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Using these speech bubbles with each element of the project needing to be completed in each one. I've written the date for each section to be completed by and then the exact date of which each element was completed. This acts my own personal deadline sheet (to ensure i am keeping up with tasks), and a personal checklist.

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Planning out the ratio of departments in the range and planning how many total options will be in the collection according to the amount of each category.

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Planning out and coming up with the prices for the individual items in the collection.

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Measurements taken for Garment Technology - the trouser.

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2019 may become the year of recycled packaging.

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Benefits of brands switching to recyclable packaging.

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Packaging is an unavoidable part of everyday life. It protects products, preserves them, enhances them, displays important information, acts as a marketing tool and allows for safe transportation.

However, the unfortunate truth is that packaging is often viewed as waste. Even worse, packaging often ends up this way too.

Therefore a key consideration of good packaging design involves the generation of less waste following the end of its' useful life, whilst still helping end-consumers to use it and the contained products efficiently.

This is why there has been a growing focus on recyclable packaging solutions such as corrugated cardboard.

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Recyclable Packaging: Benefits of Switching for Your Business | GWP Group

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Packaging is an unavoidable part of everyday life. It protects products, preserves them, enhances them, displays important information, acts as a marketing tool and allows for safe transportation. However, the unfortunate truth is that packaging is often viewed as waste. Even worse, packaging often ends up this way too.

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Description of a capsule collection.

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Capsule Collections

Capsule Collections were originally popularised by Donna Karan in the 1980s. The idea was to create a capsule wardrobe that features only the most essential or influential pieces from a collection. A capsule collection is essentially a condensed version of a designer's vision, often limited edition, which transcends seasons and trends by being functional - read commercial. They often focus on construction and delivering key looks, without the styling and theatrics of a show.

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Capsule Collections | Fashion A-Z | BoF Education | The Business of Fashion | #BoFEducation

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Capsule Collections were originally popularised by Donna Karan in the 1980s. The idea was to create a capsule wardrobe that features only the most essential or influential pieces from a collection. A capsule collection is essentially a condensed version of a designer's vision, often limited edition, which transcends seasons and trends by being functional - read commercial.

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Indication as to why the range is dropping in June. 

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Indication as to why the range is dropping in June. 

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I want the range to drop in early S/S 20 (before summer markdown is rife), so consumers who are looking for spring/summer apparel can buy items from the range and feel like they are walking into the season with a new, fresh wardrobe. This article says that summer markdown is rampant in mid-July, so i want to bring the range out earlier than this.

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Every year, it seems like next season's clothing hits the stores earlier and earlier. Seeing swimsuits on sale in January might seem a little out of place or unusual, but it's actually pretty common and based on a fairly consistent retail calendar.

Surprisingly, the retail cycle is pretty darn predictable, which certainly works in your favor because if you want to be the first to nab the season's hottest trends, knowing when to expect the clothing season to turn over is essential.

Even if you're not shopping for designer duds, the runway shows still hold some sway over the overarching clothing retail calendar.

The world of high fashion divides the year into two seasons: spring and fall. Although the weather might not reflect this, the industry considers January through June to be spring, and July through December to be fall. And as you might expect, summer gets lumped in with spring and winter pairs up with fall.

So the biggest change-overs happen in alignment with these "seasons."

When's the Best Time to Shop?

Fall styles will start appearing in stores in July, which may seem ridiculously early in climates with long, hot summers, but it's actually beneficial to your closet because it provides ample time for back-to-school shopping to take place, as well as awesome sales.

For example, if you're a bargain shopper, mid- to late-July is a great time to buy spring and summer clothing, shoes, and accessories, since they will be marked down to move out and make way for the new fall merchandise.

You can expect to see spring styles on the racks as early as January. This is helpful to snowbirds and anyone who'll be vacationing in a tropical climate, but it seems a little wacky to the rest of us. If you can't bear the thought of buying a new swimsuit on New Year's Day, take advantage of the massive markdowns on fall and winter items instead.

Smaller change-overs also happen within these two giant seasons. For example, a huge wave of spring merchandise will become available in January or February, but true summer styles may emerge as late as April. Fall and fall transitional items will hit the racks by July or August, but another group of slightly heavier, wintry pieces will show up in September. Additionally, holiday-themed garments and accessories will be ready for purchase in late October or November, and resort wear can be nabbed in December.

Since the biggest markdowns take place during and right after those two big change-overs in January and July, you might be tempted to shop the clearance racks and ignore the retail calendar's cycles. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but if you need a new winter coat and wait until they're on sale in January, you may have spent a couple of months in freezing misery and you'll have far fewer choices.

You may pay higher prices by shopping earlier, but you'll have your pick of all the new styles and a wider selection of sizes.

Moreover, you can also expect to see sleeveless dresses and lightweight fabrics on the racks in the dead of winter.

Since many shoppers live and work in climate-controlled environments, there has been a move toward seasonless dressing.

It's a better investment to purchase pieces that can be worn year-round, and designers are sensitive to that, which means mid-weight fabrics and neutrals are generally available during all four seasons. Great news for anyone who finds themselves in desperate need of black dress pants in the middle of a hot, humid June.

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Tips for Shoppers Who Want First Pick of the Season's New Styles

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Every year, it seems like next season's clothing hits the stores earlier and earlier. Seeing swimsuits on sale in January might seem a little out of place or unusual, but it's actually pretty common and based on a fairly consistent retail calendar.

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How the luxury market is currently performing.

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Luxury fashion is having an identity crisis. Actually, that's not true. It's the luxury market's observers who are losing the plot over what luxury is today.

The influence of streetwear and the hirings of its best designers in the most luxury of houses- Demna at Balenciaga and Virgil at Louis Vuitton-has seen a surge in headlines questioning the fate of luxury in a time of logo t-shirts and hoodies.

This is what they're equal parts terrified of and fascinated by:

Are raincoats and dad jeans and bulky sneakers really luxury today? According to market growth, the answer is a resounding yes, with high-end streetwear behind a 5% lift in luxury sales last year.

And considering the global sneaker market was up 10% in 2017 to $4 billion, it's fair to say luxury wants a piece of the sizeable pie.

Let's take a look at the luxury market, both the old school houses and the new entrants to the luxury game.

What is luxury ? What does that look like online?

The luxury market lagged with its entrance to digital, but now all cylinders are firing.

These are the most super-luxe brands online currently, as judged by the proportion of the offering priced $5,000 or more.

1. Marchesa - with 38% over $5k

2. Elie Saab - 24% over $5k

3. Oscar de la Renta - 11% over $5k

4. Hermès - 9% over $5k

5. Tom Ford & Brioni - both with 7% over $5k

Incidentally, Hermès, Elie Saab, Brioni and Tom Ford all have sneakers in their full offering.

And here is the single most expensive luxury item

This jade ring, retailing at Hong Kong luxury store Lane Crawford, costs $2.4 million dollars. The same sum of money would get you two franchised Taco Bell restaurants opened (or 22 Subway outlets, but let's focus on luxury...).

In fact, Lane Crawford has 54 items currently retailing online for over $500,000 and only begun retailing this super-luxury price point online last September. But it's not exactly a price point that's representative of the wider luxury market.

What is luxury pricing?

We can see how starkly different the luxury market is when we look at what proportion of its offering is priced less than $200 compared to every other segment.

Just 20% of luxury products currently selling online are priced under $200. That compares to 65% of premium, 95% of mass and 99.3% of value.

Digging deeper into that under $200 range in luxury (EDITED users, there's your cue and here's your login!), you see it's swimwear, childrenswear, denim and yes, sneakers.

Consumer casualization and streetwear changing luxury

You'd be hard pushed to find a luxury retailer that hadn't increased its sneaker offering over the last few years.

Ssense has grown its women's sneaker offering 146% since 2016, Net-a-Porter is up 101%, Farfetch 97% and Harrods 65%. I could go on, but you get the point: across the market, sneakers are up a total of 246% since 2014.

However, average sneaker price, which has grown by 4%, is behind the 10% standard growth across the luxury market between 2014 and 2018.

Slowing that price trajectory is this:

Puma has increased its luxury presence by 792%, Adidas is up 724% and Nike has climbed 57%. Yep, the sportswear brands and a new wave of luxury competition.

Although 29% of luxury footwear is in the sneaker category, it still means the majority of luxury shoes are not for sports!

The majority of shifts are upwards

If we track pricing back over the last four years, we can see that the biggest shifts in luxury are away from the lower end of the price architecture.

And that upwards movement has happened regardless of a 259% increase in luxury hoodies since 2014, a 411% increase in logo'd t-shirts and 312% increase in sweatpants.

Luxury doesn't need to fear streetwear - if anything it's complementing the market and bringing new shoppers to its doors.

Then there's the apparent death of the 'It' bag

The luxury bag market is reportedly shifting too - with consumers turning away from the seasonal 'It' bag.

A dig into some pricing data shows some bluff there. The below chart shows how pricing emphasis has shifted very little in the last four years, particularly at the sub-$400 end, accused of stealing the luxe market.

There has been growth at $400-800, but that is matched by growth above $2,000.

The key difference in the market is who the biggest players are. The five brands below have had a stronghold on the luxury market online in the last few years. But their ranking in relation to one another has shifted dramatically.

We can very clearly chart Gucci's rise from fifth place in 2015, to first this quarter. And it looks like that has come at the cost of Saint Laurent, which enjoyed a high point in 2016, but crashed to third place at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, the so-called disruptors of luxury bags - brands like Off-White, Cult Gaia, Les Petits Joueurs - don't yet make it into the top 40 most-stocked brands. (Though Off-White is the 10th best-selling bag brand so far this June.)

Mansur Gavriel is an exception - now the 19th most-stocked brand in the category with an average price point of $808.70, founded just six year ago.

To street or not to street?

'New luxury' doesn't really exist, or rather, fashion markets are continuously reinventing and embracing newness. Any brand or retailer that hasn't done that has come unstuck, as has been well-documented in recent years.

Streetwear does operate a little differently, and its characteristics are influencing the market. But street style 'drops' are luxury - they require you to have some kind of capital. It's just that capital has shifted from finances to knowledge and/or social capital. So given that a product's exclusive price is no longer the draw card of luxury, the market is reliant on focusing on brand.

The best brands and retailers aren't fighting that, they're embracing it. In the last three months mentions of the word 'heritage' have been up 40% in retailers newsletters compared to the same time last year.

Barneys is collaborating with Highsnobiety on 'The Drop' hosting street-heavy retail events in NYC and this month in LA. Bergdorf Goodman too has entered the fray, collaborating with Kith on a range of entirely sold-out apparel.

Make way for the youngsters?

Bain & Co say millennials and Gen Z will account for 45% of the luxury market by 2025. But, 8 years from now that puts that consumer groups average age at 31 - not all that different from the current luxury average of 34.

It's not that luxury is about to be hit by an onslaught of teen tastes - instead the shifts are in the values and priorities of these consumers. They have grown up around digital, they celebrate diversity, can detect authenticity at 1,000 feet and have unmatched geographic mobility.

The industry shouldn't waste time worrying that t-shirts are the new luxury. It's true that they make up a part of an increasingly complex market.

But instead, let's focus on polishing up brand story and product and price differentiation for the new consumer.

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The state of luxury fashion today - EDITED

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The influence of streetwear and the hirings of its best designers in the most luxury of houses- Demna at Balenciaga and Virgil at Louis Vuitton-has seen a surge in headlines questioning the fate of luxury in a time of logo t-shirts and hoodies.

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How silk is made and why it is considered 'luxurious'.

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The silk fiber is made from the cocoons of silkworms. The worms are raised on a diet of mulberry leaves (hence the luxury house Mulberry's name) and once they form their cocoons, they are boiled alive to extract as much silk as possible per cocoon. This is also a reason why PETA disapproves of traditional silk. While farming a living creature of fiber production is not very ethical it bears noting that these worms cannot feel pain unlike animals who are farmed for skins and furs. Some designers use "Peace Silk" which is a brand of silk that allows the worms to emerge from their cocoons before using them for silk so the worm is not killed in the process.

Benefits of Silk

The very notion of silk produces a luxurious and comfortable image in most people's minds. This is because of the fiber's wonderful properties.

The natural protein structure makes it a naturally hypoallergenic textile.

Silk has temperature regulating properties which makes it ideal for garments in interchangeable climates.

It is a breathable fabric that is robust and resists odors.

It is easy to work with and can be woven, knit or spun without difficulty.

Silk easily absorbs dyes and is a fantastic fashion and interiors choice for its versatility and drape. Silks can be dyed with low-impact and natural dyes.

It is biodegradable and can be recycled.

Handloom silks are produced using much less energy.

Fabrics that are often made from silk include charmeuse, habotai, chiffon, taffeta, crepe de chine, dupioni, noil, tussah, and shantung, among others. (this site has information on these types of silk)

These varying textiles are made through different weaves and production methods of the same silk fiber. It bears noting that while silk satin is a wonderful shiny weave of silk, the word "satin" just refers to the weave of the fiber. If you see "satin" on a garment it usually means polyester satin (think prom dress) just as "silky" generally means silk-like feeling and is also probably polyester satin

Silk organza used to line couture garments

Taking Care of Silk

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Why Silk is the World's Favorite Fiber - This Tailored Life

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The silk fiber is made from the cocoons of silkworms. The worms are raised on a diet of mulberry leaves (hence the luxury house Mulberry's name) and once they form their cocoons, they are boiled alive to extract as much silk as possible per cocoon.

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The life of organic cotton, from production to it's end uses.

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Like organic foods 20 years ago, the idea of organic cotton is confusing to many of us. It's taken a little longer to catch on because the correlation isn't as direct. We don't eat cotton fiber (at least we hope you don't!) However, more people are becoming knowledgeable as to how the organic cotton movement is just as powerful and important as that of organic foods.

In addition to being one of the most widely grown crops in the world, growing conventional cotton is also one of the most chemical-intensive. These chemicals have tremendous impact on the earth's air, water, soil, and the health of people in cotton-growing areas. They are among the most toxic chemicals as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The problem is even worse in developing countries with uninformed consumers, and lack of stable institutions and property rights. In addition to destroying the land, thousands of farmers die from exposure to these chemicals every year.

So, we've decided to put together a little information to help spread the word. Check out our questions and answers below.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What is "organic cotton?"

Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic producers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production. Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In addition, federal regulations prohibit the use of genetically engineered seed for organic farming. All cotton sold as organic in the United States must meet strict federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown.

How much organic cotton is grown globally?

According to the 2011 Textile Exchange Organic Cotton Farm & Fiber Report, approximately 151,079 metric tons (MT) of organic cotton (693,900 bales) were grown on 324,577 hectares (802,047 acres) in 2010-2011. Organic cotton now equals 0.7 percent of global cotton production.

Organic cotton was grown in 20 countries worldwide in 2010-11, led by India, and including (in order of rank): Syria, China, Turkey, United States, Tanzania, Egypt, Mali, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Pakistan, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Benin, Paraguay, Israel, Tajikistan, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Senegal. Approximately 219,000 farmers grew the fiber.

What is the value of the global organic cotton market?

According to a report by Textile Exchange 2010 Global Market Report on Sustainable Textiles, global sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products reached an estimated $5.16 billion in 2010. This reflects a 20 percent increase from the 2009 market. Companies reported significant growth in their organic cotton programs, and increased adoption of standards. Approximately 219,000 farmers grew the fiber.

How much organic cotton is grown in the United States?

U.S. organic cotton production continues to increase, encouraged by consumer and corporate demand, price premiums, and regulatory shifts that facilitate clear labeling for organic cotton products. According to an OTA survey of U.S. organic cotton production undertaken with funding from Cotton Incorporated, the number of acres planted with organic cotton in the U.S. increased 36 percent from 2009-2010, while bales harvested were up nearly 24 percent. U.S. producers harvested 11,262 acres of organic cotton in 2010, representing 95 percent of planted acres, and yielding 13,279 bales.

While 2011 saw the largest number of acres planted since 1999, harvested acres and bales are expected to be down by 38 and 45 percent, respectively, due to a devastating drought in the southern Plains. In fact, the extremely dry conditions in Texas forced farmers there to abandon more than 65 percent of their planted crop in 2011. A modest acreage gain of two percent is forecast for 2012, bringing plantings of U.S. organic cotton to 16,406 acres. Another two percent net gain is in the five-year forecast, bringing the total to 16,716 acres. Opportunity exists for significant expansion of U.S. organic acreage, most likely in nascent organic cotton-growing regions such as North Carolina, which harvested its first crop of organic cotton in 2011.

How is the apparel industry involved with organic cotton?

Apparel companies are developing programs that either use 100 percent organically grown cotton, or blend small percentages of organic cotton with conventional cotton in their products. There are a number of companies driving the expanded use of domestic and international organic cotton. For a current list of OTA members with products containing organic fiber, visit The Organic Pages Online™

How fast is the organic fiber market growing?

In 2011, organic fiber sales in the United States grew by 17.1 percent over the previous year, to reach $708 million, according to the Organic Trade Association's 2012 Organic Industry Survey. The future looks promising, with organic fiber products appearing in more mainstream outlets, led by large and small U.S. textile retailers alike.

Source: Organic Trade Association

seed preparation:

seed preparation: Natural, untreated GMO free seeds.

soil preparation:

weed control:

weed control:Aerial spraying of insecticides and pesticides. Nine of the most commonly used pesticides are known cancer-causing agents.

printing:

printing: Low-impact, water-based inks and/or pigments with no heavy metals.

printing:Pigments may be petroleum based and contain heavy metals. Run-off spills into waterways, polluting streams.

fair trade:

fair trade: Social criteria in place to ensure safe, healthy, non-abusive, nondiscriminatory environment with living wages.

fair trade:No social screening. Possible child or forced labor used. Facilities may be unsafe and unhealthy.

marketing:

marketing:None. As awareness of organic advantage expands, increased potential for negative image.

The Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS)

About the Organization

GOTS is the "green" standard to which Organic Cotton Textiles are produced. Organic Cotton Plus sees the development of GOTS as a defining event in the story of organic cotton. For all of our GOTS certified fabrics, we ensure that every facility is inspected, and each step is certified, right through to our warehouse in South Carolina. In fact, Organic Cotton Plus is the only online fabric retailer that has been able to achieve certification to this standard.

The International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standards is comprised of four reputed member organisations, namely OTA (USA), IVN (Germany), Soil Association (UK) and JOCA (Japan), which contribute to the GOTS, together with further international stakeholder organizations and experts, their respective expertise in organic farming, and environmentally and socially responsible textile processing.

Vision/Mission

"Our vision is that organic textiles will become a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's lives and the environment.

Our mission is the development, implementation, verification, protection and promotion of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). This standard stipulates requirements throughout the supply chain for both ecology and labour conditions in textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials. Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides and fertilizers. In addition, organic production relies on adequate animal husbandry and excludes genetic modification."

US Representation

As part of the OTA Fiber Council and US Representative for GOTS, Sandra Marquardt has been a steadfast leader in speaking about the GOTS standard and assisting companies make the transition. Organic Cotton Plus has been fortunate to have Sandra as an adviser on a number of issues through On The Mark Public Relations.

Organic Trade Association

About the Organization

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America. OTA's mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy. OTA envisions organic products becoming a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's lives and the environment. OTA represents businesses across the organic supply chain and addresses all things organic, including food, fiber/textiles, personal care products, and new sectors as they develop. Over sixty percent of OTA trade members are small businesses.

Green America

About the Organization

"Our mission is to harness economic power-the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace-to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society."

Green Business Certification is awarded to businesses that are:

Actively using their business as a tool for positive social change;

Operating a "values-driven" enterprise according to principles of social justice AND environmental sustainability;

Environmentally responsible in the way they source, manufacture, and market their products and run their operations and facilities;

Socially equitable and committed to extraordinary practices that benefit workers, customers, communities, and the environment; and

Accountable for their work by continually improving and tracking their progress, and operating with radical transparency in every facet of their business.

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What is Organic Cotton? | Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) | Organic Cotton 101 | Organic Cotton Processing

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Like organic foods 20­ years ago, the idea of organic cotton is confusing to many of us. It's taken a little longer to catch on because the correlation isn't as direct­. We don't eat cotton fiber (at least we hope you don't!)

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The environmental benefits of using certified organic cotton.

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Organic cotton | Fashion and textiles | Soil Association

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Learn about the benefits of organic cotton for people and the planet, find out why organic saves water and join our campaign for more sustainable, ethical cotton clothing options on the high street.

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Shipping times. (Italy to UK lead time) useful for critical path.

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Shippo-LCL Shipping UK China | Importing by sea freight made easy

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Shipping to UK 🛳️ China to UK Shipping Time - Sea Freight Transit Times - How Long | Shippo-LCL Shipping UK China

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Sea Freight Shipping Time ☑️ Wondering how long it will take for your cargo to arrive ☑️ when importing via sea or air freight Freight from China to UK ☑️ Shipping Time? How Long Shipping from China to UK takes including China to UK Shipping Time, which is only a segment of the full sea freight tran…

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This (and the article below) refer to the advantages and disadvantages of using factory suppliers.

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We live in an increasingly globalised society; for instance look at your shoes - added together the different parts they constitute of, have probably been to more places around the world than you have.

Outsourcing of manufacturing is part and parcel of every business nowadays, so much so that companies almost do so instinctively. However, there are also plenty of benefits with keeping the manufacturing process in house.
Flexibility
Of course, the foremost advantage for keeping things in house is the flexibility. Instead of having to contact businesses the other side of the world to change something, add something or contribute an idea; one department merely has to meet the other. If something needs changing, if there's a problem or if you come up with an innovative idea, all you have to do is inform the other department.
React to market quickly
This pacey and flexible manner of contact allows businesses to move through the design, engineering, product development and production phases quickly and easily. If needs be they can change one of the areas quickly and react to market changes almost instantaneously.

In the case of outsourced production numerous issues can come to the fore. For instance, if a change is required to meet market demands and the production company doesn't make the part, what do you do?

Options are limited - do you move to another factory, end contracts early; or do you merely fail to react as the cost of changing manufacturer is too much of a financial burden? In house manufacturing allows a business to react to the market quickly and change their products suitably.

Stella Doradus's Chip placing machine in action. All their products are manufactured in-house.

Rapid testing of prototypes
We've previously mentioned the interlinked processes of design, engineering, product development and production. With in-house manufacturing a company can test prototype products in-house, discuss issues with engineering and design departments in house and then change what needs to be changed. Instead of having to ship prototypes across the world, it can all be done quickly and easily within the business. This radically speeds up the whole process and cuts out what can often be weeks in between prototype creation and testing.
Customisation
It also means quick customisation can be achieved - something that greatly benefits smaller companies, especially those with bespoke manufacturing tendencies. If a customer wants a customised item or product, this can be easily done in-house, in a fast and easy fashion.

If the customisation is to be outsourced, it has to go through a range of channels and processes and there is a higher likelihood of an error. This higher chance or fault is down to instructions getting lost in translation and a Chinese whisper phenomenon - something in house customisation greatly limits.
Lower Cost when Producing in Low Volumes
Many businesses who offer bespoke or customised products often won't find the benefits of outsourcing products nearly as enormous. As these companies often only manufacture small numbers of products and use few components, they don't often benefit from the economies of scale that mass production allows.

For them in-house manufacturing may not cost a significant amount more than outsourcing it. However, the amount of control they have over their production will significantly outweigh and manufacturing savings.

With in-house manufacturing, each business has to take benefits and disadvantages on their own individual merit; however there certainly are a range of pluses to consider.

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The Advantages of Manufacturing your Products In-House - Stelladoradus

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We live in an increasingly globalised society; for instance look at your shoes - added together the different parts they constitute of, have probably been to more places around the world than you have. Outsourcing of manufacturing is part and parcel of every business nowadays, so much so that companies almost do so instinctively.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Production

Whenever a business moves work that was formerly conducted in-house to a different company, it is employing the strategy of outsourcing. If that "different company" is located in a country outside the U.S., "outsourcing" becomes "off-shoring." Both have become very controversial in the U.S. because American workers are losing long-held production or service jobs by the millions - and many observers believe they're gone for good.

Advantage: Lower Costs

It's generally true that it's cheaper to rent a factory and its workers than to maintain them yourself. This is especially true if the factory is in country where costs and labor are cheaper than they are here in the U.S.

Many contract manufacturers offer services beyond production. They may store and ship your products as well, and charge either for the space you use or the services you buy. The availability of cheap overseas labor is one of the biggest advantages of outsourcing. Lower tariffs and duties, and local market access, can be added incentives to move production offshore.

Services can be outsourced as well to take advantage of lower costs. Many telephone help desks for U.S. customers are now staffed in countries like the Philippines and India.

Advantage: Skilled Workforce

Outsourced labor, and especially overseas labor, often includes technically skilled, highly educated and multilingual workers who are willing to work for a fraction of U.S. salaries. The advantage of having support workers who can respond to your global customers in many languages is a significant asset. Your company may also enjoy a market advantage locally out of an appreciation for the jobs it provides.

Skilled employees are especially vital in technology-related jobs, whether workers are assembling equipment or answering telephone requests for assistance. The availability of workers who speak English with ease and fluency is another valuable asset of outsourced labor. Such employees can be found outside the U.S., but increasingly, firms are taking advantage of U.S.-based freelance and contract workers who can provide services formerly done by staff.

Disadvantage: Economic Security

Conducting your manufacturing overseas can also present problems. Although bribery is against the law in the U.S. and in most other countries, in some countries it's nevertheless a routine part of doing business. Refusing to play the game may put your company at a disadvantage but participating in bribery creates substantial legal risk for your firm.

Economic security is also generally less certain overseas than in the U.S., sometimes significantly so. Crime, terrorism, corruption and political instability can all cut into your bottom line. Countries can sometimes quickly and unexpectedly destabilize, as has happened in Venezuela in the past few years.

Disadvantage: Control Concerns

Outsourcing your production, particularly overseas, usually means that you cede a certain amount of daily control to your contractor. This may result in you having to compete with the factory's other customers for job priority. The availability of quality local vendors, missed signals concerning job requirements and substandard product quality are all possible negative outcomes of choosing to outsource your production. Even your U.S.-based outsourced agents are not subject to the same level of quality control that you would have with your in-house staff.

About the Author

Mary Strain's first byline appeared in "Scholastic Scope Magazine" in 1978. She has written continually since then and has been a professional editor since 1994. Her work has appeared in "Seventeen Magazine," "The War Cry," "Young Salvationist," "Fireside Companion," "Leaders for Today" and "Creation Illustrated." She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Production

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Whenever a business moves work that was formerly conducted in-house to a different company, it is employing the strategy of outsourcing. Outsourcing may be controversial, since it shifts jobs from the local economy overseas. However, it has some economic and flexibility benefits as well.

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Italy's general position in the import/export business.

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Country Commercial Guide
The Country Commercial Guide (CCG) is a comprehensive annual review of the Italian's commercial, economic, political and investment environment. It includes information to assist those doing business in Italy.

Italian Public Holidays
Most offices in Italy are closed on Saturday, Sunday. Here is a list of all the Italian Public Holidays.

The European Market
The European Union is our largest trading partner and the European market provides a wealth of opportunities for U.S. companies. Furthermore, since Italy is a Member of the European Union (EU), it is important to be aware of and comply with EU technical and regulatory requirements.

Export Standards
U.S. firms exporting to Italy must conform to EU standards and/or national Italian standards. In Italy, the national standards bodies are... more

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Toolkit for Italy
Italy's protection of intellectual property lags behind that of many other Western European countries and, despite Italian government strides to improve protection, this remains an area of concern for U.S. companies doing business in Italy... more

Business Service Providers
The Business Service Provider directory is designed to help U.S. companies identify professional service providers to assist them make their way in Italy, in the assessment, completion, and/or financing of an export transaction... more

Using American Credit Cards in Italy
Americans are often dismayed to learn that their credit cards are not accepted where they would expect them to be. While it usually isn't a problem in hotels, the problem does often arise in stores, restaurants, train stations, etc - and even on many local websites (for example, Trenitalia, the national railway). The problem is that while U.S. cards still primarily rely on magnetic-strip technology, Europe and much of the rest of the world has moved on to embedded microprocessor chips that require a pin at the point of transaction. These "chip-and-pin" cards have been widely adopted to reduce fraud. Many stores and other vendors in Italy will only accept these types of cards. American travelers to Europe should be aware of this potential problem and be prepared. One solution is to pre-purchase as much of your travel online as possible before leaving home.

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Country Commercial Guide The Country Commercial Guide (CCG) is a comprehensive annual review of the Italian's commercial, economic, political and investment environment. It includes information to assist those doing business in Italy. Italian Public Holidays Most offices in Italy are closed on Saturday, Sunday. Here is a list of all the Italian Public Holidays.

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Current view of Italy's economy (pestel).

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The death of Gianni Agnelli will doubtless clear the path to a break-up of Fiat, with the ailing car division being separated from the mostly successful other activities. But this is much more than just a business story. Agnelli was Italy's most famous business figure, to be sure, but he was also one of the key people who created Italy's post-war economic miracle.

For most Britons, including our Prime Minister, Italy is the place for a holiday: culture, food, music and style have been interwoven into a way of life that is hugely seductive for many British people. Alongside the obvious attractions is the wonderful "slow food" project of a clutch of Italian towns, which are trying to get people to pace their lives in a more healthy and relaxed manner - for example, to walk rather than drive as well as to eat traditional food instead of junk.

But there is of course another Italy. This is the country that delivered explosive growth during the immediate post-war era and which during the mid-1980s passed the UK in terms of the total size of its economy. For the past decade Italian economic performance has languished, but even now there are parts of northern Italy that are richer than much of Britain. This Italy has great strength in its smaller engineering companies as well as in the better-known luxury industries. For example, the only company that could apparently make the convex glass in the gondolas of the London Eye was Italian.

But core Europe has a problem and Italy is a member of core Europe. It is still the seventh-largest economy in the world, just behind China (first graph above), but if you take GDP per head (next one) it is the poorest of the large industrial countries. Nor is there any great sign of improvement, for in recent years Italy has vied with Germany for the wooden spoon in the European growth league.

This poor economic performance raises two questions that have relevance for all of Europe. One is whether there is really a clash between a comfortable lifestyle and a competitive economy. The other is what will happen to population and birth rates in Europe.

Until about 1990 there were no serious concerns about Italian economic performance. The wealth generated by companies such as the Fiat group pulled the whole economy along. There were legitimate worries about the distribution of that wealth and in particular about the gap between the north and the south. But despite this uneven performance, the overall numbers were impressive.

But there has to be a growing concern that this is no longer sustainable. While the country was industrialising rapidly, with a large supply of labour coming off the land and moving north, it could achieve high growth rates. Once that process tailed off, the growth engine ground to a halt. Companies that had been slow to adapt, like the car division of Fiat, found they had little comparative advantage in a harsher world.

Now, there are several unusual features to the Italian economy. One is that the number of hours worked is relatively low. But more remarkable is the low labour participation rate: less than 60 per cent of the people of working age are in jobs, compared with 76 per cent here. You could say that the country manages to achieve a high standard of living - as well as a high quality of life - without having to work too hard. Many would find that a rather attractive combination - if it were sustainable. Sadly, I fear it is not.

You can see why in the next two graphs, which come from United Nations population estimates. The first shows the likely changes in population for selected countries over the next half century. Even if you take those with a pinch of salt, which you should with all such projections, there is a prospect of Italy losing a significant proportion of its population. The ratio of people of working age, relative to over-65s, will shift from the present 2.2 to 1 ratio to a 0.8 to 1 ratio in 2050. In other words there will be fewer workers than pensioners.

The reason for this is shown in the final graph, showing estimated total fertility rates for 1995-2000. Italy has the lowest of the G7 and vies with Spain to be bottom of the EU league. Italians are said to love children - they just don't have very many of them.

In the coming months all eyes will be on the Fiat empire, which is so indebted that its future is really in the hands of its bankers. The Agnelli family is only in nominal control, so the group will be broken up. The intriguing issue is whether this acts as a catalyst for wider economic reforms in Italy. You could say that this is a matter for the country's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, himself an industrialist though of a rather different reputation to Agnelli. To some extent it is: governments matter, even in Italy. But accepting basic economic realities, such as the fact that the Fiat car division is too small to survive as an independent entity, is also crucial. The more that big business delays reform, the harder it is for smaller companies to pick up the pieces.

If there is indeed to be a bout of economic reform in Italy, the country will be better placed to start growing again. But it will only grow briskly if it wants to. The danger is that the brightest young Italians will look elsewhere for jobs.

For example, Italy happens to produce very good economists, many of whom have come to Britain. Were outward migration to rise, the population decline would become even more serious.

The big issue for Italy is in some ways the same as for Germany: how quickly can it reform? Fiat will now reform because it has no choice. It is sad, is it not, that it takes the death of a giant for that to happen? But a catalyst for wider changes? I know this is the question that matters. I just don't know the answer.

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Economic View: The pros and cons of Italy

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The death of Gianni Agnelli will doubtless clear the path to a break-up of Fiat, with the ailing car division being separated from the mostly successful other activities. But this is much more than just a business story.

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Benefits of doing trade in Italy.

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Thanks to its position within the European Union and its highly diversified economy, Italy offers a number of benefits to companies looking to expand their operations internationally. Below are some of the key benefits of doing business in Italy.

Access to the Eurozone
Italy's industrial triangle (Milan, Turin, Genova) is favourably positioned near other rich areas such as the Rhone-Alpes and the European core of the heavy industry: the Rhine-Ruhr region. In addition to this, as the EU has gradually expanded to the east and embraced former Eastern Block countries, Italy has gone from being the southern border of the Union to occupying its very centre. Whilst Italy's territory mostly borders the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, Italy shares its frontiers with fellow EU members France, Austria and Slovenia, as well as with Switzerland. Moreover, a short ferry trip separates it from Greece and all the former members of Yugoslavia. In the future, a project to create a rail and motorway corridor linking Western Europe with the Balkan Peninsula will place Italy at the very heart of modern Europe making it a great place for doing business.

A Flexible and Diversified Economy
As well as Italy's excellent geographic position which offers international organisations doing business in Italy access to both its internal market and that of its bordering countries, the country also boasts a strong and diversified economy. Vibrant sectors in Italy include tourism, raw mineral extraction and processing, textiles, car production and of course fashion. Although it did suffer in the 2008 credit crunch, Italy boasted one of the highest per capita incomes in the Union ( CIA World Factbook) for a long time and has one of the highest export rates in the world.

Government Support and Initiatives
GDP dropped by 0.2% in the last three months of 2009, but there are signs of recovery. Italy can in fact count on a unique combination of a small number of large companies that can rely on regular support from the Italian government - such as the car manufacturers FIAT and telecommunications group Telecom Italia - and a large number of SMEs, usually family-run, that manufacture high-quality consumer goods.

The combination of local businesses on the one hand and government-backed groups on the other has given rise to a unique economic landscape whose intricacies are hard to grasp without access to insider knowledge. Communicaid's Doing Business in Italy cross cultural awareness training course offers the tools to address the cultural barriers a company doing business in Italy is highly likely to encounter, as well as strategies from individuals who have extensive experience living and doing business there.

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Thanks to its position within the European Union and its highly diversified economy, Italy offers a number of benefits to companies looking to expand their operations internationally. Below are some of the key benefits of doing business in Italy.

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How Selfridges are creating customer experiences with space-planning. Something that could be used with the display of the collection, to entice customers in.

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Anne pitcher selfridges managing director

Anne Pitcher's elegant office is an oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of Selfridges' busy Oxford Street store. Except, that is, for the faint sound of drilling in the background.

Pitcher, who has been managing director of the department store group since 2011, is presiding over a £300m regeneration of its 107-year-old, grade II-listed London flagship - and the work is in full swing. The hoardings are up over what will be a new triple-height entrance on Duke Street, and inside the store, sections are blocked off as they shift existing departments to make space for the new.

"A department store is a house of cards - you decide to expand one bit, you have to move something else," explains Pitcher, speaking to Drapers in her office, which adjoins the store. "We've moved 80 departments around since May of this year."

The project, which Selfridges calls its "masterplan", technically started around two and a half years ago, when the business relocated its head office team from the third floor of the store to an adjacent building and created an underground tunnel between them. This freed up space to create the 37,000 sq ft Body Studio, a destination for activewear, lingerie, swimwear, sleepwear, hosiery and loungewear brands. The Body Studio opened in April of this year, and in July was joined by the 20,000 sq ft Designer Studio.

Importantly, the Body Studio allowed Selfridges to bring more of its contemporary womenswear brands up to the third floor from the ground floor, creating space for the ambitious plans to transform it and create the 60,000 sq ft Accessories Hall.

"We were selling women's ready-to-wear in more than one space on more than one floor," explains Pitcher. "Now the third floor is for contemporary brands and the studios, and the second floor is for luxury apparel. The ground floor can take its position as the world's largest destination for accessories. It's a much clearer journey for the customer."

The accessories hall at selfridges 1

The first section of the vast new accessories department was unveiled to the public last week. It includes new concession and shop-in-shop spaces for 10 of its luxury brands: Balenciaga, Burberry, Chanel, Céline, Chloé, Chrome Hearts, Gucci, Loewe, Mulberry and Saint Laurent.

Prices extend to more than £20,000 for some handbags and clutches, but these are not snooty, closed-off designer boutiques: they are open, inviting spaces that encourage customers to walk through and take a look.

I hope it doesn't feel like you have to knock on the door before you walk through.

"I hope it doesn't feel like you have to knock on the door before you walk through," says Pitcher. "We want it to be welcoming. Many of the spaces have two or three openings because we want to encourage traffic."

Loewe selfridges 3

Each brand has brought something different to the space. For example, Loewe imported 200-year-old millstones from Spain for its bags to rest on, while Anya Hindmarch displays hers around a lava lamp and Gucci's small leather accessories are stuck to a magnetic wall. There is also a new cocktail bar called The Fount, which creates a focal point.

By the time the second and third phases of the accessories hall revamp are completed in 2018, the hall will have tripled in size to 60,000 sq ft, covering one-tenth of the floor space in Selfridges' Oxford Street store. It will stock more than 100 brands and is expected to sell up to 370,000 units per year - or around 1,000 per day.

The accessories hall at selfridges the fount

The £300m investment has inevitably hit Selfridges' bottom line. Sales rose 5% to £1.4bn in the year to 30 January, but its operating profits dropped 1.9% to £152m. However, Pitcher says the Body Studio and Designer Studio are performing well, and the business predicts accessories sales will increase by more than 50% between 2014, when the work started, and 2018.

And she argues that the investment was essential: "We have been able to create better customer journeys throughout all of the floors in a building that's really grown over time. Circulation is much easier - people can see where they're going. You can see what's happening in the store from the outside. And hopefully what that creates is a very welcoming and engaging experience.

Our mantra is we're not a shopping mall: we want to create a Selfridges 'spirit'

"Department stores are supposed to offer a great experience, but what is that? Our mantra is we're not a shopping mall: we want to create a Selfridges 'spirit'; a feeling of being in a special store, a special place."

This ambition extends across the store estate, which includes one in Birmingham and two in Manchester. Selfridges has already invested £20m in revamping the store on Manchester's Exchange Square. Most of the work was completed last year, but the finishing touches were unveiled last week with the opening of a double-stacked Hermès store.

"I have to say, I think Manchester Exchange Square is one of the most beautiful stores in the UK, and in the world," says Pitcher.

Selfridges also did a lot of work in Birmingham to coincide with the opening of the Grand Central shopping centre in September 2015.

"Next year there's more work to do at our store in Trafford, which is well underway in terms of planning," adds Pitcher. "It will be a significant project. It was the second store we opened [in 1998] and it really engages the local customer, but I think there's a lot more we can do with it."

Selfridges is also investing in its website, from which it delivers to 130 countries and transacts in 60 currencies. Earlier this year, it launched its first app, and is soft launching a service called Selfridges+, which provides unlimited delivery for £15 a year.

"What's important is to retain a sense of balance," argues Pitcher. "We have to continue to invest in bricks-and-mortar and our website at the same time. Many businesses only have the choice of doing one or the other, but we're lucky to be able to invest in both. For me, the two are entirely linked."

She adds: "Mobile is growing and we see a swing towards the use of apps. The app has allowed our customers to customise how they shop with us. They tell us what they want, rather than the other way round, which is far more engaging. There's half a million square foot here [in the Oxford Street store] and you can choose where you want to go - you can't trawl through a hundred thousand SKUs on the website. Tell us what you like and we'll help you find it." The retailer declined to reveal how sales break down between online and the stores.

Yet Pitcher is in no rush to bring digital into Selfridges' stores. "I think the stores are about the physical, they're where you talk to people. Online you get efficiency, in stores you get stories, touch and feel, and emotion."

This emphasis on feel and emotion, the playfulness and sense of fun, is what sets Selfridges apart. Its Christmas theme this year is "gather, gift and get on down" and over the next few weeks it will host Santa experiences and "Troll dancing" alongside other in-store events and performances, most of which are sold out. It has plenty more activities planned for next year.

"People come to Selfridges to smile and have fun," says Pitcher. "It's not just great product in stores; it's great people, great customer service, and delivering a sense of the unexpected - that's what makes people feel great when they shop here."
By the time the Accessories Hall is complete in 2018:
The ceiling will be 6 metres high

The hall will be 50 metres by 115 metres - that's longer than the football pitch at Wembley Stadium (105 metres)

It will take up one-tenth of Selfridges' total floor space (600,000 sq ft)

It will be lit by more than 4,000 LED bulbs

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Creating a special place: How Selfridges is revitalising the store experience

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Anne pitcher selfridges managing director Anne Pitcher's elegant office is an oasis of calm from the hustle and bustle of Selfridges' busy Oxford Street store. Except, that is, for the faint sound of drilling in the background.

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A store guide to selfridges, to examine where exactly the womenswear department is located and therefore where the range would be located.

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London Store Guide | London | Selfridges

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Although we only offer 20 currencies to browse in online, you can still deliver to all of the following countries or regions:

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Vivienne Westwood store visit - how garments are displayed in-store and to reflect this in the space planning of the range, to ensure brand identity.

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WGSN reports for womenswear S/S 19 and pre S/S 20, to gather inspiration for the range and to back up decisions made. 

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WGSN reports for womenswear S/S 19 and pre S/S 20, to gather inspiration for the range and to back up decisions made. 

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WGSN | Creating Tomorrow | Trend Forecasting & Analytics

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Log in to WGSN's suite of industry-leading trend forecasting, analytics and consumer intelligence tools to remove risk and start empowering your decisions.

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Merchandising spreadsheets.

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Designer event space plans for different brands. Inspiration for store space planning.

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Event Spaces Archives - Millington Associates

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Fresh thinking, innovative, confidently crafted brand event spaces to build emotional connections between brand and consumer

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How merchandising differentiates designer brands.

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What does "merchandising" mean?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of "merchandising" is: "The activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets." It's about the way goods are displayed in a retail outlet using interiors, lighting, and other means: in other words, we're talking about the visual presentation of a store and its goods, often referred to as visual merchandising.

You have almost certainly noticed how shop assistants arrange products to show them at their best - this is most easily seen in stores selling clothes or home interiors. But merchandising is an essential part of all professional retailing, and for retailers of luxury goods, in particular, merchandising is big business.

What makes a brand a luxury brand?

Brands such as Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada, Hermès and Louis Vuitton are often regarded as the crème de la crème of luxury brands, but why? Does it have something to do with the unique quality of their raw materials, production methods or craftsmanship? Some people would certainly deem that to be the case and there is some truth in this from a historical point of view, at least for some of these brands. Both Gucci and Hermès have long traditions as manufacturers of high-quality leather goods, not least of all as suppliers of saddles and other leather equipment for equestrian sports. But the journey from there to the catwalks of Milan, Paris, and New York involves something more than quality alone. It's all about positioning and attracting the right brand ambassadors, and that's merchandising.

When you visit a Louis Vuitton store - or showroom (as they prefer to call them in the luxury sector of the retail trade) - you will immediately notice how it's completely different to stepping into any old store. When you step into a luxury retail outlet you can expect the following:

1. The store will be located in a shopping centre or street, amongst other luxury retailers. In Oslo, the area around Akersgata is talked about as the latest on-trend area for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Mulberry, Hugo Boss, amongst others.

2. The store has really painstakingly-dressed window displays where carefully selected products are placed in a context which accentuates them.

1. The store has uniformed door supervisors who politely open the door for you.

2. The store premises are fitted with exclusive materials and the lighting is optimal for accentuating the products which are often displayed on shelves going from floor to ceiling.

3. The store employees are normally dressed in black and conduct themselves in an exemplary manner with regards to customer service, acting with discretion and allowing you to feel like someone who is actually considering spending NOK 80,000 (over US$9K) on a handbag.

"They make you feel like a million dollars"

It's all about the packaging

There's a difference between selling a Tesla and a Skoda. There's also a difference between selling Friele coffee and Nespresso. Let's stay a while with Nespresso. Norway is a coffee-drinking nation and Oslo has attracted international attention with coffee shops like Java, Tim Wendelboe and Fuglen.

What is it about Nespresso that makes coffee drinkers around the worlds invest in expensive coffee machines that can only be used with Nespresso coffee capsules? It's about everything that comes with it. Nespresso shops resemble a clinical laboratory crossed with the elegant lobby of a business hotel. Also, the employees are stylishly dressed and the standard of service and expertise is of the highest level. If you are unsure about the type of coffee you would like, you can sample various flavours at the coffee bar. Being a member of the Nespresso 'club' makes you feel as though you are being particularly well looked after. And it doesn't hurt that all of the packaging - from the coffee capsules to the coffee machines and the shopping bags - gives an impression of luxury. But at the end of the day you've just bought coffee and paid a lot more for it than the coffee off the shelf at REMA (a Norwegian supermarket chain).

Brand ambassadors as magnets

You'll find a luxury sector for every type of product these days. Traditional thinking has told us that luxury is reserved for the automobile and fashion sectors and that the majority of us can only admire the show from afar. These days, we see diverse types of customers and product sectors sliding into one another. For example, we see how H&M cleverly involves celebrities and designers to style unique collections for them and these are often 'limited editions' which adds to their value. H&M can charge higher-than-normal prices for products that are associated with celebrities such as David Beckham and Madonna or designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney. As a brand, they are evoking associations with a celebrity lifestyle. And we're not the only ones who think H&M has borrowed some of Stella's style and glamour.

The force of attraction lies in the illusion

So why do we choose to go into a shop? Why do we choose to buy that product in particular? I maintain it has something to do with how we allow ourselves to be excited by the emotions that products arouse within us. When we buy a luxury item, we don't just want the item but the feeling of belonging to an elite group, a 'tribe,' or a club. It's not necessarily a conscious thought or action, in fact many people would simply deny acting on the basis of such dreams of grandeur. But it is a fact, nonetheless, that you see far more people on the streets of Oslo than at Harvard University campus with brands such as GANT, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. This is in spite of the fact that such brands play on their associations with the prestigious university milieu at Massachusetts in the US, and on the privileges bestowed on the many who have studied there.

It's incredibly important for brands to maintain this illusion and that is why such detailed emphasis is placed on how brands are presented and why they should be perceived as expensive. It should feel as though you are investing in yourself, in your own future, your own brand so to speak. You are buying yourself a place in an elite league, and in doing so, not just succeeding in belonging to an elite for one miserable moment, but also marking the distance between yourself and others.

Checklist for becoming a premium brand

If you want to climb the social ladder of brand building, you need to have a clear positioning strategy:

1. Your physical location should place you in good company

2. Exclusivity means that you're not accessible to the majority of people

3. Look for positive brand associations that enhance the sensation of luxury

4. Invest in your shop or office premises

5. Cultivate a service culture amongst your employees

6. Attach yourself to brand ambassadors who will enhance your brand

7. Don't ignore quality

8. Your visual merchandising must be in the top division

9. Turn shopping with you into a unique experience, every time

10. Always deliver beyond expectations

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How Brands Become Luxury Brands Through Merchandising

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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of "merchandising" is: "The activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets." It's about the way goods are displayed in a retail outlet using interiors, lighting, and other means: in other words, we're talking about the visual presentation of a store and its goods, often referred to as visual merchandising.

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Why designer brand prices are as high as they are. (Justifying the prices of the range)

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Key takeaways:

Products priced at the highest end primarily serve a promotional purpose, with £25,740 being the average difference between the most expensive and median-priced women's items sold by major brands.

Louis Vuitton sells the most expensive product and has the highest median price, while Burberry's mid-tier products are the most accessible.

The most expensive items sold at multi-brand e-tailers are on average 17 per cent cheaper than at own-brand stores, suggesting fashion houses want to maintain direct relationships with their most valuable customers.

The most expensive item sold online in the last year by the world's biggest luxury fashion brand was a £140,000 Louis Vuitton malle coiffeuse vanity trunk. It is 115 times more expensive than the median-priced item in the label's women's collection, a calf leather chain wallet, and 1,217 times pricier than the cheapest Louis Vuitton product, a silk bandeau scarf.

As fashion houses expand into everything from hotels to homewares to watches, the vast difference between the majority of a brand's product range and its showcase items continues to persist. The average difference between the most expensive and median-priced women's product sold by 13 prominent luxury labels over the last year is £25,740, according to a Vogue Business analysis of Edited data.

"It is almost like a marketing tool," says Sundeep Khanna, Deloitte's director of fashion and luxury. "It's headline-grabbing. It creates PR; it creates an impact on social media channels. Whether they actually make a lot of money out of [these products] is less important."

Edited worked with Vogue Business to compare prices from multi-brand e-tailers like Farfetch and Net-a-Porter, as well as from brand-operated websites. The labels included luxury giants such as Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Gucci, as well as smaller houses like Balenciaga and Alexander Wang. (Chanel was not included in this analysis since it doesn't retail leather goods or clothes online.) All prices are in pounds sterling, though the global price harmonisation strategies of most luxury brands mean the patterns are consistent internationally.

Traditional notions endure

The data reflects macro forces driving the fashion industry. The most established houses tend to be priciest: After the Louis Vuitton trunk, the next most expensive women's item was Dior's £46,500 rose de vents 18k bracelet set, followed by Tom Ford's £36,000 mirror embroidered column gown. Meanwhile, a Balenciaga couture evening dress and Armani's lambskin top handle handbag, both retailing at £2,500, were the cheapest top-priced items at any of the brands.

When ranked according to their median prices, Louis Vuitton remains the most expensive brand (the calf leather chain wallet retails for £1,210). While Burberry is trying to move further upmarket under the creative leadership of Riccardo Tisci, it still sells the most accessible mid-range product: rainbow leather hi-top sneakers priced at £490.

Although fashion spending by men has skyrocketed in the past decade, the median women's luxury product is still on average £210 more expensive than its male-designated equivalent. There are some high-priced exceptions, including a £79,000 Dior organza trench coat and Louis Vuitton's £130,000 DJ trunk, which sits in its men's collection.

High fashion's increasing distaste for fur, however, could change the equation. While Prada recently joined Tom Ford, Armani and Gucci in swearing off fur, Fendi began life as an haute furrier and its most expensive item is a £27,000 mink coat. (The label's late creative chief Karl Lagerfeld was a proponent of fur.) Shifting to vegan alternatives would likely bring prices down.

Where customers shop

Even as Net-a-Porter sells jewellery priced in the six figures, the most expensive items sold at multi-brand e-tailers are still considerably lower priced than at own-brand stores. The average price at own-brand sites in May was about 17 per cent higher than luxury products available within a multi-brand e-tailer. "While it varies across each category, this shift is particularly prominent in outerwear, where the average price for own-brand is 28 per cent higher," says Kayla Marci, market analyst at Edited.

These figures refer to the entire luxury product range on multi-brand retailers and the current collection sold on own-brand sites, so they are not a like-for-like comparison. However, they show how e-tailers have democratised luxury by putting £400 coats from Stand and £3,700 Valentino trenches on the same page.

They also suggest that even the most digitally friendly luxury brands limit the extent to which they collaborate with online marketplaces. This is especially true at the ultra high-end since fashion brands want a direct relationship with their most valued customers. "You see other brands who say... I want to keep control of that customer, and I want to keep control of all the data," Channa says.
To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here. Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.

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What prices reveal about luxury fashion trends

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Key takeaways: Products priced at the highest end primarily serve a promotional purpose, with £25,740 being the average difference between the most expensive and median-priced women's items sold by major brands. Louis Vuitton sells the most expensive product and has the highest median price, while Burberry's mid-tier products are the most accessible.

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Explanation of the blurred line between art and fashion and history's most important art-fashion cross-overs.

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With art and fashion collaborating like never before, we look at some of history’s most important crossovers...

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With art and fashion collaborating like never before, we look at some of history’s most important crossovers…

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History of expressionism art in fashion.

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Almond Blossom, Van Gogh, 1890. Fendi, 2016. Van Gogh Museum/Bridgeman. Catwalk images all Catwalking.com

Art and fashion have forever been entwined. In the 1920s, Coco Chanel collaborated with Pablo Picasso when together they worked on costumes and backdrops for the Ballet Russes; Sonia Delaunay designed clothes and textiles in tandem with her vivid artworks; Yves Saint Laurent returned to art again and again throughout this career: in 1965, he drew on the bold abstractions of the Modernist painter Piet Mondrian to create a collection of six A-line dresses; he was forever fixated by Yves Klein's blue; and, in 1980, created a couture collection after Henri Matisse's cut outs.

The AW16 collections took their inspiration from a diverse range of art. The catwalks recalled everything from the surreal works of Salvador Dalí, to the great sculptures of Richard Serra and the playful Pop Art of Andy Warhol. When looking for the cultural threads that drew the looks together, one found both bold and deeply romantic influences. Feather-light tulles and laces conjured the spirit of the Impressionists, while mind-bending patterns and dazzling monochromatics evoked Op Art.

This Art of Fashion supplement revisits the influence of the visual arts within the dynamic realm of ready-to-wear. How does art translate into our wardrobes? It's also been an opportunity to talk to designers about more private passions. Jonathan Anderson, the creative director of Loewe and his own label, JW Anderson, discusses the value of craft and why the art of the hand is having such a renaissance. Nicolas Ghesquière talks about the architects who inform his designs, his catwalk presentations - and his Instagram feed in "The Lines of Beauty". And Giorgio Armani reflects on the key works that have inspired his 41-year career at his eponymous label.

We also spoke to the artists, like Trouble Andrew (aka GucciGhost) and Maggie Cardelús about their experiences of collaborating on the autumn collections. Cardelús produced a vivid print for Sonia Rykiel, while Andrew's spray-painted bags have become a cult accessory. Lastly, we've found the creative highlights of the season, from the international fashion shows to major exhibitions. I hope it leaves you inspired.

Jo Ellison, Fashion Editor, FT

The vivid colours and dramatic silhouettes of the Expressionist artists provided fertile ground for the AW16 shows. Several designers drew on the movement's noirish sensibility and febrile femininity to create collections with big character - and no small amount of menace. Belgian designer Dries Van Noten had taken the Italian heiress and eccentric marchesa, Luisa Casati, as his muse; the models were swathed in leopard print and smeared about the eyes with kohl in the spirit of the art patroness's wild-eyed beauty. The clothes, meanwhile, borrowed from the Expressionist palette; the chartreuse yellow blazers, violet striped pyjama suits, a long slip gown in absinthe green could have stepped straight from an Ernst Ludwig Kirchner canvas.

Other designers were also inspired by that movement's dangerous degenerative appeal. At Marc Jacobs, models wore black lips, towering heels and layered furs to recall the vast exaggerated characters of filmmaker Fritz Lang. At Christopher Kane, the models were in rain bonnets, strings of trinkets and shoes strewn with "rubbish" to capture a mood of "beauty expired". While Kane's damaged muse evoked the fragile figures that populate the works of Egon Schiele, others drew on the painter's more defiant female forms; a wicked stepmother in a tinselised overcoat at Dolce and Gabbana; Dior's slick-haired emissaries in their pointy boots and spooky black glasses; a silvery femme fatale at Roberto Cavalli; a Kenzo diva dressed in a zebra brocade jacket and matching boots, glowering from under a blonde pompadour. Quietly terrifying. Quite terrific.

The lines of beauty

Impressionism

With its featherlight frilly dresses, dusty pastel shades and unfettered femininity, the breezy romance of the Impressionists continues to captivate, especially on the catwalk. At Chanel, the tiered white tulle gowns offered by Karl Lagerfeld recalled the quiet gentility of Edouard Manet's figures at the Folies Bergère, designer Sarah Burton's dreamy sleepwalkers were pretty as a picture in their butterfly-strewn peignoirs at Alexander McQueen, while the sherbet-shaded tulles at Chloé, Gucci and Marchesa were perfectly apt for an afternoon in the Tuileries with Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

But Impressionism at the AW16 collections still arrived with modish extras. Just at Edgar Degas once looked to the barre for inspiration, this season Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli had also taken their lead from the ballerina. Dressed in flesh tones, with tutu skirts and ruffles, their dancer was as demure and delicate a creature as in any Degas painting, but here she sometimes swapped her ballet slippers for hefty biker boots or swaddled her frame in military style outerwear. The designers had been inspired by the choreography of Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham to find their "floral graciousness" and bring their dancer into the modern age. Degas would surely have approved.

Passion project

Minimalist design in fashion has become so commonplace it's almost taken for granted at the shows. For AW16, the aesthetic discipline informed everything from the collections themselves to the spaces in which they were shown. In New York, the Proenza Schouler designers, who have previously cited the felt sculptures of American minimalist Robert Morris and the spare abstractions of Clyfford Still as influences, showed their collection at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the great spare Renzo Piano designed space that opened last year.

As a sign of gratitude perhaps, their AW16 collection was inspired by three American artists - Frank Stella, Richard Serra and Robert Ryman - whose work informed the duo's study on "control and release", a finely calibrated exercise in banded cotton viscose, ribbon and volume. The Loewe show was staged within the trefoil architecture of the Unesco headquarters in Paris, a World Heritage Site, and the collection echoed the building's sinuous design and rich textural details.

Phoebe Philo, the designer who has made minimalism a mantra throughout her eight-year tenure at Céline, offered an AW16 collection in which she had stripped her colours right back to earthy neutral, and played with proportion: creating huge silhouettes in gentle fabrics. Sounds simple, but like the best practitioners of minimalism, the clothes are more sophisticated than at first they look. And it wasn't all sober. A giant robe coat in canary yellow was a jolt to the senses.

It's no doubt symptomatic of the era - minimalist looks emerge in periods of austerity - and the new season is dense with design, from the undulating chestnut leathers at Rick Owens to the neat checks that underpinned the new graphic silhouette at Balenciaga.

At Hermès, sublimely simple dresses and sport-inspired daywear underscored the provenance of their craftmanship, each piece a showcase of artisanal skill and material superiority. Designer Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski had developed a palette that brought to mind the soft fluorescents of the American sculptor Dan Flavin, and the graphic lines of her "new pastels" were just as calming on the eye.

Aimee Farrell meets three contemporary artists who worked on the AW16 collections

"Don't ask me where I found it," said Karl Lagerfeld of the 18th-century Japanese botanic print he had used to inspire the closing looks at Fendi AW16. "But I find everything."

The resulting golden jacquard, woven with tiny vivid flowers, was exquisite and deeply sensual. "I prefer this to sexy," observed the designer of the robe dresses and jackets he had created. "So much more refined, and chicer."

Lagerfeld is not the first to have refracted the rich cultural legacy of Japan through the lens of European design. At the Paris world's fair in 1867, a pavilion dedicated to the arts and crafts of Japan precipitated a fever for the textiles, porcelains and woodblock prints of the country which was closed to Western trade for 200 years until 1853. Along with its counterpart Chinoiserie, the fashion for Japonisme transformed the interiors, dress codes and boudoirs of the 19th century European haute bourgeoisie. Artists such as James Tissot, William Merritt Chase and Robert Lewis Reid captured society hostesses adorned in kimono-style robes, standing against printed silkscreens, or leaning artfully against lacquerware furniture while toying with an oriental fan.

The signatures of Japanese design are now so built into our sartorial culture we barely notice them, and there were many at the AW16 shows: it was there in the sumptuous purple brocades at Ralph Lauren, as heavy and comforting as kimono silks; and in the shimmering sequinned cherry-blossom embroideries at Gucci; and a grey gown at Alberta Ferretti illustrated with embroideries of birds and flora.

Many of these Japanese accents were the nostalgic blooms of old world exotica. At Comme des Garçons however, the 73-year-old designer Rei Kawakubo brought the spirit of Japonisme right up to date with a collection dedicated to the "18th Century Punk." Her 17 looks combined panniers, stomachers and corsets all covered in gorgeous floral brocades in designs that at once recalled the extravagances and textural splendour of Versailles, and the articulated armour of the Samurai. The juxtaposition of cultural languages made for a powerful new look, as arresting in 2016 as it must have been for those visitors crowding into the pavilions all those decades ago.

Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely, Julian Stanczak - the spirit of Op Art was writ large at the AW16 shows where designers played with the same chromatic graphics that so fascinated the 1960s artists who came to define the youthful optimism of the age. The compliment hasn't always been so gratefully received: Bridget Riley took legal action against the commercial exploitation of her work in the 1960s and has remained at a polite distance from fashion ever since.

As an exercise in monochromatic trompe l'oeil, the ideas first explored by the Op Art artists offer a tantalising challenge for those designing for the body. At Emilia Wickstead, Sportmax, Victoria Beckham and Salvatore Ferragamo, it was the graphic stripe that took centre stage, banded across the evening wear and dresses in bisecting panels which looked clean and modern without being overwhelming.

At Fendi, Marni and Delpozo the lines took on a woozy curvature; at Fendi, designer Karl Lagerfeld had used a wave ("not a ruffle") to ripple across full-skirted shirt dresses. At Marni, the squiggly monochromatic prints and elliptical silhouettes were more organic in style. While at Issey Miyake, the designs were so convincing it leant the clothes a dynamism as dizzy-making as any kinetic sculpture: the patterns seemed to zoom in and out of focus as they spun around the body.

Armani:
my life in art

Add a power-pop of colour to your AW ensembles. The Pixels Maxi Featherweight Ebury bag (£2,250) by Anya Hindmarch is inspired by digital art.
More Info

Paris Fashion Week begins today. Fashion editor's eyes will be on Céline, Balenciaga, Maria Grazia Chiuri's first show for Dior, and Anthony Vaccarello's first collection for Saint Laurent after the departure of Hedi Slimane.
More Info

Explore the literary life of Coco Chanel in the seventh chapter of Chanel's Culture Chanel exhibitions, 'The Woman Who Reads'. Ca' Pesaro Gallery of Modern Art, Venice, September 17 until January 8
More Info

UK opening of The First Monday in May, a documentary following the creation of the New York's Metropolitan Museum's hugely popular fashion exhibition 'China: Through the Looking Glass'.
More Info

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Almond Blossom, Van Gogh, 1890. Fendi, 2016. Van Gogh Museum/Bridgeman. Catwalk images all Catwalking.com Art and fashion have forever been entwined.

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History of art and fashion collaborations and their meanings. Comparison between early collaborations to present day.

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Artists and couturiers have had an uneasy relationship – yet art continues to be seen on the catwalks, writes Kelly Grovier.

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Gen X - How they behave online, including their social media usage to determine what platforms to advertise to them from.

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Marketing to each generation can be tricky, and Generation X is no exception.

How do you reach this seemingly forgotten generation and turn them into loyal customers? It's all about your marketing strategy.

Let's talk about how Generation X shops, uses the Internet, gets their news and more so that you can understand the best way to market to them.

What You Should Know About Generation X

Generation X consists of people born from around 1965-1980, making this generation the smallest, composed of fewer people than Millennials or Baby Boomers.

Even though they are a small generation, there are still over 65 million Generation X-ers.

They have a ton of purchasing power, accounting for 31 percent of the total U.S. income, and their income (on average) is higher than the national average as well as the averages for all other generations.

Generation X Characteristics and Statistics

Each generation has defining characteristics that teach us how they research and choose businesses. We can use these characteristics to teach us about marketing to each generation and which channels to use to reach them.

These are the facts you need to know about Generation X:

72 Percent of Generation X Uses the Internet to Research Businesses

Despite their preference for traditional TV and newspapers, Generation X-ers tend to still research businesses on the Internet.

So, even if you are running TV commercials, radio ads or even newspaper ads, you will want to make sure your online presence is spotless.

If you have a great TV commercial, but your business looks bad online, with incorrect information or bad reviews, Generation X consumers will see that and turn to a competitor.

Gen X marketing tip: Make sure your business looks good across the most popular websites and directories.

Wondering where to start? Here are common places Generation X can find your business:

Your listing on Google, Bing or Yelp

Your website

Popular online directories

Here are a few steps to get started cleaning up your online presence:

Generation X Is Active on Social Media

95 percent use Facebook

35 percent use LinkedIn

25 percent post regularly on Twitter

Since such a high percentage of Generation X-ers use Facebook, this is the social media platform to use to market to them. If your target market consists of members of Generation X, make sure to tailor your posts to them, and don't forget to target this age group when creating Facebook ads.
We've added a CTA button to our Facebook Page, allowing people to watch our brand video.
Gen X social media marketing tips:

Add a description to your Facebook Page's About section

Make sure your address, website, phone number and hours are correct

Add a call-to-action to your Facebook Page (see "Watch Video" in the above screenshot)

Add locations if necessary

Manage your Facebook Reviews

Post regularly (at least weekly)

Get more followers and improve engagement to show that your business is worth the follow or the purchase

Try Facebook advertising

Generation X Has the Highest Brand Loyalty Across All Generations

Companies have reported that Gen X-ers are loyal to the brands they love, so as long as you can get them in the door and give them a good experience, they should remain loyal.

Returning customers are responsible for generating 41 percent of store revenue, so make sure to do what you can to keep your Generation X customers loyal.

Gen X loyalty tip: Make sure to reward this loyalty in some way, whether it's a discount after a certain amount of purchases or with a simple thank you email.

And remember to provide excellent service. It probably seems like a no-brainer, but if you treat your repeat customers well, try to remember their names and give them a great experience, not only will they want to return to your business but they are also likely to spend more.

Repeat customers tend to spend more on purchases on average, and 68 percent of people are willing to spend more on businesses with good service.

So, make sure to give your customers a good experience so that they return to your business.

On Average, Generation X-ers Spend 3 Hours on Mobile Daily

Whether they're using their smartphones to check Facebook, research a business, read the news or watch YouTube videos, Generation X spends a lot of time on mobile each day.

Mobile marketing for Generation X tip: When targeting Generation X (or any generation, really) make sure your website is optimized for mobile.

Check out your site on mobile and look for these mobile-usage factors:

Make sure your site loads quickly on mobile. Otherwise, people will get impatient and leave.

Make sure links and buttons are spaced apart so that people don't accidentally hit them.

Make sure text is easy to read on mobile.

Make sure the page fits the screen.

Have someone on a different device (tablet or a different phone size) view the site and look for the same factors.

Generation X Consumers Are Nostalgic

Google conducted a YouTube survey to find out what Generation X likes to watch most. As it turns out, the common theme was nostalgia. Gen X-ers want to watch videos related to the past:

Past events

People from the past

Old TV commercials

Music from the past

Nostalgia marketing tip: Add a little nostalgia to your marketing. Whether it's by mentioning a throwback or creating a video in the style of their favorite TV shows or commercials from the past, give them something that stirs the nostalgia within your Generation X customers.

Nostalgia reminds them of a time when they were younger and more carefree, so adding it to your marketing will make them feel that rather than being advertised to, you have put thought into them as an audience.

54% of Generation X Consumers Feel Overlooked by Brands and Marketers

Everyone wants to know how to market to Millennials or Generation Z, but that can mean that we ignore Generation X.

Maybe it's because they're a smaller generation, or maybe it has something to do with the fact that the younger generations appear to be more tech-savvy.

No matter the reason, you can't afford to ignore Generation X. They have a ton of purchasing power and they are brand loyalists.

Gen X marketing tip: Make sure when you are marketing to Generation X that you create messages tailored to their goals, likes and place in life.

Let them know that you are talking to them specifically. And, don't forget to use nostalgia to bring them back to a simpler time or at least make them laugh and forget that you are advertising to them.

There you have it. Use these tips to market to your Generation X consumers and you will gain loyal customers who return to your business time and time again.

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6 Surprising Statistics That Will Help You Market to Generation X

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Gen X has a ton of purchasing power online. But learning to market to them can be tricky. Read on to learn how to gain and retain more Gen X customers.

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Engaging Gen Y and marketing to them through social media.

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Advantages of traditional in-person advertising (bus sides).

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Analysis of the pillars that make Vivienne Westwood tick, as a brand.

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Read Brand report vivienne Westwood by Abi Haigh on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!

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The effects of Brexit on the country and retail industry.

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Retail industry bodies in the UK and Ireland have warned of potentially devastating consequences if a 'no deal' Brexit takes place.

The British Retail Consortium has joined with the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium and Retail Ireland to warn that some goods will suffer reduced availability while household budgets would also be squeezed should the UK Government fail to get a deal with the European Union before March 29.

Tariffs, of up to 45% on some everyday food items, and new regulatory checks, likely to mean more time spent on passing customs, would drive up the costs of supplying food to consumers if the UK and the EU countries revert to standard World Trade Organisation most favoured nation tariffs, the organisations warn.

Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: "A no-deal Brexit brings tariffs, customs processes, checks and costs which our industry, and Northern Ireland families in particular, cannot afford to absorb. Our households already have half of the discretionary income of British households and less than those in the Republic of Ireland. A no-deal Brexit will hit us first and hit us hardest. This is not acceptable.

"A hard Brexit means a hard border and the disintegration of supply chains that have been built up over 40 years of EU membership. This is not a binary choice for Northern Ireland between trade with the UK and trade with the EU. Our economy is built on access to both markets and we need that to survive. No-deal makes NI a less competitive place to do business and a more expensive place to live."

And William Bain, head of EU and international at the British Retail Consortium said: "It is not just the people on the island of Ireland that this will affect. Those in Great Britain will see the price of goods from Ireland and Northern Ireland rise. Our supply chains are highly integrated, with food ingredients coming from both Ireland and the EU, and 60% of the £2bn of NI agri-food bound for Great Britain crosses the Irish sea via Dublin. This will affect the price of shopping in the Prime Minister's constituency of Maidenhead in the same way as it will in Belfast or Dublin, with cost rises.

"A 'no deal' outcome would have devastating economic consequences, potentially jeopardising years of positive economic development and integration across the islands of the UK and Ireland. It is imperative that this is avoided."

Thomas Burke of Retail Ireland said: "A 'no deal' Brexit would have devastating economic consequences and must be avoided. However, regardless of the type of Brexit agreed over the coming weeks, retailers will see an increase in their operating costs arising from checks at ports and other supply chain disruption. In the current operating environment, these additional costs simply cannot be absorbed and will have to be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

"Our members continue to work hard to plan for all possible eventualities, but the ongoing uncertainty is damaging our industry and impacting our customers."

The emerging response to a 'no deal' Brexit

Order fulfilment specialist PFS, which works for global customers including Pandora, Asics and L'Oréal, says its Southampton distribution centre was created entirely due to Brexit. Before Brexit, client stock was held centrally in Belgium and shipped to UK consumers. But, says PFS, uncertainty around Brexit uncertainty has meant many of its clients want to hold their stock locally and distribute it from within the UK.

A number of retailers have already set out their response to the threat of a no deal Brexit. Pets at Home has said it may spend up to £8m to stockpile in response to the threat of a no deal Brexit, while DFS has said border delays on raw materials coming into the country could affect its business. Dunelm has said that it has bought extra stock of popular products that it imports from the EU in case of port delays around a disorderly Brexit. It also said 2.5% of its workforce are from the EU, and that it will support them in gaining settled status should that prove necessary.

Last month leading grocers joined with the BRC in warning of the impact of a no deal Brexit. Sainsbury's, Asda, M&S, The Co-op and Waitrose warned of the food shortages that a no-deal Brexit would cause.

"While we have been working closely with our suppliers on contingency plans it is not possible to mitigate all the risks to our supply chains and we fear significant disruption in the short-term as a result if there is no Brexit deal," the group said in the letter.

It pointed to the amount of produce being sourced from the EU in March, including 90% of lettuces, 80% of tomatoes and 70% of soft fruit, and said that such perishable produce would be affected by the customs checks that France has said it will enforce in the event of a no-deal exit. It also said that tariffs would put up the price of imports, while any decision to unilaterally set import tariffs at zero would hit UK food producers hard. "Our ability to mitigate these risks is limited," said the letter. "As prudent businesses we are stockpiling where possible, but all frozen and chilled storage is already being used and there is very little general warehousing space available in the UK."
Image: Fotolia

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Retail industry bodies warn on the effects of a 'no deal' Brexit

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Retail industry bodies in the UK and Ireland have warned of potentially devastating consequences if a 'no deal' Brexit takes place. The British Retail Consortium has joined with the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium and Retail Ireland to warn that some goods will suffer reduced availability while household budgets would also be squeezed should the UK Government fail to get a deal with the European Union before March 29.

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Technological - how consumers buying habits are changing with the growth of social media buying.

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The power of social media has never been greater, with nearly a fifth of the UK's 16-24-year-olds spending more than seven hours a day online.

Platforms like Twitter and Instagram have evolved into an essential resource for any business, providing them with near unlimited opportunities to interact directly with their customers.

In turn these platforms, recognising their potential in the eyes of the retail industry, have begun to launch initiatives in order to attract businesses and make it as easy as possible for them to utilise their reach.

Retailers like ASOS , Missguided and Boohoo have built their brands on their social media presence, but with so many vying for attention in the online space, what is the secret to a successful social media strategy?

In its latest whitepaper, social media management platform Hootsuite looks to explore some of the UK's leading retailers' social media strategies and offer insight into how the best companies are using social media to create a unique customer journey.

DOWNLOAD NOW to discover:

How social data and customer intelligence can secure early wins

Why you should connect social KPIs organisational goals

The benefits of using social for more than just brand awareness

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How retailers are using social media to manage and improve the customer experience - Retail Gazette

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The power of social media has never been greater, with nearly a fifth of the UK's 16-24-year-olds spending more than seven hours a day online. Platforms like Twitter and Instagram have evolved into an essential resource for any business, providing them with near unlimited opportunities to interact directly with their customers.

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A good pest example to follow for guidelines.

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How inflation rate can effect the economy, and in turn effect industries including retail.

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A falling rate of inflation means that prices will be rising at a slower rate.

A fall in the inflation rate could cause various benefits for the economy:

Goods of that country becoming more internationally competitive increasing exports and growth

Increase rates of return for savers

Improved confidence, encouraging firms to invest and boost long-term economic growth.

Increased disposable incomes (if nominal wage growth is constant)

However, if a fall in the inflation rate is due to depressed demand, it could create deflationary pressures which make it hard to boost economic growth. It is worth bearing in mind governments usually target an inflation rate of 2%. If inflation falls from 10% to 2%, this will tend to have economic benefits. If inflation falls from 3% to 0%, this could indicate a depressed economy.

Benefits of a falling inflation rate

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a fall in the inflation rate. This means UK goods were increasing at a slower rate.

Increased competitiveness Lower inflation can help UK goods become more competitive because UK goods will be increasing at a slower rate. if goods do become more competitive it will lead to an improvement in the trade balance and higher economic growth.
However, it does depend on relative inflation rates. If inflation is also falling in US and Europe, then the UK will not be receiving a competitive advantage because prices will not be relatively cheaper.

Falling inflation in 2015 - enabled real wage growth to be positive.
This was quite an unusual period in that falling real wages are not common in the post-war period. Usually, a lower inflation rate is not needed to boost real wages.

Encourage investment. Firms prefer low inflation. When inflation is low, it is easier to predict future costs, prices and wages. The stability of low inflation encourage them to take on riskier investment; this can lead to higher growth in the long-term. Countries with low long-term rates of inflation tend to have improved economic performance.
However, if inflation falls due to depressed demand (e.g. in 2009 or 2015) then this fall in inflation may not encourage investment. This is because the depressed demand makes investment unattractive - low inflation on its own is not sufficient to increase investment, firms need to expect growing demand.

Improved return for savers. Assuming constant interest rates, a lower rate of inflation will give a better real rate of return for savers. For example, 2009-17, interest rates were stuck at 0.5%. With inflation of 5%, we saw in 2012, this meant many savers were seeing a real fall in the value of their savings. A fall in inflation means the value of money declines at a slower rate.
Sometimes a lower rate of inflation causes the Central Bank to cut interest rates. For example, in 1992, interest rates were 15%, which meant savers were doing very well. When inflation fell in 1993, interest rates were sharply cut, so savers were not better off.

Lower menu costs If inflation is lower, prices will change less frequently. Firms can spend less time and energy updating prices.
With modern technology, this is less costly than it used to be. Menu costs are more of a problem with very high rates of inflation.

Increased value of debt payments. In the past, people may take out loans/mortgages expecting inflation to reduce the real value of debt payments. If inflation falls to a very low rate, then real interest rates can be higher than predicted. This increases the real debt burden and can lead to slower economic growth
This has been a problem in Europe around 2012-15, where very low rates of inflation have created problems similar to that of deflation.

Real wages. In the period 2009-17, nominal wage growth was very low. Nominal wages have been growing around 2-3%. The labour market is very weak. In this period, when inflation rose to 5%, workers saw a fall in real wages. Therefore, a fall in inflation reverses this and enables real wages to rise.

More evaluation

It depends on why the inflation rate is falling.

However, Monetarist economists will argue that this short-term cost of unemployment and recession were a 'price worth paying' for reducing inflation and getting it out of the system. The recession was inevitable, but once you have low inflation, the economy is in a stronger position to grow in the future.
Lower inflation from lower costs
For example, in 1980/81, the UK had a rapid fall in the inflation rate. However, this caused a serious economic downturn with falling GDP and rising unemployment. Therefore, the cost of lower inflation may be higher unemployment. See 1980 recession
Related
If we have lower inflation from a fall in costs of production (e.g. lower oil prices) then this tends to be very beneficial - we get lower prices, but also rising GDP. Consumers have more discretionary income to spend because travel is cheaper.

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A falling rate of inflation means that prices will be rising at a slower rate. A fall in the inflation rate could cause various benefits for the economy: Goods of that country becoming more internationally competitive increasing exports and growth Increase rates of return for savers Improved confidence, encouraging firms to invest and boost long-term economic growth.

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Finishing processes of garments

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Garments Finishing:
Garments finishing is the last process of a garments by this process a garments should be packed cartooned folded and ironed & checked last proper before it goes to the customer hand. In this stage, garments are checked thoroughly for the garment's visual quality and measurements. Garment finishing department also checks if garments are made as per buyer specifications. Mainly finishing process associated with pressing, ironing, folding, QA, and cartoning. Defective garments are segregated from the good lot and sent for repair. Garments repair, part changing and mending (knit) are done at the garment finishing department. All types of garments finishing activities are done here.

Flow Chart of Garment Finishing Department:
Operations or Functions of Finishing Department in Apparel Industry:

Quality check: 100% quality check after ironing if there found any faults necessary steps should be taken.

Faults found in ironing: Normally faults are here two types rejection and alter.

Rejection: Finishing input:
At first garments received from sewing section as per order quantity. It is the first step garment finishing department.

Thread suck up:
Thread is sucked up by modern sucking machine to reduce the extra loses sewing thread from the fabric lay.

Ironing:
Ironing is a finishing process done by a cloth to heat and pressure with or without steam to remove creases and to impart a flat appearance to garments. Ironing process is also called as pressing process as per buyer requirements. After completing ironing, garments have to be folded. Iron is done by as per customer requirement.

Before and after ironing task:

Don't put poly right after pressing

Allow sufficient time for moisture to get off

Give steam don't directly press or touch

Use vacuum table

Use Teflon shoe for each iron

Iron must be 3 cm apart from garments

Don't keep 5 pcs more garments in a stock

If there found any problem for alter there should be taken an step to regain it.

Spot remover:

Use thinner for small type of spot

Use print on plus for pen spot

Use lifter for oil spot

If any spot can't be reduced trough thinner then have to use spot lifter machine using ZET detergent normally.

Measurement check:
100% measurement checked by QC officer. Get Up check:
100% Appearance check for appearance by QC officer.
Allowed
Acceptance Signal: Lot audit as per 1.5 AQL chart:
Metal detection:
Normally it's an important issue for garments industry for broken needle or any types of machinery smallest parts cling to the garments lay. Its check out through nine points.
Cartoning:
Cartoning should be carried out three process Age wise: Age wise can be (3-4,4-5,5-6,6-7,7-8,8-9,9-10,10-11,11-12,12-13,13-14,14-15,16-17)

Size wise: In one cartoon all the garments are on same size

Color wise: In one cartoon all the garments are same color

FnF pack:
In one cartoon all the garments are same FnF pack but in one polybag there should be two or three pcs alike small, large and medium or small or medium are in one poly bag as per customer

Documentation and reporting:
Like other departments, finishing department maintain production records for pressing, and packing.
Metal Detection Parameter:

If the lot size is 400 pcs

The sample quantity 50 pcs

Green for acceptance

Red for rejection

Yellow for second time acceptance

Hourly report check

Key control book inspection

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Operations of Garment Finishing Department

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Garments Finishing: Garments finishing is the last process of a garments by this process a garments should be packed cartooned folded and ironed & checked last proper before it goes to the customer hand. In this stage, garments are checked thoroughly for the garment's visual quality and measurements.

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Constraints of cotton clothing

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How do I care for my 100% cotton clothes?

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The shrinking of cotton clothes generally occurs in the drying process only. This drying process also has to have a heat source like a gas or electric dryer. This rapid drying process causes the natural fibers of the cloth to become scrunched together.

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How Vivienne Westwood is pushing sustainability.

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Prepare your wallet and get ready to be inspired and thrown into the wonderful world of sustainability all at once, with these, the best sustainable fashion brands...
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It's also one that is swiftly changing its ways by listening to the wants and needs of mindful consumers who can afford to want to know their clothing, accessories and shoes are being made sustainably, in an ethical process where no one gets hurt, underpaid, or undervalued. Whilst the Pretty Little Things, Boohoos and Primarks of the world may continue to thrive despite highly un-fashionably unethical practices, there are tons of wonderful, slow-fashion brands worth shouting about. Fashion brands that understand that good quality clothing should be kept forever and recycled, upcycled, or passed onto others via charity shops or re-selling websites such as Depop and Vestiaire Collective. Fashion brands that have taken the time to consider their supply chain and who take pride (rightly so) in being able to say that they are a sustainable brand.

Whether it's out of genuine concern for the planet or just to capture a new type of customer who follows the sustainability-related buzzwords popping up everywhere right now, many brands are catching on to the sustainability wave by creating sustainable capsule collections. But as much of a positive a change as this is, a singular collection just isn't enough. So, as part of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and encouraging you to do the same, we've researched and rounded up the best sustainable fashion, footwear and accessory brands to support, who ensure they are being as sustainable as they possibly can. Thought sustainable fashion meant un-fashionable fashion? These brands will make you reconsider...

FASHION

Beamont Organic

Beamont Organic, a brand stocked at Young British Designers, was founded with a mission to create 'contemporary conscious clothing'. The materials they use are fairtrade, organic and eco-friendly, and the styles vary from light floaty linen dresses for summer, to organic cotton hoodies for winter. It's a responsible, slow-fashion brand that can be trusted to always produce ethically and reduce waste wherever possible, whilst being an easy brand to head to for a quick wardrobe update. Beaumontorganic.com

Arela

Fashion brand Arela set up the 'For Good' initiative to ensure they take responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products. 'For Good' is a framework that allows the life of their garments to be as long as possible, and is split into design, care, taking back unwanted products, using quality materials, recycling and reusing materials, and using recyclable packaging, which is often something that gets forgotten and can put a real dampener on a new purchase. The most enticing thing to us about Arela, apart from the designs which we love, is the fact they re-use materials from their products to make and mend new ones. Waste not, want not - and we want everything Arela is selling. Arelastudio.com

Beulah

Beulah is a sustainable fashion brand excelling in floaty dresses and skirts. It also does its very best to be ethical, and is on a mission to eradicate slavery 'through the power of skilled craft, exemplary business ethics and conscious consumption'. Their supply chain prides itself on transparency, as the brand knows that the fashion industry is one where forced labour and slavery can thrive. So, Beulah employs women who have been overcome sex trafficking and slavery with the hopes of giving them and their families a more sustainable future. They are also sustainable in the sense that their garments are high quality, to decrease the number of clothes thrown away and end up clogging up landfills. One material used a lot in their collections is silk which is sourced from China and then hand-printed either in India or digitally printed in Italy. They explain on their website that 'currently there are not many viable higher-welfare alternatives to traditional silk; options like peace silk are still relatively unfeasible in terms of quality and quantity', and assure that the company is always striving to investigate new fabrics and spearhead the latest environmental practices. The use of cashmere and wool in their collections isn't common, but when they do, it's through a partnership with a women's cooperative in Nepal. In fact, Beulah goes into deep detail of how their materials are sourced and how they're trying to improve - and this is the kind of mindful business process we support. Beulahlondon.com

JETS Swimwear

Australian swimwear brand JETS have created a sustainable collection using Renew Plus, an environmentally friendly and sustainable fabric made of 100% recycled polyamide and Lycra Xtra Life fabrication. On the hunt for a cute one piece for summer? JETS is the ticket. Jetsswimwear.co.uk
P.S, this swimsuit was Tuesday 2 April's addition to the Luxury List: Sustainable Series. Check the page out for daily shopping inspiration!
Tretorn

If you're on the hunt for a sustainable jacket suitable for unruly weather conditions, buy one from Tretorn. Their initial goal was to be able to 'label 50% of our outerwear with the Eco Essentials initiative before the year of 2020'. Having aready acheived this, Tretorn now boasts that 85% of their outerwear is part of the Eco Essentials Initiative. What this means is that the products included in this initiative are made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles. Tretorn.com

Celtic & Co

Pioneers of sustainable fashion from the start, Celtic & Co predominantly use British-sourced natural materials that will go into creating a piece of clothing designed to last a lifetime. The benefit of using these natural materials means that when the clothes are washed, micro-plastics aren't emitted into the ocean. Celticandco.com

Davy J

Designed in Devon and made in the UK, Davy J is the new swimwear brand with covetable pieces to add to your sustainable summer shopping list this year. Stylish and designed for relaxing, swimming and diving in, Davy J use [email protected], a swimwear fabric made from ghost fishing nets; fishing nets that have been lost or left in the sea, nearly invisible to see and seriously dangerous for any animal that gets stuck inside it.

Twenty-Seven Names

New Zealand based brand Twenty-Seven Names offers fashionable sustainability at its finest. Created by Rachel Easting and Anjali Burnett and named after the 27 people who helped get the business off the ground, Twenty-Seven Names choose ethical fabrics and methods of creation. On each garment's page, you'll find a full disclosure of where the piece was cut and made, and the provenance of the lining, trims and fabrics. Twentysevennames.co.nz

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood uses her collections and catwalk shows as a platform for positive activism. Her resilient campaigning on climate change and overconsumption has underpinned the brand's identity, as has her ecological crusades. Vivienne Westwood is a Trustee of human rights organisation, Liberty and Patron of Reprieve and a campaigner for Amnesty International. Her green campaign support includes Cool Earth, in their efforts to save rainforests and stop climate change. In collaboration with the UN's Ethical Fashion Initiative Vivienne Westwood began producing bags in 2015 supporting thousands of women from marginalised African communities. The collections are created using recycled materials from slums and landfill and the income helps to stop the need to continue deforestation in the area. Viviennewestwood.com

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney was one of the first luxury fashion brands to advocate environmentally friendly production, still with a chic, understated aesthetic that appeals to the fashion-conscious customer. Partnering with the ethical fashion initiative since 2011, the designer has banned fur and leather in her collections and continues to inspire other fashion brands to embrace a more sustainable business model. Stellamccartney.com

Gillian June

Emerging designer Imogen Johnson-Gilbert believes in fair fashion. By working closely with their supply chain from its mill in Northern Island to their artisan makers in Jaipur, Gillian June sticks to its pledge of making sure the working environments of their employees are always safe and fair. The brand also champions the use of sustainable and ethical fabrics, by choosing to use modern, innovative materials and fibres such as Tencel, Irish linen and wool. Gillianjune.com

Eileen Fisher

Ethics and sustainability are quite literally woven into US fashion label Eileen Fisher's minimalist fashion offering. The brand publicly shared its commitments in their 2020 vision that looks at improving the social and environmental impacts of their supply chain. Their initiative, Green Eileen, has seen the fashion label collect and recycle previously worn Eileen Fisher clothing, supporting women, girls and the environment. What's more, the brand offers free repairs on all their clothing. Eileenfisher.com

Tome

Tome's sustainability and ethical fashion impetus began with the launch of their first capsule for the White Shirt Project in 2014. The White Shirt Project supports Katie Ford's foundation, 'Freedom For All' that fights human trafficking and slavery. Katie's enquiries raised internal questions for Tome itself: 'is everyone involved in producing the clothes paid well?' Tome took a fine-tooth comb to their process and visited the factories, working on reducing waste and using local and renewable sources. They see periodic check-ins of factories as the best way to monitor their supply chain practice and safeguard the women who work for them. Emma Watson was also spotted in Tome during her Press Tour for Beauty and The Beast where she only wore ethical and sustainable clothing. Tomenyc.com

Chinti & Parker

Chinti & Parker, renowned for their 'quality basics' started in 2009 as a joint venture between cousins Anna Singh and Rachael Wood. They began with ethical cashmere clothing for children, soon venturing into womenswear, creating simple and versatile pieces. The brand is committed to sustainability and better living, justifying the cost of the products with the ethical process behind them. For example, each of the Chinti & Parker factories is handpicked for its relevant expertise and high-quality credentials. What's more, in places where production involves long travel, Chinti & Parker actively offsets carbon emissions as outlined by the Carbon Neutral Company. Gwyneth Paltrow even designed a jumper to champion the brand's approach to ethics and sustainability. Chintiandparker.com

People Tree

People Tree truly pioneered the idea of ethical and environmentally sustainable fashion in its entirety as opposed to an external campaign or side note. They were the first international clothing company to be awarded the World Fair Trade product label - evidence of their dedication to covering fair wages working conditions, transparency, capacity building, environmental best practice, gender equality and setting standards for conventional fashion companies to improve their supply chains. And still, their stylish designs are affordable, proving that ethics don't need to be expensive. Peopletree.co.uk

The Cotton Story

If you think you need to go to Primark to get your basics, think again; The Cotton Story sell good quality and very reasonable (£16 for a tee-shirt) basics; long sleeve tops, short sleeve tops, sweatshirts, shirts and more, in soft colourways such as navy blue, greys, white and black. They pride themselves on their pricing being honest, although judging from the quality they certainly could be charging more; beautiful products for everyone and anyone; and ethical factories. In fact, if you visit their pop up on the King's Road, you'll be able to see pictures from their factories and learn about who made the clothes. Even the swing tags are recyclable! Thecottonstory.co.uk

Somerville

A British brand inspired by British spirit, Somerville produces small collections of high-quality clothing that are both stylish and comfortable for working people. The sustainability element is clear - garments are made in the UK, collections are small to minimise waste, digital printing is used to save water waste, and the packaging is recyclable. Perfect! Somervillelondon.com

Haute Hijab

Haute Hijab is a brand that has thought about every step of their production and selling process to make it as ethical and sustainable as possible, and it's clear its an issue that's important to them. Each hijab is made from deadstock materials that are tested to make sure they'll last a long time. The pieces are then made by manufacturers with whom Haute Hijab are in contractual agreement, guaranteeing each employee involved gets paid fairly. Once a product is sold, it is packaged in polybags that are made of biodegradable, recyclable plastic. Hautehijab.com

Belize

Belize is making efforts as a company to become more sustainable; many of their garments are made using Khadi fabric, which is a 100% eco-friendly fabric. This means it takes longer than your average garment to create - but it also means it keeps more deserving people employed, using Khadi reduces the brands' carbon footprint by 30%, and it means that the garment is biodegradable, so it won't sit in landfills forever - it will naturally fade away. Belizeofficiel.com

Bunks

Bunks trunks are a premium quality swimming trunks brand for kids, with matching options for parents. Launched only 2 years ago, Bunks is contributing positively to the world by helping to protect the ocean and its inhabitants that have inspire its designs so much. Buy a pair of trunks from Bunks and you'll be pleased to find their packaging is made of biodegradable and recyclable plastic packaging. Plus, the swing tag can be reused as a luggage label. Bunkstrunks.com

Vin + Omi

Eco-conscious design duo Vin + Omi have been practising and developing eco-innovation since 2004. Their process of producing rPET textiles starts with collecting plastic from clean-up sights, and their way of producing clothes uses over 50% less energy than with PET fabrics. Vinandomi.com

Elio

South African fashion and accessory/jewellery brand Elio create one-off pieces made in Cape Town. It's a slow-fashion brand, and all materials are locally sourced, adhering to the company ethos of being as ethical as possible in their processes, producing 'little to no waste'. Shop here for limited edition, floaty and unique summer dresses, tee-shirts and hair accessories. Elio.clothing

Lilliput & Felix

British based swimwear and beachwear brand Lilliput & Felix are bringing something very necessary and new to the table - sustainable, stylish swimwear for summer. Since launching in 2014, it has gone on to create luxury, high-end pieces that 'merge classic and contemporary styles'. The brand was awarded Positive Luxury's Butterfly Mark for its commitment to social and environmental sustainability, and it's no surprise - the peices made of solid fabrics are made with recycled fabrics, and other pieces are sustainably woven to order in small quantities in order to reduce waste. Lilliputandfelix.com

ACCESSORIES

Neubau

This glasses brand creates its pieces using naturalPX - a material unique to the brand that has been highly developed to be eco-friendly. The material is made from organically sourced and renewable primary products, '65% of which is eco-friendly oil extracted from the seeds of castor oil plants'. The cases they come in are recyclable, as are the cleaning cloths which are made out of recycled plastic bottles. The packaging used is all paper (which is recyclable), and the suppliers they work with are all selected as eco-friendly ones. Neubau-eyewear.com

Bom Bom Morocco

Summer's approaching and we're sure wicker bags are going to hit the shelves pretty soon, following last summer's craze for the trend. So this summer, get yours (and personalised) from Bom Bom Morocco, and wear it with pride. Each product is handmade by a women's association near the Atlas Mountains. They're made from natural palm leaves and the pom poms are hand-dyed in Marrakech tanneries, before being hand-sewn onto the piece. A scoop of sustainability with a sprinkling of female empowerment equals a solid brand worth supporting. Bombommorocco.com

Billy Tannery

Whilst the brand isn't using sustainable vegan leather, it does practice some sustainability elements - they have used previously wasted meat by-products and bark extracts to make the products in this new collection which includes The Backpack, The Briefcase, The Tote, The Apron, The Key Wrap and The Cardholder. Also, their micro-tannery recycles 90% of its water and turns any waste into compost. British leather goods with a conscience, anyone? Billytannery.co.uk

Lovia

Accessory brand Lovia creates all types of bags entirely from waste materials. With the understanding that the fashion industry accounts for around 800,000 tons of leather waste every year, Lovia decided there must be a way to create beautiful leather bags without adding to this waste. Plus, they're passionate about being transparent - all the waste that goes into creating their bags can be entirely traced right back to its original source. Loviacollection.com

Taylor Yates

British accessory brand 'Taylor Yates' have mastered understated luxury, and are committing to sustainability, too. The leather they use is a by-product of food production, and for this, they have been awarded The Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury for their company-wide commitment to sustainability. Tayloryates.com

SHOES

Veja

Veja's sneakers are everywhere - look around in London and it feels like everyone has a pair. This is a national obsession we can get behind, because the brand is big on transparency. Customers can look into Veja's supply and production chain and find out all the info they need to know. Plus, the vegan shoes are totally inexpensive for stylish design and well-thought-out materials. Vega-store.com

Good News

Good News produce effortlessly cool sneakers. The brand is sustainable from the start of the shoe-making process to after the shoe is no longer wanted. Created with the aim of using a platform to promote a healthy planet, Good News goes to great lengths to ensure their carbon, water and chemical footprint is as low as possible. Each pair of shoes is made with a recycled rubber sole, organic cotton and weave uppers, and a recycled eco-lite footbed. They also have a small supply chain to be able to care for each person involved. Finally, Good News will donate deadstock and faulty shoes to refugees in need, and homeless people. Ethical and sustainable at every point of the production process - this is how it should be done. You can shop them at Dover Street Market. Goodnews.london

Aspiga

Aspiga was founded after Lucy, the founder, fell in love with the impressive craftspersonship in Kenya - in particular, the handmade beach sandals. By practising ethical trading and supporting local communities, making sure the supply chain is small, trustworthy and transparent, and using natural fibres to create each piece, Aspiga is sustainable.

Yatay

Not only are Yatay's shoes 100% sustainable, but their packaging is also too. Buy yourself a pair of the sneakers that are made in Italy to reduce the environmental impact of production, using entirely eco-friendly materials, and expect them to arrive in a box made of 5 plastic bottles, making its environmental impact approximately 90% lower than a traditional shoebox. Yatayatay.com

Penelope Chilvers

Why have regular shoes when you can have Penelope Chilvers shoes, where the soles are old tyres? This is the kind of creative recycling that makes a respectable brand. In addition, their 'waste not want not' motto means there is no plastic used throughout her collections.

Allbirds

Allbirds, the San Francisco based brand that has only recently launched in the UK with a store on Long Acre, has sustainability at its core. Each pair of shoes, priced at £95, are comfortable and cosy and adds something a little different and more quirky to the heavily logo-ed sports shoe industry. Materials used include wool from New Zealand and renewable Eucalyptus fibre, proving that sustainability need never put a cramp on style. Allbirds.co.uk
How to Celebrate the Beginning of Spring: Drink, Eat, Travel, Cook

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The Best Sustainable Fashion Brands | Fashion, Accessories & Shoes

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Prepare your wallet and get ready to be inspired and thrown into the wonderful world of sustainability all at once, with these, the best sustainable fashion brands... The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world.

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Gen X and Gen Y with social media.

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Shopping habits of target market - Gen X and Gen Y.

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Click here to read our new and updated 2018 Gen Z Shopping Survey. For the purpose of this blog and infographic, Gen Z refers to those aged 14-21, Gen Y 22-35 and Gen X 36-55.
Generation Z. Born post-1995, in the age group 14-21, they've proved a difficult bunch to define; previously upcoming 'influencers' within the retail and hospitality market but now with new-found buying power and a disruptive influence that makes them the most lucrative market to target.

They're switched on, price conscious, and hyper connected to their surroundings - including social media and technology. They want it now, they won't wait, and have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips ready to influence their buying decisions.

After researching Gen Y and Gen X shopping habits last year, Retail Assist's latest survey has revealed some critical information regarding Gen Z shopping habits, and debunked some common myths that might surprise you...
Here are our top 5 takeaways from the survey:

The high street is not dead for Gen Z, with 58% of respondents choosing this as their favourite method of shopping.

Click and collect is not popular with Gen Z: 61% have never used it.

Nearly three quarters of Gen Z don't have their favourite retailer's app installed on their smartphone.

73% of Gen Z would made a purchase due to a social media recommendation.

When shopping, 84% of Gen Z make it a social activity, i.e. a part of their day out, lunch/coffee/cinema.

Please feel free to share the following full infographic of our findings.
Analysis
So, of the Gen Z-ers surveyed, what surprised us here?
High St reigns supreme.
Thought Gen Z was all about the online experience, clicks over bricks, and ecomm dominance? Think again. 58% of those we surveyed prefer to shop on the High Street, the highest percentage of any generation, compared to 40% of Gen Y and 48% of Gen X. Analysing the practical reasons behind this: not many 16y/os have online spending power - unable to transact online without a debit card, most shop with cash. With a lack of patience and a desire to acquire fast fashion "now", the high street is also the best place to do so with no waiting for deliveries and the ability to take the product literally straight off the shelf.
'Appy shoppers? Not for Gen Z.
Although Gen Z admit being glued to their smartphones, 74% of them do not have their favourite retailer's app installed. There are subtleties to be considered with Gen Z: just because they browse for products on their smartphones and devices, this doesn't mean they desire an app to complete a purchase. The reason? Many of this age range don't have big enough data contracts on their phones to support multiple app downloads. Instead, they prefer to use their devices to browse social media in order to discover more about product ranges.

What was concretized?
Social media addiction.
Gen Z idols are YouTube stars, vloggers, and Insta-famous fashionistas. They live in constant "FOMO", fear of missing out, especially when something new is released. And all of this revolves around social media as their primary method of research.

73% of Gen Z would made a purchase due to a social media recommendation, compared to 60% of Gen Y and only 52% of Gen X. For Gen Z, social media is the real targeted sweet-spot for retailers to tap into.
The generation of leisure.
There is a strong synergy between retail and hospitality for Gen Z, reflected in the fact that 84% of those surveyed make shopping a part of their day out, whether than be visiting the cinema, grabbing lunch or a coffee. If Gen Z prefer to hit the high street to shop rather than shop online, this might explain why the shopping experience is viewed as more of a leisure activity. For the younger Gen Z members, having social freedom to venture into their nearby town is often new and exciting, and they demand a retail/hospitality experience to meet that expectation.

This means ensuring that your products are always in stock in the appropriate range of styles and sizes to keep this experience fluid, allowing Gen Z members to browse online and come into your store to purchase. Implementing an efficient retail stock management system is a way for retailers to meet these expectations.

What took you most by surprise about Gen Z and their shopping habits? Do you think retailers need to change their current tactics when it comes to targeting the next generation? Post your comments below.

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Gen Z vs Gen X vs Gen Y: Shopping Habits Survey | Retail Assist

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Click here to read our new and updated 2018 Gen Z Shopping Survey. For the purpose of this blog and infographic, Gen Z refers to those aged 14-21, Gen Y 22-35 and Gen X 36-55. Generation Z.

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Experian is the world's leading global information services company. At life's big moments - from buying a home or car, to sending a child to college, to growing a business by connecting it with new customers - we empower consumers and our clients to manage their data with confidence.

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Company Analytics

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VIVIENNE WESTWOOD LIMITED company key information - UK.GlobalDatabase.com

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VIVIENNE WESTWOOD LIMITED is a Private limited Company company based in WESTWOOD STUDIOS 9-15 ELCHO STREET, United Kingdom, which employs 10 people. The company started trading on the British market since 1992-01-29. The company registration number is 02682271, It's main line of business activity is Retail sale of clothing in specialised stores and the company is listed as Active.

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Store Visit Analysis

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Global Data - Consumer behaviour in the luxury retail sector.

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Store visit to Vivienne Westwood's London Flagship store on Conduit St, on 3/7/19. Purpose: to analyse Visual Merchandising and space planning.

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Acorn - Customer Profiling

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CACI's Acorn is a powerful consumer classification that segments the UK population. By analysing demographic data, social factors, population and consumer behaviour, it provides information and understanding of different types of people.

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Vivienne Westwood analytics

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A timeline of Tracey's life and career.

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Who is Tracey Emin? Everything You Need to Know

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Tracey Emin is a contemporary British artist known for her provocative and sexually explicit artwork. Read this biography to learn more about her childhood, life, works, achievements and timeline.

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Tracey Emin artist biography - The Tate Gallery

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A case study on Vivienne Westwood- The Brand.

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The V&A's take on Westwood's life and influence throughout the decades, including her iconic outfits and changing styles.

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I've constantly tried to provoke people into thinking afresh and for themselves, to escape their inhibitions and programming.

Vivienne Westwood was born in a village in Derbyshire in 1941, the daughter of a factory worker and cotton weaver. She moved to London with her family as a teenager where she trained as a primary school teacher. Having split up with her first husband, it was meeting and later working with art student Malcolm McLaren (born in London in 1946) that gave Westwood a focus for her restless idealism, as well as the opportunity to harness a natural flair for dressmaking.

Rejecting the hippie ethos that was fashionable towards the end of the 1960s, Westwood and McLaren created clothes that referenced youth culture's recent past, selling rock'n'roll fashion in a shop unit at 430 King's Road in Chelsea. In 1974, the shop took on its most notorious identity: SEX, with Westwood and McLaren designing fetish wear that they sold to prostitutes, those with 'underground' sexual tastes, and young proto-punks brave enough to take a seriously edgy look out onto the street. The pair enjoyed shocking people, designing garments and shoes that referenced 'deviant' sexual practices, including rubber dresses and stilettos bristling with spikes.

In 1976, 430 King's Road was refitted and renamed Seditionaries: Clothes for Heroes. The collection remained in the same risqué territory as the clothes sold in SEX, featuring the likes of bondage trousers. A punk archetype, these trousers mix references to army combat gear, motorcyclists' leathers and fetish wear, and feature a zippered seam under the crotch, a removable 'bum flap' and 'hobble' straps that restrict movement. Other key looks that expressed a new 'distressed' form of fashion included loose-woven, 'unravelling' mohair jumpers and torn-looking dresses and tops decorated with metal chains and safety pins.

Clothes at Seditionaries were also known for their challenging graphics. The highly-charged imagery screen-printed on to frayed-looking T-shirts and muslin tops included swastikas, the Queen with a safety pin through her lips, a pair of naked breasts printed at chest height and pornographic cowboys.

Other Seditionaries T-shirt designs hint at the direction in which Westwood's tastes would develop. Her 'nippled' T-shirt uses bunched fabric as a way of clothing yet unclothing the body, demonstrating a form of provocation that is more cheeky than aggressive. Many of the items sold at Seditionaries were worn by members of the Sex Pistols (1975 - 78), the punk group McLaren had brought together to exploit what he saw as youth culture's readiness for a protest-based band.

The break up of the Sex Pistols and punk's rapid absorption into the mainstream left Westwood feeling disillusioned. Turning 40, and with a new interest in 'high' culture, she felt drawn to more subtle means of subverting the establishment, and began to look for different versions of an outsider aesthetic. Her and McLaren's next collection, and the first they took to the catwalk, was Pirate (Autumn/Winter 1981). With clothes that evoked what has often been described as an "age of highwaymen, dandies and buccaneers", the collection was named for its "plundering of ideas and colours from other places and periods". It featured loose-bottomed, wide-striped Bucaneer trousers, and oversized shirts worn with draped sashes. Partly inspired by Westwood's interest in silhouettes and portrait paintings of the 17th and 18th century, what became known as the 'New Romantic' look was hugely influential, and filtered quickly through to the mainstream via some of the era's leading musical acts.

Westwood relied less and less on McLaren's direct input for her next set of collections, which were all inspired by images of indigenous people she'd seen in the pages of National Geographic magazine. The most influential was Buffalo Girls/Nostalgia of Mud (Autumn/Winter 1982). Intended to demonstrate how western culture is rooted in that of various earlier societies, the collection fused Westwood's interest in historical costume with references to traditional South and North American cultures, in particular the full pleated skirts or 'polleras' and small bowler hats worn by Aymara women of the Central Andes, South America, known as Cholas or 'Cholitas'.

In an era when structured power suits were de rigueur, Westwood's collection showcased a muddy-coloured array of garments all based on a softly tailored silhouette: tattered, hip-slung dirndl skirts, woollen dresses with right-angle sleeves and raw-cut, drop-shouldered sheepskin jackets worn with crumpled felt hats. The collection was also the first to introduce underwear as outerwear, with 1950s-style satin bras worn over dresses.

After Buffalo Girls came Punkature. Launched in autumn 1982 - a period during which Westwood and McLaren split up - it featured distressed, recycled-looking 'hillbilly' garments in pre-washed and over-printed materials. Westwood described working on this show as a turning point - the first time she thought of herself as a designer, and more than "just an interpreter of Malcolm's ideas". Westwood and McLaren's last official collaboration was Witches (Autumn/Winter 1983). Sparked by images of Haitian voodoo, this collection harnessed the "magical, esoteric sign language" of New York graffiti artist Keith Haring, printing his images on boldly graphic, stretch-fabric bodies and tube skirts. It also featured oversized garments that "pushed and pulled and slightly fell off", innovatively tailored double-breasted jackets with hugely extended shoulders, and unisex cream-cotton macs with exaggerated, bat-wing sleeves.

With support from her new business partner, Italian fashion publicist Carlo D'Amario, Westwood gradually extricated herself from what had become a toxic business relationship with McLaren, and continued to produce collections. Marking Westwood's growing international reputation, her Hypnos collection (Spring/Summer 1984), made out of synthetic sports fabrics, was shown at the Best of Five global fashion awards in Tokyo. The Hypnos signature look was the bodysuit. Based on professional footballers' shirts, this cheekily provocative 'extended T-shirt' featured an exposed jockstrap, and became popular as club wear on London's gay scene.

The Mini-Crini collection (Spring/Summer 1985) marked what Westwood described as a "cardinal change" - a shift towards tailoring and "things that fitted" - and a more deliberate focus on reworking ideas taken from historical dress. The stand-out garment of Mini-Crini was Westwood's short, bell-shaped skirt - another cheekily sexual garment that combined the outline of a child's party frock with an abbreviated version of the Victorian crinoline. Other influential Westwood designs from the mid-1980s include the corsets-as-outerwear and fitted Savile jackets of Harris Tweed (Autumn/Winter 1987).

For Time Machine (Autumn/Winter 1988), Westwood made precisely constructed reworkings of styles taken from traditional English tailoring, such as the Norfolk suit (a belted jacket worn with knee breeches). This collection also featured articulated metallic jackets and corsets with removable sleeves that were inspired by medieval armour. The final collection of the 1980s, Voyage to Cythera (Autumn/Winter 1989), was a gift to the tabloid press: many of the models were skirtless, wearing thick white tights overprinted with a strategically placed metallic fig leaf.

Westwood's striking early 90s collection Cut, Slash and Pull (Spring/Summer 1991) looked to Tudor portraiture for inspiration, specifically the 16th-century practice of cutting and pricking to reveal underlying layers. In Westwood's version, it was bare skin that was exposed. Other garments included dresses of slashed voile and a decidedly modern take on the codpiece, nestled on the front of slashed silk pants trimmed with gigantic faux-fur bobbles and worn with a plunging fur-trimmed bodice and full-length gloves.

Although she was often judged 'uncommercial', Westwood remained undeterred, buoyed up by acclaim from the fashion industry, including a Womenswear Designer of the Year award from the British Fashion Council in both 1990 and 1991. Her ideas often hit the mainstream very quickly, and she had begun to make a significant amount of money from her London shops and international sales. In 1992 she was recognised by the Establishment with an OBE.

For the remainder of the 1990s, Westwood mixed teaching, new commercial relationships, and, in her couture collections, the expression of a new form of elegance - condemning what she called the 'ugly casualness' of much of contemporary fashion. She began to focus on the historical exchange of styles across the English Channel, mixing English "tailoring and easy charm" with French "solidity of design and proportion". Between 1993 and 1999 she produced several memorable reinterpretations of the past, including the clan tartans of Anglomania (Autumn/Winter 1993), the cushion bustles of Café Society (Spring/Summer 1994) and the gigantic sack-back gowns of Les Femmes ne connaissant pas toute leur coquetterie (Spring/Summer 1996), which were inspired by garments in paintings by French Rococo painter Jean-Antoine Watteau.

Since the beginning of the new millennium, Westwood built a hugely popular fashion brand, with shops across the globe and a number of separate fashion lines, as well as separate knitwear, accessories and perfume lines. Her work has been the subject of many major museum retrospectives (including at the V&A in 2004) and she continued to produce and show regular collections, as well as take more of a focus on activism, addressing issues including climate change, civil liberties and nuclear disarmament. In March 2016, Westwood handed over the reigns of her Gold Label line to her husband Andreas Kronthaler, who had worked alongside her for many years. They continued to design the main lines together, though the Gold Label became officially called Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood. She became a Dame in 2006.

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Vivienne Westwood: punk, new romantic and beyond · V&A

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A round-up of key looks and moments from Vivienne Westwood's career, from her punk era collaboration with Malcolm McLaren, through new romantic style and beyond

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Vivienne's signature styles and looks throughout the years - A style file from Vogue.

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From activist to acclaimed fashion designer - a look at Vivienne Westwood's style

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Vivienne Westwood - The Person

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Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 - 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ranked her the 4th most influential artist in Britain of the last 50 years.

Westwood came to public notice when she made clothes for the boutique that she and Malcolm McLaren ran on King's Road, which became known as SEX. Their ability to synthesize clothing and music shaped the 1970s UK punk scene, which included McLaren's band, the Sex Pistols. She viewed punk as a way of "seeing if one could put a spoke in the system".

Westwood opened four shops in London and eventually expanded throughout Britain and the world, selling a varied range of merchandise, some of which promoted her political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups.

Westwood was born in the village of Tintwistle, Cheshire, on 8 April 1941. She was the daughter of Gordon Swire and Dora Swire (née Ball), who had married two years previously, two weeks after the outbreak of the Second World War. At the time of Vivienne's birth, her father was employed as a storekeeper in an aircraft factory; he had previously worked as a greengrocer.

In 1958, her family moved to Harrow, Greater London. Westwood took a jewelry and silversmith course at the University of Westminster, then known as the Harrow Art School, but left after one term, saying: "I didn't know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make a living in the art world". After taking a job in a factory and studying at a teacher-training college, she became a primary-school teacher. During this period, she created her own jewelry, which she sold at a stall on Portobello Road.

In 1962, she met Derek Westwood, a Hoover factory apprentice, in Harrow. They married on 21 July 1962; Westwood made her own wedding dress. In 1963, she gave birth to a son, Benjamin.

Westwood's marriage to Derek ended after she met Malcolm McLaren. Westwood and McLaren moved to Thurleigh Court in Balham, where their son Joseph Corré was born in 1967. Westwood continued to teach until 1971 and also created clothes which McLaren designed. McLaren became manager of the punk band the Sex Pistols, and subsequently the two garnered attention as the band wore Westwood's and McLaren's designs.

Westwood was one of the architects of the punk fashion phenomenon of the 1970s, saying "I was messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a spoke in the system in some way". Westwood's emergence as a designer who made garments that reflected the economic, social, and political contexts of 1970s Britain coincided with a disillusioned youth, who developed a unique style of dress and musical expression which was instantly identifiable through its aesthetic and sound.

Westwood's boutique, originally managed with McLaren, was a meeting place for early members of the London punk scene. The boutique regularly changed names and interior design through the 1970s to fit with collections and design inspirations. It remains in its original location at 430 Kings Road, Chelsea, London (under the name Worlds End since 1979, following a short period of closure in the 1980s) to this day.

McLaren and Westwood were keen entrepreneurs, and their designs sold in their boutique - named Let It Rock, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die, and subsequently Seditionares - helped to define and market the punk look at the exact moment that it exploded in popularity on the streets of London. Westwood's designs during the Punk Era and thereafter were informed by historicism; the V&A describing Westwood as "a meticulous researcher". Westwood began challenging gender norms and promoting experimentation in her designs, which at the outset were created in collaboration with McLaren.

Initially, Westwood created garments refencing the dress of the 1950s Teddy Boys, which were worn by McLaren. Upon opening Let It Rock in 1971, the first incarnation of Westwood and McLaren's boutique, early creations for the shop incorporated such influences reminiscent of the youth subculture fashions of the 1950s. Inspired by the rebellious nature of the 1950s youth, Let It Rock referenced the clothing, music, and décor of the immediate postwar era.

In 1972, Let It Rock was refashioned into Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die, in homage to the death of James Dean. Though design references for garments retailed under Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die focussed on the rocker aesthetic of the 1960s, the boutique still sold Teddy Boy inspired garments under the Let It Rock label. The new politically leaning design inspirations for Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die were conveyed through Westwood's sleeveless T-shirts, bearing various statements such as 'PERV' and 'ROCK', created using a combination of safety pins, chicken bones, and glitter glue.

Two years later, in 1974, Westwood and McLaren's boutique was re-modelled, and reopened as SEX. Pieces sold in SEX were intentionally abrasive and challenging, with designs grounded in fetish and sado-masochism, seeking to provoke a comfortable middle class and inspire young punks into political action by challenging the status quo. Garments retailed at SEX included skirts and dresses made from rubber.

SEX became a meeting point at the centre of the punk scene, and transformed into Seditionaries in 1976. Clothing retailed at Seditionaries (Seditionaries: Clothes for Heroes) retained the familiar references of SEX, including historicism, the challenging of gender norms, and fetish. However, Seditionaries pieces were made from different cloths and fibres. The development of Westwood signatures - bondage trousers covered with straps to restrict, 'unravelling' loose-knit jumpers made of mohair, and long-sleeved tops fashioned from soft muslins, which featured graphic screen printed designs and fastenings to the sleeves to give the effect of a straight-jacket - during this period quickly became archetypal punk staples.

Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren hand screen-printed cotton dress and sash, Pirate collection, 1981. Museum of Art Rhode Island Design, tl 2008-2.

Westwood was disenchanted with the direction that adoptees had taken punk in, many of them uninterested in punk's political values, viewing the style of the movement as a marketing opportunity instead of a medium for radical change; with the dissolution of the Sex Pistols, Westwood's inspiration for her eponymous line shifted instead to the 18th century.

Westwood's designs were independent and represented a statement of her own values. She collaborated on occasion with Gary Ness, who assisted Westwood with inspirations and titles for her collections.

McLaren and Westwood's first fashion collection to be shown to the media and potential international buyers was Pirate. Subsequently, their partnership, which was underlined by the fact that both their names appeared on all labelling, produced collections in Paris and London with the thematic titles Savages (shown late 1981), Buffalo/Nostalgia Of Mud (shown spring 1982), Punkature (shown late 1982), Witches (shown early 1983) and Worlds End 1984 (later renamed Hypnos, shown late 1983). After the partnership with McLaren was dissolved, Westwood showed one more collection under the Worlds End label: Clint Eastwood (late 1984-early 1985).

The 'Mini-Crini,' 1985-87

She dubbed the period 1981-85 "New Romantic" (during which time she created the famous look of the band Adam and the Ants) and 1988-91 as "The Pagan Years" during which "Vivienne's heroes changed from punks and ragamuffins to Tatler girls wearing clothes that parodied the upper class". From 1985 to 1987, Westwood took inspiration from the ballet to design the mini-crini, an abbreviated version of the Victorian crinoline. Its mini-length, bouffant silhouette inspired the puffball skirts widely presented by more established designers such as Christian Lacroix. The mini-crini was described in 1989 as a combination of two conflicting ideals - the crinoline, representing a "mythology of restriction and encumbrance in woman's dress", and the miniskirt, representing an "equally dubious mythology of liberation".

In 2007, Westwood was approached by the Chair of King's College London, Patricia Rawlings, to design an academic gown for the college after it had successfully petitioned the Privy Council for the right to award degrees. In 2008, the Westwood-designed academic dresses for King's College were unveiled. On the gowns, Westwood commented: "Through my reworking of the traditional robe I tried to link the past, the present and the future. We are what we know."

Academic dress of King's College London in different colours, designed and presented by Westwood in 2008

Westwood worked closely with Richard Branson to design uniforms for the Virgin Atlantic crew. The uniform for the female crew consisted of a red suit, which accentuated the women's curves and hips, and had strategically placed darts around the bust area. The men's uniform consisted of a grey and burgundy three-piece suit with details on the lapels and pockets. Westwood and Branson were both passionate about using sustainable materials throughout their designs to reduce the impact on the environment and so used recycled polyester.

In March 2012, Vivienne Westwood Group reached agreement to end a long-standing UK franchise relationship with Manchester-based Hervia, which operated seven stores for the fashion chain. The deal brought to a conclusion a legal dispute, which included Hervia issuing High Court proceedings for alleged breach of contract, after Westwood sought to end the franchise deal before the agreed term. The subsequent transition of some of the Hervia stores to Westwood, along with cost-savings, was credited for a jump in Vivienne Westwood Ltd's pre-tax profits by nearly a factor of 10, to £5 million from £527,683 the previous year.

The next year, the company announced: "Over the last year margins have been under pressure due to the nature of wider retail conditions."

Vivienne Westwood store in Cardiff in 2014

Shortly after, Westwood announced she would cease further expansion of her business as a way of tackling environmental and sustainability issues.

In March 2015, the company announced that it would open a three-story outpost in midtown Manhattan in New York City. This was followed by a new 3,200-square-foot (300 m ²) shop in a building also housing the company's offices and showrooms in Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, opening in early 2016.

As of December 2015, Vivienne Westwood Ltd operated 12 retail stores in the UK, including an outlet store in Bicester Village. There were 63 Westwood shops worldwide including nine in China, nine in Hong Kong, 18 in South Korea, six in Taiwan, two in Thailand, and two in the United States.

Accounts for Vivienne Westwood Ltd showed that since 2011, the company had continued to pay £2 million a year to offshore company Latimo for the right to use Westwood's name on her own fashion label. Latimo, which Westwood controlled as the majority shareholder in her companies, was set up in 2002. Such arrangements, while legal, were against the Green Party policy to eliminate use of tax havens such as Luxembourg. In March 2015, Westwood said, "It is important to me that my business affairs are in line with my personal values. I am subject to UK tax on all of my income". Later in 2015, she said that she had restructured her corporate tax arrangements to try to align them with the Green Party's policy.

In 1993, Westwood designed many of the colorful suits and outfits Duran Duran wore during their tour for The Wedding Album, as well as those that appeared in the three videos for that album: "Ordinary World", "Come Undone" and "Too Much Information".

Marion Cotillard wore a Westwood red satin strapless dress at the London premiere of her film Public Enemies in 2009. In 2013, she wore a Westwood Couture pink and ivory striped dress at the Chopard lunch in Cannes.

In Final Fantasy XV, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret's wedding dress was designed by Westwood.

Westwood's designs were featured in the 2008 film adaptation of the television series Sex and the City. In the film, Carrie Bradshaw becomes engaged to long-term lover Mr. Big. Being a writer at , she is invited by her editor to model wedding dresses, including a design made by Westwood. The dress is subsequently sent to Carrie as a gift, with a handwritten note from Westwood herself, and Carrie decides to use the Westwood gown. The wedding dress has been described as one of the movie's most iconic features, leading Westwood to approach the producers about being involved in making a sequel. A version of the dress was subsequently made available for purchase on Net-a-porter, and sold out in a matter of hours. It was available as a knee-length version.

In April 1989, Westwood appeared on the cover of dressed as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The suit that Westwood wore had been ordered for Thatcher but not yet delivered. The cover, which bore the caption "This woman was once a punk", was included in The Guardian list of the best ever UK magazine covers.

In September 2005, Westwood joined forces with the British civil rights group Liberty and launched exclusive limited design T-shirts and baby wear bearing the slogan I AM NOT A TERRORIST, please don't arrest me. She said she was supporting the campaign and defending habeas corpus. "When I was a schoolgirl, my history teacher, Mr. Scott, began to take classes in civic affairs. The first thing he explained to us was the fundamental rule of law embodied in habeas corpus. He spoke with pride of civilisation and democracy. The hatred of arbitrary arrest by the lettres de cachet of the French monarchy caused the storming of the Bastille. We can only take democracy for granted if we insist on our liberty", she said. The sale of the £50 T-shirts raised funds for the organisation. Westwood stated on television in 2007 that she had transferred her long-standing support for the Labour Party to the Conservatives, due to concerns about civil liberties and human rights.

On Easter Sunday 2008, she campaigned in person at the biggest Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament demonstration in ten years, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, Berkshire.

Westwood at the Life Ball in Vienna in 2011

The next year, she cut off her hair to highlight the dangers of climate change. She also appeared in a PETA ad campaign to promote World Water Day and vegetarianism, drawing attention to the meat industry's water consumption.

In January 2015, Westwood stated her support of the Green Party: "I am investing in the Green Party because I believe it is in the best interests of our country and our economy". It was reported that she had donated £300,000 to fund the party's election campaign. In February 2015, Westwood was announced as the special guest on the Greens' We Are The Revolution campaigning tour of English universities in such cities as Liverpool, Norwich, Brighton and Sheffield. On the eve of the tour, Westwood was excluded from appearing by the youth wing of the Green Party due to her avoidance of UK corporate tax, which contravened party policy on usage of off-shore tax havens. She later condemned this as "a wasted opportunity" for the Greens. "I wasn't pure enough for them", she wrote in her online diary. Subsequently, Westwood switched her support to campaigning on behalf of Nigel Askew, the 'We are the Reality Party' candidate opposing UKIP leader Nigel Farage in the Kent constituency of Thanet South. Askew polled 126 votes in the election.

In June 2017, Westwood endorsed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for the 2017 general election. She said, "I'm excited about the Labour Party manifesto because it's all about the fair distribution of wealth." She added "Jeremy clearly wants to go green and creating a fair distribution of wealth is the place to start, from there we can build a green economy which will secure our future." In November 2019, along with other public figures, Westwood signed a letter supporting Corbyn that described him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the 2019 UK general election.

In a 2007 interview, Westwood spoke out against what she perceived as the "drug of consumerism". She said: "I don't feel comfortable defending my clothes. But if you've got the money to afford them, then buy something from me. Just don't buy too much" in response to claims that anti-consumerism and fashion contradict each other.

Later, Westwood created a manifesto called Active Resistance to Propaganda, which she said deals with the pursuit of art in relation to the human predicament and climate change. She claimed that her manifesto "penetrates to the root of the human predicament and offers the underlying solution. We have the choice to become more cultivated and therefore more human - or by muddling along as usual we shall remain the destructive and self-destroying animal, the victim of our own cleverness." The manifesto was read by Westwood at a number of venues including the London Transport Museum and distributed after readings as a booklet. It was then written in the form of a play and staged at the Bloomsbury Ballroom by Forbidden London and Dave West on 4 December 2009. It starred Michelle Ryan and a number of other British actors.

Westwood's manifesto was criticized by eco-activists who claimed that despite her calls to save the environment, she herself made no concessions to making her clothing or her business eco-friendly.

Westwood was a longtime supporter of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, and called for his release from custody. In June 2013, Westwood dedicated one of her collections to Chelsea Manning and at her fashion show she and all her models wore large image badges of Manning with the word "Truth" under her picture. In 2012, she used her appearances at London Fashion Week to push for Assange's release by presenting "I am Julian Assange" t-shirts. She visited him several times during his political asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and in Belmarsh Prison after his arrest in April 2019. In July 2020, she protested outside London's Old Bailey court against Assange's possible extradition to the United States by wearing a yellow pantsuit and suspending herself in a giant birdcage. Describing herself as the canary in the coal mine, she said she was "half-poisoned already from government corruption of law and gaming of the legal system by government".

Criticism by Eluxe Magazine over sustainability of Westwood clothing

In 2013, sustainable luxury fashion publication Eluxe Magazine accused Westwood of using the green movement as a marketing tool because some of Westwood's fashion and accessories lines are made in the People's Republic of China. These were found to include PVC, polyester, rayon and viscose, all derived from harmful chemicals. Eluxe wrote that, despite Westwood's statements that consumers should 'buy less', her company produces nine collections a year compared to the average designer's two. Eluxe accused Westwood of using unpaid interns in her fashion house and making them work over 40 hours per week and wrote that some interns complained about their treatment by the fashion house.

Westwood was also a noted author or co-author of books, such as Fashion in Art: The Second Empire and Impressionism, in which she explored the worlds of fashion and the arts and the links between them.

Vivienne Westwood Opus 2008 limited edition was published for London Fashion Week 2008, documents Westwood's work and is also a unique work of art. The book measures 35.4 by 25.2 inches (90 cm × 64 cm), weighs 44 pounds (20 kg), with a total limited edition of 900. There are 9 different covers and titles each numbered 1 to 100: manifesto, cockroach propaganda, pirate squiggle, propaganda eyes, I am expensive, AR-Vivienne Westwood, innocent, active resistance to propaganda and union jack. The Opus contains 97 large-format Polaroid photographs, each measuring 19.7 by 23.6 inches (50 cm × 60 cm). The subjects include Westwood, her friends and models, including Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Jerry Hall, Georgina May-Jagger, the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, Tim Burton, Sir Bob Geldof, Jasmine Guinness, and Helena Bonham Carter.

In the 1992 Birthday Honours, Westwood was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to fashion design. She received her medal from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace; at the ceremony, Westwood wore nothing but sheer tights with a reinforced bikini top under her skirt, which was later captured by a photographer in the courtyard of the Palace. Westwood later said, "I wished to show off my outfit by twirling the skirt. It did not occur to me that, as the photographers were practically on their knees, the result would be more glamorous than I expected," and added: "I have heard that the picture amused the Queen." Westwood advanced from OBE to Dame Commander of the same Order (DBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours "for services to British fashion", and earned the award for British Designer of the Year on three occasions.

Westwood was awarded a Fellowship at King's College London in 2007, and in 2008 she designed 20 new academic gowns and hoods for King's students to wear at their graduation ceremonies. In 2008, Heriot-Watt University awarded Westwood an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters for her contribution to the industry and use of Scottish textiles.

In January 2011, Westwood was featured in a Canadian-made television documentary called Vivienne Westwood's London in which she takes the viewer through her favourite parts of London, including the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Wallace Collection, Whitechapel (accompanied by Sara Stockbridge), Hampton Court, the London Symphony Orchestra, Brixton Market and Electric Avenue, and the National Gallery.

In 2012, Westwood was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork - the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover - to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admires. Also in 2012, Westwood was chosen as one of The New Elizabethans to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A panel of seven academics, journalists and historians named Westwood among a group of 60 people in the UK "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character". A tartan outfit designed by Westwood featured on a commemorative UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail in 2012, celebrating Great British Fashion.

In October 2014, the authorised biography Vivienne Westwood by Ian Kelly was published by Picador. Paul Gorman described it as "sloppy" and "riddled with inaccuracies" on the basis of multiple errors in the book including misspelling the names of popular rock stars "Jimmy" Hendrix and Pete "Townsend" and misidentifying the date of the Sex Pistols' first concert and McLaren's age when he died. Regarding Gorman's claims, Picador publisher Paul Baggaley told The Bookseller: "We always take very seriously any errors that are brought to our attention and, where appropriate, correct them." A spokesman for Macmillan Publishers, which published an Australian edition of the biography, confirmed that the matter was being handled by the publisher's lawyers.

In 2018, a documentary film about Westwood, called Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, premiered. The next year, Isabel Sanches Vegara wrote and Laura Callaghan illustrated Vivienne Westwood, one of the series, Little People, Big Dreams, published by Frances Lincoln Publishing.

In 2022, the documentary ''ART LOVERS UNITE!'' starring Vivienne Westwood, directed by Patrick J. Thomas & Dacob, had its world premiere at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival in Australia.

Westwood had two children. Ben Westwood (born 1963) is her son with first husband Derek Westwood; he is a photographer of erotica. Her second son, Joseph Corré (born 1967) with second husband Malcolm McLaren, is the founder of lingerie brand Agent Provocateur.

For 30 years, Westwood lived in an ex- council flat on Nightingale Lane, Clapham. In 2000, Kronthaler convinced her to move into a Queen Anne style house in Clapham, that was built in 1703, and which once belonged to the mother of Captain Cook. She was a keen gardener and a vegetarian. She identified spiritually as a Taoist.

To celebrate her 80th birthday, Westwood was commissioned by CIRCA, an art platform founded in 2020 by British-Irish artist Josef O'Connor, to present a new video work on the Piccadilly Lights screen in Piccadilly Circus, London. In the ten-minute film created with her brother, the punk icon performed a rewritten rendition of "Without You" from My Fair Lady to offer a stark warning of societal indifference to the looming environmental catastrophes, a call against the arms trade, and its link to climate change: "I have a plan 2 save the World. Capitalism is a war economy + war is the biggest polluter, therefore Stop War + change economy 2 fair distribution of wealth at the same time: NO MANS LAND. Let's be clear, U + I can't stop war just like that. But we can stop arms production + that would halt climate change cc + financial Crash. Long term this will stop war". In an interview with The Guardian, her husband Andreas Kronthaler was quoted as saying, "It was a beautiful day because for once she let herself enjoy it."

Former Sex Pistols guitarist Glen Matlock paid tribute to Westwood on Twitter, stating that it was "a privilege to have rubbed shoulders with her in the mid '70s at the birth of punk and the waves it created that still resound today for the disaffected." Chrissie Hynde, singer and guitarist of The Pretenders, who had previously been employed as a shop assistant by Westwood and McLaren at SEX during the 1970s, tweeted: "Vivienne is gone and the world is already a less interesting place." Others who paid tribute to Westwood on social media included singer Simon LeBon from Duran Duran, Boy George, comedian Russell Brand, former Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Holly Johnson, pop band Bananarama, singer and multimedia artist Yoko Ono, singer Paul McCartney, and the fashion house Alexander McQueen.

The National Portrait Gallery holds 18 images of Westwood taken between 1990 and 2014, including those by Mario Testino, Jane Bown, Juergen Teller, Anne-Katrin Purkiss, and Martin Parr.

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Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 - 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ranked her the 4th most influential artist in Britain of the last 50 years.

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Getting an overall feel for Vivienne's style, prices, fabrics.

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Vivienne Westwood® Online | Clothing and Accessories

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Explore the Official Vivienne Westwood® Online Boutique. Discover luxury garments and designer jewellery, including bold silhouettes and punk-inspired pieces, across women and men’s clothes and accessories.

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The fashion and art industries have always enjoyed a harmonious relationship-think of Yves Saint Laurent's 1960s Piet Mondrian dresses or Elsa Schiaparelli's Salvador Dalí lobster gown from 1937.

The latest collaboration to add to the list: Stella McCartney recently teamed up with American artist Ed Ruscha on a new ad campaign. McCartney is a fan of the artist-they starred together in one of Sundance's Iconoclast episodes in 2008.

Known for his enigmatic use of text in his paintings, Ruscha superimposed phrases like "NO LEATHERS FEATURES OR FUR," "VEG OUT," and "MEAT FREE" over images of model Amber Valletta. The words and the choice of model (Valletta is an advocate of ethical fashion) are a show of commitment to McCartney's stance on cruelty-free fashion.

In honor of the campaign, which will appear in the September magazine issues, let's take a look back at our five favorite fashion collaborations to date.
Comme des Garçons and Cindy Sherman
In 1994, American photographer Cindy Sherman collaborated with Japanese label Comme des Garçons on its ad campaign. Sherman, who is known to dress up as exaggerated female and male archetypes in her photos, personified different characters and disjointed mannequins while wearing CDG's latest collection. Sherman has worked with other companies since then, among them Chanel, Marc Jacobs, and Balenciaga.

Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama
Back in 2006, while filming Loïc Prigent's documentary Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, Jacobs went to Tokyo to meet the mythical Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. He called the day "charming and special." Six years later, they released a capsule collection featuring bags, shoes, coats, and dresses covered in the artist's trademark polka dots. Following the launch, Kusama designed custom installations for Louis Vuitton's New York flagship store, which coincided with her retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

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Stella McCartney x Ed Ruscha and Other Memorable Fashion and Art Collaborations

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The fashion and art industries have always enjoyed a harmonious relationship-think of Yves Saint Laurent's 1960s Piet Mondrian dresses or Elsa Schiaparelli's Salvador Dalí lobster gown from 1937. The latest collaboration to add to the list: Stella McCartney recently teamed up with American artist Ed Ruscha on a new ad campaign.

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Competitor collaboration

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LOUIS VUITTON has finally unveiled its Yayoi Kusama collection in its entirety, ahead of its store landing date tomorrow, and we have it here to show you. SEE THE COLLECTION IN FULL Bold, playful and not for the faint-hearted, the offering features the artist's signature bold spots - which cover every item, from bags to dresses. The range is the house's most significant artist collaboration since it teamed up with Steven Sprouse in 2001 to create his now-iconic graffiti bags. Highlights from the Kusama collection include a yellow drop-waisted dress with a frill skirt; cropped trousers in red and black; classic trench coats, given a surreal twist with the artist's vibrant spots; and silk scarves - which offer a more subtle way to buy into the collection. SEE THE COLLECTION HERE Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs first met 83-year-old Kusama in 2006 and became enraptured by her "endless energy" and her ability to create, through her work, a " world that never ends". The first instalment of the collaboration will be followed by a second collection, which will launch in Selfridges on August 24. WATCH JACOBS' FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MEETING KUSUMA YOU SHOULD SEE: What Jacobs thinks of the collection... YOU SHOULD SEE: Yayoi Kusama's best-known work...

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LOUIS VUITTON has finally unveiled its Yayoi Kusama collection in its entirety, ahead of its store landing date tomorrow, and we have it here to show you. SEE THE COLLECTION IN FULL Bold, playful and not for the faint-hearted, the offering features the artist's signature bold spots - which cover every item, from bags to dresses.

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Competitor collaboration, what are they doing well? Selfridges store space.

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Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama extend collaboration to Selfridges concept store

Kusama fever has been spreading for a while, and it's officially in its most virulent stage. The Japanese artist, who created a spectacularly dotty limited-edition cover for our W*159 June issue, has been the subject of a worldwide retrospective that this year toured to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London and New York's Whitney Museum. The infection has spread to the fashion realm too, with her iconic polka dot patterns being picked up on a line of leather goods and a small ready-to-wear collection for Louis Vuitton, launched in July.

The 84-year-old artist's assured collaboration with the French fashion house - for which she has also been commissioned to create a series of 'worldwide windows' for its stores around the globe - is arguably Louis Vuitton's smartest artistic coup to date. Now they've extended the collaboration to London's Selfridges.

Twenty-four windows of the department store have been polka-dotted by the artist. Louis Vuitton and Kusama have essentially 'taken over' Selfridges in celebration of the second wave of the collection, which will hold court exclusively in store until 19 October, when it will then be available in Louis Vuitton stores.

The dotty assault, a signature the contemporary art maven has used to define her paintings, sculptures and installations through the years, continues inside Selfridges' Concept Store - a space designed to house ephemeral special projects such as this. Here, giant be-dotted pumpkin structures - another hallmark of her work - frame Louis Vuitton 's new collection by Kusama, which all feature repeated patterns in a colour-pop of vibrant hues.

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Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama extend collaboration to Selfridges concept store

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Kusama fever has been spreading for a while, and it's officially in its most virulent stage. The Japanese artist, who created a spectacularly dotty limited-edition cover for our W*159 June issue, has been the subject of a worldwide retrospective that t...

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Inspiring art x fashion collaborations

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Art and fashion are two fields of ongoing innovation and creative expression. Yet they are decidedly distinct from another: while art is free from any restrictions, fashion is bound to the demands of a fast-paced industry. Naturally, fashion designers have repeatedly turned to art to imbue their creations with this flair of artistic freedom, giving way to sensational art-meets-fashion collaborations. Follow along some of the most iconic pairings between these two worlds...

1. Elsa Schapiarelli x Salvador Dalí

Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalì, Lobster dress (1937)

The "Organza Dinner Dress with Painted Lobster" is probably one of the earliest collaborations between a fashion designer and an artist. Designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí, this quirky, yet elegant piece is the result of a fruitful collaboration between these two creative minds. Worn by Wallis Simpson for a Vogue spread in 1937, the dress is considered to be one of the most iconic garments of that era.

2. Longchamp x Tracy Emin

Dubbed as "monster bags" by some critics, this accessory line was designed by Tracey Emin in collaboration with Longchamp. Coinciding with their 10th anniversary, the French luxury brand invited the British artist to design a bag collection that featured some of her signature techniques, like patchwork, destroyed textiles, and painting. Drawing from Emin's confessional work, the designer bags were linked to a love story, in which a woman would travel from one city to another in search of an "international love".

3. Rei Kawakubo x Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham, Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body, 1997.

As the creative director of Comme des Garçons, Rei Kawakubo has always been known for her concept-driven approach to design that blurs the lines between fashion and art. Inspired by legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham, she created the groundbreaking 'Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body' Summer/Spring collection in 1997. A stunning interplay between contemporary dance and avant-garde fashion that reimagines the body.

4. Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince

Richard Prince, Nurse Barclay's Dilemma, 2002 (left); Spring/Summer 2008 Louis Vuitton collection (right)

For the Spring/Summer 2008 Louis Vuitton collection, Marc Jacobs and Richard Prince decided to bring the artist's recent iconography to life. A nod to his famous Nurse paintings, the models walked down the runway dressed in see-through nurse dresses. Other references to Prince's art were worked into the LV bags - a coup that had previously proven successful with the famous Takashi Murakami x LV bag collection, as we will see in the following.

5. Yeezy x Vanessa Beecroft

From dressing her performers in Gucci bikinis to collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Vanessa Beecroft was no stranger to the fashion world when Kanye West invited her to collaborate with him on his Season 3 Yeezy collection in 2016. Together they staged a performance for the Yeezy runway show, which showcased hundreds of performers dressed in West's uniform like designs.

6. Prada x Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset

Elmgreen & Dragset, Prada Marfa, 2005

Set against the stunning scenery of the Texas desert, this site-specific installation is Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset's ironic take on luxury shopping. Echoing the design of Prada stores you can find in the most elegant neighborhoods around the world, the installation, succinctly titled "Prada Marfa", displays the brand's Spring/Summer 2005 collection. Since its creation, the piece has become a site of cultural pilgrimage to art lovers, but also victim to repeated vandalism.

7. Alexander McQueen x Damien Hirst

It was the shared skull iconography that prompted British fashion house Alexander McQueen to enlist controversial art market star Damien Hirst for a collaboration. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand's iconic skull print scarf, Hirst created a limited edition of 30 designs adapted from his Entomology series. In this collection, the butterflies and insects that populate the artist's Dante inspired aesthetic are laid out to create Alexander McQueen's skull motif.

8. Stella McCartney x Ed Ruscha

In 2016, American artist Ed Ruscha lent his signature style to Stella McCartney's winter campaign, #Stellacares. Reflecting the fashion designer's cruelty-free production ethics, the campaign images shot by photographer Harley Weir were superimposed with phrases such as "Meat-free" and "Veg out" in Ruscha's characteristic 'Boy Scout Utility Modern,' a sans serif style font, which he created in the 1980s and became a central component of his work.

9. Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami

Probably one of the most commercially successful fashion-art collaborations, the 2003 Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami accessory collection revealed the economic potential that arises from a collision between fashion and art. Featuring a colourful LV monogram designed by the Japanese pop artist, these bags can safely be considered to be some of the most paradigmatic It Bags of the 2000s.

10. Raf Simons x Robert Mapplethorpe

Shown at the Pitti Uomo in 2017, the Spring/Summer men's wear collection by Raf Simons took inspiration from Robert Mapplethorpe 's incredible photography. Some of the artist's seminal pieces like his Patti Smith portraits, as well as lesser-known, erotic photographs were worked into the garments in print form. But Mapplethorpe's art was also present in more referential ways, like in the white wide-necked shirts that could be seen on the runway in reverence to Smith's androgynous style. Incidentally, it was the Robert Mapplethorpe foundation that reached out to Simons, allowing him to go through the photographer's archive in order to translate his transgressive work into fashion.

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Top 10 Most Iconic Art and Fashion Collaborations - Artland Magazine

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Learn about some of the most iconic pairings between Art and Fashion. What do they have in common and how are they distinct from each other?

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A good designer x artist competitor

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By Dan Thawley March 21, 2016 18:44

PARIS, France - The relationship between artist and fashion designer dates back nearly a century to the bohemians of Paris' cafe society in the 1930s and 1940s: Marcel Vertès imagined whimsical prints for Elsa Schiaparelli's designs, while Salvador Dalí accented them with zany hats and opulent perfume bottles. Since those libertine days of free-for-all collaboration, the fashion industry has assumed the art world as a fair-weather friend, picking and choosing from its boundless creativity to realise - and add value - to everything from capsule collections to boutique installations.

But fast-forward to 2016 and yet another artist collaboration could induce an eye-roll from even the most enthusiastic fashion follower, accustomed as we are to seeing the output of the constant exchange between artists and their fashion friends on scarf prints, jewellery, store furniture and other such elements that help lend their brands a sense of individuality. Be it Marc Quinn's leaf sculpture at the Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2015 show or Takashi Murakami's Louis Vuitton handbags, many of these pairings have had the common thread of mutual fame, a fact that makes Prada's latest choice of collaborator all the more subversive and intriguing.

Beginning with the invitation for her men's Autumn/Winter 2016 show in January and unfolding across both men's and womenswear for the season, Miuccia Prada and her design team plucked Berlin-based Frenchman Christophe Chemin out of near obscurity to create ink and pencil illustrations based on an evolving dialogue between the artist and the fashion house.

Whilst this is far from Chemin's first interaction with the fashion world - Chemin has previously worked with Ann Demeulemeester creative director Sebastien Meunier on performance art pieces in Paris - it is certainly his most public and intensive one, for which he put all other projects on hold since December last year.

For the men's show, these works delved into the classical concerns of European mythology and art history, entwining the symbolism of Greek gods and goddesses with Giotto-style still life works, a Fassbinder-inspired fake movie poster 'Impossible True Love' and a dystopian fantasy of Noah's Ark. Displayed across 1950s style short-sleeved cotton bowling shirts and baggy sailor shirts, with collars unbuttoned and askew, they set the tone for the women's show, one month later, when more artworks came applied to similar shirts (cinched by laced corsets) or patched onto shift dresses, full skirts and a pair of brocade overcoats.

The second round of Chemin's designs took a more focused approach: he chose six months from the French Revolutionary calendar and brought them to life in vivid colour. At the collection 're-see' a day after, editors were given the opportunity to examine the designs up close, where they discovered hand-scrawled titles like 'Fructidor', 'Floréal' and 'Pluviôse' - each linked to the harvest, the weather and the seasons. One design even replicated the eye-shaped tattoos on Chemin's own fingers.

"The artwork was done from the beginning with the knowledge that it would end up being used on clothes," Chemin says. "I don't like the word "prints," because they are not "prints" - they are artworks that I related to Miuccia's visual universe and vocabulary, mixing very personal obsessions of mine with ideas that were directly inspired by her. If you look [at] them up close, there are a multitude of Prada references that I incorporated and played with. There was this consciousness of doing something specifically for her: a direct inspiration. For me, it was an extremely emotional experience to see the artwork on the clothes: used, reframed, layered, cut out and patched. The results are very dense and complex, but still accessible. The clothes are extraordinary."

That those clothes are extraordinary may be the artist's subjective opinion. And while it may ring true, it's perhaps secondary to Prada's concern of creating memorable and covetable signifiers that serve as a visual signature for the season - identifiable to in-the-know fashion followers, but much less obvious than anything like a logo - as well as sustaining the brand's relevance in the circles of art, design, architecture and film. Whilst few previous collaborations have touched the clothes themselves (the Spring 2014 'In The Heart Of The Multitude' collection with illustrated skirts and handbags remains an exception), Prada has implicated a slew of artists in more abstract ways, from ephemeral events such as Francesco Vezzoli's '24h Museum' in Paris (2012) and the pop-up Double Club space by Carsten Höller in London (2008 to 2009) to multimedia projects including films by both Wes Anderson and Roman Polanski. The perpetual partnership with Rem Koolhaas' OMA/AMO design agency is yet another relationship that continues to legitimise Prada as the most intellectual and multidisciplinary brand in fashion, acting as co-guardians to the seasonal canon of projects of which Chemin's work is now a part.

The layers of meaning embedded in Chemin's creations are many, a fact that stems from the creative process he undertook with Miuccia Prada and in-house designer Fabio Zambernardi, who first contacted the artist via Instagram. Rather than providing samples and sketches, Chemin embarked on a complex, philosophical text-based exchange with the pair, one that is displayed in full as a part of an exhibition currently on show at 032c magazine's headquarters in St. Agnes, Berlin. Entitled 'Keep Your Daisies For The Cold Days', a reference to the last word spoken in Pasolini's Salo (1975), the solo show groups Chemin's original artworks for the Prada collaboration with the series of texts (themselves depicted as poems and artworks) and other paraphernalia related to the project. "It feels very natural, like a continuation. It is the 'suite'," Chemin said of the exhibition, which runs until April 25. "Also, it is very democratic to put the original artwork out there for the people to be able to see and experience it. It exists in a physical way. It is not about buying the clothes or not."

The organic inception of this exhibition is what distinguishes it from the multitude of 'experiential' fashion happenings that have become crucial marketing opportunities for megabrands. Unlike 's Little Black Jacket or Louis Vuitton's travelling campaign exhibitions (Series 1 to 4 unfolded with star-studded celebrations across the globe), the show boasts no direct affiliation with Prada, financial or otherwise. In this way it becomes an exceptional example of independent media appropriating and extending the content of a fashion show in an artistic context, allowing an audience to discover the truly profound exchange between two very different creative entities - people whose worlds would have never collided if not for Mrs. Prada's sense of curiosity and an element of risk.

"We have a neurotic relationship with the whole art/fashion complex," explains 032c magazine's founder . "So Christophe's exhibition is almost a case study of what happens when an artist is deeply integrated in the process and there is an actual critical engagement with his work by the fashion designers. The brand happens to be Prada, but the exhibition happened without their involvement."

That said, Prada's relationship with Chemin has not yet come full circle; the house is currently strategising an ambitious multimedia project to unite the two collaborations as one entity. "We will sum up everything that we have been doing with the men's and women's shows as a poetic gesture - the end of a cycle," said the artist. With Instagram credited as the link between the two, we've little doubt that Prada's 7.5 million followers will be privy to more details of the project soon, just as the autumn collections hit stores.

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Behind Prada's Christophe Chemin Collaboration

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By Dan Thawley March 21, 2016 18:44 PARIS, France - The relationship between artist and fashion designer dates back nearly a century to the bohemians of Paris' cafe society in the 1930s and 1940s: Marcel Vertès imagined whimsical prints for Elsa Schiaparelli's designs, while Salvador Dalí accented them with zany hats and opulent perfume bottles.

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An initial insight into my INP project aims, and my experience at the FRA.

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Amy Short L4 Project proposal form_18_19 (1)

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An extremely useful article in Vogue, examining amazing art/fashion collaborations. This was helpful in helping me decide which artist and designer to use, as well as it's competitor collaborations.

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When it comes to fashion's love affair with collaboration, few of its unions sit quite as comfortably as that of leading designers and the art world's most interesting talents. From walking works of art like Yves Saint Laurent's 1965 Modernist collection, which featured his now iconic Piet Mondrian dresses, to complete creative exchanges that become part of a house's DNA (see Kim Jones 's Dior menswear), these increasingly symbiotic relationships are fed by an enduring appetite for artfully erudite couture.
Read more: From Sketch To Catwalk: The Dior SS19 Collection
While many of us consider fashion an art form itself, both industries continue to collaborate to forge deeper creative conversations. Painters, illustrators and photographers have become important contributors to the fashion industry, their input often adding instant value to a collection. The direction is often set by the designer and fuelled by a mutual appreciation of each others' work.

Read more: Inside The World Of Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí were friends who shared such an appreciation, one of the earliest examples of the artistic cross-pollination that designers now seek. The Italian couturier's exquisite surrealist evening gown featured a large Dalí-esque lobster painted across the crotch area - an exploration of sexuality.

Read more: 5 Things To Know About Saint Laurent SS19
The arrival of Andy Warhol in the '60s signaled a new breed of cultural icon that reignited fashion's appetite for art. Yves Saint Laurent and Warhol became friends and collaborators - Warhol painted a series of colourful portraits of the designer, while Saint Laurent designed his autumn/winter 1966 Pop Art collection, a sartorial embodiment of the artistic movement. Countless designers have featured Warhol's work in their collections since - including Gianni Versace, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Raf Simons - cementing his status as fashion's favourite artist.
Read more: Why Prada And Louis Vuitton Are Heading To New York In May
Beyond Warhol's enduring influence, Raf Simons, Miuccia Prada, Marc Jacobs and Kim Jones have continued to call upon lesser-known artists to enhance their creative process - not just referencing the artwork, but featuring it front and centre. Prada's standout collaboration was with French artist Christophe Chemin for the celebrated autumn/winter 2016 menswear collection.

In recent years, Louis Vuitton has been leading the charge in artist collaborations. During his time as creative director, Marc Jacobs helped establish a tradition of partnerships between the French house and global artistic talents. He commissioned Stephen Sprouse to reimagine its monogram print in graffiti form for Vuitton's spring/summer 2001 ready-to-wear collection, and went on to forge a 13-year relationship with Takashi Murakami. The Japanese artist introduced the Multicolore monogram bag in 2003 which quickly became the It bag of the early 2000s. Jacobs was also inspired to work with provocateur Richard Prince for his spring/summer 2008 runway show, which featured models (including Naomi Campbell) dressed as nurses and yet another iteration of the Vuitton cult monogram print. Nicolas Ghesquière, the current creative maestro behind the French label's womenswear lines, has continued to build on this heritage with Vuitton's Masters Series, giving American artist Jeff Koons unprecedented freedom to play with the house's signature canvas.
Read more: Behind The Scenes At Kim Jones's Dior Men Pre-Fall 2019
Elsewhere, former Vuitton menswear designer Kim Jones has begun to establish a similar culture of artistic collaboration at Dior Men. Jones teamed up with New York-based contemporary artist Kaws for his debut collection, which saw the artist reimagine the house's signature bee logo for a capsule collection. Kaws also created a giant version of his BFF character made entirely from flowers that formed part of Jones's runway set, as well as becoming part of Dior Men's SS19 campaign imagery. And Jones's latest pre-fall show in Tokyo featured an imposing 12-metre high robot by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama - the artist also designed a limited-edition bag for the collection.

Art has always influenced fashion, but when designers move beyond references and subtle nods and instead work directly with artists, truly extraordinary and original work is created. Such collections - many now cult collectibles - occupy an exciting new space where the two fields meet, standing not only as works of art in their own right, but as fun, highbrow sartorial offerings that allow designers to create beyond the normal realms of fashion.

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Fashion X Art: The Best Crossovers Of All Time

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When it comes to fashion's love affair with collaboration, few of its unions sit quite as comfortably as that of leading designers and the art world's most interesting talents.