Parallel balance sustainability and style in their identity for kids subscription clothing brand OR

Keeping it local, London-based design agency Parallel have collaborated with OR, a subscription-led clothing brand for kids, to develop its welcoming identity. Standing for ‘On Rotation,’ OR was founded to reduce the waste prevalent within children’s clothing, whereby clothes are quickly outgrown and replaced at significant cost to the parents and the environment. Led by the maxim ‘Rent. Wear. Rotate.’ OR’s solution is a cost-effective subscription service that allows its users to replace their children’s clothing whenever necessary, providing the opportunity to swap items without compromising on the style and quality of the pieces themselves – stocking clothing from the likes of the Simple Folk, L.F. Markey and Mar Mar Copenhagen.

Having turned to Parallel to craft a brand that reflects this balance between sustainability and style, the result is a systematised, slick and soothing visual language that not only embodies the brand’s philosophy through its minimalist application but also encapsulates the embracing nature of the programme. A serene elementary tone is provided throughout the identity’s typographic execution, with the agency opting for Swiss Typefaces’ Euclid Circular as the hero typeface alongside a bespoke logomark. 

“We wanted to strongly communicate the purpose of the company, which is all about reducing waste,” Designer Tijl Schneider tells us, discussing the custom lettering. “This led us to the creation of a logo that was reduced to the bare minimum,” he continues, reflecting the innocence of elementary shapes that one might see in children’s toys and books, as well as capturing a minimal aesthetic, appealing to adults. “Part of the brief,” Schneider contextualises, “was also to future proof the identity with the possibility of OR moving into adult clothing rental,” therefore creating a graphic language that wasn’t overtly childish.

This elegant, adult manner is also denoted in the primarily monochromatic colour palette. “We kept the brand colours minimal,” Schneider explains, listing black, white and warm greys as their hero hues, “to compliment the clothing and let them do the talking,” additionally included a sunset orange as their occasional featured colour. “It added a pop of brightness in places,” he concludes, “which also reflects some of the clothing collections.”

The graphic confidence of the identity is further emboldened by Parallel’s collaboration with London-based photographer Leonie Freeman and brand consultant Hannah Coates, who developed OR’s warm and playful imagery together. Combined with Parallel’s inviting designs, the marrying of charming photography and serene typographic know-how has made for a lifestyle brand that lives up to the promise of its founding.

Parallel

OR