CHANEL
Known for her classic tweed jackets and infamous black leather flap bag, Coco Chanel has become one of those most iconic designers to live. Founded in 1910, Paris, France Gabrielle Bonheur “COCO” Founded her brand in the post world war 1 era Popularising a sporty chic as the standard of style. The brand continued to flourish in success after the Death of the designer creating an impact on Hip-Hop in the 90’s. Karl Lagerfield, the creative director in 1990, created pieces worn by pop icons such as Lil Kim and TLC.
THE 90S IMPACT
IN 1990 the interlocked C’s became one of the most recognisable and desirable logos.Pearls and necklaces were beginning to be stacked and exaggerated, this came from Hip-Hop influence and were soon saw on the runway. Even in this decade, 90s Chanel is recognised as the most influential period of fashion. This is where garments such as mini skirts, blue jeans and monogram glasses were introduced .
MARTINE ROSE
Martine Rose is a British-Jamaican menswear designer, who founded her label in London in 2007. As a teenager she was fascinated by the rave and club scene in London, and found herself endured by the fashion sense of youth subcultures.After graduating at the University of Middlesex she founded the T-shirt label LMNOP with her friend and current stylist Tamara Rothstein. After the brand folded in 2005 Rose founded her menswear label that was not soon after a big hit in the industry.
THE MARTINE ROSE COLLABORATIONS
From Kendrick Lamar to Tommy Hilfiger
Its no surprise that recognisable brands and people would want to collaborate with Martine Rose because of her open mind when coming to creating exciting collections. One of her most memorable collaborations was In 2022, Kendrick Lamar took to his instagram with a mood board of inspirations behind his upcoming collab with Rose. This included a series of images of figures such as Eazy-E, Tupac and merch options. The collaboration was for Kendricks ‘Big Steppas’ tour in which he performed in customised garments created by Rose and co designed by Lamar. The outfits included a leather jacket, matching pants and a signature Rose oversized hoodie.
CHANEL x MARTINE ROSE
With influence from the 90s hip-hop decade
- Aaliyah
‘I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be aware of that and be original.’
The 90’s was not only a transitional period for fashion but it was also an expansion for Rap and Hip-Hop. Artists were given an opportunity to express themselves with their music and unique fashion styles, bringing it to streets such as NYC and California.
HIP-HOP INFLUENCE
Influential stars such as Aaliyah and groups such as N.W.A spoke about the struggles of growing up as a young person in their generation and the challenges of a quick rise to fame. I chose to use names such of Aaliyah to inspire my project as I feel like it brings a sense of rawness to my collaboration. The HipHop style resonates with Martine Roses street style, and although it clashes with Chanel’s idea of ‘perfection’ it will show the importance of feeling empowered and strong with what you wear as a woman which is The Coco Chanel motto.
AALIYAH
One of R&B’s most influential names and devastating losses, Aaliyah is remembered not only for her sound but her style on and off the stage. She made baggy trousers cool, with over sized tracksuits and tiny bralettes to match. With multiple bestselling albums and selling over 8,665,000 records in the United Kingdom and 7,000,000 in the USA Aaliyah is one of the youngest artists to smash record sales and produce hit after hit. What makes her style so unique is that Aaliyah elevated many of her boyish outfits to sexually assertive and confident new heights.
LIL KIM
Another inspiration for my Hip-Hop style collaboration is the iconic rap artist, Lil Kim. Throughout the 90’s, Kim was religiously dripped in Chanel garments. Wether this be a Two piece from Coco, or even when she was pictured in her iconic monogram wigs with the CC logo. As my product is underwear, using Lil Kim as a muse it will help me get that rough, risqué image in my final photoshoot.
AALIYAH, TOMMY JEANS 1997-
Using a model I recreated some of the poses in the Aaliyah shoot. I styled a red tracksuit top with a bralette tied on top.
PEARLS IN CHANEL
90s Hip-Hop Fashion
The 90’s era was arguably one of the most iconic fashion decades of all time. Birthing most of the trends that are still dominating our closet today. For me, choosing for my collaboration to be 90’s Hip-Hop inspired, is a perfect fit for both Chanel and Martine Rose.
Chanel was more iconic than ever with Artists and celebrities at this time. The stigma around the brand is ‘A perfect woman’ which has evolved from being prim-and-proper in 1910, fast forward to being sexy and street in 1990. The logo had developed from being on jackets alone to bralettes and crop tops.
Martine Rose is a streetwear brand, inspired by the uk club and rave scene which ties in perfectly with the Hip-hip music scene. Collecting CDs and examining different records my final campaign will be based solely around music.
THE PRODUCT - UNDERWEAR
THE RISE
Victoria’s Secret was founded in 1997 by Roy Raymond who purportedly felt uncomfortable buying lingerie for his wife in existing stores. The Victoria’s Secret angels shows, helped the brand gain popularity and success in the fashion world. The first Victoria’s Secret Fashion show, held in 1995 in New York, became a mainstay for the company’s image for the next 23 years
VICTORIAS SECRET - UPRISE AND DOWNFALL
By 1998, Victoria’s Secret market share of the intimate apparel market was 14% and the company also entered the $3.5 billion cosmetic market.
The Fall
Underneath all of the glitz and glamour of the Angel image, Victoria’s Secret soon became an unrealistic hell of reality for young girls. Catwalks walked by tall size zero women created unachievable beauty standards and disordered diets.
A three part documentary released in 2022 examined the #MeToo movement in context with allegations of misogyny and a lack of diversity against the brand. Weeks later VS released a statement acknowledging their lack of judgment throughout the company and expressed their passion to change into a more diverse and exclusive brand.
VICTORIAS SECRET DIVERSITY
CAMPAIGN (Collective)
Axing the VS Angel shows, as of 2022 Victoria’s Secret has rebranded into an all exclusive lingerie brand. Campaigns such as ‘the Love cloud collection’ show women of every race, age and sexuality.
Inside Victorias Secret
When visiting the Victoria’s Secret store in Liverpool I took note on what I could see and hear in the store. You are immediately drawn in by the curiosity of what’s inside.There was Dim lighting which made it feel more intimate with the black and pink walls, and there was gold frames of various supermodels in lingerie. The underwear itself, was displayed on fabric mannequins and kept folded in metallic drawers. I also noticed they had a few curvy mannequins which is one of the improvements Victoria’s Secret had promised they would change about their image. There wasn’t any background music playing which is something I have noticed a few times when I’ve been in different stores, this may be so you can solely focus on what’s being offered to you. The whole experience of shopping at Victoria’s Secret is indeed like a a ‘Fantasy’ as it has been described by previous owners, it makes shopping for underwear an enjoyable experience and it also encourages you to return again and again .
SAVAGE x FENTY
Savage x Fenty has disrupted the lingerie industry and redefined ‘sexy’. With accessible price points and an extensive range of fashion forward styles, the brand celebrates fearlessness, confidence and inclusivity.
In an interview about walking in the lingerie show Bella Hadid said ‘for me, that was the first time I went on a runway that I felt really sexy. Because when I first did Fenty, I was doing othe r lingerie shows and I never felt powerful on a runway in my underwear’
Savage
x Fenty sales are between $100m$250m as of 2022
RIHANNA ON HER LABEL
We want to make people look good and feel good,” explains Rihanna, who approaches Savage X Fenty with the same mentality she does all her projects—to make something new and fresh that everyone can relate to and feel confident in. “We want you to feel sexy and have fun doing it.” From everyday essentials and more provocative pieces, men’s underwear and sleepwear, to elevated loungewear and sportswear—Savage X Fenty has something for every mood.
MY VISION
Underwear and tracksuits
Pulling inspiration from some of Aaliyahs looks, i decided to go with a similar style for my photoshoots. Pairing a bralette with baggy tracksuit jackets and oversized coats with tracksuit bottoms. This takes away the stereotypical idea of ‘sexy’ yet still looks empowering and confident. I also decided to use hoop earrings and slim shades to imitate the 90s style. As my product is underwear I wanted it to be on show, but presented in more of a street way than eye-candy such as something you would see in Victoria’s Secret. Making it obvious it is a collaboration with Chanel, I thought about editing pearls as necklaces and accessories, to be subtle and not too overpowering.
Customer Profile
The customer of my Chanel x Martine Rose collaboration is aged between 18-30. It is someone who has a passion for both Rnb and HipHop music, combined with a love for 90’s fashion trends. The customer is an empowered individual who appreciates a sense of rawness in a collection or song. They are drawn to underwear that isn’t just ‘sexy’ but gives them character when wearing it, and isn’t afraid of styling the pieces with outerwear to create a street inspired look. The customer is inspired by artists such as Aaliyah and Lil Kim when creating outfits and imitates their style in their own unique way with tracksuits and shell suits.
Marketing My Campaign
Using Music and records
My Collaboration will be marketed by front covers on CD’s. In the style of an Aaliyah CD record, I will have my shoot photos displayed on CD cases accompanied by stickers relating to my theme and collaboration. CD’s were a good way for upcoming rappers and artists to advertise their music in the 90’s and are still popular with music lovers in this decade. This is a unique and different way of marketing a collaboration but in this way I will reach my target audience. I will create a front and back design for a CD and use different covers thus giving the customer the choice on what one they would prefer to have. On the back i will have quotes, from both Chanel and Martine Rose displayed as if they were tracks on the record.
CD research
To get more of a visual idea about creating a CD cover I went into various Record shops. I created a draft CD of a potential final cover and placed it on the rack in the Hip-Hop section, to get an idea of how it would look when being marketed in my campaign. I think it would be interesting to have an interactive stand with my CD’s, having a small screen showing a music video of part of my photo shoot. This would attract more attention to my campaign than any ordinary CD stand.
Logo/recognising my brand
For the consumer to be able to recognise my brand through my campaign, I have created a Chanel x Martine Rose logo. This consists of an interlock between the Chanel logo and the letter ‘R’ for Martine Rose. After experimenting with placement I decided it fit best in the spine of the CD, so it is visible yet a subtle detail to my campaign photo.
Styling Shoot Plan
For my Final Photoshoot I will be styling various tracksuit jackets with a denim bralette. I will also be using a slim pair of shades to interpret 90’s style, experimenting with pearls to give that Chanel effect. I will also be taking inspiration from a few of Aaliyahs on-stage looks where she is dressed in bralettes and tracksuits.
Hair & Makeup
The hair and makeup for my shoot is inspired by the 2000 Aaliyah music video ‘Try Again’. I will be using blue eyeshadow and a natural face base, with a dark lip to achieve this look. As for the hair, I will curl the models hair in the style of Aaliyah letting it hang loose around the face. I want to use a projector to project the Try Again music video over the model to capture unique photos that look aesthetically pleasing, and in the style of a 90’s photoshoot.
Using Projection in my Shoot
I will be using projection in my final shoot to project various 90’s music videos. After experimenting, certain lighting from the music videos look distinctive when captured on camera. It will also help to tell the story behind my shoot which shows the evolution of hip-hop style. I will be taking inspiration from the likes of Kanye West advertising his new single to London based designer Clint, of Corteiz revealing his collaboration with Nike by projecting his brand symbol on Nike town in London.
Back of Cd design
In the style of RnB, I will design the back of the CD with two designated track lists. For example, on CD one I will have quotes from Coco Chanel as if they were song titles. I will also have a CD two with track lists of Martine Rose quotes I have found in previous articles and interviews. Having a prototype of the CD to show in my presentation will set the visual idea I have for my campaign.
My campaign is aimed towards Gen-Z and more particularly those who enjoy listening to 90’s hip-hop music. The collaboration will gain more attention for Chanel from different audiences to its stereotypical one currently. Being in the style of Martine Rose it gives the collection a sense of rawness.Having such an empowered and creative female such as Aaliyah at the core of my inspiration, makes it clear my campaign is focused on celebrating confidence in women and individuals.
Reference List
Hughes, A (2019) Stylist Miss Hylton Breaks Down Lil’ Kim’s Iconic Chanel Looks. Retrieved From Complex website: https://www.complex.com/style/ 2019/03/karl-lagerfeld-chanel-looks-lil-kim
Tindle, H (2017) Trish Goff Wearing Monogrammed Chanel Glasses for A/W94 Retrieved From AnOther website: https://www.anothermag.com/fashionbeauty/10429/trish-goff-wearing-monogrammed-chanel-glasses-for-aw94.
EndClothing (2023) Martine Rose Retrieved From EndClothing website:
https://www.endclothing.com/gb/brands/martine-rose?gclid=Cj0KCQjwocShBhCOARIsAFVYq0hzO2Zvrb5Rc-dv6305WEzEfEX--iwOQ9durWevQ9uQIFjG1_0iyUaAiFJEALw_wcB
Rogers, D (2022) Kendrick Lamar dedicates his entire instagram to Martine Rose Retrieved From Dazed Website:
https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/57445/1/kendrick-lamar-instagram-martine-rose-louis-vuitton-big-steppers-tour-outift
Myint, B (2020) N.W.A Where Are They Now? From Biography website: https://www.biography.com/musicians/nwa-where-are-they-now-straight-outta-compton-
Cochrane, L (2018) Once In A Million: Why Aaliyahs Look Matters Now From The Guardian website: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jun/20/ one-in-a-million-why-aaliyahs-look-matters-now
Kato, B (2022) Aaliyahs posthumous release enrages fans with all- male lineup From NyPost Website: https://nypost.com/2022/01/13/aaliyahs-posthumous-release-has-an-all-male-line-up/
Bu, R (2020) Fashion Bomb Hair Appreciation From fashionbombdaily website: https://fashionbombdaily.com/fashion-bomb-hair-appreciation-louisvuitton-chanel-and-fendi-monogram-hair-and-wigs-as-worn-by-cardi-b-nicki-minaj-and-lil-kim/
What Goes Around Comes Around (2020) The Chanel Surf Line From What Goes Around Comes Around website: https:// www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com/en-kw/the-chanel-surf-line/blog-2693.html
WhereToGet (2020) TLC Where To Get It website: https://wheretoget.com/look/1965962
Kirkpatrick, E (2020) Naomi Campbell On Never Achieving Victoria’s Secret Angel Status from People website: https://people.com/style/naomi-campbell-on-never-achieving-victorias-secret-angelstatus-they-could-not-afford-me/
Talon, K (2022) Victoria’s Secret angels and demons exposed Hulu from nssgclub website: https:// www.nssgclub.com/en/fashion/29637/victoria-s-secret-documentary-angels-and-demons
Binkley, C (2021) Victoria’s Secret is reinventing itself. It’s a big ask from Vogue Business website: https://www.voguebusiness.com/companies/victorias-secret-is-reinventing-itself-its-a-big-ask
Braun, J (2022) Victoria’s Secret launches comfort collection with diverse campaign, love cloud from Fashion Network website: https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Victoria-s-secret-launches-comfortcollection-with-diverse-campaign-love-cloud,1378192.html
Hale, K (2021) Rihannas savage x Fenty Reaches $1 Billion Valuation In Lingerie Equity from Forbes Website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2021/02/16/rihannas-savage-x-fenty-reaches-1billion-valuation-in-lingerie-equity/
Cary, A (2021) Rihanna Swaps Her Mini-Skirts For A Quilted Bomber from British Vogue website: https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/rihanna-winter-sunglasses
Smith, M (2022) Rihanna’s return to Fit supremacy feat Martine Rose from Highsnobiety Website: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/rihanna-lollapalooza-2022-outfit-asap-rocky/