Izzy Hebb fashion writing project

Fashion Writing project Izzy Hebb

Introduction Within this document is the practical aspects of the Fashion Writing module.

My project takes the form of two print articles, one online article and a marketing concept for the Spoiled Nation brand. I will be marketing Spoiled Nation as a niche magazine for progressive leaning students and young professionals aged 18-35.

The first print article is an advertorial piece centred on the vintage brand “Blue Rise”. It features trends using images used with permission from the brand.

The second print article is an op-ed titled “Can America really heal?” examining political tribalism within US politics. It is a long form article written with the progessive audience in mind.

The online article is a news article examining the decline of retail sales in 2020 and focusing on how online centric brands have responded to this decline.

Hyperlinks can be found through the link to the article. Please note the version here differs slightly from editing but all the hyperlinks remain the same.

spoiled nation 2018 2019

CREDITS:

sn

AD

Print

BY IZZY HEBB

Style Vintage With Blue Rinse

Authentic vintage is every fashion lovers favorite buzzword. Founded in 1997, Remade, reworked or upcycled, Blue Rinse offer a hard to find authentic look.

We looked towards Blue Rinse to find this seasons vintage inspirations. Remade with love, see Blue Rinse’s take on this season’s vintage trends.

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Three must have vintage looks with Blue Rinse All images courtesy of Blue Rinse

Blue Rinse bring new life to old vintage.

AD 1. The Western Boot

CREDITS:

The resurgance of the western boot spells out a new modern must have.

Style with your favourite neutrals to add a kick to your outfit.

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AD 2. That’s so 90s Crop tops, velvets and washed jeans.

The 90s are back. Find “Clueless” inspired pieces for that alternative preppy look.

Pick and choose 90s genres to coordinate different looks from the nineties.

Preppy grunge? Why not.

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AD

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Right now we all need comforting stylish clothes. Pink pastels bring out texture in classic vintage materials. Accessorise with handmade jewelry to add a down to earth look.

CREDITS:

2. Soft Pink

Print

Can America Really Heal?

An examination of political tribalism in the wake of the 2020 US election After four long years, the presidency of Donald J Trump came to an end. Albeit a disruptive end, an end nonetheless. The 2020 election was unlike any election before it, and most likely any in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic still raging in the worst affected country in the world, many voters made their choices from home. Mail-in ballots led to all time record turnout in many of the states. 159 million citizens voted, that’s 67% of eligible voters. The highest turnout in any election since 1900.

Joe Biden may have won the presidential vote but the Democrats are far from having reign over policy and bills. The Senate became evenly split at 50-50 senators for both the Republican party and the Democratic party. Vice President Kamala Harris has the deciding tie-breaker vote. However, a “simple majority” is not enough to pass bills. Any member of the opposing party can call a “filibuster” which then means the bill now needs 60 votes to pass. In the current climate only around three bills a year can pass with a simple majority, usually budget reconcillation bills. Any opposition to a bill can effectively kill it dead.

The election came at a time in America where the country has been deeply divided for many years. The zeitgeist of the two main political parties are shifting further and further away from each other. The Republican party has long been shifting to far right reactionary politics.

Meanwhile democratic voters are crying out for more progressive policies and candidates. These two viewpoints are directly at odds with each other and it shows. In american politics, it’s us vs them. Who “them” is depends on which side of the aisle you fall. Long gone are the days of political bipartisanship and collaboration in congress and political administrations, which leads us to the question of how has this happened?

Whilst political tribalism is certainly not new this article frames it in the context of our modern world. A world with social media, with highly advanced marketing tools and teams. An age where fuelling conflict on social media retains voters on your side. →

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“In american politics, it’s us vs them. Who “them” is depends on which side of the aisle you fall.”

BY IZZY HEBB

“any fault of Trump’s could be explained away with conspiracies”

“UNITE THE RIGHT” RALLY, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. by Anthony Crider

While none of these claims were grounded in reality, that didn’t matter.

Posing the Republicans and especially Trump as the non corrupt vangaurd of D.C allowed voters to ignore their actions and only focus on the “other side”. This resulted in a strong loyal base. A base that would also turn out in record numbers in the 2020 election. Trump obtained the most votes of any incumbent president, although still lost. Trump’s negative side didn’t matter.

Any fault of Trump could be explained away with conspiracies or blaming the Democrats.

Fast forward to 2021. On January 6th, Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol buildings on the day Vice President Mike Pence officially confirmed Biden’s win. 5 people including police officers died due to the events. An event largely organised online which featured a rally style speech by Trump telling supporters to march down to the Capitol. They promptly did and endangered every politician and aides in the building. In the name of Trump they rioted to overturn the election results. Images and videos of rioters on the senate chamber floor soon spread quickly. In February, Trump was once again impeached. This time post presidency. The senate refused to convict him along tribalistic party lines, ignoring the crimes committed.

Trump supporters willingly committed acts of insurrection, many of them arrested. There is no sign that the voters of the Republican Party are willing to part with Trump’s populist ideology. CPAC 2021 featured many politicians defending Trump and proceeding with an “us vs them” platform. The simple truth is that to Republicans tribalism serves a useful function to keep voters onside by distancing the opponents further.

For America to heal, the people must come together. Recent events only serve to drive citizens further apart. The political climate is too volatile for either side to work together. Republicans have a vested interest in stoking tensions to prevent losing voters to ideas that prove to have bipartisan support that the party does not approve of. A recent example of this is the shot down amendment to the latest COVID stimulus bill to raise minimum wage to $15. 59% of the population supported this idea, yet it fell due to right wing opposition.

America cannot heal it’s divisions while one of the parties actively encourages divisions. The online discourse in the right wing communities has misinformation strife. The social media campaigns of the 2016 campaign created reverberations still felt today.

It is simply not possible to get along with somebody when a person has been convinced the opposing side is not to be trusted at all costs.

CREDITS:

Like all other facets of life, the internet has revolutionised politics and the political map. New tactics allow the political machine to appear on every person’s phone tailored exactly to their views. Confirmation biases on both sides led voters into believing their cause is the moral and just one. The stage was set. After the 2014 midterms, President Obama’s Democratic party lost control of the senate chamber. Mitch Mcconnell suddenly found himself in one of the most powerful positions in the capitol. Fuelling tensions between the parties he started to obstruct any democrat sponsored bull with the filibuster rule. All of a sudden President Obama found himself nearly powerless to enact bills that couldn’t be reversed by executive order.

Enter: the alt-right. Almost based entirely online, reactionaries with far right views rose to prominence within the party. Believing it to be the fault of the Democrats that no bills were being passed they started spreading their ideology throughout the Republican party.

The Republican took a dark swing towards the far right. Many “alt-right” groups publicly espoused white supremacist, anti-semitic and homophobic views. In came Trump, a figure the alt-right came to worship. The most divisive political figure in memory. With the help of Cambridge Analytica, famous for orchestrating the brexit “‘leave” campaign, Trump and his campaign had a serious tool under their belt. According to Federal Election Commission filings social marketing firm recieved $5.9mn from the Trump campaign and related PACS (political action committee).

An extremely targeted personalisation campaign hit Facebook. Sponsored posts, created groups and even meme pages started to be reccomended to voters likely to swing right. The content always focused on inciting divisions and attacking the Democrats for alleged corruption, in particular the 2016 nominee Hilary Clinton. The campaign centred around the idea that Democrats cannot be trusted in government due to percieved ideals these adverts told them. Populist alt-right views and conspiracies became mainstream within the party.

As Trump secured the 2016 nomination high ranking members in his party followed and supporting him. Members such as Mitch McConnell and his primary rival Ted Cruz.

Unsurprisingly this intricate social media campaign exacerbated the tribalism prevelant in US politics. The campaign was a huge success, allowing the Republicans to win the 2016 election on a highly populist agenda.

Democratic voters and politicians made it no secret they were completely morally opposed to the idealogy and man who led the republicans to a unified government. This led to an incredibly polarised political climate. The two main parties now agreed on nothing. Furthermore neither side wanted to collaborate with the other due to completely opposing morals.

As Cambridge Analytica faded into the background due to numerous legal troubles in the UK, they had let the cat out of the bag. The right wing social media machine was now self sustainable. Instead of absorbing conspiracies and talking points, groups of citizens were now making them themselves.

Conspiracies such as “QAnon” perpetuated ideas that top Democrats drank childrens blood in a pizza parlour. The ideas spread like wildfire to the exact same people the social media campaign had targeted during the 2016 campaign. The idea of a “deep state” with Obama and Clinton in control served to fuel further distrust of Democrats.

Spoiled Nation 2020 / 2021 8

Online

Online brands survive fashion retail’s -25.1% 2020 growth

Written by Izzy Hebb The UK retail industry suffers disproportionately from retail’s Covid slump. ONS (Office for National Statistics) reports a total fall in retail sales of 1.9%, the biggest fall in the past 25 years. The worst hit sector was the clothing and footwear industry with a 15.6% decline in sales, according to Statista.

British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive Helen Dickinson stated that “town and city centres [are] looking to be particularly hard hit”.

The UK has faced severe restrictions disallowing clothing retailers to open throughout the three national lockdowns. The loss in footfall translated to loss of sales for the high street.

Brands without a firm online presence pre-Covid found themselves struggling in this new environment.

Many high street staples such as Arcadia brands and Debenhams have fallen into administration.

Spelling out disaster for an already declining high street, the future of brick and mortar retail is looking unpredictable.

Online sales dominated 2020, benefitting online giants such as Boohoo and ASOS greatly.

In the November lockdown there was up to 80% more online sales compared with January the same year.

What does this mean for 2021?

The seismic shift in consumer behaviour to online shopping bolsters the online-centric brands. Online brands do not have to worry about the upkeep and associated overheads of traditional brick and mortar stores.

The success of online brands is reflected in bids from Boohoo to buy Debenhams along with ASOS bidding to take over Topshop.

The third national lockdown is not set to end until the 31st of March. However, the government has declined to say whether this will happen.

Health secretary Matt Hancock told the press that restrictions lifting are a “long, long way” away.

This will undoubtably hurt brands with physical locations even more. Property rent is still expected and a net zero footfall in the coming months spells out a challenging 2021.

CREDITS:

High street brands will need to brace for the continuing Covid slump.

Marketing Concept Spoiled Nation: a niche magazine for young trendy progressives. “inspiration for the nation” “To me, the role of print today has to be a combination of creation and curation” - Samir Husni, Magazine Innovation Centre.

In the modern print marketplace, consumers demand authenticity. They need to feel a personal connection with the physical magazine to even pick it up. There has to be a draw, Spoiled Nation offers that draw in the form of a progressive culture magazine for young people with a DIY ethos.

Spoiled Nation is a product of the culture of it’s authors. A collectible time capsule. An authentic view of the current times, unafraid to display the morals and politics of it’s target demographic.

While the niche is specifically the progressive DIY ethos. The content and features of the magazine feature a wide range of interests. Culture, lifestyle, fashion/trends, music and sustainability.

Demographics

18-25

Market analysis

Student & young professionals

Progressive political leanings

Interests: Engaged with youth culture

Starting salary/ minimum wage

Ethical consumption, sustainability, social justice,

Market analysis Main competitors

Market size: print media

28% consumers spent money on a magazine (statista, 2020)

771.5mn units sold 2019 (Mintel, 2020)

-10%

circulation in print media (Mintel 2020)

Market size: online media

(statista, 2020)

(statista, 2020)

37% growth in 2018 online readership (printweek, 2018) CREDITS:

6.8mn users of online

magazines

90% aged 16-24 active users of social media

market Trend analysis

For Spoiled Nation to survive in the current media climate it must take advantage of the growing number of online readership. In doing so SN negates the threats from declining print media sales through advertising opportunities throug the website.

By taking advantage of the target demographic’s online use the brand will use their website and social media as the first touchpoint to the consumer. A direct to consumer marketing approach will benefit SN to keep costs overheads low in a volatile market where every penny counts. By utilising “active marketing” techniques SN can directly target likely readers through ad personalisation services.

There is still a relatively large market of print readers. Niche magazines are quickly filling the space of previous print media giants that are struggling to retain readership. Consumers can view general content online for free and instantly. Creating a niche branding interests consumers due to not being able to find specialist content elsewhere.

To compete with other specialist magazines such as indie-mag, Spoiled Nation must present itself as having the same morals and similar content to the larger “indie” progressive magazines. Their business model positioning themselves as “outsiders” in the industry attracts a younger readership with a vested interested in politics. Consumers are likely to trust an outlet with the same political values of them, this is essential for retaining readership in a socially conscious brand.

Brand analysis Marketing Mix: “Four P’s” Product - Spoiled Nation will offer a bi-monthly print magazine and an accompanying website updated weekly or when editors feel urgent news must be shared. An example of this would be a government statement regarding culture funding.

Price - The price of Spoiled Nation will be consistent with that of competitors such as i-D. Offering the print magazine at a price point of around £3£6. This is due to the nature of lower earnings of young people. If the price is too high consumers are more likely to forego purchase and read free content online.

Place - Spoiled Nation will be sold through specialist stores such as The Village in Leeds City Centre. This is to reach the target audience of engaged young people. People frequenting these stores will be more likely to want to purchase a physical magazine than if it was sold in a regular retail store such as a supermarket/newsagent.

Promotion - The advertising campaigns for Spoiled Nation will utilise social media as it’s primary source. Sponsored content is relatively cheap compared to traditional “passive” forms of advertising. The personalisation involved in social media marketing allows for targeted advertisement at likely customers.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

The strength of SN is that it is authentic. This has an advantage over competition such as i-D due to not being corporatised. Progressive readers will see it as a benefit that writers are not beholden to owner/ donors interests and have free reign over their own content.

A niche magazine struggles to find funding past it’s first edition (Sutcliffe, 2016). Funding to produce future issues relies mostly on reader retention. Heavy market research will have to be undertaken frequently. This will add to potential funding issues.

Opportunities:

Threats:

By applying the concept of “omninchannel retail” (Von Briel, 2018) to magazine production, SN can entice readers to visit the website/buy magazine to view a blended customer experience thus improving consumer perception of the brand as a whole.

The decline of interest in print media serves as an industry-wide threat (Stuart-Turner, 2018). Declining sales in the industry will prove a threat to SN as a start up. Consumers have moved to prefer to read online rather than print due to convenience.

CREDITS:

SWOT analysis

Bibliography Sutcliffe C. (2016). Are niche publications the future of print? The Media Briefing.

Ramsey C. (2006). Introducing reflective learning. Open University: School of Business.

Von Briel F. (2018). The future of omnichannel retail: a four-stage delphi study. Technological Forecasting & Social Change. pp 217-229 Ofcom. (2020) Scrolling news: The changing face of online news consumption.

Ofcom Turner S. (2018). Print continues decline in latest magazine ABCs. Printweek Statista. (2018). Magazine industry in the UK. Statista.

Mcgrath R. (2021). Magazines: inc impact of covid-19 - uk - December 2020. Mintel.