This project has involved building up a whole brand and business concept around the garment I have designed and will be making. During this module I have learnt how to promote and market a collection, including how to target particular consumer groups and demographics, types of advertisements and where to place them, and how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a product or business plan
I feel that I have improved my Photoshop skills a lot this term, which has helped me to create my mood boards, advertisements and promotional material for this module. It has been interesting to learn how such small details can improve a brand and create different effects and impacts. It’s quite a scary realisation to discover how invasive adverts really are in our day to day lives, both digital and print.
I have found it difficult to research where i should have my product manufactured as I was unable to find out whether places had a mimaki printer. This was also difficult because in reality, the mimaki printer at college comes with fabric options so I have not had to source my own fabric, so I wasn’t sure if this would work the same with wholesale printing, or whether I would have to provide the fabric myself, so I decided on the latter.
The product I have designed and the business plan I have created are aimed at a niche market so it has been harder to picture my brand on a larger scale, but I am happy with my overall concept.
Marketing is how a company promotes themselves in a certain way in order to attract their target consumer group, and get their product seen and talked about across a wider audience. It commonly uses lifestyle advertising to cause the consumer to desire the lifestyle, and product, which they are supposedly offering.
It is about meeting the needs and wants of the consumer, and about understanding the consumer and meeting their demands. Companies can build relationships with their customer base through marketing, and create a lifestyle and characters which are familiar and which the consumer associates with the brand. Marketing is the management process for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.
Comparative shopping techniques can be used to highlight styles, prices, quality, fibre content etc.
I have done a comparative shop of a classic women’s denim jacket, a staple piece in any wardrobe. I have looked at a more expensive Topshop jacket in comparison to a cheaper H&M jacket, in order to see whether Topshop is worth paying more for due to better quality, or if their consumer has simply bought into the brand and is remaining loyal.
Topshop:
Product: ‘Moto Marbled Western Jacket’
Price: £45
Fabric: 100% cotton
Instructions: Machine washable
Size Range: 8-16
Item Description: ‘Pink marbled western jacket with authentic trims.’
(http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=4843572&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208526&parent_categoryId=203984&pageSize=20&refinements=category~[209747|208526]&noOfRefinements=1)
H&M:
Product: ‘Denim jacket’
Price: £24.99
Fabric: 99% cotton, 1% elastane
Instructions: Machine wash at 40º
Size Range: 10-18
Item description: ‘Jacket in stretch, washed denim with buttons at the front with small rivets, two breast pockets with a flap and button and box pleats at the back.’
(http://www.hm.com/gb/product/98915?article=98915-A)
Overall these products are extremely similar looking at this information. However, I do think the Topshop jacket has better design features, including the choice of silver buttons rather than bronze, and the squared pockets rather than rounded. I think these factors give the Topshop jacket more of a mature feel. I also think the Topshop website itself is more user friendly and easier to look at, with all the garment images in the same format and free from models which I find distracting on the H&M website. For these reasons, I personally feel the Topshop jacket is a better choice and is more appropriate for its mid range consumer. The H&M jacket does however offer larger sizing and more information in their website description.
We must consider the lifestyles, attitudes and buying capabilities of a sector. In order to expand a business you must expand your target demographic, so how would I adapt current trends to menswear for 65-74 year olds?
The Pastel Trend: Pastels are subtle anyway, so can easily be adapted into menswear, especially as a light summer shirt or shorts, perhaps some plimsolls, or just simply a handkerchief or some socks.
‘Marine Gleam’ (shiny/ underwater inspired): This trend is harder to adapt as it is more in your face and modern. For this I would adapt it to accessories rather than whole garments as most men of this age wouldn’t be daring enough to wear a lot of it. So for example, I would adapt it to a tie, some smart shoes or perhaps the lining of a jacket, for some hidden sparkle.
Embellishment: This is more of a feminine trend, so again I wouldn’t use large quantities of it in menswear. Within evening wear it could be applied as buttons, cufflinks or a bow tie.
‘Great Gatsby’: This trend is 1920s style so can easily be adapted to menswear in the form of dapper suits with waistcoats and a handkerchief.
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. Marketers combine several variables to define a demographic profile, which gives them enough information about a typical member of a particular demographic group.
Variables: Age, sex, education level, income level, marital status, religion, occupation, generation, ethnicity, region, climate, lifestyle, interests, hobbies, brand loyalty
Consumer Groups:
HEIDI’s - Highly Educated Independent Individuals.
NEETs - Not in Employment, Education or Training
YADs - Young And Determined Savers
TIREDs - Thirty-something Independent Radical Educated Dropouts
KIPPERS - Kids In Parents’ Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings
DINKYs - Double Income No Kids
SINDIs - Single Independent Newly Divorced Individuals
As my target consumers are 16-25 year olds I am aiming my product at a wider demographic, which could make marketing more difficult. My consumer would most likely be a YAD or KIPPER as both are young and have money, and my product isn’t particularly cheap. My product is also very vibrant and youthful which is why i wouldn’t expect the other older consumer groups to wear it.
‘13 years of getting it right
WGSN is the leading online trend-analysis and research service providing creative and business intelligence for the apparel, style, design and retail industries.
WGSN’s 150-strong editorial and design staff, noted for its significant industry experience, continually travels the globe to deliver insight and creative inspiration, real-time retail coverage, seasonal trend analysis, consumer research and business information. Complemented by a worldwide network of expert freelance analysts, researchers and journalists, our content staff is the hallmark of WGSN and the foundation of its status as the foremost provider of strategic information.
Launched in 1998, WGSN has expanded its operations worldwide and now has regional offices throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the United States – in both New York City and Los Angeles. Its 360-degree global view is crucial in today’s marketplace. WGSN’s authority is unmatched.’
Fashion Forecasting involves predicting colours, fabrics and styles for upcoming seasons across the whole of the fashion industry.
Innovation is the creation of better/more effective products /processes /services /technologies/ideas that are accepted by markets/governments/society.
Examples of this within fashion are:
For breathing new life into a luxury stronghold. Burberry has not only emerged as one of the best-designed and most successful luxury brands, but also the most technologically advanced. Last year, the fashion house live-streamed its runway show in 3-D and offered an unprecedented 72-hour presale to consumers worldwide.
For building a global brand that still feels exclusive. Opening Ceremony continued its takeover of all things hip in 2010 when it opened a second New York location at the Ace Hotel (shops also exist in Tokyo and Los Angeles). Founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim are also responsible for moving popular brands to the U.S. market, including Havaianas, Acne, and Topshop, as well as becoming an authority on design collaborations, working with designers and creatives from Levi’s to Chloe Sevigny to Spike Jonze.
03 /RentTheRunway
For being the Netflix for dresses (and handbags and accessories). In just a year, its website has attracted 750,000 members (adding 20,000 a week) and built personal relationships with more than 100 designer brands, including Proenza Schouler, Nina Ricci, and Alice+Olivia, offering dresses to fashion-obsessed consumers nationwide—a four day rental costs just 10% of the retail cost. The company’s revenue for 2010 is estimated at $6 million, and is expected to grow to more than $20 million in 2011.
04 / J.Crew
For redefining affordable American style. Following the successful openings of The Liquor Store and The Men’s Shop in New York (which feature limited-edition items like Red Wing boots, Thomas Mason shirts, vintage finds such as Timex watches, and a suiting shop), the company has continued to spread its message with a series of specialty boutiques. Last summer, the company launched the much anticipated e-commerce site for women’s brand Madewell, and in September it debuted an innovative and risky online outlet store—open only on the weekends—complete with chat-ready personal shoppers.
05 / Createthe Group
For being the behind-the-scenes player helping such luxury brands as Stella McCartney, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Tory Burch, and many others to create a strong online presence. Fusing a strong tech team with a passionate creative team, the company offers e-commerce solutions and original advertising campaigns. CreateThe Group’s work has resulted in a 30% increase in online sales for David Yurman, tripled repeat visitors to Juicy Couture’s website (and created a company-specific social network), and doubled traffic to Oscar de La Renta’s site.
06 / IMG
For being the power broker behind nearly every Fashion Week worldwide. New York Fashion Week, for example, is responsible for bringing $770 million worth of economic activity to the Big Apple, and IMG successfully upgraded the event in 2010 by moving it to Lincoln Center and adding digital invitations and check-ins, better accessibility for attendees, improved design of the runway theaters to offer advanced production capabilities, and a presentation space to attract more up-and-coming designers.
07 / 3.1 Phillip Lim
For its nimbleness in the burgeoning Asian market, both on the manufacturing end and in sales. The brand, led by Lim and CEO Wen Zhou—both of whom are Chinese—celebrated its fifth anniversary in October with a runway show on Beijing’s Forbidden City Wall. Featuring all Asian models, it was the first time an international designer of Lim’s generation ever showed in the country.
08 / Forever 21
For giving the low-price chain a high-end sensibility. Sisters Linda and Esther Chang (28 and 23, respectively), daughters of the founders, have used their perch running the marketing and visual departments to make changes such as merchandising departments based on trend. Thanks to their input, the company made some of its biggest moves in 2010, including a maternity and plus-size line for the now $2 billion company.
09 / Monique Péan
For being an eco-friendly jewelry designer. Pean, a 2009 CFDA Fashion Fund winner, handcrafts pieces from materials such as farmed pearls and beads made of recycled crushed oyster shells, buffalo horn, woolly mammoth tusk and walrus ivory (all of which are fossilized and obtained through naturally melting glaciers).
10 / QVC
For becoming so much more than television trunk shows. The $7.4 billion retailer has become a multiplatform company, with one-third of all sales done through its website. By teaming with high-profile celebrities including Rachel Zoe, the Kardashian sisters, and Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant, QVC is reaching a younger and more tech-savvy audience.
(http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2011/top-10-fashion.php)
Fabric Sourcing
“Bishopston Trading Company is a Fair Trade company whose sole aim is to provide employment for the people of K.V.Kuppam with whom we have been working in partnership since 1985. We use Fairtrade certified organic cotton and are members of the World Fair Trade Organisation.”
http://www.wholesale-bishopstontrading.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127&Itemid=69
I have chosen to use Fairtrade cotton due to the fact my product will be manufactured in a factory in China which most likely has questionable work ethics, so at least I can be sure this part of my production process was created in an ethical and fair working environment.
6000AD- How They Advertise and Who They Are
6000AD is a website run by Philip Normal, the owner of the Happy Shack, Stables Market, Camden. This website sells pieces from a range of more expensive designers, for example JCDC, unlike the Happy Shack which sells mostly Mr.Normal’s creations along with a couple of other cheaper shops garments such as Red Mutha.
In terms of advertising, they rely a lot on word of mouth. They have a facebook and twitter page which helps people discover them through the internet. Their facebook page currently has 646 likes, and fans of The Happy Shack, which has 934 likes, are already a solid customer base for the site. Their logo is bright, colourful and fun, which represents my product well.
Ideally Lafyfoxxx of CSS would endorse my product as this is the kind of music my consumer listens to and she is renowned for wearing colourful jumpsuits. I would also like Lady Gaga to endorse it as she wears a lot of unusual and talked about outfits, and is an international fashion icon. Both these celebrities are musical performers so my garments would be viewed by a large crowd when they were performing on stage.