FGI Hosts Trend Panel at CMC
Destination shopping blocks, celebrity fashion and buying stuff on your mobile phone were some of the topics discussed at the “L.A. Confidential” trend panel, hosted by Fashion Group International of Los Angeles at the California Market Center on March 2.
California Apparel News Executive Editor Alison A. Nieder was a panelist, along with Tasha Nita Adams, writer/editor of blogs Mondette and Blackburn and Sweetzer, and Erin Weinger, publisher of Style Section L.A. Emily Heintz of the California Fashion Association moderated.
“Aspiration” was the answer to why people are obsessed with celebrity dressing and why what’s seen in the magazines isn’t necessarily what sells in the stores. Nieder explained that editorials create a “mood” and the directional version of a trend. Adams added that most readers don’t take fashion editorials too literally. “You do take what makes sense for you.” On the topic of celebrity, Weinger said that the reason women want to copycat the clothes worn by the characters on “The Hills” and the Kardashian sisters is because “they are aspiring to live this lifestyle.”
In shopping, the strengths of both bricks-and-mortar stores and online stores were discussed. Adams said that retail in West Hollywood, Calif., neighborhoods is starting to pick up again. After the economy “put a dent in momentum,” many boutiques that opened two or three years ago shut their doors last year. Nieder responded that “Robertson can be the next Robertson,” as the street is constantly changing its profile of shops. Lisa Kline recently consolidated her multiple stores, and Gap opened a permanent outpost for its 1969 jeans line.
Weinger answered by saying, “I think the next big street is going to be the Internet. I think mobile is the next big thing for retail.” She pointed to mobile applications for cell phones that allow shoppers to purchase shoes, bags or clothing. Even bricks-and-mortar stores are investing more in Web site design. “A regular store cannot exist without a robust online strategy,” Weinger said.
Adams noted that e-tailers providing interesting content, such as trend reports and photo shoots, add an extra draw to the Web site. Nieder offered that bricks-and-mortar stores can be differentiated from online shopping by “enhancing the shopping experience” and maximizing customer service. “That’s why you go to the store; it’s a social experience,” she said.
On the future of designer collaborations with mass-market retailers, the panelists agreed that one-off partnerships are a win on all sides.
Nieder pointed to the clothing collaboration between Los Angeles design label Rodarte and Target. It allowed the luxury brand to sell lower-priced clothing that “gave a suggestion of the high-end brand” to a fan base that normally could not afford the designer label. The added cash flow from a mass retailer also allows designers to continue to indulge their artistic craft that has limited sales potential.
For those who want the real deal, there is Rent the Runway. The Web site is a rental service where customers can browse clothing from designer brands, such as DVF and Proenza Schouler, keep the clothing for a week and then return it. Weinger called it a “kind of genius.”
As trends turn faster and faster, it allows customers who want the look, label and brand but cannot afford it to own a piece of fashion temporarily for an affordable fee. —Rhea Cortado
