Is It Time For A Guess Jeans Comeback?
The nostalgic brand revival has yet to come back for Guess. Could targeting Gen Z change that?
Fun fact: when I was 16, I decided I was bored with school so I dropped out, cut my hair into a fuck-ass bob, and went to work at Guess Jeans.
It seemed like a great idea at the time, and I have minimal regrets, except for the short hair blindness, which saw the fuck-ass bob shrink into a pixie cut that my late-teen face wasn’t quite ready for (I blame Rihanna).
Back then, my knowledge of the Guess brand was limited to that one scene in Wayne’s World. I started working in the store at the cusp of the recession at a time of pre-minimalism and, for all the Melbournians reading, the pre-gentrification of Footscray.
Within Melbourne’s West, Guess had become the Working Girl’s Gucci, the go-to brand for a handbag dripping in logos if you couldn't afford Louis Vuitton. And the demand was THERE. I had customers who could have surely purchased a Birkin for the amount of cash they dropped. In the lead-up to the holidays, the store would be trashed as queues snaked into the Highpoint food court, forever solidifying my hate for Christmas.
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In a brief history, the Guess apparel company started as an LA denim brand in 1981 by the Marseille-based Marciano brothers. The brand became famous for its three-zip Marilyn Jean but, more importantly, the black-and-white sha-wing advertising starring Claudia Schiffer, along with just about every other It Girl of the 80s, 90s, and early 00s. Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith and Eva Herzigová were among several famous faces featured in campaigns that, while researching this piece, brought back some not-too-fond memories of working in retail.
Guess rapidly expanded from a denim line into an all-encompassing lifestyle brand, branching off into apparel, accessories, footwear and fragrance for men’s, women’s and childrenswear. Today, the company houses subbrands, including the higher-priced boutique label Marciano, as well as Guess Originals and Guess USA, which specialize in collaborations and premium apparel.
We’re now living in a time where trends exist in a constant equilibrium and nostalgia drives credibility and profitability. This has made mid-tier labels like Coach, Diesel, Juicy Couture, and Tory Burch favorable once more as they harness their throwback appeal to win over new audiences who weren’t around to shop the brand in its heyday and delight the customers who grew up in it.
Yet, the nostalgic brand revival has yet to come back for Guess, despite their best efforts to consult the playbook. Reissuing iconic campaigns studded with past It girls seems to be catnip for consumers (Hi Marc Jacobs!), which Guess tried in 2012, bringing back Schiffer for its 30-year anniversary. However, in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t move the needle on its current brand relevance.
We could chalk up Guess's failure to resonate with today’s consumers to its chequered past of numerous reports of trademark issues (see beef with Gucci and Telfar), supply chain violations and Paul Marciano’s sexual misconduct lawsuit. However, for the right label, fashion has a selective memory when it comes to scandal. Note the rise, fall and subsequent rise again of John Galliano, Balenciaga, and Abercrombie & Fitch, just to name a few.
I’m putting it down to the fact that Guess has strayed too far away from its roots, caught up in selling a bombshell image without any substance behind it. This was evident with the male gaze-y campaigns to promote the garments being far more memorable than the garments themselves. If you take the supermodel out of the equation, what are you even selling? Despite being a denim brand, even its most famous campaign with Schiffer in the 80s featured absolutely no denim. The bustier on Schiffer wasn’t even made by Guess.
While the triangle-insignia jeans sold well when I worked at the store, the logo T-shirts were what really flew off the shelves as a low-cost way to buy into the brand image. As what Guess stands for today becomes increasingly muddied, these items don't hold the same appeal. The product needs to be desirable.
For its 40th anniversary, Guess Jeans has undergone a Gen Z-targeted rebrand, enlisting Nepo Baby fave Iris Law as the new Guess Girl while leaning heavily on sustainable innovation. The new collection introduced GUESS AIRWASH™, a technique to mimic stone washing with air and bubbles instead of pumice stones to decrease processes’ water and energy consumption. Will it raise Guess’s fashion status to that of its peers? Only time will tell.
While the brand may not be currently on everyone’s lips, the word “Guess” certainly is thanks to Charli and Billie. I know the song is about underwear but Guess should just take it as a namecheck and go all in on marketing. Cultural resets like these don’t just come knocking!
Do you think Guess is due for a revival? What other 80s and 90s brands might make a return this year? Sound off below.