Who cares about the horses?

The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is as much about the winning styles as the winning steeds and provides an unrivalled arena for fashion branding, as Belinda Smart reports

It's that time of year again, the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, when fashion, horseracing, and a generous pour of champagne blend in perfect harmony to create a memorable occasion.
Just thinking about it one can almost hear the thunderous sound of hundreds of hooves hitting the turf...or is that a stampede of shoppers galloping to the stores to put their money on the ultimate racing outfit?
Ask Melbournians and indeed interstate Australians about their plans for the racing season and likely as not they'll be taking part; but for many racegoers, the key question is not, "Which horse are you betting on?" but, "What are you wearing?"
According to figures from a Racing Victoria economic impact report prepared by Melbourne reporting company IER Strategic, spending on fashion apparel during last year's carnival was estimated at $15 million.
With attendance at this year's event - which leaves the starting gate on October 29 and runs for about a week - expected to rise by 5 to 10 per from last year, the event is steadily growing a status as the single most significant business opportunity for fashion labels and retailers.
The racing season is an unrivalled chance for race goers to get "frocked up" in the latest looks and for retailers to showcase their offering, says Anouk Darling, general manager of Sydney branding consultancy Moon Design.
"Obviously it's a key time for accessories as well [and] hats or fascinators, eyewear, bags, shoes, jewellery are all an important part of the mix," she says.
Tim Arrowsmith, creative director of Melbourne consultancy Interbrand Australia, describes fashion and the Spring Carnival as "totally inseparable." "There are the incredible marquees [...] but it's the people watching that's so fascinating. Flemington becomes one massive fashion parade [where] everyday folk spend thousands on the latest fashions in order to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Every year local designers use it as their opportunity to shine, so it's not only about the dollars, but the incredible creative satisfaction as well."
This is particularly the case for emerging designers. "It's about being first to make that big discovery, so what better way for "unknown" designers to be seen than on the world stage than at Spring Carnival?" he says, while at the other end of the scale, luxury brands like Gucci, Prada, Bulgari or Cartier can also exploit "co-branding" or accessorising opportunities.
Clearly the racing season is a potential goldmine for those that know how to tailor their branding to the event, but warns Arrowsmith, the watchword should be "relevance".
"Relevant and integrated sponsorship works well," he claims, citing fashions on the field competition The Chadstone Fashion Stakes as an example of "great timing and great exposure for the [Chadstone] brand."
Melbourne menswear label Calibre - which recently scored the enviable task of dressing the entire male on-air Channel Seven team during this year's carnival - understands the importance of this message.
"We are not publicity driven," says Calibre general manager Freddie Ryan, "but when Channel Seven approached us we thought it was too good an opportunity to miss."
The alignment of a quintessentially Melbourne label - renowned for superior and fashion forward men's suiting - with a quintessentially Melbourne occasion represents "a very good fit", says Ryan, adding, "the Spring Racing carnival has always been an important part of our business."
However without careful management, fashion labels risk "getting lost in a maelstrom of clothes, identities, brands, celebrities and marketing hype," says Interbrand's Tim Arrowsmith.
"The most important thing for designers is brand differentiation - the critical need to express a creative idea that is unique to your competitors, whether the channel is marketing, design or advertising," he says.
"In a fashion market that's saturated with similar brand attributes and businesses, it's those who use clever PR or word of mouth and have a single minded brand proposition that cut through."
Arrowsmith claims fashion businesses are at risk of "slipping out of control as brands scramble to woo the hottest ambassadors, construct the coolest marquees and launch the funkiest advertising campaigns."
This is particularly true of the seeming frenzy with which brands attempt to align themselves with celebrities.
"What's doubtful is if we'll remember what brand [actress] Chloe Sevigny came here for... It's only when a celebrity is truly identified with a brand through a holistic marketing campaign that it makes a difference," he says adding that David Jones' alignment with model Megan Gale is a well-targeted partnership.
Moon Design's Anouk Darling agrees, and also praises David Jones' store windows for their relevant alignment to the racing season.
"The campaign showcases [racing identity] Gai Watherhouse and her daughter [who] is part of the social set; therefore it's relevant to racing but also deliberately reaches a broad demographic [of mothers and daughters]."
In terms of media "the strategies that work best tend to be fully integrated, including a visual email, print advertising and in store merchandising that relates to the campaign, so there's a synergy in the message and its memorable," she says.
While relevance should be top of mind in any branding strategy around the carnival, a holistic approach also pays dividends, says Arrowsmith.
"A brand isn't a swing tag or a name or a logo or an ad campaign. It's all of the attributes that make up its emotional and physical being. Brands sell an experience. The most successful brands are those that focus on every detail."
So, while the potential winnings for fashion brands that utilize a well-targeted, integrated strategy are huge, it seems the stakes are equally high.
"With more than half a billion dollars being pumped into Victoria's economy, it's a big deal, so it should be for your brand. Work hard to be differentiated and strive to own all aspects of your fashion brand's design and communication," he says.
By the experts' lights, if fashion brands want to exploit the racing season to best effect, it's wise to remember that the "splatter gun" approach may do little more than scare the horses.