Entries Tagged as 'Shopping'

Shopping: Folli Follie Summer Sales Picks!

22.06.13

Sometimes you’re just strolling down Bond Street on a way to a meeting, ferociously focusing on your route, ignoring the world class, enticing window displays of Louis Vuitton or  Mulberry, when 4 big words come into focus. 

S A L E 

Playful luxury brand Folli Follie was too cute to resist so I stumbled in the other day and threw myself at the mercy of the seriously well trained, charming shop assistant.  Folli has a super delightful range of handbags and watches (perfect for the English summer season) and with a little jewellery collab in the works with MYFLASHTRASH.COM , I couldn’t resist a momentary detour for some totally worthwhile retail therapy..

Happy Nugget Hand Bag £110

HEART 4 HEART HANDBAG was £175 now £125

DAYDREAM WATCH COLLECTION 

I have the blue one in this collection but love the idea of this pink colour way stacked up with pastel friendship bracelets. 

♥ CLICK TO SHOP MORE AT FOLLI FOLLIE ♥

Womenswear at #LCM ? Top 5 picks you’ll need to steal from the men

17.06.13

Not having time to catch any London Collections Men’s shows during the day sure as hell is not stopping me fawning over the images online in bed at 10 o’ clock at night. From Hardy Amies pristine dandy charmers in all their man-bag clad brilliance to, Katie Eary’s mad, bad and totally rad flamingo massacre, so far the British menswear scene is looking truly exceptional.

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1) Katie Eary’s rad, bright red, cammo print bikinis

2) The bad ass knee length skater skirts and sunglasses at Hunter Gather

   

3) These pretty floral espadrilles from Richard James are TOO MUCH. #Pastel #Floral #Delight YES.

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4) This insanely delicious coral, metallic and grey colour palette is IDEAL. And the slouchy almost trackisuit trousers? Genius. – Richard Nicholl

  

5) These galactic Picasso prints by talented Chinese designer Kay Kwok look yummier than a carmel topped ice cream sunday.

   
 
Men’s rings are hard to find, these 3 below are some of my favourites by our designers @MYFLASHTRASH including Silver Service and Zoe and Morgan.  
Click to Shop Men’s Ring.  
Native American White Bronze Skull RingSwallow Engraved Men's RingBrass Swivel Ring  
Check out New Zealand Singer LORDE– Lana Del Rey sound- digging her vibe. xx

The Secrets of Santa Maria Novella

08.06.13

SANTAMARIANOVELLA

Founded in Florence, Italy, by Dominican Friars shortly after 1221,  the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, situated behind the famous church of the same name, is one of the world’s oldest pharmacies. With the apothecary originally serving the church’s monks ,little by little the products made their way into the public domain, and in 1700 the pharmacy became an open retail location, with its balms and ointments in international demand even as early as the 18th century.

Now with over 25 stores worldwide from London to Taipei, how has this centuries old brand remained relevant? And what lessons can retailers learn from their Florentine flagship store?

Through word of mouth 4 or 5 years ago, Santa Maria Novella came onto my brand radar via a conversation I had about soap with a very glamorous woman in the south of France. Ever since,  I have noticed it, so whilst finding myself in Florence the other weekend I had to make a trip to the flagship.  The entrance to SMN is as low-key and humble as the products themselves. Located on a side street behind the church square, the anticipation and sense of true local discovery is already building positive emotions in the consumer mind. A great wooden door leads you into a marble entrance hall to a buzzing, renaissance atrium of activity.

What’s interesting about the retail set up of this quasi-luxury brand is its balance of church like reverence and serenity, museum like importance, and the trust traditional apothecary retail brings. Split into four decandtley decorated rooms, the main foyer houses the vast majority of products behind curiosity like antique cabinets. The sheer volume and diversity of merchandise was initially daunting – there is no clear journey to take, but this is not a grab and go style shop. The focus is on immersing the consumer soothingly into all manner of lotions and potions.  

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The decision to place interactive digital screens in every corner has definitely worked to their advantage, helping consumers find the item they may need, and indeed it was the touch point I noticed many asian consumers used ,rather than talking to staff.   Restaurant like menus in over 10 languages are stacked in neat wooden racks that list the products and prices, again emphasising the freedom of consumers to wonder through to say, the candle and fragrance room, or the tea shop and museum, literally with all the information they need to hand.

 When one wants to buy an item, you are handed a plastic card to take with you to the till room – this separation between product discovery and conversion is the most interesting part of the shopping experience. Indeed the ‘payment room’ as it were, has a calming sense of affirmation and medicinal security, even religious faith, to instil in you the divine belief that the 20 euros you are about to spend on a tiny soap is definitely worth it. 

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For the Love of Kate Spade

21.05.13

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 I remember the first time I walked into a Kate Spade store in Pacific Place Mall in Hong Kong 6 years ago. It was packed and I gleefully stepped out with my very own tote bag.  Kate Spade was preppy but glamorous, playful but chic and it’s a brand message thats booming.  Sales growth has risen dramatically in the last five years from $91 million to $462 million, using a model that include wholesale, outlet stores and their company owned and partner owned stores worldwide of which there are over 200.

Set up 20 years ago by Kate Spade her husband Andy and partners Pamela Bell and Elyce Arona the brand sold to Neiman Marcus in 1999.  In 2006 Liz Claiborne Inc. (now called Fifth & Pacific Inc.) bought the company. In 2007, the founders cashed out, and a new management was installed. Craig Leavitt, CEO, and Deborah Lloyd as president and creative director took the helm in 2008. Read more @FORBES

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Currently 20% of sales come from e-commerce, and the digital integration is pretty seamless ( next day delivery after 9pm anyone?!) In another effort to reach the millennium customer a third division is being created – Kate Spade Saturday. Like Lanvin Blue, the label is available from its Tokyo store only and will be available exclusively online in the US. Their desire to put digital first transfers across all areas of the brand- using an Animated Gif is just one example..WATCH HERE

#WHENIGETPAID #IMBUYING #KATESPADE

Prancing around at the Polo in the Pink Franny Coat and battling the Somerset House Cobbles in the Selina stripe dress (with Fairytales & Hidden Notes Jewellery!) how cute are these Totes from their Starwood Partnership $198 ( also available in London Stores- Covent Garden & Sloane Square)

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The company bases its global strategy on five pillars:

1. Brand consistency – brand comes first ensuring long term growth

2. Growth in existing markets – growth will come by increasing market share through additional door rollouts, comp sales, and launching new categories like watches

3. Product – prioritizing initiatives including Asian fashion fit and creating special products to celebrate holidays like Chinese New Yearundefined

4. Business development – pursuing new regions like India, Russia and Mexico where Kate Spade New York does not yet have a presence as well as select new Asian and Latin American territories.

5. Business model by region – a variety of business models are used including wholly-owned subsidiaries, distribution agreements, joint ventures, and wholesaling.  Model is chosen to maximize profits and brand growth

 

SHOP MY FAVOURITE KATE SPADE ITEMS!

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