Gobi is well-known in its native Morocco but needed an extra push to expand its global presence. Creative director Rob Duncan explains how a new visual identity crafted by Mucho has helped that effort.
Gobi is the largest cashmere garment manufacturer in Mongolia. What makes it special is that every garment is sustainably produced in Mongolia and by Mongolians. With a staff of over 1700 people, 75% of whom are women, everything stays within the country, from harvesting the raw cashmere through processing, design, manufacture and distribution,
Headquartered in the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, Gobi began in 1981 as a state-owned company specialising in 100% premium cashmere. In 2007, it was privatised, and it now has two official branch stores in Berlin and Düsseldorf and 62 franchise stores globally.
It has a great deal of equity and recognition in Mongolia, but wanted help in growing the brand outside the country. So they turned to global creative agency Mucho.
Brief and research
Mucho needed to discover its unique story, one that could be translated into a more premium look and feel while still being accessible and representing Mongolia’s heritage and culture.
The Mucho team began by learning more about a country they knew very little about. “It was important that we discover the real culture, history and heritage of the country,” explains partner and creative director Rob Duncan. “We needed to understand the people, climate and topography, as well as the process that goes into manufacturing cashmere.”
As they saw it, the only way to do this was to travel to Mongolia for a week of discovery and workshops. “And the only time to do this was in the middle of winter when it was -20°C during the day and -30°C at night!”
This was important because one of the reasons Mongolian cashmere is regarded as the best is its unique climate. It gets really cold during the winter and really hot during the summer, so the goats naturally develop longer coats and shed more to cope with such extremes. This creates a higher-quality, noticeably softer product.
Rob immediately fell in love with the people and the landscape of Mongolia. “We visited museums,” he recalls. “We led strategic and creative workshops with the C-level executives and their teams to really understand how to position Gobi.”
The team travelled to remote locations to meet with the herders, their families, and the goats to learn how they live while enjoying traditional delicacies. They visited the factory to learn about the manufacturing process. They interviewed employees to understand why they chose to work at Gobi and why some of them had been there for as long as 30 years.
Understanding the company’s culture was just as important as understanding its competitive environment. “There are several luxury cashmere companies in the world, such as Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli, who are very exclusive,” notes Rob. Naadam is a big player in the industry, but it feels more like a start-up.
“Through our discovery process, we understood that all of these cashmere companies had one thing in common: they come to Mongolia to harvest the raw cashmere but then take it out of the country and back to the US and Europe to manufacture their products. Therefore, taking the money outside of Mongolia.”
Gobi, however, works with herders in Mongolia to harvest raw materials. It is also processed in Mongolia, manufactured in Mongolia by Mongolians, and distributed from Mongolia. “As a company, Gobi is really giving back to the Mongolian people,” says Rob. “This makes them unique, and it’s the story we needed to tell and build the Gobi brand around.”
Symbol, wordmarks and icons
With this information, Mucho developed a mission statement and positioning statement and established design principles. This resulted in a distinct direction for Gobi while creating guardrails to work within during the design process.
A new symbol and wordmark take pride of place in the new identity. The symbol, created by interlocking four heart shapes, represents a virtuous cycle in which everything from the raw product to the garments is produced in Mongolia by Mongolians. Each shape represents one of the four important connections that make Gobi distinct: goats, herders, employees, and customers.
The bespoke Gobi wordmark, meanwhile, was designed to feel timeless and elegant. It alludes to the history and heritage of a country with thousands of years of knowledge and stories to tell and represents the luxurious quality of Gobi products.
Typography, advertising and photography
When it came to the brand typography, Tomato Grotesk was chosen because it is modern, simple, and geometric while having a touch of quirk and flair. The contrast of weights within the typeface makes it feel more humanist, friendly, and organic.
As for copyrighting, the tagline ‘Truly Mongolian’ was created to be used across all collateral. “This really distils what makes Gobi unique,” says Rob. “No other global cashmere company collects the raw product, manufactures it, and distributes it in Mongolia by Mongolians, so it’s a tagline that only Gobi can own.” To launch the new brand identity, Mucho created a campaign titled ‘Go. Be’; playing on the sound of the company’s name and highlighting its qualities and benefits.
For the photography, Mucho recommended that Gobi use and promote Morocco’s culture and surroundings in authentic situations. “Shooting outdoors and showing off the environment, climate, and landscapes really accentuates what makes Mongolia and Mongolian cashmere special,” explains Rob.
Instead of hiring models, they used and paid real-life herders, their families, and global employees. As Rob puts it, ” It was a great way for the images to feel really authentic and give back to the community. By introducing yurts, wagons, animals, and Mongolian artefacts within photoshoots, we emphasised Gobi as a truly authentic Mongolian brand which cares about its land, animals, heritage, and people.”
Icons
Another element of the visual identity is a new set of brand icons. Rob explains how these came about. “During our visit to the Chinggis Khaan National Museum in Ulaanbaatar, we noticed a lovely installation high above the doors,” he recalls. Featured was a collection of family brands that they used for branding their livestock, dating back thousands of years.
“There was something so uniquely Mongolian about how these were designed that they inspired us to create a set of icons, including four unique icons to represent the four seasons in Mongolia. “
These symbols are used throughout the branding system. Seasonal lookbooks, garment sleeves, and in-store graphic displays feature these symbols in square and totem formats.
“Creativity, quality, professionalism, and cooperation are just a few words that come to mind when working with Mucho,” says Amarsaikhan ‘Ama’ Baatarsaikhan, CEO of Mucho. “What sets them apart from other branding agencies is the devotion and involvement of their leaders, who play an active role throughout the full duration of the project.
“Their extensive experience fused with commitment to provide an authentic and real story of Mongolia’s unique culture enabled us to find our story that we can share with the world for generations”.
All in all, the rebrand captures a distinct narrative unique to Gobi, positioning it as a strong player in the global fashion industry while honouring its Mongolian heritage and commitment to sustainable and ethical production. And it’s already had an impact, with the company recently announcing that its products are now being sold in Nordstrom in the US.
“What I love about being a designer is really learning, understanding and discovering what makes my client unique, in order to help solve their problem, and make them successful,” says Rob. “Having the opportunity to travel to Mongolia, to discover a country I knew little about, but more importantly, to work with a company that truly cares about the socio-economic situation of Mongolian people is very special.
“The more successful Gobi becomes, the more successful their workers become and the more successful and recognised Mongolia becomes as a country. It’s rare for a designer to work on projects like this, which can really help make a difference in the world.”
