I just received my jacket from Derby of San Francisco. I’ve needed a good jacket for awhile now, and have been waiting for its arrival after we got a ‘VIP discount’ offer, and then had to wait for hours while the website crashed under all the pressure of the launch. Supposedly they sent out 500 discount coupons to get the jacket before it went public, and on the day of the sale they posted on Facebook: “Website crashed…. Over 5500 people clicked ‘Add To Cart’ and it CRASHED!!!” I usually leave quick-style when a website is unresponsive, but the discount and pre-public offering was worth me checking back in every few minutes. (500…5500…how many coupon codes did they give out?)
Either way, I got my jacket in the mail and was floored by the box it came in. I never imagined they would put so much effort and detail into a jacket box, and that it would be so sturdy! I know that in the days of my father and grandfather, jacket boxes like this were commonplace. Beautiful hand-crafted logos on thick cardboard meant to be kept for when you wanted to store your jacket in the top of the closet for the summer. Those days are long gone, and we simply buy them off a rack on cheap, and sometimes broken, plastic hangers. While I don’t think every jacket needs a box, nor one with this level of design, I do think this one is an industry game changer.
I’ll cut to the chase: Before I even tried it on, I set the jacket aside and ended up staring at the box for about a half hour. The level of detail in the logo was beyond anything I have seen on package design in years. Not since the Almanac Beer labels. The spot UV border was a nice idea as a frame without using another color. The blue on blue pattern, the foil for the logo, the paper used to wrap the jacket… It was all like something out of the 50s and 60s. I really did feel like I was in my grandfather’s living room watching him open his sportcoat box that he pulled down from the top of the closet.
The jacket is great and fits perfectly (though the claustrophobic collar will take a bit to get used to, and I need to wash it before I can wear it – I hate the smell of newly manufactured cloth.) But this box almost eclipsed the product. It’s still sitting in my livingroom because I can’t bring myself to put it in the recycle bin, nor do I have the space to store an empty box that big.
The slideshow above shows the box as I saw it when I opened the package, with the last slide being a screen grab of their website. Be sure to visit Derby of San Francisco and sign up on their mailing list to be notified when the jackets will be available. It’s perfect for a San Francisco summer.
While we aren’t pitching package design as one of our core services, we do however work with our clients to provide the right level of ‘stickiness’ with their website and emails. Something that makes the user stick around a bit longer than the web average of only 33 seconds per website/page.
I get the impression that you might like the box better than the jacket. I’d like to see a picture of the jacket. But I agree that the box is sensational. I think you should keep it. It’s a work of art. You can use it to store stuff, even put the jacket in it. You could flatten it so that it doesn’t take up much room. and if you want to get rid of it, I would love to have it. You could bring it down on your next trip.
I read your profile too. You have so much talent. It’s just bursting out all over. Hope you are enjoying success.
Much love to you and your fabulous lady.
Marylou
I would like to order 2 jackets one Black and one Navy Blue if possible I would like them to be a XXL on both … How much and where can I order from with my card