Microsoft: The Hardwear Collection
Microsoft is one of the world's largest and most recognized brands, but it’s not one of the most loved – especially among diverse Gen Z. Our objective was to engage and drive brand love with a diverse Gen Z audience indifferent to the brand.
We realized that Gen Z and Microsoft have one thing in common: Normcore, a clothing aesthetic born in the ’90s that celebrates an individual’s ability to care less about the clothes they wear and more about the function they serve. A value reflected by Microsoft and its mission is not to be a ‘cool’ brand but to be a brand that empowers people across the globe. If you look back, Microsoft was Normcore before “Normcore.”
We partnered with Supervsn Studios Creative Director, Gavin Mathieu, to create "Hardwear" – Microsoft’s first-ever capsule collection inspired by Normcore and rooted in empowering your inner creator. A 16-piece line in which every detail is tied back to Microsoft apps and functionality like MSPaint and the iconic Windows ’98 desktop, yet made to fit into everyday life seamlessly.
• We welcomed 20,000+ new organic and paid followers into the brand social ecosystem: 68% Gen Z, 53% identifying as female
• Generated an 82% net positive sentiment
• Secured first-time placements for Microsoft in top multicultural and pop culture publications, including Essence, AfroTech, Complex Style, and Hypebeast.
• Fans who missed out on the collection recreated their own, selling knock-off merch online.
• Most of all, we moved the needle on affinity, seeing a 5+ point increase in brand love with Gen Z.
