Challenge
The brand colors were not a suggestion. RELEX had four exact colors locked in their brand book. PMS 2955 dark blue, PMS 311 turquoise, PMS 7457 light blue, and white. Every pair had to match all four. Even a small color shift would be obvious to a Lidl or AutoZone stakeholder walking past the booth. RELEX holds its merchandise to the same precision standard as its software.
The brief was 50 pairs in seven weeks, all matched to RELEX's brand colors. RELEX Solutions sells software that retailers and consumer goods companies use to manage their operations with precision. The marketing team wanted that same precision in the shoes their team would wear at a January conference. Christa Thomas, Marketing Coordinator US at RELEX, sent the inquiry and picked the Classic Zero silhouette for the team.
Solution
The pairs landed on December 22, the in-hands deadline. Color-perfect, sized for the team, and ready for distribution before the holiday. By January 15, the team was on the conference floor in their custom shoes.
All four colors had to match exactly on every pair. The logos needed the same placement and color spacing, no matter which angle the shoe was seen from. Custom team shoes at this scale need one source file that holds across the order. Christa moved the side logos to the sole, choosing a brand-book look over a quick-photo look. Once the sample passed her color check, production moved fast.
The work moved in stages. Sample first, design changes, then bulk production. After the first mockups, Christa asked to move the side logos down to the sole. She ordered a sample to check fit and color before committing to the bulk run. Once the sample matched the brand book panel by panel, production moved forward.
Results
PMS-perfect across the order
RELEX expected exact color matching across the order. They got it. All four brand colors held across the team rollout. The Classic Zero shipped from a single design proof, with every pair matching the brand book.
The brand book carried down to the shoes
At the January conference, the RELEX team worked the booth in their custom shoes. Brand banners overhead, branded shirts on the team, and the same colors carried down to the shoes on their feet. The photos from the event speak to the look. A precision-driven brand showed up looking precise from head to toe.
Sample first, iterate fast, ship to deadline
Seven weeks from inquiry to conference floor, with a fully custom team order, is a real test of the system. RELEX proved the format works at scale. The same playbook works for any company running a major event with a sized team, on a tight calendar, with a brand that needs to land right. Sample first, iterate fast, ship to the deadline.
"We needed our brand colors exact and we needed the shoes in time for our January conference. We got both. The team showed up to the booth looking unified."
Christa Thomas, Marketing Coordinator US, RELEX Solutions
