Data Experts suggest UK Brands re-think strategy to celebrate the best of UK fashion

While London Fashion Week has put world focus on the best of UK fashion, data from customer relationship experts at Optimove suggests retailers should use the event to build long term relationships rather than focus on sales.

Photo © Lucia Carpio 2018

Optimove* data has found there is no dramatic change in online purchasing during Fashion Week, while also suggests that for most retailers the impact of sales will not be significant.  This is despite retailers try to drive a sales boost with ‘see now, buy now’ initiatives from brands such as Topshop and Burberry; or getting involved by sponsoring after-parties, pop-up shows and events.

Instead, Optimove said retailers should be focusing the development of long term relationships that can provide future value.

Pini Yakuel, founder and CEO of Optimove, comments: “Featuring in London Fashion Week is a great asset for many brands as it helps them to reach a wider audience.  However, focusing on boosting sales directly through showcasing at Fashion Week could quite possibly be a fashion ‘faux pas’. 

“Fashion is a passion industry: it brings together people with a shared love for style and design, and brands can utilise this to build a relationship with customers that lasts beyond Fashion Week. Simply aiming to sell more during this one week means that brands will miss out on connecting with customers and cultivating lasting brand loyalty and increasing customers’ lifetime value. 

“For the more valuable work of offering customers real value, brands need to communicate in an emotionally intelligent way.  Retailers should be able to identify a particularly fashion-forward customer and give them sneak peeks to an exclusive collection, access to limited editions or treat them to VIP/Concierge experiences, for example. 

Pini continues: “This means moving away from general demographic assumptions and towards segmentation based on behaviour analysis.  The data which helps brands to build up a fuller view of their customers is the most valuable thing to come out of London Fashion Week, because it can help retailers develop a relationship based on ongoing exchange of value.”

*Optimove is the Science-first Relationship Marketing Hub, used by over 300 customer-centric businesses to drive measurable growth by scaling customer engagement.

Modern fashion meets Japanese sub-culture as new clothing brand Tokkou arrives for London Fashion Week

Contemporary Japanese fashion brand Tokkou is setting up a pop-shop in London’s trendy Notting Hill to coincide with London Fashion Week.

The London-based brand takes inspiration from Japanese youth subculture Bousou-zoku for its cutting-edge looks.

TOKKOU’s visionaries want to bring their fresh approach to couture by using technologically enhanced fabrics.
Photos from TOKKOU

The designs are inspired by traditional garments worn by the bousou-zoku biker gangs and the traditional sotsuran worn by students during their graduation ceremony, the Tokkou collection reinterprets clothing as an art form used to express team names and beliefs with words and illustrations.

Inspired by the recent popularity of Japanese culture in Europe and the current trend for Japanese writing, embroidered jackets and jeans, the Tokkou brand symbolises Japan’s cultural heritage while incorporating elements of British punk-rock and Gothic culture. The result is a striking Asian-British fusion of silhouettes, cuts and styles with unmistakable Japanese flair.

Its 2019 Spring Summer collection, Shining in the Dark, is designed in the hope that the wearer shines even while riding their motorcycle in the dark.

Featuring dark and brooding hues emblazoned with eye-catching traditional Japanese characters and bold graphics, the Tokkou range includes oversized hoodies, tailored jackets, trousers, sweatpants, shirts, dresses and tailored shorts.

Each garment is created in the country that the company has drawn much of their inspiration from and aims to transmit traditional Japanese culture to the world through fashion.

TOKKOU’s visionaries want to bring more of their fresh approach to couture to stores and streets around the country by using technologically enhanced fabrics.

Billed as "utterly wearable and very on trend," the collection is designed to be edgy yet timeless and uses modern materials such as a soft Lyocell Cotton blend, with a gentle and drapeable texture that unlike nylon and polyester, does not require petroleum for its production.

There’s also high dense stitch fleece lining, luxurious 80 yarn count poplin and luxury fabrics spun in the Biella region of Northern Italy.

Tokkou has ambitious plans to present its designs to the world, and will host a guerrilla fashion show on the 15th September alongside London Fashion Week. 

The Notting Hill pop up shop will be open to the public, the media and fashion merchandisers alike from the 21st September for two weeks.

During their time at London Fashion Week, Tokkou’s creators are hoping to meet with suppliers to clothing stores throughout Europe as well as independent fashion retailers who understand the brand’s vision and share their view of Japanese fashion as an art form. 

Glorious lace at Christopher Kane's AW 2018-19 and from the House of Darquer in France

Lace has been part of European fashion for a very long time, and remains as relevant today as it was centuries ago.

Recently in the February 2018 edition of London Fashion Week, lace was featured profusely in British designer Christopher Kane’s Autumn/Winter 2018-19 collection.

Reflecting the interior strength of the Christopher Kane Girl with an external display of power, the collection evolved from last season to become less cheeky and more subversive this season.

“It's about strength of character shown by the strength of the clothes. It all started with the illustrations from The Joy of Sex and More Joy of Sex, by Chris Foss and Charles Raymond. They're both a textbook study and a sensuous display of line drawing, almost in 'coffee table book' form that's both weird and really everyday. All of which always intrigues me,” says the talented Christopher Kane.





Catwalk Source & Images from Christopher Kane



Meanwhile at the Premiere Vision Paris textile fair also in February, French lace house Darquer showcased their latest lace creations for the congregating fashion industry.  Designer Frédéric Ruminy’s latest on offer includes beautiful lace in two tones, also lace made with denim effect as well as lace in cotton blended with cashmere to lovely results.

The "Millennium" collections includes a selection of white & black lace designs, evocative of the heritage of Maison Darquer, while among its heritage are the highly sophisticated Chantilly lace that have stood the test of time.

Darquer was established in 1840 in Calais, and is the oldest and most renowned lace company in France. In this regard, it has an exceptional collection of lace samples of all styles and periods.

Today, Maison DARQUER is very much a modern company as it continues to develop a wide range of services to meet the needs of today's markets with a new “See now Buy Now” website for immediate delivery.

Maison DARQUER is very much a modern company as it continues to develop a wide range of services to meet the needs of today's markets with a new “See now Buy Now” website for designers to choose designs, place orders and for immediate delivery.

Darquer lace photos by Lucia Carpio.

Darquer opened its Paris showroom in 2017, in a former 18th century private mansion Hotel de Vibraye, classified as an historic monument, on 15 rue Vielle du Temple in the 4th arrondissement.

The showroom features the entire collection  of its famous 7 points Chantilly lace  as well as the novelties, Cornely, Beyroux and "hand made embroideries  ".  It is also possible for buyers and fashion designers to develop their own made to measure patterns using Dacquer designs as starting point.

Pictured right,  at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, fashion model Sara Sampaio wears a sexy creation by  Francesco Scognamiglio realized with an  evanescsente lace from Maison Darquer.

Showroom and Cannes Film Festival photos from Dacquer.