Buyer insight,
When going into negotiations know your limits, always discuss and confirm exit strategies with vendor partners in case of left over merchandise. There is a peace of mind when you know the outcome of any situation.



Larry Deane - Sr. Buyer
CuttingEdgeBasics.com

How Zara Grew Into the World’s Largest Fashion Retailer

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/magazine/how-zara-grew-into-the-worlds-largest-fashion-retailer.html?smid=li-share&_r=0

Are you where your customers are? New data from Europe

Our annual global survey of consumer habits online was recently completed. This entry is focused on Europe. Future ones will share insights on Asia, Africa and South America - so stay tuned. Here are some stats and points that particularly interested me
Consumers have already gone digital when shopping for products in categories such as consumer electronics and mobile/digital goods. Some 60 percent of consumers report that they research these products online before buying, and nearly half make more than 25 percent of their purchases online. But product categories such as furniture, clothing, and footwear – once classic offline domains – are now also being researched and purchased in the digital space. This trend is expected to continue.
The number of consumers who use their computers to conduct online research within certain purchase categories has already seen a significant rise from 41 percent in 2010 to 50 percent in 2012. In that same time period, the number of consumers using mobile devices for product research has nearly doubled – from 12 to 21 percent. Both means of information retrieval are especially popular among consumers shopping for mobile phones. Nearly every second consumer searches for information online and approximately one-third of them conduct mobile device-based research before purchasing a new mobile phone.
There are, however, still great differences between the European countries. The Netherlands is in front with 55 percent of Dutch consumers conducting computer-based research for a mobile phone and 43 percent using mobile devices to gather pre-purchase information. On the other end, only 33 percent of Polish consumers perform computer-based research for a mobile phone and only 9 percent of French shoppers use their mobile device for that purpose.
A major new disruption for retailers combines traditional and digital research – the in-store use of mobile devices. More than 20 percent of consumers already use mobile phones for product research across all categories, and 40 percent of them do it in store, primarily to consult professional reviews and price comparison sites.
If they hope to capture the resulting growth opportunity, companies in all industries will need to ensure that they offer their goods through the right channels so that consumers can easily and quickly find what they are looking for.
You can get the full report here: "Mobile is growing fast. Are you ready?".
Learn more on our Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Forum site. And follow me on Twitter (@joshleibowitz) so we can carry on the conversation.
[Photo: antwerpenR, Flickr]

Streetwear Past and Present

Fashion throughout last century has been continually changing, but only for the last sixty years has youth culture and the emergence of highly identifiable streetwear trends had such an influence on popular fashion. Streetwear today has seen a particular brand of NZ design which is specific to New Zealand, one influenced by Kiwiana giftware and homeware into popular streetwear. Where did all of this begin?
The Beginning of Streetwear
The 1950s was a time of change for the entire Western world, particularly with the post-war materialisation of popular culture via the media. The term ‘teenager' was coined during this period, after the influences from film, music, television and magazines were for the first time, shaping a generation. The 1950s was particularly important as for the first time in history, young people had disposable money available to spend on themselves - and they had the freedom to do so.
Two particular styles came to light during this decade: Greasers and Preppies. The Greaser era took the biker look set by Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953), and reinvented it for daily life with one key stable shining through: the denim jean. This was supplemented later in the 50s by the Preppy look, focused on fastidious tidiness and immaculate grooming, as enforced upon youth culture by collegian institutes.
Freedom Influences Fashion
The 1960s were highly influenced by pop music and the freedom of speech. Baby boomers were speaking out about politics in a way their parents were never able to through music, a liberation that flowed through to the popular choice in unconventional or risqué fashion choices. The Mod style saw mini-dresses and tapered pants popularised as a way to show skin like never before. Later in the 1960s, the Hippy style saw a rebellion against the Preppy style of the 1950s which was forced upon many, which resulted in influence from alternative eastern cultures - beads, kaftans and so on.
Tunics and other Indian-inspired looks followed through the early 1970s, and the emergence of polyester opened a new door for colour and pattern which spurred on the next streetwear trend for the decade. Clothing inspired by modern dance and athleticism saw flared pants, jumpsuits and wrap-around items come into popular wear because of their comfort and versatility.
Icons Influence Streetwear
Music, once again, was the key influencer in fashion when the 1980s came around. The nightclubbing era saw comfort and innovation in stretch fabric popularised, and key pop stars like Madonna proved influential over fashion, with looks revolved around layering and baggy tops with tight-fitting bottoms.
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the first emergence of Hip Hip culture onto fashion, with African American nationalism being brought into mainstream view. Baggy sportswear as streetwear was made popular by both hip hops stars and sporting heroes such as Michael Jordan, and brands like Nike and Adidas became popular stables in streetwear for the youth of this era.
Fashion Starts to Relax
The mid to late 1990s brought surf culture to light. While most surf brands (Rip Curl, Billabong, Quicksilver) were developed in the late 1960s or early 1970s, they were purely ‘cottage suppliers' for surfers for several years. Professional surfing became a popular interest amongst the 1990s youth with stars like Kelly Slater becoming poster-bound for bedroom walls. Logos which had initially been on surfboards were being transferred to T-shirts, and the relaxed nature of boardshorts meant they became the streetwear of choice for young and old alike.
Looking to the Past
The early 2000s saw hip-hop culture re-emerge in fashion, along with other hybrids of streetwear trends from the past. For the first time in history, a specific New Zealand-driven trend emerged, one encompasses local influences rather than international fads.
NZ Design Influences in Streetwear
The style of streetwear today amongst New Zealanders is focused on national pride, with influences from Maori culture and Kiwiana showing through in popular fashion. This trend in streetwear was actually started by New Zealand designers as a wearable representation of nostalgic New Zealand giftware and homeware, taken from childhood memories of ‘The Kiwi Household'.
Kitschy imagery of Kiwi bird symbols, Maori Koru designs, beach reeds, airlines and even trusted food products, condiments and kitchen utensils have become the new muse for a new kind of streetwear. Retro images are ever-present on the New Zealand youth today. While printed t-shirts and other streetwear commonly feature these images of Kiwiana, accessories such as hats and jewellery too, are encompassing these icons in their design. Subsequently, these giftware and homeware products themselves have re-emerged as desirable commodities of New Zealand design.
Streetwear Today
So how can we define streetwear today? Individuality is key, and you can find influences from every one of the past trends from the last sixty years present in casualwear everywhere you look. New Zealand design is more present than ever before, and for the first time a part of the New Zealand streetwear landscape has not been taken directly from an international source - it has been born from pure New Zealand cultural influences.
Looking to buy some Kiwiana-inspired New Zealand streetwear and homeware at an online
design store? Check out the NZS.com directory.

The NZS.com Streetwear Today article contains a history of streetwear fashion and streetwear today in New Zealand and internationally.

What to Wear When You're Broke / Don't stop buying, swap with pals

By Cynthia Nellis,


Fashion's a breeze when you've got money to blow. But getting that fresh-from-the-runway look gets tricky when you're short on cash. Here's how to look good for less in a material world:

Redefine the word sale

Sounds basic, but to really save a bundle on clothes you have to be willing to pass up enticing promotions (15% off; free shipping; gift with purchase) and hold out for the hard-core sales (40% off is good; 50% and up will land you a buy for almost what it cost the retailer).

Don't stop buying

Counterintuitive? Well, think about dieting and how you pass on sweets and carbs until you binge. Scary, but it can happen with pent-up shopping desires, too (and credit card debt racked up in a binge will end up costing you a fortune). Satiate the fashion lover in you with a very small treat: you set the amount and frequency ($10 a month for new earrings, etc.) Pay with cash.

Shop in season

Sure, stuff is cheaper when bought at the end of the season or even out of season. And that's fine if you're just looking for any old thing to wear. But if you love fashion (and you do, or you wouldn't be here), you should shop as close to the season as possible. Otherwise you'll just waste your money on trends that will be out of style by the time the next year rolls around.

Swap with pals

Friends that wear your size (and share your taste) are a gold mine. You can even go large scale and organize a swap meet where everyone can switch shoes, clothes, etc.

Get rid of your inner snob

Scour second-hand and discount stores. Buy basics from the warehouse where you buy your paper towels in bulk. If vintage is your thing, haunt flea markets and garage sales.

Become a do-it-yourself whiz

Learn to whip together a new outfit on the sewing machine or simply turn old jeans into a new skirt. Recycling is an easy update: a ruffle on last year's skirt, a bow at the ankle of three-year-old strappy sandals.

New! Usa Streetwear Market Research Report

The Streetwear market makes up one of the most fragmented, but also one of the most dynamic sectors of the apparel industry, with products aimed at young men, women, teens and tweens. There is a large intersection of sportswear, which includes: streetwear, leisurewear and fitness clothing. These categories are increasingly blurring lines between them, making them overlap and obscure them behind general groupings. However, this segment is a vital part of the American dream of individuality and is the pulse of the US fashion community. This category is especially important to the male demographic and teenage communities. Collectively, they are steadily obscuring the difference between sports apparel, fitness clothing and casual activewear in America.
Streetwear market can be defined as fast fashion apparel that is derived from skateboard apparel with an influence of hip-hop music and rappers, and later adopted as urbanwear. The market is tightly knotted with other fashion siblings such as hip-hop, urban fashion, skate, snowboard apparel and casual fashion market, making it very difficult to differentiate and segregate.

Though the apparel sector has been struggling, one area of growth is the streetwear genre. Five years ago this was only a half-billion-dollar [segment of the] industry, it only hit the $1 billion mark four years ago. Since then this unstoppable area has an approximate market share of $68 billion dollars (shared with activewear) and is still growing.

Published
September 2012
Publisher
WeConnectFashion
Markets
mens womens childrens
Region
USA













SKU: INFST0000937

6 U.S. retailers set to invade Canada's malls

CBC News

Posted: Aug 9, 2012 4:47 PM ET

Last Updated: Aug 10, 2012 6:34 AM ET

Read 515 comments515

It hasn’t been such a smooth ride for Canadian retailers lately.
Montreal-based clothing chain Le Chateau has struggled to keep its head above water amid dwindling sales and higher inventory for several quarters in a row.
Toronto women’s chain Tabi has already disappeared, shuttering its 76 locations in late 2011. Montreal’s once ubiquitous Jacob has cut back significantly, closing about a third of its stores in recent months. And Vancouver-based children’s apparel chain Please Mum has closed 68 of its 90 stores this year.
Even large chains aren’t immune. Sears Canada is in the midst of a major reorganization, trying to turn around the iconic 60-year-old department-store in the face of rapidly changing consumer demands.
The causes have been slightly different, but now, even those that remain face a similar threat: big-budget U.S. retail chains eager to set up shop. Despite the pitfalls, their reasons for doing so are obvious: compared to the U.S., we have fewer places to shop, and the ones we do have make more money
A recent report by real estate consultancy Colliers International found that the U.S. has 23 square feet of retail space per person. The comparable figure in Canada is 14 square feet — although Canadian malls average annual sales of $580 for every square foot of retail space available, well above the $309 seen in the U.S. (All currencies are Canadian.)
Here are six U.S. chains that are eager to take advantage of that:

• Target The discount chic chain bought the leaseholds for 189 Zellers locations from Hudson's Bay Co. in late 2010, with plans to convert most of them to Target locations in the near future. After some legal headaches surrounding the use of their name in Canada, Target is set to open as many as 135 locations across Canada later this year.
• Marshall’s The U.S. owner of outlet chain TJ Maxx quietly set up shop in Canada recently with very little fanfare. The company currently has 12 locations across Ontario, but it plans on adding to that stable in the near future. Similar to Canadian chain Winners, Marshall’s business model is to sell excess designer clothes at drastically reduced prices.
• J Crew The upmarket clothing chain launched its first Canadian location in August 2011. After weathering complaints about higher prices in Canada compared with American stores, the chain slowly expanded its footprint. In February, three new locations were added in Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto.
• Bloomingdale's The high-end department store chain has set its sights on the Canadian market and is working with Hudson’s Bay Co. to bring the brand across the border. The move would bring the chain into the Bay’s retail chain as a "store within a store" concept, an expansion that could begin as early as this fall.
• Nordstrom The luxury retail behemoth had been shopping for Canadian space for over a year, and the closure of a few Sears locations came as an opportunity to acquire prime real estate. Over the next few years, the upscale store is geared to set up shop in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary.
• Tanger Outlets In early 2011, Tanger signed a $1 billion deal with Canada's largest REIT (and mall-owner) RioCan to bring Tanger Outlet centres to Canada. While similar to outlet malls that most Canadian suburbanites would be familiar with, Tanger outlets tend to be even larger. The first glimpse of Tanger's Canadian model is the outlet mall in Cookstown, Ont., north of Toronto.

Rock & Punk Accessories

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Urban Wear

Urban Wear: More Than Just Fashion

 Urban wear is more than just fashion and clothes, over time it has become personal statement. The person who is wearing it is stating their individuality. Before urban wear was only associated to hip hop artists. Now, not only hip hop artists are donning on the colourful style, it has become a worldwide fashion trend.

As mentioned, urban wear signifies the individuality of the person wearing it since they could individualized their style and make it stand out. With urban wear undergoing changes, it has become a hit not only to teens or young adults. It is also garnering appeal from higher age groups. It is also starting to transcend socio-economic classes. Hip hop artists, influential and public people can be seen wearing this style from time to time.

What makes it appealing is the variety. There are different clothing styles to choose from like t-shirts, jeans, shorts, Capri and cargo pants, and hoodies. These styles could stand out it the crowd weather it is because of their contradicting styles, colors, graphics, or messages. An evidence of the growing market would be the many and different urban clothing brands in stores and in people’s cabinets.

It has developed so much that these people already have their own sub-culture. Clothing designs and style reflect the mannerisms, way of talking and even walking of those people who wear urban clothing. But this sub-culture has been accepted and became part of American society, and even the world.

However, the biggest critic on urban clothing is how pricey it could be. There are several hip hop artists who are insistent on wearing inexpensive urban clothing and accessories as their statement against materialism. Urban clothing and hip hop is not about the clothes and jewelries you wear, but the attitude that you wear.

With the popularization and mainstreaming of urban clothing and hip hop, there are numerous stores, whether on-ground or online that are offering various options for urban styles. There are some urban clothing followers who may not be into bright colors, baggy pants or loud accessories. But these people are able to mix urban clothing with their traditional styles, creating another genre of fashion.

Urban clothing followers have developed great sense of style since they were able to mix traditional and urban wear together. They are becoming adventurous is exploring fashion and breaking rules to express themselves. It can be a miss or hit for different people, but the fact that they were able to assert their individuality is truly courageous.

Fashion designers are already paying attention to this sub-culture and starting to capitalize on it. Urban clothing designers would build a close relationship to street consciousness, identifying what urban wearers want. After all, fashion trends would always pick up what is hip and in demand on the street.

Currently, urban clothing designers are addressing or shifting their attention to young and street savvy generation or urban fashion customers. Some would refer to urban wear as “contemporary” or “metropolitan” style. But whatever name it would be, the style, the person’s individuality and the statement that they would like to make would still stand out. Colors can change but the soul could not.