Proud to Present: a terribly British brand for Gabriela Austin
Established in 2009, Gabriela Austin has a unique range of aprons, chefs’ hats, oven gloves and tea towels that are designed with a witty (and sometimes naughty!) British sense of humour. Made by hand in the UK from carefully sourced materials, they’re high quality, utterly daft and designed to make you laugh!
Inspired by everything from the Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols to Shakespeare, the Gabriela Austin range combine the practicality that’s needed in the kitchen with a sense of fun that’s guaranteed to get people giggling. Having made their name in the bustling Covent Garden Apple Market, Gabriela Austin’s stall is a popular attraction for both tourists and local alike. Their range is highly giftable – the ideal present for anyone who appreciates the slightly eccentric British style! Aside from the bonkers designs, customers appreciate the excellent service, rapid delivery and the personal touch of a handwritten note with each order – an added extra that makes the experience of buying from this business all the more of a joy. Tourists in particular love the Gabriela Austin brand - the eccentricity of it seems to be particularly appealing to non natives!
Trade has been busy and successful; testament to the hard work that Gabriela has personally put in, and the quality of the product. Keen not to stagnate, Gabriela had a vision for an enhanced range of aprons that might take the brand into a more premium space. Made from higher grade materials – such as waxed cotton and leather – they’ll be ideally suited to gardeners, woodworkers or anyone who needs to protect their clothing while getting their hands dirty! Whilst a step away from the slogan designs that the brand is currently known for, these designs will still be completely original and will feature a unique twist that’ll raise a smile. Whether that’s a hidden message, a bright pattern on the lining of the apron or something else entirely, they’ll follow the Gabriela Austin signature style of being high quality and humorous.
As Gabriela expands her range from the signature slogan collection to a wider collection of different styles, she needs a brand that can pave the way for growth. The process we embarked upon together was about creating an umbrella brand under which her various collections can sit alongside each other, creating a clear and cohesive style that offers the freedom for Gabriela to experiment with new designs and broaden the horizons of what the business can do. This is all the more easy when you have a solid foundation and know precisely what your brand stands for.
Colour psychology season personality
The season which best represents Gabriela Austin is Autumn. Autumnal brands are warm, grounded and strong. They’re dedicated, driven and hard working – whatever they turn their hand to, they do well and execute it with passion and flair. Autumnal brands are friendly, welcoming and sociable. They make friends quickly and their relaxed outlook on life makes them easy company - they don’t tend to stand on ceremony. They’re highly independent – they’re self assured and don’t follow the crowd. The Autumnal personality can lend strength, a sense of enduring style, a hint of nostalgia and a warmth that’s both inviting and relaxed.
The brand
This brand was all about embracing the British sense of humour, in an upmarket way. Strong typography sets the tone for a credible brand, and the colour palette features aged colours for a hint at the nostalgic, without tripping into the overtly vintage style. Messages and imagery are relatable, a bit daft and unexpected. Hand drawn illustrations add charm and character to the brand, and tell the story of a business that cares about quality without having to scream about it.
We’ve created a couple of patterns from the illustrations, one featuring an iconic Singer sewing machine which I LOVE and the second using the safety pin to create a repeating pattern that’s reminiscent of the sixties punk era - in a much more gentle and refined way! These would both look amazing on packaging. As always, we’ve considered the real life application of the brand - we know that packaging is super important to Gabriela, so we really focused our attention on that as we styled the brand. I adore the tote bags! They bring together the humorous messages and strong typography so beautifully to create an instant mood that reflects the mood of the brand brilliantly. I absolutely love this brand - it plays to our natural style so very well - and we can’t wait to see it out in the wild!
