Perspex Visual Merchandising - Online Research

Different uses of perspex in Visual Merchandising and Retail Theatre that I have found online. I will also be doing a post on VM - primary research after I go to New York

My Pinterest board - https://uk.pinterest.com/sorayasandhu/perspex-vm/ 

https://uk.pinterest.com/sorayasandhu/perspex-retail-theatre/

Perspex Shoe Adverts

                      

Jeffrey Campbell - The Plastics 2015

 

Zara 2015

Marc Jacobs 2008

MMM x H&M 2013

I have decided to analyse the Valentino and Jeffrey Campbell advertisements in my trend analysis report as both adverts clearly show the perspex. 

Harrod's Christmas Windows

Every year my family and I head in to London to finish our Christmas shopping and most importantly look at the Christmas Windows. This year my favourite windows were from Harrods with smaller windows underneath their normal windows for their younger customers! I loved this concept and their idea was based around fairytales. Each window featured a different designer from Burberry to Chanel. My favourite window was the Christian Louboutin cracker window with two giant teddy bears pulling a Louboutin Christmas cracker revealing a gorgeous pair of glittery Louboutin's. If only  you could actually buy crackers like that! Underneath this window their were mice robbing a bank with a well known Louboutin shoe bag as their sack! The larger windows also had music playing out of them to get passers by in to the festive spirit!

Summative Brief - Perspex

Just before we broke up for Christmas we were given our summative brief which is our first individual project. Our task is to create a brand/retail promotion and visual analysis report. We need to choose a subject matter which had already looked at in our group formative project. We will create an InDesign document that we will print into a booklet, which would be a printed illustrated report of 2,500 words. 

This report will be split into three separate sections - 

1. Fashion Communication - Brand and retail promotion analysis

2. Cultural Communication - Visual, historical and cultural analysis

3. Your Communication - Context analysis, idea and concept

After evaluating our formative presentation I decided to focus on the material perspex. I decided this because I thought it was interesting that perspex was used in the heel of a boot. In addition, perspex has been used in several fashion accessories that have been inspired by art, architecture and the futuristic space age idea that was created in the 60s. 

I will be uploading posts to document my research, that will mainly be pictures. 

Rihanna for Dior Mag

Soraya x

I study FCP not Fashion Design!

When someone asks you what do you study at university, I normally sigh just because whenever I say 'Fashion Communication and Promotion' everyone hears Fashion and nothing else. They quickly jump to the conclusion that I am learning how to make garments and the normal remark from my extended family is "I can't wait to wear your designs in a few years!" Which is rather flattering but that is not what I am studying. 

I am studying the way fashion is communicated and promoted in the industry. For a while I decided not to say FCP but to say Fashion Marketing as that was easier than having to correct people on what FCP was. 

After talking to my course mates I did feel rather relieved that I was not the only one that struggled to get across what course they were studying. 

So if you come across a FCP student - 

1. No they are not making clothes

2. Yes, there is more to our reading than reading 'Vogue' (yet it is still on our reading list)

3. Yes, we do learn some invaluable skills like Photoshop and Indesign

4. No, we don't do exams but we are assessed the whole way through our course through coursework

So lets hope over the Christmas break I will not have to explain that I'm not learning how to make garments but I'm learning how to communicate and promote that garment someone else has made. 

Soraya x

Dior Presentation

The past week our group had to create a presentation on a brand that we thought had translated the Autumn/Winter 2015 footwear trend well. After looking WGSN a few weeks ago to look at footwear trends we saw that Patent leather and Suede were material trends and that the key trends for shoes were ankle boots, over the knee high boots and 'detail on the heel' of a shoe or boot.

We then did a retail task, where we went around Nottingham High Street as well as online to look at value, mass market, middle market and high level market brands to see whether each market level had translated the the trends that were predicted on WGSN. We discovered that Leather and Suede ankle and over the knee high boots were everywhere on each market level. However, Patent leather boots and shoes were harder to find in value and some mass market retailers. My group struggled to find detail on the heel in lower market retailers and realised that this trend has not trickled down yet therefore I doubt this trend will fade quickly. However, seeing as the boot trend was everywhere then I think that this trend is on its decline. 

The following week, we were set a street style task where we went around the streets of Nottingham to see what shoes people were wearing and whether people had adopted the footwear trends that were predicted. We were able to photograph the boot trend but we did not see many people wearing the detailed heeled shoes. 

When preparing for this presentation we decided to concentrate on Dior because the brand adopted the boot trend and detail in the heel in their footwear collection this season.

The powerpoint presentation 

The colour palette we chose was the 'Dior' grey, a pale pink and a burnt orange/red.

In October, Dior opened a pop up shop in London near Hyde Park. The pop up shop was another promotional method that created buzz around the brand. Recently Pop up shops have become a trend in itself with designer brands opening up a shop for a week or two to increase a greater awareness around their brand in concentrated places. Dior posted the news of their pop up shop on all their social media platforms and their ‘mag’ section on their website and app.

 

Our idea for the new marketing mix was to personalise the heel with engraving the heel with initials. We also included examples of brands that have included a personalisation aspect to their brand such as Burberry, Anya Hindmarch and Farfetch. 

Images from Dior Website, Burberry, Farfetch and Anya Hindmarch, Public Desire and Sebastian Mader.

How is the Ugg Boot a trend again?

Whilst walking around Nottingham recently I've noticed a lot of people wearing Ugg Boots. This became very apparent when I was doing a street style task and I was looking for knee high boots, Ankle Boots and shoes that have a detail on them. Knee High Boots were not a hard to find but I ankle boots and detailed shoes were a struggle because everyone was wearing Uggs. I understand that they are comfortable and warm when it's cold but Uggs are flimsy and in my opinion, just not very fashionable!

As we are currently studying trend analysis, I can regretfully say ... the Ugg boot has become a footwear trend for Autumn/Winter 2015. I bet the trend forecasters didn't predict that!

Paul Smith: Gentleman Designer

I was aware of the great a quirky designer Paul Smith for a number of years. And I went to the Paul Smith exhibition in London last year.  

My pictures from the Paul Smith exhibition 

Signature Paul Smith Mini Cooper 

 But after watching a documentary about him during film club, I was amazed how he found inspiration for his collections. 

Going to University in Nottingham I am now in the home town of Paul Smith! The flagship shop in beautiful from the outside. With a garden and black iron gates to great you. The shop itself looks like a beautiful town house. An ideal building for a flagship Paul Smith shop. 

During the documentary, Paul Smith explained that you need a more lateral way of thinking. I found it inspirational that he did not find inspiration from fashion but from other print books from 1800 and 1850. 

My favourite quote