Birmingham Clothes Show Live

The Clothes Show was not something I had heard of before I arrived at university. I attended the huge shopping event for the first time during my first year as part of the fashion society. I didn't quite know what to expect but I was definitely overwhelmed by the number of people that had descended upon the NEC! The lesson I learnt was never return on a Saturday...it is worse than sale shopping after Christmas!

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work at the Clothes Show this year with fashion distributors 1927 Ltd who have a large stand each year for selling Juicy Couture. Due to university deadlines, I was able to work four out of the possible seven day. It was brilliant to experience the Clothes Show from a different perspective; a seller as opposed to a buyer. Along with other employees from 1927 Ltd we were all put up in a hotel which served the most amazing and longed-for carvery at the end of each tiring day plus plenty of drinks for team bonding!

The first day involved quite a lot of waiting around as the stall was still being painted and having its fixtures fitted. Once this was completed we had the arduous task of unpacking all the stock and visual merchandising. This year Juicy Couture was selling their infamous velour tracksuits alongside t-shirts, cashmere, dresses, bags, accessories and jewellery.

I had been warned previously about how busy it would get on the Juicy stand but I certainly did not expect the stampede of screaming teenage girls and their mothers as soon as the doors opened. As a result of events from the previous year, a separate security team was hired to help crowd control. Additionally we had metal railings around the entire stand to maintain the crowds.

The roles that I generally undertook during the day including replenishing stock, processing sales and unpacking back-up stock. It was an insight into how these events are co-ordinated and also a chance to see what working in a clothes shop might entail different from my shoe shop experience at Dune. It would definitely an experience which I would be happy to repeat.

Universal Works

We were set the task of developing the visual identity of the brand to appeal to a wider audience. At present Universal Works has a very clear raw and industrial visual code, however they appear to be targeting the primarily the older man through the use of the model in their website visuals. This is something that the Brand Director and Sales Director did not want as they believed their garments would appeal to men of all ages, whether 18 or 54!

This was the big issue which had to be resolved; for a brand with 'universal' in the title, it wasn't appearing to be very universally accessible. As a group, we decided that the best way to identify the target market was to ask a sample of men of all ages who they believed the designs were aimed at. Critically however, we removed the face of the model. Our results concluded that by concealing the age of the model, the participant selected their own age or similar age group. This was evidence that the garments did appeal to all ages, so clearly the breakdown in communication was occurring by showing the face of the older model.

It seemed obvious to us therefore that if the face of the model was alienating segments of the market, we should simply remove it. Our innovative marketing strategy which followed incorporated the idea of a mask to disguise any particular age range and therefore allowing the viewer to identify themselves with the clothing worn, rather in the same way we do with mannequins in shop windows.

University: Year Two

I don't think I had quite anticipated how much the work load would increase this year! Oh well, it will keep me out of mischief! Within the first week we had been set three projects, with a further three being set later in the semester. Furthermore our seminar groups have been mixed up and I am working with a new team of girls. We have named ourselves K.E.R.B based on our initials spelling the word and it conveniently fitting with our Kickers project, i.e. Kickers to the K.E.R.B ...or K.E.R.B Kickers?!

The exciting thing about this year is all our projects are 'live'. This essentially means that brands in the industry are setting tasks which they wish us to fulfill. This is the best experience I can hope for as I am working to realistic deadlines which could well exist in my career (and nine days to pull together a visual marketing strategy for Universal Works was a great challenge!). I am hoping to learn more about the career paths in the industry and also gain more contacts which I can gain work experience.

London Fashion Weekend

London Fashion Week is now established as one of London’s premier events attracting fashion leaders, retailers and press to view the amazing collections and stunning catwalk shows. The consumer event which follows is named London Fashion Weekend. For the first time it was being located at Somerset House and 180 The Strand in the West-End after the five year lease came to an end with the Natural History Museum. It allows shoppers to buy entry into one of the largest retailer events in the UK and enjoy heavy discounts on designer labels. I was invited to help organise and work with the 1927 Ltd team at the event. Talk about chuffed!

The event ran from Thursday 25th until Sunday 28th September where 1927 London Ltd would have many stalls selling predominantly Juicy Couture clothing with smaller collections of Juicy Couture footwear, Michael Kors footwear and D.L & Co candles. I helped from Monday 22nd September with the preparation of pulling the merchandise and help with the setting up at the venue.

On the Monday I was given a list by Nikki Windridge, the event coordinator, of the number of rails we have been allocated for clothing. In further detail she specified what type of garments are to be allocated to each rail, i.e. one rail for each size of Juicy Couture tracksuit bottoms and tops, one rail for dresses, three rails for t-shirts etc. I spent the whole day in the warehouse selecting the right quantities and sizes of merchandise and was able to determine which styles went to LFW.

By the end of the first day, I had selected the stock for the fourteen rails which would be hung out immediately on our arrival at Somerset House. The day which followed was focusing on back-up stock. Again, Nikki had allocated a number of boxes to each garment type and my job was to package this up. Keeping the clothes on the hangers and in size groups, I boxed up Juicy Couture coats, t-shirts, dresses and most importantly tracksuits (obviously Juicy Couture’s best-selling item).

Wednesday was moving day. Two vans had been hired to transfer the stock from the warehouse in Fulham to Somerset House. A group of twelve of us helped with the unpacking and setting up between these two locations. The company paid for a large stand which incorporated six different rooms and a sales desk. I was ensuring that the rails and boxes were delivered safely from the van and into their desired location in Somerset House. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to unpacking the stock and dressing the rooms.

My ten hour shift on Thursday included five hours preparation time before the event opened for VIP guests. I was put in charge of the Juicy Couture perfume and D.L & Co Candles stands where I was situated for the remainder of the event. The two key tasks on these stalls was:
a) Pricing – ensuring that everything was labelled and that I could answer any pricing queries.
b) Visual Merchandising – the layout of the product is always key in events like these as you need to capture the attention of passers-by. The perfumes were laid out in patterns according to their scent and the candles were colour co-ordinated with varying heights to draw people’s eye to the range.

The weekend shifts were spent manning the stools. LFW used a docket system to ensure the payment and collection of the correct items, essentially a security measure. On the perfumes and candles store I had to ensure that the items were clearly specified as “Juicy Couture Perfume” or “Juicy Couture Ready-to-Wear”. As the payments were processed by LFW employees and not 1927 Ltd own staff, by clearly specifying this ensured that the dockets and till balances matched up. Additionally, LFW take a 20% commission on all the sales except for the perfume as the 20% margin would go to a water-aid charity in West Africa, Edirisa.

The experience of LFW was a very exciting one. Not only was it my first time within an event of this nature but being able to appear on the other side from the consumer was brilliant. As events-coordinating is an area I am keen to learn more about, I made it clear that I would be more than happy to work at the next one!

Fashion Distribution

Before finishing my first year of university I managed to secure a seven week placement at the fashion distributors 1927 London Ltd. They distribute high-end fashion brands internationally including Juicy Couture, Lauren Moshi, Money and See by Chloe footwear. It was a brilliant opportunity to work in a new area of the industry which directly related to the marketing module I had studied during my second semester.

My role involved working on the reception area and providing admin-support to support Alex, the office manager, through the busy sales period. I also had to work towards managing the desk alone whilst Alex took annual leave for two weeks. During my first week I was learning on the job and helping out with ad-hoc duties whilst Alex organised my training.

I was always told that work experience can be equally (if not more) beneficial when you learn which roles you would NOT like to do as much as the ones you would want to do. Whilst it took some time understanding the different departments within the company, I managed to get an overview of the logistics, purchasing, sales and accounts teams.

The Sales Dept. seemed to have the most exciting job in my opinion as it was slightly more glamorous. The sales period I witnessed was for Juicy Couture Kids & Babywear Spring/Summer 2010 as well as the introduction of the new client Lauren Moshi. In the weeks before the sales period begins, the stock arrives from the respective brands which includes the entire season’s collection. This is then steamed to look presentable and displayed either in the Library or the showroom in reception. Appointments with buyers are booked during this preparation time as well to ensure the collection is shown to a wide audience to increase its exposure and in return sales. Up to six appointments can be scheduled for one day; Rebecca took all the Lauren Moshi appointments which there were fewer of due to its exclusivity whilst Nikki, Lisa and Rosita juggled the Juicy Kidswear. Each buyer would be presented the stock, being shown which items would arrive in each delivery (the stock would typically be delivered over three dates during the season). Following the presentation, the buyers would be able to select the items they wished to purchase specifying the sizes and number of units. The orders would be written and signed during the appointment and then passed on to the purchasing & logistics department for completion.

I had an absolutely brilliant time at 1927 and made some great friends who I am still in contact with now. It was really useful to learn about the roles within distribution and see for myself the process of design, manufacture, distribution and sales come together in the real world.

"Self-Promotion"

I'm currently revamping my blog and trying to improve the site so it is easier on the eye. Hope you will be impressed with the changes. It is all part of this "Brand Yourself" project we have been set at University. It feels like a therapy session every time I put my mind to what aspects of my personality I want to project onto the world. At the moment I am aiming for "Not vanilla!" but that is as far as I have got! I will definitely be sharing my logo with you once it has come to life.

The Summer has arrived...

Remember the brief few days of sunshine we seemed to have back in April? (Always nicely timed with my birthday I might add!) Well following those few days, which unfortunately I missed due to a photographic brief I was writing for university, I feared I may have missed the British summer altogether! But Hallelujah! News of a heatwave is announced today!

Lovely sunshine...and I'm stuck in an office with no a/c or really any ventilation of any kind!

With five weeks left to go of this placement, I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays like this for August when I have the whole month to enjoy being at home! I'll be setting up an eBay account to hopefully make some money at the same time but I am fully prepared to burn like bacon in the sunshine!! In the meantime, it'll be lunch-hours in the park!

My Summer Placement

All our lecturers have been going on about during our first year at university is building up a porfolio of experience so that we are appealing to potential employers. With a four month summer(!!), this break is the best time to do it! Experience in the industry is priceless considering the state of the economy but being a typical student, £££ was pretty much a necessity too!

To cut a long story short, an incy bit of networking later I was utilising one of my contacts who happened to be the HR Manager of a fashion distributors based in Fulham Broadway. Unlike work experience I did after my GCSEs, I am not moving around the deparments (as I had hoped) but based in a role. I am working alongside the receptionist Alex as her No.2. At every opportunity I have been chatting to people about their roles and trying to understand the different departments (sales, accounts, purchasing, customer service etc). I've been keeping a diary of what I've been doing too which should help towards the write-up for the start of Year 2 in October.

I've been here two weeks now and feeling quite settled. The people are lovely. Having done some reception-work during my gap year at a fashion recruitment company I picked up the telephone/admin skills quickly. It is not a role I feel I would like to do again as I would really like some more challenging tasks to get my head around. However, following my first year of university this placement is great for learning about a new part of the industry and making contacts!

Ripped Jeans

I am absolutely loving that this trend is back! So glad I can wear my fadded Levi ripped jeans! I remember buying them about four years ago and spending £70 seemed like a lot of money to me, but I was talked into it by The Bf. But luckily I am having enough opportunities to wear them now which certainly makes for "pence per wear".

It is quite hard to get the balance of ripped jeans whilst avoiding the not-too-ripped/DIY look. The pair seen on Katie Price at the airport recently look like a home-made pair. I must admit to attempting this myself before my £70 purchase, however it is really not as easy as you might think. I found it impossible to get the threaded look. A friend of mine unintetionally created her own pair of ripped jeans as a result of bending over in a much-loved and much-worn pair of jeans which couldn't take the tension and split right under her bum cheek! The outrageous thing is she has continued to wear them! Talk about a draft!!

So far, I think the photo of Eva Longoria Parker wearing cropped ripped jeans, stilettos and a nautical striped top looked the best. That's the look I'll be trying to recreate next!

The King of Pop

Just about to go up to bed last night and the bf has six missed calls and a text from his mother saying "Reports in that Michael Jackson is dead". I think whoever you are, you will remember hearing that news and just feeling disbelief. We sat up for the best part of two hours following the developments hoping that it wouldn't be true.

It is such a tragedy for his young children, family and the music industry. Musically, the high regard everyone held Michael Jackson in was demonstrated in the sell-out fifty night tour in the UK planned for later this year. I think Chris Moyles summed it up best; "Michael Jackson was to me what I imagine Elvis was to another generation."

I expect rumours about the circumstances of his death will spread considering his financial situation as well as people's opinion over his controversial court cases. Heatworld published this morning reports that his cardiac arrest had occurred following injecting a strong painkiller; it is sad to think he was in so much pain that he had to resort to these measures.

RIP MJ

Celebrity Split of the Century

It has been speculated for years that they are "on the rocks" but now it is official that after three and a half years of marriage Katie Price and Peter Andre have split. Since their relationship started on our TV screens in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! they have become one of the most talked about celebrity couples. For many viewers of their ITV programme Katie and Peter Go Stateside this cannot come as much of a shock. The couple seem to spend a lot of the time apart, use their kids as a buffer and argue constantly...hardly projecting the image of a happy marriage onto their viewers. Frankly I'm amazed Peter managed to withstand her bullying for so long, following an argument where she told him he was a failing popstar and only famous through her! Oh what a lovely and supporting wife...!


Peter seems to have emerged with the majority of public support as he has acted tastefully whilst Katie has returned to her Jordan-days and been publicly slagging him off on Twitter and being linked to a string of men (and exes!). Katie's, or more aptly Jordan's, recent trip to Ibiza sparked even more support for Peter as reports claimed she refused to pose for photos with fans and even called one girl fat inbetween dancing half-naked in clubs!


It's funny that people have defended her behaviour in Ibiza as coping with the break-up. How many couples split up these days? You don't see them reacting like this, especially when there are children involved. It seems all very childish and highlights her insecurities. It will be interesting to see how the plot thickens with the custody of the children being battled out. Whilst I think at the moment Pete is demonstrating he is the most stable person for the children, Katie does have a collection of parenting awards to her name.

I think we'll all be watching this space...

Twenty-Six Mile Long Catwalk

The Flora London Marathon was a particularly special occasion for me this year as my father and best friend were running the 26.2 miles. I have never been up to London on the day before but my experience this year filled me with patriotism; us Brits can really support one another!

From a certain perspective, you could view the Marathon as a 26 mile long catwalk. After all, many months consideration would have gone into which sportswear is most suitable for wearing on the day; a similar length of time to which designers spend co-ordinating collections for seasonal catwalk shows. Moreover, many brands would have been tried and tested for which provides the most comfortable and supportive trainers, socks, vest etc. Therefore, those brands identified en route would truly represent function. Also the clothing acted as key advertisement for the charities they are running for. My father ran for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation who provided him with a vest for his name and charity logo.

There is a huge amount of publicity around runners in fancy-dress too. On the day I saw an octopus, donkey, devil, skeleton and bumble bee! The temperature in London was stifling for even the spectators. I cannot imagine the discomfort the fun-runners experienced.

I must just mention my surprise as seeing Peter and Jordan running along Jamaica Road (the 11 mile mark). They were holding hands as they lapped up screams from supporters (I, of course, was one of them! And I got a smile from Peter too!) although Jordan looked to either be in some discomfort or just concentrating!

If I were ever in a position where I could run the marathon, it would certainly be an interesting experiment on all sport-brands as to which would make the final cut!

GHD gone bad!

Good Hair Day...GHD...

When a company names itself this, are we silly to assume this is what it provides? Good hair days, right? Wrong! Maybe its just annoyance having finally given in to the monopoly hair-straightening brand (with a noticeable dent in the student loan) and arriving in Leeds with ultra frizzy-hair!

I've never understood the fuss around GHDs. They were only hair straighteners, surely they all did the same thing? However it was after umpteen nights out with "straight hair", that was in fact a wavy mess, which persuaded me to give them a try. Luckily I had two friends who were more than happy to demonstrate the "amazing-ness" of GHDs on my hair. Having given them a month-long free trial, I admit, I was impressed. But why let me down now on such a crucial day?!! The crucial day being arriving in Leeds to stay with the boyfriend and his friends.

I suppose there is always good old-fashioned hairspray? How 1980s!!

A Furry Little Problem

The argument over fashion designers using fur has made front cover of The Saturday Times today. Apparently British designers are being lured by fur companies to use it by either providing the fur free of charge or indulging in all-paid trips (usually to Denmark, the location of many fur companies).

A Canadian designer demonstrated the success of these gestures as he included fur in his Autumn/winter catwalk collection at New York fashion week. The fur was provided by Saga Furs at no cost: "It's like a sponsorship deal. They provide the products and the expertise to make it so I can have it on the catwalk." For me, it makes it worse that these companies are providing fur for no cost as it is not putting a price on the life of the animal which was sacrificed for fashion.

Should fur be used on the catwalk?

Personally, the idea of wearing real fur is an off-putting one. A family friend owned a mink coat and since seeing it for myself, I have been put off for life; it felt beautifully soft but knowing it was killed to be draped across my shoulders was traumatic! I have too much of a conscience! "There is nothing fashionable about the ways animals die for their fur." (Poorva Joshipura)

A recent spring-clean of my Nan's wardrobe did uncover a faux fur coat which she passed onto me. I don't think there can be arguments against wearing faux fur as it has caused no harm to anyone, although I did fear walking around New York in case of being egged!

It seems that the recession has not affected the fur industry. The British Fur Trade Association stated: "sales are buoyant despite London being the least pro-fur of the four major fashion capitals." (Nugent & Asome in The Saturday Times) Fur does have connotations of wealth and status which many people like to buy into. "No one appreciates just how tough it is right now. If you were offered free fur which looks glamorous and expensive and you were assured it was ethically farmed then why wouldn't you go ahead and stick it in your show?" Er... because those animals shouldn't have to be killed in the first place!

Personally I would rather see faux fur on the catwalk if it has to take any place at all; there is no reason why animals should be killed for fashion. It is disgusting to know that fur companies are using such tactics as free-fur and luxury trips but even more disturbing to learn that it is working! Fur-farming was banned in Britain - why would designers even contemplate bringing it back to our catwalk? Are times really that hard that it's calling for desperate (and deathly) measures?? Get it off the catwalk!

A Little Person's Big Thoughts

You never get a second chance to make a first impression and what makes a better one that what we wear? A daunting prospect to most girls I know and one which can leave you staring at your wardrobe for hours at a time!

But here is my first impression and first attempt as a ‘blogger’. Admittedly the blog-name was a tough enough challenge but I settled for ‘roseprint’ as that incorporates who I am and what I am doing: Rose by name and printing by nature. I am going to use this space to communicate my everyday thoughts on fashion, trends, news and shoes!! Especially shoes!!

I am currently studying Fashion Promotion & Communication at Nottingham Trent and absolutely loving it! However, I must warn you that with three deadlines looming I may be posting regular blogs about 'fashion and stress', 'fashion and panic' and 'fashion and denial'. We'll see... However it turns out I am really excited about it!