Speaking Of Fashion Podcast Ep. 84 Transcript
Let’s talk Millennials (and their price tag)
First sentence: “Millennial women, a unique voice and a shopping basket are just three ingredients for a profitable fash-tech website.”
So why are Millennial women a point of attraction for investment? Only because they're born in the capital of fashion: the dream shopping destination for all consumers with a soft spot for designer wear.
These women have it all on their doorstep and are the first to set the trends that now dictate marketing. As they have access to fresh-off-the-catwalk fashion, puts them on top of the ladder of futuristic fash-tech.
For editorial - their content is more shoppable (ecommerce and affiliate marketing)
For advertisers/brands, there are digital ad buys, licensing partnerships and percentages of revenue sold
This can be covered by usual forms of marketing like events, designer collaborations and curated shopping guides
At the forefront, Editorialist started out with just two founders and was able to obtain investment through a committed readership that was built on content that is tailored to them. Co-founder Davidson Hudson says, 'We're also realizing very strong sell-through's and an extremely high user engagement in the way of time spent consuming the content on our site, which is proof that our model is working,' highlighting the importance of investing time in talking with the customers, not just to them. Yes, that’s in bold.
So what does the millennial want? Immediate content with relevant e-commerce. Read: relevant.
Want to know what else is relevant? Clothes that fit!
Melissa McCarthy is designing a plus size fashion line
Direct quote: “Two Oscars ago, I couldn’t find anybody to do a dress for me,” McCarthy told Redbook in an interview appearing in their July Issue. “I asked five or six designers — very high-level ones who make lots of dresses for people — and they all said no.”
Her line is called Pearl — a line of plus-size clothing she is creating with designer Daniella Pearl, with whom she collaborated on her 2011 Emmys gown.
Apparently McCarthy originally went to school for clothes and textiles at FIT - fitting
There's no actual information out yet about what's to come in the collection, but Refinery29 posted a slideshow of her style so we can guess what to expect!
In other socialite news…
This post highlighting Olivia Palermo brought forward some good points
First off, she’s successful. Her blog, OliviaPalermo.com, runs primarily on revenue from affiliate links. Well done.
One of those brands is Westward Leaning, for whom she's been driving sales for years, only now she's getting paid for it. She's inked a deal to collaborate with the sunglasses company on a collection of eight styles to be sold exclusively on said blog for $210 per pair.
The question was asked: Why don't we see Palermo collaborating with brands more often when there's such concrete evidence of her ability to drive sales?
Is it A: She’s being discerning to sell her own line?
Or B: Do brands still not really get collaboration and still focus on just sending product and crossing fingers?
Speaking of not getting it...or is this (finally) a smart JCP move?
J.C. Penney is ripping up its marketing playbook once again, this time fashioning itself as the department-store destination for Hispanics.
In a push for growth, J.C. Penney isn't just zeroing in on the Hispanic customer -- it's identified the demographic as its "North Star."
The push will be on display this week with an expansive World Cup campaign that specifically addresses Latinas (there is no general-market component, a first for the retailer) and a sponsorship of Univision's World Cup coverage.
Lyris Leos, director-multicultural marketing at J.C. Penney stated that until now, the department store has “never overtly stated and assertively made the claim that the Latina is our brand muse." *sigh
The numbers: Hispanics make up 9% of J.C. Penney's customer base and account for a double-digit percentage of store sales, in addition to a single-digit percentage of online sales. The segment is expected to be the single-biggest source of growth for the retailer in 2014.
Internally, J.C. Penney has done away with its dedicated Hispanic marketing group, embedding those execs into existing marketing groups and hiring new talent. It's added Havas to its roster, which already includes Grupo Gallegos. And recently it introduced a new, inclusive tagline, "when it fits, you feel it."
JCP has launched a Hispanic Facebook page and a revamped rewards program. It has rolled out two lines of cookware targeting Hispanics -- Simplemente Delicioso and IMUSA -- and more products could be on the way.
The retailer has also updated its list of Hispanic-designated stores -- now more than 180 -- which are defined as stores in areas that have twice the national average of Hispanics or stores where sales from that demographic are higher than average. In those stores, bilingual associates are identified; Latin music is mixed in with popular tunes; and bilingual signage, a casualty under former CEO Ron Johnson, is being reintroduced.
With the coming World Cup, J.C. Penney is looking to stand out by speaking to women in a typically male-dominated environment. Ms. Leos, citing a Nielsen study, said that more Hispanic women watch World Cup than non-Hispanic men. She described that realization as a "breakthrough moment." Yes, yes it is.
The campaign includes two 30-second spots that will air during each of the tournament's 56 games on TV, as well as online. There have also been integrations with the Univision morning show "Despierta America," which began in early May.
According to YouGov BrandIndex, the plan seems to be working. While J.C. Penney has always been in Hispanic women's consideration set, along with Kohl's and Macy's, it has seen a bounce in perception during the last two weeks. "Clearly, something from J.C. Penney has caught the attention of Hispanic women," a YouGov spokesman said.
Hm, maybe a “finally!” is in order?
You know what goes great with fashion? COFFEE! (And make it a stylish one)
Starbucks is partnering with Los Angeles-based clothing label Band of Outsiders for a collection of two exclusive mugs.
The Band of Outsiders for Starbucks Limited Edition Designer Ceramic Mugs (12 oz.) feature a design that pays tribute to founder and creative director Scott Sternberg’s favorite slang word for coffee, “drip.”
The mugs feature black or multicolor paint dripping down Starbucks’ signature coffee cups. The mugs retail for $14.95 in the U.S., and $16.95 in Canada. They will be available today (6/10) and be in 9,000 stores.
Sternberg said the deal came through Steven Kolb, chief executive officer of the Council of Fashion Designers of America
This is Starbucks’ fifth designer collaboration. Previous collaborations have been with Jonathan Adler, Rodarte, Charlotte Ronson and Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia.
This “collaboration”...not so stylish
An Italian socialite who is about to be released after 16 years in prison for ordering the murder of her husband, an heir to the Gucci empire, says the fashion house should now give her a job.
Patrizia Reggiani, known in Italy as “the black widow” or “Lady Gucci”, was jailed in 1998 after being found guilty of paying a hit man €300,000 to murder her 46-year-old husband Maurizio Gucci.
Her initial 29-year sentence, after a trial that transfixed Italy, was reduced to 26 years on appeal, which in turn has been further reduced for good behaviour. For the past three years, she has been allowed out on day release to work in a jewellery shop in Milan, with her full release expected soon.
Um, random: In recent weeks she has been photographed shopping in the city’s upmarket boulevards with a blue and yellow macaw on her shoulder.
Her overriding ambition was to find a job with Gucci, she said – despite having been found guilty of ordering the assassination of one of the multi-millionaire scions of the family.
“I dream of returning to Gucci. I still feel like a Gucci – in fact, the most Gucci of all,” she told the daily paper La Repubblica. “I have the qualifications – for years I went shopping around the world. I came from the world of jewels and it is to that world that I want to return.”
And um, she has a macaw on her shoulder. Watch out as she might have it bite you.
Maybe she should consider an education?
Marketplace reported that Conde Nast is partnering with a venture capital firm and some as-yet-unnamed universities to launch a set of co-branded certificate courses, and eventually a master's degree.
In response to “why”: "We have a very strong interest in being part of developing the next generation of talent," Jill Bright, chief administrative officer at Condé Nast, told Inside Higher Ed. "It is an opportunity to introduce our brands to new audiences by creating something that's unique in an educational setting." Wow...thanks for that clarity.
And no, this isn’t new. Corporate-branded forays into the world of higher education are nothing new. Conde Nast itself is involved with the Conde Nast College of Fashion and Design in the UK, where you can get a 10-week Vogue Fashion Certificate.
Now the real question why - publishers need more money and they’re trying to be creative in finding it. And no, they said this is not regarding their shuttered internship program due to the lawsuit settlement two months ago.
To end with, we want to share a reader comment: “wow starting a degree to introduce brands to people. what a lofty goal.”
And just to end things on a smelly note...
When one thinks of Burberry, their iconic trenchcoat often comes to mind. That school of thought is exactly what Burberry is going after with their latest fragrance, My Burberry, which was developed with their well-known trench in mind and is scheduled to be released in early September.
With Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne leading the ad campaign that was photographed by Mario Testino, Burberry is keeping its British roots in check and, as WWD pointed out, also highlighting the range of women Burberry is targeting with this fragrance.
Additionally, the packaging was created to evoke the thought of the trenchcoat as the bottle has a horn-finished cap, which is a nod to the buttons on the trench.
The color of the fragrance can be seen through the glass bottle and is reflective of the tan trench.
Another touch is the hand-tied gabardine bow that adorns each bottle as its made from the same fabric as the trench, and it's even woven in Castleford, Yorkshire, which is home to Burberry's factory.
The scent will have "the feeling of the light of London: clouds, wetness, rain and flowers," commented Francis Kurkdjian, the perfumer that worked with Burberry, to WWD. Yay I want to smell damp!