Product Inspiration: Keeping it Local.

Potential areas for Tru2u's factory are all rich in culture, design and unique aesthetic. By taking inspiration from local designs and patterns, we could add more depth to Tru2u's personality.

Designer: Luo Zheng from China

Designer: Tanya Berry from India

Designer: Jariya Kakaew from Thailand

Color Concept No. 1

The Value Of Black

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Ethnographic Research

3 Page PDF

3pagepdf

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Packaging: Cradle to Cradle Notes

Cradle to Cradle asks that we don't just do "less bad," but try to create "more good."

-What systems are needed to procure and process package materials?
-What are the material characteristics, and what is the impact on ecological and human health?
-Design the package to aid recycling and recovery.
-Think of the package as resource instead of a waste product.
-Reuse the package instead of recycling it. Reuse retains more value.
-What systems are required for reuse?
-Return the package to a biological cycle by composting.
-Eliminate anything impacting reuse or recycling.
-Design the package to be an asset with user value.
-Worst Case: Design the package to be easily burnable.
-Make the customer your partner when they return or compost the package.
-Waste = Food.
-Use solar income (don't spend down the bank account).
-Celebrate diversity (the world is full of niches).

-Biological nutrients can return to earth systems safely.
-Technical nutrients can be recaptured and used again safely without degrading in value.

Where are your clothes made?
It’s not a hard question; your clothes are printed with it. The problem however is is that not everyone pays attention to the tag. Tru2U’s tags will specifically highlight just that: where it’s made. “Made in China” is not specific enough. What factory on what street of what city, of what region is all important to what you’re wearing and where it came from. It’s not a nagging call to action, or a guilt trip, but rather a reminder. A reminder that what you buy affects not just you, a reminder that you, whoever you are, can make a difference in real and simple way.

But what about you?

What makes you unique? Along the band of the underwear, will offer the consumer to make it unique and irreplaceable because your clothes are your canvas. Write your cause, write how you feel, or maybe just write your name. Your piece of Tru2U clothing is your piece and no one else’s.

What did your purchase do?

What specifically did you do with your purchase? Rarely do companies worry about this and even rarer do consumers. The clothing’s tag will give the buyer a specific outline on what their purchase has achieved. Go online, see the place it was created and those you helped. Involve yourself with the dialogue and know that your simple action can create a laundry list of influences.

Concept Copy Ideation

3.0

We all need a little direction.

Trust yourself to navigate your own path.
Trust yourself to guide others along theirs.
Trust yourself to know when to follow and let them guide.

Underneath it all, trust yourself.


2.0

Underneath it all we all need a little direction.

Trust yourself to navigate your own direction.
Trust yourself to guide others along theirs.
Trust yourself to know when to follow and let them guide.


1.0

When using a map you are either an explorer or a guide.

Trust yourself to explore, to plot your course.

Trust yourself to be a guide. A guide into a new apparel production model, one that connects you to the person who makes your underwear.

Underneath it all, we all need a little direction.



"To ask for a map is to say, tell me a story."

Strange Maps

Here

Underwear Patterns

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Packaging Design: Bamboo

Bamboo idea:

the use of local materials could significantly reduce production and shipping costs. Bamboo is local and "individual' to China and their culture. We are thinking about using bamboo tubes to house our product. Bamboo is cheap, grows fast, and has a unique aesthetic appeal. We can also use bamboo based cardboard to make boxes or other shaped containers that have multiple uses. Bamboo is also biodegradable and can be recycled. Although recyclables are good, "reuse" is better.

To involve the "underneath it all" idea. We will be printing the TRU2U story on the inside of the package, or have some sort of other original interior that will be a nice treasure once opened. underneath it all.

Concept (will be re-worded and re-worked)

You are an individual. You are different, eclectic and unique. You have genes, strands of DNA, belonging solely to YOU. It is your life, your mind, your body and your soul. You belong to one race, the human race. The human race, like you, is different, eclectic and unique. The human race shares nearly IDENTICAL strands of DNA now belonging not to you, but to YOUR race, your people. You may not see it, but you are the same underneath it all. You all crave love, attention, nourishment and education. You all work towards something. ANYTHING. You all need support in more ways than one. You wear clothing to show individuality, but we suggest you wear clothing to show collectiveness. Peel off your layers and provoke change. Move your race forward. Expose True beauty. Expose your True Self.

Focused on College Concept

This was an alternative concept we came up with focusing more on the uniqueness of college life and connecting it to that of the the factory worker who will benefit simply from a purchase that you would be making anyways.

Everyone has bare essentials.
You don't need to give yours up to help others realize theirs.

With this we focus on the fact that there are "bare essentials" to every lifestyle in addition to the underwear you wear. Whether you identify yourself with frat boys, art kids or nerds there are attributes and objects that define you. Even the people who make your clothes across the world have essentials and by purchasing TRU2U you help them realize these essentials. Unlike so many other organizations that require you to spend a significant amount of money, time or lifestyle changes, with TRU2U you don't need to change in the slightest to help. All you need to do is wear TRU2U's "bare essentials". You can still play beer pong, have photo shoots or spend all weekend studying for that exam.

The packaging can play with the similarities / differences between the worker and college student's interests. Abbey brought up the idea of having one side being "your" side and the other being the workers side. One side having a typical American college trend with the other having a trend local to where it was created. Another option is to have one side designed by a local worker while the other is designed by American college students.

The product can play off these two worlds as well. The top band of the underwear being designed by the people who made it on one side while the other is that of local college students. Depending on the budget it can exclusive to regions of the US or America as a whole. The underwear can be reversible letting you wear whatever side you're in the mood for. Even if it wasn't meant to be reversible there are a lot of college students who I've heard of that once in a while when the laundry hasn't been done yet they turn their underwear inside out and this way they won't feel so bad when they do it. A more ambitious approach can be taken with this giving the entire underwear inside and out two separate designs. Depending on where the underwear is sold this could give an advantage over the rest of the stores since a majority of underwear is either plaid or a solid color.



I know we should stay away from tactics, but this is what popped into my head while working on this. Putting it in writing helped me to see the concept a little more completely.

Its a print ad showing a typical college beer pong party scene full of emotion. Two teams competing with stereotypical frat boy clothing, but one of the four people playing is out of place. One of them is whatever nationality the factory is home to, wearing a factory uniform, but still enjoying himself/herself as much as the others and everyone else is treating him/her like one of their own. Large copy vertically centered and to the left in a list style.

"Everyone has essentials:
red cups
ping pong balls
table
tuition"(off colored and something TRU2U helps their workers afford)

Bottom left has a small picture of the products with a header followed by small copy saying:

"You don't need to give yours up to help others realize theirs."
(Mission statement)

Bottom Right:

TRU2U Logo
"Bare Essentials"

Words Words Words

Here are some pictures from one of our ideation meetings:

Packaging Materials Research

Packaging Material Research

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Week Five: Design and Packaging Concepts

Week Five: Packaging and Design Concepts

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Target Underwear Audit

WEEK THREE: Design & Packaging Ideation

Goal: Command shelf presence!

How we can achieve: By stripping everything away from the package we can stand out among the cluttered competition. Following a strict hierarchy on the packaging of 1. TRU2U 2. Size 3. Price will let shoppers find what they are looking for quickly. The brand message and cause will appear on the packaging, but it will appear in a place that can be viewed at home when the shopped is removing their underwear from the packaging. At this point they are more open to take in the information and the story behind their underwear.

Design & Packaging Ideation

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Week of February 8, 2010

Green Team Update:

With Hospital stays and towed vehicles, our group has been slightly set back this week, but we are developing the two concepts we appreciate the most:

Come together

This concept would involve every person, from every walk of life. We want to start an actual movement. We want to make people feel empowered, revolutionary. This concept will revolve around the idea of starting a revolution. We will stress the importance of joining others, inviting others to start wearing Tru2u products and represent the importance of sharing knowledge and wealth with those who are creating the clothing you had purchased.

Tactics: All viral, word of mouth, beautiful imagery and refreshing, light-hearted copy.

This would involve professional videos, mass social networking, public gatherings, and guerilla advertising

Individuality

This concept would take on a different path than the first. In this concept, we will focus on one consumer buying from one factory worker. We want to create an interaction between the consumer and the factory, whether through letters/postcards, blogs, tweets, etc.

Tactics: This concept would be a lot more visual, with elaborate graphics and print work. We want this concept to be as personal as possible, targeting the audience one by one. Prompting one person to do good for one other person will be the ultimate goal, a “pay-it-forward” effect.

Trust Yourself.

TRUST YOURSELF TO MAKE A TRU CHANGE

TRUST YOURSELF TO MAKE A REAL CHANGE

Columbia's "A Box Life"

A Box Life Website

Underwear packaging research

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/Underwear_Packing.html

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/11/devo_underwear.php

http://www.boxvox.net/2010/01/controllershaped-underwear-packaging.html

http://www.preik.no/09/01/03/stylish-bold-eco-friendly-underwear-packaging-by-piado-39792

https://www.sustainablepackaging.org/resources/default.aspx

http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/9082.aspx?p=232

http://www.greenerpackage.com/

SAVE TACTICS

SAVE /emotion based, simple, problem solving/

we are saving fabric by using surplus textiles sourced from rag mills around the world
you are ensuring the eduction of young workers in China
together we are saving the global production to consumption cycle


- product -
What if we could make the product more sustainable by using surplus textiles sourced from rag mills around the world. Not only could you feel good about buying underwear that helped educated young workers in China you can also feel good about buying a product that did not require as many new raw materials. The product will not be organic, it will not be completely sourced from surplus fabric, but a majority will be. It's a step in the right direction.

- adopt a factory, adopt a worker -
Each pair of underwear will have the name of the factory where is was made at on the packaging. Online customers will be able to learn more about the factory and would be able to give donations directly to that factory.

- packaging -
The bag that the underwear is packaged in is reusable in the sense that it can be shipped back to TRU2U and reused. After you purchase a pair of underwear you are encouraged to send back to TRU2U an article of clothing that can deconstructed and used as fabric or can be donated to the workers in the factory. Each package is already prepare with a mailing label and prepaid postage to be sent back to TRU2U.

- drop boxes -
There will also be drop boxes for fabric and clothing donations set up around college campuses.

- long term sustainability goal -
While the main goal of TRU2U is not to be a sustainable product line. It is something that we can reach for and try to achieve. Using surplus textiles is a step in the right direction. We would like to develop a plan for the long term on how TRU2U can be more sustainable.

REAL TACTICS

REAL /transparent, confident, honest/

our underwear is not organic, it is not green, it is not sustainable.
our underwear makes a real difference in the lives of young Chinese workers.
our mission can be made real with your help

- 24/7 video feed -
Each factory will have a live feed that will be visible online, this will highlight the transparent nature of TRU2U and will show that there are real people making these underwear.

- video diaries -
Providing young workers with video cameras so they can document the Verité programs they attend. This will maintain the real vibe because it is not produced it is what the workers want to show, not what a documentary wants to highlight.

- product -
After the workers attend the Verité programs they would be given the opportunity to draw, paint, or sketch. This imagery would be captured and would inspire the textile patterns used on the underwear again highlighting the real aspect of the power of the Verité programs and connecting the people wearing the underwear to the people who made the underwear.

These pattern produced by the workers can be labeled "first dance" "handshake" since it will be inspired by the Verité. This will highlight the human connections that we all have and connect our common experiences to theirs.

- web-fedex underwear tracker -
The TRU2U website would allow consumers to track where their underwear has been from the production process and the shipping process.

CHANGE TACTICS

CHANGE /comical, actionable, direct/

you need to change your underwear because its dirty
you need to change your underwear because you have the power to change working conditions in china
you need to change your underwear because you can, it's customizable


TACTICS

- customizable underwear -
Customers have the ability to choose form a variety of fabrics/patterns/waistbands. They get to design their own underwear and have it shipped to them, or to someone else as a gift The young workers will also be able to choose custom designs. Those designs will be sold in packs of three at big box retailers.

- underwear tags -
Tags will read "Made in China by ________". Workers will be able to write their names on the tags, taking ownership of the underwear they had a part in create a positive associated with "Made in China"

- college campaign -
Enable students with stickers, buttons, posters, flyers to tell their friends to "change their underwear." Comical tone insinuates that the wearer's underwear is dirty. This also calls the wearer to act by changing their underwear, and wearing something that is TRU2THEM

- college drives/competitions -
Colleges would have a donation drop box where they would collect "old underwear" The college with the most pairs of underwear would have some type of incentive. Each college would be changing their underwear and changing the world.

WEEK TWO: 3 BIG IDEAS

Team A Week Two

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Big Idea: Ideation

1. CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR

comical, actionable, direct

you need to change your underwear (because its dirty)
you need to change your underwear (because you have the power to change working conditions in china)
you need to change your underwear (because you can, its customizable)

• people want to be a part of change and participate in a cause they believe in, now they can and it's as easy as changing your underwear.

•"change your underwear" is a command, it's actionable and calls people to put down other products and by TRU2U instead

• the comical aspect will appeal to the college students and can be used to introduce the idea of making a real change

• on the website you can customize and order your underwear, with different patterns, waste band colors, threads, and labels. Patterns designed by the workers? preset designs that are chosen by the workers available in packs for purchase in store.

•label now reads "Made in Chine by ______" or " Designed in China by________"

• the patterns created by the workers can be reactions to Verité programs. Like when we learned to dance in class, or when we learned how to give a proper handshake. This could remind people of the times when they had their first dance and would also bring Verité's programs into the mix




2. IT'S TIME WE ALL WENT BACK TO SCHOOL

emotion based, simple, problem solving

we = the global community
we = college student, currently in school
we = the workers who we can help go back to school


• we can all remember what school was like, we can all relate to that concept.

• back to school is a time that you purchase underwear (when you were little)

• connects your education with theirs, tapping into the emotional element

• there is a plethora of visual language that is associated with school and education that we can pull from

• the scientific method, simple way to get the message of how TRU2U & Verité work
state the problem: the workers that make the clothes we wear are forgotten and not cared for
hypothesis: education workers through programs that empower young workers
experiment: wear TRU2U underwear and support such programs through Verité
conclusion: ?? get others to support the cause as well

• adopt a student / adopt a classroom / adopt a program




3. ???

Urban Outfitters: Urban Renewal

Inspirations



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