Name my atelier!

So I posted a while back on my plans to start my own atelier. These are progressing, mainly in the direction of business planning and logistics, the details of which are far too boring to post here. 

However... I'd love to canvas your opinion on a brand identity. This is obviously a very important decision and I want to get it right. 

I'm considering the low budget option. I'd rather put my money into equipment and materials than expensive name tags, so it's all about making the value option look classy. This means going for a great name on a very standard label design. I've posted a couple of mock-ups from the supplier's website.

I want the name of the brand to communicate something specific about the design philosophy, which is essentially about doing as little as possible to the fabric. Less material, fewer cuts, meticulous construction. I have a couple of names in mind:

seemless: Probably the stronger of the two. I like that the alternative spelling means something slightly naughty. Then again, there are these guys. Absolutely not where I want to be! 

slash&couture: Less obvious but an accurate description of the construction process. I like the wordplay and the ampersand. 

I like both and I could happily fly with either of them. Which do you prefer? Or should I go back to the drawing board?

Vote Yay for seemless
Vote Nay for slash&couture

Thanks all!

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31 Comments

  • Kari replied 9 years ago

    Slash & Couture speaks to me much more than Seemless; like you mentioned, I like that it describes the process of making your clothes.  However, might be worth playing with the name a bit more.  Perhaps a verb to pair with "Slash"?

  • approprio replied 9 years ago

    Kari heh, believe me, I played with lots already!

    To clarify, it's a nerdy play on slash and suture. I know it feels like a bit of a non-sequitur, but it makes some sort of grammatical sense if you translate "couture" as seam (directly from French) and read both words as nouns. ;)

  • Rambling Ann replied 9 years ago

    Love slash&couture!!!

    Run with it (but not scissors)

  • Kari replied 9 years ago

    Oh, gotcha.  That is clever!  I'm sorry for not catching that.
    Either way, it's my favorite of the two names.  :)  

    Wishing you very well with your new venture!

  • Astrid replied 9 years ago

    I vote slash&couture too.

  • Liz replied 9 years ago

    seemless feels generic to me. 

    slash&couture feels like it has a definite point of view -- you're about something. 

  • Suz replied 9 years ago

    Door #2. slash&couture

    Let me say that my first impulse was seemless because I love puns and archaic word rescues. Etymologies are fun fun fun!!!  

    But when I saw slash&couture spelled out, it felt ... slightly punk, slightly playful, very clever. And it made me more curious than "seemless." I was moved to say to myself, hmm, why this name? And that made me remember it. 

    :)

  • Cerinda replied 9 years ago

    Oh, definitely slash&couture:  1) your process; 2) clever inversion of slash and burn -- you do sustainable, not disposable, fashion; 3) quite attractive in that type on the twill label

  • Vicki replied 9 years ago

    slash&couture all the way, because of the tension between the two words and the wonderful ampersand.

    It's simple and memorable and you have a wonderful way with words, and clothes!

  • skylurker replied 9 years ago

    Seamless make me think of underwear.

    Slash&Couture is better. But. I agree with Suz on the punk association : "slash" sounds very aggressive, is it intentional ?
    Slash does not convey "doing as little as possible to the fabric" to me, I imagine violent shredding of fabric.

    Keep in mind I'm a foreigner and I didn't get the puns at all.

  • Suz replied 9 years ago

    To me, the punk association is good. :) 

    The juxtaposition between slash and couture is fun. 

  • shedev replied 9 years ago

    I'd be curious enough to check out slash and couture, but probably not seemless.

  • Murph11 replied 9 years ago

    slash&couture x 100! I like the simple font forms and b&w as well. Use the same for your web presence, business card, hang tags, invoices, etc. I can't wait to say, "I was part of the slash&couture branding market research!"

  • Jaime replied 9 years ago

    Yes, agree with the crowd. Seemless has some sort of association with either cluelessness or lacking in propriety. Or seems like less, which is sort of fitting, hmm. Still gut reaction is for S&C. can't wait to order ;-)!

  • Brooklyn replied 9 years ago

    I like slash&couture too.

  • Sveta replied 9 years ago

    slash&couture looks classier to me (sorry, my English does not allow me to get the subtle meanings in both so I am going pure on how it looks and sounds :-) )

  • Diana replied 9 years ago

    I like slash&couture as it is a lot more unique. Seemless sounds more generic (even though I appreciate the archaic word connotations) and is liable to get confused with seamless, which is (IMO) overused in catch phrases these days ( think "seamless integration", 'seamless transitions, etc etc). Also, here Seamless is a service that delivers food from local restaurants so that is my first association, hehe.

  • rachylou replied 9 years ago

    Slash&couture. More clever.

  • Deborah replied 9 years ago

    Slash & Couture is very clever and would certainly get my attention.

  • CocoLion replied 9 years ago

    seemless is more intellectual and not an immediate connection with fashion (if you did not know your brand was a fashion brand).  Also I have a slightly negative reaction due to connections with words/phrases like "unseemly" or "seems less" (than)... But again I do like the more mysterious thought-provoking aspect of the name.  Is there any one else who thinks of Erica de Jong's Zipless F**k idea from Fear of Flying? (seamless/zipless)  I imagine I date myself with that one. 

    slash&couture is more fun and clearly connected with fashion.  It is more approachable.

  • approprio replied 9 years ago

    Ladies, I can't thank you enough for helping me with this! I was inching towards slash&couture but was afraid it was a bit obscure. And you're right, seemless is a bit generic. 

    Suz, skylurker, Vicki, Cerinda: I like the tension of the two words together too. The slightly punk association is quite intentional. Being born and raised in London in the eighties, this is very much part of my style DNA. Vivienne Westwood is a huge influence too: one of her very best collections was called Cut & Slash.

    A nerdy etymological detail: the word "slash" is often used in dressmaking to describe a partial cut into a piece of fabric. The one-piece model works by cutting halfway into the pattern piece and sewing a single seam (in principle, my version has two) across the body and sleeve. So while it may sound a bit violent, slash&couture is an accurate description of the construction technique.

    CocoLion: that's so funny! I knew there was an erotic connotation to "seemless" but couldn't place it. Erica Jong must have been kicking around in my subconscious. 

    You've all convinced me - slash&couture it shall be! 

  • Staysfit replied 9 years ago

    Slash&Couture!

  • replied 9 years ago

    Slash&Couture.  I am so excited for you.  I will watch future posts with great, great interest.  

  • replied 9 years ago

    Yes! I love the sound of Slash&Couture! All the best in your new venture!

  • viva replied 9 years ago

    Late to the party, but I also prefer slash&couture. It's got all sorts of connotations: punky, even dirty (a man "having a slash," or "taking a slash" or whatever that slang is) -- but I really like that in contrast with the rarified sound and meaning of couture. For me, it amps up my curiosity and gives the brand a tension that is necessary for interest.

    Plus, I am a font lover, and ampersands are just visually cool.

    Seemless immediately makes me think of panties and not in any kind of interesting way.

    PS I hope that slash comment didn't offend you! I just love British television, I love language, and I love slang, and it tends to stick with me -- and always without judgement.

  • Angie replied 9 years ago

    I vote Slash & Couture. 

  • Angie replied 9 years ago

    How about Cut & Couture? As in "cut, make, trim" or CMT. It aliterates quite nicely. 

  • catgirl replied 9 years ago

    I vote Slash&Couture as well. Seemless is a great pun but I would hesitate to "seem less" and it also has an undertone of "seamy". Plus the Erica Jong association has now been made.

    There are lots of good possibilities for seem/seam though - Seem/Ripped, for instance. :D. Or Jagged/Seem. Etc.

  • approprio replied 9 years ago

    So glad I asked! I might have used seemless and made everyone think of knickers. Hadn't seen that one coming. 

    viva: no offence taken. The double entendre of slash amuses me too. I'm British, I like that sort of thing :D

    Angie: believe me, I pushed that word around the screen until it lost all its meaning. Then Lucille Bluth popped into my head declaring she'll leave when she's good and ready. It had to go.

    Una, please don't confuse me, you'll send me back into a tailspin! :D The more I think about it, the more I like slash&couture. But now I'm going to sleep on it.

    Thanks again everyone. Might pull the trigger on labels tomorrow. Or not.

     

  • Style Fan replied 9 years ago

    I read Erica Jong's Fear of Flying way back.  I vote for Slash & Couture.  Punk like. 

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 9 years ago

    I like slash&couture. Seemless seems a little trying too hard, to me. Too much of a clever play on seamless. I like slash& couture because it conveys what your style is about. What about slash/couture? Use the "slash" rather than the ampersand, to echo the name.

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