Client: TYLRD
Role: Brand Naming, Brand Narratives, Identity, Photography, Creative Lead / Direction
Project Info.
TYLRD
(ˈtā-lərd), a menswear fashion brand founded in 2015 by two European based brothers with Sri Lankan roots.
Envisioning a bricolage of tamil heritage, sartorial, musical and societal elements, TYLRD captures the essence of today’s omnipresent street culture and turns traditional concepts of style inside out. This is cemented in TYLRD’s philosophy to create a look that is sensual and tough, classically advanced and masculine, whilst also embracing relevant fragments of couture.
Tamil Heritage.
Sri Lankan Tamils, also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are members of the Tamil ethnic group native to the South Asian island state of Northern Sri Lanka.
TYLRD strongly focuses on its tamil heritage and strong historical roots, whilst recognizing its global diaspora.
Narratives.
The brand narratives heavily evolve around the tamil ethnicity. TYLRD develops ready-to-wear garments, with contemporary use of tamil pattern, typography and language.
Naming + Identity.
TYLRD, a stylized phonetic version of ‘tailored’, merges the tamil outlook with western cultural elements. Hence, the identity is built through bringing both influences together.
The brand icon is ‘த’ , the tamil equivalent for the roman letter ‘T’. There is an actual visual reference for the roman ‘T’ in the tamil letter ‘த’. The branding evolves around the notion of this visual and cultural connection.
Scope.
As the creative lead, my role was to fuel brand recognition, amplify differentiation, and make the big idea and meaning behind TYLRD accessible. I wanted to take disparate elements and unify them into a whole visual system and language, and solely defined typography, photography, patterns, digital assets and the website.
We started with a bigger brand workshop with focus on the brand naming. We then established a solid brand strategy with the brand attributes, vision, mission and all required touchpoints outlined.
We saw the early exercises as a disciplined process used to build awareness and extend customer loyalty. It was all about seizing every opportunity to express why people should choose TYLRD over another brand.
