Kalevala Jewelry
A new era for a legacy brand
Kalevala Jewelry, an iconic Finnish jewelry brand taking its name from Finland’s national epic, hired BOND to reimagine their brand as part of a major strategy seeking strong growth and increasing desirability among new consumers. BOND and Kalevala Jewelry worked in close collaboration with the delicate task of reviving and modernising their brand, while at the same time strengthening the bond to their past and backstory. In this process was also the merger of Lapponia, another legacy brand owned by Kalevala Jewelry, into the main brand and a name change to simply Kalevala.
BOND was tasked to work on all aspects of this new brand from new logo and identity, store interiors, packaging and design of all touchpoints to verbal narrative, launch marketing and film.
Full case study: bond-agency.com/project/kalevala
An Oath to the Future
As a centrepiece of the project BOND created the platform VALA that means OATH in Finnish. By simply removing the first four letters in the brand name BOND gave Kalevala a way to clearly express their values in a way that ties directly to their name.
This platform was inspired by the simple idea that not only jewelries are eternal pieces, but so are the bonds they create between people. So are the promises that come with them. This platform now forms the basis for marketing messages and Kalevala’s more value driven projects. A simple and flexible messaging system that will only grow stronger over time.
A forest meadow in the middle of the city
The new Kalevala brand plays with the contrast between a modern, simple look and the rich, mystical world of the national epic. The store spaces are heavily inspired by Finnish nature with its deep pine forests, lichen and lakes.
Real wooden logs carry minimalistic product displays. Cabinet fronts are adorned with a metallic ripple effect to simulate lake water and floors are moss textured and soft. This, combined with indirect lights and soft curtains along the back wall that dampens sound, creates a calming and pleasant space to be in.
Strengthening the emotional bond between a brand and its audience
BOND was also tasked to create a launch campaign that would not only generate awareness, but seed the renewed brand out in the world in a meaningful way.
For this a simple idea was born. That a jewelry represents something much stronger than the precious metals it is made of. It’s an oath – a promise between people. In marriage or friendship. Between sisters and brothers. To yourself or to your ancestors.
VALA is an open invitation for Kalevala fans and influencers to share their own personal stories about their most meaningful relationships with the hashtag #minunvala meaning “my oath” in Finnish.
