When Scotch & Soda set out to establish new branding, it sought inspiration close to home. The Dutch denim and lifestyle brand bowed a new identity intended to embody the free spirit of Amsterdam, the city it was established in more than 30 years ago.
The new branding blends Scotch & Soda’s initials and ampersand, and nods to the craftmanship that goes into each collection by “following the delicate movement of a thread attached to the eye of the needle.”
The identity was revealed last month on the brand’s social media channels, website and dedicated app, as well as in several new stories. It will launch on collections in November.
There will be plenty of new opportunities for consumers to view collections. Over the next six months, the company plans to open 15 new brick-and-mortar stores and 12 shop-in-shops worldwide.
The acceleration of its global retail network in key markets across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, with the introduction of a new “Free Spirit” store concept that highlights its new brand identity, will be combined with Scotch & Soda’s unified commerce integration and omnichannel capabilities to be completed by early 2022, it stated.
“With our new identity, we want to define our evolution, mark a new era of brand expression and storytelling with a renewed ambition for growth whilst still managing the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on our current performance,” said Frederick Lukoff, Scotch & Soda CEO. “We are relentlessly optimistic about the future and the next chapter of the brand and its story based on the profound values of unity that drive the unique spirit of Amsterdam.”
Along with featuring its new branding, each new store will combine the original architecture of the space with Scotch & Soda signatures such as aged brass fixtures, textured tiles, vintage furniture and pops of yellow, rose and burgundy. All new stores are fitted with LED lights, FSC wood herringbone flooring, new hangers made of recycled materials and selected soft furnishings such as sustainable rugs woven in Econyl regenerated nylon.
The Netherlands will be home to three of the brand’s largest new locations. Additional stores in Europe will open in Germany, France, Ukraine and Poland. Shop-in-shops will open in the Globus department store in Switzerland and in Åhléns department stores across Sweden.
Following the recent opening of two stores in California, Scotch & Soda reported that it will open a store in Boston this fall. It is looking for additional locations in California, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
In the Middle East, Scotch & Soda will enter Israel this month for the first time, followed by Qatar, UAE and Kuwait. In Asia-Pacific, an Indian franchise will open in Mumbai this month, and October will usher in a new store in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
The brand’s existing retail network stands at 225 stores and 161 shop-in-shops.
In addition to the new stores, Scotch & Soda will also add new showrooms and offices in Shanghai and Milan this spring.