“Maison Cleo is one of the many companies choosing transparency over manipulative marketing as a key brand identifier.”
Featured in high-stakes publications such as Vogue Greece and Man Repeller, Maison Cleo is the mother-daughter duo executing Parisian fashion house pieces under ethical and sustainable means. With transparency and public relations at the center of their branding, Maison Cleo has succeeded in gaining a loyal network of followers yet manages to remain approachable. In many ways, Maison Cleo is a testament to ‘masstige branding,’ a term coined from emerging makeup brands who bridge the luxury and high street avenues in order to deliver the luxury buying experience at accessible price points. In general, this means appealing to consumer intelligence and the consumer’s ability to make an informed decision prioritizing the values of ethics and wellness. Maison Cleo is one of the many companies choosing transparency over manipulative marketing as a key brand identifier, paired alongside iconic garments that convey a simple elegance. Their brand mandate states the following:
I have always worked in the fashion industry and with young designers, and my mother is qualified seamstress.
She has a lot of ideas, of passion too : She spends much of her time in her workshop. Always for tailor-made products, for her clients.
With MaisonCléo, we partner to propose you simple but worked pieces (everything is handmade), always with beautiful materials, that is another point important for us. The margin and prices are calculated as fairly as possible and explained on every product page. The idea is to share her know-how and to make the made in France accessible to everyone.
Why Cléo ? It is the nickname of my mother since her twenties. Old friends call her only “Cléo” and never by her real name. Cléo refers to Cléopâtre and to her black short hair, black eyeliner and gold big jewels she used to wear in her youth. She also always matched her outfit with her scrunchie, that’s why we offer a matching scrunchie with each order.
Consumer following and loyalty has been achieved through message driven branding effectively, despite a mid range price point. At 120.00-235.00 euros per piece, the brand has yet to meet a widely accessible price-point, but this is not lost on the mother-daughter team. Each listing on the brand’s website features a charming description accompanied by a cost evaluation detailing the material and labour expensed for any specific style. This act of transparency encourages consumers to understand what they are buying, and what ethical production numbers actually look like.
“Drop-style releases allow the brand to preserve the integrity of the products and design, challenging traditional fashion cycles and returning value to the collection.”
Through limited campaigns, Maison Cleo translates the success of hype culture and shifts it towards the brand’s target consumer. Drop-style releases allow the brand to preserve the integrity of the products and design, challenging traditional fashion cycles and returning value to the collection. Returning to the idea of masstige, blouses and skirts are attributed to a degree of exclusivity. It’s an interesting juxtaposition against the value of good intention and questions the necessity of introducing aspiration to the dynamic; nonetheless, this campaign style recalls the brand’s origins as an Instagram start up relying on user-friendly interface to enable networking and promotion.
Since its beginning, the sustainable brand has now succeeded in commercial relationships with designer exclusives Net-A-Porter and Opening Ceremony, therefore never failing to embody a slow-fashion attitude and attention to the care and quality in product design.
All images courtesy of Maison Cleo
