DVF Journey of a Dress

Talking of Emma Roberts... Emma has also taken part in the Diane Von Furstenberg's 'Journey of a Dress' series. A series that sees top celebrities and fashion bloggers travel the world in the brands iconic Wrap Dress which is celebrating it's 40th anniversary this year. The Wrap Dress is so famous in fact, that a whole exhibition was held around the dress in LA this year.

Other 'Journey of a Dress' stars include Coco Rocha and fashion bloggers Song of Style, Tuula Vintage and Chiara Ferragini. The range of young girls chosen to be a part of the video series shows how timeless the Wrap Dress is, and just how flattering the shape of the dress is for a woman of any age. The women chosen all have mega status and influence within the industry, and a whole heap of dedicated followers that admire and copy their fashions... a perfect platform to promote the dress.

These films are a nice little PR stunt that help to support the launch of the exhibition. The short films are also great as they can be posted and shared on social media platforms, reaching a large audience.

Emma Roberts' Jimmy Choo Photo Diary

Emma Roberts has collaborated with Jimmy Choo to create an exclusive photo diary that sees the actress personally style a range of shoes from the new AW14 collection with her favourite summer looks. The photo diary was posted on the brands website and social media channels, and accompanied by an in-depth Q+A about her personal style and influences. When you view the images on the brands site, the shoes are of course shoppable there and then- a technique all brands are now adopting when mixing editorial content with product. Before I saw the final images, I imagined the photo diary would consist of more candid, personal photos that saw Emma wearing her new Choo's out and about in different locations, however the final images are actually edited, glossy magazine-style images which I kind of felt slightly disappointed by. With this said, Jimmy Choo is an incredibly sleek, chic and polished brand so I understand that Instagram filtered photos might pose a slightly peculiar image.

I find the idea of celebrity endorsement immensely interesting. Choosing a celebrity that perfectly represents your brand requires a lot of thought and trust. The celebrity is essentially an ambassador for the brand, which means everything they do both in their work life and personal life is associated with the brand.

Mulberry Hits Wilderness Festival

I haven't been able to go on Instagram this week without seeing EVERYONE I follow posting photos from Mullberry at Wilderness festival. I am #welljel. Mulberry hit the festival to celebrate the line of handbags model of the moment Cara Delevingne has designed with Mulberry. The brand hosted a picnic at the arts festival, invited loads of Cara's cool celeb mates, added some press and lots of Champagne filled picnic baskets. With a combination like that, no wonder it was a great success.

This event has Instagram written all over it, which is a great for any brand these days. The picnic's setting was typical Mulberry: a walled garden in the grounds of a beautiful English estate, which was decorated with hay bales set amongst the purposefully over-grown grass, golden heart-shaped balloons imprinted with the iconic Mulberry logo, a 'Cara-Van' and Mulberry-check picnic blankets to top it off.

Not only did they host the chicest festival picnic ever for press and celebs, they also created a 'Mulberry Loves Craft'  tent that allowed festival go-ers (and yes that's the dreamboat Douglas Booth having a go too in the image below..) to make their own customised and monogrammed Mulberry leather bracelets. This is a great idea that allows for interaction with the brand, and gives people the chance to have a slice of Mulberry, even if they can't afford a Bayswater or Cara for that matter.

If like me you weren't lucky enough to go to Wilderness festival, Mulberry fans have the chance to win their own leather bracelet, as well as a Cara Delevingne Collection tote and newspaper by sharing a picture of their best homemade and handmade creations on Instagram with #MulberryLovesCraft and @Mulberry_Editor included in the post. This is a fantastic way to promote consumer engagement and creates free advertising for the brand.

The association with Wilderness festival gives the brand a cool and current image and shows they have a fun and humble personality that's not afraid to get a little bit muddy.

Talk about festival chic.

 

Suzy Menkes and the New Digital World

Tonight I watched this interview between Suzy Menkes, one of today's most respected and legendary fashion journalists, and Imran Ahmed, founder of Business of Fashion, the leading site for up-to-the-minute news from the fashion industry. Suzy has recently been named International Vogue Editor for Conde Nast International, a role that will see her write a global column several times a week, to be published on Vogue websites from all over the globe, including China, Brazil, India, Russia and Germany to name a few. Suzy joins Conde Nast International from a long career at the International Herald Tribune and New York Times newspapers, where her legendary journalism brought a serious and honest tone to fashion writing. Suzy herself says one of the reasons she accepted the new role at Conde Nast International, was that she feels it's incredibly important to keep up with the ever-evolving times. Suzy is not afraid of technology and this role seemed the perfect transition to be able to utilize the internet and it's up to the minute benefits.

Suzy began her career back in 1987 , a time when iPads, Instagram and digital cameras didn't exist. It's fascinating to listen to Suzy talk about her career back in these days when fashion wasn't instant. Back then, a fashion show was for press and buyers only, and had a certain mystery allure to the general public that no longer exists now that all shows are live-streamed and images of the shows are up on social media before the model has even left the catwalk. You can now even pre-order items from the catwalk, as they are going down the catwalk as seen at Burberry and I'm sure many other brands next season. In the interview, Suzy mentions the frantic process of getting film from a show sent on a bike to be developed straight after the show, choosing the best photos to be developed, then being biked straight to the newspaper with the hope of not missing the print deadline for the next days paper.

I could talk for hours about this subject. It's amazing to think about the transformation the industry has been through with the introduction of the internet and social media, in particular when it comes to fashion shows. Something that used to be for the eyes of the elite is now accessible to the world. Fascinating.

Christian Louboutin x Angelina Jolie

It was announced recently that Christian Louboutin has collaborated with Angelina Jolie, creating a limited edition shoe to mark the launch of the Disney film Maleficent. The shoe was designed by both Jolie and Louboutin, and has been named Malangeli. The shoe features a leather body with mesh inserts, and a sculpted heel that curls away from the sole, to convey the illusion of magic.The style, available to buy in black and red patent leather, will sell for almost £1,000, and will be available to pre-order at 5 Christian Louboutin flagship stores globally from October 20th. Profits from the sales of the shoe will go to SOS Children's Villages, a charity dedicated to orphaned and abandoned children, which Jolie has supported since 2003. 

I recently watched a very interesting and intimate interview between Natalie Massenet of Net-A-Porter and Christian Louboutin. It was fascinating to hear how the most famous shoe designer of our times fell into the shoe business, and listen to him talk so passionately about the business and career he has built. He makes it seem so easy in fact. Highlights from the chat below.

Victoria Beckham x The Outnet x Mothers2Mothers

This month Victoria Beckham has partnered with The Outnet.com to sell over 600 items from her personal wardrobe. Not only is this amazing in itself, all proceeds from the transactions will go directly to Mothers2Mothers, a charity Victoria holds close to her heart after she embarked on a recent "life changing" trip to South Africa with Anna Wintour and Vogue US. Mothers2Mothers is a fantastic South African based charity that supports, trains and employes mothers who have HIV, and educates them on how to prevent the risk of transmitting the disease to their babies. 

With help from her mum and sister, Victoria carefully selected iconic pieces from her wardrobe – pieces from her days with the Spice Girls, pieces she has worn out with husband David Beckham, and from parties, awards shows and other events that have been heavily documented and photographed by the world’s prying press. In addition to the charity sale, 10 of Victoria's most iconic items from her wardrobe will be placed in a special 'Going, Going, Gone' sale. A reverse auction that sees the starting price reduce by a fixed amount every five minutes. All pieces for this project were valued by Christie's, the world's premier auction house.

I think this is a fantastic way for a celebrity to put their fame to good use. Victoria Beckham is an incredibly powerful brand that has a global audience following her every move. This creates a perfect platform to promote such important causes like Mother2Mothers. The Outnet is also the perfect platform for Victoria to launch this project, as the e-commerce site has established itself globally, becoming the leading discount e-tailer in the world, with thousands of women all over the globe visiting the site every day for the latest discounted designer goods. Victoria also sells her sought after Victoria Beckham Ready-to-Wear collection on The Outnet, so has a great relationship with the site.

The exclusive sale runs from the 20th-25th August 2014 at The Outnet.com.

ASOS #ASSEENONME

Today I read that Kim Kardashian is releasing a book of her seflies (god help us). It seems like the #selfie craze that has taken over the world is getting more and more popular by the day. I have already written about a few brands who have seen this craze as an opportunity to create interactive and incredibly successful social media campaigns, and ASOS are another brand that are using a hashtag social media campaign as a way to keep consumers engaged.

#ASSEENONME is a simple but very effective initiative by ASOS that encourages consumers to upload a selfie of them in their latest ASOS purchases to their Instagram account, add the hashtag #ASSEENONME and waaah-lah, you instantly have a global audience. The best photos then get added to a new #ASSEENONME area on the ASOS site. Pretty cool hey. Not only are the best photos added to the site, the photos are then categorised into menswear and womenswear, then sub-divided into product categories. This is a great feature as it makes it easy for consumers to browse specific product easily to find inspiration.  But what is really the cherry on the top of the cake is the clever feature that links consumers photos that appear in the gallery to live product on the site, meaning you can click and buy something there and then if you want to re-create your own version of the selfie. In fact, just in the space of writing this I've seen so many pieces I want to buy...better get my credit card out.

Love this.

The Whirlwind...

Just a few of my favourite photos I've taken from the last 8 months.. what a whirlwind. Bring on Bali and the last two months.

 

MR PORTER

Since launching in February 2011, MR PORTER has quickly grown to become the number one online retail destination for men's style. A place where style conscious men can go to not only shop over 180 of the worlds leading fashion and lifestyle brands, but also enjoy expert weekly editorial content that rivals that of GQ and Esquire.

What caught my eye back in 2011 was how the site is perfectly designed to target men who typically see shopping as more of a chore than a leisure activity.... A hard market to crack. The clever folk at MR PORTER didn't just model the brand on it's hugely successful sister site Net-A-Porter, unlike many of it's rivals (in my eyes, there is no competition..) MR PORTER really understood how men shop, and realised that a product driven site would not keep its consumers wanting to come back for more. Instead, they took an editorial approach, making it more like an online magazine that happens to sell clothes too. When you first land on the site, you are confronted with this weeks headline article, usually an article focused around a style-setting man (yes, they use the word 'style' over 'fashion'..) who is successful in his industry. This ranges from famous hollywood stars to stylish men at the top of their game in their chosen industry.

All editorial is beautifully presented in a clean, sleek style, using a monochrome colour pallet to keep it simple and fuss-free. Other features to note are the 'Style Help' section, where men can head if they want to swat up on wardrobe essentials, latest trends, and my favourite.. the Stylepedia in case they need to know the difference between Alexander McQueen and Acne, or find out what a Raglan is. Everything within the editorial sections subtly link back to product, so consumers can 'shop the look' easily. This is a great feature as it eliminates the browsing phase, something men find frustrating and a timewaste. This way, product is organised into categories or trends meaning consumers can pick and choose what's most suited to them and shop whole looks without having to flick between different tabs.

What I really want to talk about is MR PORTER offline, something that I find fascinating for any online brand. Translating an online brand to offline can be tricky, and needs a very strategic approach as you are essentially bringing the brand to life and giving it a real personality, and often the first time consumers have seen the brand beyond their computer screen. Offline activity is essential for a brand, as it increases brand awareness, often encourages consumer engagement and also heightens brand perception. The locations the brand choose to execute their offline activity is also essential, as this is what the consumer will relate the brand to. For MR PORTER, locations like Canary Wharf and London Collections: Men are popular, you would never see them strolling the streets of Brixton for example. All activity is executed by hot, hot male models, dressed impeccably in MR PORTER gear- exactly how you'd imagine a MR PORTER man to be. 

MR PORTER have nailed this transition from online to offline. Their offline marketing activity has included things such as a luxury branded gelato cart giving away free gelato at London Collections: Men, and events such as House Festival. A MR PORTER Cafe was constructed in Canary Wharf, giving away free cafe delights to busy bankers and brokers and you can always find them at the hottest events at The Hamptons to LA to St Tropez. And then there is the MR PORTER Post...

 For a site that is driven by top-class editorial content, it seemed natural to create the MR PORTER Post, a paper featuring a condensed version of The Journal (found on the site) which is distributed free of charge to regular customers and registered users, as well as being placed in on-brand stores such as Murdock, the high-end barbers. You can also find the MR PORTER POST being delivered to stylish recipients in on-brand areas like Canary Wharf and Bank by a posse of hot models on sleek branded MR PORTER bikes. This week MR PORTER Post headed to St Tropez, dressed a bunch of model-esque men in Orlebar Brown swim shorts and nothing else, and handed out the paper to the stylish men vacationing at the chic destination. At London Collections: Men last season, they took over a window at The Hospital Club, branded it with MR PORTER Post and made it interactive and shopable, truly merging offline with online. All offline activity is then brought back online and posted on the brand mrporterlive Instagram account, making it visible for not only the passers by that engaged in the activity, but fans across the world can keep up to date and see what the brand are up to. 

Ohhh MR PORTER, J'Adore.

Mark Sebba, Net-A-Porter, He's the man...

Last week, 7:30am, I was on my way to work and found myself in tears amongst all the other depressed people I was surrounded with on the bus. However, I was far from depressed, in fact my tears were caused by a video posted by Net-A-Porter, my number one brand. 

Mark Sebba, CEO of the Net-A-Porter Group, is retiring after 11 years in service. He first joined Net-A-Porter back in 2003, 3 years after Natalie Massenet founded the site, where he focused his efforts on developing and enhancing the sites global infrastructure. During his time at Net-A-Porter, he saw the launch of The Outnet, Mr Porter and Porter Magazine amongst many other fashionable successes. According to the Business of Fashion, Sebba joined when the company was worth £6 million, and with his help, grew to £120 million in 2009 before luxury conglomerate Richemont acquired the group in 2010.

To celebrate Sebba's retirement, Natalie Massenet didn't organise things by halves... Mark walked into the office on his last day to be greeted by a carnival-like scene, with choir singers singing Aloe Blacc's number one hit single 'The Man', staff members dancing atop tables holding banners with Sebba's face on (dressed to coordinate in black and white of course). As Sebba was lead through the office, samba dancers, acrobats, an entire live choir and a mariachi band appeared, and even included live links to Net offices all over the globe so they could join in on the fun.

Back in 2011, when I was interning for The Outnet, I had the pleasure of attending the groups Summer party, and hearing a speech by Mark himself, describing the enormous success the group had had over the past year. I remember him being truly inspiring and spoke so passionately about the brand and it's incredible on-going success. It's amazing to think what influence the man has had on the world of luxury online retail. 

No wonder they call him the man. 

 

Louis Vuitton AW14 Campaign

All eyes were on Nicolas Ghesquière for his first ad campaign as creative Director for Louis Vuitton. Not happy with just one photographer to help his creative ideas come to life, Ghesquière called upon fashions top 3 most in demand photographers Annie Leibovitz, Juergen Teller and Bruce Weber. A series of images were created dubbed ‘Series 1’, (implying there’s more to come..) and starred top models/actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg, Liya Kebede, Kirstin Kragh Liljegren, Jean Campbell and Freja Beha Erichsen.

This season Annie Leibovitz, Juergen Teller and Bruce Weber were each given free reign to interpret the brief of “classic beauty meeting creative innovation” in their own way. The results were unique and completely different from each other, yet seemed to carry the same eerie theme obvious in Ghesquière’s debut collection.

When I first laid eyes on the campaign, I was a little confused to see the distinct lack of uniform through the shots, whilst also thinking how refreshing they were from the usual Louis Vuitton campaigns. On second thought however, if I were the new Creative Director of the powerhouse that is Louis Vuitton, why not pull together the best of the best to create that initial impact that all eyes in the industry have been anticipating. Looking forward to following his next steps…

#Cara4DKNY

In June DKNY announced that they are to be collaborating with model of the moment Cara Delevingne, allowing her to design a 15 piece capsule collection for the global New York based brand.

To build that much needed buzz around the project, the brand developed two catchy hashtags with the idea that followers can upload selfies of themselves pulling their best model pose, add the #CaraWantsYou and #Cara4DKNY hashtags and be in with the chance of joining Miss Delevingne to model the one-off collection, which will be hitting stores in November. A new logo was even created, making it appear like Cara had scribbled all over the iconic DKNY logo.

A massive 54,735 entries were made, showing the sheer power of social media, and the reach a brand can achieve with a celebrity that perfectly reflects the brand and a well thought out social media strategy… all without the million dollar advertising campaign.
Cara then chose her 6 favourite selfies, choosing people with personality and people that would best reflect her collection, A photocall then followed with her new best friends, which was of course splashed all over social media for millions to see, building the perfect hype for the much awaited collection. 

Most of the advertising for the collection was done through Cara’s and the brands social media platforms, making it quick and easy for users to understand and take part. This is a great way for a brand to tap into a wider audience, spreading brand awareness and showing off the brands fun, young personality.

#CaraWantsYou #Cara4DK

CHANEL AW14

 

Chanel goes boxing this season for the AW14 campaign, featuring IT girl Cara Delevingne and US newcomer Binx Walton. The campaign was shot by Mr Lagerfeld himself, and sees the models standing in a boxing ring lifting weights and wearing Chanel leather jogging pants, jackets and knee high boots, and tweed and pearls in others. In one shot, Binx is even seen to have the infamous CC logo painted onto her head, whilst Cara has tweed plaited through her perfect coiffed hair. Work out gear has never been so chic.

I find Chanel campaigns can be hit or miss sometimes. They are always incredibly conceptual, and perhaps out of the box, with larger-than-life themes- mostly seen on the catwalk. The boxing concept is refreshing and unexpected (especially as the AW14 catwalk show was based around a supermarket theme), but I can’t help think that the typical Chanel consumer is slightly confused as to what’s going on with the brand that’s known for it’s classic, timeless pieces, that attracts chic, upper class ladies with cash to blow.

On the other hand I like where they are taking the brand. The introduction of the sportswear, including the Chanel sneakers that are oh so popular with the IT girls and their Instagram accounts, shows the brand isn’t stagnating, and is successfully able to keep up with the times. The new Boy Bag that is also EVERYWHERE (and is absolutely the most amazing dream of a bag) also caters for this new crowd of young, successful IT girls.

Chanel still haven’t caught up with the social media craze however. They have official accounts, but have tactfully chosen not use these as a tool to market their brand. Social media is an incredibly key aspect to any brand these days, as it’s the perfect way to engage consumers on a personable level, giving brands a voice and personality beyond the confines of the store, website or an ad campaign. Chanel are the elite when it comes to fashion brands, so everyone wants to be in their exclusive club. Having a social media presence opens the brand up to the masses, giving everyday people a chance to have a slice of the brand when in reality there’s no way they would be able to afford a £3,000 tweed jacket or handbag. This is why Chanel have chosen not to be present in the world of social media, and I think it works perfectly for them. Chanel don’t need this extra injection of followers or brand awareness. Imagine Karl instagramming pictures of his breakfast, or perfectly made coffee… It just goes against the brands image! I think Coco would agree.

#CHANEL