High End Magazines Research

• DARLING

Darling is a fashion/lifestyle/travel magazine aimed at empowering women. The magazine was first created as a blog in 2009 by Sarah Dubbledam, and their first print was published in 2012. The magazine's mission is to help women feel confident and beautiful, with articles from real women talking about real issues. The magazine also talks about some places where the readers may want to shop, eat and travel to without sounding pretentious, the way some high end magazines can do. The images the feature in the magazine are natural and simple, and the articles are laid out clearly yet modern. This is the type of magazine I'd imagine my garments to be featured in, whether it be in an editorial shoot, or on the 'where to buy' list. Below are some examples of the front cover of the magazine and spread layout;

Above is the magazines mission statement. Using different fonts making it look like writing, possibly alluding to different women's handwriting and therefore suggesting this is a magazine for all women.

• Oh Comely

Oh Comely is a bi-monthly magazine produced in London, created by three university friends, and has since been taken up by a publishing company. It talks about music, culture, fashion, films and beauty in the magazine and features mainly women. It gives off a natural and handmade vibe, which is something that I would like my garments featured in. If I were to make a magazine myself I would use the layout of this magazine as inspiration as it has a similar look to what I aim to produce with my collection. They also include drawings and illustrations which is quite unusual but unique for a magazine, however if I was to create a magazine I would also include illustrations. Below are some examples of covers and spreads of the magazine;

• Frankie Magazine

Frankie is a bi-monthly magazine produced in Australia and sold internationally. It covers topics such as; fashion, art, music, travel, craft, photography, design, interiors and real-life stories. I think the layout of the pages is really effective as they are clean and minimalist, with more white space than not. This is another magazine that I can envision my garments to be featured in, whether it be in an editorial shoot, or in the 'where to buy' section, I think that this would fit perfectly. 

Pen Portrait

My customer will be a woman between the ages 20 and 30. She will be a free spirit who loves nothing more than to travel and relax. She travels to destinations such as Mykonos, Santorini, Seychelles, St Tropez and Nice. She is carefree and loves to chill with good friends and even better food and wine in small classy but rustic and organic cafes, indulging in a chocolate topped cappuccino in the day, and sipping on a martini come the evening. Not only does she enjoy to relax on the beach, she also has a sense of adventure and enjoys exploring when she's travelling. She has a job in the creative industry and this job allows her to travel the world, making her money and documenting her travels on her blog as she goes (commenting on the best places to eat, drink and the best beaches offering the clearest of waters with the whitest of sands). She isn't attached to anyone romantically but she has many male and female friends surrounding her, she's one of those people who knows people wherever she goes. As she's travelling around a lot and especially going to hot places, she wants to stay and look cool as possible. This means she must wear cool, light and loose fitting clothes as much as she can. Although she will spend a lot of her day in a bikini, when she is working she wants to stay comfortable and cool in loose fitting clothing. She tries to eat as healthily and organic as she can, eating fresh green salads on a daily basis, complimented by an energy boosting smoothie. However, when she's at a fancy restaurant she wants nothing more than to slightly indulge, consuming the best of the local produce that's on offer. She is very cultured and open minded, she does not judge quickly, nor is impulsive or hot headed. She takes life as it comes and naturally goes with the flow, despite her job being demanding she keeps her cool in all situations, being a great quality of hers. She knows she wants to find her perfect man and settle down and have a family of her own one day, but for now she is easily fulfilled by her job and the new people she meets day to day on her travels. She doesn't really have a place to call home as she's constantly travelling, so she buys light, easy to pack clothes that still look great and give a hint to the type of industry she works in. She's not bothered by not having a place to call home as she is happy enough travelling around, discovering new places and meeting new faces.

Competitor Research

• Lali

Lali Wear is an up and coming sustainable fashion brand from Australia. They first launched in 2016, with a six piece collection (items can be bought separately). I think that this brand would be my competitor as their mission statement is based around sustainable fashion and making clothes out of sustainable fabrics. They are passionate about creating timeless pieces that are investments and will last a life time, so you can't expect a bargain. I will be ranging my clothes between £80-£150 depending on the style, however I aim to use sustainable fabrics for all my garments, which automatically brings up the costs of the clothing. They also use ethical manufacturers to further support their ethical aim. I think that they are fashionable as well as sustainable, which can be difficult achieving. I would say that we have a similar target market, which makes me want to push myself further as I want to be better than this brand. The style of the images they used for their campaign to promote their new collection are set in a rural, natural area, with the garments complimenting the scenery. These are images from their campaign; 

• People Tree

People Tree was established in Tokyo in 1991, when people started to want to lead a more ethical lifestyle. Safia Minney is the creator of the brand, and started off by selling woven hats and bags, since then they have expended their brand into creating seasonal collections. They are a very eco-friendly brand, and work with Fair Trade producers, garment workers, artisans and farmers in the developing world. People Tree were the first brand to integrate the supply chain for organic cotton from farm to to final product. To further support their ethical brand, during manufacture they use azo-free dyes to dye their fabrics, as this is a safe and sustainable way of dying fabric. In addition they source as many products as they can locally, choosing natural and recycled products over synthetic and non-biodegradable materials. Although they fulfil their statement of creating sustainable fashion, they don't make the most fashionable pieces. I would say their target audience is more for the 45-65 age bracket (however some pieces are more suited to a younger target audience; 25-35). Some of their pieces from their latest collection is shown below;

• Sabo Skirt

Sabo Skirt is another competitor for my brand. Although not a sustainable brand, they have the same 'look' I am going for. They have a very relaxed, beachy and natural vibe, yet still has an element of glam; suitable for my target customer. With the styling being a mixture of relaxed and slightly glam, this allows the wearer to take the outfit from day to night, by dressing it up slightly with some jewellery, or even adding a bit of makeup. Some of the fabric they used is 100% cotton however most is polyester. They create look books of their latest collections, which have inspired me to create my own look book for my collection. Pricing is slightly cheaper than Lali, and I assume this is because the fabric isn't sustainable.

Communicating through Photography

This photography is an effective way of communicating the message to the customer. It automatically gives feelings of minimalism with a twist, as the top image is quite abstract with the blank white background and the model in the centre of the image, it looks quite simple at first, however you then notice the model is wearing a platform boot on one foot, and a ballerina shoe on the other foot. Her hair has also been digitally edited to make it look like it is liquid pooling around her head, giving it quite a disturbing twist. The logo appears at the top of the image directly above the model, as if she's looking up at it, and the brand name is directly below her. The other images below are quite natural and organic looking, most of the images don't look posed, however the top left image does. I also like the colour scheme, it is very neutral and monochrome, obviously their brand is quite androgynous, yet feminine and soft with the organic poses. I think this is an appealing advertisement however it is quite unclear what the brand is promoting, I think that this could've been done in a more obvious way so that it is clearer what they are selling, maybe feature the clothes more prominently. 

I think that this illustration is really effective, as it shows the layers of the images giving the effect of texture. The outer layer of the model is quite strong and bold, however the underneath layer makes the image looks more soft with the chiffon fabric, giving the image a more natural and feminine feel. I think this image would communicate the message as it conveys the vibe of the brand well. This is an illustration I would be very interested in creating, I would take an image of a model, either primary or secondary, and I will do a similar technique as this such as ripping a section out to reveal the layer underneath. The underneath layer I would use would be a primary image of the photographs of the beaches I took when I was away in Mexico and Portugal. I would maybe even try to do something similar such as lowering the opacity of the models face, and have the primary image of the beach coming through slightly. I would also add some colour to my image, such as soft blues and neutral tones, the colour palette of my collection. 

This advert is more digital than the above two, with the different sections in honeycomb shapes, separating the image of the model. The colours are monochrome with the shoes being the prominent image of the advert. I think that this advert may be promoting the shoes, as they are the clearer image, the clothing that the model is wearing is quite obscure and unclear to see exactly what it is, this is why I believe that the shoes are the product that are being advertised. I think that this is an effective advert as I have never seen this technique used before, but it is different and catches the eye. I may do something like this during experimentation, instead of using honeycomb shapes I would use something that relates more to my theme such as the outlines of sea shells or the waves from the sea.

I have found these examples useful as inspiration for the illustration I will be making for the promotion and marketing of my collection. I will take elements of each of these examples and develop and edit them so that they reflect my theme more; maybe using the colours I will be using for my collection, different textures, more organic shapes or even scan in fabrics I will be using and edit them to feature in my illustrations. 

Controversial Fashion Campaigns

This Sisley advert, named Fashion Junkie, from 2007 was banned for 'glamourizing drugs'. Here are two women, possibly models, are seen using drugs, dressed up in glamorous dresses and in heavy makeup. The model on the left looks dishevelled and worn down, with heavy eyes. This advert is misleading as it is promoting drug abuse and trying to make it look 'cool', giving out the message that if these girls are doing this then it must be ok to do it. It is clear to see why this highly inappropriate brand was banned, and I can't see how this is promoting the business or there garments. It is unclear what this advert is trying to promote as the dresses the models are wearing are hardly seen, therefore I don't see how this advert can be successful.

This Gucci advert shows a woman lying over the man in a submissive pose, suggesting the man is more powerful. This is a controversial ad as it can look as if it's promoting the idea of women being subservient and submissive in society, whilst men are the more powerful and respected sex. People might find this offensive as it looks like the woman is being disrespected, and therefore would more than likely push customers away rather than persuade them to buy their goods. This advert may possibly promoting the clothes that the models are wearing, however it isn't the best way to promote them as the dress is hardly seen, therefore I can't see how the is a successful advert.

This is one of United Colours of Benetton's most controversial adverts, made in 1991 this was the ultimate display of uniting cultures. It shows a white woman on the left hand side, a black woman on the right and an Asian baby in the middle, all wrapped in a blanket. However, there is more to this image than just uniting cultures. It is clear to see that the hand of each woman is placed on the child, suggesting that this is a family, and the brand is also supporting homosexual couples. Many controversial issues are being placed in one image and I think that it is getting the message across brilliantly. However, despite their message getting through, there is no sign of clothing or accessories from the brand being promoted, this may be because United Colours of Benetton feel confident enough to know that they don't need to feature their products in their adverts, and would rather use their platform to get their messages across to a wider audience.

Controversial Advertisements

This 'Running Free' advert at first is quite shocking and makes you wonder what it must be about. When I first saw this advert I thought it was helping spread awareness of abuse, and help it stop. However, when you see the slogan at the top of he page; 'Support bras, now available', it is clear that this is advertising support bras, for women who have larger busts and need more support. Once you know this information, the advert becomes quite comical, despite the initial shock of seeing this image of a woman with a bloody nose. As she looks quite sweaty, the story behind this image makes us realise that she has been working out (possibly running) and as she has been exercising, her bust has been knocking into her face which has caused the bloody nose, showing that the bra she was wearing at the time wasn't supportive enough and this was the result of that. I think that this is quite an effective way of advertising the new support bra, as it draws people in and makes you want to find out more, and doing this is promoting the brand in an unusual way.

This new Tom Ford advert is promoting the new men's aftershave. It is a strange way to promote a men's aftershave as most brands would usually promote an aftershave which features another man, and this is why this advert is so controversial. However, there is a sexual connotation to this advert, and it is unusual as it uses a woman's body to give a message of what this aftershave can achieve if it is bought. This advert may be seen as successful by some, as most men would probably automatically look at this image and will then read the bottom of the advert and see that it is actually a new fragrance for men. However, despite this, most men don't tend to buy themselves aftershave, it is usually women, e.g. a girlfriend, wife, mother,who would buy aftershave as a gift for someone, therefore I don't know how successful this would be because I don't think they have considered who will actually be buying the product.

This PETA advert is really quite disturbing, it shows a male human lying in a large polystyrene container, his body mangled and distorted, with blood surrounding the body. This advert is showing the shocking truth of how meat is butchered and sold to customers, they are trying to convey a horrific message, of how we treat animals. I think that this advert is successful as it is clearly very disturbing and makes you rethink buying meat from the supermarket. PETA always has controversial advertisements however this is one of the most shocking there is.