Saturday, November 6, 2010

Will iPads Replace Mannequins?

In the November edition of their newsletter, uber fashion/art/gadget store Colette announced they would be supplementing the outfits displayed on their mannequins with additional looks available for viewing on an iPad.

This is a fantastic way for a retailer to showcase more garments and styled looks with greater frequency. It’s particularly great for stores with a small footprint and limited space for visual merchandising. However, there is nothing like being able to see the way fabric drapes around form in the third dimension… so I don’t think we’ll be seeing the demise of our innate fibreglass friends anytime soon.

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Brands Creating Culture Around the Iconic

I’ve observed a trend (yes I did swat up on trendwatching’s 15 Trend Tips article this month) that luxury brands are executing particularly well. They’re fostering an online community or culture around their most iconic products and sharing tips and information on how to style or use the item in a fashion that makes us want in. Think Hermes’ J’aime Mon Carre (I Love my Scarf) or Burberry’s Art of the Trench.

The latest is the release of the Louis Vuitton City Guides. The City Guides, now covering over 40 destinations, have been published by the brand for the past ten years and detail the finest stores, restaurants, hotels and nightspots for the discerning traveller as well as revealing a few secret spots. Now Louis Vuitton have produced a clever teaser for the guides… videos on their site that provide 90 seconds of insight into the city, like New York that many locals wouldn’t even be aware of. All presented in a package as cleverly crafted as the luggage.


It creates a nice consumer hook… watch the video and be inspired to buy the guide… read the guide and work to book the trip… and of course you need the luggage for the trip!
LOUIS VUITTON TRAVEL GUIDES