INTRODUCTION My range features 34 options based around 11 different styles with 11 of those styles being avaliable in more than one colour option. The collection displays 27 tops (including shirts, t-shirts, dresses, boilersuits and outerwear), 7 bottoms and 3 accessory options. The Autumn/Winter range ‘Material Girl’ collaboration with H&M is scheduled to launch in stores on 10th September 2018, in time for A/W 18. The reason for the collection to be launched at the beginning of September is to allow the customer to think of the transitional season ahead. Similar to January, it’s a time to re-fresh the mind. It is a period of time where customers can also start to think of their Autumn/Winter wardrobe and start to get ideas about where to spend their money for upcoming seasonal events such as parties, bonfire night, Christmas, right through to the New Year. H&M collaborations usually have a lot of publicity and because of London Fashion Week month, it is the perfect time for the range to be spoken about as customers, fashion bloggers, PRs and other industry people can shop for something new. The prints used is inspired by childhood gaming from the 1980s such as Pac-Man and the infamous rubix cube juxtaposed with neon colours that are predicted for A/W 18. My range focuses on the 1980s powerdressing trend of structured two pieces such as blazers and trousers mixed with smart-casual options for the H&M customer that likes to think outside the box. As the range is a collaboration, it is mainly made up of fashion and directional options, however I have produced some core pieces in neon colours without print to compliment the rest of the collection. ‘Material Girl’ is offering quality at a good price point for a collaboration and for those that want to stand out from the crowds...
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MOODBOARD
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SEASONAL REVIEW EXTERNAL FACTS AND FIGURES - M&S have announced they are closing stores. - End of an era for BHS as they announce website closure. - House of Fraser announce closure of 31 stores. - H&M is rapidly launching new brands and challenges the British high street. As they have Arket and Weekday that opened last year on Regent St, London. Footfall in the UK has dropped by 3.5% over the three weeks to last week, including the bank holiday weekend, compared to an average rise of 0.8% over the previous three weeks of the month. The “largely warm and sunny weather last week undoubtedly supported footfall in bricks and mortar destinations” Springboard reports, with a marginal rise of 0.3% against the preceding week. The Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend remained flat from last year and rose by 9% against the previous week, but was overshadowed by the preceding three days resulting in an overall annual drop of 7.7% and decline of 1.4% against the previous week.
COMPETITORS ZARA - As dresses are up by 5% this S/S, Zara has released their ‘Dress Time’ subcategory on their website. Which is ‘Dazzling party dresses for women’, the collection is made up of sequins and prints. TOPSHOP - To keep on trend with the 1980s for A/W, Topshop have released products on their website called ‘Animal Instinct’. RIVER ISLAND - The popular ITV reality show Love Island is currently back on screen and the presenter Caroline Flack has a collaboration with the brand which consists of tropical prints and neon colours. INTERNAL - H&M Group at present is making most of its sales online as in 2017 their online sales for the year were £3.6 billion and its other brands such as & Other Stories, Arket, Cheap Monday, Weekday, Monki and COS have contributed towards this. - H&M offers are currently ‘Selected Summer Tops now at £9.99 and Swimwear from £3.99. - Announced their H&M x Moschino collaboration launching in Nov 2018 and continuing to gain customer interest from this. - To change UK sizing after facing backlash, H&M are set to alter the UK sizing of its womenswear collections, following criticism from customers claiming sizes fit far smaller than expected. 3
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SEASONAL REVIEW TRENDS FOR A/W 18 1980s - Metallics, neon colours, animal print, sequins, frills and ruffles. Designers to note: Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Versace and Saint Laurent. Checks - The classic plaid pattern with added embellishments such as tassels, studs and fur linings. Designers to note: Calvin Klein, Anna Sui, Markus Lupfer and Vivienne Tam. Print mix - Paisley and scarf prints, updating core items such as the maxi dress with a mix of clashing pattern. Designers to note: Richard Quinn, Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou. Winter boho - Antique tapestry patterns, patchwork, hankerchief dresses and shirts, ditzy floral patterns in pale colours. Designers to note: Zimmerman, Tory Burch and Philip Lim.
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WINNERS From looking at the H&M website and evidence from my Edited report, these colours and patterns were bestsellers and products that H&M are currently short of. On the H&M bestsellers tab they currently have items that are compiled of basics, which includes Summer dresses and shirts. Categories and trends that are currently popular for S/S H&M are wrap dresses, off the shoulder dresses, stripes and floral. Off the shoulder dress An essential for H&M this S/S as I found most of the website was dominated by off the shoulder dresses and offering them at a good price. This particular one was sold out in every size except 8.
Double breasted blazer Pastels are popular on the high-street this S/S as two pieces are trending items and as A/W approaches the style is translating into neon colours and providing a core essential for office wear or a statement look for A/W. Shirt dress This season, shirt dresses are up by 10% and stripes are also trending this S/S. The relaxed fit is a key silhouette this S/S and a bestseller. Wrap dress Yellow - trending colour and popular style for H&M this S/S, as well as the style as it is slim fitting. Ideal for summer holidays.
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SINNERS H&M has had a lot of heavy markdowns over the last few months, and have found it difficult to shift stock. The website currently has 1794 items in the sale and I have found the majority of items in the sale is partywear which hasn’t sold, such as draped dresses, tops with studs and products with ties in the middle which is not the most flattering style. Many of the sale items still have a lot of sizes left which suggests a large number of the A/W17 stock hasn’t sold through. A lot of the items in the sale are also black, which right now is not interesting to the customer as they want to shop fresh trending colours such as yellow and blues with stripes and floral patterns. Georgette blouse Reduced to £4.89, this blouse is avaliable in all sizes even though red is still a prominent trending colour for S/S. I have found that most items that have been reduced are products with details that might cause difficulty. Such as the sleeve details on this blouse may be hard to wear and do not appeal to the H&M customer. Similar to the tie dress as plenty of tie dresses are reduced with the same issues. Tie dress This dress is unappealing as this tie front is a difficult style and in my opinion, would not suit a lot of people. A customer review online said that the material was good quality but the tie is difficult to wear. Hence the heavy markdown. An advertised discount of 62.5%.
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Camisole Usually a camisole is a best seller for H&M in S/S, however due to the lace, magenta colour and the thin straps, similar to the jumpsuit, all the sizes are still avaliable online as the colour and sequins are not trending for S/S.
Jumpsuit Currently, jumpsuits and boilersuits are trending across the website for S/S. But the ones on the website currently have sleeves and floral patterns, which have more of a broad appeal whereas this one still has all sizes avaliable. Which says to me customers did not take a liking to this piece, possibly due to the elasticated waist and without any sleeves in the colder months.
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
BOILERSUIT
Designer: Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini
Celebrity: Bella Hadid
My boilersuit option was first inspired when I first researched the Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini show. I love the mint green colour and how the belt emphasises the waist. The boilersuit is about female empowerment, structured shoulders and making a statement. The 1980s was the era of experiment with these masculine overtones, the boilersuit was regularly worn as print or a colour on it’s own - and now it has made a comeback as it has been showcased on Stella McCartney, Gucci and Versace shows this season.
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For the design, I created a lilac jumpsuit with a Pac-Man print belt for a more commercial piece, then two more options that stand out with a half’n’half design which is trending on the catwalks. I made sure I added a belt to create structure for the waist and pockets that add a practical element.
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
WRAP BLOUSE
Designer: Stella McCartney
Celebrity: Jenna Marbles
My wrap blouse is inspired by blouses with ruffle detailing from the 1980s. Celebrities such as Princess Diana and Madonna inspired me to create a wrap blouse for this range. As shoulder pads and ruffles have not been on catwalks or trending for the last couple of years, my design reflects on a more modern take of the 1980s for H&M’s customer. With my design I’ve toned down the exaggerated details of shoulder pads and ruffles and created a more simplistic design of a wrap blouse with little shoulder structure. Similar to the boilersuit, I’ve created a half print with Pac-Man and two different colour options for versatility. I’ve created a waistband at the bottom of the blouse so it is fitted and the material chosen is polyester so the blouse has flowing sleeves for a elegant and feminine look styled with trousers. 8
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MATERIAL GIRL - THE TREND 2369C BLUE
0631-U LILAC
902C GREEN
2450C FUCHSIA
13-0644 YELLOW
The 1980s powerdressing era was all about women having freedom, and establishing their authority, especially in work places which were dominated by men. This issue is still talked about today and as the trend is coming back this A/W 18, inspiration for ‘Material Girl’ is taken from fitted silhouettes and neon colours. These pieces can be worn as everyday garments from the core selection to also create the desired gym wear look, that stand out from other gym goers. However, the consumer can turn to the more fashion and directional pieces for special occasions or general smart-casual wear dependent on their preference. The collection screams exaggerated glamour, boldness and exuburance which may not be for everybody, however some of the items are versatile and can be worn all year round. Pantones for the range are 2369C, 0631-U, 902C and 2450C with the additon of 3 prints to provide contrast and vibrancy to the range.
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MATERIAL GIRL RANGE
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MATERIAL GIRL RANGE
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WGSN ANALYTICS
Double-breasted details increased 14% to hold 10% of the mix. New versions of this traditional styling show a feminine interpretation of the sartorial blazer.
Coats remain stable for AW18, Shirts continue to hold the majority increasing 1% YOY to hold 14% of woven tops with 28% of the mix, increasing 20% YOY. As retailers are of the mix. adding oversized sleeves, it provides an easy transition into the 1980s trend.
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Cropped styles rise 12% YOY to hold 8% of the mix. This is also reflected in trousers, as high-waists lift 26% YOY. Longer lengths are directly impacted, declining 21% YOY.
Leggings increase 52% YOY, with designers implementing statement print and patterns.
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COLOUR AND PRINT MIX 18%
36% 37%
37%
17%
46%
9% I chose the colours lilac (0631-U) and fuchsia (2450C) to make up most of my range. I wanted to pick neon colours that I feel would be more popular from a selling point of view. I have limited yellow and green because I felt they were not as commercial. The lilac and fuchsia works well against my chosen prints as my aim is to create childhood nostalgia. I chose these specific colours as I feel they best reflected the 80s in this collaboration. As H&M are known for their collaborations, I want the range to be memorable, affordable and a range that consumers will talk about for a long time as unlike other H&M collaborations ‘Material Girl’ is packed full of sentimentality and personality.
The 1980s was a decade of fun, music and materalistic attitudes towards life. The Pac-Man and rubix cube prints are the highlight of the range as I wanted the Pac-Man print to be in two different colours to add variety. In addition, the rubix cube print adds contrast and brings the range together alongside the neon colours. I also focused on the half’n’half pattern trend as this was popular across the catwalks for this AW/18. Finally, I wanted to combine the neon colours and prints together to produce exciting and trend-led collaboration pieces for the H&M customer. 13
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PRICE ARCHITECTURE DIRECTIONAL Exit: £45 - £80
FASHION
Mid: £20 - £40
CORE
Entry: £9 - £18
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WASHING LINE The washing line represents the products of my range in terms of core, bestseller and trend products. I have placed some bestseller items closer to trend such as the ‘Pac-Man shirt’ and ‘Double breasted blazers’ as structured silhouettes and powerdressing is a key AW18 trend this year as they become potential bestsellers for H&M.
CORE
BESTSELLER
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TREND
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ALLOCATION STRATEGY My range will be allocated between 3 different store grades: A, B and C. As it is a H&M collaboration I have chosen most of the directional products to be in grade A for H&M flagship stores. Grade B are my mid stores and C are for smaller stores. My neon products (core) are reserved for C, whereas my more printed products are allocated for grades A and B for the tourism attraction and hype from city stores.
GRADE A
GRADE B
GRADE C
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OUTFIT BUILDING
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OUTFIT BUILDING
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EVALUATION To confirm, my Autumn/Winter 2018 range collaboration with H&M ‘Material Girl’ will launch in stores on the 10th September 2018. The range is a variety of casual and smart pieces that reflect my chosen theme of 1980s powerdressing; with a vibrant twist of childhood nostalgia and gaming. My inspiration came from celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Princess Diana who predominately wore double-beasted blazers with shoulderpads throughout the era. The neon colour inspiration came from the Pac-Man and rubix cube. The range does not typically feature dark Autumn/Winter colours, however the options I have chosen e.g double-breasted blazers and jumpers are winter items that are trending for A/W 18. My range uses a mixture of polyester, viscose and cotton. H&M sources mainly in Bangladesh, and therefore, for my core products I chose Bangladesh as the main place to buy. Secondly, Turkey as it is a large producer of polyester, wool and cotton. I’ve also chosen China to source from as they are not only technologically advanced but can manufacture a wide range for H&M in large quantities, unlike Bangladesh who are not as advanced in producing more fashion forward items such as outerwear and tailored products, as is featured in my range.
My core items such as Pac-Man t-shirts, leggings and vest tops which come in a variety of colours work well with my fashion and directional options because my range has a lot of print; however, the core items balance out the amount of pattern. The core items are also versatile and can be mixed and matched to compliment the rest of the range. I haven’t used any safe trend options, such as floral, polka dots etc that are repeated each season, therefore this is something new and exciting to shop for in H&M. FAVOURITE OPTION: My favourite option was hard to pick, as I really enjoyed creating this collaboration. One of my favourite options is the Pac-Man boilersuit priced at £35.99 that comes in 3 colour options. It is definitely a stand out piece like the rest of the collection as I feel it represents a vintage style from the 1980s but in an exciting way that is a trend for this A/W 18. Ideally, this boilersuit is an outfit that can be worn for daytime or as a party outfit. The colours and the patterns can be dressed up or down to be casual or smart.
My range is definitely high risk in terms of how it will be perceived, however, I feel it will be a range that will be remembered and will be a collaboration that will sell well for customers that like a quirky style and want to buy items that stand out. I think tourists will be particularly attracted by this range as it has a global appeal. I’ve taken into consideration the upcoming 1980s trends for A/W 18 and adapted the idea of shoulderpads in shirts and blazers into a modern take of the 80s for more commerciality.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY www.wgsn.com www.wgsn.com/en/products/instock/ www.edited.com www.drapers.com www.globalblue.com/destinations/uk/london/london-fashion-week-aw18-trend-report www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/fashion-week-takeaway www.whowhatwear.co.uk/eighties-fashion/slide2#next-slide-anchor--2 www.footwearnews.com/2018/fashion/trends/best-80s-style-trends-fall-2018-versace-marcjacobs-502710/
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