Week 7 EOC: The Pitch

Fair Isle

A knit sweater brand targeting women 18-25. She is smart, creative, confident and comfortable in all aspects of her being, free and adventurous, sweet and tough, tomboy to romantic. A girl who likes to keep busy and push life to the limits, with the traveling, having fun and everything in between. Fair Isle is a knit sweater brand that will feature the fairisle design on all its clothing to give the clothing a bohemian and free look to the stylish girl who wears the clothing. Each item will have a different cut of fabric so that each girl is not the same as the next we want her individuality to stand out. 

Week 6 EOC: A&F Exercise

The store I went in was Super Dry I picked it because it has a similar atmosphere to Abercrombie. From the outside of the store you can already tell the store is very laid back with a relaxing style. The outside has wood panels as well as duffel bags thrown through the windows and a picture of a man and women in a relaxing atmosphere with grass as if walking through a field. As you walking the lighting and music is the first thing you notice as well as the mason jar lamps hanging from the ceiling with wood and brick panels. The employees reflect the style of the store they all were wearing clothing that was sold in the store and they were all shorter and thinner which as well fits the style of the clothing. They try to keep their store unique to match their brand. “At Superdry, it’s no secret that we’re all about unique clothing. We care about the experience just as much. We believe actions speak louder than words, so try to show how much we care by the way we do things.” Superdry.com

Week 6 EOC: A&F Discussion Questions

1. A&F does not reinvent its brand strategy every year though the product assortment it carries year to year has not yet be unsuccessful. They provide the ultimate branding expereince dim lighting, smell of fragrance, and booming music. The in-store branding concept has led to multimillion-dollar sales of T-shirts, denim jeans, and cargo shorts year after year; everyone from middle-school students to atheletically fit adults loves the trim silhouettes.
2. A&F brands its products by using  very attractive models both male and female to attract customers not only into the store by using half naked greeters but also the catalogs and all other marketing attempts having people believe that if they buy the clothes from the company you are given the lifestyle the Abercrombie customer supposedly lives with a sense of freedom and strong sexuality. Weather or not I think these are successful year year after year they have been successful so it must be working very well.
3.Everything that you first notice when you walk into an A&F store the  music, fragrance, lighting, store props, and the associates help strengthen the brands message they want to convey to the customer.When you step into a store it is like stepping into a night club that sales clothes though many have thought they have been over the top they still continue to be successful year after year. Everything inside the store is how the store continues its image and sells multi-million dollars worth of shirts and shorts.
4. When I enter an A&F store the first thing I notice is the smell though I do like the smell of the store and their cologne it is pretty strong and stands out to me above anything else. I dont think they try to intimidate the customer by using attractive models but rather persuade the customer by having men wanting to but their clothes in order to look like the models and women buying their clothes in order to get men that look like the models. Though I am sure some customers who do not fit the Abercrombie look and style feel uncomfortable when they walk into a store with men and women who are half naked.

Week 6: BOC Why $300 for denim?

Many do not understand why anyone would spend more then $50 on a pair of denim though it has been a growing popularity among many for years now.  Denim is one of the few fashion that remains largely American-made. People like to have the jeans that convey a statement about their fashion and their income and it is easier to save up for a pair of $400 True Religions rather then an outfit straight off the runway. Deanim has become such a hot fashion trend no longer when dressing up do you need to wear a dress for women or slacks for a man you can just throw on denim and a nice shirt and you are considered dressed up. “Denim has gone from a casual to dressy, highly stylized item, “Sari Sloane, head buyer for Intermix stores, tells Us. “Trendy skinny-leg styles are more expensive to produce because they require additional attention to fit.” Article. California Style. Why Jeans are so expensive. Many people who are willing to spend more money on denim especially if it is manufactured in the US. Denim in the US has many details and costs more then making it in any other country. To be produced domestically, jeans have to be priced at "$200-plus," Shelda Hartwell-Hale. Though making denim in another country such as China would bring the price of such jeans as True Religion down they would lose their appeal to many consumers. True Religion is one of the industry's giants, making 4 million units of clothing a year. He estimates that

his $300 jeans could sell for $40 if he manufactured in China. Article. Why Jeans Are so Expensive.

EOC: Week 5 Vera Wang Exercise

 I have always considered what the future is going to hold and though I like to think it is something I can plan out step by step or know exactly what I am going to do or be but many things can happen that curve everything that can happen. At the moment my plans for the future are to finish school to get my degree in order to know about my intended profession. I have a job at the moment that I really like and would enoy working my way up to one day become a buyer for the company. Though I have also always wanted to do event planning in the fashion industry though I know I would have to work my way up to the position. I would first either be an intern or an assistant for an already event planner. I intend to make this happen by working as hard as I can and being patient for the amount of time it will take for me to get to exact position I want. In the fashion industry you move up due to your experience and knowledge that comes with time. I think along the way there will be things that can either change my idea of what I want to happen such as moving somewhere that I do not have the means to from doing such things as not being paid for an internship. I know it will take time for me to reach my ideal career choice but I am willing to do what it takes and be patient to get there. 

EOC Week 5: Vera Wang Discussion Questions

1.     Vera Wang is a great example of the ever-changing career path of an individual due to the many changes she went through to make her career path possible and everything she didn’t do. Her original path that was set by her family was for her to go into the medical field but instead she was set on a demanding goal of being a figure skater. She decided while in school she wanted to be a fashion designer and went and got a job as an assistant for vogue then later became the accessory editor for vogue. With those connections she worked her way into Ralph Lauren and then finally developed her famous fashion house Vera Wang.  She understood that with hard work, dedication, and patience she would get where she wanted.

2.      The book was very updated on things she has been up to though now she has also a line of footwear, eyewear, flowers, tabletops, luggage and mattresses.

3.     The Vera Wang brand is classic and gives women a feminine feeling through her designs and her lifestyles. She has an endless way of making things such as a women’s wedding seem simple she provided that lifestyle like Ralph Lauren.

EOC: Midterm Project- Dove

                                           

Dove toiletries known for it’s logo a silhouette of the brand’s namesake bird which is how each one its products are recognized. Dove products include deodorants, body washes, beauty bars, lotions, hair care, and facial care products which are manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey, and United States. Dove’s vision is, imagine a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. In their movement for self-esteem Dove is committed to building positive self-esteeem and inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential. Dove also holds a campaign for real beauty which is a global effort launched in 2004 to serve as a starting poing for widening the definition and discussion of beauty. “In addition to changing women’s views of their bodies, Dove also aimed to change the beauty market. In an industry where the standard of beauty is often a size two blonde supermodel. Dove distinguished itself by using models that ranged from size six to fourteen. Abandoned the conventional cynical method of portraying, perfect women as beauty role models.” Article. Dove Campaign for Real Beauty Case Study. Melinda Brodbeck and Erin Evans. March 2007 Dove’s target market has always been real women with the goal to make them feel empowered and even now they are targeting men which was launched in 2010. Women are each broken off into groups depending on age due to the stages skin a women’s skin goes through throughout their lives. Dove uses magazines as a key partner in its marketing strategy in order to show “real women.”  “The Dove women are familiar not only because they seem to be grinning from every street corner but also because they look like the vast majority of the women one might encounter at the neighborhood gym -- not fat but not buff either. They are commonly referred to as "real women," an infuriating term that suggests a model or an actress or any woman who does measure up to an unspecified standard of svelteness is somehow artificial. Real is equated with big, chubby -- not sample size, which is as real as it gets in the fashion industry.” Article. Dove Looks Real. Washington Post. Dove competes fiercely with Procter & Gmables’s Olay and Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena. Dove supports partnerships with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources. Dove also supports a partnership with Alliance for Women in Media. Some Clubs they partner with are girl scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and girls inc. “Dove helps encourage girls to embrace their unique beauty with their workshops, guides, activities, and videos brought by Dove. Jess Weiner