP global clothing retail chain.
