Final project for Parsons School of Design Fall 2013 class Analyzing Trends

1. Analyzing Trends
Luxury Ready to Wear
Hillary Frazer

2. Overview
Luxury Ready to Wear: The middle ground
between couture custom garments and
off the rack clothing.
Key Players: Chanel, Balenciaga, Saint
Laurent, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior
What it used to be: garments made of
the highest quality materials, customers
wore head to toe runway looks
What is is now: mix of high quality materials and much lesser quality, branding,
more for editorial purposes
Chanel SS14 Look 58
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

3. Force: Economy
$317 Billion - the volume luxury goods
sales are expected to surpass worldwide
this year, +3% from last year (WWD)
The Economist
In times of economic contraction, the ultra wealthy still consume freely, yet it is
the borderline aspirational customer that
contracts their consumption of luxury
goods (The Economist)
The Economist
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

4. Force: Technology
United States
6 - Share of luxury goods buyers who
1%
research online before making a purchase (WWD)
More methods to shop - via mobile device, online, tablet, and traditional in
store model
3D Printing
Wearable technology
Example: Iris van Herpen creates dressses for her couture collection with the use
of a 3D printer
Iris van Herpen Voltage Collection
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

5. Force: Globalization
Accessibility and visibility - globalization
increases these factors
Outsourcing and location of production
Designers used to have a more clear
sense of who they were designing for,
now since everything is global, that distinction is much less defined
Customer base is worldwide
Example: New contemporary luxury designer Suno utilizes production in Kenya
and uses Kenyan textiles and patterns
Suno SS14 Look 1
1
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

6. “Consumers want experiences — memorable events. Yes,
people still go shopping and buy goods and services, but
unless retailers surround the purchasing of their merchandise with an engaging experience, consumers will treat
them as commodities to be bought at the lowest possible
price and the greatest possible convenience.”
Joseph Pine, author of “The Experience Economy”
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

7. Hypothesis
I hypothesize that in order for luxury ready-to-wear to survive,
brands need to: institute authenticity within their products, create
a relevant narrative, and implement innovation into their designs.
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

8. Codes
brand awareness
confidence
There has been a recent
lack of confidence with
luxury brands
experiential
The experience is crucial
in luxury ready to wear
self aware
vanity
luxury
exclusivity
knowledge
Consumers want to be “inthe-know” with a brand
logos
wealth
superiority
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe
quality

9. Trend: Trans-media
Fashion films that are not explicitly about
fashion or the brand
*Recent films: Salvatore Ferragamo
“Walking Stories”, Rodarte “This Must Be
the Only Fantasy”
Salvatore Ferragamo “Walking Stories”
It’s about the narrative that the brand
creates
Telling the history of the brand in a non
promotional way
Expansive reach through unconventional digital channels
Rodarte “This Must Be the Only Fantasy”
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

10. Insights
The significance for the viewer is with the
discovery of the film
The films are collaborative with industry
professionals. Fusing art, fashion, music,
film, and technology
Having the knowledge of the film gives
you credibility
“The Future of Flesh” by Luke Gilford, wardrobe
provided by Prada FW13 collection
People want more than just the product,
they want to feel a part of the brand
and the brand’s narrative
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

11. Trend: High-low
More commom to see women pairing luxury
shoes, handbags, and accessories with more afforable clothing items
Designer diffusion lines for mass retailers
Emphasis on accessibility of items celebrities are
wearing
Consumers are finding similar qualities to luxury
ready to wear as they are in much lower priced
brands
Example: Rent the Runway allows customers to
rent luxury clothing pieces for a short period of
time
Example: honest by. Muriee clothes are made
in Germany and use vegan and organic fabrics
Muriee Knitwear via Honest by.
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

12. Insights
Luxury is now attainable, you can own
certain pieces and feel like you’re “in”
with the luxury class
The barrier to entry is much lower than
before, and it makes us question: what
does luxury mean today?
Example: Jessica Alba (left) pairs a $2950
Saint Laurent bag with $129 Isabel Marant pour H&M pants
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

13. Trend: Immediacy
Since fast fashion retailers can copy the
luxury designs with less lead times, customers want that same instant gratification
Moda Operandi revolutionized with
their trunkshows and allowing customers
to order looks straight off the runway
The fashion calendar is constant and fast
paced, customers want to grab the latest
product
Heirarchy created through the need for
immediate products, those who have
and those who have not
Balmain for Moda Operandi
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

14. Insights
Customers want luxury fashion as quickly
as they can obtain fast fashion
It’s about being the first person to have
the new item
The immediacy trend is in response to the
traditional long lead time approach to
luxury fashion
Influenced by technology which is very
immediate, thus immediacy is wanted in
fashion as well
Moschino for Moda Operandi
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

15. Subculture: Modern Day Peasants
This culture invests in hand made pieces, that
have zero waste and are concerned with craft
and heritage
Knowledge of process and creation of the clothes
It’s the anti brand and logo luxury
While the clothes look peasantry, Modern Day
Peasants also farm their own fruits and vegetables, and are engrossed in artisinal culture
Example: Designer Alabama Chanin (coat pictured right, $2,880) uses sustainable business
practices, organic fabrics, and the clothes are
made in the USA
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

16. Trend Opportunities
Localizing of design in prevelent and
emerging markets
Implementation of technology within the
customer experience and the clothing itself
Creation of a secret network of people
in which the brand designs capsule collections for each season that are only
available to those in the network
Production in small batches, a return to
exclusivity
Christian Dior SS14 Look 33
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

17. Client Profile
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

18. Client Profile
Chloe
Founded in 1952 by Gabby Aghion and
Jacques Lenior
Pioneered luxury ready to wear
Known for easy dressing, an effortless
look, and a 1970s aesthetic
Current head designer: Clare Waight
Keller
Past designers: Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Pheobe Philo
Chloe FW13 Look 28
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

19. Trend Actions
Creation of a higher priced subdivision focused on craft and quality
Produce basics and wardrobe staples with
the highest quality care and keep in stores
year round
Establish a network of customers who are only
able to order certain pieces, these pieces
will not be available for the general public
Pare down on logos and marketing - a return
to confidence for the brand
Since Chloe was the pioneer in luxury ready
to wear, return to the brnad heritage and
the historical significance of Chloe
Chloe PS14 Look 28
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe

20. The Future Of
Luxury Ready to Wear
EXPERIENTIAL
EXCLUSIVE
Whether luxury ready to wear will be experiential through the in store expereience, or
through technology within the clothes, connectivity between product and experience
will become more prevelent
Luxury ready to wear will have a return to
more exclusivity and less brand boasting, it will
become more private and reined in
ADAPTIVE
NOVEL
Technology is going to continue to influence
luxury ready to wear, as well as other forces.
Luxury ready to wear needs to be adaptive
to the changing times to remain relevent.
Luxury ready to wear pieces need to be
novel, yet timeless. In the future, the customer
wants to invest in the piece but does not want
it to be too expected.
Hillary Frazer l Analyzing Trends Fall 2013 l Luxury Ready to Wear l Chloe