Intro to Marketing: Jonathan Saunders

As an introductory project we were required to research into the brand of Jonathan Saunders and come up with a concept that could improve its position within the fashion industry, considering the current retail and fashion market as well as consumer buying patterns at this time. 

Research also included Jonathan Saunders competitors including Derek Lam (left), Rodarte (right), Marchesa and Philip Lim. To understand the companies strengths and weaknesses in comparison, each fashion brand was looked at and researched carefully and to the same in-depth standard as research into Saunders, himself.

After considering all the factors, my concept for Jonathan Saunders was a concession within Selfridge's womenswear department. A concession as opposed to a stand-alone store would act as a pilot to monitor consumer reactions to this new addition to determine whether a larger store would be an option. In addition to this as Saunders is now based in New York, he has not, perhaps as established in London, therefore a stand-alone store at this time would not be fitting or beneficial. The below image shows the concept concession.

The concession design includes a simplistic and geometric layout to mirror the designers theme within his designs and includes the same neutral and pastel colours as his most feminine collections. I wanted the interior to be welcoming as many designer concessions and outlets can sometimes appear intimidating. However, as Saunders is still relatively new to the market, the outlet needed to be reflective of this. Small LCD televisions grace the walls displaying the designer's printmaking process to appeal to the consumer on a more personal level and make them feel as though they are buying a piece of art.

After researching into interiors and interior designers, as an additional final piece, this is a mock-up of what an invitation to the launch party could look like. Creating the event is something I really enjoyed as I had to consider the guest-list and additional entertainment that would be fitting to both the designer and the location.

Fashion Editorial

For this small side project, we were required to do an eight-page spread for a magazine of our choice as long as it was styled and photographed by ourselves. My shoot was for Vogue magazine, inspired by a vintage Chanel piece featured in Style magazine. I am really interested in antique and vintage clothing and accessories therefore wanted to incorporate my own items within the spread. The location was an airfield in the countryside because the contrast between the location and delicate clothing was dramatic and effective.

Fashion Trend Forecasting and Advertising

For this latest project we were required to predict a future trend apllicable for 2010 from researching current affairs. The trend I focused on was the pending Baby Boom which will be an implication of the current credit crunch. As more couples have to stay in due to lack of funds, there is now an increase in pregnancies which will lead to the biggest baby boom since after the war. In addition to this, the first baby boomers are now at retirement age therefore making their children at child-bearing age. My solution for this was for Zara to create a childrenswear collection that grows with the child. The clothing would include adjustable, detachable features as well as extra material hidden in the hems which would extend thus making the clothing last longer.

As part of the final pieces, we were required to complete eight boards explaining our trend, concept and brand. Although the above a just three of the eight, they show the idea, the products Zara offer and their target consumer.

We were also required to show our brand knowledge through a 3000 word marketing report. Although the above are just four doubl page spreads of the report, the final piece was 35 pages long and included both SWOT and PESTEL analysis's. I have tried to keep the brands' identity consistent throughout the layout of the report through the use of muted colours and appropriate images.

Fashion Illustration Project

Despite its title, this project was not strictly fashion-related and could be anything you wanted as long as it had a concept behind it. I chose something that interests me which is old movie stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. I took their celebrity status and challenged it, asking the question: would these stars be stars without what made them a star in the first place? Their looks and features which make them recognisable worldwide.

Each illustration was created free-hand and then put into Illustrator and Photoshop to distort the features and give me the opportunity to experiment.