D.I.Y. With Converse And (PRODUCT) RED

Converse’s newest 1HUND(RED)s for Spring brings a new meaning to DIY fashion featuring the creative talents from 100 internationally celebrated musicians, artists, designers and even you! Anyone can build their own pair of shoes and make a difference with the customizable “MAKE MINE (RED)” option. This is another way to use cross promotion with a CSR approach. It’s also a wonderful way to engage your target audience while joining in on a good cause like (PRODUCT) RED.

The Converse 1HUND(RED) initiative is a year-long global project celebrating their partnership with (RED) and commemorating the brand’s 100th anniversary to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. Also, the Chuck Taylor® ALL STAR® x Africa line uses canvas sourced in Africa and features African mudcloth designs, bringing global inspiration to the classic Converse style.

Lupe Fiasco, Grammy winning hip-hop artist, created his custom pair of Chucks, shown above,  inspired by newsprint. The shoes feature the familiar phrase, appearing in French around the shoe’s midsole, “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”

Andrew Mania, known for his conceptual work that riffs off famous art pieces featured in big name galleries in London and Chelsea, has designed his own shoe inspired by the famous artwork “This is not a pipe” by Rene Magritte. Andrew explains, “Clothes or sneakers are just another set of materials to play with. And the shoe can be a work of art, or something other than what it obviously is.”

View the entire Spring collection at (Converse)RED.

Baby Phat Struts Down The Twitter Runway

I hope everyone followed @BabyPhat on Twitter last night during their Fall ’09 show! The collection layered light-weight fabrics paired with stylish outerwear that were true to the feminine form. It was fun to experience the madness and excitement that goes on backstage from their perspective. I felt as if I were standing right next to their PR people at the show! @BabyPhat described the crowd,  the fashions, the make-up and even the after-party in real time. The tweets were very personal with statements like, “Kimora has arrived. She looks stunning!” and “10 minutes til show time!” @BabyPhat even used Flickr, shown below, to give people an insiders perspective.

Many readers have predicted this is just the beginning of scheduled Twitter sessions during large events. Jack with FashionVoices.com predicts that more labels will be utilizing Twitter this time next year and even posting video. Accessibility is key to building trust in an audience and Twitter is one of the best social media tools to employ. As I have said before, Twitter is on it’s way to changing the face of the fashion industry. Baby Phat is just one of many labels to make this intelligent change and bring their audience closer to the action.

Baby Phat Gives Consumers a Backstage Pass With Twitter

Baby Phat is showing their Fall ’09 collection tonight at NY Fashion Week. The high-class hip-hop label will also be giving fans an  insiders look into what goes on backstage at one of their shows. Baby Phat is going to tweet in real time through a live Twitter feed from backstage at the Baby Phat show tonight, February 17, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. E.S.T. Fans will be able to log on to www.twitter.com/babyphat and get a backstage pass to find out what goes on behind the scenes at one of the most fabulous shows of the year!

I applaud Baby Phat’s efforts to be accessible to consumers through social media. Using a live Twitter feed creates a personal relationship between the company and their target audience. Be sure to follow Baby Phat tonight and weigh in on their live feed by posting your comments. Can’t wait to check it out tonight!

Fall ’09 Fashion Color Report

You’ll want to listen to Tim Gunn when he tells you to use Tide TotalCare to keep your colors vibrant because Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems, has announced their Fashion Color Report for Fall 2009! FabSugar reports, “‘the most popular colors for Fall really represent a thoughtful palette. That’s a direct outcome of what’s happening in the world around us,’ said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, who also noted that somber yet hopeful colors reflect the troubling economy.”

As seen in the above color swatches, Pantone has chosen subtle colors that are classic and easy to wear. Colors such as American Beauty, Purple Heart, Honey Yellow and Rapture Rose are just some of the unique colors featured all over the runways during New York Fashion Week. Lacoste is a prime example of using these dusty colors during their Fall ’09 show.

Consumers are looking for colors that compliment each other. Bright and flashy colors are too trendy for people to wear time and time again. Wearing the more muted tones makes it easier to mix and match with the unique and fun pieces purchased when we actually could afford to splurge. Consumers are becoming more thrifty and conscious of what they buy, so it is imperative for colors to be versatile.

Check out the full list of Fall colors and their descriptions at FabSugar.

Photo: FabSugar Reveals Top 10 Fall Colors

Photo: Coutorture: Lacoste Fall 2009 NY Fashion Week

Twitter Increases Speed of Fashion Trends

Twitter is the fastest and most concise way to exchange information. Bloggers use it to promote themselves, track up-to-date trends and immerse themselves in their industry. Twitter can also be used to promote companies, labels, celebrities and those who want to be connected and consume information at light speed.

Fashion bloggers, designers and apparel companies utilize twitter in a way that may change the face of fashion. Nordstrom (@Nordstrom), Saurette (@Saurette), Solessence (@Solessence), and Hayden-Harnett (@hayden_harnett) are all companies tweeting frequently about trends and their own products. With the exception of WWD, fashion trends are mostly reported by print magazine on a monthly basis. Now, with the use of Twitter, fashionistas everywhere can consume fashion 24/7. This enables consumers to become inspired by trends, designers and celebrities at any moment.

Twitter paves the way for fashion trends to come and go in a matter of seconds. The astronomical number of exchanges between people on twitter ignites this type of behavior.

As fashionistas exchange trends on twitter, consumers will be overloaded with trends and fashion news. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that there is an overload of fashion news accessible at my fingertips, but this might mean that trends will have shorter life spans.

Consumer brands and fashion labels thrive on trends. Department stores pick up on these trends in order to drive business. With the use of buyers, department stores seek out labels that are consistent with current trends. As trends start to have shorter life spans department stores may not have the capacity to keep up. Boutiques, on the other hand, have the capacity to thrive with the changing trends because they have a smaller inventory.

Can businesses keep afloat if trends have shorter life spans? And will boutiques thrive while department stores go by the wayside?

Photo: Jack & Bill PR post on twitter during Fashion Week

Alternatives to Fashion Week

Designer after designer has pulled out of New York Fashion Week because of the costly expenses. ABC News shares these figures: “It’s a fortune — $28,000 just for the tent!” exclaims Mara Hoffman, 31, best known for creating memorable frocks for Sex and the City. “It totals maybe $70,000 for everything — it’s nuts.”

We all know that Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson and Monique Lhuillier have opted out for this fall season show. Even though they may not be in the tents at Bryant Park, designers need not completely abstain from any sort of display. There are many economical alternatives to runway shows such as off-site shows, presentations or even transforming spaces into markets like Alexander McQueen for instance!

Alexander McQueen debuts his Target McQ line at St. John’s Center (330 West Street at West Houston Street) from noon until 10pm on February 14th and 15th. McQ will later launch nationwide on March 4. Fashionista‘s Britt Aboutaleb describes, “they’re transforming the space into their own version of Camden Market complete with chain link fences, distressed plywood and graffiti-covered grates to ‘evoke some rock ‘n roll nostalgia’.”

Do you have any other brilliant ideas to share for those absent from Fashion Week? Do presentations and market spaces suffice?