EOC Exercise Week 10

Ginch Gonch is a company that branded itself as a new market that had not been reached before. This market is underwear, specifically branded toward gay men. The advertising campaigns that Ginch Gonch uses advertise mainly to women and gay men. This target market is focused on looking good and doing so in style. The pop-culturized designs from Ginch Gonch make it appeal to a younger market. Though the underwear the company makes is somewhat pricey (for underwear) it is purchased by its target market on a regular basis and those customers, generally, remain loyal.

Valentino is a man that branded himself as a designer name and label, mainly for women, and targets itself at a small, high-class audience. Valentino worked very hard to create a name based on classic beauty and elegancance. With four branches of his brand, Valentino defines itself as an appeal to the luxury market.  The valentinofashiongroup.com website speaks highly of the brand stating, "Its image of glamour, exclusivity and strong style make Valentino a brand well known for the sophistication and elegance of its creations. " 

Clearly, Valentino and Ginch Gonch are two very different brands. However, both began with one man who had a clever brand concept that would appeal to a unique market. 

BOC Chapter 8 Exercise

Accessorize your hooves!

Foot jewelry is a fashion item that is clearly missing from the marketplace. Foot jewelry includes ankle bracelets and toe rings. With summer being everyone’s favorite season, it is a mystery as to why jewelry for feet has been so immensely neglected. Women in Southern and Western states of the U.S. alike would be a big market for jewelry for feet. Places like California, North/South Carolina and Florida would be all over this trend. Foot jewelry is perfect for those warm, sunny days in flip flops or a day at the pool or beach.

Popular in India, ankle bracelets bring attention to the feet and make them appear cute and luxurious. Ankle bracelets can range from simple designs like basic chains to chains with beads and charms on them. Ankle bracelets can even get so detailed that they loop around the ankle and connect down to the second toe.

Toe rings, made popular by hippies in the 1960s, accent the feet and make toes appear cuter. Toe rings were popular in earlier years but have since lost their way. Sold mainly on the beach and in beach-climate areas, toe rings are popular among women who tend to wear less on their feet.

Accessorizing your feet is great way to bring attention to an area of the body that is often ignored. Don’t let your feet go unnoticed.

BOC Week 7 Exercise

The store that I visited was Hottie, a locally owned retail chain here in Las Vegas. The location that I visited was is on Eastern & Silverado Ranch in the Silverado Ranch plaza.

I would like to start off by saying that Hottie is a store that much resembles a Forever 21 or Wet Seal. That being said, when you enter the store, you are slightly overwhelmed by the amount of clothing and color that the store has to offer. This particular day (I’m not sure if it’s like this everyday) there was techno music playing from Sirius radio all over the store. I think that techno music is a good choice for the store because it really helps build the party girl atmosphere.

Hottie’s fixtures are just like what you would find at a Wet Seal. There are several free-standing hanging racks, lots of wall-hanging racks and circular hanging racks for sales merchandise. Along the back walls of the store, you find SEVERAL different brands and types of shoes.

The customer service at Hottie is always rather good. If you visit the store often, you are likely to see a familiar face. Upon walking into the store, you are kindly greeted by an associate and asked if you need any assistance. The girls working are more than happy to help you find sizes and get you into a fitting room.

The brand image that Hottie offers is trendy, chic fashions at budget prices. The story that is told to the customer is that of a fashionable, well-dressed, trendy 18-30 year old woman who has to shop within a budget. This story and image are very easily recognizable through the store space. The store space also clearly reveals a lack of quality in the clothing that you will receive. Hottie is surrounded with a Target, Marshall’s, GNC, Layne Bryant, Ulta, Bath and Body Works and other discount stores. This location tells the customer that they will be receiving budget clothing.

EOC Chapter 5 Exercise

My professional plans for the future are not completely set in stone quite yet. I would like to finish up my Bachelor’s degree and find a job here in Las Vegas. My ideal job right out of college would be a position at a store like Urban Outfitters or Roxy designing the window displays at different locations around town. This title would probably be along the lines of “Visual Merchandiser.” Eventually, however, I would really like to own and run my own store. This store would be a fantasy boutique and sell everything fantasy from lingerie to shoes and costumes. I would open it in a larger casino here in Las Vegas, such as the Palms, and think that it would do rather well. I intend to make this happen by landing the first jobs I want and making the proper connections to open my own store. Stumbling blocks along the way would be landing that perfect job, making the right connections and starting a business. All three of these things would be very difficult to overcome. It will definitely take a few years to reach my goals but would hope to do so in the next five to ten years. I would like it to be shorter but who knows?

EOC Chapter 3 Exercise

“Emilio Pucci was the kingpin of textile reinvention and beautiful prints in the fifties and sixties. His designs revolutionized the world of fashion, knocking the previous trend of dull colors and heavy fabrics out of fashion and developing a fan following that was almost unheard of at the time.” 1

Emilio Pucci, also known as the Prince of Prints, was born Marchese di Barsento Emilio Pucci in November of 1914 in Naples, Italy. Born and raised in Italy, Pucci was a hardworking scholar and skier. He was a member to the Olympic Italian skiing team and received a scholarship to Reed College in Oregon. As a member of this team, Pucci decided to design the team uniforms, which is where he began his career in design.

In 1947, a photographer for Harper’s Bazaar photographed Emilio Pucci in his uniform which he had designed himself. The photographer and her editor were so impressed with the uniform that Emilio was asked to create and design the skiwear for an article on European Winter Fashion. This got Pucci enough attention to begin his own clothing line for women as well as allow him to open a couture house in 1950 in the Isle of Capri.

“What started out as a need to design new and more functional skiwear for his ski team became a fashion empire for Emilio Pucci.” 2

After announcing himself as a designer, Emilio Pucci was able to create designs and garments straight from his imagination. The result of this was his well-known bold and colorful kaleidoscope prints.

“Pucci's brightly patterned silks became an international sensation in the 1950s and 1960s, when fashion icons like Jacqueline Kennedy were often spotted in his kaleidoscopic designs.” 3

“Pucci not only changed the color spectrum of high-end fashion, he also made ample use of stretchy fabrics that had previously been relegated to swim and ski wear. He moved away from the heavily tailored looks of the 1940s and into the realm of comfortable, wearable separates.” 3

When the 1970s came along, Pucci’s designs began to fade out in popularity. His fashions had fallen out of Vogue and the brand remained on shake-y ground until 1991. In 1991, designers such as Donatella Versace and Moschino began to show designs heavily influenced by Emilio Pucci on the runway. One year later, Emilio Pucci died and the company was taken over by his daughter.

Today, the Emilio Pucci brand is doing better than ever. In 2000, the company was bought by LVMH and has been operated under the admired name since.

“Pucci now lives on, under the guidance of his daughter who holds the position of image director and Christian Lacroix who was recently named the artistic director and is a good match for the brand, considering his mastery of color and affection for sixties and seventies styling.” 4

It is quite clear that Emilio Pucci’s legacy has left a strong mark on the fashion industry. Today, you see Pucci clothing all over the runways. The popular bold prints have come back into style with the change of the century and have been welcomed open-heartedly.

“… for the style that made its name in the 50's and 60's has become the subject of both private and museum collections and his influence on textiles and prints is still very relevant in today's world of couture fashion. … It is obvious that it was Pucci’s combination of elegance and excitement that resulted in his tremendous success.” 4

1 http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/emilio-pucci.asp
2 http://articles.directorym.com/Emilio_Pucci-a802.html
3 http://www.zimbio.com/100+Most+Influential+People+in+Fashion/articles/171/Fashion+Influential+69+Emilio+Pucci
4 http://articles.directorym.com/Emilio_Pucci-a802.html

EOC Chapter 1 Exercise

The Louis Vuitton ad campaign featuring Madonna was released in 2009. This campaign was and still continues to be very popular around the globe. Madonna’s timeless look and image combined with Louis Vuitton’s timeless and prestigious brand name created advertisements sure to win over the hearts of consumers everywhere.

Madonna is well known for her pop music and her bold fashion statements, making her not only a fashion icon but an icon in the music industry as well. Madonna’s popular self-image is a pop culture icon and will continue to be so for several years to come. Madonna has been able to re-invent, revamp and uphold her image as the years have passed just as Louis Vuitton has been able to do so since the early 1900s.

The Louis Vuitton high-status brand name is well known for their luxury goods. Louis Vuitton carries a variety of apparel and accessories and is best known for their outstanding luggage. Well known for their craftsmanship and extraordinary tailoring, Louis Vuitton is the most popular, distinguished and legendary name in the world of high fashion.

Another popular icon in this advertisement is the well-known Louis Vuitton bag on the right. Instead of choosing a newer bag, that perhaps, only fashionistas would recognize, Louis Vuitton decided to showcase their most popular fabric design with their world-famous logo.

It is no wonder why Madonna and Louis Vuitton were able to create and establish such a prevalent ad campaign together.

This ad, in particular, makes the consumer want to purchase Louis Vuitton products. This is achieved through effective marketing as well as brand strategy. Louis Vuitton and Madonna both have outstanding, popular reputations, making them great icons and brands for advertisemtn. By making Madonna the brand model in this ad campaign, Louis Vuitton is able to reach markets it has already achieved as well as markets that it has not thought to reach out to yet. If Madonna wants to wear it, wouldn’t any woman want to?