If you are reading this article, chances are you love fashion just as much as I do. However, the fashion world that I love, is not (just) about those breath-taking embroideries, the colourful textiles or the bold make up looks on the red carpet. I believe that there is so much beauty in taking your time to understand the complexity of this world, instead of passively admiring it. What does it take for a sustainable brand to become successful? How can online brands thrive? What was Gucci’s recipe for success? Every time my mind comes up with one of these questions, I run to my laptop and type three simple…
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Luxury Fashion for Stylish Pets
Fashion is undoubtedly one of the first things that comes to mind when we talk about self expression. Every small detail in an outfit join forces to create first impressions on everyone we come across, so it comes as no surprise that people search for ways to broaden this tool and convey more specific and genuine representations of their personalities. And our pets, especially our dogs that never leave our side, deserve to be as stylish as us, if not more. Today almost 70% of all U.S. households own a pet. Dogs are by far the most popular, around 60.2 million households own one, according to the American Pet Products…
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How Call-out Culture Changed The Contemporary Fashion Landscape
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby becomes a monster”, Friedrich Nietzsche famously observed. Some might argue that the only monsters in the glamorous world of fashion are it-girls’ favorite ‘ugly’ sneakers, but growing concern about how aggressive public condemnation of plagiarism, cultural insensitivity and various misbehaviours of market players affects the industry dynamics is an important question that many find themselves asking. After all, are we witnessing growing social consciousness that drives a more transparent and inclusive society, or are we simply entertaining ourselves with a new breed of cyberbullying? Take the recent downfall of Dolce & Gabbana that caused the brand to be banned…
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Event Recap: The New Wave of Entrepreneurs
On April 9th, Bocconi Students for Fashion and the Luxury and Arts Club SDA Bocconi had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Giuliano Calza and Mr. Giordano Calza of GCDS for the event, “The New Wave of Entrepreneurs”. At GCDS, which stands for ‘God Can’t Destroy Streetwear,’ Mr. Giuliano is the Creative Director and Mr. Giordano is the CEO, and both brothers are alumni of Bocconi University. The event was moderated by Professor Emanuela Prandelli, who holds the distinguished position of LVMH Associate Professor in Fashion and Luxury Management. The brothers founded GCDS in Italy in 2015, after they spent a couple of years living in China. Since then, GCDS has…
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THE PEOPLE SHAPING FASHION – ARNAULT JR.
Does the surname Arnault ring a bell for you? If you were ever, at some point in your life, interested in fashion, then most likely the answer to this question is going to be yes. However, should I ask you to give me both the name and surname of the person that I have in mind, then your answer is most likely going to be: Bernard Arnault. Wrong. Now substitute Bernard with Alexandre and here you have it, the main character of this article. It’s a tale as old as time: someone in the family finds himself in a position of power and suddenly half of the family becomes employed…
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How Asian Markets Affect The Profitability of The Fashion Industry
On the 18th of March a headline: “Prada Loses $864 Million in Value as China Slump Hits Profit” was published on Bloomberg. For many it might seem as a mere piece of everyday financial news, but in fact it is a signal of changes in the luxury industry, in particular personal luxury goods, or fashion. Fifteen, or even ten years ago the effects of shocks in spending habits of Asian customers could in no way be compared to what we see now. Although Europe still holds the leading position in terms of sales, it is the Chinese consumer that drives the positive growth trends in terms of sales. As can…
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The Curious Case of Brand Value in Today’s Luxury Fashion
In the last months, since the unexpected appointment of Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci as Burberry’s new Artistic Director, the latter often found itself in the media spotlight. Ironically, shortly after the international scandal revolving around the news that Burberry would rather burn unsold pieces than mark them down, all in hopes of not risking brand devaluation, the company received considerable backlash on the execution of not only the operational side but also the artistic one. Burberry, whose brand assets (hence, the infamous Burberry check) are among the most recognized in the fashion world, has found itself in a strange position of not having a clear and consistent brand identity and ending…
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Fashion & Cars: Their perpetual relationship in the modern day
“Fashion is everything. Art, music, furniture design, graphic design, hair, makeup, architecture, the way cars look – all those things go together to make a moment in time…” – Tom Ford. The fashion and automotive sectors’ creative synchronicity goes way back to the start of the 20th century. The invention of the first car inspiring our modern-day handbag is a key point, as it was first intended to be an accessory to store driving gloves and then was transformed into a portable sac-a-main. Cars have been a muse for fashion designers all throughout history, from Dior’s S/S01 vintage car prints, Prada’s S/S12 candy-infused, cartoon car collection and Céline’s auto-inspirations in A/W11. Gucci’s…
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The Voice of Fashion: Can The Industry be Political?
Fashion today can undoubtedly be defined as more than the mere act of dressing oneself. From a form of expression of one’s personality to a means of communication, its roles are multiple and go way deeper than its frivolous image. So could it also have the power to become a political voice? In the recent years, more and more runways have almost morphed into political arenas. A phenomenon that has particularly spiked since Donald Trump’s election late of 2016. The clothes that line them sometimes sport keywords or phrases that portray the designer’s political views on current events. A plethora of issues are being raised at these shows; the most…
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The Fate of Instagram
Leggings as pants, smartphones, the Kardashians, Brexit, Donald Trump, Netflix: these will inevitably become the defining symbols of the 2010s. Our memories of these years, however, will be collectively stored on Instagram, which has spanned the entire decade. In many circles, but especially within the fashion world, it is apparent that Instagram dominates among competing social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. This is the result of a combination of factors: the high proportion of Millennials and Gen Z users, the medium of images and videos, and the feelings of intimacy generated through direct interaction. The winning formula has propelled both companies and individuals to fame by means of…