LONDON, United Kingdom — It was billed as the world’s first truly global fashion show, taking place on the penultimate day of London Fashion Week, beamed live in 3D to five global cities, and streamed to the rest of the world via 73 websites, including Vogue, Grazia and CNN, which all picked up the video feed in a global simulcast. It was undoubtedly the most widely distributed fashion show a luxury brand has ever staged, potentially reaching an audience of more than 100 million users, according to Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts.
At first, I was disappointed that BoF had not been invited to attend the real event at London’s Chelsea College of Art, but in the end I’m glad to have experienced Burberry’s live internet stream. It all felt very 2010, especially as I ducked into the Regent Street Apple Store to watch the show after a late lunch. It was a fashion moment.
The stream began just after 4 pm with what Cathy Horyn of The New York Times described as an “info com” comprised of a pre-recorded presentation from Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, as well as live interviews with Angela Ahrendts, models backstage and celebrity guests arriving at the show venue. “Grave doubts about this prelude of a model chatting backstage, now Twiggy arriving. A bit naff,” tweeted Ms Horyn. “Want the show to start. It’s like watching paint dry.”
Then, the lights finally went down and a series of seriously slick shearling jackets clomped down the runway, eliciting bursts of excitement from editors tweeting from the front row and viewers watching around the world. For the clothes alone, it was worth the wait.
“First look: cropped shearling,” described Joe Zee, Creative Director of Elle, who along with Bryanboy, had been given control of Burberry’s Twitter account for the Autumn/Winter 2010 show. “OMG!! Reverse shearling!!! It’s just as good inside out. Sold!!!” he raved.
Cathy Horyn, watching the 3D stream from New York’s Skylight Studios, agreed. “The shearling jackets were so ample, fluffy and round, the trousers and narrow skirts so spindly that at times on Tuesday the Burberry show resembled a lane of dandelions gone to seed,” she wrote later on her New York Times blog, On the Runway. “To be sure, Christopher Bailey’s outerwear for the British label was especially strong, with those romantic flight jackets spreading or curling at the collar and the pomp of officer coats.”
During the show Burberry appeared as one of the top ten trending topics on Twitter, but some of these tweets complained of problems with the live feed. Comments from users scrolling below the Burberry stream itself also came fast and furious. The words “Amazing” and “Love” appeared over and over again, with viewers sometimes shouting out their city of origin — Montreal, Sao Paolo, Los Angeles — underscoring the truly global nature of the event. The comments were 100% positive or neutral.
After a few minutes, my own feed crashed. I refreshed it several times, and then it crashed again. But below the black screen, comments continued to provide second-by-second commentary on the show — still overwhelmingly positive. Was nobody else experiencing the issues I was? Or was Burberry filtering out comments that were unfavorable to their global event? To explore the issue further, I entered a comment indicating that I was experiencing trouble with the feed, but it never appeared with the rest of the comments. This left me thinking.
THOUGHTS:
Expectations? My expectations were high. I’ve been calling Burberry the world’s first truly digital luxury brand, and as the leading brand in the space I fully expected Burberry to set the standard for the rest of the industry, in terms of strategy, concept and execution.
First impressions? The show was indeed amazing. It was well-orchestrated, well-publicised and generally well-executed. The issues with the live feed were frustrating at times, but these are kinks that can be ironed out in seasons to come and a brand like Burberry clearly has the technical prowess and determination to get this new phase of digital fashion communication right. It requires guts and audaciousness to attempt and achieve something no brand has done before. For this, Burberry deserves many kudos.
Most potential? The ability to buy the covetable shearing jackets straight off the runway for 72 hours after the show was a master stroke. While many brands have talked about doing this, no brand has actually put the concept into practice the way Burberry has — strategically identifying a product as a key item, ensuring it was featured front-and-centre at the fashion show, and selling the jackets at the peak of consumer interest, right after the show had finished. By limiting sales to a 72 hour window, Burberry also ensured sales opportunities for its wholesale partners down the road, while creating a sense of urgency for consumers to purchase right away if they so choose. Best of all, with the insights gleaned from which products sold fastest on the internet directly after the show, Burberry will have real consumer data upon which to base orders for normal delivery to its stores around the world — every merchandiser’s dream.
What’s missing? Greater authenticity. While maintaining the spirit and standards of the Burberry brand must have been of paramount importance, so is providing an authentic and real experience for all the participants. Since when was it acceptable for a CEO and creative director to give a PR pitch before a fashion show starts? Unfortunately, the pre-show promotion felt rehearsed and forced, and detracted from this otherwise brilliant initiative. And if Burberry was indeed filtering live comments from their internet viewers to ensure only positive feedback appeared, in my eyes this also takes away from the authenticity of the experience.
Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion
NEW YORK , United States — In recent quarters, online sales were the only bright patch in a grim luxury retail landscape. But interestingly, in January of 2009, LVMH-owned eLuxury announced that it would cease e-commerce operations entirely and relaunch as a luxury destination focused completely on content.
Fast-forward one year and the luxury industry still can’t seem to get enough of the internet. Social Media is the phrase on everyone’s lips. And so, it was with great interest that BoF took a sneak peek at the web experience that takes eLuxury’s place — NOWNESS — which will officially launch to the public on Thursday 25 February.
Tuning into a special online preview and connecting with EVP Digital of NOWNESS, Kamel Ouadi, we got the lowdown on what to expect from NOWNESS in the months to come.
BoF: What is the NOWNESS? And what does it mean?
KO: Simply, NOWNESS will inspire and turn you on to the latest developments on fashion and culture in a highly curated and thoughtful way. NOWNESS is about carrying a moment in time with you. It sums up a certain feeling when you get a moment of inspiration that lives in your imagination during the day.
BoF: Some might say the fashion world doesn’t really need another content site. Why launch NOWNESS and why now?
KO: This site will be about the art of living and involve luxury well beyond product categories. It will inform and inspire. It will bring excitement to the everyday. And, it will feature only exclusive content — a key factor distinguishing it from other luxury websites. It will be an inspirational and experiential site.
Agyness Deyn screenshot from "Mean to Me" by McDermott and McGough | Source: NOWNESS
BoF: Which artists and other content creators are you working with?
KO: The site is dedicated to collaborating with the world’s foremost designers, creatives and thinkers in the luxury industry. Visitors can enjoy featured work by leading artists such as Wong Kar-Wai, Patti Smith, Lucien Freud, Francesco Vezzoli, Rodarte, Raf Simons, John Galliano for Dior, and Nick Cave.
BoF: What feature should we check out first?
KO: “Love/Don’t Love” recommendations. The site is about inspiring people. It’s also about personalisation of luxury inspiration. A “Love/Don’t Love” button allows users to interact with the content. The impulse to love will drive recommended content to the user, the impulse to love will also tell us how people are responding to the experience.
BoF: So NOWNESS learns and evolves based on user behaviour?
KO: Yes. Content is recommended via intelligent algorithms and user responses to Love or Don’t Love. The site will recommend content that reflects the user’s point of view.
BoF: Is there a revenue model in place? If so, how will the site make money? If not, why not?
KO: Revenue is not the primary focus of the site. It is an editorial site designed to provide information for luxury enthusiasts. However, as the site grows, we do expect interest from advertisers, and we will be open to working with luxury brands — and other high-level advertisers, consistent with the luxury theme of the website — to find ways for them to have a presence on our site that reinforces the experience we offer.
OUR THOUGHTS:
Expectations? To be honest, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. The new site had been kept top secret for months. The only clues about the future were tweets with links to a NOWNESS prelaunch site, which in recent months offered frequently evolving, but limited content.
First impressions? The site’s design is simple, clean and modern, in line with the concept of NOWNESS itself. Curating excellent, exclusive content is powerful concept at a time when consumers are bombarded with information and other websites and blogs are cluttered with undifferentiated content, often fed to them by brands and PR companies. Despite being owned by LVMH, NOWNESS operates with an independent and open mindset, actively linking to fashion brand websites, including those outside the LVMH Group. The site is rich with sharing tools, allowing users to spread bits of NOWNESS content across the internet and has already developed a robust following of more than 6,000 followers on Twitter.
Most potential? The “Love/Don’t Love” feature with algorithmic intelligence is compelling. The ability to directly gauge consumer reaction to content themes and products could prove to be a powerful tool for listening to consumers and gathering insights. Perhaps NOWNESS will grow into a virtual hub for online consumer conversations around luxury products and services.
What’s missing? Today, integrating content and commerce has proven to be a powerful way to drive sales. We think there could be a commercial business model somewhere in the future of NOWNESS and we are excited to see how it develops.
LONDON, United Kingdom — As the fashion industry continues its march into the digital age, London — always known for its raw creativity and emerging talent — can now add digital innovation to that list.
This is no overnight story. To the contrary, it’s taken ten years for fashion players here to plant seeds which are only beginning to bear fruit now, as fashion’s digital tsunami really begins to take hold.
The British capital, after all, is home to revolutionary fashion website SHOWStudio, e-commerce pioneer Net-a-Porter, and online hub of youth culture Dazed Digital — all of which were founded many years ago. These seminal businesses have created a foundational and fertile seedbed for other digital businesses and attracted and developed digital talent that has gone on to shape and inspire other online companies here including mywardrobe.com, Fashionair and farfetch.com. And, while American Vogue is in the midst of setting up its website now, British Vogue has had its own website for fifteen years.
London-based mega-brand Burberry, widely considered to be the most innovative fashion company in the digital space, was one of the first to stream its catwalk show live on the Internet last season. Having decided to show in London again this time around, Burberry is not content with resting on its digital laurels. A few weeks ago, the iconic British brand announced its plans to stream its show in 3D to a host of cities around the world, from Dubai and Tokyo to Paris and New York, creating the world’s first truly global fashion show.
But it’s not just big brands and websites that a digital capital make. The East End of London is a hotbed of fashion creativity and digital innovation. Emerging fashion creatives like Ruth Hogben, digital art directors like Jaime Perlman, and independent film production studios like Pundersons Gardens, have been working with independent designers like Gareth Pugh and Richard Nicoll to show the fashion world what is possible when creativity meets digital technology.
And, the British Fashion Council is the first of the major organising bodies in fashion to fully embrace digital technology, having set up its own digital schedule for fashion films and live-streams of selected on-schedule shows, accompanied by live commentary using curated tweets from fashion insiders and fans alike via Starworks Conversations.
As for the designers themselves, they are going digital too. Following in the footsteps of that giant of fashion whose shadow is looming over this London fashion week, designers like Mary Katrantzou and Erdem Moralioglu are using digital techniques to create out-of-this world prints, which have become defining, technology-based signatures of their work.
As Naomi Attwoods said in her review of Katrantzou’s A/W 2010 collection shown on Saturday, “Katrantzou’s strength is her eye for a print. The digital technology that has revolutionised and regenerated the trend for colourful, printed clothes gives designers so many possibilities but with Miss Katrantzou’s pieces, the source material is clearly visible and this sets her apart.”
And so, as London Fashion Week hits full tilt on Monday and Tuesday, the city seems poised to leapfrog Milan, Paris and New York as the definitive digital fashion capital, furthering the nascent comeback of London Fashion Week after years of struggling in the shadow of its fashion capital brethren.
Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion
Robert Duffy and Marc Jacobs | Source: Twitpic via @robertcduffy
In our latest CEO Talk, Robert Duffy, longtime business partner of Marc Jacobs, speaks to BoF about the power of Twitter.
NEW YORK, United States — When Robert Duffy posted his first-ever Tweet on 30 January, saying “Welcome Tweeties,” he had no idea what he was getting into. What happened in the weeks that followed is an excellent lesson for fashion executives everywhere: the best way to understand social media is to use social media.
You see, Robert Duffy had never used Twitter before. In fact, he didn’t really even know what Twitter was until a member of his team introduced it to him. Eventually, he warmed to the idea of using Twitter to share the behind-the-scenes action of the Marc Jacobs show, still the highlight of New York Fashion Week even after 26 years in business.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. On his second day of tweeting, Duffy accidentally deleted all of his tweets. In the days that followed, he learned about direct messaging and retweeting and privacy on Twitter. Still, Duffy stuck with it. He began each day by getting on his stationary bicycle and reading the hundreds of tweets that had come in over night, listening and responding to feedback and questions on stores, customer service, the Marc Jacobs website, and — music to our BoF ears — how to run a fashion business.
Soon, Robert became an expert tweeter, not only on the techniques and norms of using Twitter, but also by speaking authentically in his own voice and even sharing a few private moments with Marc Jacobs himself. This authenticity resonated across the fashion Twittersphere in thousands and thousands of retweets, and spreading to blog posts and articles in the mainstream media.
By February 13, the power of Twitter had really dawned on Duffy: “I have learned much from doing this,” he tweeted. “Am really better for the experiance [sic]. You talk to the whole world in 1 second. Takes no time. Amazing!”
Still, he announced to his almost 7,000 followers that he would be hanging up his Twitter hat. And yesterday, after the Marc by Marc Jacobs show, his @robertcduffy handle was transformed into @MJInternational, leaving room for an as-yet unnamed someone else to fill Duffy’s shoes.
In a very special exclusive CEO Talk for The Business of Fashion, I caught up with Robert Duffy backstage before the Marc by Marc show, armed with questions from our loyal BoF followers, to learn more about his Twitter experience.
BoF: Thanks Robert for speaking to BoF. First of all, what exactly prompted you to start tweeting?
Well, Daniel who heads up our website came to me and asked if we could stream the show live, and I said “Yes.”
Then he said “Can we Twitter?” and I said “I don’t know what it is but do you think it’s a good idea?” He said “Yes.” Then he came to me two days later and said “Can you get one of your celebrity friends to Twitter?” and I said “What is Twitter exactly?” Once he explained it to me I said “Absolutely not. Who’s going to do that for two weeks?”
And he said “Well if we want it to be real and accurate and describe what it’s like to put on a show, the only people who could do it would either be you or Marc.” And so that is what we did.
BoF: People have been giving you tons of feedback via Twitter. Last night you said you received 386 tweets after the show. Someone else sent you feedback about a party in Copenhagen. And others have commented about the service in your stores. Have you been acting on this feedback and could you envision using it as a tool for customer feedback going forward?
Oh yeah, absolutely! I don’t know exactly how many thousands of tweets I got, but I have been looking at them every day. I can see my phone on my TV while I am on my stationary bicycle in the morning, so I’ve been reading all the tweets and questions. I like that people feel like they are connected to the company. It’s a real pleasure.
People thought I was being sarcastic when I was responding to that guy from Copenhagen about the party, but I really did send an email out to respond. I’m checking on it. He direct messaged me back saying “Thank you.”
A lot of things have happened which have been very touching. There were some kids that didn’t have any money and were trying to do stuff and so I hooked them up with some people that might help them. And one customer’s fantasy in some country was to own this thing and he couldn’t get it, so we sent it to him.
There were a lot of fun things that went on behind-the-scenes that I really enjoyed.
BoF: You’ve been taking pictures of Marc and sending them out with little messages. What does Marc think about Twitter?
Well actually he used Twitter a couple year ago, for about a day and a half. I think that he was a bit overwhelmed by it.
BoF: But he likes that you are using Twitter?
I don’t know, I haven’t asked him. But, yeah, I think he must. I’ll ask him…he is here somewhere.
BoF: Unlike a lot of new Twitter users, you’ve developed a real following and an authentic voice. You have said that you’re going to stop tweeting as soon as this show is over. I asked some of our followers if they had any questions for you, and a few of them just wanted me to encourage you to continue tweeting…so who could replace you?
It’s going to have to be someone that travels with me, perhaps one of my assistants or somebody that can use my voice.
I have to run a company — a very large company. I’m busy. During these two weeks I am with Marc constantly. We are side by side for the two weeks before the show. I mean we are already working 18 hours a day everyday, Saturdays and Sunday. I get up every morning at 5:30, as everybody that writes me and tweets me knows.
But, I do read them all. Reading takes the most time. Sending a tweet tweet takes only 30 seconds.
BoF: Speaking of which, have you been writing all the Tweets yourself or has someone else been helping you?
I wrote every single one. And, by the way, I’m so sorry for the spelling. I went back and read some of it and went “Oh my God!”
BoF: What is the one biggest thing you learned from your time as a Twitterer these past couple of weeks?
I’ve learned that there are a lot of kids that want advice on how to run a business. There are a lot of kids that need a break and that there are a lot of people that don’t understand how hard it is to make it in any business. I explain to them that it took Marc and I so many years. I mean, we’ve been in business 26 years and we didn’t make any money until year 20.
BoF: Why have you found these tweets from students so inspiring?
Because I’ve been there. I don’t want these kids to give up, you know? I can see how discouraged they are. And I know that if Marc and I weren’t together we would have probably given up too.
And I want to say to them, especially the ones that have talent (they send me pictures and stuff!): Don’t give up. Find a way to do it. I had to. Marc had to. We are still working two jobs to support this. But, don’t do it to become famous or to become a celebrity or it because you think it’s easy. It is not.
We started in 1984. When did people start hearing of us? 2000? Do you know what I mean? Do what you love because really if you do it, you’ll get so much satisfaction in the end.
Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion
CEO Talk is an ongoing series of discussions with fashion entrepreneurs and business leaders. Previous interviews are listed below:
Tavi Gevinson's Bow at Dior Couture | Source: Twitpic by SteffiSchuetze
LONDON, United Kingdom — A veritable firestorm erupted across fashion blogs and twitter streams this week in response to an article that appeared in London’s Independent newspaper over the weekend, highlighting Tavi Gevinson’s front row presence at the Haute Couture shows in Paris.
In a piece entitled “Fluff flies as fashion writers pick a cat fight with bloggers,” The Independent reported that “senior fashion insiders believe blogs have turned into little more than mouthpieces for fashion brands, which are increasingly using bloggers to regurgitate their press releases.”
As those controversial words rippled through the blogosphere and twittersphere, the protest and outrage came from all quarters of the fashion blogging fraternity and sorority. And, while we at the BoF were hesitant to take the bait and join the fray — the whole ‘editors versus bloggers’ story is becoming tired — it would be even worse for us to remain silent. Indeed, the Independent article raises very important issues which merit further discussion and debate, and perhaps, a more balanced perspective on this so-called “backlash” against bloggers.
In fact, this is exactly what I said when I was contacted for quotes on the Independent piece — quotes which were ultimately not used. As it turns out, several other bloggers were also asked to comment, including Susie Bubble and Helene of The Luxe Chronicles, but none of their quotes were used either. In fact, not one blogger was directly quoted to provide comment on the other side of the story. The result is an article that comes across as very black and white, on an issue that actually has many shades of grey. We are only at the very beginning of the digital revolution that is sweeping across the fashion industry. And so, to only show one side of the story does readers, and the industry as a whole, a disservice.
In the spirit of adding to the dialogue and providing a more balanced perspective, here’s some food for thought.
First, most bloggers worth their salt operate with integrity and professional values. This is not to say that bloggers are beyond reproach. There are always some bad apples in the bunch, in this case, those bloggers who accept products in exchange for positive coverage or special treatment. However, smart bloggers recognise that if they lose their independence, they will quickly lose the trust of their audiences. Simply being a mouthpiece is a short-term strategy.
So Who Isn't Bought? | Source: Bryanboy
Second, for editors from the mainstream media to hold bloggers to a different standard than that to which they hold themselves, is hypocritical. As one fashion insider told me, more than ever, major fashion editors are putting advertisers front and centre in their fashion editorial, giving smaller independent brands a miss.
“By and large, the way that bloggers respond to brands still results in content that isn’t unlike a traditional advertorial or ‘bought copy’ seen in magazines,” said Susie Bubble, author of one of the world’s most widely read fashion blogs, to the Independent, in quotes that she kindly shared with me but weren’t used in the piece.
“It is up to the blogger how they handle it and how they portray themselves. They are accountable to their readers and if they choose to do something that strikes [readers] as being biased or ‘bought by brands,’ then they have to suffer the consequences,” she concluded.
This is more important than ever before. Now that brands have cottoned on to the influence that bloggers have, they are doing everything to seduce them and win their approval.
In theory, there is nothing wrong with bloggers building relationships with brands and gaining special access. But, if these relationships become so cozy that bloggers stop saying what they really think, they risk losing the audiences that have grown to love them. The trick for bloggers, therefore, is to maintain healthy relationships with the brands, while also staying true to their audiences — it’s a fine balance.
Finally, we must all be aware that the tensions we’re seeing simply reflect the growing pains of a new medium that’s only just finding its way. As Vikram Alexei Kansara, Managing Editor of BoF said, “Like them or not, bloggers are here to stay and should be recognised as the powerful and significant ‘Fifth Estate’ that they are. Today we are at a moment that’s not unlike the invention of the Gutenberg press. It took hundreds of years for print media to evolve beyond biased pamphleteering, so why should they expect blogging to mature over night? If anything, I would argue that blogging is maturing much faster than print ever did!”
For her part, Susie Mesure, the author of the controversial article, said “the story ended up being much shorter than initially envisaged so I couldn’t use all the comments. Writing in a paper is not like writing online as I am constrained by the word limit set by my editor. I would have liked to use all the comments I received as they were very interesting. Hopefully I may yet get the chance.”
Indeed, all of the bloggers I spoke to said that their conversations with Ms. Mesure were pleasant and interesting. Even though she may have had an preconceived agenda in mind, she was asking all the right questions. It’s just too bad she wasn’t able to share the answers.
In the end, as Helene Le Blanc of Luxe Chronicles said, “it would be a far more productive debate if, rather than sniping at bloggers such as Tavi, journalists and editors actually engaged bloggers in a genuine dialogue about the state of the industry and the ways in which social media can make fashion a more participative industry.”
Hopefully now the mainstream media will turn its focus to discussing and analysing what bloggers are saying, instead of perpetuating the unconstructive ‘us versus them’ tension. Indeed, contrary to what the article may have indicated, Ms. Mesure is “a big fan of blogs – fashion blogs and otherwise,” she says. “I do however think there is a danger with readers assuming bloggers are independent when there is so much ‘gifting’ and ’seeding’ going on, which was really the main point I wanted to make.”
Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion
“Vol de Jour” by Karl Lagerfeld | Source: Chanel.com
NEW YORK, United States — In recent seasons, while a deep economic downturn has threatened the long-term survival of many magazines, a number of major fashion brands have been creating their own editorial content, and perhaps no brand has done more of this than Chanel. Back in November, Olivier Zahm posted an image of several layouts from 31 Rue Cambon, announcing “the first Chanel magazine which I have art directed and designed for Karl Lagerfeld, to be distributed worldwide in all the Chanel stores.”
But whereas 31 rue Cambon will be a print publication, Chanel’s real content focus has been in the digital space, harnessing Karl Lagerfeld himself to create increasing volumes of original content for digital distribution, especially around the brand’s showcase “Métiers d’Art” collections, which underscore Chanel’s unique commitment to the traditional Parisian ateliers the firm acquired in 2002 — costume jewellers Desrues, embroiderers Lesage, milliners Michel, feather-makers Lemarié, cobblers Massaro, floral designers Guillet, and silversmiths Goosens — a strategic point of differentiation.
Having created runway videos, a silent film and short video teasers to accompany their Paris-Moscou Pre-Fall 2009 and Paris-Venice Resort 2009-2010 “Métiers d’Art” collections, Chanel recently launched a longer-format film and a full runway video for their Paris-Shanghai Pre-Fall 2010 collection. To accompany Paris-Shanghai, Mr. Lagerfeld has also been posting a series of behind the scenes video diaries documenting his design process, as well as fittings with models and the making of advertising campaigns, all released via YouTube and the Chanel News section of the brand’s website.
In fact, Chanel News looks a lot like a blog and publishes “exclusive online features” with enough originality, regularity and volume to qualify as an online magazine. As well as the videos for the “Metiers d’Art” collections, there are fittings with Lily Allen for Spring Summer 2010, a ballet filmed in the haute couture salon at 31 rue Cambon, images of Coco Chanel’s private apartments shot by Olivier Zahm, photos of Edita Vilkeviciute’s favourite places in Shanghai, drawings of the Paris-Moscou collection by Russian model Sasha Pivavorova, personal entries from “Karl’s Diary,” and short films such as “Fitting Room Follies” and “Vol de Jour” featuring Lara Stone. With new features added every few days, it’s a remarkable volume of material.
So why is Chanel investing in creating and publishing all this digital content? The answer is rooted in the changing nature of media, marketing and technology and underscores lessons that all major fashion brands would do well to observe.
In the past, marketing fashion collections mostly meant buying pages in magazines or space on strategically positioned billboards. In both cases, brands paid to interrupt consumers, repeating a visual theme or message in order to create recognition, desire and conversion. By exerting their influence as advertisers, brands also forced magazines to feature their products in their editorial. But today, affluent consumers are migrating online, where the balance of power is dramatically different.
It’s hard for consumers to avoid advertising when they’re flipping through a magazine or walking down the street. And it’s hard for publishers to ignore advertisers’ demands when the costs of printing and distribution are high. But on the web, where the tools of communication are largely free — it costs nothing to publish a blog, share on Facebook, or broadcast on Twitter — brands no longer have the leverage to monopolise media or pressure editors. In fact, the sheer volume of media and commentary generated by consumers themselves increasingly drowns out the monologue of traditional marketing.
These days, it’s not about being louder. It’s about being more interesting. To communicate effectively, brands must inspire and harness conversations amongst consumers by giving people something remarkable to talk about — something of value that they will actively seek out, amplify and share with others. In this new reality, forward-thinking fashion brands like Chanel are learning to think like media companies, creating and publishing original editorial content to earn attention and attract fans who will carry their message across the internet.
This approach makes particular sense for luxury fashion brands who are known for their creativity and ability to convey social status. That’s because, online, content is social currency: influencers increasingly earn friends and followers by circulating interesting digital content via their blogs, Facebook and Twitter.
For Chanel, there are signs that this is just the beginning of a broad strategy to give consumers a continuous stream of inspiring content to talk about and spread across the internet, driving recognition, desire and conversion. In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel fashion, recently announced plans to relaunch the current Chanel News blog, this March, as a full blown destination, chanel-news.com.“The idea is to give all these social networks a location where they can have genuine information about Chanel,” Pavlovsky said.
Watch this space.
Vikram Alexei Kansara is Managing Editor of The Business of Fashion
BERLIN, Germany — A big thank you to PREMIUM and Mary Scherpe of Stil in Berlin for inviting me to join an esteemed panel of German fashion experts — Christoph Amend of Zeit Magazin, Marcus Luft of Gala and Too Posh to Push, and Sven Schoene of PR Agency K-MB— to discuss the future of fashion media on the first day of Berlin Fashion Week.
The panel began with the esteemed Suzy Menkes, who wasn’t able to participate in person, but declared via video: “The world changed when fashion instead of being a monologue, became a conversation. And that’s never going to stop.”
Suzy, of course, was amongst the first of the mainstream fashion editors to reach out to bloggers and engage them as professionals. “A good blogger,” she says, “can really take all sorts of elements and use them both in words and pictures and make a strong statement.”
She’s “tremendously in favour of anything that is new and fresh in fashion,” but the one thing that concerns her is that “some bloggers believe, in their innocence, that they are completely independent in what they say.” In between the lines, Suzy advises bloggers to be wary of the increasing pressure they receive from brands to evangelise brands and products.
The video also features Julia and Jessie from Les Mads, Jennine from The Coveted and Yvan from The Facehunter, each of whom provide their own perspectives on how quickly the fashion blogosphere is rising in influence and prevalence.
LONDON, United Kingdom — “Everyone knows that editorial content is going to change,” says Jaime Perlman, Art Director of British Vogue. As web magazines, fashion films and a new generation of bloggers continue to capture the collective imagination of industry insiders and end consumers alike, there’s no doubt that fashion media is embracing digital technology like never before and becoming more immediate, transparent and multi-sensory in the process.
But where many in the magazine industry see a seismic threat, Ms. Perlman saw a creative opportunity. Last September, she launched an experimental fashion site called Test that embraces the collaborative energy, speed and democratic spirit of the internet and — true to its name — provides a platform for a new generation of fashion creatives to test the digital waters.
Jaime got her start in fashion as an assistant to Fabien Baron at American Harpers Bazaar, before moving on to become Associate Art Director at American Vogue. After a chance encounter with Robin Derrick, she was offered the job of Art Director at British Vogue and jumped ship for London, where she’s lived for the last five years.
BoF recently caught up with Jaime to talk about Test, the convergence of film and stills, moving to London, and the new inclusive fashion universe.
BoF: Since your roles at Harpers Bazaaar and American Vogue, you’ve become Art Director of British Vogue, worked with photographers like Tim Walker and Nick Knight, and launched a fashion website called Test. Is there something special about London that gives you the creative freedom and energy to do it all?
I definitely feel like London is buzzing with a creative energy I’ve felt nowhere else. I’ve also found the aesthetic here to be quite different to America, a bit more experimental and avant garde. It’s been a great place to try things out visually. I’ve felt much less self-conscious here about making a visual statement and feel privileged to have worked with talents like Nick Knight, Tim Walker and Corinne Day, all of whom have essentially popularised their own unique aesthetics that new generations of photographers follow.
BoF: How does the idea of a “test shoot” inform the underlying concept and the way you run Test?
I began Test as a place to experiment. Throughout my career, I’d met photographers and stylists that inspired me, but whom I had no opportunity to work with “professionally,” so I created this platform. The name Test is indeed derived from the term “test shoot,” for which photographers, stylists, models, and hair and makeup teams come together to demonstrate the best of their abilities. It’s a place to flush out new ideas and try out new collaborations.
But most importantly, Test has been a place for photographers to play around with moving image. Almost every photographer I know feels pressure to master film and video right now, and they’re keen to make a reel. It’s an exciting time, as it feels like a transitional period in media — stills photographers with no training in film are clumsily picking up their ‘high-def’ cameras for the first time and tinkering around with Final Cut Pro. It’s a race to keep up with new technology and evolving expectations. Advertising agencies don’t want to hire photographers anymore, they want to hire photographers who can also direct. It’s a skill that’s necessary for survival.
BoF: Because they incorporate sound and movement, do you think films are more emotionally charged than stills? Will fashion film become the dominant editorial format?
I wouldn’t argue that films are more emotionally charged than stills. In fact, I think there’s something incredibly powerful about capturing a single moment in still photography. You lose that in film. But I don’t think it’s a question of one or the other. With the growth of online magazines and new innovations like the Apple tablet, I think it’s about how film and photography will be used together. Increasingly, the creation and consumption of stills shoots and fashion films will be one in the same. Remember, with the Red camera, directors can shoot a moving image piece and select stills which can be pulled out as fashion photographs.
BoF: In most fashion magazines, only the photographer and stylist are credited. But with Test, you’ve taken a more democratic approach, crediting the entire creative team. What’s the philosophy behind this?
A rigidly hierarchical environment is somewhat outdated in fashion. Previously you assisted someone for years and years with no creative input and were totally hidden behind the scenes. When I first began going to shoots, it struck me just how many people were involved in producing the images you see, working their butts off, but never being credited.
Now, with the internet and blogs, people at all levels have a voice. I felt it was quite natural for Test to embrace this new, digitally-driven ethos and credit everyone involved with the shoots. Test is about the process as much as the product and I wanted to inform the audience about everyone’s role in the shoots we do. Ultimately, these are the people who may one day be credited at the tops of magazine mastheads. I’ve seen so many kids move up in the business from the very bottom, and I think everyone that’s dedicated enough to their craft has the possibility to achieve great things.
BoF: You said that Test was about the process as much as the finished product. How do you think a more transparent creative process will impact fashion?
Everything is getting more accessible these days, whether it’s fashion or celebrity. Now everything is within our reach, which is why consumers are becoming fascinated with the process. It’s something that was previously hidden away.
Within the industry, the majority of my friends and colleagues have blogs. People are always fascinated by what inspires other people and often borrow inspiration for themselves. On both levels, I think what we’re seeing is a move towards a more inclusive and open fashion universe.
BoF: Is Test ever a “testing area” for ideas or concepts that make their way into your work for British Vogue?
Test and British Vogue are two separate entities. But as an art director, I find they complement each other. A few of the artists who have worked with Test — such as Norbert Schoerner, Jacob Sutton, Catherine Servel, and Jermaine Francis — have already contributed to Vogue. But Test also allows me to work with artists who are less established and may not have had the opportunity to work for Vogue at this stage in their careers. In that sense, it’s opened my eyes to people who are potential contenders and allows me to mark people in the industry as “ones to watch” who might grace the pages of Vogue in the future.
NEW YORK, United States — The Business of Fashion is pleased to announce our second media partnership with LuxuryLab, following the much talked-about Luxury Lab Innovation Forum held last Autumn.
On January 29th, the New York University-based think tank will hold its first Social Graph Clinic, “a one-day intensive workshop that takes an adroit and sober examination of social media’s underpinnings, platforms, and best practices. The objective is to enhance participants’ fluency in brand-driven social media efforts.”
Confirmed speakers include:
• Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics who will speak on How Social Media Transforms the Way We Liveand Do Business
• Shenan Reid, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Morpheus Media on Finding your Social Voice
• Fabio Freyre, Regional Vice-President of Facebook on Facebook, the Marketing OS
I will be speaking to brands on how best to engage bloggers. On that note, bloggers, let us know your pet peeves and top tips on how brands should engage with you. You can comment on this post, send a direct message on Twitter or send an email, and I will do my best to reflect your feedback in my presentation. Now’s your chance to have a say what you always wanted to say about those generic press releases, untargeted emails and unreasonable requests from fashion PRs. But please don’t just focus on the negative. What is the best relationship you have with a fashion brand and why?
Already, representatives from an impressive array of brands — including Brooks Brothers, Chanel, Coach, Dunhill, Gucci, J. Crew, Maxmara, Michael Kors, and Neiman Marcus — have confirmed their attendance. If you too would like to attend, please consider using this special BoF link to register and you will also help us to earn a commission on ticket sales to support the development of our content in the coming year and defray the growing costs of maintaining BoF. A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the much-needed ongoing aid relief in Haiti.
Dolce & Gabbana Front Row Spring/Summer 2010 | Source: New York Times
LONDON, United Kingdom— It’s that time of year again. With over one million pageviews on BoF in 2009, it’s time to take stock of the year that was in a retrospective of the most popular articles from The Business of Fashion.
Needless to say, 2009 was the year of social media in fashion and our top 10 list is reflective of the explosion of interest in fashion bloggers, social networks and the now ubiquitous Twitter. Despite all of the hubbub (and yet another high-profile article this week from the New York Times on bloggers crashing the front row) social media is not a trend that will disappear. At BoF, we have prided ourselves on going beyond all of the hype to figure out what the implications are for the long-term.
But BoF is about more than just Web 2.0 and our top 10 is reflective of this. Indeed, over the past year we responded to media requests on a variety of subjects from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wallpaper*, Women’s Wear Daily, AnOther Magazine and others seeking our input on the forces re-shaping the fashion industry that are regularly covered in our pages.
So, without further ado, here is The Best of BoF from 2009. Happy reading!
Our most recent article on Fashion 2.0 was also one of the most popular articles on BoF this past year, taking the industry — brands, bloggers and maintream media alike — to task for focusing on the superficial short-term ‘trend’ of social media, as opposed to the fundamental long-term changes that social media portends for the future of the industry as we know it.
A flurry of comments from digital media experts, star bloggers and industry watchers around the world pushed the Fashion 2.0 conversation forward at what is only the beginning of a long period of change and adaptation.
Screenshot from David David fashion film | Source: David David
Online fashion films really took off this year as a way for big and small fashion brands alike to connect with consumers. From narrative films to moody pieces to quirky animation shorts, our rundown of the top 10 fashion films for Spring/Summer 2010 was so popular it sure to be a regular feature on BoF in seasons to come.
The top fashion film in our estimation came from Alexander McQueen, who created a real fashion moment with his futuristic display of technology and fashion during Paris Fashion Week, accompanied by an equally arresting fashion film.
Luxury Society Invitation | Source: Luxury Society
I was proud to announce my role as a co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Luxury Society, the first global online network for luxury professionals, on BoF in March. Our “Whisper Campaign” resulted in a widespread viral conversation that brought thousands of readers to BoF and hundreds of requests join Luxury Society in its beta incarnation.
Later in the year, Women’s Wear Daily profiled Luxury Society as we marked the milestone of 2,000 luxury professionals in the network. Today Luxury Society counts more than 6,000 members in its ranks and will move out of beta in early 2010. Stay tuned for more news soon.
Maison Martin Margiela scarification | Source: ASVOF
2009 will also be remembered as the year when Martin Margiela left the fashion house that bears his name. Before the announcement of his departure was made, BoF was grateful to republish an article by our friends at Agenda Inc. which chronicled the how special characteristics of the cult Belgian brand and its mysterious designer created a following unrivaled in the fashion industry.
Our friends over at LuxuryLab published a ranking of fashion brands’ digital competence in the Autumn, and we were amongst the first to share the now widely-read report with the global fashion industry.
For fashion brands, the news was not so good. The controversial ranking played a part in the wave of social media interest that swept across fashion brands in New York, Paris and Milan in the latter half of 2009. LuxuryLab has more technology initiatives planned for 2010.
Screen shot of DazedDigital.com | Source: Dazed Group
Technological disruption is not an issue isolated to fashion brands. Our three-part series on the future of fashion magazines by Vikram Alexei Kansara explored how technology is revolutionising fashion media as well. Jefferson Hack, Nick Knight and Diane Pernet were amongst the important industry voices who weighed in on the debate.
Our always-sharp contributing editor in Tokyo, W. David Marx, penned a piece on Uniqlo, which in our view, was the most important fashion brand of 2009.
In the middle of the greatest economic slowdown in several generations, Uniqlo continued its global expansion, increased profits and sales, and brought in the formidable talent of Jil Sander to create one of the most successful high-street designer collaborations to date.
Back in January, Lauren Goldstein Crowe, co-author of a tell-all book on Jimmy Choo, published a BoF column outlining her thoughts on how brands could survive the Great Recession of 2008-2009, gleaned from her conversations with fashion executives and brand managers. The article continued to garner interest throughout the year, a reflection of the dire state of the industry as 2009 comes to a close.
9 Festival for Fashion & Photography, by Jork Weisman | Source: Unit F
In June, I was fortunate to be invited to participate in the 9 Festival for Fashion and Photography in Vienna, incorporating the Austrian Fashion Awards, panel discussions with e-commerce retailers and fashion bloggers, and a variety of accompanying events that made for an exciting week. Next year, the Unit F buro fur Mode will put on its 10th annual festival from 7-20 June 2010.
BoF Twitter Poll Gucci Eyeweb versus Burberry Art of the Trench | Source: InFashionMedia
In our first ever poll of more than 10,000 BoF followers on Twitter, seeking reader feedback and comments on social media sites by Burberry and Gucci, the iconic British brand came out on top for its innovative website, The Art of the Trench.
After posting the article, we received feedback from many readers, including global PR and marketing professionals at both of the mega fashion brands in the poll. It seems we have discovered a new way to engage our readers, so there will be more Twitter Polls to come in 2010.
Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion
NEW YORK, United States — First video killed the radio star, now digital video appears poised to kill off the still photographer.
Armed with HD digital video that’s ever-higher in quality, photographers can now shoot moving images with the crispness and clarity of still photos. This raises an interesting dilemma for image-makers across art, fashion and advertising alike: why bother with photographs anymore?
Earlier this year, a video of Megan Fox in a bathing suit circulated online, followed by a cover story in Esquire magazine featuring images that were outtakes — screen grabs, essentially — from the video. Both were credited to celebrity portrait photographer Greg Williams, whose work has always referenced scenes from movies. But for Esquire, he wasn’t just making photographs that look like film stills – he took actual stills from a video that had already been widely distributed on the internet.
Magazines have long used online videos to support their editorial content, but the video featurettes were almost always supplementary. The printed photograph was still the prime focus of the piece and publishers and photographers were always careful to save the best material — the photographs themselves — for the print publication. That’s all starting to change.
In fashion advertising, Calvin Klein used digital video to shoot their Spring 2009 campaign, blowing up stills from Steven Meisel’s television ads to make the images on the company’s iconic billboard on New York’s Houston Street. But the spots, featuring models engaged in a ménage-a-trois, stoked so much controversy that they were banned from most television channels and instead ran exclusively on Calvin Klein’s website. The result was intriguing. The still images essentially became teasers for a video campaign that unfolded online.
Still photography and moviemaking share a long and interwoven history. But today, thanks to a new wave of HD digital video cameras, the two are converging like never before. That’s because new cameras like the RED – used by Steven Soderbergh on his last three projects and recently adopted by Peter Jackson for both District 9 and the upcoming The Lovely Bones – produce individual frames that look just as good as still photos.
While still prohibitively expensive for most photographers, the RED camera lets commercial clients produce a single piece of editorial or advertising content that can live across multiple media channels and platforms. That means the same photo shoot can produce both moving images and stills that can run as magazine ads, outdoor ads and web videos, a three-for-one deal with attractive cost-saving potential.
“It’s a general trend to create campaigns that are 360 and able to be in-store applications or online digital applications, in order to have a cohesive brand feel across different mediums,” adds Doug Lloyd, who provided creative direction for the Spring 2009 Y-3 campaign.
Using video also drives greater consumer engagement, says Diana Hong, a creative director at digital agency CreateTheGroup who works with brands like Marc Jacobs and Burberry. “It’s really hard to convince people to buy [a campaign] and just provide images. Video is so big because you have a much more engaging product.”
Indeed, the advertising industry has rushed to embrace new digital video technology. But how do the photographers feel about the shift?
“I’m just trying to think of someone who didn’t make that switch. I think it’s just normal for photographers to make films and go back and forth. I approach my photography like a director, so it’s easy to make that transition,” said Ryan McGinley, who recently shot Tilda Swinton with the RED camera for luxury brand Pringle. “Digital is to film as colour was to black and white,” continues Collier Schorr, referencing her recent fashion film for Tim Hamilton.
But it’s important to remember that although many photographers are embracing digital video, the switch to making moving images isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s a different art form. While photography is focused on composing a mise-en-scène, organising elements within a static frame, making moving images means creating a scene, a composition that reveals itself over time, while retaining dramatic interest throughout.
The difference is emotion, says photographer KT Auleta, who has recently been experimenting with digital shorts and fashion films. “Actors are there to communicate another level of human experience, whereas the emotions in still fashion photography are more of a tone.” Indeed, there’s a reason that movies have both a director and a director of photography, which carries risks for a photographer making the switch. Working on a moving image, “I am not directly on the camera,” Auleta notes, “so there is a creative immediacy that is lost in my process.”
Lloyd’s recent campaigns for Y-3 involve images of frozen movements that would be difficult, if not impossible, to choreograph for a still camera. But he also has misgivings about working with a larger crew: “Photography used to be more of a collaborative effort between a photographer and an art director, and it’s now become much more of an open democratic conversation with all the people on set, because now there is a visual on a monitor that’s kind of constantly being critiqued and scrutinized.”
Which is not to say that a still from a video shoot is any less of a creative product than a photograph. It’s just not the same creative product. “I just shot a short film with Patrik Ervell for his Spring collection, and we pulled a still for an ad,” Auleta says. “Originally my credit said ‘photo’ and Patrik called me to see if it should read ‘film still.’ We agreed that is, in fact, what it was.”
In other words, take a picture of photography right now, because in a flash, it could change completely.
Ken Miller is an editor, writer, and curator for print and digital media.
LONDON, United Kingdom — Last night on X-Factor, one of the most popular shows in British television history, Lady Gaga laid down the digital pop star gauntlet again, dressed in Gareth Pugh’s fantastical creations from Spring/Summer 2007 while performing Bad Romance, the first release from her second album The Fame Monster. The song originally debuted at the seminal show of the Spring/Summer 2010 collections staged by Alexander McQueen. As was widely reported at the time, when Ms. Gaga announced the song’s debut to her more than 1 million Twitter followers, it promptly crashed the SHOWStudio site which was live-streaming the McQueen show.
Since then, Gaga has performed Bad Romance at the American Music Awards, the Ellen Degeneres Show, the Jay Leno Show, and now X-Factor, reaching millions of viewers around the world. But even more interestingly, she has gone beyond the typical old media promotion circuit, using the internet to create viral interest in her music and day-to-day antics.
The results are impressive to say the least. Since the Bad Romance video was launched on YouTube on November 10th, it has been viewed more than 30 million times. To put that into perspective, Madonna’s current single, Celebration, has only been viewed 1 million times since it debuted on YouTube on October 14th. In total, Lady Gaga’s videos have been viewed more than 500 million times on YouTube, the equivalent of almost 40 appearances on X-Factor, which attracted an estimated 13 million viewers yesterday evening.
It’s no wonder that Forbes Magazine recently declared that “Lady Gaga isn’t the music industry’s new Madonna. She’s its new business model.” However, what the Forbes article failed to note is that Lady Gaga may very well be revolutionising the fashion business as well.
On his blog, Lady Gaga’s stylist Nicola Formichetti, who is also the Creative Director of Dazed & Confused and Fashion Director of Vogue Hommes Japan, has credited the outfits worn by Ms. Gaga in every shot of the Bad Romance video, in the same way that one might see editorial credits in fashion magazines. Given the original Alexander McQueen connection, it’s not surprising that many of the fashion credits in this case go to Mr. McQueen, but Formichetti has also dressed Ms. Gaga in clothes by young designers from around the world, including London-based milliner Nasir Mazhar and American designer Benjamin Cho, providing these new talents with a powerful PR platform that brings fashion into the digital age. In this way, Ms. Gaga may now be the single most powerful editorial machine for fashion designers looking for mass exposure.
Of course, there has always been a connection between fashion, music and film, which feed off of each other for inspiration and amplify the collective interest of consumers. The first step in solidifying this was the launch of MTV in the 1980’s and the birth of the narrative music video, as pioneered by Michael Jackson and others. But back then, musicians relied on the networks to select and broadcast their videos to reach their audiences, whereas today, artists can communicate directly with their fans en masse, as Lady Gaga has shown, and videos are viewed on demand by consumers who choose the content they want to consume. And, while Michael Jackson’s red zippered jacket inspired his fans in a similar way as Gaga does with her fashions today, there was no easy way of really tracking down who made the jackets or where they could be found. Bolstered by the power of the Internet, the new fashion-music-film troika is an even stronger force to be reckoned with.
Incidentally, there’s one other brand that appears conspicuously in the fashion credits of Bad Romance. “The Haus of Gaga” is credited with several items from different scenes from the video. Could an eponymous Lady Gaga fashion label be the next phase in Ms. Gaga’s plans for global domination? Stay tuned.
NEW YORK, United States — Ever since the dynamic and erudite young fashion blogger Tavi appeared at the runway shows in New York this past September, the fashion industry has partaken in a veritable social media orgy. Article after article rightfully declared the 13 year-old blogger and her talented fashion blogger brothers and sisters — BryanBoy, Susie Bubble and others — the new fashion stars.
And while nothing delights us more than to see bloggers finally getting the attention and respect they deserve, the time has come for a bit of a social media reality check.
Fashion blog web traffic | Source: Alexa
According to some quick research on Alexa, the recent attention has propelled traffic of these fashion blogs to record highs, and for a short period, tiny Tavi’s traffic even eclipsed that of the superblogger Scott Schuman. All the while, brands were chasing the “new front row” for attention and approval, an international luxury conference was convened in Berlin to explore how social media is revolutionising the fashion industry, and the star bloggers were trying to make sense of their overnight fame and newfound industry influence.
But what happens next? It’s time to take stock to assess how each of the constituent players in this rapidly developing online fashion eco-system can develop over the long-term. For everyone involved, this will require not only a change of media, but also a change of mindset.
BRANDS: Develop long-term, reciprocal relationships with bloggers. Don’t just create PR stunts to get attention.
At that now infamous D&G show in Milan, where bloggers were prominently placed in the front row for all to see, laptops were also set up in front of their seats. The objective, it appears, was to make it look like they were “live” blogging and tweeting during the show, even though none of the selected photobloggers (Scott Schuman, Tommy Ton, and Garance Doré) work in this way. Rather, the photobloggers take hundreds of photos over the course of a day and then edit their photos down before publishing only the best ones. In reality, only Bryanboy is a regular Twitter user and the only one who might be considered a “live” blogger.
As a PR stunt, the illusion of live blogging may have done wonders for D&G as press photos of the bloggers appeared in major publications around the world. Conjuring up images of young people streaming their ideas live from the front row made for a great story, but it probably made the bloggers themselves feel uncomfortable. D&G apparently wanted to be seen as the first to truly embrace media, even though other brands have been doing so for several seasons now, albeit in a quieter manner.
It’s not enough to be seen to embrace social media. Brands and retailers must also build real long-term symbiotic relationships with bloggers, not short-term exploitative ones. Excellent examples of this are Lane Crawford, who from the start have supported and worked with Tommy Ton on their ad campaigns, and Burberry and DKNY who hired Mr. Schuman for his photography skills to appear on their website and in their advertisements, respectively.
Finally, consider the point made by Yuli Ziv, a New York-based fashion blogger who said to brands last week: “If you are looking for sales, make sure to provide [bloggers] the detailed product info, pricing and availability, if SEO optimization is your top goal – make sure you use the right keywords in your pitch, if publicity buzz is what makes you satisfied – give them juicy stories, and if you simply want love – give them the reasons to love you.” It’s as simple as that.
BLOGGERS: Operate with the highest-levels of integrity and don’t lose your independent voice and point-of-view.
In his book “Watching the Watchdog: Bloggers As the Fifth Estate,” author Stephen D. Cooper argues that bloggers can hold companies and the mainstream media accountable for their actions. But in order to do so, bloggers must simultaneously maintain healthy, positive relationships with the brands with whom they work, while also fiercely protecting their independence.
Even though we don’t necessarily agree with the recent FTC ruling holding bloggers to a different level of accountability than the mainstream press, the underlying principles are sensible. Don’t allow your praise to be bought. Accept gifts like everyone else in the industry, but be transparent when you have been given something to review or been flown in to cover an event. And, most of all, say what you think! After all, this is why your audience comes to you in the first place. The minute bloggers become part of the easily-manipulated fashion media machinery, they lose their unique selling proposition.
If bloggers want to be taken seriously, they must operate like professionals. Indeed, it is the most professional of bloggers— those who work hard, operate with integrity, and maintain good relationships — who are having the most financial success, attracting advertising, sponsorship and even consulting and employment opportunities.
MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Engage with bloggers as professionals and consider making them your new colleagues.
The rise of fashion bloggers does not necessarily mean the death of fashion editors. There is more than enough room for everyone to take part in the ever-growing sphere of fashion writing and communication.
However, more than just writing about bloggers (over and over again), the mainstream media may want to consider engaging with them as fellow professionals. Prior to last week’s IHT conference in Berlin, Suzy Menkes agreed to have the tables turned on her, participating in an interview with Mary Scherpe on her blog, Quite Contrary. While many other journalists were interviewing bloggers, Suzy was letting a blogger interview her. Suzy also made an effort to meet with bloggers in Berlin who were (really) blogging and tweeting from the front rows.
Dazed Digital and Vogue web traffic | Source: Alexa
Jefferson Hack, Editorial Director of Dazed Group, has taken this one step further. When hiring for Dazed Digital a few years back, he did not look to traditional editors or photographers to lead his new digital team. Rather, he turned to the internet’s burgeoning fashion talents, hiring photographer Alistair Allan as Digital Director and prodigious fashion blogger Susie Bubble as Commissioning Editor. Long before much of the mainstream media was even paying attention to bloggers, Jefferson was already learning from them.
The results have been impressive. Independently-owned Dazed Digital now receives about 2 million pageviews per month, placing it in the leagues of Conde Nast-owned Vogue.co.uk, according to Alexa.
Still, I regularly hear reports of major online fashion properties who “can’t find the budgets” to hire young digital natives to help them amp up their online content. This is pennywise, pound foolish, especially as these young talents can be hired for a fraction of the cost of major photo shoot or big-time editor.
If the mainstream media are to keep up with all of the new developments, technologies and tools of online media, they might as well turn to the experts. Bloggers are at the forefront of content innovation on the internet and have the know-how to use social media effectively. In today’s internet world, it is innovative content attracts viral attention and fosters relationships with readers, which are also the most important drivers of traffic and loyalty.
Gucci Eyeweb versus Burberry Art of the Trench | Source: InFashionMedia
LONDON, United Kingdom — In recent weeks, two major luxury fashion brands have taken the plunge and launched social networks built around their brands and products. It’s not a new idea by any means, and indeed I wrote a piece on this very idea for the Financial Times almost two years ago. But, that doesn’t make it any less notable because, as far as I can tell, it is the first time top fashion brands have used social media in this way. Indeed, both Gucci and Burberry went to great efforts to highlight these initiatives at last week’s IHT Techno Luxury conference in Berlin.
So, have their experiments been successful? Of course we at the BoF have our own opinions, but in the spirit of democracy we thought it was the perfect opportunity to turn to the BoF community to see what you think. In our first ever BoF Twitter Poll, we asked:
The responses came in fast and furious from BoF’s followers around the world, including James Gardner, CEO of the industry’s leading creative agency CreateThe Group, and influential bloggers such as Bryanboy and DisneyRollerGirl. In the end, it was a no-contest knockout for Burberry which was unanimously selected as the winner.
So why did our followers feel this way? Here’s a quick summary of their thoughts:
1. Burberry shows a deep understanding of how to use social media, while Gucci just jumped on the “bandwagon” without thinking first, which feels “insincere.”
@alexanderlewis in London: “Gucci heard about something called social networking Burberry AOTT remixed and embraced it”
@subversiveglam: (aka, James Gardner, CEO of CreateThe Group) in New York: “Burberry AOT shows luxury brands how to effectively embrace social media. Gucci jumped on a band wagon and then fell off.”
@randalltodd also from New York: “Trench: engaging. Eyeweb: limited, insincere.”
@InFashionMedia in Australia: “Gucci literally places customers behind their products. Burberry features people & their products on same level.”
2. Burberry creates a “visual feast” that inspires users to explore further, while Gucci quickly loses users’ “interest.”
@bryanboy in Manila: “I prefer Art of the Trench. It’s a visual feast. Gucci on the other hand, well, I lost interest when I had to pick a city.”
@DisneyRollrGirl in London: “I prefer Art of the Trench, I didn’t even get beyond the Gucci homepage.”
@pascalgrob in Zurich: “Definitely AOT! Burberry’s approach is an art project and so pleasing to the eye…Gucci just doesn’t convince”
@lolaswij in Sydney: “Art of the Trench, based on aesthetics alone! It’s appropriate to judge a fashion www by it’s looks, non?”
3. Burberry’s offering is “fun,” functionally superior, “user-friendly” and easy-to-navigate while Gucci frustrates users.
@FearlessBG in the Netherlands: “Art of the Trench! The Gucci Eyeweb is annoying to navigate and doesn’t offer that much.”
@djuwearit in Dubai: “www.artofthetrench.com – it’s user friendly and fun.”
@xanod in London: “Definetely (sic) Art of the Trench, interactive, fun and more user friendly which is exactly what people want”
In addition, we would add two more points to Burberry’s successful social media outing:
4. Art of the Trench relies on editing by Christopher Bailey to ensure the integrity of the brand is maintained while Eyeweb’s images often have no clear connection to the brand.
Take a gander at Art of the Trench and you will find an almost uniformly style-savvy and well-dressed crowd of international fans in their Burberry trench coats. These photos have been carefully selected and screened by Burberry to ensure a good fit with the brand. On the other hand, Gucci’s site which also allows users to upload photos of themselves, is populated with a mish-mash of sometimes tacky, random images that seem to have nothing to do with the Gucci brand at all.
5. Art of the Trench is linked to a specific business objective whereas the purpose of Eyeweb is unclear.
In the same way that Ferragamo has built an identity around its shoes and Louis Vuitton has built a business around its leather goods, the trench coat has been identified by Burberry as the brand’s key item. By launching this site, Burberry further cemented ownership of the luxury trench coat category. On the other hand, Gucci’s site is highlighting sunglasses, which may be an important category, but isn’t really a core part of the brand’s DNA.
Having done such a good job, it’s no wonder that within the first week the Burberry site had more than two hundred thousand visitors and registered more than 3 million page views. The challenge for Burberry now will be to create reasons for its fans to return, without the support of the wall-to-wall press coverage that supported the launch of the site. Apparently, this will be achieved by bringing in new curators and creatives to populate the site with interesting content. But, even with all of the things that Burberry have done right, methinks that it will take a significantly more than that to draw people back again and again.
As for Gucci, it’s back to the drawing board. Kudos for experimenting and trying new things out, but perhaps next time Gucci may want to consider why it is jumping on the social media bandwagon and what it is aiming to achieve before punching its ticket.
NEW YORK, United States — On Friday, BoF attended the LuxuryLab Innovation Forum, a half-day conference hosted by Scott Galloway, associate professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and founder of LuxuryLab, a think tank that attracted attention earlier this autumn with a report ranking luxury brands by their “Digital IQ.”
Billed as TED for the luxury business with “high-velocity presentations,” the forum may have felt a bit unfocused at times, but from the stream of speakers, three important themes emerged.
THE DIGITAL TIPPING POINT
In the last five years, cost and time-to-market for digital assets have come down dramatically, while adoption and engagement rates amongst consumers have skyrocketed. “We have reached a digital tipping point,” observed Scott Galloway in his opening presentation.
Next up was Martin Nisenholtz, head of digital operations at The New York Times. “We’ve seen a massive shift in consumer behavior,” he said, citing internal statistics, as well as an eMarketer study that showed a doubling in digital media consumption from 2004-2008, with the fastest growth coming from affluent baby boomers. Indeed, luxury consumers are twice as active online as the general population, said the next speaker, Bart Sayer of global management consulting firm Booz & Company.
But with notable exceptions like Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Burberry, luxury brands are failing to fully embrace the digital zeitgeist. “Luxury firms are under-invested in digital,” said Mr. Sayer. They are falling behind, either because they don’t have the digital competence, or their digital teams are not empowered within their organisations.
But it’s not too late to take action. Despite the ongoing economic turmoil, now is the time for laggards to make major strategic investments in digital innovation, said Mr. Galloway.
We agree. While other companies are holding onto their cash, forward-thinking luxury brands will dramatically increase their investment in digital media and derive huge competitive advantage and future growth for doing so.
THE NEW LUXURY
Many of the speakers at the LuxuryLab event also noted that luxury was evolving, citing cultural, generational and psychographic shifts amongst affluent consumers. “Luxury as objects is giving way to luxury as experience,” said Ron Pompei, founder of creative services firm Pompei A.D.
While luxury goods that give individual pleasure and convey social status have fulfilled fundamental human needs since the dawn of time, their form has been variable. Today, affluent consumers are becoming less interested in traditional status symbols and more interested in “content-rich status experiences,” said Mr. Pompei, advising Prada to better integrate the cultural content created by Fondazione Prada with the brand’s marketing initiatives, both online and off.
Luxury is also becoming more personal, observed Chandler Burr, The New York Times perfume critic and one of the most entertaining speakers of the morning. In a talk entitled “The History of Scent Design in Three Acts,” he described the shift like this: “It’s the difference between you wearing the perfume and the perfume wearing you.” For Mr. Burr, luxury is becoming less about the cult of the creator and more about the individuality of the client.
But that doesn’t mean the new luxury is more accessible. Quite the opposite. “The new luxury is true luxury,” said branding guru Cindy Gallop, insisting that to fulfill their fundamental societal function (classifying and connecting people) luxury brands must be both unapologetically elitist and highly social.
CONVERSATIONS, COMMUNITY AND CULTURE
The third major theme of the day was the obsolescence of “command and control” thinking and the growing importance of online conversations, community-building and brand culture. “If you’re not living as part of the conversation, you’re not living,” said John Demsey, Group President of Estée Lauder.
In the one-way media world of the past, where consumers were mute and companies monopolised communication, brand managers focused on image. But in today’s many-to-many digital landscape, where brands are “participants” in a distributed and fragmented conversation with and amongst vocal consumers, image isn’t enough. It’s the set of intentions and actions that make up a brand’s culture that matter most.
“Brands are no longer at the centre,” explained Greg Shove, founder and CEO of Halogen Network. “People are talking about and remixing brands all over the internet.” In this new reality, he advised luxury companies to listen to what people are saying online, participate authentically and build digital applications that inspire, educate, support or entertain people.
“Brands should engage around interests and communities,” said Bart Sayer, citing successful digital platforms like Nike+ and Nike Playmaker which enhance the way people run and play football, attracting and inspiring authentic positive conversations and community around shared passions, not just products. “Nike just gets digital,” he said.
We wish we could say the same for the majority of luxury brands.
The Business of Fashion was an official media partner of the LuxuryLab conference.
LONDON, United Kingdom — For many fashion companies, 2009 was the year the internet arrived. In the face of an unprecedented economic crisis and overwhelming evidence that affluent consumers are highly active online, senior executives across the industry are finally starting to embrace digital media with a new strategic seriousness.
There was no better sign of this than the impressive gala held during London Fashion Week to celebrate fashion website SHOWstudio and its groundbreaking exhibition at Somerset House, “Fashion Revolution.”
When it was launched by photographer Nick Knight in November of 2000, SHOWstudio was ahead of its time. Indeed, “Fashion Revolution” celebrates nine years of restless experimentation and digital innovation. But for the majority of brands, retailers and publishers, who are still struggling to understand the radical impact the internet is having on fashion communication, the retrospective also offers urgent lessons for the present. We think it’s a must-see for executives, creatives and editors alike.
The exhibition is organised around three main themes – Process, Performance, and Participation – that are each integral to understanding how digital media is different and what that means for the future of fashion communication.
PROCESS
The openness of the internet has given consumers access to the behind the scenes of fashion like never before. From the beginning, SHOWstudio understood and embraced the transparency inherent in the new medium, inviting their online audience to consume the creative process of fashion, not just the end product. Many of these early experiments are documented in “Fashion Revolution.”
As far back as 2004, a SHOWstudio project called Power of Witches, developed in collaboration with Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, laid bare the entire creative process around a shoot for the Autumn/Winter 2004 issue of AnOther Magazine in a live three-day webcast.
In Phonecarte, another project in the exhibition, SHOWstudio asked models Karen Elson, Lily Cole, Irina Lazareanu and Lily Donaldson to record voicemails as they shuttled between fittings, shows, after-parties and hotel rooms during the hectic fashion week season. Streamed on-demand over the internet, the recordings gave consumers unprecedented personal access to the first hand experiences of the world’s top models at work and play in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
As increasingly influential bloggers armed with laptops and web-enabled cameras follow in the footsteps of SHOWstudio’s experiments, expectations amongst consumers are evolving. No longer content to merely purchase finished products, they want more immediate, insider access to the people and creative process of the fashion industry. We think it’s time for forward-thinking brands to open up their organisations and deliver.
PERFORMANCE
According to Nick Knight, SHOWstudio’s live fashion shoots sometimes became more conscious “performances,” with the photographer, the stylist, the designer, and the model all taking part. As part of their exhibition at Somerset House, SHOWstudio has placed an active photo studio inside a room-sized glass case and invited the public to watch the action unfold, as imagemakers including Jason Evans, Alice Hawkins, Craig McDean and Sølve Sundsbø shoot fashion editorial and portraits.
During the course of the exhibition, Mr. Knight himself will appear in the live studio space to photograph “100 of London’s Beau Monde,” including models, actors, musicians and artists. But what’s perhaps most interesting about these “performances” is the crucial role they played in the development of a new kind of fashion experience: the fashion film.
Between 2005 and February 2009, Nick Knight and Ruth Hogben, then his assistant, documented Mr. Knight’s shoots for magazines like British Vogue and uploaded the results to SHOWstudio. Ms. Hogben was charged with capturing and editing the footage. But with Mr. Knight’s support, she soon started experimenting with her edits and adding music to the visuals.
In 2008, at the side of a landmark shoot for British Vogue’s December issue, they filmed models Lily Donaldson and Jourdan Dunn in some of the most sensational clothing of the decade. Called “Fantasia,” the final edit was simple, but provocative. It appears in the exhibition alongside a selection of captivating short films that use movement and music to communicate fashion in a way that static editorial simply can’t.
What began as simple documentation is, today, on the verge of becoming something much bigger. Pioneered in experiments like “Fantasia” and powered by video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo, fashion film has emerged as the most influential new format for fashion communication. Powerful brands like Yves St. Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Chanel have used the format to complement runway shows and accompany advertising campaigns. But that’s just the beginning.
Bringing together fashion, film and music, this new format is going to explode. According to ABI Research, by 2012 the number of broadband video consumers will surpass one billion. As viewership skyrockets and marketers continue to move dollars online, we predict the industry will see a seismic shift away from stills towards short fashion films, with brands competing to create compelling video content of their own. This will be especially true as companies set their sights on millennials, an entire generation of young fashion consumers who expect their world to be instant, dynamic and online.
PARTICIPATION
The internet is also an inherently participatory medium. While magazines were essentially one-way monologues to mute readers, the internet allows dialogue and exchange, with and amongst consumers.
Right from the beginning, SHOWstudio gave their viewers a voice, encouraging them to respond, discuss and contribute. In a project called In Camera, SHOWstudio let a global audience pose live questions to interview subjects like Kate Moss, Björk, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, giving users rare and privileged access to engage with key creative figures at the top of the industry. Another project called “24 HRS” let consumers influence the narrative of a short film for Stefano Pilati’s Edition 24 collection for Yves Saint Laurent, while “Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down” invited viewers to style model Liberty Ross for a live photo shoot.
Today more than ever, people want to be part of the action. And according to a study by market researchers Forrester, luxury fashion consumers are more active than most. Not content to be passive spectators, they are twice as likely to participate online. We think fashion companies should take a more open and collaborative approach with consumers and create interactive content that lets them participate and engage with the brands they love.
“We are in the midst of a revolution,” says Nick Knight. As fashion brands study and seek to capitalise on what Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts calls the “digital tsunami,” we think understanding the three P’s – Process, Performance and Participation – is an essential precursor to effective action.
An afternoon at Somerset House is probably the best place to start.
