The city of Love

Paris is one of the most romantic, beautiful and luxurious cities in the world. The beauty of the people found it in, the fashion, the food, the whole atmosphere is simple amazing, and luckily enough I was able to visit the city last week. Looking at Paris on a fashion level, the city is perfect. The home of Haute Couture, Paris screams luxury, and the whole experience will be unforgettable. The Chanel Flag Ship store, as well as Louis Vuitton, the whole elegance and welcome from the city is just incredible, and the layout of the streets, and the hustle and bustle of the city centre is just phenomenal. The layout reminds me very much of New York, with blocks around the main shopping centre: Lefayette. The day was perfectly balanced between Fashion Shopping and sightseeing! I would recommend Paris is a place to visit if you have any sort of interest in fashion, the whole ora of the city is just beautiful! 

Fashion as a Movement

• The Age of Collaboration: There have become a lot of collaborations within industries, such as Apple and Burberry, to create a cool, and other industry specialistic work. There is a lot of Fashion with Tech, Film, Music, which has enabled brands to really push publicity as well as almost rebranding themselves. 
• Avoiding Mega-Systems: Amazon, Google, Starbucks, Armani, Doche and Gabbana, Apple – all of these do not pay tax, which means that they have a different company which has a much lower tax, so that they only have to pay the smaller amount of Tax to allow them to wiggle their way out of paying. The Irish and Dutch Government are known for helping the lowering of Tax within companies. 
• Digital Craft:  The online experience has to now appear like magic; the Gucci Store in Milan, and the Burberry Store in Regent Street are an example of this. 

At home with Kate MOSS

It has been released that this Christmas, Kate Moss is to let Vogue, and all of its readers into her personal home, and teach us about the real Kate Moss, behind the model face, which she really loves, hates and what she treasures the most. With memories and her personal life released, Moss is taking a huge risk within the industry, as well as an incredible experience for all of us to understand and get personal with the Model to really understand what she stands for, and why she has made the decisions she has within her career. 

I believe that this is such a powerful thing for Kate Moss to do, and it allows us to understand her and get in touch with the real woman behind her career; family, children, marriage and her personal life. A great way of self-promotion. 

Alexander Wang

For the last 3 months there has been something that has been top on many fashion followers calendars; the Alexander Wang release for H&M. The event was open to those with an early bird ticket which were rare. With faces like Ellie Golding, and champagne, live music and the chance to get their hands on the first Alexander Wang pieces, it was packed that night, and by mid-day on Thursday the website had crashed and all stock had been sold. This sudden rush for H&M is why it is so developed and ahead of many other high street shops, as it offers something different to entice new customers as well as holding onto the existing. This is key, not only for the store but for the individual designers as it allows a large audience for the brand as the prices and the audience have changed to suit the occasion. It is, and will always be remembered as an incredible event. 

http://www.hm.com/gb/

Intellectual Properties

This part of the fashion industry is vital to the way the business works. Without legal obligations and limitations the industry would be incredibly different. Intellectual Property right are the legally recognised ruled which have to be followed. It included copyright, patents, trademarks and trade secrets; which are all in turn personal and unique to different companies and the work ethics set. Within a company, patent is key to success; it grants the inventor the right to get rid of others from the making, selling and importing of fashion. Intellectual Properties are what keeps fashion a fast moving, and high earning business; and it is vital to understanding the way the companies work.

Fashion Monitor – MY profession

When looking deeper into the fashion industry, and the promotional aspects within the business, I have realised that not only is there such a range of available jobs, but they have come so far, and developed so much over the years! This therefore leads me to believe that although I have an idea of a job at the end of my degree, the fast moving industry may therefore have a more in-depth and up to date position instead; which is in fact incredibly exciting.

Looking into my profession is something which I find so interesting, yet due to the amount of jobs, and the development of the existing ones, I have to be incredible careful to be open and willing to change with the industry, therefore looking at an exact job can be hard, but using Fashion Monitor has enabled me to look at what is current, and possible jobs I would find myself working in within the next 5 years. This has enabled me to look in more depth at the industry, as well as myself and what I want to get out of the fashion industry, and where I will be able to leave my stamp.

http://www.fashionmonitor.com

The GRANDE-Mère of couture

There is one woman who has stood out to me over the years as one of the leaders of Couture, a woman whose work was so different and unique at the time, and even though art and poetry was the route in life she wanted to take, fashion took over and snatched up her talent and brought her into the ever-moving industry. Forty years after the death of Elsa Schiaparelli, her life has come back into the light as her work is reviewed and looked at again by many. Her passion and determination for doing something special with her life was such an inspiration, to not only her family, but young photographers, designers and fashion followers. From Giacometti designed ashtrays, to Dali dressing her windows, Schiaparelli was one of the most glamorous, genuine and loved designers of her time, and her mark has been left after all these years. 

‘Elsa Schiaparelli was the most influential fashion designer of the 20th century. She was the first to use the art of her time in a provocative dialogue with fashion, and hoovering up elements that caught her fancy from all over the world.’

– Meredith Etherington Smith

There has recently been a book released about the life of Elsa Schiaparelli and her personal photographic collection of her family, lovers and the house she once lived in; which have all been selected by her granddaughter to bring her name back into the light and teach those about just how incredible she was. She is a name that I will always follow, and a book which I have ordered and am more than excited to read.

Company Bloggers Fashion Event

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to attend the Bloggers Style and High Street Company Event; hosted by the Company Magazine which was such an incredibly fashion event, combining all of the big bloggers with the best of what the high street has to offer! With names such as Primark, River Island, Warehouse and Yumi; the event was so individual as the fashion collections are available to buy from stores now! This extra factors was a real eye opener, and the bloggers themselves were available to discuss their reasonings and colour pallets. The fact that there was a real sense of high street style made it available and accessible to all; from teenagers to young adults!

BLOGGERS: Megan Ellaby for Asos, Emma Hill for M&S, Coco’s Tea Party for Next, Patricia Bright for Oasis, Hannah Louise F for Primark, Kavita Donkersley for River Island, Doina Ciobanu for Yumi and Amy Bell for Warehouse.

As well as this, the event offered free makeup and tutorials, nail sessions as well as hair styling; the interactivity was perfect for the event, and with names such as Paul Mitchell and Bargrooves, it is no wonder the tickets sold out within a week of releasing them. Located in Tobacco Dock, the event was also so personal, and the lighting, positioning and the whole decor fitted the mood spot on, and the whole event was so eye opening and helpful for not only fashion bloggers, but those interested in fashion and the high street brand. If there were to be another event held by company, I would not hesitate one bit to go, the whole scene and professional catwalk was just incredible, a real eye opener to what is out there today.

http://www.company.co.uk/magazine-hq/bloggersstylethehighstreet2014

RAVE PLUS

Ravensbourne Lectures:

• Industry Projects
• Workshops
• Short Courses
• Career Advice
• Business Mentoring

Ravensbourne Lates:

• Speakers
• Industry Advice
• Influential Speakers

Ravensbourne Shorts:

• Technical Skills
• Business Skills
• Personal Development

http://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/rave-plus/

The work behind a Campaign

• First of all, a press release is pushed to the audience to announce campaign a year in advance – making the product desirable, making them realise just what is coming and to inform the press. 
• Then, the company will tip off fashion magazines and press so it gets around to everyone; causing excitement.
• Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are also key to promoting the campaign. conversation about the brand. 
• The press are therefore interested in the designer to make the product, then get  photographs of it, then it gets sent to PR enabling them to have physical products to show, then exclusives are pushed again with pre released images. 
• The, all of this information reaches the media, the interest to the customer and is given to the audience in sections: 1 glossy, 1 weekly, 1 cover, 1 sunday newspaper. 
• They then pick the images, no one has the edge to the other they all have to have the images at the same time – 2/3 months before hand, a teaser. 
• Possibly an interview with the designer, something to tell, the story is then told about the collection or product. 
• Beginning of November more images are released to all medias, final push – billboards on oxford street, placements are then chosen and bought for maximum promotion.
• Then when the product is realised, a follow up story is created, and normally the words ‘SOLD OUT’ are used – meaning a sense of exclusiveness.