In theory, social shopping seems to be the wave of the future– location-based apps that show some promise, but have yet to really carry out “greatness”. Crowdsourcing and shopping however shows a lot more (immediate) possibility. From a strategic perspective (sorry, throwing “that face” on) crowdsourcing for RETAIL can be a great way to get consumers to feel a PART of the process. Ah, the democratisation of fashion.

Modcloth is a company that has taken on a nearly completely “social” model. From having consumers interact with “games” they set up through Facebook and Twitter (and no, there are no fancy apps involved, just good old fashioned interaction) to having consumers vote on their favorite pieces. A sample lives on the site for two weeks and consumers can “heart” it and at the end of the couple weeks, if there are enough votes, the piece becomes part of the collection. Simple ideas, but engaging and empowering. The empowerment aspect is something I feel is so often overlooked, particularly when speaking to young women. For some reason we are still stuck in the dark ages thinking that the only thing that motivates them are glossy images with loads of retouching and rail thin models. This kind of brand brings a realness to fashion. And it is NOT a dirty word.

Fashion is fun again. To young women who love the thrill of shopping (ahem), Modcloth is a fun, social space, where their voices are heard. Who needs that buyer? BE that buyer!

Visit Modcloth

Image via: Inc.com

Warby who?

Warby Parker people. And for all of us who relish in our four-eyed status (it’s the ONLY way for this gal!), but hate paying over $500 for a pair of new specks, these guys are a dream come true. Funky, vintage-inspired glasses for under $100. That in and of it self should be pure awesomeness, but hold on there’s more. Great value and good design? Check.

For every pair they sell they give one to a person in need (AKA the TOM’s model). Fantastic. Social goodness baked in? Check.

Now for their model. Completely web-based-tricky for something that relies so heavily on how it looks on your face. Their solution? Make it easy. You can try a pair on virtually-upload picture and see how the glasses look. Not perfect, so they also give you the option of having the ship up to 5 frames to you and trying them on. Completely free.

And if you need more awesomeness/”modern brand” talk. Just take a gander at their naming inspiration:

“We’ve always been inspired by the master wordsmith and pop culture icon, Mr. Jack Kerouac. Two of his earliest characters, recently uncovered in his personal journals, bore the names Zagg Parker and Warby Pepper. We took the best from each and made it our name.

Kerouac inspired a generation to take a road less traveled and to see the world through a different lens”

Enough said.

http://www.warbyparker.com

There are naysayers who believe that losing that elitist cache of the ever sacred “brand” will take away its inherent value. A luxury brand has no place being social.  I would argue the opposite. Like it or not, being social will increasingly become the marker of the value of your brand. It’s not about throwing up a twitter or facebook page, but finding that special social idea, like Art of the Trench, that will make your brand come to life for those who love it. Or look at Hermes (yes, you heard me right Hermes), who has started to dip their toe in the digital world, with quite a lovely site, which gives you the opportunity to design your own Kelly bag and interact in a quaint “Hermes world”. http://www.hermes.com/

It’s about people taking ownership in something, feeling as though they belong to this world of fashion-the new world is about inclusion, not exclusion. Approachability is not a dirty word anymore. Speak to people as people. Respect their intelligence.

Many wise people have written about the changing face of authority or influence in the communication model. The “death of the influencer” may be at times a bit overstated, yet there is a lot of truth to what the OLD notion of “authority” is. Today’s consumer doesn’t want a stogy fashion editor to tell her what she should be wearing. She wants to learn from her peer group-whether it be a “real life” peer group, or those she admires on Polyvore.  He will trust his peer group over all else (far above advertising per-say), and a close second, complete strangers she entrusts in the digital world. Companies like ModCloth are leading the way for fashion (“Be the Buyer”, constant social games/communication) and will continue to grow in relevancy as they mature. Will luxury fashion brands be able to answer the call? Innovate or die.

Up for it?

Well, designer collaborations are nothing new. Anna Sui just launched hers with Target. Fashionistas everywhere await the Jimmy Choo and H&M collab as though it was the second coming. These collaborations are almost always sell-outs. Many of those who aren’t willing to camp out and get first dibs are forced to go to Ebay and pay 10-100X the amount that they would in the store. It’s the fashion world’s equivalent of ticket scalpers.  Designers try to fight it, but really is helpless to try and combat it (if anything it just illustrates how in DEMAND these pieces are!)  Well, finally, ebay along with a few very wise designers are gearing up to cut out the middle man.

Norma Kamali partnered with Wal Mart last year for very wallet friendly fashions. Now, she’s also on ebay. Selling at fixed prices (“Buy it Now” feature) Both collections were unveiled at her Spring show last week at the Apple store in SoHo. In the ultimate in tech-trend goodness, she ALSO unveiled her new iPhone app (let’s call this Fashion 3.0). The ebay collection is a bit more expensive, but reflects the prices that she was seeing her Wal Mart pieces (which maxed out in price at ~$40) being sold at online. It was her way of taking back a bit of control.

Following suit Narcisco Rodriguez is also launching an ebay store. For spring 2010, he’s going to offer a new 8-piece limited edition collection will be available only thru the Narciso Rodriguez for eBay page. Each piece will be offered at fixed prices ranging from $75 to $350.

Stay tuned for more.

]]> http://www.thinkerbelle.me/2009/09/designers-meet-ebay/feed/ 0 http://www.thinkerbelle.me/2009/09/fall-fashion/ http://www.thinkerbelle.me/2009/09/fall-fashion/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:52:19 +0000 Thas http://www.adthoughtspot.com/?p=286

What is it about September that marks fall starting. Not the bite in the air (sorry, Southern Cali doesn’t quite afford me the “bite” nor do I get my favorite fall foliage), but fall fashions.  There is something I can’t quite describe about fall fashion. Layers, gorgeous warm colors, fun boots…there’s just something so fresh about it all. But fashion hasn’t been all over jumping on new technologies-albeit a random Chanel iPhone app or Gucci’s Lady Dior Twitter contest-things must shift to keep up with the speed of technology.

Fall books are historically the most gargantuan issues of the year. This year is no exception, but they are slimmer than usual. Harper’s Bazzar was down 76, Elle down 140, W Magazine down 216 pages Vogue a whopping 256 pages from last year. And this doesn’t necessarily look like a trend that will die (unlike the horrid cutout dresses from fall–please fashion gods, take those away).

So what ARE they doing? Yes there are forays into social media (facebook pages abound, twitter contests have started up–even Louis Vuitton has a twitter feed), but more interesting are away from the brands themselves. Polyvore is an amazing fashion site that meshes up the social world, with cutting edge styles and that trend that won’t die-personalization. You’re able to “create” your own fashion spreads, mashing up fabulous items from your favorite designers. C’est magnifique! And yes the top image is my OWN creation for fall ‘09 on Polyvore–some fun pieces I hope to incorporate into the fall digs. www.polyvore.com

From a retail perspective the popularity of pop-up shops in trendy urban areas have proven to be an incredible way to get the word out about a new line or new store. Whether it’s big names like Target or smaller boutiques like Revolve Clothing, retailers are taking advantage of open spaces and making temporary brand experiences in fun, relevant areas.  Target and their GO collection have done a few, with the latest with Anna Sui in NYC. Transforming a trendy SoHo space into a Gossip Girls inspired space. Girliness abounds. Throw in some photo opps with Penn Badgely and Blake Lively, and you have fashion promotion heaven. If the fact that almost every piece is sold out on target.com and NYC is already almost cleaned out, I think it’s safe to say a slam dunk.

(image via: http://www.nitrolicious.com)

I’m Canadian and I’ve been infatuated with the Lululemon brand for the past few years (and have had pants last that long as well!). I was pleasantly surprised to see the NY Post offering up some sun salutations to the brand this weekend. Thursday night in Bryant Park, 400 women gathered to practice. And celebrate the joys of Luon (the fabulous fabric that makes your bottom just a bit more perky and your legs just a tad more skinny). http://nymag.com/shopping/features/58082/

Lululemon was born in Vancouver in 1998 and Lululemon went public in 2007, and in 2008, it sold $350 million worth of apparel in 113 stores. The brand continues to grow, reaching a market cap of more than a billion dollars. With apparel that’s both fun and functional, albeit a bit pricey for yoga clothes, they have built a little fabulously zen empire. Lululemon is a hit stateside. About 5 years ago I was back in my hometown of Calgary and saw lines to get into the newest store in Market Mall and thought, hmmm, this is interesting…but, yoga pants? Everyone in town was sporting them. Snow or not! The name Lululemon itself, born out of consumer research:

“The lululemon name was chosen in a survey of 100 people from a list of 20 brand names and 20 logos. The logo is actually a stylized “A” that was made for the first letter in the name “athletically hip”, a name which failed to make the grade.”

The company itself is a planner’s dream (ironically they do not work in any kind of traditional marketing/advertising). With ideals pure as their manifesto, of basic goodness and pure intent. Sales people are incredibly well trained and passionate about the lifestyle. They breathe and live the Lulu life. “Our goal was to train our people so well that they could in fact positively influence their families, communities and the people walking into our stores.” (Corporate Statement)

The greatest part is the general feeling of goodness associated with the brand. I’ll leave with my favorite part of their corporate mission statement:

Greatness

We create the possibility of greatness in people because it makes us great. Mediocrity undermines greatness.

Image via NY Magazine, July 26, 2009.

***WARNING: I’m going to indulge a bit into the fashion/luxury world for a minute. Forgive me if this bores you immensely, but I promise there’s more to it than Sex in the City-esque moment, where the ladies are oggling over “just another pair of shoes”***

Ladies, you know them. The sultry red soled shoes. Dorothy had NO idea what she was missing out with her sparkly red shoes-can you imagine if she had the Louboutin equivalent? Who knows WHERE she would’ve ended up. Not Kansas.

That red sole makes many a woman’s heart aflutter (this woman is included). The heels teeter high above ground and look nearly impossible to walk in, but yet, totally worth it. I was brought back into this world of whimsy as I gazed at a pair of these from afar in Barneys in Beverly Hills yesterday. It was a world where things were just a bit better: judging by how everyone shopped there, there was no recession. Only beautiful shoes. Ah, alternate reality.

Escape. With the red soles. How did a red sole come to mean so much? It’s become this fixed idea in our psyche that we just need them. They make you more beautiful. More desirable. More intelligent. You can think it, it will do it for you. Now before you think I’ve completely lost my mind (and sold my soul to the fashion devil), it’s all about making a person FEEL something. And ad can make you feel something. As can a song, a book or a pair of shoes with cultural meaning planted in the sole of the shoe in the most daring red known to (wo)man.

Indulge yourself if Mr. Louboutin’s most luxuriously, quirky world on their new website:

http://www.christianlouboutin.com/

PS. Anyone out there who wants to help sponsor some market research–I am in love with a pair of turquoise 5 inch pumps. I don’t know if I could walk in them…help me research people. In the name of cultural anthropology…

An article in today’s NY Times article referenced, almost giddily, Alexander McQueen’s latest Paris show. McQueen, the renegade designer, used his latest show to make a statement. Literally thumbing his nose at fashion houses like Dior and Givenchy with over the top renditions of their designs (Little Black Dress anyone?). Some of his fashions were created from recycling his OWN couture collections. He was said to be “calling fashion’s bluff”, juxtaposing his grandiose fashions on the runway dotted with heaps of fashions in trash bags.

” “This whole situation is such a cliché,” Mr. McQueen said before his show. “The turnover of fashion is just so quick and so throwaway, and I think that is a big part of the problem. There is no longevity.” “

So what do we learn from Mr. McQueen? Fashion is disposable, but our pocketbooks are not. Make decisions based on what YOU love, not what fashion dictates because chances are they are just as clueless as you are.

Image Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/fashion/12MCQUEEN.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

First of all they seem to be the common denominator in our society. Who doesn’t wear or hasn’t worn at some point of their life, that favorite pair of Chuck Taylors? And then there is the exact opposite force working in their favor-the element of personalization and potential for uniqueness that you can’t get in your favorite designer duds.

Thousands of people embark on sneaker conventions. Passionate for that pair of SB Dunks with that perfect day-glo yellow swoosh, or limited edition ANYTHINGS. The consummate “cool kids” footwear choice. So cool that you don’t have to try. You just ARE. Sneakers will tell your story.

Oh to join the cool kids…

Image Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fastcompany/headlines/~3/qkPRMU3BJ48/1192106

How many creative briefs have we written that somehow encompass the idea of “capturing movement in a still life image” (or is it just me?)…well Lancome has an answer for us.

Lancôme, together with McCann Erickson Japan and media agency Dentsu, designed a transit campaign in Tokyo using suspended electronic paper projecting an image of a moving brush to mark the launch of their new electronic vibrating mascara product, Oscillation. According to Brand Republic:
“The ‘train jack’ (whereby an entire train carries advertising exclusively for one brand), which has been installed on Tokyo Metro trains running on the busy Ginza and Marunouchi lines, includes a hanging electronic poster that presents a moving image of the oscillating brush. The fixture reportedly marks the first time for electronic paper to be used to create a suspended transit poster. Trains on both lines, which run through the city’s major business and shopping districts, will carry the work until the end of the month.”

The OOH drive is supported by print elements in major lifestyle publications showing an image of the product under a lenticular lens to create the impression of movement.

So THAT’S how to create motion on a 2-D surface. Gotcha.

Let’s keep going with our friends at Lancome. Not only are they using cutting edge technology in OOH, but are also heavily into Web 2.0/3.0. They have created an online portal (in France) www.lancome-webstation.com

Seeding through a list of top 20 selected bloggers, and incorporating video footage into a series of online tutorials where consumers can learn more about their skin and how to care for it, Lancôme is engaging consumers and passing on knowledge and understanding on a scientific level.

And all this from a cosmetics company. Impressive!

Image: http://www.brandrepublic.asia/Media/newsarticle/2009_02/Lancome-launches-mascara-via-electronic-paper/34461