/ Marqet

Extreme MaQeover

With soaring rents, shrinking profit margins and ever-more consumers migrating to online outlets, bricks-and-mortar fashion retailers are suffering. MQ, which first opened its doors in 1957, was no exception. To save the brand, a major re-think was needed.

Direction

Even though most Swedish cities have at least one MQ store, the brand was fading into irrelevance. The first task on the road to recovery was to generate useful insights by researching the customer base thoroughly. The results were clear: while many visit MQ to find stylish, high-quality casual wear, it turns out they’re especially interested in work-related clothing. When this insight was married to rapidly changing attitudes to the workplace – office hours, fixed workspaces and dress codes are so yesterday – an idea began to emerge.

Like the world around it, there is nothing static about Marqet.

Creation

MQ needed to be re-imagined without tossing its legacy overboard. The solution: Marqet, a new name containing elements of the old one, thereby building a bridge between present and future. And with the new name came a new logo – in fact, five new logos. Why?

To communicate variety and change. Like the world around it, there is nothing static about Marqet. The brand is always evolving, always offering something new. It is a constant work in progress. And there we have it in all its clarity and simplicity – the line that best captures the new brand: Work in Progress.

This new theme, which also doubles as a tagline, runs like a common thread through everything that touches Marqet: the identity, the collections, communication, the stores, activities, and much more.

Focus is still on business attire, but expanded product categories provide dynamism as well as opportunities for exciting and unexpected collaborations.

Work in Progress.

Activation

The first of 120 concept stores opened in Stockholm in autumn 2019. In step with the times, each store is furnished with upcycled materials. Additional services include rental clothes, tailoring and the sale of second-hand garments. In keeping with its brand concept, Marqet is also providing workspaces for its customers. Luckily, they won’t have to go far to find something to wear.