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Why logo shirts don't sell and the one exception

What does Al Ries say about logo t-shirts? Wait, who the heck is Al Ries? Marketing genius, Al Ries, is one of the top and most respected marketing gurus, having written some of the most important marketing books. I not only love his stuff, but also highly respect his work.

So what does he say about logo t-shirts? They don't sell! Well actually, he never spoke of fashion or of design. And he never covered anything about t-shirts. But one of his theories did help me explain why there are so many brands that do logo t-shirts and why such brands will fail.

I never wanted to do shirts that dominantly say "Juzd" in different fonts, let alone have that as the main design element. I thought it was corny and not artistic, but everyone else was doing it. If all the top lines were doing it, and they were successful, then why wouldn't I be successful doing it? There must be a reason. Logo on shirt = success? Well, all the other brands think so.

Then, an epiphany hit me hard last night. It was so simple, yet it took me so long to figure out. One of the important lessons I learned from Al Ries was that companies that use acronyms in in lieu of their name will never be remembered, but wait, what about the many corporations, such as IBM, KFC, and HP, who use acronyms successfully?

Take into consideration this: IBM, KFC, and HP are not successful because they use acronyms, they are successful, and therefore, they can use acronyms to represent themselves. When you say IBM, everyone knows the company and what they stand for, but no one knows "SUE" which, in this example, stands for "Sam's Used Electronic" shop. Sam is an idiot for naming his company SUE, instead of naming it Sam's Used Electronic shop. But we must note that Sam is also an idiot for getting into such a bad business - no one makes money by dealing with used electronics.

People will buy shirts with Ed Hardy, Diesel, and Guess plastered all over it because everyone knows these brands. They have build a strong enough reputation to sell shirts with just their name on it. But no one is going to buy a shirt with "Sam's Collection" plastered all over it. So, the next time you see a collection of shirts from a new brand with no design, expect for their logo or name on the front, and shake your head while knowing why!

Logo plastering tees only sell when your brand is already well-known

JUZD Weekly Style: Giving the Alpha State a Feminine Flair

Think that the JUZD shirt was only meant to be paired with denim? And think that there wasn't a very feminine, yet very chic, alpha state? Think again!

The JUZD Original Tee gets paired with a great tulip skirt and lace tights. Adding more femininity to the alpha state, a headband, from Oh Dina! by Nicole McInnis, as well as a bracelet by Suzanne Lorraine are spotted.

Click here for more JUZD Weekly Style

JUZD is in the "Trendy Zone!"

Following up from the behind-the-scenes exclusive post about Omni TV featuring JUZD, the tv show Trendy Zone aired the episode this past weekend. Featured in the lady's segment, Jing introduces to the Chinese speaking community his clothing line by discussing what distinguishes his line from others (i.e. the use of customly-milled bamboo), as well as explaining the benefits of wearing such shirts. Also showing off the line's hand-made (Chris Bosh) shirts and Fall-Winter 2009 collection, Jing surely grabbed Trendy Zone's interest!

Trendy Zone is a half-hour program that aims to cover anything up-to-the minute in the local community, whether it be events, lifestyle, people, or places. Segments within this great show include sports for young adults and families in which to partake, entertainment news, home décor tips and tricks, auto advice, as well as beauty segments!

Catch the episode live online until Monday June 29 at Trendy Zone's website

JUZD Re-style: Joy Bryant

The term bohemian, of French origin, was first used in the English language in the nineteenth century to describe the untraditional lifestyles of marginalised and impoverished artists in major European cities. Bohemians were associated with unorthodox or antiestablishment political or social viewpoints, which were often expressed through voluntary poverty.

After years of wearing high-fashion and working with some of the biggest names in the fashion indusrty, it seems actress and model Joy Bryant just wants to blend in with the crowd.

Even though the bohemian look is impoverished, this hard-working mom is anyting but.

Joy could update this boho look to boho-chic with a few changes from your favourite stylists here at JUZD.

The JUZD Streewtwear Basic, styled with See by Chloe Tapered Cropped Pants, Mike & Chris Thaddeus Two Band Ankle Cuff Flat Sandals and Flight Pattern Silk Scarf from Urban Outfitters make this look stylish and simple, for a girl on the go like Joy.

See more JUZD Weekly Re-styles

102.1 The Edge Host Dresses Like Rockstar For StarLaunch™ Promo

Sponsored by YouTube, Nikon, Pantene, and CoverGirl, Cosmopolitan StarLaunch™ was a great hit with over 500 online submissions. In this second Cosmo TV spot, viewers are encouraged to go online and to vote for their favorite. Viewers voted for Mieka Pauley who won a $10 000 cash prize, a three-track demo, and a chance to open at an NYC concert headlined by Natasha Bedingfield!

As for our favorite? Well that is none other than 102.1 The Edge's Josie Dye! When asked by Cosmo to dress like a rockstar, she picked out the JUZD original tee. Check her out again in this StarLaunch™ promo!

JUZD Weekly Style: Rock-Chic

Outdoor festivals are one of the greatest parts of summer, and JUZD is here to help you with an easy look for rockin' out all day and night.

Model Lena brings sassy rock-chic to her white Stylez JUZD shirt by adding multiple bracelets by designed by Suzanne Lorraine and cap from Nobis Hats.

Her light grey skinny jeans complete this look so she’s ready for whatever her day brings, from cruising down Queen Street, to rockin' on the grass at the Amphitheater.

Look styled by Angelique Knights

Click here for more JUZD Weekly Style

SPOTTED: DJ Agile in JUZD Tech shirt at 2009 DJ Stylus Awards Monday night!

Toronto’s own DJ Agile spotted not only winning an award for “Mixtape of the Year” at the 2009 DJ Stylus Awards, but winning in style in his JUZD Tech T. We know Agile appreciates the feel and style of his JUZD Tech.

Huge congratulations to Agile on his win!

Agile has been on the Canadian music scene for over 10 years & has produced tracks for international artists such as NaS, Jully Black, Ivana Santilli and his Juno nominated groups BrassMunk and Big Black Lincoln. He is known for his wide and diverse musical range which he gives to party goers and music connoisseurs who are looking for that special vibe in music today. Agile has had national television appearances on E-Talk, Off The Record, MuchMusic, NBA XL and The Score. Agile can be heard spinning at events and clubs weekly throughout the GTA and North America and at MARBEN on Fridays.

DJ Plus, DJ Starting from Scratch and DJ Agile at the 2009 DJ Stylus Awards

Congratulations also go out to DJ Plus who won the award for "Radio Mixshow DJ of the Year."

Trend Forecasting for Fall Winter 2009 2010 - Effects of recession on fashion

Who really dictates the fashion trends, buyers or consumers?

I was in New York City last week and met with a lot of buyers, showrooms, buying services, and designers and was quite enlighten about the trends coming up for the season. Pretty much all of it is affected by the recession.

1. Lower price points. From online shops to brick and mortar stores everyone is lowering their price point. $100 tees or even $60 tees aren't doing so good. I was told by a couple of big online stores that their lower priced tees are flying out but having difficulties pushing the higher price tag ones. This sentiment was also given to me from a big department store in the US. They are lowering the price points on tees but they are still carrying the big names like Affliction and Ed Hardy but just lower price point.

2. Out with the bling bling. "No one wants to look like they have money," I was told. People feel guilty when they shop and buy flashy clothing. So the trend is for more subdue and subtle aesthetics. This is not good for Juzd as we are all about the heavy graphics and bling bling. It's funny, last year before the recession hit I showed the Juzd original to Holt Renfrew and they loved it and it turned out to be their best selling Juzd shirts. Now I design more of those pieces and they are like, "we are moving away from that now."

3. Cleaner aesthetics. There will always be a demand for graphic shirts, buyers are going for a cleaner aesthetics. Compare to other lines Juzd is is not as busy but buyers still put it in that category. As I have been trying to move to more of a busier all over prints, I am not moving back to the clean stuff.

4. People still want to go shopping. Shopping is like a drug for most women and in our capitalist society there is a sense of gratification when we own something new. Ever notice how complete you feel when you go out shopping and come back with something, anything! It makes you feel like your time wasn't wasted. Well people are still shopping and still want to shop, that's one of the reasons American Apparel is so successful in recent years. Their items are inexpensive and you can easily buy several of the same items in different colours. This makes shopping easy so you'll feel more productive.


5. Mix of high end and low end. People are piecing high and low end pieces together. People are pairing up thousand dollar leather jackets with $300 dollar jeans and $18 American Apparel tee. This may not be caused by the recession and have been happening before the recession but with what is happening, it is surely accelerating the trend.

Inexpensive American Apparel black t-shirt and tie-die tights
combined with leather jacket and boots

On my trip to New York I've learned about several of these trends. But the buyers tell me that they don't know for sure but that's what they think and they can be wrong. All of us in the fashion industry have been screaming and yelling that the busy gothic and graphic heavy shirts of Ed Hardy and Affliction are going out for as long as they've been in yet their sales are still expanding. I guess the diplomatic answer is that it's a combination of both and like anything in culture it's interdependent and organic.

See 6th trend and our latest updates on Fall Winter 2009 2010 trend forecast

JUZD Re-style: Keri Hilson

Nothing is worse to me then an amazing woman, in a bad outfit. Keri has #1’s on the charts, but her outfit screams “I let a grade one style me today.”

With a quick fix from the JUZD team, Keri could have been rocking her look.

Keri's young, fresh style could benefit from an upgrade, easily provided by the stylish crew at JUZD.

Keri loves her liquid leggings, so we can keep these, add the JUZD TECH shirt, maybe a little black vest or cropped jacked (also a favorite of Keri's) and of course some bad heals, her hip-hop chic night look goes from childish to stylish.

If you want to take this look from night, to day, switch out the liquid leggings and heals, for a simple black pencil skirt and flats. Turn that TECH shirt around for the more subtle print on the back, through on a boyfriend blazer and this simple meets sexy outfit is ready for your day at the office.

See more JUZD Weekly Re-styles