Jeune Premier unveils rebranding with luxury chocolates by Olivier Willems
PRESS RELEASE, 22 February - Jeune Premier, the Ostend school bag brand, is silently conquering the hearts of thousands of children worldwide. Founders Hélène Fransen and Bruno Piers started the Jeune Premier brand 11 years ago and found the soft spot of parents and child: schoolbags are not only practical, but also fun, fashion and part of your daily school adventure. Now experiencing global growth and with no thought of putting on the brakes, the logo's iconic cherries also needed a new, more inclusive and powerful face. Chocolatier Olivier Willems was allowed to add an extra layer of luxury and quality, creating six unique Jeune Premier chocolates for the occasion.
The teenage years
Like the original main character within Jeune Premier - son Ralph for whom the very first schoolbag was ever designed - the company itself is also evolving. It is currently in a phase of full development; shining and strong thanks to a solid foundation, with fans and outlets at home and abroad, but at the same time constantly evolving.
Running a label is not simple, keeping it relevant is even more challenging. Part of the secret to a successful label is knowing when to rebrand. A brand strategy exercise with agency Marnix and Ally was followed by a rebranding exercise with award-winning design agency Lobster. The iconic cherries received a more inclusive, powerful and luxurious upgrade and are ready for the next step in their mission: internationalise, excite children even more with adventurous designs, while always putting ergonomics first. The schoolbag's patented click system is almost as iconic as the cherries.
"Often the comparison with our teenage son is not far off. Jeune Premier, like him, is in the midst of growth and change. We needed a structure to better convey the dream world of our brand, and the rebranding is an important step in that. We hope it will make even more people fall in love with our collections, just as we ourselves still do every time. We want the quality and beauty to resonate for a long time to come," said Bruno Piers, founder.
International fashion player
A Jeune Premier is so much more than a school bag. Each collection and design offers the opportunity to express your child's personality, creativity and dreams in a stylish way. Founder and designer Hélène Fransen is determined to take these values even further and strengthen their position in the international fashion world.
"I am extremely proud of what we have already built up with Jeune Premier over the past 11 years. Every year, our collections continue to grow internationally to become a household name in the high-end fashion industry and the branding could not be left behind in that. The new Jeune Premier look radiates even more the premium design story I love and also offers us the opportunity to go deeper in terms of experience among other high-end fashion brands," says Hélène Fransen, founder & designer.
Design agency Lobster - " The rebranding for Jeune Premier marks the transition from a modest to a cosmopolitan image, perfectly in line with the brand's growth. The approach involved creating a two-faceted brand identity. On the one hand, we emphasise its premium and preppy character, quality and strong link to fashion. On the other hand, we add a playful, adventurous and daring element. The result is a bold word logo and a versatile image logo that is recognisable on shop shelves but also stands up in a digital-first approach. In the further roll-out of the branding, we play with surprising textures and luxurious finishes in which we invite child and parents to get to know Jeune Premier 2.0."
Made in Ostend
Jeune Premier's signature cherries are also getting a festive layer of chocolate for the rebranding. Chocolatier Olivier Willems designed a box with six chocolates inspired by the brand's new world, each with a hand-drawn smiley face and in one of the typical Jeune Premier colours. From Cherry Pompon pink and gold, to Cavalerie Florale blue and FC Jeune Premier green."The literal and figurative icing on our Jeune Premier cake," Piers concludes.
Chocolatier Olivier Willems: "As a proud Ostend resident, I am only too happy to use my culinary, exclusive creations to give stories and entrepreneurs from our city that extra layer of refinement. Jeune Premier and I share not only our roots but also our taste for quality, design, innovation and luxury. A wonderful combination of Belgian seamanship."