HERE COMES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD | Exclusive Trailer

Generation WE = Local. Niche. Social
With all the turbulence and socio-economic problems and unrest, clever brands and companies will collaborate to give back to the community and help repair a fractured global society on a local and 'real' basis - NOT by adding an extra '0' on to the end of a pay check for Africa or a War-stricken Middle Eastern Country. Brands are looking inwards and locally to show support and create civic harmony. There are so many adverts through so many channels and media, the future of creating loyalty and strong bonds is through emotion. This is where I see the future of Fashion Marketing and Branding as a macro trend and I pick this apart through sub-trends (micro trends) of which I have came across through personal research and from taking valuable notes from trend briefings by LS:N Global of the Future Laboratory, magazines and journals such as Harvard Business Review, Monocle, The Economist and Viewpoint.

I have been inspired by the collaborative and convivial mindset to transform Wynwood Miami into an outdoor gallery featuring an array of internationally acclaimed and locally respected street artists, graffiti writers and muralists. HERE COMES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD is a short-form Docuseries exploring the power of Public Art and innovation to uplift and revitalize urban communities. Do you think a UK city council will take heed of this creative and efficient repair initiative any time soon?

Rurban Bleisure:// KJOSK + Balestra, Berlin

Beautifully depicted in a short documentary:
Bleisure - Business merging with Leisure in modern sociecty
+
Rurban- Rural lifestyle without comprimising the connectedness with urban living

Hidden in a 600 square meter big garden in Berlins’ neighborhood Kreuzberg, Rosmarie Köckenberger welcomes her guests, friends and residents to have a coffee and a warm chat in her KJOSK.

An almost 50 year old, white painted double-decker bus is used as a mom-and-pop store where people can play Super Mario together, eat local sausages and have a after work beer.
Rosmarie offers with her KJOSK a special place, overgrown with greens, to settle back from the bustle of a big city in a familiar atmosphere.

From this point of view she introduces Balestra, a Berlin based agency. Not quit an event nor an advertising agency, Rosmarie appreciates „the perfect mixture of working with friends, having fun and professional work which is the most important part of a good collaboration”. In a time when more and more people work long hours and have less time for friends and family Balestra tries to make room for exactly those elements by incorporating them in their work ethic.” This way of working makes the agency so avant-garde and leads to successful projects such as The Kubik, an outdoor light and room installation and one of the most famous projects by Balestra.

Part of the Avant Garge Diaries.

CE - SK8THING, HISHI & Toby Fretwell

I met Toby and SK8THING whilst interning at Jacket Required in the summer.
Really nice down to earth guys - with their group venture (including Hishi) being anything but down to earth. Stand out pieces were the translucent coach Jacket, unique graphic prints and highly detailed yet 'pure' cut and sew pieces. The brand is radically refreshing and put of the box, something to shake up the streetwear game in SS12 hopefully.

Veteran streetwear designer SK8THING has a knack for building brands while maintaining an elusive, mysterious, superhero-like identity. Continuing his unpredictable style, the Japanese artist teams up with familiar colleagues Hishi and Toby Feltwell, collaborators of BAPE and BBC, to form a triumvirate of design talents under the brand name C.E. The above video offers a glimpse into C.E.’s philosophy as well as the brand’s early influences. Working from the opposite spectrum of fashions recent vintage workwear revival, the world anxiously awaits for C.E. to provide something a little different than the current crop of graphically based brands. via Hypebeast


btw:// Those rotating shelves had me tripping the first day, genuinely thought I was dizzy from dehydration or something... turns out the shelves are just cool as f**k.

New Era - 9FIFTY Interchangeable Snapback

Mass Customization.

Growing trend - seen everywhere from Nike ID to Levi's to Mini Cooper's and Fixed Gear bikes.
How does a brand make someone feel 'special' and individual? After all, don't we all want to have something bespoke, original and personally tailored to ourselves - that only the super rich can indulge in?

More brands are adding value to their products by offering a customized, more personal product or service. Obviously the product isn't totally customizable with regard to mass products - there aren't infinite sequences or colourways for most of these products. However within the confines of what is efficient, in the sense of both economic and manufacturing capabilities, brands are embracing customization on a mass scale.

Now, New Era has designed a new system for the latter group, the interchangeable snapback 9FIFTY. This system allows the snap adjuster to be interchanged, thus making it more easy to coordinate with your outfit. It enables two snaps to be changed at once or create a combination of two differently colored snaps. However, there is a less obvious benefit of this new design, this new system makes it easier to replace damaged snap adjuster.

(Video isn't the most inspiring!)

As we continue to slog through this economic downturn, I can see mass customization growing as a trend to add 'value' to products - especially for those premium and niche brands that can't afford to discount prices. Customization on a mass scale, somewhat, delivers the luxury of 'bespoke' to the consumer and therefore may be the tipping point to make him/her part with their money. As the tables have turned and communication and marketing efforts/focus is put firmly back on the consumer (see "WE not Me" post) brands are, or need to, ask themselves how they can add a personal element to the customer.

"All they want is for someone to make them feel special, for a hour..." - Jerwayne, Phoneshop

Listen up Sir Philip Green!

Me_tail: The Future of Retail

Me_tail: "The future is here, it's just not very well distributed" - William Gibson, Science fiction writer.

Me_tail is the future of retail, where stores are used between 60-100% as a marketing and experience function, not focussed on the the sell. The aim of these stores is to represent the brand in 3D form - where the consumer can physically engage and interact - of which is not so easily replicated online (for now!)

"I want to create a space where people can come and touch Nike" - Nehjat Ramoth, Manager 1948

These stores are currently at the vanguard of the retail function to solely create advocacy and loyalty since there is so much choice for consumers nowadays - why should a shopper consider entering your store? Why does that person even remember your store from the rest? Why wouldn't he or she just shop for your products online?

Me_tail stores: Acquaintances instead of Sales Assistants. Social instead of Sell.

Staff are crucial at Me_tail stores (if they are big enough to accommodate staff that is), the Acquaintances will be the link to help cement the loyalty and advocacy - through talking about

events and social gatherings coming up at the 'shop' and ways the consumer can interact online, offline and inline with the brand. A genuine, social service will be required, like in the good ol' days, no more of the fake smiles, "how's your day been?" and "the computer says noooooo."

Nehjat Ramoth, Manager 1948

Nike 1948, in Shoreditch, offer a FREE Running Club, meeting every Tuesday at the store for all levels of fitness because remember - 'If you have a body, you are an athlete' - Bill Bowerman, Nike Co-Founder. Also, as a an incentive to continue running, after a month or so of

meeting and using the club you will be given FREE Nike apparel and even footwear to keep you motivated and fall further in love with the Nike brand. The Nike 1948 store also offers an upper level which is like an office space of a cool creative agency with art, graphics, streetwear and

illustration books as well as iPads, large widescreen monitor and one of those super cool, low

back, leather sofas. This space can be used by people to go and study, chill out, or even arrange

meetings or presentations for FREE and the 1948 store will be closed whilst the space is booked!

When I was around in August, they also showed the first Arsenal game of the season with FREE refreshments - proper refreshments, not weak orange squash! - Beers, Rum, Gin, Vodka and Pims as well as a FREE Nando's BBQ! The store was also looking to start creating parties and events for Saturday nights - with Nike's budget and the unique, cool set up of the store imagine the line up of DJ's, artists and bands!

The latest arrival of a Me_tail store I have spotted is Aether Apparel's AETHERstream which has just set up in New York. Aether have collaborated with Thierry Gaugain to create the ultimate shop on wheels. The aesthetic of the store is crucial to Me_tail and this mobile shope has a flooring of 11" reclaimed oak and custom made table and sofa by Environment Furniture - who use sustainable harvested wood and reuse other discarded materials. Other props and furniture were purchased at the Paris flea market, automatically giving the store a social conscience.

WE not ME // Using touch points to LISTEN and talk

In these diagrams below I have tried to visualise the concept of ‘Brandtocracies’, taken from a Future Laboratory trend briefing. Since it’s never been easier to have a more direct relationship with the consumer it is fundamental for brands to be collaborative and conversational within their marketing – this picks up on the whole point of this brief in redirecting and emphasis touch points through digital marketing.

The big brand push is conversational rather than corporate and inclusive rather than exclusive – WE rather than ME. The old media/advertisement genres of 'Brought' and 'Owned' such as a TV ad or a brand website/campaign mean not merely as much as 'EARNT' which includes blog sites, fan pages and social media advocacy. Social media has changed marketing/branding forever. It is arguable that Marketing as a title is outdated since who is really putting products/brands into the market? The new name for marketing I suggest to be, quite simply, Consumer Engagement.

Since it's easier to buy online, the retail environment needs to become adaptable. Merely selling clothes is not enough – forget service with a smile! The new retail store needs to sell the heritage, identity and most of all, experience. Through offering the offline touch point as a physical store the interaction could potentially be transcended online to offline and vice versa. I feel that the current trend of creating branded experience and physical engagement from sports brand (i.e. Umbro and the Cosmo Collection Launch) can create significant, memorable experiences which would hopefully make the brand stick out in the consumers mind and go further through the consumer decision journey.

The old brand and consumer relationship doodled above (The Partnering Stance) where the brand dictates the marketing campaign and strategy to the consumer for the hard sell is outdated. Since there is so much choice nowadays for the consumer and consumers connect with ‘myriad brands – through new media channels beyond the manufacturers and retailers control/ knowledge’ (Branding in the Digital Age article) it is important to talk to and listen to the consumer and react accordingly (The Experiential Stance) below.

There is also a growth in the trend to buy local, stay local and be more engaged in community and civic participation. Brands should build awareness by increasing the brand advocates and ambassadors within the main target audience of influencers since their consumer range is so diverse, this will be more cost effective and efficient rather than aiming to target each and every consumer segment.

Touch points and consumer engagement to a brand needs to become 'Far Nearer'. << Listen

Conviviality Culture:// Nike Better World

Rather than viewed as good Samaritans with genuine sincerity, more often than not, corporation’s efforts to do good for the environment, society, and humanity in general are met with cynical critics and skeptics. The same goes for Nike when it announced its CONSIDERED DESIGN initiative 2 years ago or at last years Aids awareness program. A reason why Nike created Nike Better World website.

Part Public Service Announcement (PSA), but without the lengthy preaching, Nike Better World highlight all the initiatives Nike is implementing locally as well as globally which is a major trend for many businesses currently. The site, however, isn’t merely a corporate mouth piece but ask visitors to participate by redirecting them to different sites or simply address the issues publicly via Twitter and Facebook. From people close to the Better World project, the site is only the starting point with more to come later this year.

Intimate. Emotive. Collaborative.
Welcome to Conviviality Culture.

"Survival of the Fittest" - BAPE X Stussy AW10

This winter sees the collaboration of two icons in streetwear, two labels which have proven to become cult brands and international influencers through, not only fashion, but design, communication, branding and generally staying fresh. BAPE and Stussy have merged their distinctive styles and iconography together with the skull and camo, specialized with the Stussy 'doodling handwriting' and the BAPE Ape, creating an extensive collection of apparel and footwear.

The collection can be divided into two styles, one which is more orthodox street wear with printed graphic t-shirts, shell jackets and embellished denim, and the other with a more subtle palette and follows a more mature cut-and-sew styling with oxford button downs, cardigans, and unadorned blues. The collection, aptly named, “Survival Of The Fittest”, is designed to celebrate Stussy’s 30th Anniversary, and points to the evolution of both brands through the years, and adapting to the market with incredible foresight and creativity for survival which I feel some brands should try and aspire to, not only in the realms of streetwear.

In any case, both labels have done way more than simply survive, and the collection is set to hit the racks very soon, on November 27th.

New Era XC – London Launch | Video

New Era has launched an interesting and collaborative way to celebrate their 90th anniversary by producing a special New Era XC Collection. It is a customizable blank New Era 59FIFTY cap and they have reached out to the cream of the crop of 90 graduate art students from all over Europe’s most prestigious art schools.

New Era XC has used the mould of the cult product as a platform for self-expression. Uniting nine decades of design and fashion experience with the creative minds of tomorrow. The international headwear and apparel brand welcomed a shortlist of 90 graduate artists from some of Europe’s most prestigious design schools to unleash their creativity on a New Era 59FIFTY, in celebration of the brand’s 90th anniversary. The artist who has displayed the most uniquely creative expression in headwear design will secure a £10,000 bursary, with the intent of assisting their launch into their chosen artistic career. The exhibition, will display the 90 works of art. The showcase will also play launch to the corresponding limited edition New Era XC collector’s book, highlighting images of the 90 works of art along with biographies of the gifted graduates, and a snapshot of the brand’s nine decades in fashion, design and sport.


View the short video and prepare to look out for exhibitions coming up:
_4-7 November - London
_11-13 November - Berlin
_18-20 November - Milan
_25-27 November - Barcelona
_2-4 December - Paris

Appealing to the Locals, Size? UK

De-branding your well known range appears to be a trend within 'brand management(?)' at the moment since the rise of the BIG society, Generation WE and the augmented, local loving culture. Generation 'WE' = Local. Micro. Niche.

Starbucks decision to remove all branding from one of its Seattle Coffee shops = an attempt to distance the outlet from the brand to rescue it from its ubiquity and is a prime example of brands adapting to suit a particular location, to enhance locality. Branding - the con of the 'brand' is everywhere which has created a loss of individuality. Consumers are looking more and more for a new, tactile and niche experience. They want Starbucks coffee products but in their warm, loving and local coffee 'boutique'. More personal. Niche and locality is fashionable.

What I have found from my own personal research within the UK retail environment and experiences when shopping is that the larger chain stores and MNC's (Multi-national corporations) want MASS custom, not MY custom. The service was less inviting and impersonal in comparison to a smaller, independant shop and even vintage/second hand shops. Smaller inde's are generally more welcoming and interesting in serving you personally I feel - probably because at this time more than ever, every sale counts! I think it is public perception that most local brands are synonymous with good quality and good service more than larger chain stores

Who prefers their local Tesco butchers to their local family butchers? (The latter championed by chefs and TV cookery programmes).

In the current economic struggle and cuts, customer service is more important than ever! If the customer isn't treated right then they will be reluctant to spend their money - they want to get the most from their spending, which includes the in-store experience.

YOUR LOCAL PUB HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS! I have noticed loads of pubs that have local artwork or memorabilia helping to furnish the interiors. It can help make a brand more collectible. Size? have taken this idea and now have an ethos of keeping the VM for their stores rooted within the local scene, playing off local history, geography and cultural puns. Stepping into a Size? store nowadays may as well have a 'Home Sweet Home' doormat on the entrance. There is a strong sense of respecting locality. I believe that once a brand is established and owned by the local, loyal consumers rather than by the company, as a brand manager, you should be able to just help 'guide' it. It is a lot easier (I imagine) for smaller, entreprenuerial retailers to direct this and tailor it more 'on their toes', so to speak. Can larger chain stores and high street giants be so nimble fingered in tailoring their brand to suit their neighbourhood?

INFLUENCERS:// How Trends & Creativity Become Contagious

INFLUENCERS_
a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.


Arguably the center of the world, New York City, is perhaps one of the first cities in the world to experience a new trend or idea going from a single person or a small group of people, to becoming a full-fledged, mass market deal. In R+I Creative's new film, 'INFLUENCERS', the directors, Paul Rojanathra and Davis Johnson attempt to understand how trends and creativity become contagious; how influencers exert their influence, and how something grows from a happening into a phenomenon. The short documentary features interviews with New York City’s leading creatives from art & design to music, such as Jeff Staple, Dao Yi of Public School, and Rob Stone and Jon Cohen of Cornerstone. The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

The documentary is also a part of an online experience which includes a special mixtape by Baptman to drop on November 10th, and an in-depth look into the cast.

Norse Projects x Hestra ‘Staale’ Gloves

Norse Projects have drafted in gloves specialist Hestra to create some luxury hand covers for their Autumn/Winter collection.

I say heritage, I mean heritage! Hestra have been making gloves since 1936 and is named after the Swedish town where the company was founded and is still run by a 3rd generation family member who still handles all manufacturing and material sourcing. Made from 100% deerskin with a 100% wool lining, Hestra haven’t held back on these gloves either, applying their mastership to create a super high-end glove with simplistic styling.

Contrast stitching adds a bit of colour-pop to the gloves which come in a really nice Tan or Yellow and a classic Black. Added detail such as the embossed collaborative branding on the wrist and the Norse tab that we have all become oh so familiar with are both nice touches. For those that know the Norse tab well, you may be shocked to see that their usual slogan of “Created to improve life. Good for all seasons.” has been replaced with “A product of the cold cold north.” ...Ice. Cold. Cool.

This collaboration highlights yet another product moving towards the macro trend of the 'resurgence of traditionalism and heritage' which I have been following since the start of the year, right back to my study of Birmingham where I was inspired by the shop window of Gieves & Hawkes. The simplicity and quality of these gloves stays true to the essence and tradition of Scandinavian workwear brands, where the region is pretty much in a league of its own.

Over the last few years I have noticed the influx of Scandinavian brands such as Norse Projects, Humor, Fjoar Raven etc. growing in popularity within menswear fashion. I beleive that this is because they offer more transparency and less myth/mystery around the brand in terms of design inspiration and the essence i.e. Norse Projects has been born out of the admiration of strong, robust and practical Norweigen workwear aesthetics - similar to that of Nigel Cabourn or Barbour in terms of British brands. There is slowly a cultural shift moving from big names and brash logo's towards an appeal of the crafted, functional and niche clothing brands (just look at how 'cool' has shifted towards the introvert and 'geek'!) Expect to see more lesser known brands coming to the limelight and mainstream as a result of the current 'Conviviality Culture', which I will explain further in a later post.

For now though...
Grab a pair of these winter warmers from Goodhood from £60 a pair.

You Know You're Lookin at a Winner

It has been a long time. Almost forgot my password to this blog but I am back!

The main reason for setting this up was to be entered into a competition which ran across all Fashion Marketing/Communication levels of study at Uni (freshers to 3rd years) which was being used by the marketing dept. to show how vital travelling and field trips/research are to enhanching your skills for your course. As I didn't go to New York, I based my research on the 'UK Fashion Marketing & Branding Environment' in a city of my choice - Brum.
And from this I did what I did, here is the blog and I am the winner of the 1st Years competition... earning myself a little £75 voucher to spend at the Victoria Centre in Notts (which works out at about £2.50 an hour considering the amount of time I spent in Birmingham photographing things and then responding to them via this blog). However it's always a good thing to be rewarded for your efforts - no matter how big or small!

Since I have won the competition I have been knuckling down to finish all of my portfolio and projects etc. off for the first year and interned for 2 weeks at The Trend Boutique as a Trend Reseacher/Cool Finder which was REALLY good...

For now though...

You Know You're Lookin at a Winner. LISTEN<<

Stripe-in 'ell. Lacoste, Office. Birmingham

The Lacoste shop window was looking very stripey, featuring some stripey SS10 garments. The preppy, slim fitted, sailor style is back again and Lacoste have naturally hopped on the band wagon (or yacht/barge!)
très rayure


Office also used the stripe visuals in their VM which is synonymous with the brand identity with the 3D diagonal stripes. The shoe stand I thought was particularly interesting because of the emphasis on geometry and clean lines. The perspex shoe stand makes the shoes look like they are invisibly stacked. Nice

MASS APPEAL - All Saints & Kurt Geiger, Birmingham

'Wha wha what's goin' on...'

Sorry, it was where I got the idea of this post name from so I had to throw in a link// Classic old school tune, love it. LISTEN <<

I saw in Birmingham that both All Saints and Kurt Geiger within the Bullring had gone for the mass product look within their VM, stacked with surgically positioned and perfectly aligned grids which caught my iris'...

Kurt Geiger had gone for something a bit different, whether it was trying to cut costs or to show that they can trust the good and honest Birmingham public (lol!) by having no form of security between the product and consumer. It's interesting using the front of the shop almost just as storage/shelf space, proudly putting the products on show and makes the store feel more open. I liked the geometric style using the shoes almost as pattern being reflected and refracted by the mirrored boxes.

All Saints went for more of a vintage, antique style take with their mass styled VM. About 100 Singer sewing machines stacked in formation could also be a reference to heritage and craftsmanship and relate back to the handcrafted, more unique cut garments produced by the brand and perhaps amplify the vintage quality. I think this was my favourite shop window in Birmingham although the photos don't really do it justice.

Seeing about 100 sewing machines meticulously placed in metal cages in the shop window, under low light, recalls the modernism push of mass production and how it was worshiped pre 1950s and makes an interesting, quriky and charismatic front window.