Volume 5: The Industry Hilary 2014

industry Hilary 2014

Contributors Editors Adrien Mallevays & Lucinda Toole Deputy Editors Rebecca Borthwick, Ellie Grange, Alice Lewin-Smith & Aurelia Specker Creative Morgan Harries Illustrators Albert Necke, Percy Preston & Alexandra Pullen Writers Cherry Jackson, Alys Key, Martha Richards, Amy O’Brien & Fred Shan Business Team Manager: Maria-Helen Maras Staff: Harshini Pattni, Jasmine Ko, Fede Behrens, Annabelle Playford & Julie Yue Events Team Anna Robinson, Ellie Grange, Olivia Sung, Georgia Latham, Fred Shan, Katherine Cowles, Meltem Kamalvand Published by Oxford Student Publications Limited Š 2014 Chairman: Jonny Adams; Managing Director: Kalila Bolton; Finance Director: Jai Juneja; Company Secretary: Hugh Lindsey; Directors: Max Bossino, Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Anthony Collins, Polina Ivanova, Christina Maddock & Stephanie Smith Cover artwork by Albert Necke

Industry Magazine

Contents Advertising in Fashion Colour Me Pretty The Brand Culture Oxford Streets The Digital Age

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Martha Richard s Photography Lucinda Toole Street Style Alys Key

China Styling Silk The Ballerina

14 16 22

Adrien Mallevays Photography Photogtaphy

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words Lauren Rolwing Inspiration Exposed High Fashion

28 30 32 34 38

Ellie Grange Interview Student Artwork Photography Fred Shan

Film Noir Follow Suit The Rise of the Fashion Film

40 Photography 43 Cherry Jackson 46 Amy O’Brien

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Advertising in Fashion

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By Martha Richards

On the surface, advertising in the fashion industry should be simple. Advertisements aim to sell clothes, and so it seems self-evident that they would aspire to present their clothes in the most appealing manner to the consumer.

The same images are rolled out: beautiful specimens of humanity dressed in the finest couture, lounging around in an enviable location. However, certain brands are becoming increasingly synonymous with advertising that challenges consumers, with images becoming more and more provocative. They range from raising social issues to giving examples of gratuitous nudity and violence. In an age of fast fashion, brands need to make an impact, and they need to make it now.

feminine beauty. By contrast, there exists little room for debate on the ethics of rape and violence, and all that the CK Jeans and D&G adverts achieve is the glamorisation of acts which should be condemned.

Instead of creating controversy by playing with highly sensitive issues, fashion advertising should generate intelligent debate surrounding the clothes it aims to promote, or indeed the values it wishes to associate itself with. A retrospective of Harvey Nichols’ advertising repertoire shows how the company focuses on the clichés of fashion and then transforms them into compelling images. While the 2008 Christmas sale posters feature a woman preened to perfection wrapped up in a sleeping bag, in 2005 their ‘Beans’ and ‘Toilet Paper’ adverts questioned just how much we are willing to pay for that perfect bag, by visually presenting some of the sacrifices people make to spend more on ‘must have’ items.

For years, companies have focused on that cliché of marketing: ‘sex sells’. It seems that selling clothes involves a distinct lack of clothing. American Apparel has pushed this approach to its extreme in adverts, where models pose solely in the item they are promoting, be it a pair of jeans, a mesh bodysuit or even just a bag. This is an effecUnited Colours of Benetton have also developed a reputative technique to ensure that each item garners maximum tion for controversial advertising. Luciano Benetton has attention, and also puts the company right in the public stated that they “did not create [their] advertisements in consciousness, with continuous news stories surrounding order to provoke, but to make people talk, to develop citithem and the censorship of such zen consciousness”. This appears in adverts. Adverts being banned can stark contrast to the gratuitous viooften lead to an audience increase, lence depicted in other ‘provocative’ thanks to those who actively seek advertising, even more so because Instead of creating controout censored advertising, to see for many Benetton adverts do not even versy by playing with highly themselves why it has created such feature their clothing. Their aim is controversy. The best way to make to associate their brand with prinsensitive issues, fashion someone want something is by tellciples of tolerance and open-minding them they cannot have it. Ameredness. In 1991, an advert showed a advertising should ican Apparel constantly creates a multi-racial, same-sex family, and in generate intelligent debate buzz by focussing on the shock po1993 the brand used the Barcelona tential of the naked human body, Olympics to playfully replace the surrounding the clothes it and finding new ways to display it. games’ logo with brightly coloured condoms and promote HIV/AIDS aims to promote, or indeed The success of advertising that awareness. Their most recent camthe values it wishes to assofocuses on the sexualisation of paign has been marketed as ‘UNwomen’s bodies has been taken up HATE’, with reproductions of the ciate itself with. by many other companies, yet offamous Honecker-Gorbachev kiss ten with destructive and troubling with different political leaders. The undertones. In particular, violence highly charged image of Pope Benagainst women has become far too prevalent a theme in edict XVI and Imam Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb kissing was today’s fashion images. D&G’s 2007 advertising campaign swiftly condemned by the Vatican after its publication and featured just one female model held down by her male the company was forced to pull it. Although controversial, counterpart, surrounded by other male models, menacingthe campaign’s main aims of fostering ‘global love’ and tolly looking on. This power struggle was scarily reminiscent erance enabled the company to gain positive media coverof a gang attack, albeit one with very well dressed perpetraage. tors. CK Jeans repeated such imagery in their shoot showing Lara Stone surrounded by men in various states of unSuch examples of advertising show that there is no redress. It was banned in Australia for its violent nature and quirement inside the fashion industry to remain within implications of rape. The power imbalance between the the boundaries of traditional marketing that merely dissexes is evident: while all of the male models are wearing plays clothes in an appealing way. Advertising that makes jeans, Stone’s are noticeably absent. Although the ensuing a statement is becoming increasingly popular. While the press attention undoubtedly raised the company’s profile, trend is veering towards ever more shocking imagery, it it seems that the boundaries of taste in advertising have alseems that brands need to look beyond the initial buzz that most disappeared. such advertising creates to discern what the effects of such advertising will be on the brand’s reputation. Consumers While the excess of nipples that dominate American Apare looking to be excited by a brand’s output, which does parel’s advertising imagery may seem indecent to some, mean engaging with ideas that may provoke anger. But they merely display the human body in its natural state. once the initial news stories have lost their intensity, the Their recent move to include merkins on their store manresidual connotations of such marketing campaigns need nequins advertising underwear generated attention for the to leave an image that people want to be associated with, company but also sparked debates on modern ideals of and not one that they are appalled by.

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Colour Me Pretty Models Ariel Gregory, Helen MacVicar & ZoĂŤ Dunn Photography Matthew Diffey Make-up Alice Lewin-Smith Styling Aurelia Specker & Lucinda Toole Dresses kindly provided by Fresh Clothing in the Covered Market

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The Brand Culture

By Lucinda Toole

Branding has become the most important part of any marthat were symbolic of the dancing and rap movement that keting strategy. Whether a designer label, a car or even a created a subcultural movement. What is important about person is being channelled through a brand, it must be indithe hip-hop culture is not that it gave brands like Adidas vidual, innovative and attractive. A brand does not simply status, but rather that it epitomises the power of branding. present a product, but rather it presents the highest aspiraThe music and the clothing of the movement brought totions of a product; it presents what the product wishes to gether a generation of African-American, Afro-Caribbean be, and what its consumers desire and Latino youth and created a it to be. In fashion, branding has unifying identity which could many faces. Once branded simply then be spread and recognised It was not enough to imitate by a sewn-in name tag, clothing throughout the whole world. has now been given distinctive Queen Latifah used her clothing a style: the name was just prints and embroidered logos, and the hip-hop trend to promote as important. To prove that with tags occasionally left on, all Afro-centric clothing such as red, this to create a distinctive brand green and black outfits. Yet this you were wearing a genuine image. Although a strong brand inspiring subculture drove conbrand, you were expected to can be the golden ticket for a new sumerism as much as it drove conleave the price on, just for designer to maximise sales, brand fidence and unity. Salt-N-Pepa’s culture – the public’s obsession tight catsuits and bomber jackets good measure. The brand with a brand – can tear a company had brands emulating their style made its true debut in the down. The growingly overt nature on the high street. Stars like Mis1990s, supported and in of the ‘brand’ and the emergence sy Elliot wearing branded trainers of the anti-brand has left buyers drove the meteoric rise of Adidas, support of a musical repulsed by it, and led us to wonNike and Puma. Designers such subculture. der if we are buying a carefully as Tommy Hilfiger made their constructed item of clothing, or fame through dressing big names just a logo. in the hip-hop industry, who left the tags on when they wore them. It was not enough to imiThe 1980s and 1990s saw the public seduced by an expentate a style: the name was just as important. To prove that sive brand culture. The hip-hop culture that emerged out you were wearing a genuine brand, you were expected to of the New York Bronx was partly responsible for a surge in leave the price on, just for good measure. The brand made branded clothing and accessories. Trainers, bomber jackits true debut in the 1990s, supported by, and in support of, ets, name belts and velour are just some of the garments a musical subculture.

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A consumer market that is obsessed with logos is the seller’s hugely attractive to one part of society was abhorrent to the dream, but it was a phenomenon that began to hurt some other, and so the ‘anti-brand’ brand emerged. American Apof the worldwide fashion houses. As brand culture spilt parel, All Saints and Uniqlo are just a few brands who define over into all areas of fashion, not just those promoted by themselves through a lack of identity. Their clothes bare no stars from the hip hop culture, high couture logos were as logo and are inherently plain. American Apparel and Uniqlo coveted as a black tick on a pair of trainers. The high prices specialise in making cherished every day basics, whereas of such logos in comparison to sports clothing made them All Saints and Religion make plain but uniquely cut luxury all the more attractive to the normal consumer – but also items. The anti-brand wants to make itself irreplaceable by all the more unattainable. A huge market for fake or stolen making good quality and sought after items, and not to be products opened out, and anyassimilated into a mass consumer one could own an LV purse. The market. Instead, these brands brand went from being hidden, define themselves by their image pristine behind a shop window to as a company, such as American As brand culture spilt being sold on a beach en masse.

Apparel’s advertising campaigns At first, seeing someone branded and minimalistic store layouts. over into all areas of with high couture logos and prints The anti-brand in this respect fashion, not just those was a sign of their status, until it has somewhat failed: clothing promoted by stars from was turned into almost the oppofrom these distinctly indistinct site. The brand that is commonly brands are just as identifiable as the hip hop culture, known to have suffered from the their ‘more branded’ counterhigh couture logos were urbanisation of their signature parts. Consumers now seek out logo is Burberry. Copies and fakes even more individual clothing, as coveted as a black robbed the brand of its exclusive in vintage markets and very small tick on a pair of and prestigious position and made boutiques. The desire for vintage trainers.

The high prices its brown tartan check heavily ascomes from the desire to wear sociated with ‘delinquent youths’. something that will not be repliof such logos in comparThe brand’s latest collection, cated or recognised. The vintage ison to sports clothing the SS 14 Prorsum, could not be craze produces a certain look, and made them all the more further from this image with its high street brands recreate ‘vinsoft pastels and elegant feminine tage-look’ pieces, but there is cerattractive to the normal shapes. The brand has had to work tainly something about vintage consumer – but also hard to make its way back to being clothing that will always make it all the more unattainviewed alongside Chanel, whose individual. logo suffered from brand culture able. A huge market for but to a lesser extent. Of course, Branding is a tool used by every fake or stolen products Burberry has always been a highly company, and even individuals, acclaimed retailer in the inner cirto market themselves. A brand is opened out, and anyone cles of fashion, but its worldwide everything that an outsider percould own an LV purse. image had to fight to reassert itceives about a company and their The brand went from self. Using Emma Watson as the values, but it is completely malface of the brand was a first step in leable and created, rather than being hidden pristine regaining the elegance that it was organic. A strong brand culture behind a shop window lacking, and although the cheap can remove the need to create into being sold on a beach tartan knock-offs are almost out of spiring pieces of clothing. Today, mind, some people of its generabrands have moved away from an en masse. tion will never forget them. Brand embroidered logo or a repeated culture hindered some companies symbol, and towards using faas much as it helped others. mous faces as a promotional tool.

That is not to say, however, that Tired of a fixation on brands and frustrated by the monoto- the classic logoed brand is dead or repulsive: new designnous, unimaginative looks that it churned out, new labels ers such as Stussy and Boy London have created genuinely promoted the ‘anti-brand’, and consumers pursued different sought after and exclusive images and products, while logfashion avenues than the high street. A strong brand became oed sweatshirts are one of the most popular staple items of a way to extract hundreds of pounds from buyers without today. The power of a strong brand is invaluable to any comever creating an original design. The Abercrombie and Fitch pany, as long as it is generated in the correct way, and not put logo was placed alongside tanned, beautiful and happy mod- into the wrong hands. els and then brandished on countless (admittedly very comfortable) tracksuit bottoms and zip-up hoodies. What was 9

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Street Style Walking to lectures, cycling home or going to lunch, students in Oxford have a distinctive style. We found that the winter wardrobe featured knitwear, durable boots and lots of sheepskin coats...

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The Digital Age

By Alys Key

Somerset House’s Isabella Blow exhibition may have been about a legend of very recent history, but it still showed signs of just how much the fashion industry has changed in the past few years. The most striking of these was in a video of Alexander McQueen’s AW 1997 collection.

Though somewhat unusual for its setting (McQueen chose Christchurch in London’s Spitalfields to exhibit his collection, ‘Dante’) the recording is fairly similar to any you might see today of a runway show. There is, however, one vital difference: everyone in the front row is balancing a notebook on one knee, clutching a pen as they attempt to split their attention between their notes and the show.

Nowadays, it is pretty much a prerequisite to have your smartphone or tablet, ready to snap a photo and instantly share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Technology, and in particular the internet, has changed the face of fashion as we know it.

efits of the internet as a platform: ‘We chose to put the magazine online due to very little costs. It also meant that the magazine could reach out to anyone in the world, and would be available to them for free, viewable on a number of electrical devices.’ Perhaps more than the internet itself, it is the widespread access to portable devices, such as phones and tablets, which has brought about this change in how we view fashion media. Even publications whose primary concern is their print edition are turning their attention to online content, considering apps which can make the best use of this interactive platform by including links to other sites and multimedia like video and sound. In fact, businesses which can help publications put their content online are now in high demand. The US-based company Magzter recently raised $10m in order to fund its growth.

The ‘digital kiosk’, which helps publications reach as wide an audience as possible by ensuring they are accessible on a range of devices, already has more than 11m readers worldwide. The fast growth of this startup is indicative of the growing necessity to put magazines online.

The fashion press now faces a particularly challenging issue: with the prevalence of online content, will anyone still buy their print editions? With the rise of fashion blogs and online publications, the need for a physical product appears diminished. Dazed and Confused, one of the industry’s most respected independent fashion and culture publications, announced at the end of last year that it would reduce its number of print issues to just six per year and focus more on online content. In a piece breaking the news on the Business of Fashion website, Dazed Group founder Jefferson Hack noted that people ‘are changing their reading habits’. Interestingly, his vision for the print version of the magazine focuses on the need for it to be ‘collectible’.

Is this the way the rest of the industry will go, focusing on a high volume of online content? In the future, there may only be a small number of high-quality print issues, more like anthologies or annuals, rather than the monthly glossies we read today.

Of course, for new publications it is often easier to bypass a print edition altogether. Joe Wood, co-founder of SHIFT, an online fashion and culture magazine, explains the ben-

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The début of digital-focused fashion does not solely affect journalism but also retailers, as more and more people turn to shopping online: at the end of last year, online sales in the UK went up to £10.1bn for the month of November, at the expense of the High Street. One brand that tackles the issue with finesse is ASOS, whose profits rose 23 percent last year and show no signs of slowing down. From humble beginnings as a place to find items featured on TV and in films (hence the name, an acronym for ‘As Seen On Screen’), the retailer’s success as an online-only business demonstrates how the industry is increasingly reliant on a digital presence for brands. In addition to its remarkable financial success, ASOS also produces a monthly magazine both in print and online. It is a feat of marketing, where the viewer can be persuaded to read what is effectively a catalogue of ASOS’s wares. Yet the editorial layout and celebrity cover stars make it just as compelling a read as many mainstream fashion magazines. Furthermore, the editors take full advantage of the online format by linking imag-

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es of clothing straight through to a page where the reader can buy the item. This clever but simple strategy explains ASOS’s domination of the market.

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and up to date with trends and collections.’ This approach is already the norm for the majority of fashion magazines, and several brands could learn from it; keeping your audience engaged is now a daily task, and if you do not keep your clients’ attention, they will turn to your competitors. Frequent updates and interactive content are what make Burberry and Gucci so powerful online.

Yet for other brands, the challenge of creating an appealing website is not so easily tackled. The L2 Think Tank publishes a ‘Digital IQ’ report each year, evaluating luxury fashion brands on their website, online marketing, use of social media, and mobile compatibility. In 2013 only two But what does the fast-paced online world mean for trabrands, Burberry and Gucci, made it into the ‘genius’ cat- ditional offline shopping and printed fashion media? As egory; at the other end of the table, ten companies, includ- with Dazed and Confused, it seems inevitable that many ing well-known names like Chloe, magazines will move towards Givenchy, and Céline, were lahigher-quality print issues, with belled ‘feeble’. While a brand’s exclusive content which will leave own site is not the only possibility the reader with a sense of having Is this the way the rest of the for online trading, thanks to sites purchased something special. industry will go, focusing like Net-a-Porter, it is increasingly Similarly, retailers are now reimportant for fashion companies evaluating how they present the on a high volume of online to be able to present their own shopping experience. Even High content? In the future, there products online, as consumers Street brands are now attempting may only be a small number have started using a brand’s webto make a visit to their stores more site like a flagship store. Indeed, fun than functional, especially of high-quality print websites have become a key part in their flagship branches such as issues, more like anthologies of presenting a brand’s image and the Oxford Street Topshop, which or annuals, rather than the identity and shoppers the oppornow includes a cafe, cupcake stall, tunity to browse. However, not all and a hair and beauty parlour. monthly glossies we read brands have been able to deliver In other words, all areas of the today. when it comes to their online presfashion industry need to create ence, and rely on other websites something which will tempt fashto sell their clothes, hurting their ion consumers back into the real profit margins. This same princiworld. ple applies to the print magazines whose online content lags behind their more digitally-adept competitors. Joe Wood Of course, technology will continue to progress at a chalcomments on how audiences can easily be put off by bad de- lenging pace; already on the horizon are new factors such sign or rarely-updated content: ‘Although you could argue as the possibility of 3-D printing clothes and the proliferathat it’s all about the magazine, it is in fact the website which tion of gadgets like Google Glass. The guests of that Alexpeople see on a daily basis, so it needs to be updated regu- ander McQueen show probably did not anticipate that in a larly. At SHIFT, we are focusing a lot on weekly fashion and few short years they would all have replaced their notebooks beauty articles from our editors, as well as daily write-ups with screens. One rule, however, remains a constant: those on fashion weeks, to keep our audience informed, interested who adapt fastest will thrive.

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China A fast-evolving & ever-challenging market for foreign luxury companies

by Adrien Mallevays

In the 1950s and 1960s, the American middle classes’ consumerism transformed the world economy. In the coming decades, China is poised to become the next big economic superpower, and Western companies are increasingly looking to Chinese consumers to sell their wares. The fashion industry and the luxury sector in general have been at the forefront of recent efforts to create a strong presence in China, and their success stories as well as failures have a lot to teach any business trying to enter the Chinese market, which already represents 8 percent of the world’s private consumption and is set to grow drastically over the next few years. Furthermore, expensive goods are unusually popular, with people willing to spend a high portion of their income on luxury ‘status’ items such as an iPhone, much more so than in other countries. Products with high prices are seen as much more desirable. The research firm Sanford C. Bernstein calls the Chinese ‘increasingly aspirational and conspicuous consumers’. In the early 2000s, the luxury-goods market was more or less equally divided between the United States, Europe and Japan, with the rest of the world representing very little. Today, the Chinese luxury-goods market is worth more than any of those three, accounting for 29 percent of global purchases, with brands such as Lancôme, Gucci, Rolex and Tiffany faring particularly well. According to Bain & Company’s most recent ‘China Luxury Goods Market Study’, this percentage increased by 4 points in the past year.

As many brands have learnt the hard way, the Chinese consumer is very demanding. Western companies are

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used to dealing with devoted clients, but brand loyalty in In the past, the ‘imported’ label was very sought-after, China is unusually low. Switching between brands is very and surveys found that Chinese businessmen felt that ofcommon: the Bain & Company report pointed out that the fering Chinese-made gifts would be a ‘loss of face’, even top five brands in ten categories lost 30-60% of their cliwith items such as fine China. As the consumer market ents between 2011 and 2012. To retain customers, brands has become more educated and aware of global trends and have had to adapt to local tastes. This approach may seem tastes, buyers now tend to differentiate more between forlike an obvious strategy, but Western companies have ofeign brands. Watches from Switzerland are popular, as are ten relied on their ‘European cachet’ to sell. This is simply leather shoes from Italy, but brands can no longer rely on a not enough anymore. Johnnie Walker, a whisky brand, has European name for strong sales. crafted a solid reputation for itself by creating personalised blends suited to the taste of individual clients ready to pay This change in tastes has also lead to an interest in Chinese 800,000 yuan, the price of a sportscar, and launching new products, and Chinese companies are readier than ever drinks designed specifically for the to compete with their European Chinese market. Johnnie Walker and American rivals. The numis now selling popular blends with ber of Chinese brands mimicking The number of Chinese a much higher alcohol content their French, American or Italbrands mimicking their than is standard in Europe. ian counterparts in branding and style to justify high prices is diFrench, American or Mega-brand power in China is dyminishing. Until recently, brands Italian counterparts in ing. Louis Vuitton’s sales are fallthat turned to the country’s past ing, as the market has become satfor inspiration, such as Shanghai branding and style to urated with the ubiquitous logo.

Tang, were shunned by local cusjustify high prices is ‘Customers in the larger Chinese tomers, who aspired to the looks diminishing. Until recently, cities like Beijing and Shanghai they would find in American TV are moving out of the phase when shows. Today, designers are much brands that turned to the they just crave the big names,’ says more inclined to use the Chinese country’s past for inspiraNels Frye, author the popular Stycultural heritage that the Culturtion, such as Shanghai lites street style blog. Brands have al Revolution tried to suppress, had to respond by focusing on and new government projects to Tang, were shunned by local more expensive materials rather support cultural initiatives have customers, who aspired to than visible branding. This shift in encouraged this new trend. Guo the looks they would find in tastes has diminished the strong Pei, a designer whose collections advantage well-established Westfeature traditional Chinese tailorAmerican TV shows. Today, ern companies were accustomed ing and embroidery, was the first designers are much more to having. Consumers are increasChinese couturier to obtain the ingly turning to more discreet luxofficial ‘haute couture’ label from inclined to use the Chinese uries or Chinese products, making the Paris Chambre Syndicale. cultural heritage that the things more challenging than ever Cultural Revolution tried to for the numerous foreign comThe Chinese market also prepanies that rely on Chinese consents new challenges that Westsuppress, and new governsumption for growth. ern brands are not accustomed to. ment projects to support People have no reservations about cultural initiatives have As Chinese fashion tastes mashopping online, much less so than ture, the number of multi-brand in Europe. The Chinese e-comencouraged this new trend. concept stores is growing fast. No merce market is the biggest in the longer content with opulent and world. On the Chinese equivalent showy fashion, wealthy consumof Cyber Monday in November, ers are now turning to shops that can offer a unique creaonline retailer, Alibaba, recorded a massive $5.75 billion tive voice. Furthermore, like their Western counterparts, in transactions. Research has also found that consumers fashion-conscious shoppers enjoy being able to mix highare much more likely to follow a blogger’s recommendaend and high-street clothes. Demand for cheaply-produced tions, and place a lot of importance on online reviews. clothes that stay on trend is increasing, which favours fastBrands need a strong online presence and the endorsement fashion companies with a high product turnover and fast of Chinese celebrities to succeed. Indeed, many Western production cycle, such as Zara, H&M and Uniqlo. These ‘style icons’ such as Michelle Obama remain relatively uncontinue to grow and penetrate the market. According to known. the Fung Group, over 80 percent of new stores opened by Zara and H&M in 2012 were in second and third-tier citFast changes in consumer habits also mean that brands ies. have to be constantly rethinking their sale strategies. In 15

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the past couple of years, the Chinese government has orchestrated a widespread crackdown on corruption, and this has lead to a drastic reduction of the practice of giftgiving. The impact has been strong: a survey by the Hurun report highlights the fact that spending by wealthy Chinese consumers fell for a third consecutive year in 2013, by 15 percent. Sales of some luxury items such as watches, wine or spirits toppled as a result, and companies have had to focus more on the products Chinese consumers could be tempted to buy for themselves.

So far, this approach seems to have worked, as the giftgiving culture slowly shifts to that of personal shopping.

This fits into a wider change in consumer habits, with womenswear now representing as big a market as menswear for the first time. This is particularly impressive when one considers the fact that in 1990, 90 percent of spending was by men, according to Bain & Company. Demand for highend jewellery, for example, has remained strong. Bruno Lannes, a Bain partner, explains: ‘The mindset among global brands here is changing from men’s categories and accessories to women’s categories and fashion. Brands are preparing for this major shift.’

According to the Economist, two-thirds of Chinese spending on luxury goods happens abroad, and a fifth of it in Europe. Shopping-tourism is on the rise, with Chinese travellers set to become the biggest group in the world. It has now become a common courtesy to warn friends before international travel, to leave them time to share their luxury shopping list. Brands have to decide whether opening shops in China is worth it. Custom duties mean that consumers pay a high premium on imported goods, making it difficult for brands to convince Chinese consumers who can travel to shop at home. Recently, expansion strategies by some mega-brands have been put on hold.

Bain & Company reported that increasing store numbers is no longer enough to drive growth, with new openings by global brands in China in drastic decline. Other less developed companies such as Prada or Bottega Veneta have taken the riskier bet, and hope to expand their presence in the country by rolling out more stores. Some have also focused on growth in areas that are less exposed to international trends, and therefore less likely to discover foreign labels.

The Chinese model is likely to spread to other developing countries, and brands who want to expand their customer base worldwide should pay careful attention to this market.

If they are not wary, Chinese businesses may even overtake them on the world stage. For example, Alibaba, the Chinese Amazon, has recently announced that it plans to set up an e-commerce website in the US. Chinese brands are also set to become much more present internationally.

No one can predict exactly what the future holds, but it is clear that like for all other industries, fashion cannot afford to ignore China.

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Styling Silk Model Sarah Fan Styling Alice Lewin-Smith Photography Julia Sklar

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allet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It requires discipline, taking care of yourself, taking care of your own body first. Then it allows you to give off that beauty, the beauty that you acquire by sculpting your own body all your life.

Peter Martins

Model Imogen Truphet Styling Lucinda Toole Photography Nasir Hamid, simplyoxford.com

Illustration Š 2014 Lauren Rolwing

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A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Illustration © 2014 Lauren Rolwing

The Role of Art & Illustration in Fashion Journalism

By Ellie Grange

to the excess of photographs and word pictures otherwise on offer for consumption.

London Fashion Week is delivered to us across the world by photographers and reporters, seeking to capture this annual parade as a spectacle of style and glamour. Yet it is predictable and easily-digested, and we are now all too familiar with a stale form of communication from a haze of fashion journalists.

This was no easy feat when challenged with doing justice to the designers’ clothes whilst making something aesthetically pleasing in its own right. Bright colours complementing bold, angular shapes and patterns reach out from Rolwing’s pieces, striking and then involving their audience: something playful and energetic is at the heart of the series which has the power to captivate. It is in this way that Rolwing’s artwork has rejuvenated fashion reporting by its

Last year, however, artist Lauren Rolwing gave her own distinctive interpretation of some of the designers’ key looks. Her graphic art took up its own mantle as fashion illustration, proposing a dynamic and refreshing alternative 28

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ability to engage recipients with something that is beautiful and fun; delivering us from the current rat run of shoots and articles.

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symptomatic of the wider (and more disturbing) problem of the neglect of the artistic endeavour fashion journalism once demonstrated. The visual delight, the diversity and glamour of the fashion publications of the past is dwindling as we overlook the power of art and aesthetics in fashion reporting in favour of easily digestible drivel. Thus, the myriad of articles, readily available across the media world are all actually broadcasting the same message: the imminent demise of the prestige of fashion journalism.

The notion of illustration in fashion journalism is not as obscure or unusual as we may hasten to believe. Fashion illustration can boast a full and glamorous history: ever since people have been selling clothes, there has been a market for translating an idea into an illustration whilst providing stylish and cutting-edge artwork. The best and most creative artists have furthered the promotion and prestige of Art has the potency to represent fashion in a dynamic and the fashion industry through their work. Tendering someemotive manner, and this is more meaningful than purely thing subjective, beautiful, and invested with dedication text-based articles. Laird Borrelli, author of Fashion Illusand expression uniquely elevates fashion journals above tration Now, explains that photographs and text will always other publications as well as servhave some ‘association with reality ing as a significant marketing tool, and by association truth.’ In conwithout which the industry would trast, fashion illustrations are more not be where it is today. René Gruau akin to prose poems or fictional narIllustrations or other art was a prominent fashion illustrator ratives. They can be more obviously forms allow us to have whose amplified depiction of fashfiltered through an individual inour own connection and ion design through painting has terpretation than any other media. had a lasting effect on the fashion Illustrations or other art forms alrelationship with fashion. industry. Gruau has been credited low us to have our own connection More emotive and more with enhancing advertising and and relationship with fashion. More reviving the popularity of haute emotive and more expressive than expressive than generic and couture clothing, such as Dior and generic and predictable cat walk predictable cat walk Arden, with his innovative portrayphotography or domineering and photography or domineerals of designs and his popular illusobjective text descriptions, illustratrations. tions and art in fashion reach out ing and objective text to us personally and deeply engage descriptions, illustrations Despite this tradition of visual luxthose with whom it comes into conand art in fashion reach ury, the past century has witnessed tact. Surely this should be the aim a decline in fashion illustration, of fashion journalism: to involve, to out to us personally and signalled in the 1930s by the restartle, to inspire, and to stimulate. deeply engage those with placement of Vogue’s celebrated ilFashion journalists must not forget whom it comes into conlustrated covers with photographic the power and beauty of which they images. Fashion illustration has once had command. tact. Surely this should be since toppled from its position as the aim of fashion the sole means of artistic commuConsciously or not, Lauren Rolnication in fashion journalism to wing has reinvested fashion jourjournalism: to involve, to playing a very minor role. nalism with its visual importance startle, to inspire, and to and reconnected with its spearhead stimulate.

Fashion journalism is losing its of creativity and splendour. ‘A picway: once at the centre of modern ture paints a thousand words’ so art and design, the focus now is all the saying goes, so why has the intoo much directed towards text dustry endeavoured to remove a rather than the visual. Today, the industry is crammed picture and replace it with ten thousand words? There is with fashion magazines, newspapers, and journals burstan urgency to recognise and resolve the current dichotomy ing with advice and endless lists of what’s hot and what’s between text and visuals in fashion reporting. Recourse not. Interpretations and opinions on beauty and style are to the visual, the aesthetically stimulating, is what distinserved up by blogs and zines, and we consume them preguishes fashion journalism from other forms of reporting. processed for us: mangled and contorted into something It has been the work of lunacy that has seen the industry we digest, unquestioning and automatic. divest itself of its greatest and most potent treasure. Creativity, beauty, and inspiration are within the command of As fashion journalism has become so text focused, it has fashion reporting, and it is about time contemporary jourbecome trivialised. An over-emphasis on prescriptive arnalists recognised their responsibility to inspire. ticles and listings crushes the creativity and individual responses of the consumers. The loss of fashion illustration is 29

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Lauren Rolwing Fashion Illustrator

We spoke to Lauren Rolwing, a fashion illustrator who creates beautiful collages based on the latest catwalk designs, about her work and inspiration. Using a mixture of traditional techniques and new computer software, Rolwing’s work includes fashion illustration, commercial advertisement and children’s illustrations. She received a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and works as a freelance illustrator.

Illustration © 2014 Lauren Rolwing

Illustration © 2014 Lauren Rolwing

When did you start doing fashion illustration? Were you already interested in fashion?

people are between 7-8 heads tall). I never got the hang of it, and after the course ended, I didn't do much in the way of fashion illustration until just recently. Now, I focus on design, composition, and colour more than anything else.

I have been interested in fashion for as long as I can remember. I studied fashion at the same time I studied illustration, and I always worked in fashion (retail and wholesale) in high school and on college holidays. After college graduation, I started working as a freelance illustrator, which eventually lead me to sign with an agency (Marlena Agency). My agent suggested that I put together some illustrations with people as the main focus, since my other illustrations often incorporated animals. At first I wasn't sure what kinds of people to focus on. There are tall stacks of fashion magazines all around my studio, so I thought I would start there. After I finished the first one, I was hooked, and I continued to create fashion illustrations. I publish my fashion illustrations along with my inspirations on my tumblr site laurenrolwing.tumblr.com and for my blog on Colette.fr.

Do you take inspiration from any individual artists or traditions?

How has what you do now changed since you began?

I have a lot of design influences like Ikko Tanaka, Saul Bass, Tom Eckersley, Bruno Munari (Design as Art is one of my favorite books) the Bauhaus, as well as fine art influences like Klee, Picasso, Miro. I also love Polish Posters.

The documentary, Freedom on the Fence is wonderful. I also adore the works of Paul Rand. I recently had the opportunity to hear Steven Heller's talk on him at the MODA in Atlanta, GA. It was absolutely wonderful. After hearing Mr. Heller talk, I felt like I had met Paul Rand. I learned that when he was in the hospital for the last time, he actually redesigned the hospital's logo from his hospital bed.

That is true dedication to one's craft!

In school, I had done traditional style fashion illustration, where the croquis all have to be at least 9 heads tall (normal

Recently, as far as fashion inspiration goes, I would have to say KENZO. I love their prints and their advertisements.

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In college, I had the most wonderful Professor, Julie Mueller-Brown, that introduced me to the works of Kvﾄ付a Pacovskﾃ｡. I always enjoyed working with cut paper, and when I saw her works, it was very influential to me. I think I like using the pen tool on the computer so much because it feels somewhat the same as cutting paper. I had the opportunity to travel to Italy with her for an Italian Children's book exhibition my works got into. I met the most talented illustrators from Tehran, Iran. Their works were so unique and changed the way I thought of illustration completely.

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vorite designers. I am not quite sure what makes me pick the particular looks. When I first started, I would pick a look I wanted to wear the most, but I quickly realized that it wouldn't necessarily make the best illustration. I think I am drawn to the colours and the composition of garment more than anything else.

Where do you see the future of fashion illustration going?

I hope the future of fashion illustration becomes as diverse as the many styles of illustration and graphic design. I have a huge love of traditional fashion sketching, but I would love to see more different styles of fashion illustration.

I don't know what effect it has visually, but I am really inspired by film as well. Films by Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Wim Wenders, Louis Malle; I watch constantly, so I feel like they would effect my work somehow. I also cannot get enough of Twin Peaks.

Do you think fashion magazines should use more fashion illustration, as they did in the past? Or should they stick to photography?

What techniques do you use in your illustrations?

I used to buy so many more fashion magazines than I do now. Recently, when I look at magazines, I see the images from the catwalk and realise I have already seen them all online. Now, so many sites have instant streaming of the shows. I would love to see fashion illustrations become more of a commonplace in magazines again. I had an opportunity to see the great fashion illustrator Jarno Kettunen drawing backstage at a fashion show. When I watched him work, I saw details of the the garments that I normally would have overlooked. What he saw in the look was different than what I saw, and we were both looking at the same model. His work allowed me to see the garment in a new way that I don't think a photograph could capture.

My illustrations are all digital now. When I first started creating illustrations, I did everything by hand and then scanned it in. I used different mediums, but I really loved the graphic quality of cut paper. I found that the more illustrations I did, the more I was changing on the computer.

Once I got a Wacom tablet, there was no turning back. I believe having hundreds of colours at my fingertips and the ability to control-z allows me the freedom to experiment more than if I was creating traditional illustration.

What is it about a design on the catwalk that makes you want to turn it into a piece of artwork?

High fashion is seen as a form of art. Where do you see your work fitting into this relationship between fashion and art?

Creating an illustration from a design on the catwalk is a way for me to combine two of my loves: illustration and fashion. It also gives me a good excuse to buy expensive, imported fashion magazines!

I am not sure where my work fits between fashion and art. I would like to think it is a little bit of both.

What drew you to particular brands and outfits?

The designs I pick to illustrate are looks by some of my fa-

Illustration ﾂｩ 2014 Lauren Rolwing

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Illustration ﾂｩ 2014 Lauren Rolwing

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Hilary 2014

Student Artwork Student Artwork We asked three Oxford university students to create original artwork based on looks from recent catwalk shows, using Lauren Rolwing’s fashion illustration as a source of inspiration.

This page, from top to bottom: Three sketches (above) by Alexandra Pullen: blue floral dress, Colette Dinnigan, Spring 2014; black sculpted dress and green skirt and jacket, both Yves Saint Laurent, Spring Summer 2014. Dress (left) inspired by Alexander McQueen’s ‘bee and hive’ dresses, Spring Summer 2013, by Albert Necke.

Opposite page, from top to bottom: Two figures (top) inspired by Gary Kay, by Percy Preston. Three sketches (bottom) inspired by Marc Jacobs Men’s Spring Summer 2014, by Alexandra Pullen.

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Exposed Photography Henry Sherman Styling Ellie Grange Anonymous model

Industry Magazine

Hilary 2014

High Fashion

Illustration © 2014 Lauren Rolwing

Beneath the surface of vulgarity

By Fred Shan

Yet should the fashion industry be viewed on such basic terms? Is there really nothing more to the garments designed than their ability to keep the wearer warm and fend off the rain? I beg to differ. In fact, the fashion industry has progressed to become more associated with art than with the mere need to cover one’s body. Art, one might say, has no direct social benefit in that it neither saves people, nor protects them from danger; yet it has been upheld by every civilization in history and has an important place in society. Its value is spiritual, its purpose the development of taste and the display of ingenuity. Does fashion deserve to be considered as a form of art? To answer this we must examine another age-old question: that of the nature of art.

High Fashion is an industry wrought with controversies.

Alongside issues such as the abuse of animals and factory workers in developing countries, the industry is often seen to be pointless, and is charged with contributing little to society. ‘Vulgar’, ‘superficial’, ‘ostentatious’: these are words that some use to describe the fashion industry. A quick online search makes clear the public opinion regarding this kind of fashion: ‘bombarding the ignorant with anorexic women dressed in ‘whatever is in’ does not constitute as a valid contribution to society’, claims one anonymous commentator. Another even goes further, asking: ‘Is there a more pointless, vacuous, superficial and completely unnecessary industry than fashion?’ Clearly, the fashion industry does not contribute to society in the same way that doctors or police officers do, but does that make it frivolous and unnecessary? The answer lies in the way in which fashion is viewed. If one sees the industry as a mere extension of the trades of the cobbler, the spinner, or the tailor, then the size of the industry may well seem excessive.

An Oxford dictionary definition of art could never fully answer so subjective and controversial a question. Each individual has his or her own perception and understanding of art, and the difference in attitudes towards modern art and conventional art is especially noticeable: one person might stand in awe in front of the work of Damien Hirst, 30

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whilst another discounts it as nothing more than trash.

However, most tend to agree on a few characteristics of art.

It is often a portrayal of beauty, be it of the human figure or of a landscape. Art is also separated from other crafts by the emphasis on individual expression; this individual genius is what makes a work of art so special.

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of the pieces in the collection simply cannot be worn on the street, as pieces feature obtrusive horns or are simply too revealing. The utilitarian purpose of clothes is stripped away and they are allowed to transcend the boundary between clothing and art. Further, it is McQueen’s own imagination and expression that truly give the objects life and the status of art. As an Englishman of Scottish descent, McQueen used tartan, as well as ragged, violently slashed pieces of clothing which were inspired by a dark period of history, the Jacobite Rising. McQueen’s love of nature also comes across in his works, exemplified by a dress that is completely covered in brocades of flowers. However, even such a pleasant image is tinged with McQueen’s dark romantic thoughts. He reportedly said to Harper’s Bazaar that he chose to use flowers in this design because they wither and die, and thus their beauty is only fleeting.

Through art, we attempt to create an ideal beauty that is not necessarily found in nature. Classical and Renaissance sculpture, for example, set out to represent the human body without any defects. Designers do the same when they approach their collections, to find an unattainable perfection and make the best out of the human form. It is their job to cover the unflattering parts of one’s body and to place emphasis on one’s beautiful features. A very basic example might be the designer’s varying of dress lengths and cuts in order to accentuate one’s legs or the use of structured shoulder pads on suits to create broader shoulOf course, the expression of ideas in a garment is not limitders. Thus fashion serves the purpose of creating the illued to McQueen. Coco Chanel followed a utilitarian, strucsion of a more beautiful individual, tured style, influenced by the workin the same sense that art distorts ing class of post-war Paris, a style reality to create the perfect figure. perpetuated by Karl Lagerfeld. The Furthermore, the garment itself exEtro family focus their brand on the Fashion design shares emplifies the designer’s pursuit of traditional Italian paisley pattern, the two most important the ideal beauty. Dolce & Gabbana’s and attempt to bring historic eletraits of art: beauty and AW12 ‘Baroque Romanticism’ colments of northern Italian flare into lection is the best example of this. their designs. Domenico Dolce and individuality. It can also The collection featured black outStefano Gabbana constantly use the be seen as a form of still erwear and white dresses with inculture of Sicily as their inspiration, tricate golden embroidery and lace whilst Roberto Cavalli’s designs art, by examining a decorations, together with shimare inspired by his fascination with garment itself, and as a mering golden earrings and leather animal prints and the mixing of form of performance art, and suede boots. The contrast betextures such as leather and denim. tween black and white, the plain Thus each designer uses the mein the way the garments and the embroidery, the chiffon and dium of clothes to express their inare worn on the catwalk the wool all act together to create dividual ideas in the same way that and by consumers. hauntingly beautiful garments. The artists conventionally use paint or clothes came from the mind of the stone to express theirs. two designers out of nothing; with their beauty and intricacy, they truFashion design shares the two most ly deserve to be considered as works of art. important traits of art: beauty and individuality. It can also be seen as a form of still art, by examining a garment itself, The artist’s infatuation with beauty has fallen in popularand as a form of performance art, in the way the garments ity since the beginning of the twentieth century with the are worn on the catwalk and by consumers. The fashion rise of new forms of expression. Art as an expression of the industry operates in a similar way to the art industry, as individual artist has become ever more important, with consumers and fashion journalists act as connoisseurs, focus moving away from the subject. Cubist works such dictating the value of a designer and its works. The runas Picasso’s Guernica forsakes all the previous emphasis way, then, is an opportunity for the designer to display his on beauty and shifts the focus to the expression of emowork, very much like an exhibition is for the artist. Like tions and sentiments. Artists take recognizable objects and modern art, many concepts and ideas of the designers may transform them into something striking and different. The seem too complicated or eccentric for the public taste and complex idea of the artist’s role in recreating the identity require specific knowledge and an open mind to be fully of an item – or the human form – can be applied equally to appreciated. It is rather ironic to see commentators claimfashion design, especially haute couture. By taking a piece ing High Fashion to be shallow and vulgar when it is in fact of cloth, the designer’s role is to give life and meaning to their own shallowness and shortsightedness that prevent something which was previously ordinary. Alexander Mcthem from seeing beneath the surface.

Queen best exemplifies this, in the collection exhibited in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011. Most 39

film noir photo (dark, full photo with bleed)

Film Noir shoot credits

Film Noir Models Johan Trovic & Owain Caruana-Davies Photography Henry Sherman Styling Adrien Mallevays & Fred Shan Hats kindly provided by The Hat Box, Avenue 3, The Covered Market www.thehatboxoxford.com

Industry Magazine

Follow Suit

Hilary 2014

By Cherry Jackson

Brian Nicol begins his book on Film Noir with a description of a generic private eye: ‘Dressed in a suit and shabby overcoat, a fedora on his head, a cigarette or a gun in his hand,’ the protagonist, would inevitably be stalking the dark streets of a rainy city, or be sitting in his bare apartment, devoid of comfort, an empty glass of bourbon before him.

Yet there is a certain essence of rebelliousness in the Film Noir look. The suit guarantees the private eye’s anonymity, as he is not really supposed to be investigating. Each detective has his own set of reasons: a thirst for justice, a strong sense of morality, curiosity, or simply the fact that it’s a job that pays, despite usually being told to stop any probing and searching by the police. It’s not just those on the ‘right’ side of the law who wear uniforms: Quentin Tarantino’s motley crew of hired criminals in Reservoir Dogs (1992) all wear tailored black suits. Combined with the trench coat and fedora, however, the suit is the uniform of the private man, taking matters into his own hands. It resonates with a desire to do justice whilst simultaneously flouting the law by continuing with the investigations – an anti-hero’s costume.

The most distinctive element of Film Noir costume is the suit. This was the normal standard of dress in the 1940s and the 1950s, when the first wave of the genre emerged.

But when the second and third waves (or Neo-Noir) came on the scene, suits were still the norm within the films, despite the revolution in fashion and style that had occurred from the 1960s onwards. Take Blade Runner (1982) for example: it is set in the future, but has its protagonist in a long trench coat and suit, with the other male and female characters sporting 1940s-inspired clothing .

Why, then, has this style persisted in the over-arching genre of Film Noir, whilst other film genres move with the times?

There is, today at least, a degree of conforming non-conformity within this dress code. It conforms to a smart, business-style of dress, but also stands against today’s casual The private detective jeans and t-shirt. It echoes, possibly, a in Film Noir is desire to go back to a time when people dressed ‘smartly’. It’s part and parcel of never off duty, the nostalgia and fascination associated relentless in his with the film style; the slick suit and pursuit of the trench coat is smarter and more sophisticated than today’s average street style. answer, so it seems

Modern culture romanticises Film Noir and the period in which it first evolved.

Therefore the dress code of the detective is saturated with positive meanings: the dashing hero, high fashion, a ‘goldenera’, and so on. What’s more, the suit is fitting that he is the working man’s uniform; the private There is also, of course, the consideraalways dressed for detective in Film Noir is never off duty, tion that the uniform itself adds to the relentless in his pursuit of the answer, so dark, desolate atmosphere of Film Noir the job. it seems fitting that he is always dressed with its muted, monochromatic colours. for the job. It severs the man from his Black, white and grey (and pinstripes, own personal intimacies. We never see for the daring) are the norm for the deany traces of family life in the detective’s office or home tective, fitting for the genre of ‘black film’. Perhaps these and he always meets the object of his desire whilst on a ever-elegant colours contributed to the apparent immorcase. The trench coat is another formal garment that pretality of the Film Noir look. After all, as Coco Chanel said, vents the private eye from engaging in a private life of his “Black has it all. White too.” Unsurprisingly, monochrome own, whilst protecting him from the typical scene and atis still playing a large part in this season’s fashions. This mosphere of a Noir film: rain, cold and darkness. sombre palette never really goes out of fashion, and it probably never will. The look, then, lends itself to a timeless imAnd it is a ‘uniform’, of sorts. Uniforms are instilled with age of sophistication, sleekness and style. power, authority and style. Today, the suit represents corporate power and professionalism. However, the detective The Noir Look is at once conforming and non-conformisn’t really in a position of authority. The police are given a ing, permeated with a strong sense of justice as well as a state uniform, and a legal ability to investigate. The private disregard for norms: a walking contradiction. And that’s eye, on the other hand, is denied a uniform dictated by the probably why it’s still so popular, rather than because it society in which the film is set, but must make his own, and cuts such a distinctive silhouette in the shadowy darkness is hired to investigate a personal case, rather than handed of the silver screen… although this factor obviously does one due to his position in society. Given the ridicule typiplay a starring role. cally experienced by the private eye at the hands of the police, perhaps wearing a suit is an attempt to salvage a degree of power and professionalism.

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The Rise of the Fashion Film

By Amy O’Brien

In an industry long dominated by the still photograph, the past couple of years have seen fashion houses turn to the moving image to showcase their newest collections. Consumers around the world can access videos on the Internet at the click of a mouse. The uncontested reign of editorial advertising, when a campaign in the first fifty pages of Vogue was the beacon of success, is over.

work. Digital strategist Vikram Alexei Kansara identifies the fashion film’s new role as “a remarkable vehicle for conjuring and transmitting the energy of a brand to end consumers.”

In today’s best films, products are not placed obtrusively before the viewers, but become part of alluring narratives that inspire the viewer to covet the featured collection. The films’ success lies in their subtle strategy - ‘marketing without marketing’.

Today’s media landscape, with its new generation of online fashion bloggers and app developments such as Vimeo, means that the moving picture is the commercial dernier cri.

A video recorded from the front row can reach a global audience of consumers in close to real-time on YouTube, Vimeo and blogs around the world. In response, the runway has become a bigger theatrical spectacle than ever. With this innovation has also come the transformation of fashion films from peripheral, dull moving ads to an esteemed medium attracting the likes of Roman Polanski.

Moving advertisement allows brands to develop lifestyle concepts that sell. They have jumped at the chance to enrich their digital archives by making informative online films. Employing devices such as voice over and subtitles, they present viewers with a lesson on the brand’s history, key products and aesthetic codes that last longer than one seasonal campaign.

Take Lagerfeld’s twenty-minute feature film, ‘Once Upon a Time,’ for example, which depicts Coco’s first shop opening and gradual initial success. The film focuses on High fashion is intrinsically the brand’s heritage, and is shot in the brand’s signature palette of black theatrical: one only needs to and white with beautiful close-ups look at a report of the of vintage Chanel. Dolce and Gablatest London Fashion Week bana’s television and editorial advertisements have long been celebrato see a variety of dramatic tions of the brand’s Italian heritage. themes ranging from Dallas Films such as their AW13 campaign, cowboys to English country featuring Bianca Balti and Monica Bellucci, showcased the sumptuous gardens. collection and the brand’s cultural concept.

Who would have thought five years ago that a Prada mini-film would have a full-fledged Cannes premiere?

But in 2012, Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Kingsley appeared on screen as they performed a flippant psychotherapy session exhibiting various Prada items in Polanski’s A Therapy. Tierney Gearon’s film for her Hollywood Heroines series is both intensely visual and dramatic. It sees Anne Hathaway play a weary housekeeper who is empowered when she tries on a patron’s dress. Famous faces are now being used in film as well as on billboards because of their strong marketing power.

Fashion in film is now being accredited by specialist organisations that recognise it as one of the main outlets for fashion marketing. In 2008, Diane Pernet founded the fashion film festival, A Shaded View on Fashion Film in Paris, devoted to this exact cause. Since then the festival has travelled to the Barbican, Guggenheim and the Cannes Film Festival, to name a few. The event is judged by an internationally acclaimed jury, with several award categories such as Best Fashion and Best Cinematography. Furthermore, the British Fashion Council founded its Fash/On Film initiative in 2012 as a means of encouraging relationships between designers and directors.

Whilst cinema becomes more focused on the strength of its visuals, with the proliferation of 3D and the attention to lavish aesthetic detail displayed by directors such as Baz Luhrmann, fashion film is becoming more narrative. High fashion is intrinsically theatrical: one only needs to look at a report of the latest London Fashion Week to see a variety of dramatic themes ranging from Dallas cowboys to English country gardens. From the onset, the concept of weaving stories around designers’ pieces and seeing them in motion was a guaranteed success. The series of moving pictures lacking a plotline found in old fashion film is replaced by compelling storytelling, which serves to augment consumers’ desire to buy.

Just one visit to filmsoffashion.com, with its extensive archives, can escalate into an hour’s easy procrastination.

The new wave of fashion films has a dual appeal, engaging viewers with compelling narratives whilst showcasing 360° shots of a brand’s designs. The marriage of fashion and film is proving to be a supremely lucrative union.

New fashion films have feature film budgets and resources, and are considered valued projects in their own right. The redefined genre is no longer reserved for fashion insiders, but is accessible and entertaining to a wide consumer net46

Industry is recruiting Industry is recruiting for TT14 editorial roles, phototographers, writers & illustrators.

There are also positions available in our business and events teams.

To find out more, please contact editor.industryfashion@googlemail.com and keep up to date on our Facebook page, facebook.com/IndustryOxford

Industry Magazine Hilary 2014 Oxford University’s student fashion magazine