Model Ashley Smith and Nylo Bring Music and Fashion Together Again with RVCA for Fall 2014

RVCA Womens | Fall 2014 from RVCA on Vimeo.

RVCA debuts the Women’s Fall 2014 Campaign featuring RVCA Advocate Ashley Smith in yet another beautiful video lookbook featuring music by Nylo. Texas born model Smith has partnered with the lifestyle brand to deliver a series of signature capsule collections in select retailers worldwide.

Interestingly, Founder and President, PM Tenore’s intention from the very beginning has been to create a platform for RVCA, which combines art, music, fashion and a modern lifestyle in an original way. At the forefront of this vision has been RVCA’s Artist Network Program (ANP)-a venture established to showcase the talents of accomplished as well as unknown artists who inspire our generation and push the boundaries of creative excellence.

Shop the collection featured in the film at: https://www.rvca.com/b/post/rvca-womens-fall-2014-lookbook. And, stay connected with RVCA via Instagram at @RVCA_WOMENS

RVCA Debuts VELVET ECLIPSE Swim Collection & Music Video

RVCA Velvet Eclipse Swim Collection Video. Filmed in Long Beach, CA by Brandon Jensen. Song by Nylo. 

 

Rather than RVCA debuting their Velvet Swim Collection with only a standard lookbook, the clothing brand has created a music video that brings the pieces to life. This way, consumers can understand the product without going into the store, which could give the consumer a motivation to buy sooner.

Videos like this are not only purchase drivers, but they are also vehicles to communicate the brand identity in a way that draws the consumer into their desirable “lifestyle.” And why not pull it all together with great music? RVCA teamed up with Nylo, who’s Soundcloud can be found here. I liked the song so much, that I let the video play all the way through — great way to keep your viewer watching for longer!

Want to look through all the separates and bodies? Click here: SHOP NOW

Riding the Coachella Wave: Maison Kitsuné Music Events and a Pop-up Shop

 

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Last week, my favorite Parisian fashion and music label Maison Kitsuné took over Hollywood with a pop-up shop and three epic events at the Roosevelt Hotel. Very smart marketing considering the high volume of activity around fashion and music during Coachella Weekend 1 and 2. This is a best practice to remember when planning out your marketing calendar around specific events.

The celebrations commenced on Wednesday at Spare Room, with a live showcase debuting Heartsrevolution’s new album, and performances by Navvi and Chrome Canyon.

The party continued with a Kitsuné Club Night at Teddy’s on Friday, where fashion insiders grooved to live music by Prince Language and Jupiter. VIP guests joined Masaya Kuroki, co-founder of Maison Kitsuné, in the swanky depths of the Roosevelt.

Kilo Kish, Eli & Fur and Them Jeans turned up the beat at a Kitsuné pool party at Tropicana on Sunday. Throughout the week, party goers shopped exclusive tees and vintage pieces at the Maison Kitsuné pop-up store at room 100. And boy do I love a good pop-up store when you pop them up in influential areas! This gives customers and influencers a chance to get to know your product in an intimate way while creating an environment that drives your brand identity.

Follow Kitsuné on Soundcloud for stellar music! Here’s a mix from last week’s Kitsuné Club Night:

http://soundcloud.com/kitsune-maison/lemarquis-exclusive-mixtape-for-kitsune-club-night

Coachella Trend: Blue-Mirrored Lenses

 

 

After many days of looking through the Coachella lookbook, if you will, I found one popular trend that will carry through this summer: blue-mirrored sunglasses. Nina Dobrev was spotted wearing Peepers’ Crossroads sunglasses last weekend at Coachella Music Festival. Nina rocked her pair with a denim look out on the polo fields ($16.99; http://www.peeperspecs.com).

During the same weekend, Kylie Jenner was photographed wearing Milk the Goat and similar blue-mirrored sunglasses. The reality star rocked a bohemian chic look in her Noosa Shorts and Zuma V-Top ($72 and $69; http://www.milkthegoat.com).

How would you style these sunglasses?

Music Festival Must Haves: Top 10 Things to Pack

Many of you readers and PR folks have asked about whether or not I’d do a round-up on music festival must-haves. Well, the answer is yes! And so you know, these “must-haves” are all from off the top of my head – no PR pitches influenced this post. However, if you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments or by shooting me an email. There are more reviews to come around festival gear 🙂

Gym Gear: My #1 pick. This isn’t for working out at the local Palm Springs gym on your “down time” — it’s for jumping around at night when it’s a bit colder and you want to rock out without your dress flying up. Think about it, Coachella is a work out! And when the sun goes down, no one cares about your latest head-to-toe look. So, why not be comfortable and really enjoy yourself. Check out Nike for awesome printed leggings.

Ear Plugs: Use them during those heavy bass shows without blocking out all the noise.My favs are the Surefire EP4 Sonic Defender Ear Protection – your ears will thank you later.

Hair Powder: This is a top must-have for any and all festivals. Whether you are camping or in a hotel, you’ll need hair powder to freshen up your coif. I literally went four days without washing my hair and it still looked amaze – true story!

Sunglasses: I love fashionable sunglasses, but I hate losing expensive pairs. Check out Forever 21 for sunglasses that won’t break the bank.

Lotion with SPF: Stay tan without turning red by lathering up with SPF: once in the morning and afternoon.

Vaseline: It gets very dry in the summer and skin cracks, especially when you are baking in the desert sun. Make sure you are ready to face the heat with some jelly.

White Sharpie: Express yourself with face paint and tribal art. This pen is safe for skin and water and fade resistant. Get inspired on Pinterest here.

Mirror: Personally, I love to camp at festivals. However, I still love to get glammed up! Take a small stand-up mirror, so you can prop it up at camp before emerging from your tent as a beautiful butterfly 😉

Water Bottle: Have your water bottle in hand, in purse or tied onto your backpack at all times. You’ll want to stay hydrated 100% of the time. Love the Camelbak Groove – I use it every day.

Baby Wipes: OK, this is really only for the campers. At Coachella especially, there are VERY long shower lines and sometimes you just need to make sacrifices… Use a baby wipe, some water from your water bottle and you’re good to go.

Rockin Product Placement: Ellie Goulding and SZA

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Product placement is an integral component to marketing your product to consumers. Why? It brings the products to life, gives them a personality and allows consumers to connect with it as something aspirational and tangible. Currently, leading fashion brands like RVCA and This is a Love Song are fitting singers like Ellie Goulding and SZA for their performances and photo shoots. And the interesting part, is that these pieces specifically, are moderately priced. This allows their fans to purchase and ultimately increase affinity by wearing their clothes.

Learn more about the brands these talented singers are wearing below. Oh, and while you’re reading,  listen to a few of favorite tunes I’ve chosen for your listening pleasure 🙂

Ellie Goulding, above, is wearing the Bali-born brand, THIS IS A LOVE SONG, which has already garnered the attention of an influential style set with the likes of notable names including but not limited to Cheryl Cole, Leigh Lezark, Kylie Jenner, Katy B, Cara Delevingne, Hannah Bronfman, Chelsea Leyland, Rita Ora, Katy B, Chloe Noorgard, Jourdan Dunn, and more…

Fun fact: THIS IS A LOVE SONG is the result of two best friends, many music festivals and not enough awesome stuff to wear. This Is A Love Song, commonly referred to as TIALS for short, was established by best friends Stephanie Vermaas and Nina Hadinata. The duo, who quite literally live and produce the brand out of Bali, first conceptualized the TIALS in hopes of delivering fun and affordable party clothes to party girls worldwide. With THIS IS A LOVE SONG the two best friends hope to bring party-ready clothes to the masses that evoke the care free spirit of a music festival (which, of course, is the duo’s favorite type of party).

https://soundcloud.com/topdawgent/teen-spirit-prod-wondagurl

Vocalist SZA performs in concert wearing RVCA’s Free Streets Overalls during the Maverick Music Festival at Maverick Plaza on March 21, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage) RVCA describes it’s women’s collection as it “was built upon the balance of opposites: order, chaos…past, present…dark, light. The RVCA girl is no different. She’s inspired by street culture as much as the runway.”

 

ESCADA Launches E-commerce in USA

Luxury fashion brand ESCADA will launch today its online store in the United States of America, following the successful introduction of ESCADA.com to the European markets in 2013. Welcome to the 21st Century, ESCADA!

The E-Store will offer a wide range of ESCADA lifestyle products, including apparel and accessories from the ESCADA and ESCADA SPORT brands.

Bruno Sälzer (CEO ESCADA SE) “In the new positioning of ESCADA there is a special focus on the digital world. Especially highlighted are multi-channel-experiences, interaction with the client and an integrated experience of the brand. After our successful launch in Europe one year ago, we are now present in the most important E-Commerce market, the USA.”

Usability and design is likewise important in the ESCADA E-Store. The navigation is easy and intuitive; the elegant design with large-scale images reflects the ESCADA brand identity.

And check this out: All social media channels are integrated into the new online store. The site, which is optimized for mobile applications, ensures an ideal display on all devices. Remember readers, always keep in mind mobile. You’d think it’s a no brainer, but many companies forget all about optimizing and scaling for different devices.

The store finder is placed on all relevant ESCADA E-Store pages and is supposed to stimulate multichannel experiences. In selected ESCADA retail stores sales staff will carry iPads to directly assist clients in placing orders in the E-Store for items that might not be available in the store.

The ESCADA online store provides a variety of different shipping options via Fedex, including free standard ground shipping as well as express shipping. Furthermore, the ESCADA E-Store offers its clients an easy and cost-free returns handling including a 14-day return policy. An exclusive packaging concept completes the range of service offers of the ESCADA E-Store.

Hermes NexTec, specialist in international full-service e-commerce solutions, provides all services along the online value chain including shop, content and IT management and in close collaboration with ESCADA performance marketing. In addition to these services Hermes Fulfilment supplies with warehousing, customer care, finance services and returns management.

Twitter: @ESCADA
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESCADA