Interbrand Thinking
iNTERBRAND MILAN

The Reinvention of an Iconic Brand Across a Century

Invicta

Beatrice Agnes, Head of Product & Merchandise, Invicta

What do you think is the key to your brand’s success?

Invicta’s strength is its ability to reinvent itself over the years. It’s a brand with an extraordinary history: it was founded in England in 1906 and arrived in Italy in the 1920s. In the 1960s, Invicta established itself in the mountaineering sector, subsequently becoming associated with the “Valanga Azzurra” – the Italian skiing team. It later evolved into a cult brand, symbolic of the generational change of the 1980s, making a lasting name for itself in the lifestyle market. While there have been many points of reinvention throughout Invicta’s journey, it has always combined aesthetics with performance.

Today, Invicta has evolved once again, integrating contemporary full-look lines, adopting an updated aesthetic and tone-of-voice without losing sight of the colour, utility, and multi-functionality central to the brand’s DNA.

Invicta’s strength is its ability to reinvent itself over the years.”

Competition is becoming more and more fluid and often a partnership could be the breakthrough to meet new targets, sometimes also outside the category. What are Invicta’s key partnerships?

We see collaborations as a tool to break into emerging markets and engage with new consumer segments. As such, they are an absolutely integral part of our brand strategy. Our most recent partnership was with Dsquared2, launched publicly at the Milan Fashion Week shows. It involves a capsule collection of backpacks, clothing, and accessories. We are very proud of this project and believe that the end result, in terms of products, perfectly integrates the aesthetics of the two brands.

What do you think makes the Millennial generation different as consumers? How are their values and priorities different than the Boomer generation?

I believe that younger consumers have a greater awareness of emotive and complex issues, such as the climate crisis. I’m not just referring to Millennials here; Gen Z, in particular, have grown up against a backdrop of various challenges, such as environmental issues, and are more in-tune and aware of them than previous generations were.

Brands must listen to these concerns. It is no coincidence that Invicta has been taking concrete action for a number of years. Most of our lines use fabrics made from recycled PET. We have also developed innovative products such as the “96% Project”, which features a backpack and ultralight padded jackets with fabrics, zippers, padding, and packaging sourced from recycled materials.

We see collaborations as a tool to break into emerging markets and engage with new consumer segments. As such, they are an absolutely integral part of our brand strategy.”

How has the pandemic changed what people want to spend money on? 

The pandemic has reinforced consumers’ desire to seek out authentic products and, by extension, brands that have a story to tell rather than simply serving as practical objects. This means that research into product development is fundamental and must always be accompanied by a coherent communications strategy.

The pandemic has reinforced consumers’ desire to seek out authentic products and, by extension, brands that have a story to tell rather than simply serving as practical objects.”

How are you thinking about the next 2-3 years? What are the cultural, or societal trends you expect will happen after the pandemic? And are there any interesting moves that Invicta is going to undertake?

There is a wide range of current and emerging concerns at both a societal and global level, regardless of how the pandemic develops. For example, look at the recent dramatic geopolitical developments in Europe.

Brands must be able to adapt to a changing society, while remaining true to their DNA, and avoid losing sight of themselves and confusing consumers. Invicta would like to continue asserting its position in the lifestyle segment, focusing on our 20-40 target age group, not only in Italy but also abroad, in line with our ambition to transform into an internationally recognized brand.