Work / ZESTAL
A bold manifest for tradition-inspired made-to-measure attires
Naming and branding for one of Romania’s fashion icons
Challenge
IE Clothing, founded by two extremely talented and visionary women, approached inner*pride for a rebranding to reflect their evolving identity and to support the brand’s international expansion.
Having been among the first to elevate Romanian traditional costumes to the level of adorned pieces, IE clothing needed to signal a new direction in the brand’s path to fashion icon.
Distilling the essence of a brand is always challenging, more than that, to be able to incorporate two competing design philosophies into a unified concept is something elusive but not impossible. With ZESTAL we managed to balance corporate rigor with fashion versatility.
Viorel Nedelcu, partner & creative director, innerpride
Solution
IE Clothing was a descriptive name that served its purpose as a signifier for a small startup but as the brand grew the need for a strong metaphor that could encapsulate a future oriented vision arose.
ZESTAL is the name we believe best embodies the brand's ethos. The name draws its main cues from the concept of “zest” - that which gives flavor and adds excitement.
The design involved developing a unique logotype for the brand that combined two complementary styles - one reflecting the traditional style with typographic flourishes and the other being more modern with half-rounded terminals based on geometric shapes. The symbol is reminiscent of old Romanian folklore, encapsulating in the negative space the letter “Z”.
The new identity melds elegance and modernity, embodying the worth of tradition. Carefully selected finishes and materials enrich the corporate components. Using textures, colors, and bold typography, we crafted a flexible visual language that accentuates the uniqueness of each piece.
Result
This transformation, aimed to weave the brand’s rich Romanian heritage into a distinctive visual language able to accommodate future growth and change.
Our solution was embraced immediately by the audiences as a natural evolution of this already beloved brand.
We’ve been reinventing ourselves since the beginning but we never imagine the breadth of this process. inner*pride helped us emerge from our cocoon and soar.
Iulia Ghenea & Emilia Tudoran, founders, ZESTAL
Services involved
At the end of the day, it’s all about what we can do for you and your company.
We’re not only a very capable team, we’re also good people.
Offices / Headquarters
Colonel Langa 17, Iași, Romania