Anyway, here is a look at the catalogue, the images are great, but I also like the pages in between that focus on homeware, accessories and clothes.....
Friday, 7 October 2011
Urban Outfitters: A/W Story
I came across the Urban Outfitters Winter 2010 catalogue which is great. Just like the Toast catalogue, they have created their own story, and although it is targeted at a younger customer, its very strong, they know who their customer is and what they want. The catalogue has a small section in the middle with features including: designer collaboration, music, promoting a new store and a winter survival guide. They are constantly promoting the brand whilst appealing to their customers.
Beautiful Stories
I have decided to create a photoshoot to promote my brand, and continuing with the theme of British heritage, I want it to be British inspired. I don't want it to look too cliche, but I still want it to have a hearty, nostalgic feel.
So here is more inspiration...
These images from Toast are beautiful, they are from the autumn/winter 08 catalogue, so are fairly old, but this country, farm, nature feel is something that they have continued to focus on throughout their ad campaigns, and they do it so well. The current catalogue is even more stunning and I love how it has images of scenery, colours and textures, its so nice to see something more than just clothes. It creates a visual story and shows the brands personality.....
So here is more inspiration...
These images from Toast are beautiful, they are from the autumn/winter 08 catalogue, so are fairly old, but this country, farm, nature feel is something that they have continued to focus on throughout their ad campaigns, and they do it so well. The current catalogue is even more stunning and I love how it has images of scenery, colours and textures, its so nice to see something more than just clothes. It creates a visual story and shows the brands personality.....
Another company that is on a similar page to Toast, is Anthropologie, which has also got some nice imagery in Autumn 2011 catalogue. The fashion shoot is probably not as strong due to some of the catalogue posing! Also I really think they should be making the most of targeting to an older market, but other than that, some beautiful images.....
Dunhill: The Homes
The Dunhill brand represents so much more than the things it sells. Its about luxury, comfort, quality, longevity and most importantly, lifestyle. Alfred Dunhill's home cater to their customers with a little more than good customer service. There are four houses in London (shown above), Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong all equipped with either a bespoke or custom tailoring service, bar, restaurant, screening room, barber or spa. This is what I call the perfect shopping experience!
More than just clothes
If you go on the toast website, you will see that they have created a whole toast world, almost! They have the clothes and homeware sections, however they also have a feature called style stories where they have created small photoshoots to promote their products in storyboard form, which is a great idea. They also have another feature called Toast Travels, which is a blog. It is an opportunity for the staff and customers to tell stories about art, culture, food and life! Its a beautiful idea and a way for toast to show that they are much more than their products.
Toast have some beautiful videos which they have created to promote their collections, including this one called There, but it is worth having a look at the others, especially 6 1/2 Quiet Minutes and the mens one too! If I was any good at capturing anything, photos or movies, I would definitely create something as beautiful as this!
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Mid-age Research
I did a little initial research on Mintel which had some great facts and figures about new mums. It revealed that new mums do not enjoy the shopping experience and have difficulty in finding clothes that suit their new body shape and that are fashionable as well as being the correct size. It also stated that there was a gap in the market for new mothers who struggle to find clothes, who are tending to be older when having children, therefore are more financially stable, and more likely to spend money on new clothes.
This is really interesting and something that I see in some of my relatives that have had babies, including my aunty and especially my mum whose body shape changed when she had me and my sisters over 22 years ago, however I don't think she found the confidence to experiment with clothes and figure out which ones suited her. She didn't have me or my sisters whilst she was in mid-age, but her lack of confidence in trying new styles is something that she still struggles with today. I have also noticed that ever since my aunty became a mother, she tends to stick to the same types of clothes that she probably feels comfortable with. However, before she had a child, just like my mum, she had a more varied wardrobe.
Looking at all of the evidence, it is clear that mid-age women need clothes that are stylish and suit a range of body types. I think there is a huge gap in the market which needs to be filled, so maybe a shop aimed at the middle-aged and purely for the middle-aged would be a good idea. A styling service may also be a good idea, to help them figure out what suits them best and give them confidence.
I have also been thinking about doing a tailoring service....looking at the British labels in the previous posts and others such as Paul Smith, Burberry, Dunhill and even Saville Row, they all have one thing in common, apart from the fact that they are part of Britain, they are also tailors. I guess tailoring is a very British thing, and just happens to be on trend at the moment. It is an opportunity for women who are not comfortable with their shape to have something custom made to fit them perfectly and to flatter their shape.
So my idea would be to have a boutique selling clothes with a tailored aesthetic running through the store, that also offers a tailoring and styling service.
This is really interesting and something that I see in some of my relatives that have had babies, including my aunty and especially my mum whose body shape changed when she had me and my sisters over 22 years ago, however I don't think she found the confidence to experiment with clothes and figure out which ones suited her. She didn't have me or my sisters whilst she was in mid-age, but her lack of confidence in trying new styles is something that she still struggles with today. I have also noticed that ever since my aunty became a mother, she tends to stick to the same types of clothes that she probably feels comfortable with. However, before she had a child, just like my mum, she had a more varied wardrobe.
Looking at all of the evidence, it is clear that mid-age women need clothes that are stylish and suit a range of body types. I think there is a huge gap in the market which needs to be filled, so maybe a shop aimed at the middle-aged and purely for the middle-aged would be a good idea. A styling service may also be a good idea, to help them figure out what suits them best and give them confidence.
I have also been thinking about doing a tailoring service....looking at the British labels in the previous posts and others such as Paul Smith, Burberry, Dunhill and even Saville Row, they all have one thing in common, apart from the fact that they are part of Britain, they are also tailors. I guess tailoring is a very British thing, and just happens to be on trend at the moment. It is an opportunity for women who are not comfortable with their shape to have something custom made to fit them perfectly and to flatter their shape.
So my idea would be to have a boutique selling clothes with a tailored aesthetic running through the store, that also offers a tailoring and styling service.
Pringle of Scotland
These images are from the autumn/winter 10 advertisement campaign and they grabbed my attention because they capture the essence of a British autumn or winter so well, you can almost feel the chill! The clothes, the colours, the countryside, they all feel British. I also like how simple they are, there is not too much posing and it looks quite natural. I also like the fact that they have used a mid-aged woman, Tilda Swinton, who looks amazing!
Hackett
Hackett is definitely not as old as Aquascutum, but it is as British as they get. The advertising campaigns, marketing, products, styling, fabrics, clothes, everything creates a truly British image. So its a great company to get inspiration from...
These images show examples of Hackett's advertising campaigns from spring/summer 09 through to spring/summer 11. Hackett's branding remains true to its British roots, it has created an image of the English gentleman, who retains his timeless British style, but has lots of character.
Hackett also has a very strong relationship with the world of sports which it also manages to incorporate in its advertisements, creating a clear identity.
The images above are really nice. They capture a sense of nostalgia, classic British style, luxury, London city, sports and everything else that the company represents. They have managed to create a bold image and really know who they are and who their customer is.
These images show examples of Hackett's advertising campaigns from spring/summer 09 through to spring/summer 11. Hackett's branding remains true to its British roots, it has created an image of the English gentleman, who retains his timeless British style, but has lots of character.
Hackett also has a very strong relationship with the world of sports which it also manages to incorporate in its advertisements, creating a clear identity.
The images above are really nice. They capture a sense of nostalgia, classic British style, luxury, London city, sports and everything else that the company represents. They have managed to create a bold image and really know who they are and who their customer is.
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