Selected as a Top 10 Brand for BOND on BUND Creative Pitch+
A first experience pitching for a high-fashion brand collaboration
In 2022, O.N.E was selected as one of the Top 10 brands for BOND on BUND Creative Pitch+, a programme that invited independent designers to develop a capsule collection proposal for Wolford.
Many brands applied for the programme, and only ten were selected to move forward to the pitch stage. Although O.N.E did not become the final winner, being shortlisted as a Top 10 brand was already a meaningful milestone for me.
It was the first time I joined a large-scale fashion pitch in this format, and it pushed me to think about the brand from a very different angle.
The challenge of the pitch
The brief was not simply about presenting O.N.E as a brand.
We had to understand Wolford’s brand positioning, product categories, design language, and customer profile, then propose how an independent designer’s perspective could work within that world.
Within a short period of time, I had to prepare a clear project proposal, including brand positioning, capsule collection direction, product categories, design style, and how to balance O.N.E’s own identity with Wolford’s luxury fashion DNA.
That process was intense, but it was also very useful.
It made me realise that a good collaboration is not only about putting two names together. It requires research, restraint, clarity, and a strong understanding of what each brand should bring to the table.
What I learned from the experience
This pitch helped me understand how high-fashion collaborations are evaluated more professionally.
It is not enough to have a beautiful idea. The proposal needs to explain why the collaboration makes sense, who it is speaking to, what product category fits the brand, and how the final collection can feel new without losing the original identity of the partner brand.
For O.N.E, it was also a valuable exercise in positioning.
I had to look at our own design language more clearly: what should stay, what should be adjusted, and how our values around sustainability, modern accessories, and independent design could be translated into a different fashion context.
Even though we did not win the final pitch, the process gave me something more important at that stage — a better understanding of how to prepare, present, and structure a collaboration idea.
Why this experience mattered
Looking back, this was one of the early moments that trained me to think beyond product design alone.
A strong pitch needs more than creativity. It needs a clear concept, a focused proposal, visual direction, product logic, and the ability to explain why the project is relevant.
That learning has stayed with me in later collaborations and product launches.
For founders and independent designers, opportunities like this are valuable because they force you to organise your ideas quickly and professionally. You begin to see where your brand is strong, where your message is unclear, and how your work may be understood by a larger fashion audience.
