SUMMARY
Our project is a collaboration between Richard Sachs, a renowned bicycle frame maker and Caddis, an anti anti-aging eyewear brand. The brief tasked us with expanding Richard Sachs’s brand into lifestyle products. During our studio visit to Richard, we noticed his personal collection of Caddis glasses and therefore the idea of a potential collaboration took place. We chose to proceed with the partnership in hopes of creating something tangible, and seeing Richard and Caddis as we saw strong alignment in brand values. This collaboration benefits both brands, as it would lead to mutual brand exposure to both with their loyal customer base.
challenge
The challenge was to increase Richard’s brand awareness and help him reach new markets while not compromising his core values which includes craftsmanship, smaller runs, and elegance. We kept these values in mind as well as wanting to move forward with an idea that would be practical for him to continue on, as he had expressed concern about feasibility. Ultimately, our findings led us to seek partnerships for Richard, as a collaboration would allow him to share resources and finances. An opportunity that presented itself to us was that Caddis already had ties to Michael Sainato, and was paired with another Capstone class for a separate brief.
Outcome
We prototyped three box designs using real Caddis boxes and frames, drawing inspiration from Richard’s pantry art, custom bicycle frames, and sketches.Customers receive one of three surprise box designs, creating a playful blind box experience. Richard personally selected three bold frame colors. The collaboration introduces Richard’s creative world to Caddis’s audience and offers his loyal fans a more accessible entry point into owning a piece of his brand. We developed three tailored launch events that reflected our strategic capabilities in experiential marketing, brand storytelling, and community engagement.
MEET THE Designers:
Anjali Desai
Cosette Isherwood
Caitlin Yi