From the iconic double C by Chanel to the monogram of Louis Vuitton passing through Gucci and Balenciaga, the trend is logomania.
I don’t know about you guys, but I never thought I would see what the world of fashion will re birth a luxury brand delving into logo mania post Gucci. Gucci came, lived and seat on the throne of logo and excess - but Fendi is coming for edges. Amazing to observe influencers and celebrity’s of certain backgrounds wearing full Fendi logo outfits.
If a few years ago it was cool to hide the name of the brand that was worn (see Margiela or Naomi Klien's book "No logo"), today the absolute must is to show it.
The iconic "FF" ("Fun Fur") designed by Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of womenswear, in 1965, in the square formula created in 1974, return to the protagonists and invade raincoats, parkas, hooded sweatshirts, bomber jackets, shoes (Rockoko boots, sandals, slides and sneakers), sunglasses, mink pendants and iPhone X covers.
I just find it amazing how fashion is communicated throughout hip hop culture into pop culture.
What are your thoughts?
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Friday, 8 September 2017
Septemberrrr !
Happy new month guys !
Summer is officially over (well if we judge by the weather in London, summer was done a long time ago)
So I have recently ordered my 17 month diary getting ready to conquer the last quarter 2017. What do you think ?
Kate Spade - £26 from John Lewis
In the fashion it's considered a new year as SS18 Autumn = layering aka aint nobody watching how I look therefore let the eating begin
Back to school
And I just want to welcome the new attitude for the remainder of the 4 months of the year.
On my latest video, I talk about planning / planners and journaling alongside making sure your :
South London terminology: 'shots have met the targets you set at the beginning of 2017'
Translation: let's win in 2017!
What will you be doing to make sure you leave 2017 with greatness ?
I have a few videos coming out this week, a little unusual from the 1 per fortnight but I do hope you enjoy ^_^
I have my first VLOG on my YouTube channel about my experience at the V&A museum with the history of Balenziaga so do go and check it out ^_^.
Cristobal Balenciaga has a very interesting designer for myself due to the interesting shapes and type of clientele he had in the early days. Also, Mr Dior referenced Balenciaga as the musical conductor of a haute couture orchestra ^_^.
It was overall, a really cool exhibition as always displayed at the V&A. It forever is amazing to see the beauty of such great historical pieces kept in such great condition. I met some pieces of work from Harrods in the early days and was surprised yet learned of such relationships that the store had with the brand too.
It has been well over a week since Gucci released visuals for its pre fall campaign featuring solely black model cast. The moment I saw this, I immediately felt like Todd Tucker in the scene where Mama Joyce shouts out ' my favourite person in the whole world'.
Overall, when I view the launch of campaigns as like everyone who looks for the artistic direction within the campaign; and of course it was amazing, but I am / was in between the state of being confused at the decision of an all black cast ... My fellow industry working 'crew' (as in friends I went to fashion school with and those working within industry sharing their thoughts) thought I was looking into it a little too deep and the non industry ones simply stated that Gucci are promoting black people, be happy and don't make it a big thing.
Since Gucci has been taken over by Alessandro Michele, I consider the brand as THE empire of street style. For around 3-4 seasons, throughout all of the major fashion capital cities; you will without doubt spot a Gucci piece. I remember Dior had their phase under Raf Simons with the micro bags, bejewelled sneakers from couture right up to the ‘So Real’ glasses! Unlike many of the luxury brands who have their statement pieces feature as part of the upcoming and booming street style ensembles, Gucci masters as way of creating pieces that are not considered as 'IT' accessory therefore enhancing its longevity.
You have to admit, before Michele came to the house, what other brand could you solely look for and feel complete with a piece containing rhinestones, sequins, and overall, a quintessential “more is more” vibe? Gucci’s flamboyance perfects the reflection of the attitudes currently towards fashion in today's society. 'More is more' is wonderful, and its construction is carefully amassed.
I clearly remember Shiona Turnini on instastories clearly displaying her views, which I would also share and point out and I completely agree with her views and encourage everyone to be 'woke' about this situation. I even somewhat compare it to the Pepsi advert that has now been removed but within a more refined and cleverly yet typical fashion etiquette.
The act of accumulation is something you would think happens the most whence a project so effective like a front cover/main fashion story, campaign or others you would think right? Earlier on this year, announced through WWD, "In the past two years, we have implemented a complete turnaround of our company, following our mantra of being the voice of self-expression," he said. "Attracting, retaining and promoting talent, while celebrating ethnic, age, sexual and gender diversity, sexual orientation and gender identity across the company, is our mission." But what does that mean when the only person of colour that looks like me is Beyonce and the amazingly uber cool 5 year old Blue Ivy? I mean Beyonce is a lot but only endorsing a black artist like her is not enough. The ideology within the minds of the consumer (whether you heavily consume luxury fashion or subconsciously are aware of topics within this industry) is that a 'congratulations' should be in order because the colour is displayed as the end result. But can you really look at this and not think for a second about exploitation of the worrying subject of race within fashion? A total of 9 looks out of 119 worn by models of colour for Gucci FW17 does not make sense in comparison to a whole black cast expressing the 'soul scene' throwback to the retro 1960s "underground Northern Soul movement".
As a young black professional I know how beautiful it is to be black but disheartening for a wide organisation that I artistically respect to take a form of beauty that I identify with and project as if it is a trend that would die out (Pre fall will not be talked about in 3 seasons time, only as reference to be built on the current 'booming' trend). A fellow Olivia discussed how luxury brands are exploring the new normal form of marketing new product/collection.
Do you feel these strategies are used for the culture or are they actually for YOUR culture?
So my 2 am wake up alarm after only laying my head on the pillow around 11pm days have come to a close, everyone is slowly coming back into the office praising the success of the show and the discussions about the tone of the overall season (month and a bit) entails for the future and sets in stone, or maybe what is better to say by confirming the current outcry in society reflected in fashion’s beloved capitals.
Obviously (-like part of me screams to myself, ‘dude how many times to you have to emphasis this – but the greater side, which I tend to listen to the most soothes, ‘enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity with gratitude and expression), unless you have been chilling on one of the ‘7 newfound planets’ for the past year, thoughts of the response to the president elect of USA would have definitely been expressed on the catwalks in response to not only the chosen president but his outlandish remarks since in office.
A simple example of this response, that stood out for me, (before we head onto the listing of slogan t-shirts) is to just take a look at the front rows of the major designers like Michael Kors, Alexander Wang, Public School and etc. Then look at those figures and who publicly supported the #SheCan campaign …
There was A LOT that happened during NYFW, my most highlighted part of NYFW though; Halima Aden . It still amazes me as to why in 2017, we are still seeing headlines like ‘this season displayed 14% more models of colour compared to 2014 and up by 3% in the top luxury houses within Paris and Milan’* and completely confuses me that a representative of a culture like Halima’s has not been so fluid as it should be.
Why are brands taking so long to accept everyone from its earlier stages within the end product? There is one thing for me to go into a luxury retail store and seem less anxious to feel profiled because I see someone of colour as a representative of the brand but to not even see a female like me with the same features / religion / understanding modelling it … confuses me as to why these luxury brands are slowly (they’re getting there) using the catwalk to show how culturally accepting they are to its consumers and spectators.
Aden also made her way to Milan as Bottega Veneta first’s look but before we head to the fashion land that displayed an array of luxurious fabrics this AW17, we must first travel from the land of the free and Gigi Hadid spotting’s to the land of creativity and soon to be independent from the EU.
When it comes to London and fashion week, I tend to not watch out for the big brands, so much like a fan or admirer of the brand because many household British brands are under the helm of young designers, -which I absolutely love! London is full of raw talent, but London also has an eclectic social scene. It’s not simply for the swerve editors springing from one show to the other whilst photographer’s circulated the traffic within Soho and WC1 capturing the vibrant and fresh street styles. I’m not going to dwell so much on the summarising the trends and views of London Fashion Week because (I may have another post on that and-) I personally, enjoyed London Fashion week from our good old friend, social media!
If you’re thinking huh? You may just be following the wrong people.
I could go on forever and explain how good it felt to watch these parties off Jourdan Dunn’s new collaboration with Misguided or DiorBediako’sInstagram stories with Melissa cutting shapes whilst Mercedes Benson is on the decks and Adwoa blessing everybody with her presence, but those Instagram stories are but a memory now!
A post shared by Leomie Anderson (@leomieanderson) on
However, I’m pretty sure this dope picture of Leomie is enough to say that London is just the place to be when it comes to having a celebratory motive during LFW (shout out to Marvin for snatching my edges yet again with the slay).
Now we head to Milan, or as I say, the land of the sultry and scrumptious fabrics (I mean did you look at Bottega Veneta, Prada and Max Mara ?)
Milan is nowadays a personal focal point for me as I use this time to show prep for my reports (adjusting deadlines to the correct time clock, capturing any kind of news related to the upcoming show, brand or designer etc). This season I viewed the Gucci show and my oh my (as in nearly 130 looks) was it a lot. I’m not going to dwell on Gucci (because I have another post/s coming up) any further so lets get back to the tone of the female, politics and we are thinking Prada exactly. I loved how clothes demonstrated a sense of social achievement despite what some political leaders describe the female to be and how her mind. Thoughts and actions are underplayed / celebrated. Prada oozed this femininity within a modern societal and seducing context in a mixture of 60’s and 70’s signature cuts.
Now onto the final destination for most within industry
-Paris.
What does one look out for during PFW? Could it be the epic design layout of Chanel? The Western faces of Parisian brands that make a debut of some major change (What do you really think of Kristen Stewart’s new hair cut?), or what brand is dominating in street style, accessories vs RTW key pieces (Gucci yet again !)
For me, I am just clued to how Gucci is running in these street style streets ! Like the last time we saw something like this, Raf Simons was in Dior and it made some kind of sense to buy his glasses for £325.00 and then figure out how to pay your rent.
What grabbed your attention this AW17 ? I’ve noticed that I haven’t actually talked about the clothing but merely the ambience, I hope that’s alright with you because I mainly care about the movement of the key players tone / approach towards the season, because like Miranda Presley stated:
This is a delayed post that you are about to read because initially was I had wrote was was really long. Though I love sharing my thoughts, I would not want you to read something like an essay in a short post. I condensed it down a lot, so I hope you do enjoy the little of bit of what I love in PR, that is fashion and technology.
During my last year of uni (2015), I became very conscious of the world of technology raised in conversation with fashion. I would never consider myself a tech guru, and certainly as a teenager growing up, I never observed or wonder about the importance of technology and fashion together resulted in too , but now more than ever; I realised that it is something you have to be ‘observant’ over, and I'm going to talk about what types of technology the fashion world were using in 2015.
Burberry
Burberry on Instagram.
To be honest, everything involving technology that Burberry do is incredible and forward thinking in that moment in time, but I really would just like to highlight Burberry whey they took to Instagram to show behind the scene footage of the SS12 show using the iPhone 5s. it was such a beautiful and new way of seeing the ready-to-wear instantly within the world of social media.
Truly the premature stages of what we are now seeing as live streaming and etc. Burberry using Instagram showed how great the quality of the camera on the iPhone was as well as reaching out to Burberry (and iPhone) audiences further than just on one platform (shared through Facebook and Twitter). Burberry truly will remain as one of the leading fashion find is that prove technology has a place in luxury and lifestyle.
Burberry on Snapchat.
Fast forward to 2015; they have understood the changes and attitudes within social media, take a look at the exclusive Snapchat stories - instead of having 15 edited classy and almost editorial finish posts on Instagram pictures, to last forever; use on Snapchat which allows instant reactions in a ‘story’ / ‘journey’ format; executing the beauty of ‘real life’ behind the scene footage ranging from staff attempted to close-ups of the interior decor / show-space and more. The beauty of Snapchat is the photos only last for 24 hours and then they are gone! That's why so many brands are using Snapchat because Snapchat that last for a day to 3 days is far more effective than Instagram and edited glossy editorial photos to last forever but only to then be judged by the amount of likes, comments and shares.
Burberry is such a good brand for a case study within PR, I used Burberry all the time within elements of social media understanding at uni. These photos were all screen shot on my iPhone during SS16 show.
The other brand I would use is of course, Dior :). Feel free to check out my FMP (pg 48)
Louis Vuitton opened the doors to its series 3 exhibition on Sunday the 20th September. This took place during London fashion week in Strand (London) for the next month. It is named series 3 for a reason, demonstrating it’s third ‘such’ show after Tokyo and Los Angeles as well as displaying in a sense; the past, present and future.
Following on from it’s Series 2 exhibit in Los Angeles the [free] exhibition is a must see, with many rooms displaying a hi-tech side of Louis Vuitton, (sci-fi being something that Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière takes inspiration from) to THE walk-in wardrobe of your dreams as well as a sticker room to pimp up your notebook or wallet case. On Monday, I was able to attend a private viewing in association with POP Magazine (the after party was amazing btw), and got to explore the beautiful exhibition for myself.
My favorite aspect of the exhibition was the point at which you enter the savior-faire room explaining how such beautiful pieces from the collection are made in the Louis Vuitton atelier. An artisan was present showing how to create the micro-trunk handbags that have become such a hit under Ghesquière. This took me back to my final year project at university because I based my 12-month PR campaign around craftsmanship within the leather goods product for Christian Dior, and many of the ideas I had during my campaign were also featured during the Vuitton exhibition ! (scoreee !).
I find that with the majority of brands under the LVMH
umbrella, developing an exhibition that includes an aspect of craftsmanship is
key nowadays because the customer ultimately needs to understand the level of
skill taken into the finished product (the product bought).
Standing as the most valuable luxury brand in the
world (according to Forbes magazine), you can see how the elements of the
exhibition highlight the rich heritage of the brand well with the vision of
Ghesquière in a pleasurable way. With many rooms titled; "Artists' hands"; "A
tale of craftsmanship"; "Anatomy
of le savoir-faire"… you can see the focus on craft, on the process leading
up to rather than the final result, which is glorified – and publicised – by
the polished final vision on the catwalk.
Another room which I know will flood your Snapchat/Instagram
feed over the next month, is where you will meet accessories on floating
mannequins covered in the most superb white ( aka – perfect selfie lighting).
Enjoy my little photo diary and hopefully, I will upload parts of my final project (and link them for you all to see the comparison / what I was talking about earlier)
Let me know what your most loved parts of the
exhibition were! And don’t forget to grab your stickers!
Fun Fact:
When I was younger, I asked my mother about buying me
a coin purse from Louis Vuitton, and she said ‘ Why on earth do you feel like I
should buy you something from Louis Vuitton?’ So my smarty-pants self took the persuasion
real deep and I came back to her with this explanation.
O-L-I-V-I-A = Olivia. In primary school I learnt that
in ancient Egypt, they did not have to include the vowels in a name when
writing soo, O-L-I-V-I-A – O-I-I-A = L-V . :D
Attending
the Tiffany exhibition made me think about why I am a consumer of the brand.
For me, the objective of an exhibition is to educate the consumer about the
artist (/brand) and their art (/brand core value/craft / creativity).I find that thoughts around luxury brands are
similar to visiting the opera for the first time; you either love it or simply appreciate
it (Pretty Woman quote ^_^).So I had to
visit my subconscious self, do I truly love the brand or am I fond of the
brand? Hmmm
To
start off, most of my jewellery is actually from Tiffany&Co, from my first
ever set of earrings as a baby, to a few pendants on special birthday
celebrations and my promise ring which I wear every day (seriously, ask a
friend of mine how different or frantic I act when I don’t have it on/ feel
like I’ve lost it). So I guess a connection with Tiffany&Co is somewhat
dear to my heart because the brand has played importance materially throughout
many milestone moments in my life.
But
when I was just talking to people, of course the movie; Breakfast at Tiffany’s may be the very reason why most women of
today who place the late Audrey Hepburn as their role model identify with the
brand. The associations with the brand from that movie will stick with a viewer
from the very first time they see it until the day they tell their grandchild
the storyline of the movie.
Then
there is the engagement aspect, I remember when I was a little girl, my mother
once showed me the price of a Tiffany engagement ring, and highlighted the
woman’s worth around the topic of engagement rings (Can you believe I was only about 8,
why would my mother be hosting a conversation about this lol).
Also
who remembers My Wife & Kids on Trouble ? Remember when Jay thought that
Michael bought her something special because Junior said he saw a blue box in
his bag? AUTO-MATI-CALLY she thought she knew what it was and creatED a
scenery within her head; a scenery which would have been created, by the visual
content held by the romanticism around the Tiffany brand, from the famous shade
of blue to other aspects of the brand.
Going
to the exhibition, I honestly thought this is what I would see. I didn’t read
much into the coverage around the launch and I briefly passed the new
concession to clean my pieces and that was that.What I loved foremost about the
exhibition was it’s inconspicuous location. Though clearly signed, you wouldn't have noticed unless you were truly looking for it. Upon
arrival, you meet a mock up of the metro exit that most people would take when
getting to 5th Ave in New York. I chuckled initially simply because
it was the 5 and R train that ran to 5th Ave, closest to Tiffany
& Co. on 57th Street, but when I was working in New York last
year, in order for me to get to 5th Ave, I always ended up taking a 2
train and then picking up a 4. *Just a little reminiscing point lol *
Afterwards
I headed straight to sit down and view a little screening about Tiffany&Co.
and the New York minute. A phrase that I quickly adopted whilst out in NYC, and
fully understand the hood meaning by ‘I haven’t seen you in a minute’.New Yorkers really measure time by moments
taken, instead of the usual British literally counting 60 seconds.
There
were in total, 6 sections of the exhibition;
The
Love Bench
The
New York minute
Pretzel
and Coffee
Fifth
& 57th
Tiffany&
Co. / Master Engraver
Charlie’s
Bar
These
segments really do make up the beauty of the brand, I was glad to not have seen
Audrey Hepburn to be very honest, though she is a beautiful figure within
history, her legacy should not only be restricted to her affiliation with
Breakfast at Tiffany, as well as the brand.
It’s
all about NEW YORK, a place surrounded but beautiful past experiences and
celebrated within the new, jazzas
an eternal genre, the idea of craftsmanship by hand as well as machine, the
Pretzel and Coffee Carts that will refuse to offer payments by card just so you
don’t forget what a 5$ bill looks or feels like and appreciates more than any
gourmet Starbucks.
Maybe
what pushed me to go to this exhibition was the fact that Tiffany &Co is a
brand (like many others) that has travelled with me throughout my life thus far.
What made me love the exhibition were its bold visuals highlighting the
connection with New York City, which I dearly miss.
It was so funny actually, I remember taking this picture after heading out of Niketown and turning on the corner where Tiffany is last year during my placement.
To read my experience at the Tiffany exhibition, click here #selfridgesXtiffany
