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!

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 

The Fashion Rich List

                               (The bargain hunters that have earned the Westons their millions)


1. Galen and George Weston £6,650m (Primark,Selfridges)
2.Sir Phillip and Lady Green £3,880m (Topshop,Dorothy Perkins, BHS)
3.Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay £2,350m(Littlewoods)
4.Mike Ashley  £2,300m(Sportsworld,Sports Direct)
5.Bernard Lewis and family £1,250m(River Island)
6.Stephen Rubin and family£1,120m(JD Sports,Speedo)
7.John Hargreaves and family £1,000m(Matalan)
8=Richard Caring £700m(International Clothing Design)
8=Christina Ong and family £700m(Mulberry)
10.David BromilowD£650m(Adidas)



Above is the top ten of The fashion rich list from The Sunday Times rich list 2013. i was unsure what to expect from the fashion rich list, and was completely shocked when i browsed through the booklet and came across this. I kind of assumed the top ten would be owners of designer brands, and surprisingly only one luxury brand comes up in the top ten, Mulberry owned by Christina Ong and family, predominantly known for their luxurious handbags, the brand is a huge favourite among celebrities. I was surprised to see George and Galen Weston at number one, as Primark is known for its cheaply produced items and bargain prices, so i was surprised to see they are top of the poll.
Other brands i was surprised to see was Sports Direct at number 4 and JJB Sports at number 29, as these thrifty sport shops are usually seen holding closing down sales or slashing prices of their stock to get rid of it. If anything I would of thought these shops were on their way out, apparently not.

I mentioned in a previous post about the state of the British highstreet, and how it's now bleaker than ever with many shops shutting down as a consequence of the recession the country is in. The fashion rich list shows it's not all doom and gloom as many of the top fashion millionaires are from the highstreet with brands such H&M, New Look, Ted Baker and even George at Asda also coming into the poll.