Design Thinking: LSKD

(Image courtesy of LSKD)

In Graduate School, one of the buzzwords professors love to discuss is "Design Thinking." Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding (Dam and Siang). Design Thinking enables a company to understand consumer needs to serve their audience better. For this project, I contacted different companies to learn how the organizations apply Design Thinking into their market offerings. I had the opportunity to talk with Dylan O., Head of Branding, to learn more about the mission and vision of LSKD .

(Video courtesy of LSKD)

1. What was the idea behind the company?

Our Founder and CEO, Jason, started the company in high school. The name, LSKD, derives from a high school nickname. He described himself as a Loose Kid, and it snowballed from there. As the brand evolved, the name changed as well—it from Loose Kid to Loose Kid Industries (LKI). But, in 2018/2019, we solicited LSKD as our name. As LKI, we were predominantly a wholesale business. As such, we designed, disseminated, and sold our products to retailers around the country. When we changed from LKI to LSKD, we rebranded towards a focused e-commerce business. The decision to move from wholesale (at the time, a majority of our business was coming from) was a risk. But by focusing our attention and efforts on the customer, we created a great community.

(Video courtesy of LSKD)

2. What makes LSKD different from other brands?

We have a strong mission and why. In the modern age, many e-commerce brands are popping up, and it's easy for brands now to enter this sphere to start a business. Businesses can have products in an overseas warehouse and build an online shopfront to take orders and ship products. While many people are jumping on the bandwagon, we know our mission and vision. We know that LSKD is here to inspire our community and chase the vibe. We created functional sportswear products inspired by a street aesthetic. This allows our community to wear our garments for working out with the effortlessness of streetwear.

(Image courtesy of LSKD)

3. How does LSKD stay ahead of trends?

We look for inspiration everywhere. As a result, LSKD is not pigeonholed or laser-focused on one particular thing. It's easy to look at what all competitors are doing and making via market research and competitor analysis. We look to other industries to draw inspiration from. We love looking at industrial design and architecture to structure our garments; this creates a more holistic approach for inspiration. We try to keep the business agile and can pivot quickly.

(Image courtesy of LSKD)

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