Fred Perry Subculture Brief

Fred Perry has a unique place at the heart of British subcultures and music, this heritage still informs the brand today. Since 2005 Subculture has been the platform to both work with true icons of British music and introduce some of the very best new artists from the UK onto the global stage.

Over the Summer, we have been set a brief by Fred Perry, a very exciting opportunity. A focus on Sport - music - style as a global language. We have been asked to research into Fred Perry subculture and keep a sketchbook over the summer thinking about points like...

How has the heritage of Fred Perry informed Subculture and the Fred Perry brand today?
Who are the icons and innovators of subcultures
How has British music and style contributed to a global language?

Have a look at my Pinterest account to look into my starting collection of images of subculture and Fred Perry.

Axis Skincare- Reflective Journal

Building a brand has been my main focus for the last few weeks. Taking all the research, information and inspiration and bringing it together to come up with ‘AXIS Skincare’. As a team we have come up with a portable skincare product for men on the go, pocket size. We had the task of creating a brand name, logo, strapline, product and packaging design, advertisement and a presentation that demonstrates our concept successfully. This has meant a huge amount of planning, time management and commitment. I have really enjoyed this task as it has allowed a lot more creativity to come into the mix and freedom to explore different methods of communication and promotion.

My scrapbook, Pinterest and magazines played a large part in my creativity and inspiration for this project. By looking at images and drawing sketches into my scrapbook, this has helped me learn the importance of not taking ideas literally but taking a concept and playing around with how I can use It to suit my subject. The photo shoot was a big part of the project, we had to come very prepared with mood boards, timelines and storyboards so the photographer knew exactly what we were looking to create. I got a feel of styling for a photo shoot and the importance of portraying the right image for our brand. Also, we were only giving 45 minutes to get all the images we needed, by having a limited time limit we had to plan out our sessions precisely.

Our presentation was on brand, we had a constant colour palette and imagery that reflected our brand essence. We were clear with what our product was and why we stood out from other competitors. We really tried to channel the fact that men live very busy lifestyles and our product was personal to their quick paced day. As a brand, AXIS Skincare works around your lifestyle, it does not hold you down to a morning or evening routine, its there for when you need it. We focused on organic ingredients that catered to the sensitivity of men’s skin, which is more sensitive than women’s. We learnt through feedback to really push our idea through promotion as much as possible. If advertising in the underground, use the concept than men will see the advert in the morning and again on the way home, by bus stops and then on the bus. Use the idea of movement and time passing as an idea for slogans and constant promotional opportunity for example.

By completing this part of the module I will take forward skills of team work, creativity, pushing the boundaries for ideas and using every opportunity to find and use inspiration by storing ideas and imagery in scrapbooks and online, for future reference. I feel this brief has helped me really understand every component that is required to build a brand and pitch an idea, very helpful in future tasks at university and in a job.

Fashion styling / Monday inspiration

 I have always been one to take along shopping if you need a straight forward answer if something looks good on you or not, in a polite way of course or to help put an outfit together. Sometimes a product looks amazing on the hanger but doesn't work for your body shape, but this can always happen in reverse...an item may not look all that much on the rail but may suit your body shape perfectly. I have always been into hair, makeup and clothes...but I have always loved the editorial and extreme ends that could make you look a little crazy going to work in, but that doesn't mean you can't play around with these looks. 

I have become a little obsessed with Pinterest recently as its a major role of collecting images for my uni course. I have been really inspired by stylists such as Kate Young, Rachel Zoe, Grace Coddington and Monica Rose...I have really been inspired to focus on this route as a career along with my love for running events! I love the fact there are no limits, you can go as extreme as you feel required to get the look you need. Over the summer, I am excited to build up my portfolio for styling and have some fun with shoots that are creative and push the boundary to the unexpected.

A trip into London and a very early start

Tuesday was a day for me to run around London all day to find as much research and inspiration for my current university project on perfume, and of course, find some time for a little shopping and lots of food! It was a long day, up at 6 am and returned back in Notts at 11pm...

I went to all the famous stores, Liberty's, Selfridges, Oxford Street Topshop and other niche perfume stores to find out more about my target audience, speak to industry professionals and find inspiration from everywhere. The flowers in the photo below were outside Liberty's and I couldn't resist taking a photo as the sun was shining bright and the summer feel I've been looking for was in the air.

Reflective Journal for Creative Networks part 1

This module is about constructing a fragrance brand, opposite to the last module where I was to focus on deconstructing a brand and breaking down the main parts. Thinking about the FCP triangle, the consumer, packaging and selling a story for a product that really is only coloured liquid that smells nice.

This module focus’ more on primary research to help idea development, I have done this through questionnaires both online and asking people of Nottingham and London at home about what scents they like, preferences on fragrance packaging and what they feel is missing in the market. I have learnt the key elements of communicating a brand through narratives such as sensuality and indulgence and what message is being portrayed for the brand. Other contributes can be from colour palettes to the location that an advert is based. I have learnt the importance of collaborations and how they drive foot traffic and can strengthen the credibility of the brands for example Stella McCartney and Adidas. Collaborations can be between artists, brands, bloggers and retail, the opportunities are endless, anything that can open up a window for new product categories. There must always be a strategic purpose behind the collaboration or there becomes a risk of losing brand equity.

Our reading week looked further into the FCP process and the importance of thinking outside the box and the impact a good form of promotion can bring to a brand. The books given focused on creativity and the importance of story telling, something key for a fragrance brand. A question stated- Why is story telling so important to the creative process? “Well, its what we build our ideas around. It’s the very fabric of our thoughts. If the idea is the foundation of the creative process, then the story is the vehicle that delivers it, making it memorable”. Without a story, a brand cannot connect to their audience. We have been encouraged to begin a scrapbook, something I have always loved and helps me with understanding my progress, I can see what looks good and keep those key tear outs that inspired me or informed me on new concepts.

As part of a team we presented our primary and secondary research that has helped our idea development. We focused on three main macro trends, personalisation, eco/natural ingredients and relaxation. From here we looked into how scents have catered to these trends and what could we as a team contribute to the market. By looking at what’s happening in the world globally, we have decided to aim our brand to the working women. There has become an increased need to stand out in the fragrance industry but also as a customer, scent is personal to the individual, one does not fit all. Our feedback showed we need to step back from a product idea and continue to find more primary research around the idea concept to get more of an understanding of what our target audience really needs.

Moodboard- Find your story...

Currently at university, we have been in full swing for our first module of building a scent product/brand. As a team, we have focused on 3 main macro trends that we could research and find a gap in the market for a scent product. 

Personalisation-Natural ingredients-Relaxation/Escapism 

We have looked into secondary research but focused mainly on primary research to get a more in-depth understanding of our target audience- The Working Women.

We are travelling to London next week to gather further primary research to support out ideas and get a better understand of what 'The Working Women' feels is missing within the scent market.

Personalisation we have discovered is needed in such a crowded industry, the customer needs to feel like the brand is catering for THEM, one does not fit all!

Natural Ingredients have become a large trend over the years with brands like LUSH focusing on this and being very successful. People are far more aware of what products they are putting on their skin and hair so is there a new and creative way to cater towards this issue?

Relaxation and escapism retreats are popular at the moment with people needing to get away from the stress of day to day life, is there a gap in the market to help with this problem? 

Scent market research

With my uni project in full swing, I have been researching the fragrance market and seeing where the gaps lay. We have to build a fragrance brand that provides a scent but something new and put a twist on the market. 

I have been out into London and Nottingham, looking into best selling perfumes and products that did not live up to expectation. I asked store experts on why products worked and why some didn't, customers behaviour and if people go straight to a branded perfume or are more experimental with their choices. 

I am a lover of the store LUSH. A store full of colour and natural ingrdients, from bath bombs, body moisteriser, make up, soap and so much more!! Scents are everywhere, I just need to find a gap in the market for a specific audience where scent could work in a new context and product and promote 

*Photos are primary research or from WGSN*

The Fashion Industry- Reflective Journal

The Fashion industry holds many opportunities including marketing, PR and social media. We looked into each role further by watching a documentary by Alexa Chung, a fashion editor in British Vogue. Events or journalism stood out the most to me. Every business has to think about the FCP process, a series of steps taken in order to create innovative fashion communication. It is key to all context areas, internal factors which include the 7Ps (product, price, promotion, physical evidence, place, people and process), the market, trend, competitors and consumers. For any product a business must consider context, the big idea, creative concept and the execution. The was shown in the Grayson Perry documentary where he took individuals identity and personalities and tried to mirror this through art by collecting primary research and sculpting a piece of art that best reflected them. I have learnt how every brand has its own vocabulary though pattern, motif or colour palette on a product, promotional element or in store. For example, Tiffany is known for the blue box which is a specific shade made personally by pantone.

After getting an in-depth insight in these key areas, we had to put it into practice with a 4-week project. We looked into the predicted trends for A/W15 from secondary sources such as WGSN and create visual mood boards with common narratives. Brand analysis consisted us going into all market levels to look at a selected trend, for me this was denim jeans, and how the brand used the 7 p’s to communicate and promote the trends.  Areas such as the layout, VM, pricing and labelling. We looked at what worked well, what didn’t and the comparison to how they promote the trends through value, mass and high end markets.  Next we took to the streets of Nottingham and collected primary images on what trends had trickled down from in store. We discovered there was a strong focus on colour, pattern and silhouette. Finally, we analysed a brand of our choice who demonstrated the trend of denim and looked into their values, identity, marketing mix and what we would change or add to the brand. We chose Urban Outfitters who sell for the urban minded edgy individual, a store that knows how to promote through social media, interior layouts and makes “every store an experiment”. With their marketing mix being of a high standard there is no wonder it is such a successful store worldwide.

Fast fashion was very interesting to me, learning how some stores have 52 seasons a year putting huge pressure on manufacturing countries to produce mass items cheaply and quickly within 6 weeks. I blogged about the importance to think about who, what and where every product came from.

I have continued practice on Photoshop and InDesign. Learning how to master magazine layouts, photos and text layout. I look forward to experimenting with on our next brief. I have become confident in the areas taught and look forward to using these skills continuously in the future.

Reflective journal- Fashion Communication and Promotion

“Fashion is a cultural phenomenon growing out of the interactions of individuals and institutions”

Since starting FCP, I have learnt that the fashion industry is a much broader sector than people assume. Its about looking further than magazines and runways for inspiration and new trends. Where did the items come from? What influenced them? You have to be bold and question everything.

Fashion inspiration alone from primary sources such as brands and retail are too direct. We have to look at the broader creative landscape, sources such as photography, theatre, dance and art. Fashion is everything around us, the way we live and what is happening in the world. Narratives and motifs trickle down from mega, macro, micro trends that come back around when suitable in todays time.

Outside industries influence a brand. Music can help explore and tell a narrative for campaigns and catwalks. It helps draw in attention from all ages. For example, H&M at Coachella and Victoria Secret who focus on Live performances at runway shows, keeping a brand on trend with their target audience. Music instantly impacts an audience’s perspective on a brand. Film focuses on the cultural influences that leads to new trends. Bill Cunningham focused on fashion coming from the ever changing streets of New York. The power of individuals setting trends. ‘Dior and I’ focuses on a new collection of haute couture designed by Raf Simons’, inspired by music and art. The economy impacts fashion dramatically, during the recession fashion was conservative and functional with a focus on classics, as the economy improves fashion can be bright and extravagant.

A brand will conform or rebel against society norms. Take a risk or stay safe. WWII lead acceptance for women to wear trousers at work in the fields and factories, out of working hours it was unnatural and unattractive. However, 1966, Yves Saint Laurent designed ‘Le Smoking’, controversial at first but the elegant style made it acceptable and women could embrace the comfort clothes could bring. Rebellion against past views allow new ideas to break through.

I have learnt about the importance and power of colour. Colour can represent cultural codes, social codes and historical codes.  Historical codes have been a focus this A/W15 with drama filled white gowns and embodied lace and sweeping skirts as black as night. History will forever continue to influence fashion. I have put colour into action this week, focusing on a colour story and expressing it as a narrative through art, craft and photography. Something that is easier said than done!

This information is essential within all aspects of the industry. For events, I will always need to be aware of trends for colour, motifs and narratives. Trend forecasting, I will have to act as a sponge and take in everything going on globally, from entertainment, lifestyle, world culture and news. I feel I have grasped the new concepts well and have continued with further reading to build a broader aspect of the key topics. Over this module I need to focus on bringing all the new information I have learnt with me and continue to keep up to date with what is going on politically and economically and socially in the world to understand the changes that occur in the fashion industry.