CASE STUDY: The Avid Seamstress

PRESENTATION IS KEY

So much time is put into the research and development of our products, but is the same thought and energy put into how these will be presented?

Investing in cleverly designed, impactful packaging is key to making your product stand out amongst a sea of competitors. As the first thing that is seen of your brand, the power that it holds to portray a certain image and form a certain reputation in the consumer’s mind is unbelievable.

Here we share a prime example of this…

THE AVID SEAMSTRESS

The Avid Seamstress is a London-based sewing pattern company committed to helping modern makers enjoy the art of sewing. Providing versatile, multi-functional patterns that allow users to express their own unique style, their aim is to bring together a community of people who empower and inspire each other through sewing.

Whilst looking to launch The Avid Seamstress, the founder of the company wanted to originate something that wouldn’t be seen as just any sewing pattern brand; she wanted her products to stand out as unique, sitting in the higher end of the sewing market.

This required packaging that would really highlight the value in the product and portray her brand as being a high-end investment.

Knowing how critical it was to get this right, a considerable amount of time was spent researching extensively into other sewing brands on the market and the packaging they were using. She then began looking around for companies that could offer bespoke packaging options, and from here, discovered Blake!

THE PROJECT BEGINS…

From the moment the Blake team began discussing ideas with The Avid Seamstress team, we knew this was the beginning of a great relationship. As the founder later commented,

“My relationship with Blake was fantastic. I had great account managers who went out of their way to work with me to ensure the product was the best it could be.”

We hit off with a discussion around their requirements from the project which quickly resulted in a decision being reached: a large gusseted envelope allowing plenty of space for the sewing pattern sets, featuring an impressive full-colour image across the entire front with additional information and instructions printed onto the reverse. The envelope would have a handy re-sealable flap, allowing it to be reused time and again. As they would be launching 5 different sewing patterns, we came up with a variety of designs for each.

PERFECTING THE DESIGN

To ensure the high-end look and feel that the team was looking for, we chose to manufacture the envelopes from a beautiful matt finish paper. These started off with a string and washer closure to the envelope, which was later switched to a tuck in flap after discovering that these were causing damage to other envelopes when shipped during the trial run.

After perfecting each of the designs down to the last detail, the impressive results combined a sleek design with a fully functional and hardwearing product, comfortably containing the sewing patterns. The core visions and values of the brand were represented in the high quality yet cost-effective materials and the paper based design portrayed a conscientious alternative to plastic packaging, providing a tactile element whilst marking them out from their competitors. We produced 5000 of these.

CLIENT FEEDBACK

“The team are really great! Knowing that I have such a great supplier for such a key element of my product is fantastic. They go out of their way to help me and I couldn’t be happier working with them. We developed a bespoke envelope which is often commented on by my customers – it makes my product stand out from the rest. Thank you!”

“The product was beautiful and really stood out against the competitors. I felt very proud of the product and showcasing it to customers.”

“Blake Envelopes went out of their way to look at solutions and come up with the best option for my business.”