Why am I obsessed with Wild Fang?
It’s an area of women’s fashion yet to be fully owned by one brand. Certain designers release collections inspired by or centered around tomboy style, but no one has taken the leap to say “we own this, this is the one thing we do.”
Why? Because taking a stand on one singular position in commerce is scary, it feels limiting. Traditionally a designer takes a stand for one season, so that the un-wooed consumer can be assured that next season may change enough to appeal to them.
But Wild Fang is assertive. With their black and white TOMBOY emblems, it’s clear that their mission is to deliver clothes for the modern tomboy. The girl who has always been one of the boys, who went on adventures, got dirty and played rough, not because she was enamored with the boys, but because she was in love with their rebellious lifestyle, a lifestyle often reserved for and catered to boys.
The strategist in me thinks this is brilliant; comparative brands like Urban Outfitters or H&M may feature muscle tees and ripped jeans, but inevitably, those items are catered to a different lifestyle, where next season’s buyers will drift to the next trend, tomboy or not.
This instability has left a sect of women unsatisfied, women who yearn for their clothes to match their lifestyle as the
playful bandit, disrupter of the status quo and challenge-starved adventurer.
She’s cute one minute and has you pinned on your back or losing a debate in world politics the next. She loves the unexpected, and gets off on surprising those who expect her to simply be a “nice, pretty girl.”
She’s a goddamn force of nature and brings the high energy that let her keep up with the boys growing up everywhere she goes. She is a damn Wild Thing with an edge to her, a Fang.
Wild Fang’s position is as powerful as it is distinctive; their outspoken commitment easily inspires creativity for advertising, marketing, and partnership opportunities.
I hope they continue to walk the line of remaining a viable business dedicated to quality and their target audience, and avoid diluting the brand’s image with thoughtless design for the temptation of a larger market share. They shouldn’t go after Urban Outfitters and H&M customers. They should go after the Wild Fang future loyalists who have been forced to shop at those stores for lack of alternative.
For every article of clothing they sell and every partner company they feature, Wild Fang need to assess whether the band of thieves they designed for would really wear it, that it would fulfill their needs, or if it’s something that provides short term gain but belongs on the clearance rack at Urban Outfitters.
Authenticity and playfulness should be imbued in every facet of their digital, social and lifestyle presence.
I’m certainly banking on it. I’ve been waiting for you, Wild Fang, the tomboys are here to stay.