Kate Bertrand Connolly, Freelance Writer

May 12, 2015

3 Min Read
Youthful package graphics give Dr. Comfort Rejuva support hose a fashionable footing
It's not only the elderly or infirm who need support stockings.

DJO Global is using packaging design to position a new line of medical legwear as stylish, not stodgy. The retail packaging for Dr. Comfort Rejuva Fashionable Compression Legwear, designed by Ideas that Kick, features fun, casual photography of young men and women wearing the compression products.

DJO, which owns the Dr. Comfort brand, signed a licensing deal with RejuvaHealth, a fashion-oriented support-hose manufacturer, to market the co-branded products.

The Dr. Comfort Rejuva package is a paperboard carton with a sliding drawer. Litho printing brings the package’s colorful fashion photography—inspired by Instagram-friendly, footwear-centric wedding photos—to life.

Conventional compression-legwear packaging often relies on stock photography, so the artful Dr. Comfort Rejuva photography clearly differentiates the brand at retail. The product line includes 20 stock-keeping units (SKUs), and the products will launch in independent pharmacies and medical equipment stores this summer.

Stefan Hartung, creative director at Ideas that Kick, sheds some light on the package design and its relationship to the brand.

Why is fashion so important to the Dr. Comfort Rejuva brand?

Hartung: Dr. Comfort is a brand playing in the medical marketplace and distribution channels. Dr. Comfort partnered with Rejuva, a brand in the marketplace [that is] making inroads with the younger, nonmedical distribution channels. The partnership allows Dr. Comfort to introduce fashion into [its] existing distribution channels [for home medical equipment (HME)/durable medical equipment (DME)], open doors to expanded distributors (such as podiatrists) and introduce new customers to the brand. By taking a fashion angle, it also helps alleviate some of the “medical” feeling for those who are prescribed to wear compression, yet don’t want to give up on looking good. It is also a clear point of differentiation in the rather bland, beige marketplace of compression wear.

Who is the target audience for these products?

Hartung: The Rejuva line is geared toward a fashion-conscious audience. Rejuva products are designed to be trend-forward, so the wearer doesn’t have to worry if someone sees [his or her] compression wear. 

How does this packaging design speak to that market?

Hartung: It moves away from the expected look of compression-wear packaging by bringing in fresh, fashion-forward photography. The design uses the hanger tab as an easy, simple place to shop the package. The package also features a pull-out drawer so the consumer can see and feel the product, creating an easier and reassuring shopping experience. [Rejuva founder Kelsey Minarik] is featured on the back panel, where her real-life story of needing compression wear [at a young age] helps create relativity and authenticity around the brand and the product.

Please describe the package structure.

Hartung: The package is [a] compact 8x5-in. structure with a hanger tab for pegging. The package also features a pull-out drawer, so the consumer can see and feel product right at shelf and easily put the product back in the box without ripping and destroying the packaging.

How is the product displayed at retail?

Hartung: [The] product was launched with a standalone display but may also show up on a peg or flat wall. 

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About the Author(s)

Kate Bertrand Connolly

Freelance Writer

Kate Bertrand Connolly has been covering innovations, trends, and technologies in packaging, branding, and business since 1981.

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