Shoe Co Ltd

Creating the perfect fit for the planet.

YY or ‘Waewae’ in Maori – means foot or footprint. YY is also a way of asking ‘Why are things done this way?’ and ‘Why can't they be done better?’

Client

Shoe Co Ltd

Project

Brand Strategy and Definition

Location

Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, Aotearoa

Year

2019

-

2020

Role

Creative Director

Agency

Provenance

Category

Fashion and Shoe Design & Manufacturing

Contributors

Jeremy Bank – Founder/client
Natasha Bank – Founder/client
Kim Faiga – Client Lead/Product Design
Eighty One – Core brand logo device

Brand Signature

Brand Strategy

Communications

Creative Direction

Detailed Design

Packaging Design

Stakeholder Engagement

Strategy

YY Nation, a New Zealand-based company, is dedicated to creating sustainable and innovative footwear. The company’s journey began in 2018 when its founder, Jeremy Bank, witnessed the devastating impact of micro-plastic pollution on Maui's beaches. Spurred on by his experience, he set out to develop shoes that were both environmentally friendly yet still had high-performance.

A key factor in YY Nation’s success was the partnership I fostered with Kim Faiga, a skilled product owner, who was instrumental in bringing the initial product concept to life. Kim had a deep understanding of the product and market, he spearheaded all the product design, supply chain management, and marketing efforts.

Working closely together on a co-design process to develop a robust brand framework. This collaborative approach ensured that the brand’s intent and purpose aligned seamlessly with the product’s unique qualities and sustainability goals. Together, we defined the core promise, values, hallmark, positioning, and expression.

Rationalising the brand and its story meant thinking through the logic of how circular manufacturing also benefitted consumers, and what the ‘heart’ moment might be for them too.

Beyond the brand framework, we worked together on crafting a compelling launch marketing strategy, developed a comprehensive set of brand signature guidelines, product packaging, and setting in place a range of brand assets that became central to their marketing toolkit.

I count one of the key successes of YY Nation launch, the relationships I built with both Kim, and the founders to bring about a really tight, and well thought through brand story, that in many ways gave voice to a whole new reason for being.

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Taking a dream and turning it into a logical and carefully thought through narrative is a balance of both heart and head decisions.
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Once we’d hit on a tight narrative, we needed to build a host of flexible visual brand assets and support it with a robust brand signature.
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Amidst rampant greenwashing, it was crucial to establish a genuine commitment to sustainability while acknowledging there was still room for improvement.