Influx Insights Tag Feed: fashion

threadless in inc magazine

Influx Insights — 2008-06-14T17:41:41Z

Great profile piece on Threadless, a 2.0 brand, in this month's Inc magazine.

"Nickell started talking about his company. Threadless, he explained, ran design competitions on an online social network. Members of the network submitted their ideas for T-shirts -- hundreds each week -- and then voted on which ones they liked best. Hundreds of thousands of people were using the site as a kind of community center, where they blogged, chatted about designs, socialized with their fellow enthusiasts -- and bought a ton of shirts at $15 each. Revenue was growing 500 percent a year, despite the fact that the company had never advertised, employed no professional designers, used no modeling agency or fashion photographers, had no sales force, and enjoyed no retail distribution. As result, costs were low, margins were above 30 percent, and -- because community members told them precisely which shirts to make -- every product eventually sold out. Nickell's company had never produced a flop."

Posted by Ed Cotton

saab to launch a clothing line

Influx Insights — 2008-04-02T16:51:35Z

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

h&m sets a new course

Influx Insights — 2008-03-17T15:38:08Z

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

ralph lauren creates a nostalgic dream for jc penny

Influx Insights — 2008-02-12T16:05:03Z

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

no boundaries for acne

Influx Insights — 2008-01-06T21:13:34Z

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

louis vuitton pushes the boundaries between art and commerce

Influx Insights — 2007-10-11T14:13:44Z

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

in consumer technology, gold is the new black

Influx Insights — 2007-10-08T14:35:16Z

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

crocs- fast branding

Influx Insights — 2007-07-11T13:17:58Z

The ugly footwear brand Crocs has in a couple of years come from knowhere to cultural phenom. I don't recall ever having seen any form of traditional communication for the brand- no ads of any type, but a ton of people talk about them and you sure remember them when you see them around.

Clearly Crocs is trying to battle the "fad cycle" that often destroys fashion companies; they are expanding globally and diversifying the brand beyond footwear.

Anyone remember Von Dutch?

"The future for Von Dutch seems to be limitless. The unofficial princess of white-trash glam, Anna Nicole Smith, has signed a development deal with the company--just one of the many promotional plans that they've set their sights set on. Fashion fanatics can also expect to see cosmetics and haute couture lines in the upcoming months, as well as an onslaught of celebrity involvement."

From a 2003- web news story

How Crocs engineered it's rapid expansion is fascinating; it brought in an expert from outside the category, Ron Snyder from Flextronics, an electronics manaufacturer that makes X-Boxes for Microsoft among other things.

According to Fast Company, Snyder's contribution is all about making Crocs more responsive to the changing color tastes of consumer.

"And he brought on some of his pals from Flextronics to set up more-sophisticated operations that would bring to footwear the speed and flexibility of electronics manufacturing. For one, they set up systems allowing Crocs to respond quickly to demand: If the lime-green Athens shoe is hot in mid-June, the company can make more in two to four weeks."

They might be getting this right for their core business, but their diversification strategies have met with criticism.

"But now my ardor of last year has cooled. I am underwhelmed by the company’s choices so far. It seems like Crox moved in this direction before thinking it through. Sure, ball caps are a must, but the backpacks are just backpacks. White socks with prints on them? Who cares? The spin-off products so far sadly lack the funky style that made Crox shoes so in your face and I dare you to make fun of me. Why isn’t Crox teaming with Swatch to make big, bold watches a comeback? Why don’t the arm and wristbands do something teens and fashion-firsts would value, like hold an iPod? In fact, why aren't they anklebands just to be different? Why aren’t there Crox gummy bears or funny-colored sunscreen that blends into the skin? Crox needs a product designer with a funkier vision and a tighter grip on what it is about Crox that got it to this level. The new products on offer now look like the company borrowed an aging product manager from the Mattel’s Barbie doll division."

Seeking Alpha

Crocs have defied convention, built a powerful brand that people have strong emotions towards, survived the intiital fad phase and have taken on the mutitude of copy-cats. Bringing outside expertese from the fast-paced world of electronics has clearly helped, but it now appears they also need to bring in critical design skills if they want to innovate behind their core product and survive.

Posted by Ed Cotton

h&m for all

Influx Insights — 2007-07-17T00:24:11Z

Swedish cheap-chic retailer H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) plans to open 500 to 1,000 U.S. stores in the U.S., according to www.just-style.com.

Other fast-fashion retailers Zara (19 U.S. stores) and Mango (20 U.S. stores by the end of 2007) from Spain and Britain’s Topshop (3 U.S. stores by next spring) have also sensed fertile ground in the states.

Could such a huge expansion be a lofty strategy? Currently there are only 91 stores.

Also, it is hard not to be reminded of stores like Urban Outfitters, a Philadelphia-based retailer that experienced backlash from its original followers because of suburban growth.

Margins may be up, but that’s not a signifier of long-term success in an industry this fickle. Mall stores often replicate, rather than create what’s going on in fashion.

Furthermore, euro fashion is in direct competition with homegrown retailers like Chico’s and the Gap. How much will American consumers want? Could the entire euro craze have a product life cycle not unlike the clothing itself?

Posted by katie facada

a stitch in time-kelly gray returns to st john

Influx Insights — 2007-06-14T18:18:18Z

"Help,” pled the email. “Renee is celebrating a benchmark birthday next month and all she wants is St John.” This from my hipster uncle who’s always had a thing for sophisticated women. But this request was very specific.

Renee wanted old school St John prior to its failed glamorous makeover with supermodel Giselle Bundchen and sexy Angelina Jolie. She fancied its gently graded silhouettes before the fashion-forward Tim Gardner–designed runway debut at Fashion Week Los Angeles. She coveted the classic St John of Hilary Rodham, the Madelines, Condaleezas and Glorias.

With the click of a mouse we were surfing eBay, downloading photos from Desert Hills Premium Outlet and chatting up helpful sales staff at tony Rodeo Drive Resale, a specialist in tweedy knits circa Marie and Kelly Gray. According to The Budget Fashionista founder Kathryn Finney, these frenzied searches are a weekly occurrence.

When St John executive and iconic covergirl Kelly Gray promised, “I’ll be back” in 2005, perhaps this is what she meant. After a long hiatus of riding lessons, charity events and self-confessed TV nights of Nip/Tuck, both Kelly and her mother Marie are back as creative consultants at the $400-million Irvine-based headquarters.

In this age of aesthetics, the St John brand commands all the requisite trappings of a fashion dynasty. First, a close-knit family business stitched from a single spontaneous idea. Then the Southern Cal startup turned empire sold for a fortune to investors in 1999. Add fanatical, obsessed customers, those mother-and-daughter pageant luncheons and a micro-economy of suburban shops that lovingly restore and resell the uber-conservative garments. Pile on rumours of executive disagreement, the extreme secrecy, tales of eccentricity and cartoonishly lavish lifestyles. Finally top off with hilarious, aspirational ad campaigns, the overt airbrushing, a blight of employee turnover and on-again off-again family involvement. What really goes on inside that mammoth Orange County compound is the stuff of legend.

Though perhaps we’ll never unravel the threads of rumor, what we do understand is a brand out of synch with the times, unsure of its core identity and a loyal consumer base of mature women who still consider its double knit separates de rigueur armor for their professional, polished lives.

How should brands evolve, excite and entertain constituents without moving past their core values? How do brands serve a loyal following without compromising freshness? Can St John’s epically tried-and-true formula serve as its roadmap forever? For those of us who track and advise brands, Kelly’s second act will be a performance to follow.

By Debra Stevenson of Trend Agitator a Los Angeles-based trend and market insight developer.