10/14/2010 06:47:25 AM
wool

Take something from one place and put somewhere unexpected and you create some impact.

So when the wool producers want to get the attention of the tailors of London's Savile Row, there's one really impactful way to do it, bring the sheep to the street. 

It's was all part of a campaign to convince people that wool is a comfortable fabric.

Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: events (3) fashion (12) savilrow (1) tailors (1) fabric (2) sheep (2)

01/14/2009 07:02:09 PM
Detailed facts and knowledge that were previously available to experts are now accessible to all.

Everyone can pretend to understand what the experts are talking about and everyone can see how they work.

Also, with the proliferation of content, creators are now looking at this expert information as viable fodder for communication.

Years ago, this would have been too much for the average consumer to process or too technical, now it's fair game. In fact, digging deeper and learning more has become something of an international hobby. If it's there, we want to find it.

A good example of this is the recent work from The Gap. The company has teamed up with color experts, Pantone to launch an array of basic clothes in various Pantone shades.



The explanation of the campaign is something that in the past might have been thought of as "very inside". Color trend forecasting has always been  the work of expert specialists who inform the fashion industry what colors to make for consumers.

In this case, The Gap opens up the theater curtains for consumers, so they get to see the same thing The Gap designers would see, or at least a little snapshot of it.

We can only expect to see more of this as content creators look for more angles and consumers become more interested in learning more.

In the near future, brands will not shy away from going to extraordinary lengths to share their process and secrets with consumers.



Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: pantone (2) colorforecasting (1) brading (1) fashion (12) gap (3)

06/14/2008 09:41:09 AM
Great profile piece on Threadless, a 2.0 brand, in this month's Inc magazine.

"Nickell started talking about his company. Threadless, he explained, ran design competitions on an online social network. Members of the network submitted their ideas for T-shirts -- hundreds each week -- and then voted on which ones they liked best. Hundreds of thousands of people were using the site as a kind of community center, where they blogged, chatted about designs, socialized with their fellow enthusiasts -- and bought a ton of shirts at $15 each. Revenue was growing 500 percent a year, despite the fact that the company had never advertised, employed no professional designers, used no modeling agency or fashion photographers, had no sales force, and enjoyed no retail distribution. As result, costs were low, margins were above 30 percent, and -- because community members told them precisely which shirts to make -- every product eventually sold out. Nickell's company had never produced a flop."

Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: threadless (3) design (41) fashion (12) brand2.0 (2)

03/25/2008 04:10:39 PM (1)
It’s interesting how brands are starting to embrace the broader lifestyle concept surrounding the environment.

One tactic to broaden the idea is to partner with other like-minded companies to generate a halo effect.

Saab, a company not necessarily known for its green credentials, but is now keen to push them, has just embarked on a new program.

Saab is moving into the clothing business with the launch a new “Pure BioPower EcoClothing” collection.

The goal is to push Saab’s BioPower technology.

To do this, the Swedish automotive giant has partnered with Reflective Circle for the clothing that will include a range of dresses, t-shorts, blouses made from certified organic cotton, other clothing lines will be introduced over the course of the year.

The line will be available online at Saab Expressions.

The idea of partnering and combining to add impact is interesting in this case.

Traditionally, brands have partnered with companies of equal size and weight and in areas where there is obvious synergy.

In the case of the environment, smaller companies that are focused on the ethical side can bring a considerable halo to the larger firm.

The challenge for these small companies is to protect their integrity because they will have many critics who don’t support the idea of partnership with companies who don’t have ethical and environmental considerations at the center of their corporate mission.

Idea from Claes Foxerus



Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: reflectivecircle (1) clothing (3) fashion (12) automotive (11) sweden (5) saab (2)

03/17/2008 06:16:52 AM
The well-known Swedish fashion company H&M enters a new phase. H&M always followed the same route: cheap trendy fashion. Now they enter a new phase. By buying the upcoming Swedish fashion company Fabric Scandinavien (behind brands like Sunday Sun , Cheap Monday . HM enters a new role as a venture capitalist. Before HM had to produce products to get revenues, now (with acquisitions) they have to control the portfolio of stocks.
 
This could be a boring, dangerous and reactive way to go. Before they were forced to lead and forge a path, now they can just look and follow. In the long run, this could be a problem: when you fall back and get satisfied, the world around seems to fade away.
 
The acquisition strategy marks a shift from H&M’s old approach of launching sub brands (or rather sub companies in another category such as COS
 
Where will it end for H&M? Will it become the new PPR ?

By Claes Foxerus. You can find more writing from Claes here.  He’s also the co-founder and editor of The David Report . And, for those of you looking for Swedish Planning connections Claes is the man, he is the co-founder and secretary of the Swedish APG.
 



Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: strategy (6) expansion (3) fashion (12) sweden (5) H&M (3)

02/12/2024 07:04:44 AM (2)
Department stores have been trying for years to turn their private label offerings into real brands.

Most attempts have failed because they are just names with no deeper meanings making it impossible for them to compete with the genuine article.

JC Penny clearly understood the weakness in this approach and went outside to the brand master, Ralph Lauren to create its latest offering, American Living.

What's interesting about this concept, is although it has touches of Lauren's style all over it, he's created another world for the department store. Lauren's past success has been driven by the clever balancing act between present and past, His ideas were classical, but they were always believable in a contemporary context.

American Living is different, it's unabashed in highlighting the past as its inspiration. The web site suggests that the concept is anchored around the General Store and is rooted in a time when American's were practical, had a sense of humor and dreamed of a better life. This is no daily commute from the suburbs.

It's fascinating to see such a shift to the past in a country that's usually so wrapped up in the future.

Something has changed and perhaps the future no longer looks so bright.

In such a world, we are going to cling to the icons of the past for re-assurance and confirmation of who we are and where we stand.

American Living is just one example of the nostalgia for the past that America is now craving in everything from its cars to its politicians.

It's a force that cannot be ignored.


Posted by Ed Cotton

Next    Articles for tag fashion (12 total).