Discretionary purchases had their strongest gain in a decade this past April! But we are not out of the woods yet and must meet the challenges. It is my hope that this newsletter will be of help to you in not only perhaps sparking new ideas and creativity but also in showing what we are doing and can do to offset the economic challenges of today. Susanne Taylor & Associates works very hard to choose the brands we represent or endorse and are aggressive when it comes to insisting that they bring you everything you deserve. Our goal is to help you increase your consumer base while increasing your profit margins and to offer you a partnership. We recognize the importance of being in the now but we think big picture when helping to build your retail success. We understand the challenges and are here not just to offer you superior and timely product but to support you. The face of retail is changing and youthful strategies are a must.
TRENDS FORECASTING
I attended a recent three day FGI conference in New York. The theme of the conference was “Survival of the Fittest…Navigating the New Economy.” The agenda included so much helpful information including how today’s economic challenges can affect commerce, culture and community, and how we can become more effective leaders.
It is my privilege to share some of the info with you. Sharon Graubard, Senior Vice President of Trend Anaylsis, Stylesight offered the following insight into spring/summer 2011 upcoming trends.
Soft Grunge – Pretty lingerie layered over vintage…a feminine replacement over tomboy grunge. Or, pretty hippy if you will. Slouchy tees with a gypset style, the dayjama is a must, and the shrug is replaced by the bed jacket.
Bongo Bakongo – Safari influence in color with sarongs and extra long tunics all with an Afro beat. Draped slouchy tees and draped sweaters with wrapped skirts and wrapped pants.
Moody Nature – Organic volumes seen through an emotional lens.
Body and Soul – In shape scuba diver meets Grecian goddess. High Performance and active wear was referred to as the “new basic.” Leggings, shorts of all types but particularly bike length and performance wear were even included on the runway shows in Paris and Milam with the active wear taking on a gloss finish. Mudwashed tees, nature prints with marigold and coral accenting khaki.
Studio Art – Fashion Editor meets ultra chic art teacher at the local pottery class. Boxy Silhouettes and utilitarian outerwear are of importance.
Color Direction – Purple and the many shades of are still important through 2010 but 2011’s influence was still about the resurgence of pinks. Also important were turquoise, eggshell, blues, and especially oranges and beautiful shades thereof. Definitely lime and greens with the two most important basic colors being white and khaki. Prints look like inkblots and are moody in feeling.
Accessories – Less emphasis on the necklace more on bracelets, bangles and earrings with their influence being African. Sunglasses that look more like goggles than aviator and sweatbands make a comeback.
Leather will be a key item but not limited to outerwear.
Tunics are much longer in length than the traditional tunic, shorts of all types are important as is the hand feel of the garment, particularly hand knit as being connected with the human touch and spirit is important.
Long time acquaintance Mr. Robin Lewis who is VP at Vantage Marketplace at Goldman Sachs and also VP and Executive Editor at WWD as well as Fairchild Publishing and who often can be seen on CSpan speaking before Congress; Lynne Ronon Exec. VP of Marketing at HSN; Heather Kaminetsky, Director of Internet Marketing at Barneys; and Denise Seegal of FashInvest spoke of new and different approaches in retail for survival. Mr. Lewis emphasized strongly the new rules of engagement and the importance of a neurological connection to the customer. All agreed that to survive all areas of distribution are a must….the days of being just brick and mortar or just e-commerce or “just” anything are gone. Multi distribution platforms are a must. Entrepreneurism is on the rise and the community is the new planet. Cause based retail is no longer a marketing ploy but the standard that the consumer, whose values have shifted, now demands. Those shifts include a consumer that has moved from needing stuff to demanding an experience, from conformity to customization, from Plutocracy to Democracy, from new to new and NOW, and from self to community.
Did you know according to Francis Cole Jones author of “How to Wow” that only 7% of verbal meetings register with those you come into contact while the tone you use is more memorable at 38%? How you present yourself-the visual aspect-is recalled at a whopping 55%! Interpret this into how your store speaks to the customer and you cannot lose.
If you are hoping that you can escape without embracing social media, you are, according to virtually every speaker I heard over the three day conference and possibly for the past three years, wrong. In fact, according to Robin Lewis we are only a very few years away from having our own avatar. While shopping in the store or on the net, your avatar will be able to try everything on for you. Very exciting!!
By embracing the use of social media you can monitor consumer sentiment, provide real time customer service, educate your target market, build brand awareness and build customer loyalty, reward customers and fans, offer promotions, strike partnerships, solicit feedback, build community, offer product updates and drive traffic to your website.
Also of key emphasis was how important it is to know the story behind the product or company from which you are buying. A company with a story is a company with passion and realism all of which is now a must for the consumer. This is referred to as value censorship and is equated to fair value.
SCOOP:
Oprah and Gayle will be wearing Calvin Klein Performance in the September issue of O! Magazine.
Julia Roberts will be wearing Beyond Yoga in her upcoming summer blockbuster, Eat, Love and Pray.
Calvin Klein Performance sponsored Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Walk on Mother’s Day in New York City. While it was very cold, it was still fun to take part in and I almost beat Gayle to the finish line with a personal best pace… my inspiration being….. Staying warm!
Yoga Magazine is featuring Alo in June editorial. It is a must read and the most beautiful and inspirational story of the Alo brand, company and owners.
Dallas and Houston’s upcoming, Annual Day of Yoga, sponsored by Luke’s Locker will feature Alo bamboo tanks being worn by approximately 400 area yoga instructors in the September event. Last year’s event attracted more than 5,000 people.
Texas Women’s University (TWU) students voted Alo most educational company after their visit two weeks ago to Los Angeles to study garment industry companies.
University of Phoenix students visited SoyBu on the university’s trip to the Magic show in Las Vegas and had a chance to not only see the presentation of the SoyBu product but also meet with company head of design.
During April, Rawlins Gilliand and I teamed up as the FGI Dallas Career Day WTC Tour Guides featuring a segment where the more than 100 students that joined us were treated to a showroom visit. It was a privilege to present an award to one of the design recipients later that evening.
The following week the showroom was full of students again when we hosted an entire class from the University of Wisconsin for the morning. The students were able to visit JC Penny headquarters, Neiman Marcus and Susanne Taylor & Associates. It was an honor to be requested.
I am so proud! I was presented with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New York by FGI President, Margaret Hayes, this month and long time business associate and dearest of friends, Melanie Steglich, was presented with a prestigious award for the Dallas Dental Alliance in which she is President. Melanie and I both are humbled and most grateful for our awards.
The Ritz-Carlton Spa in Dallas, Susanne Taylor & Associates and Exhale Dallas Spa teamed up to raise more than $2,000 for local women’s and animal charities this spring.
Susanne Taylor & Associates helped raise funds for the Dallas Discovery Gardens annual spring Organics in the City at the event’s silent auction. I also enjoyed being keynote speaker and appearing with the night’s emcee, Gloria Compose. Updating the audience on what has transpired in the world of eco-fashion during the past year was great fun as so much has happened. The Butterfly House is a regular stop for me at the Discovery Gardens so being asked to speak there is definitely a heartfelt experience.
I also had an opportunity to volunteer at the Plano Green Expo in the Hope Store’s room benefiting the free trade organization, Trade as One. It was great fun being on the retail side of things for a change! I met so many wonderful people that day and sent everyone I could out with both a personal purchase and a Mother’s Day Gift purchase.
The biggest treat of the day was meeting Shauna and Brett Fuller, co owners of the company, Bagala Beads. Bagala Beads are incredible African jewelry hand made of recycled paper by 300 incredible African women. Together with their native African partner, Kathleen, the Fuller’s are making a major difference in the life of these African women. It has been our pleasure to provide space for Bagala Beads in our showroom.
Organic Spa Magazine featured inPHORM in its annual Eco-Fashion edition in March. Editors said this year was a difficult one to choose as there were so many fabulous companies deserving recognition. Suffice it to say all of us with inPHORM, www.inphormnyc.com, are proud to be chosen worthy!
The yoga and lifestyle dressing lines in the showroom are on FIRE! The retail numbers are very exciting with double digit weekly sale through becoming a norm. It is not surprise to me to hear at a recent 2011 Trends Forecast presentation that “active wear is the new basic in fashion.” The only surprise is that it has taken us so long to realize that performance wear can and should be the most comfortable and relaxing thing you could ever put on your body and that we are only now making it the new basic.
The press link has been updated for star favorite line Beyond Yoga. Fergie is quoted in People as loving Beyond Yoga and is shown wearing it as is Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rutherford and Seane Corn. Courtney Cox was spotted wearing Beyond Yoga on “Cougar Town.” And, Julia Roberts, will be wearing it in her summer blockbuster film Eat, Love and Pray. http://www.iambeyond.com/pdf/presspacketonline.pdf
Most of the lines represented by Susanne Taylor & Associates can be found on You Tube, Face Book, Linked In and Twitter. There are so many great uses for social networking these days but perhaps none better than the recent K Bell Socks social networking initiative. If you visited them, you were responsible for sending socks to our men and women in the military.
Well, now you know what we have been up to lately! Let us hear from you and share what you have been doing!!
Retail blessings this summer and always,
Susanne Taylor
