AFRICAN FASHION EVERYWHERE!!!

me in an Ankara jacket 

asoke

As i take a look around the shops in Aberdeen  i cannot help but notice the the prevalence of African fashion everywhere. so for the post i will  like to educate you a bit on African  fashion. for example the Ghanian culture is known for its kente fabric. going back to Nigerian culture. the Asoke fabric is tied to the origins of the yoruba culture usually used for wedding ceremonies the Gara fabric has its origins from  Sierra Leaone  the  .The African culture is rich and wealth is no news that British high street and luxury brands and tapping in to the riches.the truth every tribe is Africa is known for one African fabric or the other.with the collaboration of western fashion and African fashion. it is percieved that the world will be one.   the most popular explored in America and Europe are kuba, kente, korhogo and ankara( Luke boone 2001). 

kente from ghana

Burberry and African fabrics 

FASHION IN BLACK AND WHITE

The years have gone by and it has become very evident that the  fashion industry is a force to be reckoned with across the  globe.The media has made a significant contribution to its strength. It can be perceived  that media is the life support of fashion in the world today. despite the growth of digital media. the print media especially magazines still serve as major stake holders in fashion. fashion magazines like vogue are still perceived as an important aspect  of fashion today. its hard to talk about the different aspects of fashion and not see the hand prints of  vogue somewhere.  vogue commands authority and can be seen as a 'global fashion phenomenon'(konig 2006). fashion luxury brands still have a strong linkage with magazines like vogue even when world is embracing the social media. the success of vogue can be linked to idea that the style of writing is celebratory and informative( konig 2006). As such reading fashion magazines is  viewed as a leisure activity which seems to avoid the serious and sad aspects of the world. although it is perceived by many that fashion writing is not a serious style of writing there is  no doubt that it  has played a significant role in the world today.

MEN AND LUXURY FASHION

 Over the years there has been a significant rise of  men embracing  metro sexuality. As such many men find themselves embracing their feminine side and  are gradually perceived to have a high and genuine interest in fashion and their overall appearance. Many men fashion magazines have been issued and the introduction of  showcasing menswear in fashion show is on the rise. These developments so far makes one wonder if men will be in equal terms with women when it comes to fashion especially luxury fashion.

Research on gender differences  especially in regards to consumption usually state that different lifestyle orientations of men  have a great impact on their consumption behavior.(Teichman 2011). According to Teichman.it is believed that engage in luxury consumption to show economic consumption and engage and attract a potential mate.( Teichman 2011) while  women  purchase luxury due to other different  factors such as brand exclusivity  uniqueness value and social value. As such it believed that women will have always  a positive attitude than men although the only constant thing in life is change.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLOUR AND VISUAL MERCHANDISING

colour is one of the most important and effective tools in marketing and communications. over the years fashion brands, retailers and brands make use of elements like colour to stimulate positive response and attract customers to purchase their products. colour  induces moods and emotions it also helps to position a company and differentiate it from its competition (Aslam2006).

Due its relevance in marketing and communication . colour has become an important feature of a  product as well as the visual merchandising of a store.  Visual merchandising is concerned with  how the product and the  brand is visually communicated to the customer and also whether this message is understood by the consumers (Kerfoot et al  2006). once the message is understood it is believed that it would lead to consumers purchasing the product. As such fashion retailers put  in so much time money and effort on their visual merchandising,. some fashion retailers  like Selfridges even take this to another level. colours are  important in this aspect because they exercise powerful effects and induce reactions based on instincts and association. colours act as a surrogate cue  in the retail environment most especially in the retail sector (Aslam2006). most consumers expect to feel excited when they walk into a store. it is the duty of fashion retailers to understand their consumers and know what brings colours  about  a positive response.

IS GREEN THE 'NEW BLOOD DIAMOND'?

 looking at the world today especially in fashion industry the colour  green is constantly linked with ethical fashion. this is quite understandable because  green is linked with plants and erases any linkage with the fierceness of   animals but this is not all there is to ethical fashion.the term ethical fashion is a new approach of fashion with conscience (Joergens 2006)  The principle involves  sourcing  garments ethically while providing good working standards and conditions to workers as well as to to provide a sustainable business model in the clothes country of origin.

This days going green it more than just a  responsibility. it is now a branding strategy and a fashion trend.

  Brands today use the words eco, green, sustainable  and ethical fashion in their branding and marketing strategies(Beard 2012 ) . As such its seems that some  fashion brands see this as another golden  opportunity to make more money rather than an avenue to take responsibility. just like how  some governments are constantly accused of helping developing countries because they want to take away their resources like gold and diamonds.  In comparison to the food or cosmetics sectors, the fashion industry has to an extent, been seemingly lackadaisical in its embrace of tackling dilemmas relating to the environmental and human costs of its impact on society( Beard 2012 ). so this raises question if green fashion is just another trend which aims to take over the place of fast fashion .it seems this idea may not see the light due to its high cost  .

THE POWER OF THE RED CARPET

RED carpet events have gone past the era of  celebrities just  dressing up and looking glamorous it is now an avenue for brands  to reinforce themselves in the fashion industry. it has become a means by which    celebrity endorsers can be used  effectively. celebrity endorsement can be seen as a communication tool in which meanings can be delivered to brands and hence  to the audiences(Granleese2008). 

 

  Over the years  the red carpet has been  regarded  as symbol of glamour and prestige as such many designers and brands especially  luxury brands try to associate with these events  to boost their image.the cults of celebrity and fashion are interwoven reflecting Hollywood and the red carpet phenomenon whereby fashion designers court film stars and celebrities to wear their brands at premiers and award shows such as the Oscars (Caroll2008).

    

To gain instant credibility most  brands put their products into the hands of hot Hollywood celebrity on the red carpet (McCauley 2010). Some brands such  as Alexander McQueen have instantly gained a  positive reputation just by  dressing celebrities on the red carpet. this is due to fact that consumers aim for the glamorous and prestigious nature the red carpet and the celebrities on them (Caroll2008).

Below is  a video showing how the media accesses celebrities and what they are wearing in the red carpet. the celebrity talked about is Michelle Williams during the Oscars in 2012.

THE LATEST TRENDS

fashion week has come to end but its beautiful scent still lingers round the world. for one thing  it prepares the fashion society for the season ahead and helps to forecast the autumn/winter colour trends.colour forecasting is a fundamental part of a collective process known as fashion forecasting or trend prediction(Cassidy 2007) .

 

The Early identification of trends  give fashion retailers the time to  produce a better merchandise  and gives marketers more time to develop good market  positioning and advertising.  This gives them an edge over their competitors  In other for retailers to identify fashion sound marketing judgement, marketing intuition, and the ability to put together many kinds of Information are required. Fashion designers and fashion buyers all require market and trend knowledge, combined with creative intuition to varying degrees to be successful (Goworek 2010)Taking a look at London fashion week there is rise in bright pastel colours. it is time for everyone to embrace their feminine side by incorporating pretty pastels to their wardrobe. burnt orange is another colour that came up quite frequently on catwalks.

FASHION CONSUMERISM AND FEMINISM( THE THING LINE)

feminism can be defined as the belief that women should have equal rights to men. the feminism principle aims to place women and men  as intellectual and social equals. 

The term feminism evolved from the 19th century  when women  were seen as  properties of their husbands and fathers.As such  some women decided to set up unions like  suffrage movement  and women social political union  to change  that notion and give women equal rights.  since the late 1960's fashion magazines have become improbable vehicle for women to air their opinions and grievances     (Benstock and ferris 1994).

feminists of a generation ago taught women that intrest in dress and beauty was the  result of socially produced false consciousness (Benstock and ferris 1994). This idea seems to have taken a back seat.In present times fashion feminism and consumerism have become bedfellows.

from the mid 19th century through the early years of this century consumption has been an aggravated activity (Mcrobbie 2008). The post feminism era is associated with consumerism. the idea of  'what am I going to buy next'. in fashion magazines emphasis is placed on women do with goods.  Thus the 'world of goods' offers certain types of 'freedom' or even 'authority' to women as consumers with these taking on overtones of sexual freedoms or transgressive pleasures ( Mcrobbie 2008). 

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS( HIGH STREET AND LUXURY BRAND COLLABORATIONS)

Branding has become so intertwined with consumption that  today consumers have often deep personal relationships to brands and their associations (Power and Hague 2008).In recent times many high street brands developed a strategy to boost their brand image by collaborating with designers.

The first  popular collaboration was between H&M and Karl lagerfield in 2004. Since then H&M has collaborated with the likes of Stella Mcartney , Viktor & Rolf, Cavalli, Marimekko, Comme des Garçons, Williamson, Choo and Rykiel.  and very recently Marni. other high street brands keyed into co branding trend include Topshop,Gap and New look, River island and Debehams   

There is no doubt  that this collaborations give fashion lovers the opportunity have to own a designer brand. it also serves as an advantage to the designers and high street brands. it give the opportunity for designers to take their brands to the mass market and allows the high street brands to attract new customers.the recent trends towards co branding and linking brands can help the brands enjoy synergy effect (Power and Hague 2008). when a brand collaborates with another brand the knowledge a customer has of the brand changes. the brand image the consumer's form are based on several factors (Ginman et al 2010). as such it is important both brands must research on the brands they want to collaborate with. although people buy the idea of co branding many argue that by reproducing the art work for the masses the original value and authenticity and value of the piece is eroded (Omuruchu2006).

COLOUR BRANDING

colour has always been an important factor in  fashion. over the years we see that customers are drawn to  a particular fashion item because of its colour. looking at the dispute between Yves Saint Laurent and Christian louboutin over the 'lacquered red sole'. it can be seen that colour can be used as trademark and can become an important element of a  brand's image  

      colour is one of the marketing tools that global mangers use to create and maintain and modify brand images in customers minds(Madden et al 2000).  The red sole was introduced by Louboutin in 1992 and it has become the designer's signature since then. the red gained a particular status of luxury and elegance becoming a symbol of sophistication( Machinka 2011) .      

the stiff competition between fashion brands allows to them to look for any opportunity to gain  competitive advantage over their counter parts so that their customers can distinguish their brands.For
example, the little blue box that has become the global signature of Tiffany & Co is not solely
used to communicate the company name but is also a way of symbolizing the quality and craftsmanship
of its products.(Roellig2001).  colour can be used as an effective method of sustaining a brand's identity in the mind of the consumer.      

 

life style brands such as jack wills and Tommy hilfiger have over the years mastered the art of communicating their brand identity with the use of colour.

LONDON FASHION WEEK ( its essence)

 For many, fashion shows traditionally began its existence in New York in 1943 when a fashion publicist named Elenor lamber organised an event called press 'press week' but its existence can be traced as far as 1903.
fashion shows also known as 'the collections' showcases the upcoming seasons  prep a porter (Rocamora and Joanne2006)

London fashion week was born in west London park in 1984 with designers like Betty Jackson David Fielden and John Galiano taking part in its first show.
The major essence of London fashion week is that it promotes British fashion designers. It brings together designers , models, journalists fashion, stylist and of course celebrities  fashion students  from countries around the world.(Rocamora and Joanne2006). 
Apart from showcasing the trends for the next season. it helps to boost the reputation of fashion brands and other key players within the fashion industry. it is clear that London fashion week is  important for fashion brands to achieve international media coverage.

British Fashion Council

COLOURFUL TIMES( WORLD WAR 2)

Taking a look at the title of the article it is difficult to  juxtapose these two phrases together. but coming across kelie's article on world war2 and Hollywood it is  realised world war 2 era is responsible for significant changes in the world today.

this era increased the participation of women in the labour force as opposed to the 19th century where women where  mere vessels of beauty.The Second World War brought about the employment of millions of new female workers  in the labour force and reorganization of those who already had been working to major war industries. As labour shortages reached critical points, the federal government started using propaganda and engaged in massive recruitment drives to assimilate women into the workforce and to manipulate society's view of women's role in the war effort the war time propaganda idealized the image and portrayed her as a strong competent heroine of the home front( (Yessil2006). the video above gives some of the great happenings  in world war 2.