Making Liberty

Later on this year channel 4 will be airing their fly on the wall documentary, making Liberty. A three-part series showing behind the scenes footage of the department store based in London' Regent Street. 

Channel 4's commissioning editor Emma Cooper said of the show: "Liberty is the last bastion of eccentric, eclectic design and is jam-packed with a wonderful cast of colourful characters."

Last year Mr Selfridge aired on ITV last year, a drama series based around the creator of Selfridge & Co, and the store as it opened. Perhaps Liberty is taking a leaf out of their book, by having their store on television they are promoting it, and as it will be broadcast this Autumn, its just in time for people to do their Christmas shopping. This will be good for the store which has been transformed in recent years from nearly going bankrupt to a commercial success story! The show is also expected to be broadcast internationally so will encourage tourists to visit whilst in London. The store are hoping Making Liberty will bring new customers and encourage people that haven't visited the store in a while to return. As they believe they're " A brand that thrives on innovation and we have something for everyone."

All eyes on Pre-Fall?

Chanel Pre-Fall 13/14

More and more designers are showing pre fall collections, with Browns reportedly spending a whopping 70% of its budget on pre fall.  "Pre" collections are bridging the gap between the high profile collections of Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter.

These collections are usually more wearable and give a feel of whats to come next from the designer. It's to stimulate interest and draw in customers. I think the smart money is in the Pre fall collections as brands such as Browns can buy into these trends early on and make more money before they sell out.
Laura Larbalestier, Buying Director at Browns has said pre fall is the time she likes to buy lots of dresses. I think the reason brands spend so much of their budget on pre fall is to snap up trends before the season explodes. Brand strategist, Anita Borzyszkowska believes Pre-collections have become really significant as customers have become use to continuously having their interest stimulated, and 'pre' is all about feeding that interest. Inter-seasonal collections are gaining more and more interest and i think consumers love them as people get impatient, and fashion is now moving faster and feeding the fashion frontrunners at a faster pace. Without the pre-collections, brands sales would decrease as there is more interest and coverage during the S/S A/W seasons which makes them money. The pre-collections create a buzz and with people becoming more aware of them its making the stores more money. As Michael Kors told Vogue .."It's the season you sell most clothes." 

A pre fall collection that really caught my eye was the Chanel pre-fall 13/14, a modern collection with scottish elements and an elizabethan royalty feel thrown into the mix. The collection featured lots of tartan,tweed and flashes of bright colour, draping woollen scarves, ruffled necks, quaint embroidery detailing, puffed sleeves and sporran-esque bags to complete the look!