Tellason Jeans commissioned market research to understand the denim jeans category. Four user types were identified: jeans as just jeans, as a uniform, as a style statement, or as an extension of myself. The most relevant to Tellason were the latter two. Additionally, many women shop for men and the industry lacks quality experiences for women. Four experiences people seek in jeans were uncovered: utility, freedom, validation, and truth. Based on the research, Tellason should focus on freedom and truth experiences for both men and women. Opportunities around education, relationships, and channels were recommended.

1. MARKET INSIGHT RESEARCH
April 14, 2013
Sarah White, Isaac Buwenbo, Pablo Prieto, Mariana Quiroga, Brian Schmierer

2. Topic Areas
• Executive Summary
• Industry Landscape
• Tellason Background
• Objectives & Methods
• Findings & Relevance
• Opportunities
• Recommendations
• Appendix

3. Executive Summary
Tellason Jeans is seeking to understand the current market
needs surrounding the high end, denim jean category.
Our investigation into the denim jeans category uncovered four user types:
• Denim jeans as Just Jeans
• Denim jeans as a Uniform
• Denim jeans as a Style Statement
• Denim jeans as an Extension of Me
The most relevant user types to Tellason are:
• Denim jeans as an Extension of Me
• Denim jeans as a Uniform.
Two additional insights were found around the female shopping experience:
• Many women do the shopping for their men - opportunity to direct the
Tellason message specifically at them
• The industry lacks high quality, denim experiences for women

4. Executive Summary
We uncovered the following four experiences that people
look for in Denim jeans:
• UTILITY
• FREEDOM
• VALIDATION
• TRUTH
Based on our research, we recommend that Tellason focuses on FREEDOM and
TRUTH as the primary experiences for both men and women moving forward.

5. Industry Landscape
Denim Jean Market Size
• Global Market $75 billion
• US Market $13 billion
• Premium denim market $2 billion
Industry Trends
• Premium denim category affected by “return to craft” trend
• Focus on sustainability in material and manufacturing
Direct competition
• Increase in small batch, premium brands
• Mass market brands entering the premium denim category

6. Small Batch Crafting: Tellason was born in
2008 and based around creating the
perfect jean.
To create a great fit, meant for 9 out 10
body types, Tellason spent their first 6
months producing one prototype.
Made from custom loom woven fabric from
Cone Mills' White Oak plant in Greensboro,
North Carolina and cut and sewn right
here in San Francisco, California.
Tellason has an affinity for all things well
crafted and authentic.
Owners Pete Searson and Tony Patella

7. Objectives
• Uncover current and potential • Identify a clear brand story
experiences within the denim that will help them still be here
jean category in 10 years
• Identify opportunities for • Identify new markets Tellason
Tellason to distinguish might enter in the future
themselves from competitors

8. Methods 24 Street Intercepts
• targeted locations
• 5-15 minutes each
• Even split (Men/Women)
• Age Range - 18+
2 Expert Interviews
• 30-60 minutes
• Ashley Holoquiste: Senior buyer at Armani
• Tim Smith: Marketing Director at Levis
4 Secret Shoppers (in San Francisco)
• A/B Fits
• Self Edge
• Mill Mercantile
• Two Jacks Denim
Survey of trend reports and
publications on denim industry and
Tellason + competitors

9. Findings
We identified four attitude segments surrounding denim jeans:
denim jeans as JUST JEANS
denim jeans as A UNIFORM
denim jeans as A STYLE STATEMENT
denim jeans as AN EXTENSION OF ME

10. JEANS AS JUST JEANS
“ I don't care about form, but I am more
interested in function which can be served by
any kind of pants. ”

11. JEANS AS UNIFORM
“ It’s about comfort, enables me to do what I
want to do when I want to do it. ”

12. JEANS AS A STYLE STATEMENT
“ I feel good when I look good. I want to know
what's popular and trending so I can know
what others think of my style. ”

13. JEANS AS EXTENSION OF ME
“Honesty and integrity are important to me, I need to
know how this fits into my life and want it to align
with what I know of myself.”

14. Findings
We identified four key experiences surrounding denim jeans:
TRUTH
FREEDOM
VALIDATION
UTILITY

15. TRUTH
feels like a
trusted friend
honesty and integrity in every
aspect of experience, transparency
of methods and inner workings,
brand story/history, they speak to
your story/show the wear

16. FREEDOM
takes you
everywhere
freedom to choose between a well
tailored suit jacket or your old
basketball t-shirt from highschool;
take you from work to play

17. VALIDATION
fit in & still make a
statement
support, status, belonging, mostly
social validation, not about loyalty to
the brand but exterior perception as
motivation to stay "in the know”

18. UTILITY
value in enduring
quality
usefulness, longevity, endurance
recognizes the importance of being
able to stand up to life's challenges
and still look/feel great without
having to do much

19. ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
• Many women do the shopping for their men
• The industry lacks high quality, denim experiences
for women

20. Relevance
We discovered these insights related to the Truth & Freedom experiences are
premium denim category.
what people are most looking for
in the premium denim category.
This insight closely relates to Tellason’s brand
ethos but to realize the full potential of this
customer segment the Tellason brand must
focus on and leverage opportunities to
evoke Truth & Freedom.
Strength of
EXPERIENCE POTENTIAL
+ -

21. Relevance
We discovered these insights related to
the premium denim category.
EXTENSION OF ME
Customers who see premium aligns most closely with TRUTH.
denim Jeans as an Extension
of Me & Jeans as a Uniform A UNIFORM
mapped most closely to the aligns most closely with FREEDOM
experiences of Truth & STYLE STATEMENT
Freedom respectively. aligns most closely with
VALIDATION
This insight closely relates to Tellason’s
brand ethos but to realize the full JUST JEANS
potential of this customer segment the aligns most closely with UTILITY.
Tellason brand must focus on and
leverage opportunities related to these
attitude segments as they relate to the
experience of Truth & Freedom.

22. Opportunities
TRUTH - expand and educate FREEDOM - bridge
Provide more for knowledge hungry Provide a platform to better
customers on Tellason’s inner workings, connect online and in-store
provide additional access to the brand shopping experience
through alternative avenues
VALIDATION – celebrate UTILITY – demonstrate
Create social feedback and community Find unique ways to demonstrate
gratification that celebrate the quality and strength of denim
relationship between an owner and
their jeans

23. Recommendations
We recommend that:
• Tellason focus on the segments who see
denim jeans as:
AN EXTENSION OF ME & A UNIFORM
• Tellason do so by evoking the experience of:
TRUTH & FREEDOM

24. Recommendations
We also believe that:
• With the goal of inspiring loyalty amidst the recent
shift in trends, there is potential to educate and
market towards those that view denim jeans as:
A STYLE STATEMENT
• Women shopping for their men may be reached
through:
VALIDATION

25. Recommendations
Moving forward on the following strategies with a focus on the
experience of TRUTH & FREEDOM will position Tellason as a leader
in the premium denim jean category.
Improve customer Cultivate long-term Develop channel and
brand loyalty: relationships: image differentiation
strategies:
Identify key leverage Identify partnership Identify online and brick &
points for understanding marketing opportunities to mortar retail growth
and improving customer’s build customer loyalty
opportunities
assessment of the
perceived value of
the brand

26. Thank You

27. APPENDIX

28. Intercept Questions
★ How often do you wear jeans?
★ What does a high quality pair of jeans look like to you? (what’s the most you’d be
willing to pay for that?)
★ How long do you typically spend looking for jeans?
★ Can you tell me about your favorite pair of jeans? (question about detail,
attachment)
★ Do you know where your jeans are made?
★ How much of a difference would it make if you knew more about them?
★ What’s important to you when you’re purchasing jeans?
★ What do you love about finding a perfect pair of jeans? perfect fit?
★ What is a delight when you buy jeans?
★ What is a great experience buying jeans?
★ What causes you buy new jeans?

29. Key Expert Questions
Ashley Holoquiste & Tim Smith
1. What are trends you see in denim today?
2. Is the current market of denim a trend or will it last longer than a few
years?
3. How does Armani/Tellason/Levis view denim within their product mix
4. What are your thoughts around local production and the importance of
“story”?
5. How important is location of manufacturing to your customers?
6. Why do you feel denim been such successful thru the decades.
7. How does Armani / Banana Republic help women find the right fit?
8. What factors does Armani consider when selecting which styles to
include in their collections?
9. What makes a pair of jeans bad?

30. Research Sources
★ $200 Jeans? The Economics Of High-End Denim." Real Men Real Style. N.p., 12
"
Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
★ The Rundown on Selvedge Denim â€nd What’s It All About." RawrDenim.com.
"
N.p., 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
★ The Story And Philosophy of Tellason." RawrDenim.com. N.p., 10 Feb. 2013. Web.
"
18 Feb. 2013.
Goligoski, Emily,
★ The Jean Genies." The Bold Italic. N.p., 9 June 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
"
Lipke, David.
★ Men's Denim By the Numbers." WWD. N.p., 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2013
"
Centeno, Antonio.
★ $200+ Jeans? The Economics Of High-End Denim." Real Men Real Style. N.p., n.d.
"
Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Other stores references:
http://shop.imogeneandwillie.com/pages/womens
http://denimbar.com/
http://www.raleighworkshop.com/
http://www.millmercantile.com/
http://www.selfedge.com/
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/category.jsp?id=W_CUSTOM_DENIM
http://www.jackknifeoutfitters.com/about/