ASOS Marketplace and the University of Westminster Fashion Students

ASOS has given the University of Westminster’s second year fashion students a chance to produce ten new capsule collections to sell on their Marketplace website for this High Summer 2012 season.

But it hasn’t been handed to them on a plate. These students didn’t just have to design and create the collections, but were also responsible for the fashion shoots, look books, business plans, market research and all business and commercial decision making.

A daunting task but when students from the Fashion Design course join forces with the Fashion Buying Management course you have the makings of a successful brand house. Ten groups were formed to each create their own brand and collection for the project.

Designer students Georgina Atkinson, Emma Charles, Rachel Raheja and Anjini Maxwell formed the brand ‘HAUS’ with fashion buyer students Karen Hanratty, Andra Vilmane, Clarissa Rawlings and Alex Stavreva.

The HAUS Brand

Their key inspiration was taken from the Bauhaus Movement, especially Bauhaus architecture. This Modernist style broke away from the ornamentation of buildings in the 1920s and concentrated their designs more on the functionality of the building with the demands of urban living and new technologies available.

Like the Bauhaus buildings, the pieces in the collection are minimalistic:

Buttons are concealed on the shirt and coat whilst the collars on both are almost nonexistent in their narrowness.

Straight and curved lines juxtapose in the cut of the garments:  Simple rectangular shaped garments with rounded shoulders created by drop shoulder seams, cap and the sporty raglan sleeves.  Blocks of oblong layers add depth whilst curved outlines are created with colour blocking.

The inclusion of modern colour blocking using a bright blue accent brings a pop of bold colour to an otherwise neutral palette, managing to keep the starkness at bay whilst the purity of the styles remain. Fabrics used: wool crepes, cotton twills, wool suiting and shirting fabrics.

The students said of their collection –“The brand and collection is ‘HAUS’; an 8 piece collection of womenswear inspired by the Bauhaus movement, where, similarly with architecture of the 20^th century, we have used creative techniques for exciting pattern cutting, developing a wearable and well constructed collection. The Collection pioneers structure and innovation whilst combining both modern and traditional tailoring”

The ASOS Marketplace is an ideal platform for the students to gain experience of the fashion industry in the real world and a great opportunity for a wide exposure of their collection.

Model: Amy McDonald

Photography: Daniel Fraser

www.marketplace.asos.com

By Karen Grace

Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky http://www.frumpytofunky.com

Christian Louboutin Retrospective Exhibition

This exhibition is a must for every shoe-a-holic out there. Not only does it showcase numerous glamorous red soled shoes, but it lets you catch a glimpse of the Christian Louboutin world and the inspirations behind the making of these beautiful creations.

Mr Louboutin's first passion was watching Cabaret shows, the showgirls and their costumes fascinated him. Household Design took this passion and incorporated it in to the exhibition layout, creating a fun and glamorous atmosphere. The exhibition takes you on a journey through Louboutin's key inspirations.

The journey starts before you set your own red soled shoes in to the exhibition as Louboutin shoes hang like circus acrobats down the centre of the stairwell. Upon entering the exhibition, you'll find a wall completely covered in the lasts Louboutin has used to create his wonderful shoes.

Behind the wall takes you in to the main room where a red centre stage is in the shape of a 17 metre long inverted shoe. Around the stage are the Showgirls inspired glitzy shoes set up in a chorus line, each with their very own foot light shining upon them. An elevated section shows a 3D hologram of Dita Von Teese and a giant pair of Louboutin shoes putting on a short sparkling performance.

Radiating from the Showgirls stage are five of Louboutin's other key inspirations:

Travel

Travel inspired shoes take pride of place on red velvet cushioned swings hung from a fairground carousel. Photographic images of cities and places are illustrated on the carousel’s panels representing places where Louboutin has visited.

Transparency

A glass helter skelter acts as the mirrored display shelves for shoes and boots. Louboutin is a great fan of transparency as it creates a sense of nudity in the shoe. Materials used are lace, mesh and metals. The styles range from the African feeling of the  Massai sandal made of PVC, lambskin and elastics to the more sci-fi Kriptonite  shoe made of calfskin, tulle, strass and metal spikes.

Entertainment

A giant spinning top includes elements of a grand piano. The enormous black piano keys become the stands to display individual shoes. In this collection is a pair of heeled ballet slippers (imagine the ballet dancer already on her toes, and then add a long stiletto heel) encrusted with Swarovski Elements and created for the English National Ballet courtesy of Swarovski.

Architecture
Architecture inspired shoes are displayed on sundial plinths within an enclosed topiary walkway. On one of the plinths is the highest pair of wedges I've ever since - almost skyscrapers.


Handcrafted
This is the one-off design section featuring very expensive and precious handmade bespoke shoes. They are displayed on two glass shelves and can be viewed through 'opera' glasses and magnifying lenses to see up close and personal. Creations include a Rolls Royce fronted shoe; Guinness heeled shoe, Wedgewood shoe and Marie Antoinette style shoe.
After the wonderment of the Cabaret style main room, you can enter in to a recreation of Louboutin's Parisian studio. Here the 6 stages of design to create a shoe are shown. It is also a treasure chest for curious eyes as we see objects that inspired the making of Louboutin shoes. Also here are Miss Piggy's bespoke shoes, Louboutin Barbie dolls, more shoes and a few men’s shoes. Sorry guys, but this is the only place in the exhibition showcasing men’s footwear, but you will not be disappointed.

This pop up studio then leads on to a biography room displaying photos and snippets of information throughout Louboutin's 20 year long career. Here are also twenty of his most iconic shoes which have been reissued for his 20th anniversary. Even if you are not a shoe-a-holic, you'll still be awestruck by the whole concept.

Can Christian Louboutin put on a great show? He certainly Can Can!

The exhibition is until 9 July at the Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD www.designmuseum.org

Image credit: Luke Hayes

www.lukehayes.com

By Karen Grace

Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky http://www.frumpytofunky.com

Mary Kay

Mary Kay
Botanical Effects Skin Care

Mary Kay’s new skin care range ‘Botanical Effects’ has launched in the UK and is combining the merits of green loving eco warrior princess with pink loving fresh faced girl next door.

The Packaging

Looking fresh in white with pale green and a touch of pink and lilac, this packaging is not just a pretty face but is also helping mother earth. The tube sleeves are made from 50% post-consumer recycled resin material and the carton from 100% recycled material. The carton and freshen bottle can both be recycled.  And the tube caps use 3% less plastic than traditional flip top caps.

The Formulas

There are two formulas: normal to dry and combination to oily. Both contain:

• Silymarin (milk thistle) an antioxidant to help defend against environmental damage and help to calm and soothe the skin
• Luo Han Guo (longevity fruit) known to contain potent antioxidants and believed to help promote healthy skin.

What they don’t contain are any synthetic dyes or fragrances. And unfortunately for me – they also don’t contain any anti ageing ingredients as this range is targeted for young women who are not yet concerned with the ageing effects. They don’t need anything rich and heavy, just products that will enhance and allow their already youthful glow to radiate through.

Plus the exclusion of these anti ageing ingredients also keeps the cost of the products down.

But all is not lost for us ‘wrinklies’ – we may need a rich moisturiser and mask packed with anti ageing hero ingredients, but we can still use the gentle cleanser and freshener.

The Products:

Cleanser: £13, cream for normal to dry and gel for combination to oily. Go easy on the water as the cream is quite slippy and doesn’t lather that well. However this is not really a bad sign as it means it probably doesn’t include sodium lauryl sulphate( couldn’t see it listed as an ingredient). But it does mean that at first you’ll want to use more to try to get lather as we’re all used to associating foam with cleaner skin. The gel may lather better as it does contain tea-lauryl sulphate.

Mask: £15. This can be used as a mask or an exfoliator.  The mask is grainy so definitely do not rub even if you are using as a scrub. Just apply and then gently wash off.  However. for my ‘ageing ‘skin, it was a touch too grainy so I’ll leave this one for the younger complexions.

Freshener:  £13.  Similar to a mild toner but without the tightening effect.  This did leave my face feeling really clean and fresh.  Not to be sprayed directly on the face but on to a cotton wool pad. 

Moisturiser: £19.

Normal to dry contains:

Flax seed extract – a rich plant source of omega-3 fatty acids which help moisturise dry skin

Sea kelp extract –a source of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids helping to moisturise and skin balance.

Combination to oily contains:

• Kanuka extract comes from the kanuka shrub sometimes called the white tea trees and are native to New Zealand and Australia. This extract helps control excess oil without drying up the skin and helps prevents pores from being clogged.
• Guava fruit extract – a source of salicylic acid, helps exfoliate and unclog pores to reduce surface oil.

The Conclusion:

The natural ingredients, eco friendly packaging and low costs make this range ideal for young women embarking on their first serious skin care routine.

www.marykay.com

Blend Collective

Most of us are aware of the therapeutic benefits of essential oils to our psychological and physical well-being. Experiencing a massage, soaking in the bath or lighting a few candles are all relaxing or invigorating depending on the oils chosen. But all this takes time and where moments are precious in a busy lifestyle; this probably isn't going to happen on a regular basis.

Blend Collective, a new natural body care range, seems to be ideal. Although they do have candles and a bath & shower oil, the rest of the products fit in to a quick daily beauty routine such as body wash and body moisturiser.

The founders Clive Walker and Pippa Bennett wanted to create a bath & body range that was truly natural using at least 99% natural ingredients; contained enough essential oils to achieve the beneficial aroma therapeutic effect and also had a great scent. To ensure all this was achieved, they turned to three well know aromatherapy and perfume experts to blend together the oils:.

The results were:

Enlivening Blend – a citrus blend set to invigorate, energise and uplift the spirit.

This was blended by the late Alec Lawless who sadly passed away this March. Alec had over 20 years experience in the perfume industry producing complex fragrances.

Main Ingredients: Sicilian Lemon, May Chang, Lemon Myrtle and Lime with Gota Kola, Linden Blossom and Calendula.

Products: lip balm, hand wash, body wash and hand & body lotion

Balancing Blend – a floral blend to calm, nourish and replenish

Emma Nash is an established essential oil expert and believes that smell more than any other sense is linked to the parts of the brain that process emotion and associative learning.

Main Ingredients: Star Jasmine, Geranium, Vetiver and Rose oils with blackcurrant, Shea butter and Evening Primrose.

Products: soap bar, hand cream, body wash and body moisturiser

Unwinding Blend – a woody blend to soothe and relax the mind and senses.

Glenda Taylor is a reflexologist, aroma therapist and perfumer. She runs a natural and organic skincare brand as well as a luxury fragrance business and has a stellar reputation in the fragrance and beauty industry.

Main Ingredients: Sandalwood, Frankincense, Cedarwood with soothing sea kelp, passion fruit and corn silk.

Products: soap bar, hand cream, bath & shower gel and candle.

Being more of a floral gal, I prefer the Balancing Blend for the fragrance, but do need the more energising Enlivening Blend in the morning.

If I were to nitpick, then the only minus I see with the products is the actual colour of the packaging (which by the way is recyclable and sourced only from maintained sustainable forests). I don’t associate the colours they’ve chosen with the fragrances. I may be in the minority here but see which colour you’d choose for each one: green, pink and blue.

www.blendcollective.co.uk

The Bridal Coach

Former model Michele Paradise knows how to walk the catwalk and how to pose for the cameras –well with her modelling career spanning over 20 years, she’s had a lot of experience and picked up a few tips. Now as a style coach and hypnotherapist (Don’t look in to her eyes!) she began to think of brides and the daunting prospect of walking down the aisle with all eyes gazing at them and how they are expected to know how to walk with confidence and grace. So the Bridal Coach concept was born.

At the Bridal Coach press/bloggers event we were able to meet Michele and also learn more about The Bridal Coach.


Propping up the bar (well I was propping up the bar whilst Michele was standing elegantly poised at the bar); I was able to talk to her before the presentation.


My first question was; 'Why start it in the UK and not the US?’
My reasoning was that Wedding Planning is big business over in the States so they would love the Bridal Coach, and Michele is American.


Michele started modelling 20 years ago, her face was not the typical All American model face that the US were used to seeing on the catwalk and in magazines, but a more interesting and striking look we Europeans adore. Realising she needed to come over to Europe if she wanted to boost her modelling career, she packed her bags and almost immediately started working with renowned designers such as Thierry Mugler, Zandra Rhodes (she was her muse for almost 18 years), Donna Karan, Valentino and Philip Treacy. Now the UK is her home.


Why the Bridal Coach?
Michele explains that when you are a model you are taught how to walk and how to pose. Brides are thrown in at the deep end. They may get help with planning the wedding but when it comes to walking down that aisle and posing for the photographs, they are on their own. So Michelle saw there was a gap in the Wedding industry to help brides feel and look more confident and elegant.

During the short presentation, Michele shows how the Bridal Coach can help the bride prepare for her big day as well as tips for the actual day.


Tips she shared with us included:


How brides can stay calm and relaxed just before their very own catwalk ‘aisle’ show.
How to glide down and ‘own’ that aisle
How to hold the bouquet properly so the dress and bride look their best
How to pose for the photographs by putting your best foot forward and what to do with your hands.

I may not be getting married and so don’t need Michele’s Ultimate Bride package, but her Hen Party packages sound fun as well as providing great tips and techniques for everyone going to a wedding. Mmm, this may be the time to persuade a few friends to tie the knot.


More details on www.thebridalcoach.co.uk

Conran Bath and Body

To take a closer look at the new Conran Bath and Body products and speak to the Conran team who had created the range, beauty press and bloggers were invited to an evening at Sir Terence Conran’s penthouse apartment in Shad Thames.

The Products

The range includes bath washes, body scrubs, body lotions, shower gels, hand washes and hand lotions.

The Design

The range is aimed at both men and women so the design is kept simple taking inspiration from antique apothecary bottles and the classic Kilner jar. The two different fragrance ranges are identified by colour and a number. Conran 1 is a caramel brown and Conran 2 a mint green. But both have an orange silicone ring at the top which emulates the rubber seal of the original Kilner jars.

The design team also wanted to emulate glass and the main body of the bottles and jars does look like opaque glass but is made of a hardier material which won’t smash as easily as glass if dropped on the bathroom tiled floor. And to make sure the bottles could withstand the rigors of daily use; glossy white bases have been sonically welded on and act as a shock absorber. The lids are of a brushed silver colour.

The Fragrance

The fragrance house of Drom worked alongside the Conran team to create the unisex fragrances of Conran 1 and 2 based on Sir Terence’s favourite scents. The team wanted a modern scent that would be used and liked by both men and women.

They decided not to put the name of the fragrance on the bottles as research showed people didn’t always remember the names but recognised the product more on the colours.

Scent 1 – Oudh Wood – essential oils of pepper, nutmeg and cardamom. This is a warm woody and spicy fragrance. The colour of the bottle reflects the mood of the scent with a warm caramel colour.

Scent 2 – Green Stems – floral scent with lemon, orange oil and mandarin. This is a fresh and zingy fragrance with citrus, great to help you wake up in the mornings. The colour is light fresh green.

At the event we were also able to smell and give our thoughts to the ‘currently in development’ scents of the next ranges 3, 4, and 5. Plus a peek at the colours that will be used

The Texture

Surprisingly light. The body scrub was not of the typical coarse and heavy texture most scrubs are but felt airy and had more of a soft jelly consistency.

The body lotion felt more of a soufflé, not runny like a lotion and lighter than a cream. It didn’t leave any sticky residue, just glided on to the skin and sank in quickly.

My favourite

Most definitely the Conran 2. The fragrance is fresh and the mint green looks good in my bathroom.

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky http://www.frumpytofunky.com 

Fashion and Beauty Insight Summit

Wednesday 14 March 2012
Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL)

Image courtesy Charlotte Summers

The first Fashion and Beauty Insight Summit took place on Wednesday 14 March with nine key speakers willing to share their expertise on strategic communications, whilst the audience were eager to soak up all this knowledge.


At registration goody bags were handed out including a programme outlining the day and two Oriflame products: Ecobeauty smoothing eye cream and day cream. And for the men: North for Men hand cream and Architect EDT.


The Summit began with presentations from Wahanda, Marie Claire and We Are Folk sharing the importance on gaining the consumer’s trust; on identifying your consumer’s lifestyle profile and on the way to use the four latest social platforms for success.


After a short tea and coffee break A Suit That Fits demonstrated how to improve communication strategy by thinking like your customer and I Spy Marketing showed how Facebook could be used successfully with examples of case studies.


Following a long leisurely lunch break, Mumsnet, Zulu Beauty and Global Radio enlightened us on how we need to respect and listen to what our customer has to say, and how both videos used on social media channels and radio can be powerful communication tools.


The day ended with a one hour Speed Networking session allowing us all to mingle, make new contacts and discuss ideas.

Image courtesy Charlotte Summers 

What did the attendees think of the day’s events? Here are a few comments:


Camilla Ollier, Director of Hearson Communications:
I have found today's Fashion and Beauty Insight Summit a useful exercise in learning more about social media in the fashion and beauty industry. I look forward to implementing some of the ideas in my own social media strategy as well as advising clients on the latest trends. 


Irina Bragin, Founder of Made of Carpet:
Very informative with a lot of ideas I had never considered using before such as videos and Mumset’s tips.


Cyndy Lessing, Director of Sosensational:
The whole day was informative and extremely thought provoking. First class knowledgeable speakers who were able to transmit a considerable amount of information in a short period of time. My only wish would have been for a ‘How to..’ session at the beginning on Facebook and twitter.


Joanne Jarvis, Rachel Bonny and Katie Daniels all from CCD PR say:
It was good value for the money. We found Paul from Folk’s talk really useful and wish he could have had more time. The best speeches were those with more of a work shop angle such as I Spy – not all of us are digital marketing experts – who knew that your Facebook page could be at risk because of the way you posted a competition? However a few of the talks did feel as though we were being pitched to.


Claire Marshall, Account Executive from Slam PR comments on both the Summit and Speed Networking:
Everything went really well. Found the social media speeches with the case studies particularly insightful. The Speed Networking was a nice way to meet different people in the same industry. The bell is a good idea as it makes you move around and make the effort to network, rather than staying with the same group of people. It was a good way to finish off the day.


Click here to read testimonials, feedback and comments

www.FashionBeautySummit.co.uk

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky http://www.frumpytofunky.com



Image Credit: Charlotte Summers
www.charlottesummers.co.uk