I have been meaning to feature Veja for over a year now. I love their minimalist, unisex aesthetic and eco-conscious credentials. And they’re affordable too. Very rare to find a shoe that ticks so many boxes…
Veja Womens collection available at Selfridges, Three Threads, Supra, Studio 8.
Clever Claire’s has tapped into the haul vlogger trend with a shiny new website. One of the first fashion brands to harness the power of haul vloggers, the Claire’s team trawled the streets of America scouting for girls to video blog for the site. The strangely addictive Youtube craze whereby teen girls hit the malls then upload a ‘shop and tell’ video blog is a perfect fit for a youth-focused brand like Claire’s. The retailer’s three brand ambassadors blog and vlog on its site, (hopefully) building a cult following and doling out tips and advice to current and future customers. There’s also a chance for wannabe vloggers to nominate themselves as a future ‘Claire’s Curator’.
It makes total sense to me for retailers to engage with their customers by inviting them to say nice things about their products on their sites (I’m guessing these teens are paid, if not in cold, hard cash, then surely in clothes). Customers trust the opinion of other consumers and especially when the gushing comes in the form of an authentic, home-made looking video. It also doesn’t hurt that the products being raved about are also featured alongside the blog posts to instantly click and buy.
As young consumers tire of celebrities, it seems likely that a new type of ‘blog star’ might take over. The benefit of haul vlogging – a bit like QVC – is it brings the personality closer to the consumer, allowing for a more engaging user experience. With the news that Forever 21 is about to land in the UK, I wonder when we’ll start to see UK youth retailers utilising haul tactics on their websites.
News just in: Forget Louis Vuitton, Prada and Chanel, the only shoe destination you need in New Bond Street is about to open at number 163. Formerly a mens shoe shop, the new standalone Church’s store, ‘Lady Bond’ (according to my mole) will be dedicated to women’s shoes in unique colorways. These shoes will be made in Italy ( thanks to the Prada connection?) as opposed to Northampton.
I’m praying for highly-polished brogues, oxfords and lounge slippers in Laduree macaron shades – not much to ask I’m sure you’ll agree. ETA: end of November.
When I attended Net-a-Porter’s infamous Denim Boutique launch back in June, one of the nuggets of news I picked up was its prediction for the Next Big Jean Shape. Denim and casualwear buyer Ben Matthew’s description of J Brand’s Gigi was “a cropped kick flare that hits just above the ankle before flaring out slightly”, which I have to say, did not appeal. It sounded a bit too much like Celine’s icky, tricky flood-length pant to me.
But how wrong I was. Just launched, the J Brand Gigi is a mid-rise skinny cut with the weeniest hint of a flare. Really not ‘booty’ at all. And I can see it looking very uptown with my Rupert Sanderson nude patent Veritys (the only heels that I can walk in) or ancient vintage Charles Jourdan little black kitten heels – plus a little boy shirt and my black pebbled Chanel tote. Apparently there’s a waiting list already. Of course there is.
