Changing the Communication Strategy of the 12 STOREEZ Brand Due to the Transition from Middle-up to Premium Segment

12 STOREEZ is a Russian womenswear and menswear brand created by sisters Irina and Marina Golomazdin and Ivan Khokhlov in 2014. Initially, brand was developed as a local showroom in an online format. However, today the brand successfully releases its activities in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UAE and on the online platform 12storeez.com. In August 2022, the company announced a concept change and a move into the premium niche. In summer 2022, the flagship store moved to a boutique on Stoleshnikov Lane, changed the pricing policy and brand identity, added new lines (GI capsule by creative director Irina Golomazdina) and introduced a number of other changes. Sudden transition of a domestic brand to premium (for the first time in the history of Russian fashion), caused a negative reaction of consumers who disagreed with the increase in prices for familiar positions. The paper investigates the changes that occurred in the brand's activities after the transition to the new segment. In the course of the research the theoretical approaches related to the concepts of “middle-up”, “premium” and peculiarities of positioning of each of the segments were studied; the market of premium brands in Russia and competitors of 12 STOREEZ were analyzed. A significant part of the work is the study of consumer reactions to the new brand positioning. Based on the research and competitive analysis, recommendations for more successful implementation of the existing brand communication strategy were proposed.