Calzedonia Press Day

Press days season is now ending and all magazines already have AW12-13 collections in their hands. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Calzedonia group press day at Wolf & Badger and The Dover Street Gallery and I had such a great time. PR girls on the door were delightful and collections looked amazing in a white space only interrupted by a projection of Calzedonia´s 25^th anniversary party. Little bowls with different kinds of Mediterranean food and a range of light refreshments were the perfect company for a rainy-sunny day that was starting to drive us crazy.

On this occasion, Brian Morel PR presented all Calzedonia group brands: Calzedonia, Intimissimi and Tezenis.

I have to say I was impressed by all collections but one of the most exciting was their leather capsule collection for Intimissimi. It is the first time that the brand uses leather for their creations and even though I am not a great fan of using leather in fashion, objectively I have to say that the whole collection is really well curated.

Calzedonia Press Day. Picture by House of PR.

Calzedonia Press Day. Picture by House of PR.

Alongside the collections, we had a look at the “Perfect Bra” catalogue for Intimissimi, a guide to different styles, effects and shapes designed to adapt to every woman´s figure. Choosing the right bra means choosing your own way to seduce, feel confortable and feminine at the same time and they have named each piece with a women’s name to make it even more special.

Calzedonia Press Day. Picture by House of PR.

Their press pack included a gift card for swimwear, which I redeemed yesterday at Calzedonia´s flagship store in Oxford Circus. I have to admit I was like an hour in the store trying to choose one, they have got really nice bikinis and it was really difficult to decide!

Oh! Another interesting thing, Intimissimi has just launched a unique initiative to join the eco-sustainability cause: the scrapping and recycling of old bras. The “Recycling your Bras” project aims to collect old brands, no matter what the brand, in order to manufacture sound proof insulating board thereby helping to reduce waste and alleviate noise pollution. I never knew that my old bras could ever be so useful!

Christian Louboutin & The Art of Communication

It is a sunny Sunday morning and I am looking for an exciting plan to enjoy my day off. What is on in London? Oh my God! Christian Louboutin has opened an art exhibition at Design Museum! I had an amazing lunch with friends nearby the River Thames and then we all decided to enjoy the art of shoes. The perfect plan, right? A few years ago pop up stores or 4D projections were top trends for fashion communication but today, tapping into consumer’s cultural consciousness is the new black when it comes to brand promotion. The fashion exhibition has become the hottest tool of the art of communication.

Christian Louboutin exhibition at Design Museum, London

I have to say I have never seen the Design Museum so crowded, with lots of people queuing from the outside. Different accents could be heard along the line, Americans, Italians, Frenchs, all waiting to enjoy the hotttest London attraction: a fashion brand exhibition!

Curated by Donna Loveday, this exhibition celebrates two decades of the French designer’s work since the label’s launch in the 1991. As soon as you step in, the exhibition transports you to the Parisian Moulin Rouge: shiny luxurious shoes all over a red velvet space only interrupted by an stylish Dita Von Teese hologram.

The space, that has been designed by Household, shows the truly brand essence of the fashion house, leaving a red footprint on visitor’s mind.

Alongside Christian Louboutin exhibition, another French fashion house is now showing in Paris. The Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs’s exhibition at Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs shows a story of two iconic names, Mr Vuitton and the brand’s current creative director, Marc Jacobs. The exhibition, that has already got press coverage all over the world, runs until 16 September 2012.

Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs’s exhibition at Paris Musée des Arts Décoratifs

The fashion exhibition is definitely a long lasting communication tool that helps to raise brand awareness. It might not be the cheapest strategy but it actually works. In 2011 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York had over 650, 000 visitors to “Savage Beauty” an exhibition about Alexander McQueen’s hottest designs. Fashion’s Collective reports that that was one of the Met’s most visited shows ever, “pitting iconic fashion pieces against blockbuster art exhibitions such as Tutankhamun’s Treasures and the Mona Lisa.”

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition at the Metropolitan museum, New York.

Yohji Yamamoto’s exhibition at the Victoria & Albert museum was another greatest hit in 2011 as well as “Culture Chanel” at The Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai.

Culture Chanel exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai.

The truth is that this communication tactic is a useful educational tool. Perhaps consumers in newer markets cannot afford their luxury goods but the price of an exhibition ticket provides aspirational access to the high-end products.