Embrace traditional crafts in a new way,
developing high-tech techniques.

basket weaving — stone sculpture — stencil painting — raffia — crochet — thonet chair craft — tribal details.

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I was so thrilled when I opened the Vogue September Issue and saw an amazing ad campain by Dior subtly portraying the house artisans working on the garments of the first Dior Haute Couture Collection by Raf Simons. It was a very strong message saying: “Dior is going back to roots” (were it should have always been), burying so many years of Galliano’s craziness and nonesense. I never understood what was his relevance at Dior. I will not deny that he was “successful” in a way because sales were consistent but I always thought that it was the merit of a great marketing strategy developed by the LVMH group, it had nothing to do with the collections.

At the Raf Simons collection for Dior we have seen a very clever reinvention of the classic Dior of the late 1940s. The “Bar Jacket”, sculptural shapes, bold color, big florals, a preference for pockets set slightly back and a sense of chic relaxed femininity. It was a great homage to the house founder with a modern twist. I am sure Christian Dior would have loved it. What about you?

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Fashion weeks are over and I am wondering why should I wait for six months to wear these amazing new trends?

I was walking around the shops looking for wide stripes, structured ruffles, retro color block handbags, nostalgic lonely flowers, belle de jour collars, Marisa Berenson tunics, transparencies, white suits with a black detail, metallics, plastic handbags, capes, midi loose jackets. I wanted a long dress with a central slit to wear on top of my trousers and I want it it now, not in six months!!!
It’s true that it’s winter and we have just seen s/s 2013.  But we have seen so many long sleeve outfits, leather jackets and even long fur coats that I can perfectly adapt those to my winter wardrobe.

louis vuitton

There is big challenge for luxury brands, because with this 6 month “delay”, they just enable “just in time” brands to have the trends of the season for sale even before they do. The world is getting faster and consumers want to watch the runway shows, be excited about what’s new, and be able to get those special items as soon as they can. Sooner or later luxury brands will have to leave their confort zone, otherwise there will be more & more bored consumers like me.

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Prada new release is a collection of handbags “Made in India”. They are made by hand using a centuries old weaving technique. Manufactured in small workshops using vegetable dyed goat leather.

Mario Prada, the founder and Miuccia’s grandfather travelled around the world looking for new crafts and materials that couldn’t be found in Italy, to add value and exclusiveness to his designs. At the Prada shops, they give away an amazing catalogue featuring the story of the brand.

Today, this part of the brand history is revisited, designing exclusive collections using local ancient crafts. “Buy local” is a strong trend among “slow food” eaters and people looking for an “eco” lifestyle. Therefore, this seems like a good brand strategy to capture the attention of potential clients aware of social responsibilities.

These “sustainable” clients…

• want to know the origin of what they are wearing.
• if the brand is contributing and involved in the process to preserve the craft.
• they want to know that the money they are paying for this product is going back to the craftsmen community in fair conditions.
• they are not fashion followers, they value “hand-made”, long-lasting, innovative and functional products.
• they like brands that contribute in some way to society.

Customers feel conflicted about what they really “need” so many brands are using similar strategies related not to environmental issues, but specially to social issues. “Kate Spade” developed a pro-social program called Hand in Hand to provide job opportunities in Afghanistan. Kate Spade will create about 5,000 products annually with Afghan women with the goal of making up to 15,000 units by 2013. The designs range from cashmere garments, knitted gloves and jewelry.

These luxury brands already proved that great design and innovation, is not only related to the product, but also with who, how and where these designs are manufactured. For me, this is creativity.

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The Chanel woman represents:

Blake lively is a young actress who has a leading role on the TV series “Gossip Girl” interpreting a high society young adult from the upper east side of Manhattan. She appears to easily get whatever she wants because of her good looks and social influences. She is not particularly academically skilled, she is more worried about attending the latest runway shows. It is usually implied that she is very smart, but she doesn’t use her maximum potential. She is also quit dull and boring, as she appears to be in real life.

Regarding real life, her achievements by now are that she dated Leonardo Di Caprio, just for a few months and Ryan Reynolds, both talented and consolidated actors. She also appears in every social event looking amazing. She has the perfect body and she is pretty in a very feminine and conventional way.

Blake Lively for Chanel

So… where is the link to the brand?

Karl Lagerferd usually picks an “it girl” to keep the brand closer to the young customer but I don’t see her as the best choice. Keira Nightley is also young and beautiful, but she also already proved that has talent. She is mysterious, she is very private about her life and she has this unconventional beauty, rather masculine and androgynous that is a key element in the brand construction.

Keira Knightley for Chanel

And if we go back in time, we can remember Ines de la Frassange and Stella Tennant who represented the brand perfectly.

Ines de la Frassange for Chanel

Stella Tennant for Chanel

What would Coco Chanel think if she sees Blake Lively
representing her?

Read also the Chanel F/W 2009 collection analysis to know more about the brand origins.

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“A single journey can change the course of a life”

Angelina Jolie is the latest outstanding personality to be photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton’s Core Values advertising campaign. It was shot in Cambodia, a country with which the actress has close emotional ties. 
She visited Cambodia in her role as a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador, and subsequently adopted her eldest son Maddox. In 2005, she was awarded Cambodian citizenship for her humanitarian work in the country through the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
The Core Values campaign pictures Angelina Jolie sitting barefoot in a traditional wooden boat. Next to her is a vintage Louis Vuitton Alto in Monogram canvas, a bag the actress has owned and loved for many years. Angelina Jolie’s fees for this campaign are being donated to charity. 

Something we see or hear (signifier) activates a meaning node and we experience meaning (signified). A good ad campaign aims to create the right meaning for the right customer. 

After reading this lines and looking at the ad campaign we can grab which are the symbolic values that LV is missing and wants to get from Angelina Jolie. Below we pointed out a few adjectives that instantly came to our minds.

So… LV wants to step aside from it’s image of vanity and ostentation, and be more in synch with the worldwide concern for humanitarian issues, taking care of nature, recycling and having social responsibility. Likewise, Angelina Jolie could change radically her image, from the Hollywood sex bomb surrounded by scandal to this almost “saint”.

Do you think Angelina Jolie was a good choice for the brand?

To watch the interview with Angelina Jolie on how her visit to Cambodia was a life-changing experience

To know more about the photographer of the ad campaign Annie Leibovitz 

To know more about LV check out this interview with Marc Jacobs

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