Cannes Film Festival Opening Ceremony

The Cannes film festival is one of the most glamorous events in the showbiz calendar, but even the French Riviera couldn't escape the unseasonably dreary spring weather. The Hollywood elite were left with damp gowns after the Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony was showered by rain and hit by windy weather ruining their well-planned red carpet looks.

The event didn't disappoint when it came to the fashion!  The dresses and makeup on the stars were of course impeccable. I haven't previously made many posts on red carpet events although I love to keep updated on what all the stars wearing.  Red carpet events are a great marketing strategy for designers and therefore it is crucial that the designers get the top A- Listers wearing there dresses for the big event.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Nicole Kidman were among the A List stars who were left drenched and clutching onto umbrellas for dear life on Wednesday night as they made their way across the sodden red carpet.

My favourite look for the night was Australian actress Nicole Kidman, the star looked gorgeous in a strapless, floral-embroidered Christian Dior frock from the Spring 2013 Couture collection. The 45-year-old accessorised the dress with a Ferragamo clutch and pink patent shoes.

But it was the Hollywood star's hairstyle that stole the show - she combined sleek sides with a bouffant-like voluminous section across the centre of her head and ponytail at the nape of her neck. I can defiantly see this hairstyle becoming a very popular trend next season.

Actress Freida Pinto, of Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire fame, looked elegant in red Gucci, teamed with Chopard jewels. English model Cara Delevingne opted for traditional black Burberry.

(All Photos Courtesy of Dailymaily.co.uk)

Curvy, Trendy, and Fashion

It is important for retail customers to see themselves in what they purchase and over recent years there has been a shift in within the fashion industry on how curvy women are viewed. That being said, in reality we can safely assume that most women who buy retail clothing aren't all a size zero. Can we perhaps expect to see a difference in upcoming trends for women, encouraging the true beauty of "curvy?"

The similarity to this prediction relates in many ways to the Victorian era when curvy meant you were perceived as wealthy, and wealthy meant you were more desirable. "Voluptuous" was "trendy" in the Victorian era, therefore women (and men of course) desired an "hourglass" frame.

The trend seemed to change directions around the 1920's popularizing the thin "flipper girl" look. Then, 1950's the trends spiked back up for the size 14 Marilyn Monroe "bombshell" from Hollywood look. 1960's "Twiggy"-skinny look transcended into the 1980's and 1990's where we saw more average sizes, yet baggier-looks appeal. 

(Photo Courtesy of: tumblr.com)

(Photo Courtesy of: blogspot.com)

Can we see these patterns perhaps coming back due to our recent economical crisis? In the past 100 years alone it seems the ideal women's figure went from voluptuous to slender back to voluptuous again, and it started out having to do with the financial stature of a women. There have even been articles not too long ago about new mannequins being re-made and distributed to clothing stores due to it's more realistic size; and those would be more likely to attract women's attention when shopping.

Even more recently in an industry where size zero models are the rule and size ten models are the exception, a fashion shoot that uses a 'plus-size' model without actually labeling the shoot 'plus-size,' is a rare find. However, H&M's new Beachwear collection, presented on the retailer's online womenswear homepage, features U.S. size 12 model Jennie Runk, minus the ubiquitous and stigmatizing term 'plus-size'. 'Her section isn't labeled "Plus-Size Beachwear" — it's just beachwear, period,' writes Jezebel's Jenna Sauers. This is a huge step in the fashion industry in accepting the "curvy" figure. So does that mean the industry is finally turning their back on size zero models?

(Photo Courtesy of: Dailymail.co.uk)

Furthermore, Kate Upton is the lastest supermodel which proves the fashion industry is changing. She has landed the honor of making the cover of British Vogue! When she was selected, her "curviness" had an influence as to why she got the spot.

(Photo Courtesy of: vogue.com)

Clothing retailers will do what they need to to boost fashion clothing sales, therefore luxury brands and fashion business and development will also likely follow along those steps to which is desired. It does seem interesting the "trends" of women's body-shapes and how they not only effect retail and distribution sales in the fashion business, but also the way women view themselves in general. 

The Beyonce Take Over

I recently went to see Beyonce in concert in Birmingham, I had waited months for the concert and had very high expectations and to say the least it definatly didn't disappoint! The dance routines, staging and the song choices were all perfect and Beyonce is one insanaly talented women!  But while waiting for her to come on stage it got me thinking about how much do celebrtites influence sales for a brand.

There were many advertisment for her perfumes and also her most recent Pepsi Max advert, which played on the screen for thousand of Beyonce lovers to see. This must give Pepsi Max huge boost in sales.

Pepsi says the ad is designed to show how each phase of the singer’s life helped Beyonce become who she is now. The ad features Beyonce’s latest track Grown Woman, which Pepsi says is the “perfect embodiment” of the Live for Now ethos.

Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo Global Beverages Group, says: “There isn’t an artist that embodies what it means to “Live for Now” more than Beyoncé. She is a true trendsetter and is at the epicenter of pop culture today, and we couldn’t have asked for a better creative partner to bring our shared visions to life.

Pepsi is developing ways to develop the brand’s presence and engage fans at Beyonce’s upcoming tour - The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. This shows that Beyounce must have the selling power and even has the power to change the brands presence.

Furthermore, Beyonce has most recently launched a new range for H&M. "It's incredibly unique to have Beyoncé for a campaign. It doesn't get bigger than that. Of course we have to do something which excites her as well as us," explained Donald Schneider, H&M creative director. "We have a fantastic creative team who came up with this idea to incorporate the elements; earth, wind, fire and water - to create drama and make something just visually stunning."

(All photos courtesy of vougue.com)

H&M know how to maximize a connection with cultural movement to generate tremendous buzz. In fact H&M have been doing this for some time. They cracked the code of cultural collaboration, aligning the coolest, most influential individuals with their asset (the ability to manufacture and distribute a quality product to the masses). H&M have a long history of successful partnerships with everyone from Madonna to Karl Lagerfeld, from Dutch fashion bad boys Victor & Rolf to Jimmy Choo.

This is a new value culture, grounded in a new business model that sees brands partnering with culture to generate real, tangible business value.

This shows that the culture today really do buy into the celebrity lifestyle and what Beyonce has people want! Beyonce is incredibly successful and it is still clear that she is in high demand and there is no stopping her! I look forward to seeing her next projects and it just goes to show Beyounce really does have the power to sel!

Victoria Beckham's Plans To Open UK Retail Store

The former Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham, has plans to expand her fashion empire further by opening up a retail store in London.

(Courtesy of Style.com)

Victoria Beckham entered into the intricately-webbed world of fashion in 2004 with American denim brand Rock and Republic. She was co-designing luxury brand jeans, skirts and knitwear before launching her very own fashion line in 2006. Victoria has also previously modelled in fashion campaigns for luxury brand designers Dolce and Gabanna and Marc Jacobs. In 2008 she introduced her Victoria Beckham collection of dresses, which was very well received by the fashion industry - she is now a regular fixture on the New York Fashion Week circuit! I really admire the impression she's made in fashion as the transition from pop star to fashion designer could not have been easy! Her designs have been worn by actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway and even pop-singer Beyonce Knowles.

(Courtesy of Fashionawards.com)

Aside from the fashion business world Beckham also manages to balance being a mum. The 39 year-old mother of four, has admitted that balancing her family life with her career has been a constant juggle. "The children are my priority and always have been and always will be so it's a little bit of a juggling act," she recently told the Vogue Festival at London's Royal Festival Hall.

Fashion is a big part of the families lives with her son Romeo making an appearance in the latest Burberry campaign and her sports-star husband David Beckham fronting an underwear campaign for H&M, it would seem the Beckham Family are the most fashionable family in the world!  

(Courtesy of GraziaDaily.com)

(Courtesy of Style.com)

It appears for Victoria Beckham, the world of fashion business has partnered-up with the world of motherhood. But even under pressure from the weight of both complicated worlds on her shoulders, she conquers on wearing the weight fashionably well - AND continues on in her quest to open her first retail store!

I am very impressed with her new business developments and plans for her retail store in London! And I am eager and curious to find out how well the store and her brand does in retail sales and revenue growth (along with it's fashion marketing and advertising).

Watch her entire interview at the Vogue Festival by following this link:

http://www.vogue.co.uk/special-events/vogue-festival-2013/news/sunday/victoria-beckham-vogue-festival-talk-and-interview

PPR Re-branded And Given New Name

The luxury and sportswear group PPR, which owns Puma, Gucci, Saint Laurent and more, have recently announced that the company is changing its name to Kering and embarking on a major re-branding. Kering, a title meant to signify the company’s 'caring' approach in developing it’s brands as well as acknowledging the company’s roots in France’s Brittany region (‘Ker’ means home in Breton). The new name was also accompanied by an owl logo and tagline “Empowering Imagination”.

So why would  a well-known and globally successfully luxury goods group like PPR, after devoting years towards establishing brand equity, etc. would make such a corporate transformation? And PPR reported revenue of 9.7 billion euros, or $12.5 billion, for last year. What are the company’s new expectations/hopes when it comes to sales growth and business revenue growth?

Louise Beveridge, Kering’s senior vice-president of communications, when asked to explain the name change said, “We still have a few assets which we need to sell, which is happening right now, but otherwise the group has completely changed shape, form, vocation and philosophy,” she continued. “The question then became: do we need to change the name?” 

I speculate PPR is looking for a new ‘appearance’ for the group and a brand new identity within. Therefore a new brand name = new brand concept.

(Courtesy of: WWD.com)

It seems the idea is that while the existing corporate brand lacked a sense of ‘personality’ and ‘a clear point of view’, the new Kering is “a name which is closer to the reality of our business today, which reflects our way our doing business, which reflects a point of view, which becomes a point of differentiation and a point with which our employees can actually identify with,” Beveridge also has said.

PPR, a 50 year-old company previously known as Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, was once a holding company with a wide range of assets that was run similar to a private equity firm. Then in 2005, François-Henri Pinault started a complete transformation that would change PPR, from a financial company with no specific focus, into an ‘industrial group’ made up of accessories and apparel brands with two main focuses - luxury and sport.

“Luxury and sport is the same business. Fundamentally, it’s the same value chain. You create, you produce, you distribute; clothing and accessories. Different price points, different clients, but fundamentally the same business,” Louise Beveridge has stated.

(Courtesy of: under30ceo.com)

I believe this change of name (as with the reasoning behind it) will most likely improve business sales for the company. Established in the business of fashion,branding, business development, product development, marketing, sales, in various fields ranging from textile sales to skincare sales, we have seen the changes companies go through to improve their identities (especially luxury brands in fashion business).

The name Kering makes a far more manageable word than (a phrase like) Pinault-Printemps-Redoute. And while the name ‘PPR’ was concise, it didn't appear to have much character. PPR is far too reminiscent of abbreviations like the “USSR” which might be best suited for a bank or law firm’s initials, but it honestly doesn't inspire much joy.

A marketing campaign, said to be carried out mostly though print advertisements and social media, has been planned to help spread the word before the name change officially takes effect in June.

In addition, let’s not forget other recent fashion business development changes made in relation to PPR– soon to be Kering’s – luxury brand Gucci’s buying-out of luxurytableware brand Richard Ginori. 

(Courtesy of: ilgazzettino.it)

It seems that many fashion business developments are in the works this year.  Gucci found inspiration to re-equip the historical company. After all, when it comes to product development, product sales and business sales with the right amount of creative direction, the possibilities can be endless!