As Made By Me

As Made By Me EMILY WRIGHT FASH30002 WORD COUNT: 5673

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‘As Made By Me’ is a concept that looks at the blend between bespoke and mass customisation in order to create an event for the millennial generation. By analysing the history to current trends in both sectors for the fashion industry, the future of the customer’s designs can be predicted.

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T h e C o n te n t s 4/ The Conversation

16/ The Monogram

18/ The Components

20/ The Potential

24/ The Millennials

26/ The Final Item

30/ The References

56/ The Evidence

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T h e C o nve rs a ti o n

(SAVILE ROW BESPOKE, 2015)

“Bespoke” itself is derived from the verb “bespeak”, to speak for something. In the specialised meaning bespoke implies, “to give order for it to be made” (Bailey, 1756).

Bespoke tailoring began to take a stance in the 12th century, where clothes were seen less as a practical ‘necessity’ and the ‘rebirth of humanisation’ meant clothing became a form of expression and objects of desire. The foundation of what we today call fashion. Bespoke traditionally meant the buyer has complete control over the fabric, the features and fit, and the way the garment is made with the input of the tailor’s expertise.

As the expectations of the consumer have changed, bespoke tailoring involves a “high degree of customisation and involvement” to achieve the end product. Caroline Parker from I Know The Queen, who states the process is “generally quite time

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consuming”, has experienced this “with a lot of back and forth with design ideas from both ends” (Appendix 2.1).

The prestigious Savile Row Bespoke Association is still in operation in the area keeping their heritage as new brands enter the market with innovating concepts. Brands that are aiming at a more savvy audience may have different techniques with fewer heritages. An organisation that protects the history and integrity of bespoke tailoring. For instance, in 2005, there was “quite a bit of collective worrying as to whether or not modern tailoring was beginning to fall behind the times” an example of where the organisation takes stance. The association also oversee and consider the marketing strategies, event planning, and various methods of protecting the tailoring industry on the whole, an on-going basis (Sousterandhicks.com, 2015). By doing so, the new brands inhabit away in order to keep complete creative control.

(SOSVAKMANSCHAP, 2015)

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(Savile Row Bespoke, 2015) Bespoke is currently appealing to a wider audience than its hereditary past and the lines are being widened as to how bespoke is used. The word bespoke defined means ‘made to order’ (Bespoke, 2015) and contrast to the definition, the term is sometimes used for such things which do not always encapsulate the defined meaning, supporting the idea that the future of bespoke may not follow in its traditional footsteps. The likes of Paul Smith and Victoria Beckham have both designed cars for Land Rover for a limited timespan, labelling the designs bespoke, although produced in scaled down version of mass production (The BB Edit, 2015).

Bespoke brands are already learning that the customer is after more affordable luxury. With brands such as Eponine London, whose services are those of the price of a mass produced designer range, with the added extra of it being made to measure and personalised.

Judd Crane is the director of women’s wear at Selfridges, stated in a Guardian article that “so many women who have access to premium merchandise, but clients are getting more demanding and want a more personal connection with their purchases” (Crane, 2013).

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(Iknowthequeen.com, 2015)

(Iknowthequeen.com, 2015)

Bespoke jewellery maker Caroline Parker, founder of I Know The Queen, has noticed an increase in the volume of people who are willing to pay the extra costs for a bespoke piece than buy from her ready to wear collections.

Launched in 2012, I Know The Queen is an English inspired luxury jewellery brand, where each piece is hand crafted from a mixture of vintage and contemporary components. Taking inspiration from old family heirlooms and Royal and historical treasures juxtaposed with industrial and contemporary metalwork (I Know The Queen, 2015). The use of vintage elements and being made to order means that every item on her website ends up being unique, however Parker also offers a completely bespoke service.

They currently offer personalised key ring charms on the website where the customer can have their initials in felt and is soon it will include personalised clutch

bags. When asked why she thought the trend is taking off with such popularity, Caroline believes that “having something personalised makes it more special and tailored to you” (Parker, 2015). Caroline compared the idea of her brand becoming more individualised to how a made to measure suit makes the consumer feel in terms of being tailored to their thoughts rather than the aspects such as fit and comfort. In terms of incorporating the new technologies such as 3D printing as a tool to produce newer elements in her designs, Caroline would “love to give it a go.” Keeping her love for the old and new in equal measure, producing “something that shouldn’t work but strangely does” (Parker, 2015). Although the only apparel I Know The Queen offer is currently branded t-shirts, the are prototyping some new designs and is something that holds potential for the future of the company.

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Menswear brands are starting to notice the opportunity for affordable luxury and are utilising it to their potential.

An example can be found in companies such as Suitsupply. The state they put “uncompromising care into the understated, and sometimes unnoticed nuances” proving that pleasing the customer is something they take seriously. Also “because it’s not only about the big picture, the details are what make the difference” presenting how the small details are important to the consumers and are not something that should be an afterthought (Suitsupply, 205).

Originally from Amsterdam, they offer a tailoring service for their designs in store and a ready-made selection online. Although many suit companies offer this service in store, such as Hugo Boss and Moss, Suitsupply offer the service at a considerably lower price. They are able to achieve such final mark up’s as they are highly conscience about keeping their business in a “sustainable manner” (Suitsupply. com, 2015). In April 2011 The Wall Street Journal wrote “High quality fabric, clean soft construction for comfort. ‘Lots of attention to detail’” and in addition compared the $614 Sienna Suitsupply suit to the same quality as a $3,625 suit from Armani.

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ALL IMAGES (SUITSUPPLY, 2015)

“Their philosophy is to marry impeccable ta i l o r i n g ( c a nvas c o n s t r u c ti o n , h a n d - s e t s h o u l d e rs , h a n d - s ti t c h i n g a t th e s e a m s ) w i th a m o re c o n te m p o ra r y a e s th e ti c a n d f i t ” (VANITY FAIR, 2012)

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ALL IMAGES (SUITSUPPLY, 2015)

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“ T o d a y ’ s c o n s u m e rs h ave c o m e t o e x p e c t a l e ve l o f c u s t o m i s a ti o n a c c ro s s m a r k e t s , d ra w i n g f ro m a n e e d t o e x p re s s th e i r p e rs o n a l i ti te s ” (MINTEL, 2015)

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(LADYPHILOSOPHER.WORDPRESS.COM, 2013)

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(ANYA HINDMARCH, 2015)

“Today’s consumers have come to expect a level of customisation across markets, drawing from a need to express their personalities” (Mintel, 2015).

Mass customisation is a production strategy focused on the broad provision of personalised products and services (Davis, 1989; Pine et al., 1993). Studies by Fiore et al. (2003) and Salvador et al. (2009) found that mass customisation as “driver of important competitive advantage by companies in key economic sectors such as…. Clothing”. First appearing on coins in 350 B.C., monograms have been around since practically the beginning of time (Vogue, 2013).

1999 saw many innovations appearing in the UK, including Bluetooth 1.0, however it was the start of a new concept to fashion retail as mass customisation was born by Nike in the form of NikeiD. This opened doors for the way mass produced products, being able to suit the customers preferences rather than satisfying more scope with more colour combinations. Looking at fashion apparel Introduced online only for customers to develop their own style of tennis shoe, it is now also available in physical branches for a wide variety of their styles (Crossroad Innovation, 2015).

Lee Mawle, a joiner with a self confessed trainer obsession stated that the extra cost of the trainers does not put him off or make him consider buying a pair off the shelf. His justification is that he does it as

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a way of keeping his visual identity, always opting for similar colour combinations (Appendix 2.4).

With Selfridges having a personalised event leading up to Christmas in 2014, offering monogrammed and customised gifts that include brands such as Nutella and Mulberry, they understand that there is a need for more than the standard options. Bharadwaj et al. (2009) suggested that “repurchase of customised products was greater with customers having greater confidence on their individual preferences”. By advertising it as a gift section, this takes away the selfishness of fashion being personalised for the buyer and chips into the quantity spending over the festive period.

Mass customisation has also taken over the accessories market, including Mulberry, Anya Hindmarch and Burberry. All of these brands offer monogramming or embossing on their classic products throughout the year. As Perner describes in his ‘Information Search and Decision Making’ article, ‘personality impact decisions, some like variety more than others, and some are more receptive to stimulant and excitement’ (Perner, 2015). This may explain why the mass customisation sector has become so wide in its suppliers. The buyers get the sense of excitement and feel as though they are getting something rare and new from a brand they trust and have confidence in, with much less chance of seeing someone with the same. Although in 2006, limitations for mass customisation were suggested

by Squire et al. (2006), who suggested, “producers allowing greater customer involvement in design and production had higher manufacturing cost and worst delivery performance”, since then the production system has updated and grown with technological advances.

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T h e M o n o g ra m

(MULBERRY, 2015)

(BURBERRY, 2015)

(JIMMYCHOO.COM, 2015)

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Jimmy Choo also offers a ‘made to order’ service where the buyer can choose the shoe ‘family’, heel height, material and monogramming. Customers testimonials on their website call it a “brilliant yet simple idea” and they love the fact that the shoes can be “unique” to them (Appendix 1.2). Although this process may feel as if the customer has replaced the role of the designer, it appears to be the same range they would have for the normal buying process, with the added individuality of initials being placed on the sole. By laying out the process of choosing the options in steps, which would be taken to make the shoe the same way one would assume the design team works though.

One customer’s testimonial thanked Jimmy Choo for their “help” during the designing and purchases, raising the question, does she feel as if she was the sole designer and the brand was there to aide her in her role (appendix 1.2)?

The process makes the owner feel as if they have designed their own product and adds conversation to the purchase.

Creative Director, Sandra Choi, stated that bringing the made-to-order service to customers allows them to “faithfully preserve” the heritage of personalisation (Choi, 2014).

Bringing this made-to-order service directly to our customers in our stores

allows us to faithfully preserve our heritage of personalisation, and allow every woman to have a unique pair of Jimmy Choo shoes.” said Sandra Choi.

Monogramming is no longer associated solely with stationary gifts (Appendix 1.6). It is now rapidly adapting to be one of the quickest ways for customers to get the personalised feel to a fashion product without the time and cost of complete bespoke. Also adding a selling point for the company without too many overheads. George Vuitton, Louis’ son, introduced his fathers initials monogrammed onto their products in 1896, which is still as iconic now as it was then (Celebrating Monogram, 2015).

Esquire magazine state that the right monogram “adds a personal touch and a hint of tradition to clothes and assorted housewares” (Luecke, 2015).

With Mulberry offering a same day, in store service for monogramming new and old items bought from themselves, makes owning personalised goods go against the current of made to order items which can takes weeks, even months to make and receive. Although this makes the option more appealing in theory, when luxury shopper, Becky Lloyd bought her most recent Bayswater, she opted out of the service as they said it wouldn’t be ready until the next day (Appendix 2.2).

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This would have been more feasible for her if there were more stores to go at a later date.

Travelling is often involved to reach them and customers such as Becky are reluctant to have to make the journey from Hertfordshire to London again. With many of the online brands such as NikeiD and Burberry offering their customisation services to be visualised as choices are made. For example, when choosing button styles and fabrics for a Burberry trench coat, the image will update as different options are clicked on (Burberry, 2015). Burberry have also shown the ability for their mass produced products to have the personal touch by providing every model in their A/W15 catwalk with a blanket poncho embroidered with their initials. To purchase is simple, go to their online store and add to basket with the optional add on of 200 pounds in order to have it embroidered with initials (Burberry, 2015). The trend of having initials monogrammed seems to be the most popular way for brands to offer a more personalised service for their customers; this is a simple and easy way for brands to make their customers feel unique. Other brands also taking this as an online and offline service include J.Crew, Whistles and Anya Hindmarch (Appendix 2.5).

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The Components

(BURBERRY, 2015)

Burberry trench coat customisation service, similar to the Jimmy Choo made to order service, allows customers to choose the style, materials and monogramming of their finished garment. A ready-made trench coat on the Burberry website can start at £1,095 where as a customised trench with additional extras, can cost up to £4,345 (Appendix 1.3). The variety of options are more vast than those on the Jimmy Choo website and there is more of a bespoke feel to the final product, although like Jimmy Choo, they do not offer any size variations around the standard.

‘Mood by Me’ originates from France and is a more affordable way of customising ready-to-wear designs (Appendix 1.4). With prices starting from 132 pounds for a sweater and with the option to either customise or buy as they are, it could be the simplest way to have something made without having to go to a store. However ease of the website soon becomes frustrating when trying to customise an item, with the popup screen taking over half an hour to load at times. Nevertheless, once loaded the user is even given the option to change the model’s look that is virtually modelling the designs (Appendix 1.5). Avid Internet shopper, Paul Mitham, has attempted to

use the online customisation process, yet took his custom elsewhere once the procedure became “infuriating” (Appendix 1.6). Back in 1997 Jacob Nielsen was suggesting that the minimum goal for response times should “get pages to users in no more than ten seconds” and expectations have sped up since then (Nielsen, 1997). Google’s 2006 tests showed that “increasing load time by 0.5 seconds resulted in a 20% drop in traffic” (Stackexchange, 2015).

In 2012, The New York Times reported that even 400milliseconds – literally the blink of an eye – is too long to wait for a computer to respond, and “subconsciously, you don’t like to wait” said Arvind Jain, a Google engineer, “every millisecond matters” (Lohr, 2012).

Brands are latching on to the idea of the customer having involvement in the design process of the final product; however often charge for the privilege. Where does this leave the customer in terms of creative ownership? Although Nike do not offer this information on their website or in their policies.

Laura, a Nike employee, confirmed that the designs belong to the customer who chose the elements and not to them (Appendix 1.1).

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T h e P o te n ti a l With 3D printers already on the market for consumers to print their own 6x6x6 inch items from home, will designers hand over their designs for the production process to be done in the final owner’s home? 3D printing means that the future hold the potential for every piece of clothing to be mass made but to individual’s specific measurements. With this technology evolving at a fast pace, it raises the question of whether customers will be able to print brands designs from home made to measure? However with many computer owners illegally downloading films, music and programmes, it also holds to potential for designers creations to be altered before printed. The possibility of all homes owning a domestic 3D printer hold the opportunity to join the home with what we know as retail spaces. Although the possibility is apparent in the future, this isn’t something brands need to currently plan for, as the cost to buy is still expensive for this new technology. However, the potential for damaging the future may come apparent as the technology is developed.

Iris Van Herpen has used 3d printing in her collections since Dutch Design Week in 2013, and has continued through to her Spring Summer 2015 collection at Paris Fashion Week (Howarth, 2014). Although the construction has brought much attention from critics, she remains to describe her collections around the materials and is simply using the printing as an equal alternative to typical weaved fabrics.

For brands such as I Know The Queen, where 3D

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printing is something Caroline Parker would love to incorporate, it is not something that would be suitable for customers to do from home. As she uses a lot of vintage and natural elements in order to create her specific aesthetic voice, it will still require her craftsmanship in order to achieve the individual pieces.

However the possibility for brands such as Mood by Me to be printed by the customer seems more feasible.

Along with the developing technologies of 3D printing, the 3D scanning aspect of bodies has been implemented with brands such a Levi’s for 10 years. There are two main brands that are currently championing the use of body scanning for apparel, BodyMetrics and Intellifit. Intellifit being the first used

by Levi Strauss, followed by BodyMetrics, who claimed to be “much cheaper and much easier to set up than previous-generation scanners, as it doesn’t include lasers or millimetre wave detectors” (Belezina, 2011).

A survey conducted by the Levi’s brand at the time of introducing the body scanners into store in 2005 found that “women said that jeans are the second-most difficult item to fit” (Hanlon, 2005).

Since then they have set up half sized scanners from the waist down at universities such as Kings College London’s fresher’s fair. Hannah Skingle, 21, went along to the event in London and had her measurements taken by a body scanner for the first time, “” (Appendix 2.3). 2011 was the year that New Look installed a BodyMetrics machine at their Westfield Stratford store.

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ALL IMAGES (IRIS VAN HERPEN, 2015)

(NOA RAVIV, 2015)

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Aiding customers to find the perfect garment fit essentially saving them the hassle and time of trying on multiple sizes. Aiming to increase sales, the idea of being measured and then being handed items which are standard sizing is almost a compromise between mass production and made to measure, by insinuating that the clothing is their measurements, or in this case, the closest thing to.

Kyttan is a small London based studio cofounded by Alun-Jones, Kirsty Emery and Hal Watts in 2013. They set up a business based around different artistic contributions from all over the world, and captured the final store in Sumerset House, also providing their services online. “Digital knitwear, made to order” is how they describe themselves (Knyttan, 2015).

Focused around jumpers and scarves, they offer visual codes or “style guides” to be altered and customised for every purchase. When entering their store, they provide their web app on iPads, which enables the customers to then zoon, distort and define their items. In the small studio store, “turning the stich into a pixel” enables them to produce in house. “Removing barriers to production” by bringing the designer, factory and customer closer together Kyttan have revolutionised the idea of mass customisation blended with, bespoke (Dezeen, 2015).

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“ T u r n i n g th e s ti t c h into a pixel”

(KNYTTAN, 2015)

(KNYTTAN, 2015)

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(ETSY, 2015)

(ASOS, 2015)

(FEATURED NIKEID, 2015)

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The Millennials The bespoke market consumer is currently attracting a certain demographic that are after tailored suits for employment and occasion wear purposes. Although the market is widening its appeal slightly with the options for slight customisation and fitting elements, there is currently no appeal for the market that do not buy work-wear.

Although brands such as Kyttan offer a more casual approach, they only offer two products to be altered, scarves and jumpers.

The customer, who doesn’t usually buy bespoke clothing, however has an interest in the personalisation of items such as phone cases/ leather goods and trainers, which is typical of The Millennial. Footlocker have recently released “shoemojis”, an app with 80 individually drawn trainer emoticons for consumers to communicate with those like-minded. This enforces the idea of those who have similar interests using the customisation of the traditional emoticons to connect with each other (AdWeek, 2015).

When interviewed it became apparent that the majority of Millennials shop or have previously shopped with ASOS (Appendix 2.2). A company who take strong interest in how they come across to their target audience, “twenty-something fashion lovers everywhere. Giving them the fashion they want, now.” ASOS also state that they are obsessed with understanding their consumer in order to give them what they want (Asosplc, 2015). Sedge Beswick stated that “the average 20 something checks their phone 150 times a day”

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(Beswick, 2015).

As stated, today’s customers have come to expect a level of customisation in order to express their personalities and this is particularly true with Millennials. 52% of the Internet savvy 18-34 age group say that buying things to make them ‘stand out’ is important (Mintel, 2015). They are searching for ways to be individual and brands are not utilising the opportunity to it’s full potential.

“ASOS is a young company. Over 50% of ASOS employees are under 30 and our customers are mostly twenty-something’s. So naturally we’re passionate about helping young people achieve their potential” (ASOS, 2015).

T h e F i n a l I te m ASOS are set to release a new line named ‘As Made By Me’, deprived from their original name ‘As Seen On Screen’. They have also used ‘As Seen On Me’ as a way of tracking peoples ASOS purchases on social media. Once a customer has posted a picture of their new items with the hashtag #ASOM they will appear on ASOS’s AsSeenOnMe gallery (Appendix 3.1). This will enable ASOS to track the general feedback, as when friends and family comment on images, they are posting to the owner rather than giving direct feedback to ASOS themselves. This is a form of ethnographic research by viewing the natural conversation that occurs on social media platforms.

As Made By Me will be a line which can be customised in-store and online through an application. The event will run in-store for a month.

As ASOS do not have physical stores, this will be set up in BoxPark in Shoreditch (Appendix 5.1). The feedback from the online version will be assessed at the end of the month and it will then be determined whether it will become a permanent part of ASOS’s website. This is a discussion that would include the brands to see whether they will be willing to continue indefinitely or whether to preserve it as an event option in the future. As the clothing will be made outside of the mass-produced factory process, this may add costs to the brands.

Materials and processes will be economical, in order to save costs and keep it efficient, making it more accessible to a wider audience rather than the traditional bespoke suit-wearing audience. This is something adapted by Suitsupply which in turn makes them competitive in price compared to their

designer competitors.

Although the millennial’s like to keep up to date with the latest trends and their celebrity icons, as ASOS online store currently does, the new section will take into consideration the latest trends. The customisable options will be those the consumers would deem normal on their site, and the options will keep elements on the original design in order for it to have connection back to the original designer.

After seeing the current competition for the customisation market from brands such as Burberry and Mood By Me, the new app would fall into the same category, however will work on their downfalls. This counts the ease of use and visualisation of the final product as crucial elements. As their current visual aesthetic is very casual and almost hand drawn, the future event would stick to the codes in place. However, the application that will be used in the pop-up store and on consumers devices at home will look slightly different to their current ASOS website and App. The existing retail experience is clinical in the navigation and does not always continue from their social media platforms. As the new experience will be highly reliant on the social appeal, a separate app will be created in the same language as their Instagram and Twitter (Appendix 3.5). As the same language will be used, this also dictates elements of the physical pop-up store that will run for the month.

Being a casual area where it is equally comfortable to enter alone or with friends, the store will be held at BoxPark in Shoreditch as the audience in the area has a strong representation for the 20 year

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(ASOS, 2015)

olds of London as a shopping destination.

The event will be promoted through ASOS’s current social media channels, which have copious followers to attract the ASOS consumer to new deals and events. Once it is up and running, there will also be a sister Instagram and Twitter for the event where the photos will be filtered to customers purchases and personal photos, in order to create a mini-brand. The BoxPark retail space is known for it’s pop up stores and regulars visit expecting something new and sometimes exclusive. The aesthetics for the BoxPark area is containers, so the language inside will look temporary and almost unfinished. This will represent the process of the bespoke production process, almost like the visit is the halfway point. Once a bespoke consumer has chosen and articulated their wishes, they then visit the tailor for an update ready to go back and pick up the final product. The store will act as the mid

point before the customer receives their items in the post, the way the ASOS online retail system works (Appendix 5.2).

Although the event will be brought to the consumer by the brand, the visitors will then turn this around into partly consumer to brand. The future of the event will be reliant on the success of the first month. If the brands involved feel that the customisation options has added to their successes, there will be an option for a permanent section on the website. However, once the month pop-up has concluded, it will no longer exist in a retail space, unless the event was to be repeated quarterly or annually according.

To conclude, ‘As Made By Me’ is an opportunity for brands within ASOS to show they are looking to please their audiences and in turn, gain respect and custom.

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T h e I l l u s t ra ti o n R efe re n c e s ASOS, (2015). Magazine | ASOS. [online] Available at: http://www.asos.com/discover/magazine/#!edition/ com.asos.magazine.june2015.en/article/com.asos.magazine.june2015.fashion.en [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015].

Burberry, (2015). Check Wool and Cashmere Blanket Poncho. [online] Available at: http://uk.burberry.com/ check-woolcashmere-blanket-poncho-p39527131 [Accessed 7 May 2015].

EPONINE LONDON, (2015). Lookbook. [online] Available at: http://www.eponinelondon.com/lookbook/ [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Etsy, (2015). Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade. [online] Available at: https://www.etsy. com/listing/108529149/ [Accessed 10 May 2015].

Iknowthequeen.com, (2015). I Know The Queen. [online] Available at: http://iknowthequeen.com/ [Accessed 7 May 2015].

Iris van Herpen, (2015). Womenswear | Iris van Herpen. [online] Available at: http://www.irisvanherpen.com/ [Accessed 5 May 2015].

Jimmychoo.com, (2015). Made to Order. [online] Available at: http://www.jimmychoo.com/en/MTO-landingpage.html [Accessed 7 May 2015].

Knyttan, (2015). Knyttan – Defined by you. [online] Available at: https://knyttan.com/ [Accessed 10 May 2015].

Ladyphilosopher.wordpress.com, (2013). Muses | The Lady Bug Philospher's Blog | Page 2. [online] Available at: https://ladyphilosopher.wordpress.com/category/muses/page/2/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015].

Noa Raviv, (2015). Collections. [online] Available at: http://www.noaraviv.com/ [Accessed 7 May 2015].

Savile Row Bespoke, (2015). The English Gentleman at Lord’s – 17th June 2013 - Savile Row Bespoke. [online] Available at: http://www.savilerowbespoke.com/gallery/the-english-gentleman-at-lords/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015].

Sosvakmanschap, (2015). Vakschool Schoonhoven - SOS Vakmanschap. [online] Available at: http://www. sosvakmanschap.nl/meldpunt/meldingen/vakschool-schoonhoven/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015].

Suitsupply, (2015). Spring/Summer 2015 Campaign | Suitsupply Online Store. [online] Available at: http:// eu.suitsupply.com/en_GB/spring-summer-campaign-2015-uncen.html [Accessed 7 Apr. 2015].

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T h e B i b l i o g rap h y

ASOS Magazine, June 2014 – May 2015 Asosplc.com, (2015). How we do it. [online] Available at: http://www.asosplc.com/how-we-do-it.aspx [Accessed 16 Feb. 2015].

Bailey, N. (1756). Bespoke. In: An Universal Etymological English Dictionary, 1st ed. London: T.Osbourne.

Barry, P. (2008). The advertising concept book. New York: Thames & Hudson.

Belezina, J. (2011). Bodymetrics pods scan customers' bodies to get their clothing measurements. [online] Gizmag. com. Available at: http://www.gizmag.com/bodymetrics-body-mapping-for-clothes-fitting/20270/ [Accessed 11 Apr. 2015].

Bespoke. (2015). In: Oxford Dictionary, 1st ed. Oxford.

Beswick, S. (2015). Social Media: The Guide.

Beswick, S. (2015). Social Media: The Guide.

Bharadwaj, N., Naylor, R.W., ter Hofstede, F., 2009. Consumer response to and choice of customized versus standardized systems. International Journal of Research in Marketing 26 (3), 216–227.

Burberry, (2015). Check Wool and Cashmere Blanket Poncho. [online] Available at: http://uk.burberry.com/checkwoolcashmere-blanket-poncho-p39527131 [Accessed 8 Mar. 2015].

Celebrating Monogram, (2015). #CelebratingMonogram. [online] Available at: http://celebrating.monogram.lv/eng_ US/ [Accessed 24 Apr. 2015].

Choi, S. (2014). Made-to-Measure Jimmy Choo. [online] NOWFASHION. Available at: https://nowfashion.com/ made-to-measure-jimmy-choo-8425 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2015].

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Crane, J. (2013). Bespoke clothes take over as the real fashion luxury. The Guardian.

Crossroad Innovation, (2015). NIKE iD – The First Example of Mass Customization Driving Revenue?. [online] Available at: http://www.crossroadinnovation.com/nike-id [Accessed 14 Apr. 2015].

Da Silveira, G., Borensteinb, D. and Fogliattoc, F. (2012). Mass customization: Literature review and research directions. Argentina: Elsevier B.V., pp.1-9.

Da Silveira, G., Borensteinb, D. and Fogliattoc, F. (2012). Mass customization: Literature review and research directions. Argentina: Elsevier B.V., pp.1-9.

Davis, S., 1989. From future perfect: mass customizing. Planning Review 17 (2), 16–21 Dezeen, (2015). Movie: mass customisation "can be the future of fashion". [online] Available at: http://www.dezeen. com/2015/02/18/movie-mass-customisation-future-fashion-knyttan-bespoke-knitwear-ben-alun-jones/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015].

Eu.suitsupply.com, (2015). Our Philosophy | Suitsupply Online Store. [online] Available at: http://eu.suitsupply.com/ en_GB/content-page-suitsupply-company-profile.html [Accessed 12 Apr. 2015].

Fiore, A.M., Lee, S.-E., Kunz, G., 2003. Psychographic variables affecting willingness to use body-scanning. Journal

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of Business and Management 9 (3), 271–287.

Gladwell, M. (2009). What the dog saw and other adventures. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Going To Work: The Rag Trade. (1966). [video] London: BBC. Hanlon, M. (2015). New machine scans the body and ensures a perfect fit for clothes in 10 seconds. [online] Gizmag.com. Available at: http://www.gizmag.com/go/3886/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2015].

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Wolbers, M. (2009). Uncovering fashion. New York: Fairchild Books.

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T h e C r i ti c a l Pa th WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

READ BOOKS

PRIMARY RESEARCH

SECONDARY RESEARCH

SKETCH BOOK

WRITE CONTENT

INDESIGN LAYOUT

INPUT OF INFORMATION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MOCK UP’S

PRINT

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WEEK 5

WEEK 6

WEEK 7

EASTER

WEEK 8

WEEK 9

WEEK 10

WEEK 11

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WEEK 12

WEEK 13

T h e M e th o d o l o g y Research Method Ethnographic

Sample -­‐Knyttan

Purpose To find out what the footfall is like for the new concept store. Also to try and talk to customers about why they entered.

Interview

-­‐ Hannah Skingle -­‐Lee Mawle

To find out the how Hannah found the experience of being body scanned and then purchasing a product size which was recommended. To find out Lee’s motives behind choosing customised products over the mass-­‐ produced.

Company Interviews

-­‐ Caroline Parker -­‐ Nike (Laura) -­‐ Suitsuppy

How successful brands fine the bespoke process and how the creative ownership lies within the mass customisation process.

By speaking is a reliable s information.

Survey

General

To find out what people associate with bespoke, mass customisation and monogramming.

Quick for pe respond

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Stren Customers a and observe isn’t an issue have been in store, they w experienced then ask any In depth que be asked wh interviewing individually. open-­‐ended it will encou response.

ngths are natural er’s paradox e. Once they nto the will have d it before I y questions. estions can hen g By asking d questions urage more

Weaknesses The store is currently under construction.

There is only hope that they will re-­‐ open before the deadline.

Outcomes The store is still unfortunately closed. After emailing the contacts, it was also unsuccessful for a response.

Effectiveness Not effective at all.

However it does show that they do not respond to potential customers when closed.

By not previously knowing the candidates means there is the opportunity for them to feel nervous

Very effective

directly, it source of .

Although I tried to get in contact to arrange a face-­‐to-­‐ face interview, they were only able to offer an online chat over email.

Hannah’s short interview gave a fair representation of how her and her fellow classmates felt through their body scanning experience and how it has set them for future opportunities. Lee’s however was helpful in the sense of basic answers but he did not elaborate on any details without probing.

Nike were unable to respond to any emails and as a result I used to chat service on the US website in order to get a response.

Caroline Parker was helpful, however her responses were smaller than I had hoped, as she has been busy with work.

eople to

No in depth details about their thoughts as it was a multiple choice question

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Moderately successful, unfortunately other brands included in the report did not respond to any emails or calls.

School of Art & Design

ba

fcp3

Declaration Form 2014/15 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 1 Module Leader: Matt Gill Ref. no: FASH30001

I confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that I have faithfully observed the terms of the approval in the conduct of this project.

This submission is the result of my own work. All help and advice other than that received from tutors has been acknowledged and primary and secondary sources of information have been properly attributed.

Should this statement prove to be untrue I recognise the right and duty of the board of examiners to recommend what action should be taken in line with the University's regulations on assessment contained in its handbook.

Signed ....................................................................................................................

Date .......................................................................................................................

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41

T h e Ev i d e n c e

1.1

1.2

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1.3

43

1.4

1.5

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1.6 Stationary Pocket Squares Jewellery Stationary Pocket Squares Jewellery Pocket Squares Jewellery Stationary Pocket Squares Jewellery Stationary Pocket Squares Jewellery Pocket Squares Jewellery Pocket Squares Jewellery Jewellery Stationary Jewellery Pocket Squares Jewellery Stationary Stationary Pocket Squares Jewellery Stationary Pocket Square Jewellery Leather Goods Shoes Cars Sportswear Homeware

Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Cars Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Cars Leather Goods Cars Shoes (e.g trainers) Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Cars Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Shoes (e.g trainers) Cars Leather Goods Shoes (e.g trainers) Cars

Sportswear Homeware Homeware Sportswear Homeware Sportswear Homeware

Sportswear Sportswear Sportswear Homeware

StaGonary Pocket Square Jewellery Leather Goods

6 8 10 9 10 5 5 4

Shoes Cars Sportswear Homeware

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T h e i n te r v i e w s Caroline Parker – I Know The Queen Founder

2.1

When did you start I Know the Queen?

The IKTQ website went live in June 2012 Have you seen a rise in the amount of people who want a more bespoke experience with Jewellery?

Yes, I think people like the idea of owning something that is a one off piece. Fortunately for us almost everything is made bespoke and because a lot of it incorporates vintage pieces every item of jewellery is completely unique.

Do you find people expect more from the process now, than when you first started?

Generally its quite time consuming sourcing the right materials and a lot of back and forth with design ideas from both ends. People definitely want more involvement; sometimes they want to feel as if they made it.

When a customer comes to you wanting a bespoke piece, do they generally know exactly what they want or are they open to ideas?

Some people are very specific about what they want and others are more open to suggestions and are open to the idea of wearing pieces that may be a little bolder than what they are used to. It's nice to push people a little out of their comfort zones, to me jewellery should be fun and make a statement about your personality.

You currently offer initial charms, do you think you will end up offering more products like this where items are more personalised?

Yes I think so. We will soon be doing personalised clutches. I think having something personalised makes it more special and tailored to you. Like a made to measure suit.

You’ve started retailed apparel t-­‐shirts, is this something you will expand?

The T. Shirts for me are a bit of fun and it's where the brand name all started. I went on a trip to New York and spray painted a plain white tee with the slogan on and so many people loved it. I would love to venture into many different areas of fashion. I am finally learning to use my sewing machine so who knows.

Would you ever consider collaborating with clothing brands? Have you ever?

Yes definitely, I love the idea of banging heads with creative people to come up with something new.

IKTQ will hopefully be collaborating with an established accessories brand this year.

Would you ever be interested in 3d printing your designs or would you stick to the heritage and tradition of IKTQ? Absolutely. I love the old and the new in equal measure. That's why I like to mix vintage pieces with newer materials like perspex to come up with something that shouldn't work but strangely does. 3d printing makes my mind boggle. I would LOVE to give it a go!

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Millennial focus group

2.2

Participants: Krystina Sumner Amy Mitham Becky Lloyd Dave Hanley Maddie Smith Ellie Parsons Emma Hubbard

Questions/prompts: I welcome the participants and explain the process in order for their consent on the forms provided.

Where do you currently shop for fashion?

Krystina: River Island/ Topshop/ Missguided / ASOS Emma: Zara / ASOS Ellie: The high street mainly -­‐ Topshop Zara and h&m and occasionally online with Asos Dave: Topman mainly Amy: Topshop, ASOS and river island Becky: The normal high street shops or online like misguided/asos.

Maddy: shop online to save time

Is there anything you wish they offered which isn’t available?

Amy: Not really but I feel like everyone has everything in there so it's not very unique.

Dave: Not really Emma: More short people skirts that are midi as they are so long on me.

Krystina: it would be cool to be able to order something in a different colour than what is offered in the shops Ellie: A more personal experience, opportunity to have something created in longer leg lengths so they fit.

Maddy: I wish that more shops did more casual ranges

Have you ever bought anything personalised?

Krystina: I haven’t bought anything personalised for myself i don’t think but I have for other people Becky: Yes, a gift Emma: Gifts for Mother's Day Dave: Yeah –Both

Where from/what items?

Dave: Charm bracelet and trainers/football boots Emma: Embroidered things like a Barbour jacket. My mum really wanted one as she got it for my gran Ellie: I've bought a necklace that was personalised with a name from etsy before it was for a friend’s birthday she really wanted one.

Becky: Rayban -­‐ sunglasses Krystina: Usually from not on the high street.com because they specialise in personalised gifts, necklaces that can be engraved, drinking glasses for 18th/21st that you can get a message on, but mostly engraved jewellery, and I got someone personalised converse once.

Maddy: I have bought personalised items as gifts towels, dressing gowns... cant remember where from.

Amy: An engraved watch but that's about it I think as a gift. River island watch but engraved at a jewellers

What did you like about the process?

Maddy: It was personal and is nicer to put in extra effort if it is a gift.

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2.2 Becky: I liked that the process that it was quick and easy and they had a picture of what it would look like with your actual personalisation instead of just having to guess. I also liked it was free Krystina: It was nice that I had the choice to personalise aspects of it but also that I didn’t have all the responsibility i.e., I could choose how to personalise the converse but from a set selection of optional colours and things which was good because it gave me ideas for combinations that I might not have thought of on my own. So it’s nice to have an input from the company but also myself.

Emma: It was pretty clinical just filled a form in the Selfridges store and collected it four days later.

Ellie: It was a fun more hands on experience and felt like I was giving a more personal/emotional present.

Would you be interested in a more personalised way of purchasing fashion?

Becky: A more personalised way of shopping sounds exciting, I would especially like being able to change the colour of what I want (usually making it black) but in reality with the other things I think I would still just end up buying it off the rail in store as I imagine it would take longer and I'm lazy. On my mulberry bag they offered monogramming but I said no because it took like a day, I like having stuff now. But maybe for like special occasions if it was more widely available, therefore cheaper, for dresses and stuff I might do that!

Krystina: Yes it would be very handy to personalise things, mainly clothes, I always like stuff that I don’t buy because it doesn’t come in a colour id wear or it’s not a length that I want.

Emma: Probably, as long as it wasn’t overprices, would like to choose the colour of jeans more.

Ellie: Yes would be interested in more personal experience as stated above also colour as always find things and wish they were black or grey or white Dave: Yeah, mainly the length of things as bigger sizes normally means purely width Amy: Just made something simple more personal and special for us both. Definitely! Would be more fun too and be easier to find presents for friends that fit their unique style.

Maddy: Yes definitely, I think that if shops gave the option of personalising items it would put them at an advantage to other stores

2.3 Hannah Skingle – Levi’s body scanning experience “I would definitely recommend my body scanning experience, although I didn’t have anything tailor made which was suggested by the professionals, they gave me links to sizes, I can never fit jeans/shorts being 5’1ft with a big bum, so I was really chuffed to order Levi shorts and they actually fit me…so much so I have now bought them in blue as well. I would have never known it was available, it was pure coincidence as it was at my university’s fresher’s fair, to promote ethical buying decisions partnered up with some clothing brands, urging students not to buy cheaply but to buy long term for essentials like jeans/shorts/jackets so clothes were bought from ethical companies. I think it was a good experience and loads of people were queuing to have it done as it was something new. I think the idea of clothes fitting you well and ethical products is a good combination as I feel many students are turning against cheap clothing such a Primark because of the quality, fitting and ethics surrounding it. I think however this service should be free within stores, when I was looking it up after I had the scan I was reading that they were going to charge to use these machines because of the expense of the start-­‐up cost.”

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2.4 What brands of customised trainers do you own?

Nike What is it about having a made to order pair do you prefer than buying an off the shelf design?

I prefer to look individual Is there something you always go for? (I.e. initials, colours…) colours: infrared (all my Nike trainers incorporate this colour) Does the extra cost ever put you off and make you consider ready-made designs?

Not completely as the aesthetics overtake the cost for me What is your favourite element of the process? (The designing, individuality when wearing…)

Designing because I like to take my time when finding the right colours etc, I used to be an art student and it’s my way of showing my ‘flare’ Do you ever get comments when wearing your own designs? (Are people jealous?) yeah all the time

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2.5

50

51

T h e C o n s u m e r + B ra n d i n g

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3.1

3.2

53

3.3

3.4

54

3.5

55

3.6

56

3.7

57

4.1

58

4.2

59

5.1

60

5.2

61

Execution

Creative Concept

ASOS will create a pop-­‐up store to run alongside their online presence and on apps. With the limited timescale of one month, will be AsMadeByMe. Looking at ASOS’s brand identity in order to keep the new concept coherent and familiar for the consumer. Also taking into consideration the current customisation applications that are available in order to help with usability.

To give the ever more demanding consumer more creative control in order for them to express their personalities.

The Big Idea

Looking at the timeline of bespoke and mass customisation and also at future technologies, which will impact the sector.

Context

Visit pop-up store or know people who have in order to spark intrigue.

Evaluate when they would want something customised and how they will complete the sale - in store or online.

Social Media platforms

Conversation is enjoyed when asked about item or when wearing new item,

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