American Apparel’s call for “Best Bottom”
Want to drive traffic to your site? Host a “Best Bottom” contest. American Apparel, the undisputed leaders in 1st layer apparel, has announced an ingenious plan to get the public involved in marketing and promoting their upcoming new briefs collection on their search for a “brand new bum” to be the “face” of their expanding briefs line.
Two winners will be selected in the next month and flown to Los Angeles to the American Apparel manufacturing location and photographed for their upcoming campaign. How to enter? Send in a pic of your butt in your favorite briefs. Submissions are taken online, and posted for all to see, and vote on. The top 10 voted by the public for best bum will receive $300 in American Apparel gear.
H&M Increases 15% in 4th Quarter.
H&M continues to be one of the key fast-fashion retailers to watch as they steamroll their way across the American landscape. Once the undisputed “favorite shopping location” in our European Youth Culture Studies, they’re now rising up the radar in the United States.
And last week, they posted a 15% increased in sales in the 4th quarter. One reason they’re a favorite among youth culture is their ability to have trendy apparel and accessories at relatively low costs. Changing over their inventory about every 2 weeks, classifies them as a fast-fashion retailer, but it’s other things that have also captured the attention of a new generation, including their forays with Second Life design competitions, and collaborations with top designers such as the recent one with Sonia Rykiel.
Now, for the Spring collection, they’re working with Andre Lorens Stock, an 18-year-old behind the popular label Black Book to create a line of T-shirts from designs sent in from it’s core buying population. Here’s how it works: “My collection for H&M will be based on the pictures from people around the world,” says Andr?. “From January, people will be able to read about my story on hm.com, and then upload their pictures, from which I’ll pick my favourites.” Andr? will make designs from the images sent in, creating ten T-shirts for girls and seven for boys. The collection will then go on sale at the Divided department of H&M from April. “Hopefully I can inspire people all around the world to think outside the box to achieve their goals,” says Andr?.
You can also say that some of the overall styles coming out from H&M are usually an accurate predicition of what to expect in trends in general. H&M announced several key themes which we believe will capture the attention of youth culture this summer and fall including garden florals, utility pieces such as denim (and boyfriend jean silhouettes) along with ethnic inspiration, and Americana classics but along the lines of prep and even prom-dress styles.
From John Fluevog’s 40th Spring Collection 2010.
John Fluevog Celebrates 40th Anniversary Spring Collection
Legendary shoe designer John Fluevog is celebrating his 40th year as an indpeneednt designer and retailer with the release of his new Spring collection. Fluevogs and the world of Fluevogians has such a strong cult following, that having reached this milestone is of historic significance in the world of indie footwear on a global level.
Fluevog shoes came to the forefront with the opening of their store in Seattle which was a key location for musicians and artists during the grunge era in the mid- 80’s and early ’90’s. Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, and the Melvins all wore the chunky heeled Fluevog boots in that era, as well as celebrities who liked how often Fluevogs incorporated little messages in the shoe. In the 2000’s, John Fluevog introduced the “mini” heel which is a staple design concept in John Fluevog shoes to date. With several more stores opened in key locations from San Francisco to Montreal, plus a green collection, the Fluevog brand has fully developed into one of the most iconic shoe companies in the world. Fluevog stores have become beacons of cool within each city location attracting the connoisseurs of footwear including celebrities such as Madonna, Courtney Cox, Scarlet Johanssen, Perry Farrell, Anthony Keidis, Elijah Wood, the Black Eyed Peas, among others.
Fluevogs were recently hailed as being “WIRED” in Wired Magazine and have been voted Shoes of the Year too many times to mention. Additionally, John recently spoke at the L’Oreal Melbourne International Fashion Festival and has just opened The New Worldwide Flagship John Fluevog Shoes Store and Fluevog Design Offices in Vancouver, Canada.
