Mango Loves Bloggers

Mango have introduced a new campaign linked with popular bloggers from around the world. The campaign is more a competition where the bloggers are competing to win a cash prize to donate to their chosen charity. The bloggers have been tasked to create two original looks to be presented on the Mango online site, Facebook, and Twitter. Fans will have one week to vote for their favourite look, and the blogger with the highest number of votes will win the charity donation.

The second stage will be in mid-April, when a Mango shopping night will be held in the bloggers’ respective countries and they will be able to interact with customers and give styling tips, (similiar to the Vogue's Fashion Night Out). The bloggers will be filmed and photographed throughout the entire process, which will culminate in a final video to be published on the Mango website, again, allowing fans to vote for their favourite blogger.

This reminds me of the Pull & Bear research i looked into with their store party and streaming film footage of the event on their website. In a way it makes the viewer feel apart of the brand and gain an insight into why perhaps they should take part and attend these sorts of brand events.

Wardrobe Raid

Its 10:30pm and I'm taken pictures of clothes from my wardrobe and for once its not for ebay.

I had a brainwave to experiment with for creating some trend mood boards and thought none better than to take some inspiration from what I have in my own wardrobe. The idea is to create close up shots of the fabrics and textures and colours of clothes rather than showing actual garments. I will use these initial images and collage together the style of moodboards. I've asked my friends to all do the same and send me photo's of the inside of their wardrobes to collage and compare.

High Street Edit S/S11

Company magazine have put together some really nice trend edits, quite similiar to what Elle does each season, dedicated purely to the trends of this season from the catwalk, giving a low down of what we should be looking out for. The Elle version is generally more in depth, being a separate bible of trends each season, and pricing at around £6-£8. It's a really nice keep sake though to refer back to and digest your favourite designers.

However this particular issue has really been a visual finder for me and given me loads of inspirations to feed off, inparticular the trend moodboards are gorgeous! They are clear, concise, energetic and laid in a grid layout to make it much smoother to read. I also really like how it gives a trendy look into the fashion business for those who dont work in fashion. It shows a real buzz to the work involved and how exciting fashion can be which is how it should be.

First Focus

In a vintage store i spotted this label 'First Focus' since studing Browns London, what feels like my whole life at the moment for my project, it was a slight cliché spotting this.

Sweetie Shop Prop

On Brighton Pier I noticed one of the Sweet shops had a fake proped window. It was quirky in the sense it was obviously fake and how Brighton is holding onto the old style Brighton Pier rather than modern Brighton (if there could ever be a modern Brighton?). It kind of made me relate to luxury fashion which too have this traditional way of approaching fashion and approaching the way they appeal to the consumer within their own brand aesthetic.

 

I really liked the window payne imagery as though looking into the window and thought this could be a really fun design for online sites to have a pretend window frame as though looking into the site.

 

Urban Outfitters - New Store Implementation

I was in Brighton today and visited the new Urban Outfitters store that has recently opened next to Brightons Churchill Square shopping centre.

The store was of course decked out like all the other stores, however like Regent's Street All Saints store introducing the Apple Ipad to the shopping/browsing system, Urban has included a full Apple Mac computer for customers use.

The mac was amongst the gadgets and gizmo's area which allowed you to browse their online site. It actually really suited the store and didnt look abnormal. It also made me think about the environment to which consumers can browse online when in store. The computer being amongst the books and CD's made it a comfortable and perhaps most obvious area to prop a mac and is much nicer than having to browse a smaller ipad.

I wonder how long it will take until other Oxford Street stores take on the same idea?

 

Fashion In Film

During my research i still love finding and watching past fashion films. It seems even more so now I keep coming across them! With all the magazine 'watching' definately video based is the feature for most. It has somewhat really shown me just how far on video base fashion has become, whether its glamorous or not fashion is told in much better form to engage and mostly be immersed within the brand and be apart of the fashion story they are creating.

Alexander McQueen

 YSL

Acne SS11 Presentation

I came across this Acne SS11 video montage on Mr. Porter online which was put together almost to present the 'behind the doors' pace of fashion Ance goes through when releasing a new collection. It has a real home video feel to it which i most like and would be great to have videos like these shown more.

 Follow the link below to view

http://www.mrporter.com/styledirectory/stylepedia/a

Adverts appeal to your mood?

Taken from the Metro, 11th March 2011 issue, I read a small column on what adverts will soon become. It's apparent that advertisements will soon recognise consumers current thoughts and coincide to their mood. This could happen by 2015 according to the Metro.

Seems very sci-fi however it powers through your smart phone not actually reading your thoughts. Could this potentially begin the arguements of invasion of consumers privacy? what they get up to? and likes and dislikes?

Ramzi Musa for Browns Focus

 

Ramzi Musa is the latest upcoming new designer to collaborate with Browns Focus. Reason being I am a fan and inspired by Musa is to show aspiration to those, like myself, who are drawing near the end of their uni days and how to kick start the beginning of a long career. Musa being a third year fine art student at Leeds university who has just collaborated a collection for Browns Focus is very impressive and certainly shows where every new fashion designer would die to be in.

Musa has already achieved so much and is a great role model and figure for not only the Browns Focus consumer to learn from but as motivation for those who too are taking the first steps into not just the the working world, but the even tougher world fashion can be.

For my uni project I was lucky enough and greatful to meet Ramzi Musa for a informal interview and discussion around his latest collection, down the pub to be exact in Greenwich, to discuss his story so far at Browns.

I must say Ramzi is a very down to earth guy and was a great pleasure to meet him and understand his first steps from Browns and what he has coming next. It was really enlighting to see he is as casual as can be and is greatly stunned how successful he has become and I'm sure will become more.

Must keep an eye for his signature style, I'm positive he will be the one to watch.

Ramzi Musa for Browns Focus

Club Monaco Launch

The Latest collaboration for Browns at the start of 2011 is Club Monaco. Club Monaco is a new brand to the UK from Ralph Lauren which makes Browns the perfect sense to collaborate with as they once did at the start of Ralph Laurens career.

Browns & Club Monaco Launch Party

 



Browns London

YouTube has been my entertainment for the day today and since seeing the Browns London spoof press invite it got me spurring onto more research into the Browns retailer. I've came across so many videos on Browns London, including one with Mary Porter congratulating the success of how the Browns Boutique to Joan Burstein herself.



Watching these videos too have helped me with my work today also to refer to the interior of the shop. It's always hard and sometimes feels forbidden when trying to take snap shots inside a store and even worse when you sneakily try to do so (not that i ever would) I had emailed Browns around 4 weeks ago now requesting if i am able to take photos in the store for this project however even today have not had a response! so I will take that as a polite no. Below are the videos that i have found really influential to watch.

One inparticular was Vogue's Fashion Night Out which was an event held in September 2009 where the stores of the west end stayed open after hours. However differently it was the designers who were the store assistants for the evening. It was a really unique event for customers to meet the designers and for the designers to give first hand advice and service in Browns London.

Another Vogue event was in November 2010 where Mrs B skyped customers! amazing! Unfortunately i cant locate a youtube video for Joan Burstein and Roland Mouret skyping. However the link below takes you to Vogue online where you can watch it.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/video/voguetv/player.aspx/blog-video/video,9960/

  

Browns: 40 Years of Fashion Innovation

Browns 40 Years Celebration Party

  

Fashion Night Out with Browns

 

Vogues Fashion Night Out  

            

Mary Porta's Browns Store Study

Browns London AW09

I came across this YouTube video which is a spoof creation for an invite of Browns London AW09 Press day event. It did make me laugh and made me actually think the words "This cant be real!"

Its a take on using clips from Dynasty with voice overs to create a story of recieving a Browns invite. Very clever! Be great if all invites where of this taste.

 

Hollister Facebook Page

Today I visited the latest Hollister store to add to the chain in Kingston-Upon-Thames. I was informed about their new Facebook fan page but this time through the bottom of their infamous paper bags.

 

The Facebook page is literally selling through this social medium, similar to what Debenams trialed through their Facebook page, most posts consist of photos of their products rather than an actual social form of 'chat' to their fans. Personally the photo images would look far better and more to the Hollister persona if they were campaign images rather than looking like they were taken on a bedroom floor which is quite dissappointing seeing from a brand like Hollister however maybe this is the feel they are aiming for? After Facebook allows brands to be at a more informal level than the face they live upto.

Cosmopolitan Website Relaunch

In a WGSN report it explains Cosmopolitan Magazine is undergoing some changes with their online site. Currently looking into new ways of brands or magazines developing new and interesting ways to gain attention and keep the consumer interested or more importantly wondering.

WGSN

The new site further enhances and expands the users’ experience by offering clearer navigation, new content and greater interaction. Fresher fonts and a brighter colour palette give the website a more vibrant aesthetic, while staying true to the ideals of the print magazine.

The new content includes the weekly Fashion Under £50 feature, which focuses on up-to-the-minute high-street fashion, and the beauty makeover tool, which allows readers to experiment with virtual hairstyles and colours.

Behind-the-scenes videos will allow readers an insight into Cosmopolitan’s core fashion shoots, with information on stockists for the clothing featured.  

Personal stylists Clare Smith and Natasha Guiotto will engage with users through the new blog, focusing on key trends and how to wear them in relation to body shape.  

The Cosmo on Campus channel will relate to the Cosmopolitan's student-focused spin-off magazine, and will provide information and advice on subjects spanning careers, discount vouchers and city guides.

“The redesign brings the website completely up-to-date with the look, feel and tone of the brand as a whole, but with its own unique content,” said Cosmopolitan’s Rebecca Miskin. “The past year has seen significant growth for Cosmopolitan.co.uk, which is one of the most popular destinations for young women online. Our aim is to expand this loyalty even further as we make the Cosmopolitan brand available to women in the medium of their choice.



Quote of the Week...Norma Kamali

Today's quote of the week is taken from V magazine. I read an article on designer Norma Kamili based upon the overall concept for her boutique store. Kamili has presented a way of introducing her latest collection in the form that we view new collections in glossy magazines. This being reflected in the props in her store and how to be perceived as.

“I wanted the store to look like a fashion magazine brought to life, like they jumped right off of the page”

 

Kamili's store featured large cutout images of the models giving a paper doll effect. This can have a quirky effect and plays on the idea between a flat image and something being 3D.

 

 

 

http://www.vmagazine.com/2011/02/norma-kamalis-living-magazine/

Burberry's Digital Movement

I came across this WGSN report on Burberry's latest digital innovation. This has proved the potential of publications, such as magazines, and even blogs can be taken forward. It speaks about 'retail theatre's' and how these are becoming and should be entering into the mindset of high street retailers. It's no longer about the brick-a-morter stores. Its about the entertainment these stores can now bring. Foreseeing the loss of favourite historical brands go under due to the recession and other retailers beating them to the market, stores need to transform and become more then just a space to 'spend' money but to still encourage consumers to 'spend' time there.

WGSN - 22nd February 2011

Burberry’s autumn/winter 2011/12 Prorsum womenswear collection reached its largest audience to date Monday, with live-streaming reaching around the globe through 40 in-store virtual trunk shows held across four continents.

In 19 countries, Burberry stores hosted “retail theatre” events inviting guests to experience the show through giant video walls complete with enhanced acoustics and state of the art visual technology.

From its new venue at London’s Royal Park of Kensington Gardens, it used 11 cameras as well as a live text feed to provide viewers with both pre-show content featuring A-list guests including Rachel Bilson, Kate Bosworth and Samantha Cameron as they arrived, and full coverage of the collection presentation itself.

While this is the seventh season the brand has live streamed its show, which was also available through Burberry.com and a number of media partners, it’s the first time it has also done so to a crowd watching the famous 32m-long digital screen at London’s Piccadilly Circus. In fact, it’s a first for any brand.

Post show, an on-demand version of the coverage was made available online, including footage of the collection being put together and red carpet interviews.

Chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said he was aiming for an immersive, interactive and entertaining experience. “We have always used digital communication to deepen our connection with the customer and allow people all over the world to experience Burberry no matter where they are. Whether you are at home online, watching in Piccadilly Circus, using a mobile device or in our store in Beijing everyone will be able to feel the energy and attitude of the brand and the excitement of the show,” he said.

The brand also continued with its runway to reality initiative, allowing consumers in store - via iPads - as well as online, to order items of outerwear or bags for delivery in seven weeks.

Pre-orders can be made until Monday, February 28, while the full collection will otherwise be available from August 2011.

Viewers can also download music featured in the show, including You Don't Own Me by Dusty Springfield and Someone Like You by Adele, through an on-demand service on the website using iTunes technology.