This Shit Is Getting Hectic: Strange New Players in the Hi-Top Market

The Independent (UK) reported yesterday that that even more luxury retailers are entering the sneaker market 'cause that's where the dollars are!

Kanye West has designed for Louis Vuitton, with last year's range selling out super quickly, and men's hi-tops in the luxury goods market are ubiquitous - think Hugo Boss, Dior Homme; and then Japanese brands such as Comme des Garcons or Spring Court (which may not be a luxury brand but do have a luxury price tag).

But, when Havaianas are launching a range of hi-tops, I'm getting worried. Sure, they're likely to make money and people will buy them - shit, we spend $18-25 on a pair of flip-flop thongs, so their brand name is obviously selling itself - but, who are they going to get to endorse this?

I say this because Kanye West is heavily involved (or at least shown to be through viral hits on YouTube and his own blog) in the production of his collaborations with LV. This brand association works; but Havaianas Hi-Tops just seems weird. Where's the "super cool" factor going to come from?

What Does Your Website Say About Your Brand: Online Retailers Worth Visiting

In the past week I've made some posts on online stores for fashion brands. Below are a list of sites of brands I think are worth having a look at:

Patrik Ervell

Uniqlo (Thanks to Stan Lee for this one)

TOM FORD

Michael Bastian NYC

The thing about the sites above, for me, is that in some sense they seem to just "to work" and they "feel right". A brand's website is sometimes the first point of contact someone has with that fashion label. It's important, then, that it reflects what you're about. This doesn't mean you need an amazing flash-heavy website - it just means it needs to give the consumer the right kind of feeling.

For example, Uniqlo are a fun brand and their flash-driven website when you start clicking and checking out the jeans shows this off really well. Patrik Ervell feels a little bit hipster, but I think it works 'cause Patrik Ervell are a hipster-ish brand (same goes for Oliver Spencer from the UK, as well as ALBAM, both worth checking out). Their websites are purposefully minimalist, but that doesn't mean they don't have content. They have content that's relevant to the kind of person who they feel would visit their site, but is inclusive enough not to alienate someone new to the site.

Michael Bastian's site is also pretty simple. But as is the case with TOM FORD's, the colours are an extension of the brand. For Bastian, the colour palettes are what you see in print, while for FORD it's an extension of how the clothes, accessories and fragrances are visually merchandised.

Dishonourable mention to Thom Browne:

The site is plain. On the one hand, one could argue that this might actually work given that the designer favours a late 1950s aesthetic, and he aims to embrace the uniformity of this period in his collections. I don't think it does -- the designer charges upwards of $4000 US for a suit - one with shrunken proportions and a decidedly Pee Wee Herman look about it -- and so, the website should have something to add value, either for the person paying that much for the garment, or for someone considering it. The existence of runway videos isn't enough, in my opinion.

Now, obviously, a person visiting the site doesn't spend ages thinking about this -- but when it comes down to the important stuff about how long they spend on it, what they make of it, and most importantly, how it makes them FEEL, this stuff is important.

Also, if you haven't already, check out my post on the functionality of online stores for Sportsgirl and General pants and a brief bit about the upcoming Country Road/Trenery launch.

If you liked/disliked any of the sites, let me know why by commenting!

A Clever Little Bag: PUMA Goes Green

PUMA want to go green, really green. The company has vowed to offset its CO2 emissions and those of its sponsored soccer players in the World Cup. The consumer gets an extra value add with a nice little bag to store their new sneakers, aptly titled "A Clever Little Bag".

PUMA spent 21 months working with Yves Behar from fuseproject to develop the best box for storing shoes. The answer = no box at all. The cool thing for the consumer is that they don't actually have to go through a radical lifestyle change in order to make a more sound environmental choice. Watch the video below.

A Wicked Cool Publicity Stunt: Naturally 7 A Capella Group

Naturally 7 are an a capella group from America. They opened for Michael Buble when he toured here and they are awesome. Proper awesome. Check it out for yourselves:

Yep, that's right - they're on the Paris Subway. Save for the one dude with white earphones who's evidently too cool for their sounds, most people are having a wicked time. What's cooler though, is that this video now has 3.8 million views on YouTube and counting. I did a little searching to see how many views Justin Timberlake has on YouTube (on the JustinTimberlakeSME channel):

1. LoveStoned/I Think She Knows = 520,000 views

2. Cry Me A River = 1.2 Million views

3. What Goes Around ... Comes Around = 1.57 million views

4. SexyBack = 400,000 views

Total = 3.69 million views

The Naturally 7 stunt cost nothing and more people have one watched one unique video than four Justin Timberlake video clips that all cost a fair bit of money to make. Love it!

Your Online Presence Should Reflect Your Brand Identity: Sportsgirl vs General Pants, Country Road and Trenery

Ragtrader revealed that Country Road plan to open up an online store for both their Country Road and Trenery brands in August this year. Online trading amongst big name Australian retailers isn't exactly new - Sportsgirl have had a store for a while now, although General Pants just entered the online game in December 2009.

What's important for any clothing brand is ensuring that their online presence, including their store, reflects or in some way adds value to the in-store experience.

Sportsgirl appear to be doing this well ... Though it's essentially similar to the Amazon(ian) "Customers who bought Item X, also bought ..." the 'Style Me Up' cue with accessories that can be coordinated to create an entire outfit works well. Add to this the bright vibrant colours in the background and the easy to use interface and it begins to feel like an enjoyable experience for the consumer -- one where even if they don't buy anything initially, they're likely to spend time clicking around and either eventually/later buy something OR actually go into the store later. All of those are positives. I don't think General Pants do this as well. Clicking on an item does little more than bring up a big version with little further options. People might just close the window then and a potential sale or at least greater time spent at the site may be lost.

To get back to Country Road and Trenery - in my opinion it's important that the online store interfaces have a point of difference. Given that Country Road aims to target a younger demographic now, an online store which reflects this in some way is important. Similarly, I think that Trenery could value-add by having a greater focus on the premium nature of the materials they (assumedly) use. If they need inspiration, they could just copy J Crew's "Suit Shop" idea for menswear as it appears on the web. By placing little departments and giving some areas a more wholesome user experience, I think it'll help the brands remain together yet forge their own individual identities for the consumer. Right now, they just seem too much the same.

Happy 10th Birthday Ksubi

Happy 10th Birthday Ksubi!

I have fond memories of you as Tsubi before Tsubo decided to sue you and you changed your name and your jeans somehow didn't fit the same as they did before and then the quality didn't feel the same and the price went up and then it all went a bit ... differently for me and you after that point.

What do you think of Edwin Jeans? I bought a pair.

Hmm ... I celebrated my 10th birthday by having a roller-blading party. It was the best!

Something We Won't See Much Of Anymore

Looking about the ThreeThousand website I came across this article back in 2007, advertising the Wes Anderson film (one of my favourite movies), The Darjeeling Limited.

On the bottom left it says that to WIN tickets you have to write a caption for the film and they'll notify you if you win by posting on YOUR MySpace page. As of April 20, 2010, I know a total of ZERO people who regularly use, or even check their MySpace. I don't think people are going to be finding any winnings on MySpace anymore ...

Trying Too Hard For Credibility: Bonds "The Pant" Ads

I'm sure most young Melburnian's will have seen the new Bonds ads about town - they're literally everywhere. If you haven't seen them yet, I've got some samples posted below.

"The Pant" as it's called is Bonds new trackpant which are a long drop-crotch style with a slim fitting leg, a lot like some guys skinny jeans and TSL is even selling them as the "Jean Trackie".

There's another version of the ad that has the top and bottom images spliced in half so one side shows the guy in his leather biker jacket and the other in his singlet, with sleeve tattoo exposed (which is the ad I'm talking about). At first glance, it looks pretty cool.

But yesterday when I saw it for the fiftieth time at Richmond Station I noticed just how fake the tattoo looks on the guys arm. That's not really a problem in itself, but it seems to me that in a bid to be "cool" Bonds is trying a little too hard for credibility. It's really not necessary and I don't think that it's successful in the long term because all the young people I know switch off and think you're an old gimpy loser the moment you (i.e. a brand) starts trying too hard to be cool in their eyes. You're better off doing what you do, than trying to show us splitting images of ourselves that aren't really "us".

I wish I could say that I won this battle, but I had already fallen prey to their coolness campaign and bought a pair of these late last week. For the record, they're pretty comfortable. I'm wearing them now.

Fail.

The Powers of Social Media Series (Part One): Buying Furniture

Welcome to Part 1 of the Powers of Social Media Series.

The story goes: I live at home with my parents. I want them to buy a solid timber lowline entertainment audio visual unit for our television. I did not know where to buy one of better quality for less cash money (which is the goal for most of my things in life).

I put the call out on Twitter.

I got this back.

@Chanoz79 on Twitter (who I don't know) decides (on his OWN accord) to 'check out names of stores' because it's easy for him as he's in Richmond. The next day:

He sent me 12+ stores. What a MAN! That weekend, my mum, dad and me (my sister didn't come because she wasn't feeling well) went and looked at the shops. We haven't bought anything yet which would mean that this post should or could wait till we do buy something, but that's not the point. We will buy something, likely from one of the above stores and they have @Chanoz79 on Twitter to thank for it.

Do you guys have any Powers of Social Media stories?

Country Road Goes For The Win: Hit 'Em From Every Angle

Two hours ago I received an email from Country Road that said "Check out our AW range" and all that blah blah blah. I clicked on it, Safari (yes, I use the unreliable, but not quite as bad as IE, but much more than Firefox, web browser) opened up a neat little PDF with the catalogue and I got to look at it.

Ten minutes ago I walked outside (not for the first time today) and opened the mailbox. In it was a Country Road catalogue and some other stuff included in the post. In an ideal world, they'd have some kind of value-add in there, a coupon, anything to make me go, "Hmm, I need to consume some Country Road".

Anyway, given that SO many brands have people on mailing lists and e-mail lists and in my own experience many of those don't coordinate their send-outs, sometimes the message gets lost. Country Road, you've hit me from every angle - I will see you soon to buy something I probably don't need.

P.S. I bought some plimsolls from your Lygon Street store. They were royally shit and fell apart very quickly and emailed your online customer service - never heard back. Please don't do that again. It's not nice.

The New Media Problem With Selling Australia

So let's get this first part over with ...

The $180 million advertising campaign Tourism Australia launched in 2006, done by M&C Saatchi in Sydney, pretty much failed miserably. I thought it was shit, too.

Now that there's a new campaign with the tag line, "There's Nothing Like Australia", Tourism Australia wants the public to get involved in the marketing of the campaign. We're encouraged to upload photos of what makes Australia so unique, etc. to a website with the allure of winning prizes and cash money. SICK!

But, not even a day in and people have already started making online parodies. It seems that since the "Where The Bloody Hell Are You?" campaign, no slogan is going to be left untouched. The problem, though, is that the 'real' competition to upload photos hasn't even started yet and there's already a tumblr site set up that, frankly, is quite funny. Check it at There's Nothing Like Australia.

With the reach and increased usage of online social media, this kind of stuff has the potential to really damage Tourism Australia's efforts. Any attempt to get everyone on-side is going to result in an Epic Fail of the worst kind (one not even worthy of a YouTube video). The worst thing they can do, I think, is if they follow that all too familiar path Nestle did with Greenpeace by trying to get all litigious. The so-often-referred-to Australian underdog mentality just might kick in and even more people will start supporting those who try to defame the campaign.

The marketers need to keep their wits about them and the lawyers, well, let's hope they don't get too out of touch. Letting some things go might just mean they pass over and the whole campaign isn't sabotaged before it's hardly begun.