The inspiration for these labels is my family’s business, a women’s fashion boutique called Ear Abstracts founded by my grandma, Judy Curtis in 1986. She still owns and operates the boutique to this day. Ear Abstracts provides a unique shopping experience that attracts a loyal customer base. The store started out selling only specialty earrings and now has truely become a one-stop-shop with everything from women’s clothing, accessories, home decor, and more. You walk out of the store with your items gift wrapped in decorative pink bags, tissue paper, and bows. The employees are very helpful, giving customers the luxury of a personal shopper without the hassle of going to the mall. The products themselves are unique items you won’t find anywhere else.
I have worked at the boutique since I was 15. I started out as a salesperson and now I design all their advertising, both print and online. I have developed a very close relationship with my grandma by working with her for so long. She is also the inspiration for my project. She is an extremely classy and stylish woman who wouldn’t be caught dead without her makeup on, high heels, and tons of jewelry. Her passion is her business and I wanted to bring that same passion to Curtis wines.
Each bottle is wrapped in a different patterned fabric that, when unwrapped, doubles as a scarf. This unique touch is inspired by fashion and how at Ear Abstracts, everything leaves the store in a decorative bag. It’s these unique touches that will make the product stand out from all the rest. The way they are wrapped is a Japanese technique called furoshiki that is a lot like origami, only with fabric. The consumer could also reuse the fabric to wrap a variety of things using furoshiki techniques.
The labels hang off the bottles and are shaped like a clothing tag. They are attached with metallic string and a mini clothespin. They are very sturdy so they wouldn’t get damaged in the transportation process. The paper they are printed on is a natural off-white paper with a visible fiber texture. The Curtis typeface is reminiscent of my grandma’s signature as she always crosses the “t” with the tail of the “s”. The inner labels are printed on the same paper and adhered to the bottles in front of a strip of the fabric that wraps around the bottle. This way, when the bottle is unwrapped there is still a hint of the fabric so the branding stays consistent.
The target market for Curtis wines are all women 21 and over. They would also attract wine connoisseur as a specialty item. They would probably be sold at a higher price point than the average bottle of wine. However, I believe customers would still purchase them simply because they are unique and have duel purpose. These wines would also make great gift items, especially for hostess gifts.
