The Monsoon team had already begun to invest significant focus on the updating of its product offering and was making a big splash with its new campaigns. We all felt that in order to give the new product design the impact and platform it deserved, the customer community needed to see that the company was heading in a new, updated direction overall. Based on this, the Monsoon team decided that the time was right to take a new look at the brand identity, its messaging systems, and its packaging collateral, in addition to a new store design. By looking at all of these platforms together, we would be able to convey a clear and unified story to the Monsoon customer. Our design inspiration for the store, as well as the new brand identity and collateral, was rooted in an understanding of the customer, the marketplace, and the authentic story of the Monsoon brand.The story of the new Monsoon brand experience is rooted in the “Modern Ethnic” sensibility that has inspired Peter Simon’s brand since its formation. The Monsoon brand was inspired by Peter’s time in India, reflecting how he was impacted by India’s unique culture and the crafted approach to design that the country and its culture are known for. Our concept for the new Monsoon store conveys the story of the ethnic origins and inspirations for the brand as filtered or framed through a modern and sophisticated viewpoint. Much like the home of a fashion designer living in India, or even a designer living in London who is inspired by Indian culture, the store has a romantic and comfortable residential appeal. It conveys the story of a modern residence that was built into an authentic historic property. Throughout the space, modern forms that are clean and crisp are used to create focused zones for the collections, and are interwoven with layers of warmer, textured materials that reference a more historic architecture existing beneath.Pompei A.D. felt that a comprehensive redesign that included a new logo and identity was important in order to make a clear statement to the customer community that Monsoon was updating its offering. The development of a new logo celebrates and emphasizes the step forward that the brand is taking and helps bring a “Modern Ethnic” sensibility to the brand. This new identity/logo allows the fashion credibility and experience of the brand to resonate in the marketplace. By modernizing and applying refined type to the logo and by customizing elements of this new refined type to emulate the curves that are found in traditional Indian architecture, the new Monsoon identity becomes an additional modern expression of the authentic roots of the brand.