Celebrity/Retailer Collaborations

With the slowly recovering economy consumers are less willing to spend their money on high-end designer fashions.  This decrease of purchasing designer goods has caused a loss in sales revenue for designers as well as restricting the accessibility of designer pieces for those who can no longer afford to spend a lot of money on them.  Fashion designers and retailers have come up with various collaborations in order to offer consumers high end fashions at affordable prices.  Such collaborations offer designers a chance to create new collections while giving consumers the chance to score designer pieces that fit within their budget. 

H&M is a huge supporter of designer collaborations for which the fashion savvy are willing to wait outside stores in lines for house just to be able to have a piece of the collection.  Shoppers go crazy for collaborations at H&M, for example a near riot broke out in Paris outside the store for the Sonia Rykiel knitwear collection.

Topshop is another retailer that offers designer and celebrity collaborations.  One of their most popular collections is by celebrity model Kate Moss, who does a line of her own for the store.  Many stores such as Macy's, Payless and Target are offering designer lines at more accessible prices for their consumers.

Reflection:

We think that designer collaborations are a great thing.  They bring high end fashion that seem inaccessible to the everyday North American consumer, to stores that the average consumer shops at.  Collaborations allow designers to make collections, and in turn receive a percentage of sales. This boosts their revenue helping them to continue creating their runway collections.  The retailers benefit from the collaborations as well, the designer helps draw large crowds to their store which results in huge profits. So both the retailers and designers are benefiting from collaborations, as well as consumers.  Consumers who can afford to can continue buying straight from the runway, and those who cannot afford to can buy and support their favourite department store and designer at the same time.  

Although most celebrity designer collections are successful, there are a few celebrities who have failed tremendously.  A perfect example of this is Lindsay Lohan's 2009 collaboration with Emanuel Ungaro.  She was even made artistic advisor, although she has no experience or knowledge of the workings of the fashion industry.  The result of this collection was a catastrophe, with fashion critics ripping apart the collection. This proves that celebrity does not qualify a person to help design a collection.  Just because Lindsay has been photographed wearing designer clothing does not make her a designer herself.  We think that if a retailer is looking for a celebrity to collaborate with, they should make sure the celebrity has knowledge of fashion and some experience in order for the collaboration to be successful.

Sources:

http://www.realstylenetwork.com/index.php/fashion-and-style/2010/03/fashion-news-retailerfashion-designer-collaborations/

http://blog.zap2it.com/thedishrag/2009/10/fashion-critics-rip-lindsay-lohans-ungaro-collection-to-shreds.html

Alexander McQueen vs Hell's Angels

Alexander McQueen is the famous British designer known for his wonderfully shocking and extravagantly tailored garments. Born in 1969, McQueen was the youngest of 6 kids and began making dresses for his sisters at a young age. He got his start with designer Koji Tatsuno before getting his masters degree in Fashion design, solidifying his name in fashion with his first collection. The collection was purchased by a famous stylist who practically launched his career as an internationally known fashion designer. 

Due to his astonishing and controversial designs and runway shows, McQueen made a reputation for himself in the fashion industry as dramatic and prolific. One of his major attributes to fashion was his creation of “bumsters” or low rise jeans. A major theme in McQueen’s collections was his use of skulls which were used in various different garments, later becoming his signature.

Unfortunately, Alexander McQueen took his life earlier this year just days before London Fashion Week. He was a leading fashion designer who pushed boundaries and did what he wanted to do no matter how much criticism he garnered.

In his latest collection released after his death, McQueen used his signature skull, making it mainstream. However, his latest skull designs closely resemble the Winged Death trademark of the Hells Angels. The bikers are now suing the late Alexander McQueen label for trademark infringement citing the use of the Winged Death logo and the use of their name on current merchandise such as scarves, clothing, rings and bags.

Reflection:

Alexander McQueen was quite an influential designer who had an extreme sense of fashion and style. He became widely known for his use of skulls and was the one who popularized the skull scarves that were and still are seen in stores and on celebrities.

Hells Angels have been around since the 1950’s and are thought of as bikers with a reputation for being loud, unruly and dangerous. Their Winged Death logo is depicted on their leather jackets, hats, key chains etc. However, just because a picture is trademarked shouldn’t restrict others from using a similar picture. McQueen’s skull designs in his latest collection are similar to the Hells Angels’ but are not identical.

Seriously, how many different ways are there to depict a skull with wings? There’s only so much one can do to change the look of a basic concept. Not allowing others to use such a common image because the Angels feel that it represents them is unfair. Actually, a logo, trademark or slogan can be used by a business so long as its not referring to an identical product, that its not being used in the same industry and that its not in direct competition.

Alexander McQueen is a high end fashion designer, he isn’t in the biker gang industry. Therefore those buying McQueen in no way associate his designs with a gang of hooligans known for their violent and belligerent ways. Classy high end fashions vs. violent, drug dealing biker gang? The two different uses of the skull and wing image can evoke numerous different associations/affiliations. Its silly to think that using the skulls in fashion and using the skulls as a representation of a biker gang is in infringing upon the Angel's rights.

Sources:

http://www.torontosun.com/life/fashion/2010/10/29/15880996-wenn-story.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_McQueen

Mary Quant and the mini-skirt

Mary Quant studied Illustration at Goldsmith's college before opening a store called Bazaar in 1955, one of the first boutiques in London.  Her boutique quickly became the place to be for the "Chelsea Set", a group of young models, artists and trendsetters who were prominently featured in newspapers and gossip columns.  

Quant rejected the fashion norms, producing up to 28 collections a year instead of seasonally.  She used simple, practical designs which could be mixed and matched to complete the Chelsea look.  

In the late 50's and early 60's London was coming out of post war rationing, meaning people were not used to having lots of clothing.  They now wanted to celebrate their freedom and had began to frivolously purchase, making it the perfect time for designers to make new fashion innovations. 

Designers had more free reign over their creations; Mary Quant took advantage of this by creating clothing specifically for teenagers.  Some of her designs included knee high boots, jumpers, colourful patterned tights and of course the Mini skirt.

Quant created the Mini, (which is named after the car) because she found it to be both liberating and practical, perfect for the teenage youth in the 60's.  It allowed movement and was created so women could run for the bus and enter and exit vehicles.

Reflection:

Mary Quant may have popularized a piece of clothing, but what it represents is much more than just a fashion trend.  The Mini-skirt became a symbol of rebellion for the young against old in the 1960's as well as an image of female revolution.  The young women of Britain rejected the beliefs of their parents and broke free, controlling their own body image.  

In the 1920's the flappers began the feminist movement, and were finally able to vote but women remained restricted and not "allowed" to show certain body parts, such as their arms and legs. 

In the 1960's the Mini freed women, asserting their right to show their bodies and shifting the image of women from wife and mother to a young, free and single girl.  The mini skirt not only liberated women physically but socially, economically and politically becoming a form of social revolution which took Britain and North American by storm.

Sources:


http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/miniskirt/features/mary-quant-in-progress


http://www.mookychick.co.uk/style/history-of-the-miniskirt.php

Franc Fernandez and the Meat Dress

One of the most controversial fashion moments of the year occurred at the MTV VMA’s, where Lady Gaga wore a dress, boots, hat and purse created from raw meat.  Franc Fernandez, the designer of the outfit was commissioned a week prior to the event to assemble the 40 pounds of Argentinean meat into a dress-like silhouette.  The iconic outfit will be kept as long as possible in an archive with other controversial outfits.

While Lady Gaga is no stranger to dispute, this particular outfit has a story of its own.  What makes the dress even more provocative is the reason Gaga claims that she wore it.  In an interview after the VMA’s Gaga explained that the dress was meant to be a political statement.  The reason that she chose to wear raw meat was to represent governmental oppression for gay member of the US military discharged because of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

“...but for me this evening, it's if we don't stand up for what we believe in, we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're gonna have as much rights as the meat on our bones.'" –Lady Gaga

The outfit was not meant to disrespect anyone that’s vegan or vegetarian, but organizations such as PETA have spoken out against the choice of raw meat, and about animal rights.

Lady Gaga's dress was definitely jaw dropping, but for all the right reasons.  People do not normally wear meat as clothing and for this reason a lot of attention was on Gaga that night.  However, the attention she recieved from the dress was meant to be focused on a more important issue, rights of gay soldiers in the US.  We think that this is a great message to try to get across for someone who has so much power in the media, but don't necessarily think the message was recieved.  Instead of bringing attention to the real issue, everyone was left talking about the outfit itself and how outrageous it was.

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel

Humble Beginnings

It's hard to believe that an orphan born in a small town in France, who learned to sew in an orphanage is now one of the most prominent faces of fashion.  Gabrielle, who nicknamed herself Coco, established herself as a designer by opening a small shop in an apartment.  Chanel had her own unique sense of style, not wanting to conform to current fashion trends she designed using jersey fabric and her clothing was very simple and masculine.


Chanel's Following

Chanel created an impression everywhere she went, distinguishing herself from the crowd.  She disliked the opulent looks of the time, dressing herself in simple masculine items.  She started off by creating hats for high society women, when the war began many women found Coco's designs necessary as couture became impractical for new responsibilities they took on when men left for war.  After the war, Coco reinvented her designs adding a couture collection which included beaded dresses, as well as costume jewelery and perfumes.  The women who purchased her clothing when it was simple continued to purchase as her looks transformed to couture, creating a cult-like following.


Branding of Chanel

How did Chanel manage to stay as powerful today as when Coco lived?
  Creating classics that were ahead of their time.
  Ongoing commitment of consumers to the brand.
  Power of Chanel is in the idea of Paris - symbol of sophistication and glamour.
  People that can afford it love the idea of exclusivity.
  Karl Lagerfeld as artisitic director - keeping the legend but also keeping current.