Balancing Brand Identity With Retail Trends

Heritage brands are having a moment but not the nostalgic kind. In the past 6 months, I’ve had more conversations than ever with FMCG and retail CEOs asking the same question: How do we evolve without losing what made us iconic? One CEO I recently spoke with said it best: “In order to grow, we’ll have to expand beyond the category that built us.” This from a French heritage brand that has sold over a billion units of one signature product, now facing flatline growth as consumer behavior shifts under their feet. This challenge isn’t unique. It’s playing out across legacy CPG, fashion, beauty, and retail. → The categories that built these brands? No longer guaranteed to sustain them. → The traditional talent playbooks? Often too rigid to reimagine the future. That’s why I teamed up with brand and growth strategist Linda De Vito to unpack what it actually takes to revitalize without erasing. Here’s what stood out: 1. Core values must be your north star. Heritage brands that scale into new categories without anchoring to brand DNA lose more than market share — they lose trust. 2. Think beyond your own box. Many traditional FMCG marketers are brilliant at operating within their category — but struggle to break out. This is where cross-pollination matters. Bringing in talent from adjacent industries (fashion, entertainment, digital culture) unlocks new creative energy. Sometimes the right person to ask “What if…?” is the one who’s never been in your category. 3. Test, learn, repeat. Linda put it perfectly: “You don’t need to go 100% in from the start.” Whether it’s expanding into adjacent categories or showing up on new platforms (like she did taking Hearst from 2 to 20 TikTok brand accounts), pilot first, then scale. 4. Case in point: New Balance. From “dad shoe” to fashion staple and they did it without abandoning craftsmanship. Or the LEGO Group, which built an entire adult fandom by tapping into nostalgia and creative identity. Their “Adults Welcome” line now anchors their growth story. The real shift? It’s not just category expansion. It’s cultural transformation. From product-led to brand-led. From transactional to relational. Because heritage isn’t just something you protect, it’s something you activate. One stat that jumped out: The global corporate heritage data market is projected to grow from $656.7M to $2.2B by 2030. That’s not just sentiment, that’s strategy. If you’re a CEO of a heritage brand navigating this crossroads, my advice is this: ✅ Know what must never change. ✅ Be brave enough to question everything else. Curious to hear: What’s one heritage brand you think is getting it right in 2025? Drop it below. #HeritageBrand #FMCGLeadership #BrandTransformation #ExecutiveSearch #ConsumerGoods #LindaDeVito #CPGLeadership #CategoryExpansion

Outdoor × Fashion: great for consumers, tricky for brands. 👀 Customers mix categories without thinking—trail shoes with skirts, shells with denim. But retail still draws hard lines, and that mismatch can put small brands in a bind. Here are some takeaways (and what to do about them): 🧭 Pick a lane (on purpose). Crossover hype can boost visibility, but it can also blur your identity. Be clear: are you performance-first, lifestyle-first, or running separate tracks? (Many brands now split performance vs. fashion lines to protect credibility.) 🏬 Match product to channel. Consumers might wear a mountaineering jacket to brunch, but specialty outdoor and fashion retail don’t operate the same way. Decide where each product lives—outdoor wholesale, fashion boutiques, or DTC—and keep the story consistent. 🧱 Protect core credibility. When fashion “hijacks” an outdoor brand, core athletes can feel alienated. If you lean into collabs or trends, set guardrails: what you’ll do, what you won’t, and what always stays true (fit, function, durability). 🧰 Build an assortment that lasts. Outdoor wins on technical innovation and consistency. Keep an evergreen core (the workhorses), then layer in limited lifestyle capsules for seasonal interest. 🪡 Comfort is sticky. Even as trends cycle, comfort from technical materials is here to stay. Invest in fabrics and construction that move, breathe, and wear well beyond the trail. For small brands, the play is clarity + channel discipline: - One-sentence positioning for each product line - A channel plan (where it sells and why) - Core styles you won’t reinvent every season - Tight, trend-aware capsules that don’t dilute the mission If you want help mapping a crossover strategy—without losing your brand’s soul—I’m here to help. 💬 ++++++++++++++++ 👋🏼 I'm Rachael—a designer specializing in activewear + outdoor apparel for small brands and start-ups.   🌿 When I’m not designing, I’m probably camping, hiking, paddleboarding, or racing dragon boats. I'm passionate about helping women + underrepresented groups feel confident and empowered in the outdoors.   🪡 I help emerging brands: ✔️ Create best-selling products that drive sales + build customer loyalty ✔️ Reduce pre-production timelines with clear, factory-ready tech packs   Let’s bring your next product idea to life 🤝 #OutdoorApparel #ActivewearDesign #BrandStrategy #ProductDevelopment #Gorpcore #WholesaleStrategy

See, trends are fun. They’re catchy. In fact, they’re almost impossible to miss. But I see brands chasing trends so hard, they end up stuck in a sea of sameness.    It’s like this: The other day, my teenager taught me some new slang. I was feeling pretty cool… until I actually used it. The look on their face said it all—complete and utter shame. Apparently, by the time parents catch on, that slang is already so last year. And that’s exactly what happens when brands latch onto the latest trend—it’s old news before it even hits the market.    Now, don’t get me wrong—trends can work. They’re a great way to grab attention and show you’re in tune with what’s happening now. But there’s a fine line between leveraging a trend and losing your brand’s identity in the process.    Here’s where you need to draw the line:    1. Trends Should Enhance, Not Define Your Brand: Use trends to complement your core message, not replace it. Your brand’s foundation should be solid and rooted in what makes you unique, not just what’s popular today.    2. Stay True to Your Brand’s Voice: Just because something is trending doesn’t mean it aligns with your brand’s voice or values. If a trend doesn’t fit naturally with who you are, it’s better to skip it.    3. Think Long-Term: Ask yourself, “Will this trend still resonate six months from now?” If the answer is no, maybe it’s not worth betting your brand’s reputation on it.    At the end of the day, trends can be powerful tools, but only if you know how to wield them. The key is to balance being current with being consistent. The brands that truly stand out aren’t the ones that jump on every passing trend—they’re the ones that know when to ride the wave and when to chart their own course.    What’s a trend you’ve seen lately that’s actually worked for a brand?    #Trends #BrandVoice #BrandPositioning #BrandBuilding #BrandTransformation #ThePathRedefined