Alternative Apparel, the lifestyle clothing and accessories brand known for its quality craftsmanship, unprecedented comfort and signature vintage softness, announced a national “Unsigned Artist Competition” in search of untapped musical talent to represent the innovative clothing brand. With the help of RJW Collective and Brickfish Technologies, Alternative kicks off the contest today June 7th, offering aspiring singer/songwriters a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity to millions directly at alternativeapparel.com.
As the first round of the competition, musically inclined Alternative customers who wish to enter will each upload a rendition of Aqualung’s hit song “Brighter than Sunshine” by July 16th and canvass their friends, family and members of the Alternative community for votes.
The top three up-and-coming artists who garner the most votes will then fly to New York on an all-expenses-paid trip to perform as finalists on August 5th in front of an esteemed panel of industry experts including esteemed panel of industry experts including Kelly Cutrone, People’s Revolution owner and star of reality TV series “Kell on Earth” and “The City,” RJW Collective partner and former Epic Records president Charlie Walk and Alternative Apparel founder and Chief Creative Officer Greg Alterman.
“We’re extremely excited about the possibilities that this campaign holds,” said Alterman. “The goal of the Unsigned Artist Competition is not just to find the face and voice of Alternative, but to foster creativity, individuality and self-expression—all of which are core values at Alternative and have been a driving force in our brand development.” In addition to being featured in an upcoming Alternative fashion campaign, the contest winner will receive a generous $1,500 prize and participate in exclusive interviews with music editors and industry insiders.
Alternative’s hot new musical talent won’t be the only winner in the Unsigned Artist Competition, however. The runners up will each walk away with $500 and all other contest participants—including those who cast a vote—will be privy to special discounts and promotions at Alternative Apparel’s online store.
According to Alterman, “the Unsigned Artist Competition will allow us to strengthen our bond with consumers and grow the Alternative community—it’s a chance for everyone to create, share and get involved.” Utilizing the groundbreaking Brickfish social media platform, RJW Collective has designed a program for Alternative Apparel which will enable the clothing company to leverage the power of UGC and interactive social media to connect with consumers, in turn boosting brand awareness.
The revolutionary connectivity platform enables participants to share the content they have created on behalf of a brand’s call to action through email, instant message and by posting on hundreds of social networking sites, as well as review and vote for their favorites entries. Program participants are rewarded for creating, voting, reviewing and sharing content, resulting in high-quality brand engagement and loyalty.
The contest platform then tracks consumer interactions with this content and provides detailed analytics on program reach, performance, time spent and demographics. This result is a unique, forward-thinking marketing approach that has proven to be more effective than traditional online marketing methods, such as display ads or search optimization.
About Alternative Apparel
Alternative has been challenging the concepts of fashion since 1995, when Founder and Chief Creative Officer Greg Alterman set out to create the perfect t-shirt—one designed for fashion, made for comfort, and hand-crafted for a flawless fit. Today, Alternative has elevated the tee from casual basic to fashion-forward staple, simultaneously broadening its horizons to offer a complete collection of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories, including an eco-friendly line of sustainable apparel, Alternative Earth.
As a lifestyle apparel brand at the forefront of the fashion industry, Alternative exists to inspire authenticity and comfort—both inside and out. Our mission is about more than just designing clothes that look and feel great: we want our unique community of wearers and supporters to feel comfortable in their own skin, laying the groundwork to inspire others and make a difference with how you live—and what you wear.
Alternative creates apparel and accessories for men, women, babies and toddlers across the United States and abroad, including Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The company is headquartered in Atlanta with showrooms in Los Angeles and New York.