iSpy with my little eye
Every month, fashion industry consultant Kate Vandermeer handpicks some of the latest trends hitting the sector. From cutting edge online ventures to new event marketing concepts, take a look at what she’s spied on this time.
The future of Fashion Online
Pioneering new territory in the 2.0 world of online is quite a task in the saturated online fashion space. It takes some serious innovation, superior technology and unique point of difference to capture the online audience’s attention. ‘Fashionair’ - the brainchild of Sojin Lee, former head of retail and buying for luxury giant Net-a-Porter and American Idol’s Simon Fuller - has managed to do just that.
In true fashion entertainment style, it’s the first fashion site to combine original editorial films with interactive shopping solutions. It also allows users to manage their own look books and shop all on the one site.
It’s led by a group of industry contributors, who are global fashion editors and stylists including Australia’s own industry heavyweight Yasmin Sewell. Launched just last month, the site is a thoughtfully edited, high-end aggregator, offering the best of the best on the web. www.fashionair.com
Age-fusion labels
Often when a recognised brand launches a new label it heads into “diffusion” territory and is aimed at a younger generation or lower price bracket. However, rarely is it homage to the older, more classic customer.
Country Road have proven they can be unpredictable in the past, choosing to expand internationally with South Africa as their virgin, however Trenery showcases their calculated risk taking some more.
Considered to be the “older sister or brother” to the Country Road customer, Trenery is less fashion forward and more about investment classics with an edge. Noting we have an aging population, iSpyStyle thinks this is a considered and smart approach. www.ternery.com.au
Old Concept – New Application
Creating a point of difference at a fashion launch, event or party is a somewhat difficult experience in the tried and tested “DJ, celeb, drinks & canapés” formula, which is why this concept caught my eye. Two commercial photographers from Melbourne have created the worlds’ first fully portable, high resolution, digital, architecturally designed, partly inflatable Photobooth!
It can be branded with your company logo and all the files are saved onto a website gallery so you and your team, party or company can view them afterwards. It’s a great example of our fascination with all things “old skool” but with a more modern, technological approach. www.photobooth.com.au
Styling Vs Designing
Alexander Wang has exploded onto the scene in such a short space of time with his “everyday chic” style. His “one part design, two parts styling” formula that has made him a hit with IT girls, celebs and retailers all over the globe was re-iterated at his recent New York Fashion Week show.
Combining his staple grey marle pieces with tan leather accessories and just shrugged on silhouettes, Wang has continued to offer the forbidden fruit: ready to wear that’s straight off the catwalk and ready for the street.
Perhaps it’s his unique sense of what real women want to wear so as to appear nonchalant yet still polished that’s struck such a chord? Or is it just a case of great timing, with our current pre-occupation with street style blogs and everyday “real” fashion that compliments his aesthetic? www.alexanderwang.com
Unique Brand Collaborations
In store collaborations and creating “retail theatre” are concepts we are starting to hear more of from a business strategy point of view. With customer expectations rising and the threat of online shopping competing with bricks and mortar, we will start to see more exciting experiences that drive traffic back in store. Consider this the evolution of the Pop Up Store.
One such example is the new partnership between Retailer Incu and Topshop. Incu have long been supporters of the artist/designer collaboration and have a strong and loyal relationship with their customers who would lean towards leaders and early adopters within the trend cycle. This relationship is a massive coup for Incu, given the high recall brand association of Topshop.
It is however, an interesting move for Topshop, whose explosion into the Australian market was expected to be a large-scale store.
Pitching the Topshop brand amongst Helmut Lang, Alexander Wang, Acne, Gorman, Bassike, TV and Marc by Marc Jacobs (a sample of Incu’s current array of stockists) is an interesting strategy that they have mimicked with great success with iconic retailers like Colette in Paris, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and Opening Ceremony in America. www.incuclothing.com.au, www.topshop.com
Kate Vandermeer is Director of iSpyStyle – an information website (www.ispystyle.net) and consultancy firm targetted at the fashion industry - and has spent 15 years working across leading retailers such as Mimco, French Connection and Decjuba.