EXPERTS RESPOND: Andreas Palm, CDLP Founder
we wanted to make a box that was suitable for social media. As most people are not comfortable in posting pics of themselves in underwear, the box has become our signature in social media.
CDLP is a Stockholm based prime underwear young label going against the norm of men’s underwear mass production. Taking a sartorial approach in designing a new generation of high quality underwear made from superior fabrics, CDLP creates a unique customer experience through a strong visual narrative focuses on intellectual masculinity and enhanced by ingenious packaging.
That´s why we ask them to answer some questions for our blog.
SALINAS: First of all, we are very curious about your brand story telling. Your name, “Un Cadeau de la Providence”, a name in French, a little bit spiritual, but in a strong yellow box with a stronger typography… the first time I saw one of your boxes in Salinas I remember that it caught my attention, and I thought “which type of product will contain this box?” When I discovered that it was men underwear it was like “wowww!”. Which is the intention? Is a game of synesthesia between the visual and aural sense? Or it has another meaning?
CDLP: The name Un Cadeau de la Providence to us, encapsulates the small things and details that make life worth living. We got the name from an old song named Un Belle Histoire, sang by French singer Michel Fugain in the 70s, and the way he frames the expression makes it very beautiful. We believe our interpretation of the expression resonates very well with the product – wearing great underwear is a small, but significant aspect in making life better, especially when they come in a beautiful yellow little box – a gift of providence.
SALINAS: CDLP is a brand built around the customer experience and strongly supported by the packaging. What are the reasons that make you give to the yellow box a priority place in your strategy?
CDLP: We believe that the box is a vital part of the customer experience, no matter in what form you buy the product, but especially if you aim to be noticed and gain traction in premium retail environments, hotel shops and similar locations. For us, looking at the traditional poor packaging of underwear products, we saw an opportunity to stand out and make the box a statement and signal of quality. Moreover, we wanted to make a box that was suitable for social media. As most people are not comfortable in posting pics of themselves in underwear, the box has become our signature in social media.
SALINAS:What do you think is the role of quality packaging in e-commerce?
CDLP: We believe smart and attractive packaging is gaining more significance at all customer touch points, no matter if it´s in a retail environment or if the product is sent home.
SALINAS: If I say luxury CDLP say…
CDLP:The ability to live in the present.
SALINAS: We can consider CDLP a niche brand, a trend that it´s say to grow in the next future. We note that there are three kinds or concepts of niche brands, the ones who born to be niche, small, exceptional… those that born like startups and have development purposes and those that born as an exclusive line within a big brand.What do you think about that? What´s means to you being a niche brand?
CDLP: For us, being a niche brand means creating something we really believe in, rather than creating something based on potential market size. We could probably have reached much larger volumes should we have compromised with fabrics, quality and packaging and pushed the product to new markets through 3rd party agents, but that has never been our goal nor intention. We wanted to make the world´s finest underwear, for men and women that appreciate quality, timeless elegance and a sound narrative around masculinity, and that is what we will continue doing. I guess that would put us in the first category, and I think it is very hard to emulate that as an exclusive line within a big brand.
SALINAS:According to you, the final consumer gives more importance to: aesthetic, ecological, functional?
CDLP: We would believe our customer, with regards to underwear, ranks it functional, aesthetic and ecological.
SALINAS: What makes a case or a box surprises you?
CDLP: We are always pleasantly surprised whenever we feel someone has put a lot of thought and love into creating a box. We feel most businesses focus 95% on the product and 5% on the box. Apple introduced great packaging to a broader market, and there are inspiring companies like Leica, where people post unboxing videos online because of their outstanding packaging.
We wish to acknowledge CDLP and especially to Andreas for the time you´ve dedicated to us. It has been very enriching to share ideas and concepts about what we both like: packaging.
We recommend everyone who likes packaging and branding to “go for a walk” along his web: http://cdlp.com