Amalia Bot

The cult of beauty

2010-12-13T16:55:00.004Z

One of the reasons I chose luxury as my Masters subject is because above all, luxury is in my opinion synonymous to the pinnacle of beauty. I am doing a more extended project on this topic for my portfolio, so I'm going to post a few of the more intriguing pictures I have come across and a few words on aesthetics and how it resonates in luxury.

IMAGE, LOOK and STYLE are still the most influential factors that shape the way the most sophisticated and discerning customers perceive and buy into luxury brands.

The fine line between consummate craft and consummate image in building luxury brands has been challenged by Dana Thomas in her recent book, "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster." She contends that even venerable luxury brands with a tradition of excellence are losing their grip on the tradition of craft which used to be the cornerstone of every luxury brand. As the industry moves from family-run businesses to multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth and profits, will the tradition of handcrafted, bespoken goods become extinct?

What impact do aesthetics and creativity have on the industry? How are creativity and aesthetics as corporate values changing? How have the most successful brands balanced craft and image to achieve global prominence? And last, but certainly not least, what has become of taste - corporate and individual - in a world of “commodified” beauty?

Forever 21 Photoshoot

2010-12-10T12:30:00.001Z

Yesterday I was one of the models in a photoshoot. My friend and colleague Ning Yuan put together a shoot for her portfolio, using Forever 21 clothes, 2 models (Youdi and myself) and 3 photographers: Edward, Simon and Royd.

Here are some of the backstage photos that Edward shot, the final edited photos will not be ready until next week, so I'll post them then.

MA Diary - Richemont

2010-12-05T16:28:00.000Z

My favourite luxury conglomerate is Richemont. Why? Because it owns the most prestigious jewellery groups in the world and, as far as I can tell, there is nothing more luxurious than jewels and particularly diamonds.

The Group's luxury interests encompass several of the most prestigious names in the luxury industry including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Panerai and Montblanc.

Richemont was created in 1988 by the spin-off of the international assets owned by Rembrandt Group Limited of South Africa (now known as Remgro Limited). Established by Dr Anton Rupert in the 1940s, Rembrandt Group owned significant interests in the tobacco, financial services, wines and spirits, gold and diamond mining industries as well as the luxury goods investments that, along with the investment in Rothmans International, would form Richemont.

Richemont operates in five key areas: jewellery, watches, writing instruments, leather and accessories, and clothing.

The Group is managed with the objective of growing value for shareholders over the long-term, recognising that the most important assets of the Group - its Maisons - have almost all been in existence for over a century.

Each of the Maisons has its own distinct identity that stems from its heritage and culture and it is critical that each Maison has the correct strategies and resources to be able to enhance that identity. The independence of the Maisons within the Group is fundamental to the Group's strategy for future growth.

Management, designers and craftsmen across the Group strive to keep this heritage and the traditional values of its Maisons alive through a continuous process of reinvention and innovation.

Recognising its role as a member of the global community, Richemont strives to act as a responsible corporate citizen.

Group structure and significant shareholders

The businesses in the Group operate in five main business areas: (i) jewellery, (ii) watchmaking, (iii) writing instruments, (iv) leather and accessories and (v) other products. Each of the Maisons in the Group enjoys a high degree of autonomy, with its own management group under a chief executive officer. To complement those businesses, the Group has established central functions and a regional structure around the world to provide central controlling and support services in terms of distribution, finance, legal and administration services.

Compagnie Financière Rupert

Compagnie Financière Rupert, a partnership limited by shares established in Switzerland holds 52 200 000 Richemont 'B' registered shares representing 9.1 per cent of the equity of the Group and controlling 50 per cent of the voting rights at the level of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. Mr Johann Rupert, the Executive Chairman of Richemont, is the sole General Managing Partner of Compagnie Financière Rupert. Mr Jürgen Schrempp, non-executive director of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, together with Mr Ruggero Magnoni and Mr Jan Rupert, both nominated to the Board of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, were appointed as partners of Compagnie Financière Rupert in June 2006.

Compagnie Financière Rupert does not hold any Richemont 'A' shares. Trusts and other entities in the shareholding structure above Compagnie Financière Rupert have indicated to the Company that they, together with parties closely related thereto, held a total of 2 811 664 'A' shares, or the equivalent thereof in the form of Depository Receipts, as at 31 March 2010.

Other significant shareholders

Public Investment Corporation Limited (‘PIC’), Pretoria, South Africa notified the Company on 22 February 2008 that accounts under its management held Richemont South African Depository Receipts equivalent to 32 633 436 ‘A’ shares in Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. At that date, PIC’s holding indirectly represented 3.13 per cent of the voting rights at the level of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA.

On 19 May 2009 Richemont Employee Benefits Limited, an indirectly held subsidiary, notified the Company that it had acquired shares and the right to acquire further shares equivalent to 31 705 935 ‘A’ shares or 3.04 per cent of the voting rights at the level of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. The shares were acquired to hedge liabilities arising from the Group’s stock option plan.

The Company has received no other notifications of current shareholdings representing in excess of 3 per cent of the voting rights. Significant shareholdings are systematically reported to the SIX Swiss Exchange. This public information and can be accessed via the following link.

Cross shareholdings

Richemont does not hold an interest in any company which is itself a shareholder in the Group.

MA Diary - PPR

2010-12-03T16:18:00.000Z

Continuing the series of most powerful luxury groups in the world, I will make a short presentation on PPR.

Established in 1963 by François Pinault in the timber and building material businesses, the PPR group positioned itself in the middle of the 1990s in the Retail sector, in which it soon became a major player.

The purchase of a controlling stake in Gucci Group in 1999 and the establishment of a multibrand Luxury Goods group marked a new stage in the development of the Group.

In 2007, the group seized a new growth opportunity with the purchase of a controlling stake in Puma, a world leader and reference in Sportlifestyle. PPR thereby continued to develop its activities in the most buoyant markets, through strong and highly reputed brands.

Today, PPR has entered a further phase of its expansion and intends to become a leading group of global brands, representing a universe of “personal goods” that encompasses apparel, footwear and accessories. These powerful brands are to be positioned both in the Luxury and Consumer Retail markets.

Thus, by the side of the Luxury branch – one of the most prestigious and top performing global leaders -, PPR Group is gradually reorienting its Retail branch to focus on sports lifestyle brands with a more international profile; brands conveying values that endow them with genuine legitimacy above and beyond their mere stylistic component, and all sharing a common concern for ultimate quality combined with an ongoing quest for innovation.

PPR is therefore spreading out into more international activities, better distributed throughout the world in order to prevent any dependence on any specific economic area. Backed by a more coherent structure, the Group will then have the ability to benefit from new synergies derived from complementary consumer universes and from pooled resources, to be leveraged in the service of all Group companies.

Last but not least, the business expansion takes place in full respect for the communities residing close to the companies’ theaters of operation. All PPR branches and companies share a similar concern to ensure optimum quality and reliability for all business processes, while fully complying with the commitments set forth in the PPR Code of business practices.

The Group’s commitment in Corporate and Social Responsibility is a prerequisite in terms of ethics and corporate responsibility in view of the common challenges facing the entire world. But it is also a major business challenge: indeed, sustainable development constitutes a genuine business opportunity, along with a source of innovation and cost cutting.

PPR ’s strong entrepreneurial culture has embraced the principle of decentralisation for a long time. The Group’s structure creates a balance between five different operating branches, Gucci Group, Puma, La Fnac, Conforama and Redcats, each of which enjoys extensive autonomy within a set framework, and a light-touch holding company responsible for the Group’s strategic direction.
This organisational model empowers all employees with a sense of responsibility and initiative, and optimises value creation for PPR. Everyone is fully engaged in the growth of their respective companies, and feels responsible and accountable for their performance.
On the ground, the branches have the executive power they need to run their businesses. Being close to their markets and customers, they are charged with developing strategy for the brands and companies and setting the direction for each business as well as taking all operational decisions. They are backed as needed by nimble, flexible and interconnected management structures. Such freedom of action for the operating teams helps keep employees committed and loyal to the Group. It also draws out the best talent.
The holding company defines PPR ’s high-level strategy and ensures the interests of the Group’s various stakeholders remain aligned. It manages performance in all Group entities through streamlined systems for orientation, regulation and control. It also manages certain areas that come under its exclusive remit for the Group as a whole, including mergers and acquisitions, treasury and finance, shareholder relations and Group corporate governance. In addition, it fulfils leadership, management, support and coordination roles in other areas within the Group.

PPR looks to pool resources and facilities wherever this will add value for the branches and improve performance. It applies cross-functional policies to optimise specific key processes for the Group as a whole, notably talent management.

Sharing of knowledge and expertise throughout the Group as well as dissemination of best practice is systematically encouraged. This helps drive creativity, innovation and excellence in processes, optimising the use of resources and to cut costs.
The PPR corporate culture relies in particular on values of consultation, freedom of speech and conviviality that federate and cement the Group, serving as a genuine catalyst of solidarity. This mindset is reflected among other in simple, fluid and authentic systems of exchange and communication.
This unique management style lies at the heart of the Group’s functioning and performance.

MA Diary - Seminar presentation

2010-11-29T21:45:00.000Z

Today I handed in my finalized seminar presentation. I can't post it all here, since it's a powerpoint file, but here is the script and some images:

SEMINAR

SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE ART WORLD AND

THE LUXURY INDUSTRY

Key points:

· Promotional role of art and artists in this industry

· 3 case studies

· Fashion awards and art awards given by luxury companies

· Future developments

PROMOTIONAL ROLE OF ART AND ARTISTS IN THE INDUSTRY

“Luxury and art are both expressions of emotion and passion; therefore, the idea of integrating artwork in a store environment is a question of affinity”

Yves Carcelle, President and CEO of Louis Vuitton

During past years, there have been many new creative collaborations, exploring fresh avenues for synergies and business development between the art world and the luxury industry. Today, luxury brands regularly collaborate with artists to develop products and marketing materials, and even mobile museums.

There are a number of key reasons why luxury brands choose to make a cultural investement:

· Luxury brands heighten their aesthetic and perceived value. For market strategists in the luxury industry contemporary art has been very much a way to add value both in terms of prestige and profitability.

· Artists are feted by leading brands. While a relationship between art and fashion has always existed, over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding. And, this in turn has had an impact on the contemporary art world itself.

· Cultural investment is also seen as being helpful for brands that need to reposition, or that are entering a new market and need to establish their identity quickly. The benefits are diverse too. Cultural investment reflects the brand in the right light. It can help to attract a new sought-after customer profile or it can entertain and maintain the loyalty of existing customers by providing a positive brand experience

· It’s also widely seen as a great PR vehicle. The attraction is that the arts are forward-thinking and mould-breaking. It is beneficial to be associated with these qualities that commercially translate into the perception of being trend-setting

CASE STUDIES

1. Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain

In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. It is a center for contemporary art that presents exhibits by established artists, offers young artists a chance to debut, and incorporates works into its collection.

Araki, Marc Newson, Philippe Starck, Murakami, and Matthew Barney are some of the artists that have worked with the Fondation Cartier.

“The Fondation has given Cartier a positive image in the eyes of people who are not interested in jewellery or who would never in a thousand years wear a Cartier bijou. But now they look at Cartier more positively, with respect, and that’s exactly what I wanted.”

Their aim has always been to give freedom of speech to the artists and not interfere in the process of creation. It is linked to an image strategy as well as a subject of pride for the Cartier employees.

2. Louis Vuitton’s Young Arts Project

It is a creative and cultural collaboration between the super brand and five leading art institutions in London: Hayward Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, South London Gallery, Tate Britain and Whitechapel Gallery.

The iconic brand launches a three-year long support project for young artists. The three-year program, led by Louis Vuitton and SLG, which also incorporates the help of artists Chris Ofili and Charlie Dark, will give 200 underprivileged young Londoners real access to the inner workings of the art world. It aims to provide the participants with the skills and experience necessary to pursue a career in the arts - as curators and press officers, as well as artists.

1. Paul Smith in-store art exhibitions

Paul Smith stores, whether in London, Milan or Hong-Kong showcase not only his collections, but also the works of contemporary artists.

This celebration of contemporary British art and artists springs from Paul’s own personal affiliation and admiration.

By choosing to curate such unique, quirky and highly personal exhibitions, Paul Smith is reinforcing his iconic status as a quintessential British brand.

Among the more artistically-prone stores, there are: Paul Smith GLOBE, a store in the Heathrow Terminal 5 airport and SPACE Gallery, his first store in Japan, where the designer has hosted exhibitions from artists such as Valerie Phillips, Richard Woods, Thomas Giddings or Marcus James.

Fashion awards and art awards given by luxury companies

· MaxMara Art Prize for women, in collaboration with the Whitechapel

The prize winner gets an all-expenses paid six months residency in Italy. Maxmara gets an enviable foothold and high profile in the London art world.

The Fondation d’ Entreprise Montblanc de la Culture

Its purpose is to support and honour modern day patrons of the arts who have given their time, energy and money in order to encourage cultural life to flourish.

Such consistent patronage gives Montblanc the stature of nobility across the international cultural landscape.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Though it may be true that the sheer number and variety of collaborations proposed in recent years have somewhat diminished their impact, and that some may have got out of hand with exceedingly commercial intentions, ties between the goods industry and the art world should not be abandoned. There is no doubting the excellent results of some of the collaborations. Contemporary art infused luxury with a great energy that resonated with consumers; and for artists, a new world of commercial opportunity was opened, separate from the pure art world.

And, in light of the current economy, perhaps the art world and luxury need each other now, more than ever.

MA Diary - Annual Luxury Conference

2010-11-24T15:30:00.001Z

The International Herald Tribune’s annual luxury conference brought together in London two dozen of the industry’s most esteemed creative and corporate executives,who offered their interpretations of ‘heritage’. When the event’s host, Suzy Menkes, first introduced the two-day London event, the celebrated fashion editor acknowledged that the definition of this year’s theme was “as slippery as the precise meaning of luxury.”

And while there were of course several common threads which were woven through the many speeches and round-table discussions on stage – such as the notion of authenticity based on a brand’s past values – it was striking to see just how diverse each speaker’s approach to harnessing heritage could actually be. Here are just a few highlights in their own words:

Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry

Reminiscing about her very first lunch meeting with Christopher Bailey five years ago as the pair set the course for the company’s future by leveraging the brand’s heritage icons (such as the prorsum knight, the check and the trench coat), she said: “We needed to connect the dots from the Prorsum catwalk collection to the millions of polo shirts we sell. The same customer should be wearing these, not multiple customers.”

Christopher Bailey, chief creative officer of Burberry

“We needed to elevate and innovate those (brand) icons,” he said, likening Burberry to a beautiful diamond that had been trodden into the ground, just waiting for someone to polish each facet of the gem to help it to sparkle again. “If we were going to elevate this “dusty diamond”, we needed a razor-sharp vision.”

Patrizio di Marco, CEO of Gucci

When an audience member suggested that the company’s ‘Artisan Corner’ retail event project (which sees artisans travel to Gucci shops around the world making luxury goods ‘live’ in front of customers) was misleading like Louis Vuitton’s banned advertisement of hand-stitched handbags, he defended the strategy:

“What we have in the stores is not fake, it’s real. It truly implies a lot of work – manual work….I had people who told me that to bring artisans to the shops would be a bit cheesy, [well, it] may be but it’s real. I had people, old, young and even kids who just stood in front of these work benches of artisans making a jacket or a bamboo bag,… They were really moved. I can’t bring the whole world to Florence so I’m trying to be as clear as possible with this and many other references. Believe me, if you come to Florence, we are real.”

Paul Smith, designer

With his trademark self-deprecating style and kooky delivery, Smith pointed out that heritage, like the word luxury, is now overused in branding circles by poking fun at a “Heritage Festival” in Texas which was founded only in 2007. But he also reminded the audience that those luxury brands which we now call heritage brands were all at one point or another upstarts with no heritage to fall back on.

“The new boys – Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and me – we have to work out what our heritage is and how people will develop it in the future. What I’ve tried to do is get the balance right between the more classical luxurious things, the more everyday things and things that the young guys would wear.”

Mary-Adair Macaire, CEO of Pringle

On heritage: “Just because you had it in the past doesn’t mean you still have it today. And even if you have it doesn’t mean that you can sell it.”

On the codes of heritage: “Identify them, use them, even abuse them but don’t lose them.”

Margherita Missoni, accessories designer for Missoni

“What I want to do is bring Missoni back to the time when…. it was rule-breaking,” she said, retelling the story of how her grandparents were “kicked out of Florence fashion week” in the late 1960s because they were considered too risqué by the establishment. “Only afterward it became a classic. There are other brands which maybe disturb you at first but they grow on you so what I would like to do is bring Missoni back to that. Eventually they’ll get used to the idea of our show not necessarily being pleasant at first sight.”

Unlike other designers working for big houses, she said, as the third generation of the family to get involved creatively, “I didn’t have to adapt my aesthetic to Missoni. I might have a different style but I have the same taste.”

Karl Lagerfeld, designer

On the legacy of Coco Chanel: “She was not only a designer but also a woman of her times. But she made mistakes at the end of her career. When the 60s started, she forgot that elegance had to change too. So she decided that miniskirts were horrible. Her standards were completely different. She said, ‘I asked men and not one man told me they love miniskirts’. Nobody dared to tell her. She said blue jeans were horrible too… Nobody wanted to be told by an old lady that miniskirts and jeans are no good. The result was that she lost her power.”

On designing for brands with different heritages: “When I took over [Chanel] everyone said don’t touch it; it’s dead. In a way it was a sleeping beauty…..but [my involvement later] became a blueprint for many others like Tom Ford for Gucci or Alber for Lanvin. I have more than one personality. People think I’m on such an ego trip. But I’m not. It’s a very strange gift. I can get out of people what they want to express but can’t."

On heritage: “I have no archives, I keep nothing. Other people can do that for me. I like now….I never think of what’s going on after me. I never think of what’s next. I only think of the moment."

MA Diary - LVMH

2010-11-18T19:45:00.000Z

The most powerful luxury conglomerate at the moment is LVMH, so I believe it comes as no surprise that I would be interested in finding more about it. Here are some facts about the company and other information I found relevant to my studies:

The group is is a French holding company and the world's largest luxury goods conglomerate. It is the parent of around 60 sub-companies that each manage a small number of prestigious brands. These daughter companies are, to a large extent, run autonomously. The group was formed after mergers brought together champagneproducer Moët et Chandon and Hennessy, a leading manufacturer of cognac. In 1987, they merged with fashion house Louis Vuitton to form the current group.

Christian Dior, the luxury goods group, is the main holding company of LVMH, owning 42.38% of its shares, and 59.3% of its voting rights. Bernard Arnault, majority shareholder of Dior, is Chairman of both companies and CEO of LVMH. His successful integration of various famous aspirational brands into the group has inspired other luxury companies into doing the same. Thus Gucci (now part of the French conglomerate PPR) and Richemont have also created extended portfolios of luxury brands.

LVMH's brands include:

Wines and Spirits
- Moët et Chandon (including Dom Pérignon)
- Veuve Clicquot
- Krug
- Mercier
- Ruinart
- Château d'Yquem
- Chandon Estates
- Hennessy
- Cloudy Bay
- Cape Mentelle
- Newton
- MountAdam

Watches and Jewellery
- TAG Heuer
- Zenith International S.A.
- Dior Watches
- FRED
- Chaumet
- Hublot
- OMAS

Fashion and leather goods
- Louis Vuitton
- Loewe
- Celine
- Berluti
- Kenzo
- Christian Lacroix
- Givenchy
- Marc Jacobs
- Fendi
- StefanoBi
- Emilio Pucci
- Thomas Pink
- Donna Karan
- eLUXURY

Retailing
- DFS
- Miami Cruiseline Services
- Sephora
- Le Bon Marché
- La Samaritaine

Perfume
- Parfums Christian Dior
- Guerlain
- Parfums Givenchy
- Kenzo Parfums
- Laflachère
- BeneFit Cosmetics
- Fresh
- Make Up For Ever
- Acqua di Parma
- Perfumes Loewe

MA Diary - Ralph Lauren's 4D project

2010-11-12T21:50:00.001Z

Ralph Lauren presents ‘a collision of fashion, technology, art, commerce and architecture’ to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their e-commerce site. I found this news deeply captivating and relevant to the luxury industry in general, and to my portfolio and research, in particular.

Ralph Lauren has recently dominated online luxury media, with the unveiling of its 4D initiative in London and New York. A large-scale art, fashion and architecture digital installation project, it was developed to celebrate what organisers called ‘a decade of digital innovation’.

The buildings were able to give the impression of disappearance, transformation and animation, accompanied by fourth dimension sensory effects such as sound (music), touch (breezes) and smell (wafts of the brand’s fragrance collection), timed in sequence with the show.

Whether one likes or dislikes the end result, its impact is unquestionable. Ralph Lauren has sought to break digital barriers on a global scale and achieved a high level of brand awareness. It garnered an enormous amount of coverage in just a few days since it premiered and will no doubt be talked about for many more months to come.

MA Diary - Fashion and Film

2010-11-11T18:03:00.000Z

I have recently decided that I want to study the relationship between fashion film and the luxury industry and possibly create a project out of it for my portfolio. Why? I will demonstrate below:

Fashion’s collective obsession with film has been gaining some serious ground over recent seasons, with countless catwalk presentations introducing video elements or offering it as an alternative to the catwalk. Right now, the freestanding fashion film is enjoying (another) moment in the sun. Red carpet dressing for film premieres remains a huge industry, but it seems the fashion industry has shown that it has more serious designs on the film industry.

Two decades on from Lynch’s first advert for Calvin Klein’s Obsession fragrance in the late 1980s and following subsequent examples of the fashion-film-advertising trio like Baz Luhrmann for Chanel No 5 and Ridley Scott for Prada fragrance, the genre has evolved to incorporate two of the biggest developments to affect the luxury industry: social media and the globalisation of brands.

What’s most striking is that the commercial aspect of such films is diluted beyond recognition; branding consciously played down, if shown at all. Narrative is also kept to a minimum, partly due to the length of the film, and partly due to an approach that firmly places style over product placement. Instead it’s about summoning a “mood”, or, more accurately, a snapshot of a parallel universe created by that brand. These are used to demonstrate the brand’s sensitive, intellectual and cultural side – and can bring emotion and visual excitement to branding for the YouTube generation anywhere around the world.

Gucci Flora

“The ‘fashion film’ was born out of the need to breathe life into the old static medium and set fashion in motion through the magic of cinema. The two disciplines have grown even closer thanks to the impact of the digital revolution, new commercial realities and a mutual fascination between fashion and film industry leaders,” says Diane Pernet, who is the mastermind behind A Shaded View on Fashion Film.

MA Diary - internship

2010-11-10T14:24:00.000Z

After a talk with my tutor, Rebecca Russell Turner, who advised me to seek out an internship in order to establish a career, I sent my cv and cover letter to J Model Management.
I was then called for an interview, which I passed and got into the team.
Although my time with them was quite brief and I couldn't complete the program due to some personal problems, I learned some new insight on how much work it actually is to set up a fashion show from scratch and all the organizing it requires. What I learned from this experience is that working in this type of business is very demanding and tiring at times and that it's not really for me, since I am more the creative type, that can not easily adjust to life at the office.

Here is the cover letter I sent them along with my cv:

Cover letter

My name is Amalia Bot, I am a student at BIAD, in the MA Fashion Promotion course; my Masters project is related to the luxury industry and I am now searching to get as much experience and knowledge as I possibly can, that's why I believe working for a model management company would be beneficial in many ways.

My previous experience in the field would include, in addition to the fashion shows and exhibits organized by the university where I finished my BA in Fashion Design, participations, as fashion designer, in three other events. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with a specialized store in the capital town of my home country (located in the heart of Europe), who now sells some of the clothing and shoes I have created and, thus, managed to start my personal business venture. For the past three years, I have also been involved in the making of a local fashion related TV-show, where I sometimes served as anchor as well. Even though my work there was voluntary, I gained experience in the communication field and also got to work with models, make-up artists and stylists.

Even though I have not had any experience in organizing fashion shows, I have participated in some and got to observe and learn about the coordinating aspects of the shows. I strongly believe that if you decide to accept me for the position, you will not be disappointed, as I am a very hard-working person, motivated, ambitious, a fast-learner, a perfectionist, very well organized and I can multi-task and perform well under pressure. I would be very comfortable with whatever kind of work this position entails, as I am flexible and I am looking to gain any kind of experience within the fashion industry.

MA Diary - Ikon gallery

2010-11-02T13:30:00.001Z

I made a visit to the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, partly because I had wanted to visit it for a long time and partly because I needed to, since I had to do some research for my group project, Eastern ethnic trend.
I found the artwork of Utamaro incredibly beautiful. I have been a fan of his work since 10th grade, when he was introduced to me during a fashion design class.

MA Diary - Mini project

2010-10-30T10:48:00.000+01:00

GROUP PROJECT – EASTERN ETHNIC TREND

EASTERN ETHNIC TREND IN ARTS

This trend is as present in fashion, lifestyle and street style as it is in arts. Many galleries have chosen to exhibit the works of asian artists.

The Barbican in London is celebrating japanese fashion designers with the exhibit Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion

Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion is the first exhibition in Europe to comprehensively survey avant-garde Japanese fashion, from the early 1980s to the present.

Ikon presents a survey of woodblock prints by eighteenth century Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro from the collection of the British Museum. This exhibition focuses on images of women, in particular the courtesans of Yoshiwara, the regulated brothel district in Edo (now Tokyo)

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has filled 15 rooms at the Palace of Versailles with his first major retrospective in France

MA Diary - Mini project

2010-10-28T20:02:00.000+01:00

We started our mini project favourite label/product. We created our group of 8 people and got together to think about what we want to do. Finally, we all agreed on Vivienne Westwood and started researching into the topic. We all had to choose one subject to talk about and mine was about the philosophy and brand description ( part of it since a colleague and I split the task). I read a book about her and did some research online and I found a lot of material on the political involvement and controversies connected to the Westwood brand.

This is my material on the topic:

* Vivienne Westwood is as known for her fashion as she is known for the controversies she has created over the years.

Ever since Westwood began designing clothes with McLaren , she has used images that would provoke anger, hostility, or debate. In the 1970s, one of her best selling punk T-shirts had the words “DESTROY” on it and featured an inverted crucifix and a Nazi Swastika.

In 2005, Westwood designed shirts for one of Britain's largest civil rights groups, Liberty. The shirts bore the slogans, “I am not a terrorist. Please don’t arrest me.” and “Liberty throw away the key.” The shirts were designed in response to the British government's proposal to allow terrorist suspects to be detained for up to three months without being charged.

Westwood's activism is well known within the fashion industry. Her recent collections have had such names as Propaganda, Active Resistance, and Chaos, while her autumn/ winter collection, shown in Paris in February, was called +5o, a reference to the temperature Lovelock predicts the Earth will increase by when carbon dioxide exceeds certain levels in the atmosphere. The actor and pin-up Pamela Anderson modelled a logo T-shirt in the show and features in the ad campaign.

Though as a designer Westwood finds inspiration in art and historical costume, her sensibilities are rooted in the present, even the future: "We're all in it together. And what is the future if we don't do anything anyway?" Last year she launched her manifesto, "Active Resistance to Propaganda", which takes the form of an imagined confluence of characters as diverse as Aristotle, Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio, and focuses on the cultural and political inertia brought about by excessive consumption in modern life. 22 july 2009

In April 1989 Westwood appeared on the cover of Tatler dressed as then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, appearance that reportedly infuriated Thatcher.The cover, which bore the title "this woman was once a punk", has become memorable cover for the magazine and was included in The Guradian's list of the best ever UK magazine covers.

In a 2007 interview she spoke out against what she perceives as the "drug of consumerism". She created a manifesto of Active Resistance to Propaganda, which deals with the pursuit of art in relation to the human predicament and climate change. Against the claim that anti-consumerism and fashion contradict each other, she said in 2007 that "I don't feel comfortable defending my clothes. But if you've got the money to afford them, then buy something from me. Just don't buy too much".

MA Diary - Seminar ideas

2010-10-26T18:30:00.000+01:00

This week I’ve been concentrating on my seminar topic, which I decided was going to be “The relationship between the creative arts and the luxury industry”.

I gave this topic a lot of thought, since I wanted to do something that would actually help me achieve the goals I set out to achieve on my POS. So, I looked at what I’m good at, what my experience has been so far, what I love and have a passion for and tried to combine all of them in a more pragmatic manner. I have a background in fashion design and art, I’ve studied art and fashion history and I have a passion for the luxury sector so I started thinking about how my previous experience could help me start a career in this luxury sector. As I read more and more about how the arts and the luxury industry have always maintained a certain connection, I realized that is what my topic should be about.

Books and articles I read and am still reading on the topic:

The Evolving Marriage of Art and Fashion, from online magazine Luxury society

Mayor backs Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project, article from the London government website

Luxury Brand Management: A World of Privilege, by Michel Chevalier, Gérald Mazzalovo

Vogue, Elle, L’officiel, W Magazine