First Missguided flagship store

In November 2016 Missguided FINALLY opened there first flagship store in Westfield Stratford. After seeing pictures of it all over social media i really wanted to visit it for inspiration. Missguided as a brand represent a very unapologetic feminine vibe when it comes to there advertising, and after seeing images of the store i Knew there represented this through visual merchandising as well. As we planned for our brand to have the same girly theme i thought it would be useful to take a look at the store itself for inspiration of the creative concept and execution.

         

        

I loved the shop, it was very interesting to see everything you see online in real life. It was an inviting shop with the use of there mood lighting, however because its there only shop it was very busy. The queue for the till as well as changing rooms we going all through the shop that did make me less bothered about staying there, however it cant be helped that they get a lot of business. It would be very cost effective for them to make a more stores around the country and the only store in stratford is doing very well. The stores interiors was full of pink, neon lights and sassy slogans that directly targeted there market. Considering our brand will be targeting a similar audience of young, fun women it become obvious to us what we should make are brand identity about.

Thank you for reading

Charlotte

Girl Power // Slogan Tees

Slogan tees are a massive trend, especially on the high street this year. A lot of the tees include gender, race and politics. Many of them say ‘’Girl Power’’ and ‘’Feminist for life’’. These tops are an indirect way of talking about these situations, it’s a way of voicing your opinion without saying it out loud and they are also showing a powerful message. Lots of celebs have been seen wearing this trend including Victoria Beckham and Rita Ora:

A way of showing a story through our brand could be like this trend. Insta-activsm is a graphics trend which is ‘’Social- media- savvy creatives inspire a new wave of activist messages with a playful twist’’. This is showing feminist messages in a more innocent way, a way of expressing art. This is visual of what could also inspire our brand identity.

Are Window Displays important?

Window displays are the first point of contact with customers, so yes they are very important. Window displays are a retail strategy, so if you have a aesthetically pleasing window, chances are it will increase sales. Your window display needs to show who you are as a brand and tell customers what your business does, the target audience/ promotions/ what it sells etc. As a customer to many stores, I know that if a window display stands out to me, I would want to look around. Successful elements of window displays include the store’s appearance, lighting, colour  presentation and themes which bring it all together. Themes tell a story and intrigue the customer, theme ideas can range anywhere from coordinating colours to grouping products for different styles. It's good to consider the store, season, new products, overall look and feel of the brand to have a successful theme and window display. These are a few window displays that have stood out to me recently: 

My own photography:

Valentino- this was the window display from Valentino on Fifth Avenue, this is my favorite display from the images i've included, mostly due to the styling that has a significant impact to the window display. It's a very simple, clean display, however the styling is very bold and colourful which really intrigues me.

J. Crew- the window display for this is fun, creative and playful which suggests it not a really serious brand and is more casual wear.

To conclude, I think window displays are very important. They tell the potential customer what the brand is like, so you can consider it before entering. A successful window display is visually appealing which usually attracts a large amount of customers. 

Thank you for reading

Charlotte

Pink and Red

A trend I've been seeing a lot of recently is the combination of both red and pink, a few months ago if i thought about wearing pink and red together i would've instating thought no and how it would clash. However i am really starting to love it, especially within graphic tees. Its a trend perfect for both men and women to create a cool, statement look; I've personally bought into this trend and so far really love the garments i own, the key i find is to only wear the block colours, combining with a pattern could look extreme. I knew I've saw this trend within garments before, however seeing this report on wgsn proved to me how its an up and coming trend.

''This colour combination isn't going anywhere anytime soon, as Preen included several pink-and-red colour-blocking looks in its A/W 17 collection as well.''

-http://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/pink-and-red-trend

 This trend is massively within graphic tees, like the one above. This tee also shows a powerful message, which means you can show a message without actually saying it. The red text against the pink background really pops and stands out showing the text.

Ive also seen this trend within formal wear like above, i personally haven't worn into this as for formal events and evenings i stick to the dark colour palette. Saying that these outfits above are very stylish and bold, so you'll sure stand out from being unique.

Thanks for reading

Charlotte

SPRZ NY

SPRZ NY is a brand new project around the concept of ''A place where clothes and art meet''. Its a special collection of modern art-inspired fashion products based on the work of the best artists around including Keith Haring and many more. I was really fascinated about this collaboration after doing research on Keith Haring Previously. So when i went to New York, i planned to visit UNIQLO, fifth avenue where the 2nd floor has been re-done for the project. The interior of this space was very bright and holographic with lots of pop-art everywhere. It was a visually creative area that really inspired me. It was interesting to see how Haring's work is in collaboration with the brand UNIQLO and gave me insight for my summative brief.

My own photographs after visiting the store:

Very vibrant, holographic store- stands out and intrigues the consumer

 Playful and creative- not serious and lets the customers get involved 

These are some of the products there were selling from the collection, i love that they are suitable for both male and female and for all ages. Aswell as looking like statement tops, each pattern from Harings work show off an inspiring message. His work often combines iconographic vocabulary including hearts, flying saucers, winged figures and a crawling 'Radiant Baby' with abstract marks and patterning. I actually purchased 2 t-shirts from this collection and they were both $14.90, this is very affordable considering they were such good quality.

Thank you for reading

Charlotte 

Black Fashion Designers Exhibition

While I was in New York City I got the opportunity to visit the 'Black Fashion Designers' exhibition at FIT! Black designers have been long under-appreciated in the fashion industry; this exhibition gives credit to those who have received no recognition from all the work they have created and is a lesson in what the designers have dealt with to survive the industry. The exhibition features more than 60 designers, and includes 75 pieces created over the last 70 years. The exhibition includes a range of individual styles, categorised into themes which included Breaking into the industry, The Rise of the Black Fashion Design, Evening Wear, Street Influence, Activism, Menswear, Black Models, African Influence, and Experimentation

Own Photos from visiting the exhibition:

 Duro Olowu, ensemble, Fall 2012, England, Gift of Duro Olowu, 2016.65.1

            Left- Lawrence Steele, dress, Spring 2002                       Middle- Maki Oh, dress, fall 2013, Nigeria

 CD Greene, Dress, 1996, USA

 African Influence

 Menswear

I really loved looking round this exhibition, every single garment was beautifully made with lots of intricate detail. It was also very inspiring that it was to help the designers gain the acknowledgment they should of got years ago. As the curators worked on the exhibition, says Way, “It became clear that the term ‘black designer’ is just a tiny facet of describing any designer. ‘Black’ doesn’t tell you anything about a designer. The exhibition is really about a diversity of perspective.”-http://www.vogue.com/13509888/fit-exhibition-black-fashion-designers/

Thank you for reading

Charlotte