14 March, 2021

TRP Travel Retail Style Index: March 2021

Cho Gi Seok for CR Fashion Book

Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP).

This month’s highlights are a new sustainability experience pop-up in Hainan, China as well as region-centric luxury launches in the Middle East and Asia that hint at a return to localised exclusivity.

1/ LANCÔME’S SUSTAINABLE PURPOSE. I’m impressed with the way Lancôme has translated its latest sustainability message of ‘Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow’ into an interactive pop-up in Sanya, Hainan. The campaign space celebrates the launch of Lancôme Absolue Rose Soft Cream Refill Set amidst a sea of roses at the resort island’s China Duty Free shopping mall atrium.

Instead of the usual selfie-culture beauty-tech attractions, Lancôme has switched to an informative note. Once inside the pop-up, guests can create a virtual rose bouquet as a pledge to plant a physical rose at the company’s Domaine de la Rose farm in Grasse, France, or they are whisked away on a virtual bike ride around the rose farm while they learn about Lancôme’s renewable energy production. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, Design, News, Retail concepts, Shopping Alison Farrington, business of beauty, Chanel, fragrance, Hermes, Lancome, Net-a-porter, retail concepts, travel retail

14 December, 2020

Are expensive beauty oils worth it? (Spoiler: It depends)

If there’s one thing this year has proved, it’s the importance of the human touch. Not being able to hug, enjoy a massage or simply shake hands has been, for many, beyond brutal. And for good reason. Skin-on-skin contact is scientifically proven to boost our emotions, releasing powerful feel-good hormones. According to Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, so-called ‘skin hunger’ actually weakens our immune systems, effectively allowing the stress hormone cortisol to run riot.

The next best thing then, according to Field, might be self-administered touch. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Beauty, Brands, Shopping, Trends beauty, Cerave, Chanel, Cle de Peau, Costa Brazil, Drunk Elephant, Francisco Costa, La Roche-Posay, Muji, Nairian, Shiseido, shopping, skin care, Typology

2 December, 2020

Quote of the day: Virginie Viard

Chanel creative director Virginie Viard

“It’s as if my grandparents had given me their fabric house and I wanted it to be the best — I wanted them to be happy. I’m often asking myself, ‘Karl, what do you think? Is it okay?’”

A sweet quote from Chanel creative director Virginie Viard, from this great Vogue profile by Hamish Bowles. (P.S. Who knew she was a Margiela–Helmut–Galliano stan back in the day?) (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Brands, Designers, News, Quote of the day Chanel, Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, quote of the day, Virginie Viard

7 September, 2020

What should I buy from Chanel Beauty?

A friend WhatsApped me to ask what beauty products she should get from Chanel.

This friend is well-versed in beauty so I was surprised she asked me, but actually I really do rate Chanel beauty. It manages to be of the moment, yet never bandwagon-y or too out there. Even when Lucia Pica debuted with her all-red collection, she executed it in an incredibly elegant way. And I’ve honestly never met a Chanel skincare product that didn’t agree with me. Here are the staples I recommended that I use all the time… (more…)