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saab to launch a clothing line (59.489726035537075 , 17.9296875) It’s interesting how brands are starting to embrace the broader lifestyle concept surrounding the environment.

One tactic to broaden the idea is to partner with other like-minded companies to generate a halo effect.

Saab, a company not necessarily known for its green credentials, but is now keen to push them, has just embarked on a new program.

Saab is moving into the clothing business with the launch a new “Pure BioPower EcoClothing” collection.

The goal is to push Saab’s BioPower technology.

To do this, the Swedish automotive giant has partnered with Reflective Circle for the clothing that will include a range of dresses, t-shorts, blouses made from certified organic cotton, other clothing lines will be introduced over the course of the year.

The line will be available online at Saab Expressions.

The idea of partnering and combining to add impact is interesting in this case.

Traditionally, brands have partnered with companies of equal size and weight and in areas where there is obvious synergy.

In the case of the environment, smaller companies that are focused on the ethical side can bring a considerable halo to the larger firm.

The challenge for these small companies is to protect their integrity because they will have many critics who don’t support the idea of partnership with companies who don’t have ethical and environmental considerations at the center of their corporate mission.

Idea from Claes Foxerus



Posted by Ed Cotton The well-known Swedish fashion company H&M enters a new phase. H&M always followed the same route: cheap trendy fashion. Now they enter a new phase. By buying the upcoming Swedish fashion company Fabric Scandinavien (behind brands like Sunday Sun , Cheap Monday . HM enters a new role as a venture capitalist. Before HM had to produce products to get revenues, now (with acquisitions) they have to control the portfolio of stocks.
 
This could be a boring, dangerous and reactive way to go. Before they were forced to lead and forge a path, now they can just look and follow. In the long run, this could be a problem: when you fall back and get satisfied, the world around seems to fade away.
 
The acquisition strategy marks a shift from H&M’s old approach of launching sub brands (or rather sub companies in another category such as COS
 
Where will it end for H&M? Will it become the new PPR ?

By Claes Foxerus. You can find more writing from Claes here.  He’s also the co-founder and editor of The David Report . And, for those of you looking for Swedish Planning connections Claes is the man, he is the co-founder and secretary of the Swedish APG.
 



Posted by Ed Cotton Department stores have been trying for years to turn their private label offerings into real brands.

Most attempts have failed because they are just names with no deeper meanings making it impossible for them to compete with the genuine article.

JC Penny clearly understood the weakness in this approach and went outside to the brand master, Ralph Lauren to create its latest offering, American Living.

What's interesting about this concept, is although it has touches of Lauren's style all over it, he's created another world for the department store. Lauren's past success has been driven by the clever balancing act between present and past, His ideas were classical, but they were always believable in a contemporary context.

American Living is different, it's unabashed in highlighting the past as its inspiration. The web site suggests that the concept is anchored around the General Store and is rooted in a time when American's were practical, had a sense of humor and dreamed of a better life. This is no daily commute from the suburbs.

It's fascinating to see such a shift to the past in a country that's usually so wrapped up in the future.

Something has changed and perhaps the future no longer looks so bright.

In such a world, we are going to cling to the icons of the past for re-assurance and confirmation of who we are and where we stand.

American Living is just one example of the nostalgia for the past that America is now craving in everything from its cars to its politicians.

It's a force that cannot be ignored.


Posted by Ed Cotton Sweden is a country that’s been on everyone’s agenda for the past few years.

People have been marveling at the entrepreneurship and creativity coming out of the place, which is due to the deep pool of talent and the emergence of a new “can do” attitude.

In the last year or so, digital agencies Farfar and North Kingdom have been setting the world alight.

Acne is perhaps the godfather of this latest phase of Swedish creativity.

It’s a company that defies conventional wisdom, because it creates both products and communication in a variety of formats.

The “Factory-like” collective is best known for its Acne Jeans brand, was founded in 1996 by four friends, Jesper Kouthoofd, Thomas Skun Skoging, Mats Johansson and Jonny Johansson.

Acne’s empire now spans a film company, an ad agency, a web design company, a toy company and even a magazine.

The jeans brand is the beacon of the group. It sets to the tone, the mood and the trends and helps build the connections and relationships for the rest of the company, but it also reacts and responds to what the other units are doing. Think of it as a dynamic feedback loop. The jeans brand has its own stores across Europe, including a flagship in Berlin and is sold in over 400 stores worldwide.

The ad agency has worked for MTV, Virgin and even a competitor to its jeans brand, H&M.

Acne Film is a commercial production house and has created ads for the likes of Comcast, Dodge, Garmin and Nike.  

The magazine, Acne Paper, documents the worlds of creativity, fashion and style.



The digital agency, one of the newest ventures, has already worked for the likes of SAS, VW and Volvo.

With ad agencies currently struggling to define themselves, their stragey appears limited to focusing on driving revenue by owning every element of the communication mix.

Acne starts with creativity and ideas and works it out from there, a nightmare proposition for most senior agency management and holding company CFOs. However, perhaps the time is now right for new Acnes to emerge, led by individuals with limited or no real agency experience.

It appears that Acne’s secret is to leverage the cult of cool across a variety of different creative disciplines and areas.

It’s a concept that would be way too risky for most agencies to conceive because there’s always an inherent concern for any brand trading on cool, how long can it last?
 
Here’s how Acne explains its vision.  

When Acne was created in 1996 the initial idea was to build brands, own as well as others', within the fields of fashion, entertainment and technology. Although all members of the collective are independent entities acting in their own right in various fields of creativity, they all share the same vision and culture. This vision combines art and industry in equal measures, whether this is through clothing, film, printed matter or a global advertising campaign.

Posted by Ed Cotton There once was a time when art sponsorship was a subtle thing; brands used to discretely put their logos onto the promotional materials and leave it at that.

Those were the days when art and commerce were kind of separate, in the last few years we’ve seen much more of coming together of the two worlds and perhaps the best example is the partnership between Japanese uber-artist Takasji Murakami and Louis Vuitton.

Murakami’s designs turned the Louis Vuitton brand into a pop sensation.

In 2006, he was interviewed by CNN and asked about the collaboration.

"TS: How did your collaboration with Louis Vuitton come about?

TM: If you look at Louis Vuitton's history, they've always been influenced by Japanese designs, such as the flowers on the kimono, ever since the 19th century. In a very natural way Louis Vuitton is in touch with Japanese culture. It's a very big turning point for me. Now I understand the fashion world a little bit. It's important because the European creative situation is very influenced by fashion and art and fashion are very closely linked."

The partnership between the two continues today and is celebrated at the artist’s upcoming exhibition at the LA MOCA.

For the event, Vuitton has created a “fleeting” store for the where luxury lovers will be able to get purchase and of course, just state at, the range of products from the Vuitton/Murakami collaboration.

It’s a very different kind of museum store and not without controversy.



Via Dezeen



Posted by Ed Cotton A couple of golden products have been introduced in recent weeks, is it a case of "bling" moving into the world of consumer technology?

1. The Gold Mac

Not something available in the Apple store, but a custom job using diamonds and 24k gold made by Computer Choppers



2. Lacie Golden Disc

A hard drive designed by Ora-Ito for disc company Lacie


3. iPhone in Gold (Thanks Adrian)

Available at Goldstriker, who have the ability to turn any phone into a golden object and lots of other things besides.




Posted by Ed Cotton