Susan's Fashion Blog

Mary Portas at House of Fraser

2011-11-09T01:43:00.000-08:00

Well I must say I was disappointed to visit the Mary Portas department at House of Fraser Oxford street only to find a distinct lack of stock. I am really not sure how she will achieve her sales targets with so few items - she will have to sell a lot of 'arm tights'!

I also notice there are now designer brands mixed in amongst the stock which is a little confusing - I would not immediately be looking for Whistles designs in that department.

Also the merchandising is weak with some items really needing attention, like the torn arm tights displayed on the stairwell.

Mary Portas has been an inspiration and I use her advice continually to inform my students but she needs to look at the future of her brand image and the damage this could potentially do.

Barkers Department Store fashion Shows

2011-07-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

I am currently studying an MA History of Design and Material Culture at University of Brighton. My topic for my dissertation is a Barkers Department Store Fashion Album from the 1920s that includes photographs, press cuttings, advertising and fashion show programmes. The press book is a significant example of integrated marketing communications and documents the fashions and comments on the lifestyles from the period. The style of photography shows Barkers department store as showcasing court gowns which gives the store a similar profile to its competitors Harrods and Selfridges.

Using archive materials from department stores and London libraries, this project has been highly rewarding and finding out that Barkers sold copies of Paris couture gowns has been very exciting. Parisian theatrical stars were used as celebrities to show the fashions and attract publicity, much like today.

Swishing and the 10:10 Campaign

2010-11-22T04:29:00.000-08:00

In conjunction with the 10:10 carbon reduction campaign the Creative Fashion Forum hosted a Swishing Event at the Brighton Media Centre. The whole idea was to educate people about the need to investigate sustainable fashion.

Tom Chute from the 10:10 campaign gave us some worrying statistics about our disposable fashion habits and the results in landfill sites, which will be with us for up to 200 years with garments made from Polyester.

The Swish required each participant to bring two items of clothing or accessories to exchange for two items brought by other members. I went home with a rather interesting Black Watch silk jacket which I have since customised with new buttons and a vintage leopardskin (fake) collar.

It was good fun and in keeping with the topical debate about reducing our consumption on fashion items.

The dash for cash - how wholesalers can ruin the reputation of a brand

2010-06-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever bought an item at full price only to walk round the corner and find it on sale for a third of the price? Well its very galling I can tell you. It happened to me today in Brighton. Wholesalers trying to get rid of past season's stock while its still for sale in the independent stores for full price.

Everyone needs to sing from the same hymn sheet - isn't that what corporate responsibility all about? Its fine to want to move old stock to get the cash in but we all need to be responsible for the likely repercussions. Its like grey imports. You buy cheap overseas in another market and undercut the brand in your own country. It happened to Tesco with Levi jeans and that resulted in a court case where they proved the supermarket were devaluing the brand.

As a small retailer you are in a vulnerable position so make sure that you can trust your brands otherwise in an instant you can loose your credibility. Thats why sourcing the right mix of brands in a small retail boutique is so very important.

Brand Signature

2010-03-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

The Creative Fashion Forum got together to talk about promoting brands. Sarah Appelhans from Unravel gave us an interesting insight into the importance of knowing what you stand for. What are your brand values and how do you present a coherent image that customers resonate with?
In the same way that fashion designers talk about having a design signature, an aesthetic that makes the brand recognizable, fashion brands also need to have an image and personality that promises a brand experience.
All too often there is a mismatch between the products, the owners and the brand image. If all the aspects of the business create a synergy customers know what to expect and can buy into a brand on a regular basis. Maybe the intangible brand elements need greater attention like visual merchandising, in store design and customer services. Perhaps we need to spend more time thinking about what we are saying about our business through the subliminal messages we transmit.

Beyond Biba - Barbara Hulanicki

2009-10-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Last night at the University of Brighton we had the good fortune to see the Beyond Biba film and be part of a conversation between Molly Parkin and Barbara Hulanicki.

What a great night - the two friends were nostalgically remembering their youth and the wonderfully creative times of the changing fashion world of the 1960's.

Its a great shame that the licensing deal that Barbara signed means that investors own the brand name. Biba re-surfaces now and again with new companies buying the rights to use the brand name. A lady in the audience had designed a dress for Biba two years ago when the brand was relaunched, however the brand didn't survive without its heritage and the integrity of Barbara Hulanicki's vision and innovation.

Its hard to divorce a brand name from the intangible brand values associated with the original entrepreneur. Biba was about a lifestyle concept - a new way of life for young people. The brand design was dark, moody and evoked an atmosphere of the bordello. Barbara Hulanicki's illustrations, clothing designs, interior design and visual merchandising made the Biba brand a unique iconic experience.

Fashion Textiles - a talk by David Radcliffe

2009-10-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Last night David Radcliffe gave a fascinating talk to the Creative Fashion Forum about our textile industry and how historically the UK producers sold its patents for various fibres such as Terylene, Crimplene and Bri-Nylon to Japan as we failed to invest in our textile innovations.

Something I had forgotten is how expensive dry cleaning is here in the UK and this of course put pressure on the industry to invent washable fabrics - those that didn't have to be ironed.

David also explained how Japan sold all the fabrics they made plus the machinery to Taiwaan and Korea - in effect selling its expertise and creating a competitor market. Trading houses like Mitsubishi sold everything from cars to cloth in those days seeing all products as commodities.

Since the 1980's the fashion industry has chased price so countries in Europe and the Far East have competed on providing low cost textiles and manufacturing. David provided a fascinating table about the different qualities suppliers compete on such as speed of production, ethical standards, expertise, communication etc and how different countries rated against these factors. Its not always price that wins the order.

We learnt about weaves like Jacquard and Crepe and discussed the qualities of various blends and mixes. David explained the art of being a silk mother and the nurturing silk worms need to make the best quality fabric.

Many of the designers present were eager to gain advice from David about his expertise and contacts for sourcing suppliers. We discussed the challenges for small designers looking for small quantities of fabric. The best piece of advice was to source the fabric and maker in the same country. There is more skill in making textiles than machining and this helps reduce our carbon footprint.

Ethical Luxury

2009-09-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered whether ethical fashion and luxury are easy bedfellows? As a Senior Lecturer in Fashion Marketing I regularly debate ethical fashion with my students. Mostly they are cynical and cannot see why we are responsible for communities in developing countries when we have a credit crisis in this country. During a film about People Tree young and older people were interviewed about whether they would pay more for ethical fashion products and although some agreed it should be on their agenda to seek out ethical labels most said that it depends on price and being up to date with the latest designs.

As a slightly older person myself I find this disappointing however if we think about motivation theories we know that younger people having trouble finding jobs and being low on income may well be pressured into buying the latest fashions from Primark.

I think we are still a long way from being able to promote ethical fashion as a 'must have'.

Fashion Illustration

2009-03-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

Kevin Freeman from Renaissance Design gave us a great evening of fun on my birthday teaching us to draw fashion designs. He made it so easy to draw a figure - someting I always struggle with. There was about 16 of us all drawing diffrent shaped bodies clad in everything from punk to ballerina. As my friend pointed out it would have been fun to look at the styles of drawing related to the person. I drew a stick thin girl which has no relationship to my body image!
I love to paint and this workshop opened up a potential whole new world of drawing that includes designing my own styles.

Xmas Windows

2008-11-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

The visual merchandiser at Harvey Nichols said that there was only one word to describe the theme for the displays this season 'Diamonds'.

On my recent trip to London to look at the visual window display in the major stores I saw some fabulous headdresses in Top Shop and Harvey Nichols. Jewel encrusted and fabulous eye make-up.

Libertys as always has a sumptuous display with lots of varied products and this year including signage to tell you where to find the products. Selfridges is using the neon lights to create interest with some humorous themes with lots of repetitions. Father Christmas is in many windows - one with lots of Japanese toys.

House of Fraser has lost of moving 'toys' in the windows for the kids. John Lewis is using its TV campaign on the in the windows, which shows good integration across media.

Its so interesting how brands manage to create displays that reflect their brand image. For example Urban Outfitters is very utilitarian and Prada is full of 'bling'.

probably the most impressive was Harvey Nichols - not just the models but the technically competent product groups coupled with the external displays of Christmas decorations.

Death Cigarettes - the importance of branding

2008-11-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

Heard a great after dinner speech from bj cunningham who launched death cigarettes.

What I learnt was the importance of understanding legislation and how you can use the loop holes to your advantage. He also explained the vital importance of brand loyalty and its links with 'just' causes. Understanding your segment is crucial and making those close links through sponsorship can be key to branding.

In fact he went further in saying that in terms of brand profile the celebrity endorsement factor provides you with the' act as if' credibility which can make you famous overnight. Thats why in terms of fashion retail having your shop in the right PLACE can support your marketing communications. I guess that SEO is the equivalence of place on the internet.

More later

futurelaboratory.com

2008-11-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Just heard Tom Savigar speaking to my students at Brighton University and he gave a great review of all that's current in the design world. We talked about freesumerism and how brands are giving us a taste of their products through sampling and experiential marketing events. Interesting as I have just been talking to someone about pop up retail shops.

Tom also talked about the mood of the moment and how the new serious and sober attitudes translate into functionalism and purity of line and form. If we think about marketing messages then we have to have a narrative - especially in fashion. We are back to clean designs and looking at the long-term. Those statement pieces - in fact some of the vintage purchases I have made recently fit that bill exactly.

Now we cannot think of marketing in terms of a quick fix advert we have to engage the consumer. We have to offer value - perhaps through links to third parties. Online we have 4 secs to capture people's attention so online merchandising is now very important. Marketing online through SEO and SNM are also key to success. This means one to one marketing and understanding how to link into communities and conversations online.

A bit like this one

British Style Genius

2008-10-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

Did you see this weeks British Style Genius? What a great programme it is. I just loved the stories about our heritage style and the photos of the queen in her wellies. We forget that so much of who we are in this country links not to the celebrity icons of today but the monarchy. Love her of hate her Lady Diana was a style icon who was always in the news and on magazine fronts - she wore the latest couture design and chose very classic brands. I always have the image of het LBD and her pearls in my mind. Of course the tartan look and the links to the royals and Vivienne Westwood are well known but this year we are all wearing those rich red tartans again. And how about multi tartan outfits? a new one for me.

The programme reminds us of the key events like world war one that have affected our styles. The integration of music and fashion is becoming more pronounced with Eric Clapton investing in a heritage brand. I never imagined him in tweeds before.

Programmes like British Style Genius help my students at Brighton University and Northbrook College understand the rich resource fashion can develop in terms of understanding the world we live in. Our identities, at least our outward manifestation of them, is often represented by the clothes we choose to wear. Our styles are affected by our environment, key events, attitudes and the media.

I cannot wait for next weeks programme.