November Monthly Summary

November began with twice weekly visits to a placement/CV help drop-in session to find out more about putting my CV and cover letters together ready to start applying ASAP to internships for my placement year. It was interesting to start identifying the kind of companies and roles I could see myself working in and I found Abi's advice about CVs really useful as she really knows what employers like and don't like about them at a first glance and when looking more in-depth. I feel like there's a lot of pressure to make a CV look striking from the word 'go' as employers will lose attention quickly given the sheer number they have to get through. Making my CV look more visually striking is something I'll be working towards this month as I get closer to submitting my 'Brand Me' portfolio. I was also really surprised by how short I was advised to make my introductory profile and how much of an impact rewording some sentences has on how confident I sound. For example, by saying 'I have the skills required for this role', I sound much more believable than I would saying 'I believe that I have...'.

During the first week of November I started to notice how Christmas had worked its way onto the high-street so I explored some of the visual merchandising in Leeds City Centre, looking at designer, outlet and high-street windows. During this week, the news broke that M&S would be closing a significant number of their UK stores in an effort to help boost the brand. A big part of this plan meant significantly reducing the focus on their clothing lines and I was extremely surprised by this, given the success of the Archive by Alexa collections and my own changing perceptions of the M&S brand. 

Midway through the month, I visited the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester to see the Fashion on the Ration exhibition. It was a really interesting exhibition which gave so much primary information on the real life opinions and feelings of the working class people, paying particular attention to the North - an area which I think is often overlooked when it comes to fashion. The structure of the exhibition made the delivery of the information really successful as it followed a path around the room, with different areas introducing video clips, audio interviews, and garment collections under specific themes. My only issue with the exhibition was how dark it was! It was really difficult to take good photos or even read the information at times, and although it did set the scene for a 'rationed' country in challenging times, it did detract from the overall viewing experience.

My Collaboration Fixation

This month has been hugely significant for collaborations as two huge retailers, H&M and M&S dropped long awaited collaborations with Kenzo and Alexa Chung respectively. I've been really excited to see and shop from both collections, as snippets and behind-the-scene clips have been released all year round in the run-up. 

When the second Archive by Alexa collection was released I was late to the site so missed the first opportunity to by the skirt which I had chosen pre-meditatively. The exclusivity of the items and dispatch of only small orders at a time from the site only increased my desire to purchase the skirt the next time it became available. I went to great lengths to try to find the skirt by visiting the M&S store, somewhere I wouldn't generally go with the intention of making a purchase. I was disappointed to find very limited numbers of stock in-store and came away empty handed but this lead me to check the website religiously until the day finally came when my size was restocked! 


When it came to the H&M x Kenzo collaboration, I was much more prepared. It released at 9am and I was sat ready-and-waiting early at university with the website up and running on my laptop and the mobile app downloaded onto my iPhone. The website crashed and there were numerous complaints on Twitter about the fact that it was so hard to get onto the site, with only a small amount of users allowed on at a time. About an hour and a half later, I finally managed to access the website via the app and purchased an item which was again, bought pre-meditatively. 

From my personal experience, I found that I am willing to pay a lot more than I usually would for an item which is promoted as being more exclusive than an ordinary piece. The fact that only a small number of the item are made, comparatively, makes the item much more desirable to me. I think that the concept of high street/designer collaborations is very powerful and effective, as I felt so accomplished by buying into the HM x Kenzo collection. 

Fashion on the Ration: The Imperial War Museum, Manchester

"Fashion is an expression of the world we live in,  a picture of what is going on inside our minds as well as outside in historic fact." - Alison Settle, fashion journalist, 1937

I visited the Fashion on the Ration exhibition at the Manchester Imperial War Museum on 15th November 2016. The actual setting of the museum within Salford Quays was unusual and the building's architectural design was impressive from the offset. I was initially intrigued by the exhibition as it began by contextually introducing wartime fashion to the Manchester area, providing an excerpt of a diary description of Manchester's Piccadilly area from Vere Hodgson, 1943, who wrote "Piccadilly is such a thrilling place these days. All the uniforms of all the nations jostle you on the pavement... girls too in their service uniforms by the hundreds."

The most valuable aspect taken from the exhibition, in my opinion, was the exposure to genuine firsthand opinions of women about the clothing and fashion habits they were being introduced to during the war, so different to anything they had ever been used to before. In a letter from Stephanie Batstone in June 1943, she said that [the women] "were completely flabbergasted to discover that the bell bottoms issued to us are actually sailor's trousers and not made for girls at all", while Barbara Pym of the Women's Royal Naval Service said that "it felt funny being in uniform - more like fancy dress that anything". Examples of these brief but telling accounts of the women's experiences in wartime attire and uniforms were a frequent feature of the exhibition which increased the connection between audience and subject. 

Wartime fashion played a significant role commercially as well as personally, as the exhibition successfully communicates. Cecil Beaton's fashion, portrait and wartime photography created a place for women wearing uniform in fashion, with her work appearing in the pages of Vogue magazine. The exhibition was successful in conveying an insight into views beyond the 'common people' and the working class, in order to place the facts, figures and garments into an identifiable context. Clothing manufactures quickly utilised the need for fashion with new wartime functions, so handbags began to be produced with sections to hold a gas mask and luminous accessories were sold in response to the government's advice to wear white clothing during blackouts, like hats and wearable flowers sold in Selfridges. Audio interview excerpts were provided through telephones dispersed around the circuit of the room, one communicating Winston Churchill's fondness for his 'siren suit' (a garment suitable for wearing during air raids) by his secretary, Elizabeth Nel.

The exhibition also discussed reaction to clothes rationing and displayed notable 'thrifty' and hand-made garments. While the idea of rationing has been heavily discussed in the majority of historically concerned fashion exhibitions I've visited, the Fashion on the Ration exhibition differentiated itself to others by providing numerous personal accounts. For example, Eileen Gurney wrote a letter in June 1941 which said "I'm rather pleased about the clothes rationing as the competition won't be so great", while a really interesting camisole set was displayed, constructed from a silk map of Italy which was previously given to a woman from her boyfriend in the RAF. The personal stories behind the garments intrigued me as the idea of rationing often seems so lost in another period of time so unimaginable in the contemporary world.

One particular story which stuck with me and interested me greatly was accompanied by Evelyn Higginson's exhibited floor-length wedding dress and floral crown veil, made from pre-war silk but shared by fourteen other women after her own wedding in September 1943. The woman's first husband, a sailor, died during the war, but her wedding dress continued to be worn to many more weddings after his death. This 'make do and mend' attitude was communicated so effectively here, by showcasing the wedding dress alongside a story of love, tragedy and the cycle of borrowed clothing in hard times.

The cyclical structure of the exhibition by following maze-like routes around one room made it easy to convey narratives and more complex themes, such as the idea of morale and beauty/fashion being interlinked and important to society. A huge emphasis was put on the idea of looking good without seeming 'showy' or too frivolous during such an economically challenging period and this was successful discussed by introducing tips and tricks to make beauty products and clothing last longer - such as melting down the last of a lipstick or mending stockings repeatedly, in stark contrast to 'throwaway' habits of the past (and habits of the present, interestingly).

I left the exhibition feeling like I had learnt a lot, and while the room itself was in my opinion a bit too dark, its inclusion of sensory aspects - such as audio interviews and grainy film footage projected onto walls - made it an interesting visit which will stick in my mind. Fashion on the Ration runs from the 27th May 2016 to 1st May 2017 at the Imperial War Museum North, The Quays, Manchester, M17 1TZ.

Laura Clouting, 15th November 2016, Imperial War Museum, Salford Quays, Manchester

M&S Store Closures

Alexa Chung x M&S

The news has been released that Marks & Spencer will be closing a number of their stores across the country and transitioning many others from combined clothing and food into 'Simply Food' stores. Reportedly, 30 stores will shut completely in the UK and 45 full line stores will be downsized, according to the Independent (Z. Rodionova, 2016). 

Steve Rowe, M&S Chief Executive said of the plans:

"We committed to creating a simpler business with customers at its heart, and taking action to start to recover our Clothing & Home business and continue to grow in Food. These are tough decisions, but vital to building a future M&S that is simpler, more relevant, multi-channel and focused on delivering sustainable returns."

Initially, I was really surprised to hear that the M&S clothing & home sector has been underperforming the the extent that stores closures are considered necessary. I expected that, given the success of the Archive by Alexa collections with the second one released just last week, the sales figures and popularity of clothing at M&S would have benefitted greatly. Since reading Steve Rowe's comments on the overhaul of the UK's M&S stores, I can understand why he feels that a 'simpler business' would benefit the M&S brand in the future. While I often visit M&S stores to find so many garments that I like and would wear, I personally don't think to visit a store purposely to buy an item of clothing. The lack of identity that M&S possesses regarding its clothing is certainly damaging because no clear target consumer can identify with the clothing or promotional strategies instigated. I imagine that the lack of clear target consumer often causes issues with garment design - should the garments be targeted to a younger or older person? Social media has predominantly been used to promote the Archive by Alexa collections but the brand's other lines are overlooked. 

John Ibbotson, director of the retail consultancy Retail Vision, said:

"Today's younger shoppers simply don’t have an emotional bond with M&S clothing, and older people are losing it. As a result, they're shopping elsewhere, whether at Next, New Look, Primark and other affordable luxury brands."

I would agree with this statement. While I'm aware of Marks & Spencer's significant heritage and history in the UK, the thought of shopping there reminds me of visits with my grandparents 10+ years ago. Excluding the Alexa collaborations, there is nothing promotionally current about the brand's clothing so while they may stock items which young people like, the awareness isn't there. By executing cuts to the UK stores, perhaps a more streamlined approach can be taken to gain control of the retailer's marketing strategy. 

• Rodionova, Z. (2016, November 8). Marks & Spencer to close 60 clothing and home stores. Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/marks-and-spencer-stores-to-close-turnaround-plan-a7403976.html
• WGSN (2016) Alexa_Chung_M_S [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.wgsn.com

Visual Merchandising: November in Leeds

I was overwhelmed by how Christmas has suddenly taken over the streets and the stores of Leeds today! I'm always so impressed by the visual merchandising of designer stores so my first visit was to the Victoria Quarter. French Connection's windows were simple but effective. Filament bulbs are quite an on-trend interior feature so using strings of exposed lightbulbs sends a clear message about the brand's fashion relevancy. The way that the bulbs are piled in excess on the floor really exaggerates the length and scope of the window, especially against the all black background. The sticker text is a simple reminder to the consumer that Christmas is approaching. It reminds them that they need to buy Christmas presents and search for the perfect Christmas party outfit without feeling like they're being pushed into entering the store to make a purchase.

The Diesel window display is very unusual and communicates to passersby that this is a brand with humour and a youthful approach. Because of its oddities, consumers can expect to find unusual garments and statement pieces inside the store. The choice of a fur textured background print adds further depth to the display. Fur itself is a very wintery texture, so seasonally, while shoppers are in search of warmth and shelter inside stores, this display must unconsciously entice a lot of people in.

The opening of the brand new Victoria Gate centre has been a big topic in the Leeds fashion scene this month. In my opinion, this new centre really brings the city up to date in terms of its designer fashion as the original Victoria Quarter has a very traditional decor style. I work at River Island in the Trinity shopping centre and during team talks, it has really been brought to our attention that Victoria Gate will bring a new type of consumer to Leeds with a much greater disposable income than average and this has had an effect on the way we approach sales leading up to the Christmas period. Brands inside the Victoria Gate include: John Lewis, & Other Stories, Anthropologie, Cath Kidston and a Harvey Nichols pop-up shop - all offering premium-luxury goods. 

Anthropolgie's window displays and store layout was really interesting! I had previously only ever browsed online so getting a chance to visit a physical store felt like a really exciting moment - something the big bosses of the new centre are probably all too aware of. Promotionally, the store had a lot to offer the consumer. The window display was made up of whimsical, forest-like creatures in glass cabinets called 'Familiars' exclusively displayed for a limited time only. The selling point of the Familiars is that they are each labelled with their own characteristic traits so potential buyers can relate to and justify their purchase. In-store, the creatures were advertised for sale. With prices ranging from £2400-£3600 (!) these items are quite a niche product for the truly wealthy consumer but even for the consumer with little to spend, being in a luxury environment feels very special. More promotion elements that I noticed in-store included a reminder about gift card availability and tags on certain winter items regarding a 20% discount. I thought that the gift card notice was very cleverly displayed nearby the items like to be gifted - such as mugs personalised with letters or keyrings. In addition, having come in from the cold, shoppers would be much more likely to justify a purchase of a coat or scarf - especially when discounted. A chalkboard notice also sat outside the store informing passersby about the 20% promotional discount. 

The John Lewis department store is really the focal point of the shopping centre. Its window displays span the width of the room and its signage is the most dominant. The displays have been designed to accentuate the vast array of gift items on offer. There's a lot of height and depth to the windows as some products are hung from the ceiling, appearing to balance on a branch, while others are piled into a hamper/suitcase or positioned on tree stumps of varying sizes.

Placement Prep & CV development

This week I've really been focusing on updating my existing CV and designing a creative layout for it. The prospect of applying for places was quite daunting before I took on this task so I'm very relieved that I've powered through and got in done so early on in the year! My actual layout may change a bit as I get stuck into the Brand Me project which was set earlier this week but the content should largely stay the same, except for the minor changes to my skills section based on the different roles I'll be applying for! 

I've identified a few different roles that I may be interested in pursuing during my placement year:

• Content writing/journalism - this is my main goal! I'd love to work at a cultural magazine like i-D, LOVE, Dazed and Confused or Schön! or an online blog like Manrepeller.com. 
• Social media
• Public relations
• Visual merchandising

When designing my layout, I considered these factors:

• Making an impact: Potential employers see a lot of CVs from potential interns so it's important that my CV begins in a really clear style so that they don't lose an interest before reaching the content that can really impress them. My short and snappy profile (hopefully) will engage its readers to find out more about me. 
• Giving only necessary information: I cut down a lot of the content by using concise sentences, not listing my GCSEs into subjects and putting larger sections of text into bullet points.
• Giving relevant information first: My voluntary experience isn't very relevant to the job positions that I'll be applying to so this information is listed last. My skills and my work experience are the most important because I can easily relay them back to the skills I'll need for placement year.

After visiting the placement help drop-in, I learnt that:

• A one-sentence profile is more effective than a paragraph
• The statement 'I have the skills required for this role' is much more effective than saying ' I believe that I have...'
• There are a lot of online resources to find placements and job positions like FashionWorkie, FashionMonitor, FashionUnited etc. and I can search for accommodation by enquiring about student accommodation in the area or using RoomForTea.com.