Wednesday 1st September:
From bus seat to boutique
The new collection from shoe company, Above+Below London™, uses ‘rare, vintage and ultra rare’ iconic textiles from the 1950s through to the 1990s. The shoes are made from fabrics reclaimed from seats on London’s tubes and buses, after being recognised by Robert Taylor (art graduate) and Caroline Read (film maker) as genuine relics of London’s design heritage. They managed to rescue the fabrics before they were lost forever to landfill or incineration.
The range features 11 designs, all named after tube lines and designed by an ex-Central St Martin’s graduate. They’re manufactured in the hills of Portugal and sold through uber-cool Hoxten boutiques. And for every pair sold, they plant a tree near the M25. (Thanks, Andy P.)
Via. http://www.aboveandbelowlondon.com/Above_and_Below.html
Tagged with: Fashion, Footwear, Sustainability
Tuesday 17th August:
Get a sugar fix in Soho
The ladies of our London office are aquiver with anticipation for the beginning of September. Patrick Cox, the shoe supremo, is dusting down some of his mum’s favourite homebake recipes and collaborating with Eric Lanlard, the French patisserie superhero. Cox, Cookies and Cake is set to open on Brewer Street at the beginning of September.
The interior of the shop takes more than a little design inspiration from saucy Soho shops, with a glossy black floor and spangly walls. We’ll soon see if it finds a place in the ladies’ hearts along with Snog, the frozen yoghurt joint also on Brewer Street, and good old Hummingbird Bakery on Wardour Street.
Source: http://www.coxcookiesandcake.com/
Tagged with: Fashion, Food, Snacks
Friday 18th June:
360˚ branding
“Aubin & Wills was always about more than fashion”, says creative director Sarah Holme. Putting this idea into practice, the brand has just opened a new multifunctional space that goes beyond retail by featuring a bar, gallery and cinema. The new Aubin & Wills store on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, London – a hive of creativity since artists Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin opened a shop there in 1993 – joins a number of other retailers engaging with this local creative audience.
The new store is also an opportunity for the brand to engage its customers with its growing almanac – an idea that sees the space almost function as a members’ club for the brand.
“The Aubin & Wills store became an opportunity to make this a 360-degree brand experience,” says Holme. “By opening the cinema our customers can come and see the films we may have been discussing in the almanac. Aubin & Wills doesn’t just champion a creative environment, it’s about being in the know and belonging to our club.”
Ref. https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/view/2086
Tuesday 8th June:
Does my bum look big in these?
Kimberly-Clark Corporation has teamed up with ‘celebrity mom’ and fashion icon, Rebecca Romijn’ to launch their limited edition Huggies Little Movers Jeans Diapers. Designed for those looking to add a fashionable twist to their child’s wardrobe this summer, the new diaper is available nationwide until July 2010. First launched in Israel in 2007, Huggies Jeans Diapers have been a success in more than 20 countries around the world including Russia, South Korea, Mexico and Singapore.
Monday 24th May:
Retail rock and roll
We’ve seen nearly every major clothing brand – from the Gap to Louis Vuitton – set up one or more pop-up stores, drawing attention to their product lines and to their regular retail outlets. In contrast, a Munich-based brand isn’t attempting to supplement its fixed-store bread and butter; Clemens en August’s only offline sales are through temporary outlets, twice a year. Avoiding the pop-up moniker, the brand describes itself as being ‘on tour’.
Each season Clemens en August travels to an assortment of fashion-minded cities to sell its current collections in contemporary art galleries for only three days at a time. By cutting out the retail margin, the strategy lets the brand offer its clothes at substantially lower prices than they otherwise could. Through planned scarcity, meanwhile, the strategy creates a new sense of exclusivity based on limited availability, not price. Together, those benefits have clearly helped the brand survive during these tough economic times, allowing it to win a cult following and to see a sales increase of 30 percent in 2009. While it also sells through its online store, Clemens en August maintains a sense of scarcity: the third floor of its webshop is reserved for customers who’ve visited the most recent tour.
Ref. http://springwise.com/retail/index.php?page=2
Tagged with: Fashion, Pop-up store, Retail
Thursday 20th May:
Topshop reaches higher
The recession is over, so British high-street fashion chain, Topshop, are celebrating with a premium store in London’s Knightsbridge. Opening on May 20, the store’s neighbours will include Harrods and Burberry. The 14,000-square-feet space will have a boutique feel with features including a metal sculpture stretching from floor to roof.
The store will offer Kate Moss’s latest collection, including a long frills dress for £160 and an electric blue lace dress for £130. There will also be previews of clothes from some of the capital’s young up-and-coming designers.
Shoppers can look forward to a free personal shopping service, Topshop PS, plus tips about local attractions, such as restaurants. Post recession consumers looking to upgrade can also visit Tesco for their new couture range under its Fred and Florence brand called F&F Couture.
Ref. https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/view/1927
Tagged with: Fashion, Luxury, Retail
Friday 14th May:
Bring some sparkle to the world of beauty
Diet Coke drinkers and manicured mademoiselles can enjoy polishing their nails in this season’s hottest hues with the Diet Coke City Collection. Diet Coke is giving away a special set of brand new colours exclusively created by nails inc., and you can pick up one for free when you purchase two 500ml bottles of Diet Coke in selected Boots stores nationwide, between 5 May–30 June.
Inspired by the four fashion capitals of the world – New York, London, Milan and Paris – the Diet Coke City Collection brings the cosmopolitan vibe of these cities straight to your fingertips. Giving you the ultimate ‘Love It Light’ uplift, these limited-edition beauties are a tribute to the four cities, and are an easy way for you to work this season’s hottest hues.
‘London’ is a trendy nude colour, inspired by Brit passion for cool fashion. ‘Paris’ is a deep purple, a tribute to the most romantic city in the world and a beautiful sunset over the Eiffel Tower. ‘Milan’ is a fiery Italian red and ‘New York’ is a vibrant fuchsia pink inspired by the attitude of the city that never sleeps.
Set to be the hottest accessory of the summer, why not collect the entire collection? And with one nail polish worth £10.50, trendsetters will be scrambling to paint the ‘city’ red (or nude, pink or purple).
Tagged with: Fashion, Food and drink
Tuesday 4th May:
Sew creative
American Apparel came up with a crafty new project for Earth Day called Creative Reuse. Instead of tossing away leftover fabric, AA uses it to design more styles at the same time as the originally intended garment is being manufactured. This cuts down waste both in terms of time and materials. The style is called ‘Mixed Marker’ – a marker being the guide that workers and machines use to cut the fabric. Things like underwear, bathing suits, and even more complicated garments like tank tops or pants can be made this way.
Ref. http://www.psfk.com/2010/04/american-apparels-creative-reuse.html
Tagged with: Fashion, Sustainability
Friday 16th April:
A new pattern for global fashion
Following its recent stateside collaboration with the chain store, Target, Liberty of London is continuing to partner up with the world’s more alluring retailers. In addition to a one-month pop-up with Parisian boutique Merci, and a four-piece handkerchief collection for Tokyo-based department store, Isetan, Liberty’s most recent fusion is a limited edition spring/summer capsule line for the Milanese concept boutique, 10 Corso Como.
The graphic-heavy 26-piece collection, available online as well as at Corso Como’s storefront and Liberty’s London flagship, includes apparel and accessories for both women and men in an updated version of Liberty’s iconic Ianthe print.
Ref. http://www.coolhunting.com/style/liberty-of-lond-2.php
Tagged with: Co-creation, Fashion, Retail
Tuesday 13th April:
Cola Couture
This spring, Karl Lagerfeld unveiled his exclusive, limited edition Coca-Coca Light bottle design, featuring his own silhouette and signature. It even comes in its own presentation box along with a bottle-opener in a hidden drawer. The elegant, minimalistic design pieces are on sale from Collete, the French online store for $4.71.
