What it had to solve
Create bespoke type and creative direction for the Montero tour merchandise, made with Coach, that reflects Lil Nas X's spirit.
The idea
A soft, near-psychedelic butterfly formed from the words Coach and Montero, with bleeding letters standing in for wings.
How it works
Studio Nari drew fluid, bold lettering with keylines for strength and soft, bleeding edges for accessibility. The butterfly unites the two words as wings, and a restrained, non-saturated palette ties into Coach's new-season collections.
What it did
The range was on sale only in the US at publication, with a UK release said to be coming. The source gives no sales figures.
Background
In November 2022 It's Nice That reported on tour merchandise for Lil Nas X's Montero tour, made with Coach, with type and creative direction by East London studio Studio Nari. The studio had worked with Coach for about a year on a larger project, building a catalogue of type and illustration. Lil Nas X's creative director saw some of those sketches, and the studio was then asked to create bespoke type for the tour merch.
A soft, near-psychedelic butterfly sits at the centre, uniting the words Coach and Montero, with bleeding characters resembling wings. Studio founder Caterina Bianchini told It's Nice That the butterfly stands for freedom, transformation, hope and beauty. She said the type was meant to feel fluid, bold (helped by keylines) and accessible, with soft shapes and bleed on the characters.
The colour palette reflects Coach's point of view, linking to its new-season collections while staying empowering and uplifting. The studio avoided anything overly saturated, aiming for a dreamy, approachable effect. Bianchini described the collaboration as very loose, with the team encouraged to be free, which she said suited the artist and felt authentic.
Why it lands
Fusing the two names into one butterfly gives the collaboration a single shape instead of two logos side by side.
The butterfly echoes the artist's themes of freedom and transformation, so the merch reads as his rather than as a licence deal.
A loose brief let the studio's own type sketches carry through, which Bianchini said kept the work authentic.
What you can take
A studio's off-brief sketches for one client can become the audition for the next, and a single symbol can unify two brand names on a product.
Since then
At publication the range was sold only in the US. The studio's founder said it was coming to the UK soon; the source reports no sales results.
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