Music sells fashion
Antastacia does it with s.Oliver, Kate with Topshop and Gwen did it with Dior before establishing her own brand. Co-operations of fashion brands and stars from the music and modelling scene sprung up like mushrooms during the last two years. Ever since, it seems like almost every major fashion company has a famous face. St. John has Angelina Jolie, Tommy Hilfiger has Beyoncé, Versace has had Madonna, Demi Moore and
Halle Berry. Stars linked to fashion brands serve as a perfect image bearer and as guarantors for rising sales.
Names and faces definitely put a brand on the mainstream map or, as in the case of H&M engaging Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli, take a mainstream brand and put it on the fashion map. Like so many times, the Swedish chain also leads the trend when it comes to co-operations with musicians. In March 2007 Madonna was starring at H&M and was soon followed by Kylie Minogue. While H&M has been able to raise its game in the
United States as a much hotter brand since they engaged Madonna, sales underachieved and surged by only 17 percent thanks to the Queen of Pop.
That is why other fashion brands hope to increase their sales by winning stars with a more questionable reputation. In the case of Topshop it is Kate Moss they cut a 3 million pound deal with. The look she pulls together for herself - skinny jeans and waistcoats, floral mini dresses and sawn off denim shorts - continues to drive global fashion trends. And the fashion press sees the deal: Moss gets the opportunity to found a career beyond modelling and singing and Topshop uses Moss’s extra cachet to break into the
U.S. market. http://www.katemosstopshop.com/
Germany has finally grasped this strategy. About a year ago one of
Germany’s largest clothing labels s.Oliver announced its co-operation with the American singer Anastacia, who will be the face of the company and the campaign realpeoplefashion.com for three more years.
Fashion sells music
Now, the music industry is turning the “Music sells fashion”-model upside down. This November the Spice Girls will release a Best-Of-CD containing twelve hits and a new song, all being available for download in the Internet.
But those who want to buy the original CD will have to go to a lingerie store. The new album of the Spice Girls will be exclusively sold by the famous lingerie chain Victoria’s Secret, which bought 600.000 of the CD’s. The reunion of the Spice Girls is awaited so eagerly by fans that the first concert of their upcoming tour sold out within 38 seconds. The copies of their new album will probably be sold out by the third day at the latest and the one or other will surely buy a bra and panty of the new
Victoria’s Secret collection with it.
Fashion sells everything?
The fashion sector certainly has more potential when it comes to marketing. Rosenthal, the German porcelain producer, shows it with their new campaign. On the print advertisements you can see 3 models in porcelain-inspired robe under the headline
“TRENDSHOW – Amazing variety on Rosenthal’s catwalk: vanguard, classical elegant, playful or uncomplicated modern is the style of the novelties of the new ‘Design Nation’-collection.”
Well, obviously this isn’t a co-operation, but it shows the strong relation and mutual marketing effect fashion has with other products. In the end, there’s only one question left: Is there anything fashion cannot sell?
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[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptCo-operations of fashion brands and stars from the music and modelling scene sprung up like mushrooms during the last two years. Ever since, it seems like almost every major fashion company has a famous face. St. … […]
After Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Viktor+Rolf it is now Roberto Cavalli who introduces his new collection for H&M.
The fashion chain has already been advertising its co-operation with Cavalli for weeks, but it is tonight that sales begin.
As expected, Cavalli�s H&M collection looks very glamourous (including a lot of gold and silk etc.) and is therefore likely to address a different target group than the previous fashion co-operations, like the one with Stella McCartney.
One thing is for sure though! The co-operation will again attract target groups to the H&M stores that usually don’t do their shopping there and will strengthen H&Ms image as a fahion brand! Well done!
Here is another example for “Fashion sells everything”.
At www.mesh-box.com/?page_id=219 you can find a new print ad of DeLonghi for their �PrimaDonna� coffee machine.
As you will see, the ad features not only the PrimaDonna coffee machine but also a pearl necklace, which supports the machine’s premium positioning and presumably aims at addressing a primarily female target group.
And yet another example of fashion selling everything: Belgian fashion icon Raf Simons has designed a line of haute couture backpacks for Eastpak as part his 2008 Spring/Summer “Material World” collection.
The project will last for two seasons and the collection is distributed from February 2008 through exclusive boutiques all around the globe starting. The bags cost between € 200 and € 3000.
You can find pictures of the collection at: http://www.mesh-box.com/?page_id=237
This co-operation is another example of an ongoing trend. Fashion brands broaden their range of products by teaming up with partners. In some cases its mere licensing, in some new products are developed in a joint effort. This co-operation is an example of the latter.
Eastpak will certainly benefit from this partnership; primarily from the good image boost. Moreover, Simons helps Eastpak to access and serve the couture market. And what’s in it for Simons? Raf Simons in turn benefits from increased brand awareness and might have also seen some cash (-;
PS: It’s not the first time for Eastpak to collaborate with a renowned fashion designer. In 2004, Eastpak collaboration with Belgian designer Walter van Beirendonck.
See also:
Eastpack & Simons microsite: http://87.106.137.70/rafsimons/
Raf Simons & Eastpak: Perhaps it’s because I am Belgian, perhaps it is just because I’m a sucker for things like this, but hearing when a Belgian designer is doing a special collaboration gets my fingers Googling in a nanosecond. http://teamjunk.wordpress.com/2007/10/29/raf-simons-eastpak/
Backpack Couture: Belgian designer Raf Simons has teamed up with Eastpak for a line of haute couture backpacks. Eastpak had originally produced their robust bags exclusively for the US Army. When olive-colored military wear became fashionable in the 70s, the company expanded their line of products into civil life, quickly becoming a street wear classic. http://www.electronicbeats.net/news/backpack_couture
http://abdul-lagerfield.blogspot.com/2007/11/eastpak-x-raf-simons.html
http://www.rssdump.nl/Mode-Trends-Fashion/item/308/726916/Raf-Simons-x-Eastpak.html
s.Oliver and Anastacia are ending their partnership in July 2008. The contract, which was signed in 2006 for a two year collaboration with the prospect of two more years to follow, will not be extended beyond July. Apparently, the singer is producing a new album and therefore does not have any time left to work as a testimonial. Well, s.Oliver shouldn’t be all-too sad about it, as a pop star does not fit too well into their 2007/08 “Real People 4 Real Life Fashion” campaign, which aims to position the brand close to its customers.
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