[2011] Fashion Industry. Is the pace too fast?
* Marc Jacobs at rehab a few years back. Alexander McQueen’s suicide. John Galliano in rehab. Christophe Decarnin recovering from nervous exhaustion. This is making fashion veterans wonder if the relentless pace of the industry (a pace demanded by executives to meet profit forecasts) isn’t taking its toll on creative talents.
* In the old days, there were only a dozen major fashion companies and the house designers used to jet off for three weeks to Morocco to find their inspiration and come back with a color palette, some fabric swatches and a stack of ideas. Today there are thousands of companies, very tight schedule and no space for imperfection.
* The shift occurred during the past two decades, when business tycoons took over established family-run houses and, with the help of bright, young talents, transformed them into publicly traded billion-dollar global luxury brands.
* As the luxury industry grew exponentially (today, there are nearly $200 billion a year in sales) the workload equally increased.
* When designers start, they want to have one line and make the things they love. But after a while they are forced by their backers to grow and, at a certain point, it never stops.
* Tom Ford, after leaving Gucci, quietly started a much smaller company, and eschews the fashion show formula, preferring to present his offerings in a showroom. “I wanted to make clothes for the customer,” he said. “Sometimes beautiful clothes are just simply beautiful clothes and not necessarily ‘news.’ I am doing what I feel is right for my design house and for my customer”.
* Vogue’s Andre Leon Talley calls Ford’s business model a “new template for fashion”.
![[2011] Burberry at London’s Piccadilly Circus.
* The British heritage brand Burberry democratises the fashion show by being the first label to stream from the screens in London’s Piccadilly Circus.* While the show was presented in the Royal Park of Kensington Gardens to a selection of fashion press and buyers, shoppers were able to watch it on Burberry.com, stream it on the iPhone or iPad, watch the fashion show in London’s Piccadilly Circus or at the brand’s flagship stores around the world.* This is being billed as a Great Leap Forward, bringing the otherwise exclusive Fashion Week to the broadest possible audience, demonstrating British fashion’s way of embracing the future.* At the same time, it reveals the confusion within the fashion world about the purpose of shows - are the collections just a marketing vehicle? If they are, is it necessarily so productive to be showing consumers what they can get, what they suddenly want, except not for five months? Or are the collections still as originally conceived: centralised trade events that act as an efficient way for the industry to plan its editorial and buying for the season?* Such questions are open until the whole process is re-thought, and a choice being made about what exactly is going on. Meanwhile, we get a little bit of both, which adds up to not so particularly satisfying version of either.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh0ztggdZw1qere9do1_500.jpg)
[2011] Burberry at London’s Piccadilly Circus.
* The British heritage brand Burberry democratises the fashion show by being the first label to stream from the screens in London’s Piccadilly Circus.
* While the show was presented in the Royal Park of Kensington Gardens to a selection of fashion press and buyers, shoppers were able to watch it on Burberry.com, stream it on the iPhone or iPad, watch the fashion show in London’s Piccadilly Circus or at the brand’s flagship stores around the world.
* This is being billed as a Great Leap Forward, bringing the otherwise exclusive Fashion Week to the broadest possible audience, demonstrating British fashion’s way of embracing the future.
* At the same time, it reveals the confusion within the fashion world about the purpose of shows - are the collections just a marketing vehicle? If they are, is it necessarily so productive to be showing consumers what they can get, what they suddenly want, except not for five months? Or are the collections still as originally conceived: centralised trade events that act as an efficient way for the industry to plan its editorial and buying for the season?
* Such questions are open until the whole process is re-thought, and a choice being made about what exactly is going on. Meanwhile, we get a little bit of both, which adds up to not so particularly satisfying version of either.
![[2011] Condé Nast Worldwide Newsstand in London.
* Condé Nast International opened a newsstand in London where it will house all of its print (126 publications from 25 countries) and digital publications (versions for iPads and other digital screens) for the first time in the same space, creating a marketing powerhouse for its various magazines.* This is the first time that any publisher has offered print and digital versions of its publications under one roof.* The total circulation for all Condé Nast International publications is approximately 32.1 million. The publisher boasts 141 million readers for its print publications and 61 million unique visitors to its Web sites.* The annual ad spend for Condé Nast’s British publications is $19.4 million. These titles boast the No. 5 international ad ranking of all the publisher’s brands. The newsstand itself is located one block from the highly-trafficked Bond Street, where many Condé Nast advertisers sell their luxury products.* “I believe strongly in the future of print as well as digital,” said Jonathan Newhouse, chief executive of Condé Nast International. “Not out of emotional attachment — it’s a good business. The numbers support us.”](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgpyfspn0S1qere9do1_500.jpg)
[2011] Condé Nast Worldwide Newsstand in London.
* Condé Nast International opened a newsstand in London where it will house all of its print (126 publications from 25 countries) and digital publications (versions for iPads and other digital screens) for the first time in the same space, creating a marketing powerhouse for its various magazines.
* This is the first time that any publisher has offered print and digital versions of its publications under one roof.
* The total circulation for all Condé Nast International publications is approximately 32.1 million. The publisher boasts 141 million readers for its print publications and 61 million unique visitors to its Web sites.
* The annual ad spend for Condé Nast’s British publications is $19.4 million. These titles boast the No. 5 international ad ranking of all the publisher’s brands. The newsstand itself is located one block from the highly-trafficked Bond Street, where many Condé Nast advertisers sell their luxury products.
* “I believe strongly in the future of print as well as digital,” said Jonathan Newhouse, chief executive of Condé Nast International. “Not out of emotional attachment — it’s a good business. The numbers support us.”
[2011] Trend report. How can my business better reflect the lifestyle of the digital native so that it seamlessly bridges the virtual and real worlds (with little distinction in my communication, products, tools, etc.)?
