Syndication26 Oct 2010
Fashion Merchandising HistoryThe Downfall of Fashion
To paraphrase Hemingway, it happened slowly, and then very quickly. By now the most interesting thing on the catwalk was definitely in prêt-à-porter, with extraordinary creations from Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Kenzo. Elsewhere, Karl Lagerfeld was busy revitalizing Chanel - where he was appointed in 1983 - and Christian Lacroix was showing flamboyant dresses inspired by his passion for opera, folklore and the history of costume. 'Power dressing' became a buzz phrase. The stylish neckwear proved a big hit at Bloomingdale's, and by 1970 Ralph had taken over a corner of the Manhattan department store with an entire range of upmarket apparel. According to Teri Agins, 'Lauren will go down in fashion background for introducing the idea of "lifestyle merchandising" in division stores. Lauren designed [his] outpost to feel like a gentlemen's club, with mahogany panelling and brass fixtures'. In addition, the Paris catwalks had lost their relevance in the face of MTV culture and streetwear. Tracksuit-wearing rappers and the chino-clad super-nerds of the dotcom boom were the new icons; 'casual Friday' elided into the rest of the week. Fashion needs a particular diploma of risk-taking and creativity which is extremely hard to explain to Wall Road. Further, she observes that the utilitarian blandness of Nineties clothing made marketing more important than ever. Nine years on from the publication of Agins' book, fashion has - inevitably - transformed itself once more.
The Rebirth of Fashion
As Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue and a one-time collaborator of the American designer, says, 'In the record of fashion, there's without a doubt a pre-Tom FRD along with a post-Tom FRD interval. He was not a snob about his work - he wanted to sell. But he also redesigned every single facet with the manufacturer, from print advertisements to merchants, guaranteeing that everything gelled to generate an 'ideal' of what the Gucci title intended. Sex, as everyone knows, always sells, and many consumers wanted in. Even those who could only afford to buy their jeans from Gap found some extra cash for a Gucci belt. Prada, too, understood that the brand message had to be carried right through from advertising to clothing to store. Taking the opposite stance to Gucci's sex-drenched imagery, Miuccia positioned her brand as creative, sensitive and politically engaged. New York intellectuals and London businesswomen loved it. The Prada bag replaced the Filofax as the status symbol of choice, and the shoes and clothing quickly followed. Two decades later, he is president of both Dior and LVMH, with a glittering portfolio of brands that includes Céline, Kenzo, Thomas Pink, Givenchy, Loewe, Fendi, Pucci, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan - not to mention Louis Vuitton itself. And although the two men have radically different personalities, Arnault's tactics are not dissimilar to those of Tom Ford. 'I met Bernard Arnault in 1985, and he was already nurturing the idea of a luxury brand that would be at the same time relatively accessible,' recalls the fashion internet marketing advisor Jean-Jacques Picart, who is also Arnault's individual communications adviser. [Arnault's] stroke of genius was to bring marketing techniques to a world that had previously claimed to have no use for them. As far as Dior was concerned, Arnault's most inspired move was the appointment of a charismatic designer named John Galliano. Gucci, Prada and Dior's formula of young, inventive clothes and affordable accessories, plus aggressive marketing, seemed to reanimate the public's inner fashion victim.
Surviving the Death
In September 2001, a minor war had been pre-occupying industry-watchers for several months. The conflict ranged Bernard Arnault against another French businessman, François Pinault, owner on the retail and mail-order conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute Finally, in the economic dip provoked by the dotcom crash - and almost as if he sensed that he needed to conserve his resources for the difficult period ahead - Arnault gave up the fight. The industry was therefore witness to the horror that was to cause its latest nervous breakdown.
References:
Fashion
Fashion Trends
Fashion Designers
To paraphrase Hemingway, it happened slowly, and then very quickly. By now the most interesting thing on the catwalk was definitely in prêt-à-porter, with extraordinary creations from Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler and Kenzo. Elsewhere, Karl Lagerfeld was busy revitalizing Chanel - where he was appointed in 1983 - and Christian Lacroix was showing flamboyant dresses inspired by his passion for opera, folklore and the history of costume. 'Power dressing' became a buzz phrase. The stylish neckwear proved a big hit at Bloomingdale's, and by 1970 Ralph had taken over a corner of the Manhattan department store with an entire range of upmarket apparel. According to Teri Agins, 'Lauren will go down in fashion background for introducing the idea of "lifestyle merchandising" in division stores. Lauren designed [his] outpost to feel like a gentlemen's club, with mahogany panelling and brass fixtures'. In addition, the Paris catwalks had lost their relevance in the face of MTV culture and streetwear. Tracksuit-wearing rappers and the chino-clad super-nerds of the dotcom boom were the new icons; 'casual Friday' elided into the rest of the week. Fashion needs a particular diploma of risk-taking and creativity which is extremely hard to explain to Wall Road. Further, she observes that the utilitarian blandness of Nineties clothing made marketing more important than ever. Nine years on from the publication of Agins' book, fashion has - inevitably - transformed itself once more.
The Rebirth of Fashion
As Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue and a one-time collaborator of the American designer, says, 'In the record of fashion, there's without a doubt a pre-Tom FRD along with a post-Tom FRD interval. He was not a snob about his work - he wanted to sell. But he also redesigned every single facet with the manufacturer, from print advertisements to merchants, guaranteeing that everything gelled to generate an 'ideal' of what the Gucci title intended. Sex, as everyone knows, always sells, and many consumers wanted in. Even those who could only afford to buy their jeans from Gap found some extra cash for a Gucci belt. Prada, too, understood that the brand message had to be carried right through from advertising to clothing to store. Taking the opposite stance to Gucci's sex-drenched imagery, Miuccia positioned her brand as creative, sensitive and politically engaged. New York intellectuals and London businesswomen loved it. The Prada bag replaced the Filofax as the status symbol of choice, and the shoes and clothing quickly followed. Two decades later, he is president of both Dior and LVMH, with a glittering portfolio of brands that includes Céline, Kenzo, Thomas Pink, Givenchy, Loewe, Fendi, Pucci, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan - not to mention Louis Vuitton itself. And although the two men have radically different personalities, Arnault's tactics are not dissimilar to those of Tom Ford. 'I met Bernard Arnault in 1985, and he was already nurturing the idea of a luxury brand that would be at the same time relatively accessible,' recalls the fashion internet marketing advisor Jean-Jacques Picart, who is also Arnault's individual communications adviser. [Arnault's] stroke of genius was to bring marketing techniques to a world that had previously claimed to have no use for them. As far as Dior was concerned, Arnault's most inspired move was the appointment of a charismatic designer named John Galliano. Gucci, Prada and Dior's formula of young, inventive clothes and affordable accessories, plus aggressive marketing, seemed to reanimate the public's inner fashion victim.
Surviving the Death
In September 2001, a minor war had been pre-occupying industry-watchers for several months. The conflict ranged Bernard Arnault against another French businessman, François Pinault, owner on the retail and mail-order conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute Finally, in the economic dip provoked by the dotcom crash - and almost as if he sensed that he needed to conserve his resources for the difficult period ahead - Arnault gave up the fight. The industry was therefore witness to the horror that was to cause its latest nervous breakdown.
References:
Fashion
Fashion Trends
Fashion Designers