Luxury Brands Must Develop Their Customer Experience To Survive Luxury retailers must focus on providing a rounded customer experience, rather than simply flogging goods, if they are to survive the ongoing recession. According to a new report by The Future Laboratory, commissioned by the property company Grosvenor, has found there are five key areas luxury brands must improve to keep their customers happy. 1) Providing one-on-one experiences 2) Micro-events that are highly tailored to suit VIP shoppers, larger community moments that are shared via digital tools and clever event management. 3) The creation of luxury villages where familiarity and conviviality are key - providing a healthy mix of amenities such as coffee shops on retail streets 4) The evolution of luxury maisons towards a future of luxury temples - creating the ‘at home’ experience, featuring lounges, libraries, fine art and private apartments for entertainment all under one branded roof, is evolving. Burberry Regent Street Store “A personalised experience is the ultimate in luxury.
Fast fashion online business have made a fortune for owners of businesses like Zara — Quartz In its first seven years of existence, Uber has irked cities, flouted regulators, and petrified whole industries. It has yet to make money but is worth a fifth more than BMW and almost a third more than General Motors, both the owners of tons of futuristic technology, tens of billions of dollars in capital equipment, and big profits. In recent deals resembling famous speculative bubbles, rich investors eager for a piece of this juggernaut have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into custom funds that provide exposure to Uber but no equity or financial disclosure. Which is to say that investors have made a one-way, uber-bullish bet on Uber, forecasting that the company will be at the center of an utter transformation of our collective lifestyle. If not everyone is betting on it, they’re at least not betting against it. Even if you wanted to short Uber, it is generally thought impossible to do. Part I: Self-driving technology is indisputably on its way There is logic to this view.
Raf Simons Confirmed At Calvin Klein After many months of speculation, Raf Simons has finally been confirmed as the new chief creative officer of Calvin Klein. Calvin Klein took to social media on Tuesday morning to confirm the news. "The arrival of Raf Simons as chief creative officer signifies a momentous new chapter for Calvin Klein. Not since Mr. Klein himself was at the company has it been led by one creative visionary, and I am confident that this decision will drive the Calvin Klein brand and have a significant impact on its future. Raf's exceptional contributions have shaped and modernized fashion as we see it today and, under his direction, Calvin Klein will further solidify its position as a leading global lifestyle brand," said Steve Shiffman, CEO of Calvin Klein, Inc. Just yesterday, it was reported that PVH Corp. was close to confirming Simons' hire because his non-compete agreement with Dior, which he left in October 2015, expired at the end of July. FOLLOW: Raf Simons, Calvin Klein, dior
10 Most Powerful Luxury Fashion Brands In The World The luxury market has been growing significantly over the past couple of years and is still continuing on an upwards trend. Experts forecast an annual growth rate for the luxury goods market of 5-6% between 2013 and 2015. The Brain & Company estimated the luxury market to be valued at $274 billion, with a potential to reach an astonishing value of $290 value by 2015. Whilst the luxury market has been dominated by Louis Vuitton, which continues to be the most valuable luxury brand on a global scale, other names have been emerging as potential market leaders. It is believed that Prada and Gucci experienced such high growth in brand value due to an increase in Asian customers, at home and abroad. On the other hand, in the past year Louis Vuitton dropped its brand value by 12%, but it sill maintaining a top 30 position in the world’s most valuable global brands. Read on to find out the Top 10 World’s Most Powerful Luxury Brands. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 621shares
5 things you probably didn’t know about the fashion industry Mark Twain once wrote, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Whether we’re one of the millions of people employed by the sector or just someone who likes to shop on Fifth Avenue or in second-hand stores, we are all touched by the fashion industry. Before the early autumn ushers in fashion weeks around the world, here are five things about the global fashion industry you probably didn’t know: The fashion industry generates up to $2.5 trillion in revenue a year The fashion industry is huge and continues to grow rapidly – according to current growth projections, it will double in the next 10 years, generating up to $5 trillion annually. It’s not just big in terms of revenue – it also employs 60 million people around the world. Clothing accounts for 88% of Haiti’s exports Only 25% of board members of publicly-traded fashion companies are women But while the shop floor is one story, the boardroom is another. 24 April is Fashion Revolution Day Share
Global fashion industry statistics - International apparel Total trade of clothing and textiles: 726 billion dollars The most traded apparel and textile products are non-knit women’s suits, knit sweaters, knit T-shirts and non-knit men’s suits. Non-knit women’s suits: 54.6 billion dollars, 7.5 percent Knit sweaters: 52.8 billion dollars, 7.3 percent Non-knit men’s suits: 43.4 billion dollars, 6 percent Knit T-shirts: 36.9 billion dollars, 5.1 percent Knit Women’s suits: Knit women’s suits: 28.2 billion dollars, 3.9 percent Light rubberized knitted fabric: 23.9 billion dollars, 3.3 percent Synthetic filament yarn woven fabric: 20.9 billion dollars, 2.9 percent Raw cotton: 18.9 billion dollars, 2.6 percent Non-retail synthetic yarn: 18.8 billion dollars, 2.6 percent China is the largest exporter of apparel in the world, it has exported for 265 billion dollars in 2014. India is the second largest exporter with 38.7 billion dollars of clothing exports. Total trade of footwear and headwear: 139 billion dollar
Michelle Obama, Jackie Kennedy, and the Best Fashion Moments in American Political History At the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage to deliver a rousing argument for uniting the party and casting a vote for Hillary Clinton. Her wardrobe choice—a sapphire blue cap-sleeved dress by American designer Christian Siriano—delivered a clear message, too. She picked the party’s color, matched perfectly to the Convention backdrop, as if to say: This isn’t about me. Consider Jackie Kennedy as the beginning of this fascination with Washingtonian dressing. The designers Kennedy picked were, of course, telling: She relied heavily on Oleg Cassini for many of her key looks as well as Hubert de Givenchy (worn strategically on a state visit to France) and Christian Dior. Like Obama and Kennedy, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton understands you can make a meaningful statement with fashion: that every choice of designer or color—every thread, waistline, and hem—may be viewed under a microscopic lens. Read Caption
Fashion and Politics | Fashion Institute of Technology Gallery FIT July 7 – November 7, 2009Online Exhibition Fashion & Politics was a chronological exploration of over 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion. The term politics not only refers to the maneuverings of government, but also encompasses cultural change, sexual codes, and social progress. Throughout history, fashion has been a medium for conveying political ideologies and related social values. Fashion has addressed such important themes as nationalism, feminism and ethnic identity, as well as significant events and subcultural movements. "American Flag" costume, printed cotton, c.1889, USA, gift of Stephen de Pietri, 88.125.1 Vivienne Tam, suit, black and white polyester in checkerboard pattern of "Mao" portraits, 1995, USA, gift of Vivienne Tam, 95.82.5 Mainbocher for United States Navy, W.A.V.E.S. uniform, navy blue wool, 1942, USA, 84.2013.1 Dress, white cotton with red "IKE" print, circa 1956, USA. This exhibition was organized by Jennifer Farley and Melissa Marra.
Faux Fur is More Than a Faux Pas, it's Poison One of the arguments most beloved of the anti-fur lobby is that fake fur is actually better for the environment than the real thing. That argument, however, is as fake as the apparel it supports. And some new research has thrown the whole issue around man-made fibres more generally into the limelight. Specifically, researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara have found that, on average, synthetic fleece jackets release 1.7 grams of microfibers each wash. and that this is having a devastating effect on our rivers, oceans and marine life. What are these microfibres? But this new study is only part of the story. What the activists have notably left out, however, are the gaping flaws in that research, not least the fact it was commissioned by three European anti-fur groups. On the one hand, we can prove this figure is vastly over-inflated. This last point is perhaps the crux of the matter.
Culture - Designers think big at Paris Fashion Week FTC Cracks Down on Influencer Posts | News & Analysis | BoF Fashion blogger Cara Loren Van Brocklin with PCA Skin sunscreen | Source: Cara Loren Van Brocklin WASHINGTON DC, United States — Snapchat star DJ Khaled raves about Ciroc vodka. Fashion lifestyle blogger Cara Loren Van Brocklin posts a selfie with PCA Skin sunscreen. This uptick in celebrities peddling brand messages on their personal accounts, light on explicit disclosure, has not gone unnoticed by the US government. “We’ve been interested in deceptive endorsements for decades and this is a new way in which they are appearing,” he said. This means more cases like the one against Warner Bros. Companies have been pouring marketing dollars into social media endorsements, paying everyone from a Hollywood celebrity to a mom who regularly Instagrams her baby snuggling with a puppy. Personal endorsements are as old as advertising itself, and there has always been abuse. It's up to the FTC to be more clear and consistent about their policies and enforcement, she said. The FTC disagrees.
Brand Ellen: Can Happiness Sell Clothes? | People | BoF LOS ANGELES, United States — For the uninitiated, attending The Ellen Degeneres Show is like entering an alternate reality. In stark contrast to the divisive American election campaign, pitting poor against rich, black against white, straight against gay and left against right, Ellen’s set is one where everyone can sit comfortably together, singing and smiling — and dancing. Welcome to the world of Ellen Degeneres, a uniting force for good and one of the most followed and connected celebrities on the planet. Back at the show, the audience is predominantly female, but diverse in every other way. “I just wanted it to be happy, I just pictured Ellen dancing and making everyone happy,” said Pink, when first introducing the theme song for Season 13 to Ellen’s viewers last September. Hillary Clinton attends the Ellen Show Season 13 Premiere | Source: Getty “People support Ellen on a personal level, and that’s the difference I would say. Everything at ED begins and ends with Degeneres.
Luxury Daily Media group Condé Nast is connecting the dots between readers’ content consumption and purchase behavior through the launch of a new data product. Condé Nast Spire leverages proprietary insights from 1010data, looking to better target campaigns for advertisers. With today’s fragmented media landscape, it can be difficult for marketers to follow the purchase path back to the original point of inspiration, but by merging first party and third party data, Condé Nast is looking to pinpoint the right message to deliver to the right person at the right time. Purchase pathCondé Nast Spire goes beyond the one trillion and more data points created each month across the media group’s titles. These insights will be used to develop custom content that will resonate with this segment of the population. Spire gleans information across unrelated product categories, giving a full view of the consumer profile. Condé Nast headquarters at One World Trade