Print provider LAgraphico (lagraphico.com), based in Burbank, California, was presented a challenge by Lucky Brand Jeans to create a look that would match the overall “hip, cool, and organic” feel of their retail locations. The complete project included in-store graphics for dressing-room windows, adhesive graphics on storefront windows, countertop displays, and double-sided banners to be the main focus of the store.
“The goal was to provide a fabric banner that had an organic feel but could still be printed with vibrant color,” says LAgraphico’s Michael Griffin. With confidence and trust resulting from a long-standing work relationship, LAgraphico took on the challenge in full force to produce its first really large-scale project for Lucky Brand Jeans.
LAgraphico received photographs of young and hip entrepreneurs from Lucky-not the typical retail imagery of slick products and high-fashion models you would normally expect from a jeans company. Using Photoshop, LAgraphico’s premedia department did photo retouching and color correction on the files prior to printing.
Files were then sent to the company’s Durst Rho 351R printer, where they were imaged onto Dazian Fabrics’ 3-Pass Blackout Foam fabric using a Caldera RIP and UV-curable inks. In total, LAgraphico printed 426 4 x 8-foot direct print textile banners for use in 238 Lucky Brand Jeans retail locations nationwide. Lucky Brands’ “Make Luck Happen” campaign involved 227 banners of one version and 199 of a second version; because the banners were double-sided, each location was able to showcase four different images.
“The material had to block light and be printable on both sides,” says Griffin. “Dazian’s 3-Pass Foam has a thin layer of black scrim built into the interior of the fabric to prevent the passage of light. Of the options we provided to the client, this was the material with which they were the most pleased.”
Following completion of the printing, Lucky’s banners were outsourced for sewing of pole pockets. This added on an additional five business days to the turnaround time, which was 10 days in total. “The banners reflect the laid-back, casual quality of Lucky Brand Jeans,” says Griffin.