Beckham for Belstaff!

When British heritage brand Belstaff opened their new shop on Bond Street recently, none other than David Beckham was stood outside wearing the brands iconic four-pocket leather jackets, and posing with an orange BMW bike. Not only is Beckham set to be the face of the Belstaff Spring/Summer 14 campaign but has been chosen as ambassador for the brand. They had decided he was perfect for ambassador as he is a keen motorcyclist,with a hefty collection of 12 motorbikes at home. I've discussed before how men buy clothing not fashion, so was this choice a clever promotional pick for Belstaff? I think it is, David Beckham will encourage men to seek out the brand and find out what its all about,which in turn should provide the brand with more customers. I also think he is a really good choice, as they haven't just randomly picked him because he's a good looking man, but he is interested in motorcycling which ties him in with the brands heritage and image more. Another good marketing trick, is that Belfast launched their new London store during LFW, which is going to boost the brand and  promote it even more!

100 years of Chanel

As well as the opening of two new London stores (one in Covent Garden and another in New Bond St.), To celebrate 100 years of the brand Karl Lagerfeld has created a short film set in 1913 Deauville where a young Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel has recently opened her new hat shop and is eagerly awaiting customers.The film stars Keira Knightley as Chanel, alongside a range of models, and muses of Lagerfelds. 

I think the film gives an insight into the beginnings of Chanel, I like the way it's  shot in black and white and i feel its a nod to the brand and to adds to the fact its set in 1913. However I feel it would of emphasised the brands heritage more if the film was more French, perhaps french with english subtitles or even if the characters such as Chanel spoke english with a French accent, as i think Keira Knightley, among others, speaking in her regular voice took away from the French feel of the film.

         Karl Lagerfeld has said he designed the set, the costumes,the dialogue and the characters.  He also shot without a script, calling out lines just before the shot and encouraged the actors to improvise lines to give it a more natural feel. Unsurprisingly what really stood out were the costumes! I particularly loved Jamie Bochart as Marquise Luisa Casati, dressed head to toe in black with three greyhounds, Lindsay Wixson in beautiful high necked white lace dress, with an open back and huge black feather hat as Miss Wonderbilt and Ashleigh Good as Jacquelines Forzane, dressed in a black and white skirt suit, straw boater, pearls and a cane ( to name a few!)

The film beautifully shot  and I feel the brand still exudes the same elegance and classic as it always has.I think the youth of today still understand Chanel as an influential,sophisticated and chic brand, however I feel the film will give them an insight into the history and heritage of the brand that they may not be aware of.

Hermes at the Saatchi!

Today I headed over to the Saatchi Gallery for the first day of the 'festival des métiers' , the exhibition dedicated to the craftsmanship of Hermes products.

The exhibition features work stalls with craftspeople from the French workshop going about their daily handy work right in front of you!  The exhibition room has shelves and units with strips of leather,fabric and tools on,which makes you feel as if you've stepped right into the Hermes workshop! The exhibits around the room include a leather worker,watch maker,porcelain painter and an engraver.I found it so intriguing to be able to watch them working by hand, and see how much effort,time and patience goes into making the products. Each stall also has somebody translating the process step by step, which I found really engaging, some stalls even invited the audience to interact, by touching the fabrics and holding items. There was a woman placing individual diamonds into a bracelet, who stepped back and let us look down the microscope at the bracelet being made, which was really exciting!

I particularly liked the stall which showed one craftsman handcrafting a leather Hermes bag, I caught him using a hot tool to weld the leather handle together. The translator explained that he had been working for Hermes for 23 years and that it takes him 25 hours to create a bag from start to finish (it used to take him 50 hours). I also found it really interesting that one individual would create a product from start to finish, it shows how much care and time goes into creating it. I also was amazed by the woman who was pulling tiny threads from a silk scarf to add texture to the piece, so much time going into one piece, it's great to see especially when so many garments these days are made so carelessly in sweatshops and factories and by machines purely for the profit. I enjoyed the exhibition as you witnessed how much love and care goes into Hermes.

The exhibition was really eye opening, as I didn't realise that products would be hand made with so much time,patience and precision put into them. I think it definitely adds to the brand and I think it would make your purchase feel so much more personal,knowing how much skill is put into it. You really are paying for quality when you buy into Hermes. 

I previously visited the gallery to see Karl Lagerfeld's Little Black Jacket exhibition, people may ask can fashion can be compared to art? I think it definitely can and you only have to witness the craftsmanship,quality and passion that goes into the brand whilst walking around to understand it really is a form of art!!

The insightful exhibition is free and only open from 21-27 May, so it's definitely worth getting down there ASAP!

Leather worker creating a handbags handle.

Individual strands being pulled through.

The amazing floor

Pieces of leather for the bags

Individual diamonds being placed in bracelet

Beautiful  Hermes dresses