We see it happen in every field. The Knockoff.

In music it’s the illegal downloading that hurts the industry but in fashion sometimes its not so cut and dry. When designers come out with their collections they are fully a product of their creative minds, as wild and as crazy as the clothing may be. What companies like H&M and others such as Forever 21 and Target are doing is kind of harsh to the high-end couture lovers but lets face it we don’t all make six figure paychecks. Fashion is a right every person should have at any budget and while I can sit here and be a snob about how fashion should be for the ones that can afford the couture its not my view at all.

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Diane Von Furstenburg VS Target. Identical or Similar?
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The people that actually think the fashion houses of Paris and Italy are suffering from all of this must be out of their minds. One thing we tend to forget is that Europe will always be far ahead of us with trends and fashion that’s just a fact. By the time such styles make their way to us in retailers such as Target, H&M and others they are already “over” in the European market, so there is no loss to the designers whatsoever. Another thing I should point out is the new development, where these corporations are actually teaming up WITH these designers in order to bring style to those with modest income.

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Feragamo VS. Nine West. Lifted or Inspired?
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Take for example Vera Wang and Karl Lagerfeld, in November of 2004 Lagerfeld’s collection for H&M debuted and sold out in mere hours. We later hear of Lagerfeld’s disappointment when he told Vogue magazine he would never work with the Swedish retail giant again adding “They did not make the clothes in sufficient quantities. I find it embarrassing that H&M let down so many people… I don’t think that is very kind, especially for people in small towns and countries in eastern Europe. It is snobbery created by anti-snobbery.” So you see you cant win them all.

Another fashion great Vera Wang also teamed up with a big chain this time it was the chic Kohls. Wang’s efforts were more effective because even though she took a chance with going to route of a store that had never showcased such a high-end designer, a problem she surely overcame with flying colors. Her line Simply Vera which made its debut in September of 2007 was such a success that it can still be found in Kohls all over the country. It has offered style to girls that couldn’t otherwise afford such luxury and I know of at least three of my girlfriends who wear the collection and love it.

I guess I’ll leave it to the person who really couldn’t have said it better (even if she wasn’t a made up character in a movie). It was the great Miranda Priestly, The Devil who rocked Prada, who said “and then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.”

In my opinion, fashion is for the brave souls who wake up every morning and decide that they are going to take time and make themselves presentable to the outside world. So whether you follow a trend or don’t or whether you shop indie or go the couture route, get up, look fabulous, and read Fashion Indie and you’ll be all set.

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Chloe VS. Urban Outfitters. Oh yeah, you stole this idea!!!

For More Adventures in Copyrights visit Fashionista.com
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Popularity: 9% [?]

If this dude (at left) comes to your show, don’t kick him out.
Loved this story from the New York Post’s Page 6. Beyonce’s bodyguard apparently needed a seat at Vercase’s show in Milan. The idiotic (soon to be fired, I’m sure) PR agent decided to move some “unimportant” guest to make room for the bulky guard. The guest that was kicked out was Bergdorf Goodman’s fashion director Tommy Fazio. Fazio was not pleased. He left the show and canceled his scheduled post-show appointment with the designers reps. Ouch!!!

Let this be a warning to any other designers out there who do a poor job of handling PR, buyers, and editors. If you screw up, you will feel our wrath. And that wrath will have a direct affect on your pocketbook. Hey Tommy, if you’re reading, give us a call. We have a bunch of designers who can fill Vercase’s spot at Goodman’s and we’ll even give you a front row seat.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Not a normal indie piece but an important tidbit for any designer with a signature look or style. “The French shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, has finally won the US trademark on the red laquered soles that characterize his designs.” That’s right indies, that whole red soled shoe thing is now owned. Bet your looking for ways to find your own signature for your lux brand. How about blue suede soles? Pretty sure you wouldn’t step on Elvis’ toes on that one.

Okay, these nails look flippin hot!!! Girls, can you get on this quick?
Another interesting bit on the story is Louboutin’s inspiration for the effect. The signature manicure effect was added to the shoes after Louboutin was inspired by watching an employee applying red nail polish. Nifty, eh?

Popularity: 2% [?]

When it comes down to it, fashion is all about shopping. A designer designs so that you can buy. Big things are changing in fashion as new technology and the pressures of globalization push on the industry forcing traditionalist to baulk and those in the know to grin.
Because of this there are going to be monumental shifts in how we shop, who we shop, and how it’s sold to us. This is really important for designers who are looking to make it in the oh so “in this minute, out the next” world of fashion.

Here are my picks for the eight trends and concepts that will change the way you shop.
1. Death of the Trend

What’s It Mean: Trend reporters and color forecasters were once the gods of influence for any designer looking to create a collection which could be marketed to the masses. Colors were chosen years in advance so that fabric purchasers and creators could have a grasp on what would be “the new black”. Trend reporters would hit the streets of popular cities and scout out what “the cool kids” were wearing so that they could create concise reports which could then be sold for thousands of dollars to big name designers looking to have an “edge”.

Reason: Of all the trends in fashion, the death of the trend is my favorite. The reason it’s going the way of the dodo is cause people who follow trends are lame asses with no sense of personal identity. No one wants to be that, so no one wants to follow trends.

Sorry Winnie.
2. Goodbye Glossies, sort ofWhat’s It Mean: Say goodbye to print. Okay so this isn’t happening as quickly as most bloggers wish it would, but the recent shut down of Jane and a couple other mainstayers has resulted in the larger publishers looking to new ways to distribute content and charge advertisers. The result has been a bigger Style.com, Elle.com, and the acquisition of sites like The Satorialist by Conde Nast.
Reason: Call it information overload. Back in the day glossies controlled very tight channels of distribution through the newsstands. It wasn’t easy for many magazines to compete which kept the big boys, Elle and Vogue, on top. With the Internet, shoppers can now get their fashion advice from multiple sources, the result is a lack of interested in the paper trailers and more daily traffic for sites like FashionIndie.com (muchos gracias daily readers).
3. Personal Shoppers for Everyone

What’s It Mean: Who needs a stylist when the web is ready to do your shopping for you.
Reason: Shopping is becoming personalized in ways that people could not imagine. New sites like ShopItToMe.com, visual search sites like Like.com, and the onslaught of fashion blogs in every possible style subject means that you can finally get the fashion advice you need at the price point you can afford without having to hire a stylist. Great shopping blogs include WhoWhatWear.com and of course, FashionIndie.com.

This avatar owned by an overweight housewife in Cleveland
4. This Avatar Can Shop

What’s It Mean: Fashion is usually behind the times when it comes to new technology, but for once it has the opportunity to get ahead. Avatars are the new fashion accessory that no one can deny.

Reason: This push is mainly due to better computers, faster internet, and designers looking to make more money online. Avatars on sites like Second Life, Stardoll, and other virtual worlds need some diversity so designers are jumping on board to provide them with some exclusive digital threads. Fashion Indie is preparing to launch a service which will soon help designers get digital, cause we know where the fashion world’s going people. That’s right, we got our stuff together.

5. D-I-Y Overdrive

What’s It Mean: Everyone seems to want to be a designer lately, I mean honestly we have a database of 5000 designers and really, not all of them are good, like some are just really, really bad. The designer influx is a big movement as D-I-Y hits the highway and makes everyone a “designer”.
Reason: Shows like Project Runway, sites like Threadbanger.com, and the sudden interest in activities like knitting, screen printing, and reconstructionism has resulted in everyone thinking they can design. The trend is big online where you can create your own tees, handbags, and even dresses. Eventually only the strong survive in an over saturated market but greats like Proenza Schouler, Philip Lim, and Zac Posen seem to break through and compete against the big wigs. Basically it’s a good time to design, if you’re actually good.
6. Style Beats Fashion

What’s It Mean: It’s about time to say goodbye to fashion for the sake of fashion. “Must haves” and “it” pieces will eventually go the way of the dinosaur as more focus on style becomes clear. Name the it bag of the past year? Name the it shoe of last year? Was it really all that cool?
Reason: Consider what was offered before. Very direct channels of media like tv and magazines. Where did most of middle America shop? Places like the Gap and Old Navy. Now that’s all changed. We have hundreds of fashion blogs, online stores, and little by little we’ve come to stop looking at celebrities for fashion advice (sort of). It’s becoming increasingly difficult to make an it bag cause shoppers have started to look internally for their style cues. The result is less fashion, more style.

Why is she getting a show? She’s has a face that looks like a plastic surgeons before picture.
7. The New Icons

What’s It Mean: Remember when celebrities were awesome. We used to look to them for everything, style advice, beauty tips, and occasionally good entertainment. Peace out to that fools.

Reason: Rehab. Celebrities without their make-up specials. Britney Spears. Celebs have lost their luster and lately the best advice is coming directly from stylist. Stylist are now more praised for their style. Rachael Zoe has a new show, Tim Gunn is rocking Bravo, and William Sledd has just gotten the okay from Out TV. Basically, we have new icons to look to and thank godness that those deserving the praise are finally getting it.

8. The Fabric of Our Lives

What’s It Mean: Cotton. No longer the fabric of our lives.
Reason: Aside from the new fabrics coming from places like Polartec, there is an increase in organics and new takes on how our fabrics come to us. The big push to go green has resulted in cleaner fabrics, manufacturing, and new reasons to endorse free trade. More clothing is coming out that just is better for the environment. On the other end of the spectrum is the big pushes to combine basic fabrics with new technology. So expect clothing that doesn’t let you sweat, doesn’t get smelly, and doesn’t wrinkle to get more fashionable.

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Have you ever wondered how glossy ads become the extra special finished product we have come to admire with the products we (are forced to) desire? Ezra Petronio & Suzanne Koller answers that and mucho mas with their company blog, Work In Progress. See the two have been selling their “pluri-disciplinary strategic and creative” resourses to the world’s leading brands. The company’s projects range from advertising, visual identity, fragrance bottle design, and packaging, to overall brand creative direction.

Basically the two specialize in making things pretty and with a range of clients that inclue Prada, Chloe, and Miu Miu and an uberly covettable (I had to have it) magazine Self Service it is no wonder that this design firm is sought after by the the best.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Resident PR Master, Kate Sullivan of Kick PR, gives us an inside look into the world of public relations.

Think Outside the Box

Get creative with your product. New designers don’t always have the biggest budget, so its hard to impress editors by fine dining them and sending wine and cheese baskets. But big impressions also come in small packages and the more creative you are, the better chance of having an impact.

While gift baskets work for some getting into Fashion Indie requires cold hard cash.

Take a handbag company for instance. While the designer can send out her regular look book to the majority of editors, she could pick 10 or 15 people she really wants to reach, and send something different. For instance, if her Spring collection boasts colorful and chic patterns, or the leather of her Hobo’s are buttery and soft, she could have some swatches made into key chains or magnets and send it along with the look book.

Another great way to grab attention is by offering a special editor discount for the product, assuming you have an e- commerce website. Editors are consumers, and all consumers love a discount. Offering a discount leads them to your site and regardless of if they buy, you got their attention and that’s the hardest part.

Here are a few more ideas, and if these don’t fit with your product, try and think along these lines:

Jewelry: group together some small stones you use in your collection and send them along to the editors with the look book, explaining the stones you included in the letter and what pieces include them.
Shoes: send along some chic foot inserts ( Dr. Scholls) and let them know how well they fit well with your ( insert style name) shoe for fall!
Apparel: this one could be as simple as sending out one of your top selling pieces. Always add “editor seeding” to your yearly budget, the more you have to give away, the better chance to get the buzz going
Food: another obvious one, but try to scale back on sizes. If you sell gourmet bucket popcorn, don’t send the bucket. Take a sampling, maybe 2 cups worth, and wrap it in company paper. Who doesn’t love yummy popcorn or snacks in the afternoon. Those editors work long hours, a little bit of sweet helps move the day along!

These are just a few examples and obviously there are many more product categories. Try and relate yours to the above and come up with your own approach.

For more from Kick PR’s Kate Sullivan visit KickPR.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

Local Mags Work Wonders for Indies.

Many people think that in order to get exposure or to boost sales, they have to reach out through large nationwide fashion magazines such as Vogue, In Style and Elle. Not true. Wherever you are, your local media can give you a serious boost in sales and recognition.  Building a local following creates a critical mass of word of mouth and generates sales at events like trunk shows and sample sales, which also can be great for clearing out old merchandise and reaching new markets.

Joy Opfer, designer of Joy O Designs in San Francisco, says “I get a great response from local media hits.  A lot of people who don’t read national publications like fashion magazines do read things like the local Daily Candy and the local papers to find out what’s going on around town.” Joy O has been seen in Daily Candy San Francisco, Downtown San Francisco Magazine, and 7X7 San Francisco Magazine.

Local papers like the Providence Journal in Rhode Island have a great Lifebeat Section. Every holiday they do a full color gift guide, and they feature fashion tips around the change of the seasons. New York Post frequently has colorful fashion spreads with local designers. And something like Seattle Magazine has amazing readership and they highlight fashion trends and notes throughout the magazine. Remember, local reporters like to know what’s going on around town, and if they can bring news and information to local consumers, it helps everyone!

To find out what your media options are, try www.epodunk.com or www.onlinenewspapers.com.

Both of these website will tell you what newspapers are active in your area and in areas around the country. Â

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