Portland, Ore. — August 01, 2024 — Vera Bradley, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRA) and its iconic American handbag, luggage, and lifestyle brand, Vera Bradley, has partnered with leading innovation and design consultancy Ziba Design on “Project Restoration,” an initiative launched in 2023 to help revitalize the business and restore its profitability. The full rollout of the refreshed Vera Bradley brand this summer introduces new and elevated products, store designs, website, branding, and an advertising campaign featuring actress, musician, and entrepreneur Zooey Deschanel that includes digital, print, and Out-Of-Home, including billboards in airports and Times Square.
During the planning stages of the brand and design refresh, Ziba conducted intensive ethnographic and competitive research, gathering insights into modern femininity, the brand’s heritage equities, and fast fashion’s influence on consumers. Ziba translated these insights into the creation of Vera Bradley’s new brand platform, a 360-degree reinvigoration of the brand’s mission, vision, values, brand character, and storytelling, expressed in a brand identity redesign that comprises a new logo, color palette, typography, iconography, photography, and other graphic elements.
Ziba provided strategic guidance on the Vera Bradley product line, recommending technical and functional innovations in luggage and handbag design, more eco-friendly material sourcing, and upcoming limited-edition collaborations with emerging female artists. Ziba also collaborated closely with Vera Bradley’s co-founders Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller to bring their vision of the brand’s future to life, remaining unmistakably Vera Bradley but with a modern twist.
Vera Bradley’s new look and feel is a joyful modernization of the brand’s trademark mix of vibrant style and smart functionality, conveyed with messaging emotionally attuned to the 35- to 54-year-old woman navigating her personal and professional life while striving, as the brand says, “to be bold in her pursuits and brilliant in her self-expression.”
As Ziba’s Creative Director on Vera Bradley, Rob Wees, put it, “The Vera Bradley team challenged us to honor their heritage while boldly reimagining their future. This wasn't just about a new look — it was about rediscovering what makes Vera Bradley truly special and amplifying that for today's woman. The impact of the brand transformation is visible everywhere you look, from the fresh, contemporary products to the emotional storytelling in-store and online. Now the brand pops with a renewed energy and complexity that's as vibrant as the women who love and wear it.”
Commenting on Vera Bradley’s partnership with Ziba Design, Alison Hiatt, Chief Marketing Officer, said, “The team has so much gratitude for the work done by Ziba to take care of our beloved heritage, transforming and modernizing it for future generations. There is a lot of passion for this brand, and thus far, the feedback and reception has been tremendously positive. We’re so excited to reach new customers and continue on this journey.”