London & Paris by Marlee Martinez

London London & & Paris Paris

Travel Diaries

London Day 1: Ello London!

European Experience!

Before we left LA, I, of course had uber problems and almost missed my flight. I was the last one the plane so I was able to pass through first class. I saw Pete from Fall Out Boy and I pointed at him with a confused look on my face. He told me to, and I quote, "shh!" so that I would not notify anyone it was him. I, while offended, smiled and moved along to my seat--telling the entire plane Pete from Fall Out Boy was in first class! Getting off the plane I was telling my story to all my classmates not knowing he was right behind me. Mortified I asked for a photo while he laughed at me. He was very nice and I can say we're friends now. Arriving in London my study abroad class went on a site seeing tour of London. We saw big ben, the london eye, and the art district. We then went to the National Gallery Museum, saw the entrance to Buckingham Palace, and had dinner at an Indian restaurant called Salt and Pepper. After dinner we went to Covent Garden which was amazing! There are tons of shops, pubs, and people congregating outside of restaurants. I took a style picture Nile st. which is famous for London youth fashion. Day 1 was amazing and I fell in love with London throughout this long day.

London: Day 2 On day 2 we woke up early and took the tube to Harrods (the biggest most extravagant department store I have ever been too). After enjoying the lavish clothing, jewels, and cosmetic department I sat at Laduree cafe to enjoy some tea and macaroons. From Harrods, my class and I took the tube to Edidt (analytic fashion company) where we were going to have a meeting with the director, creator, and marketing team. Our meeting went extremely well--we learned about the company's history, what they do, and had the opportunity to ask questions. After the meeting we bee lined for Burberry campus, which is the new Burberry store. Calling it a campus is fitting because of how big it is. The store is also used for concerts, fashion shows, etc. It has advanced technology in the dressing rooms where you could hold up a piece of clothing to the mirror and it would pull up the item as well as the fashion show it was used in. Very cool! My class and I then continued to Burberry headquarters. We had a second meeting with the head of HR, Marketing Chair, and Head of Social Media. We arrived at the meeting and were greeted with tea, cookies, and the three lovely women. They gave their presentation on Burberry's history, standpoint, goals, and facts about the company. We asked our questions and left with great knowledge of the company. I, however, was very impressed by the meeting. I asked one to many questions and found myself wanting to work there. Now that I have this connection who knows if i'll end up back in London working for Burberry! After the meeting we went to dinner and headed back to the hotel. This day was especially important for me. Day 2 was essential to my major and might have an impact on where I end up after I graduate.

Editd

Editd is a retail technology company, helping the apparel industry have the right products, at the right price, at the right time. Getting this right is how all the value is created or lost in fashion retail. Apparel is one of the world’s biggest industries, so this is an incredibly important problem to solve. The founders of Editd are Geoff Watts and Julia Fowler co-‐founded EDITD in London in 2009. They started the company because Julia saw the way the fashion industry was making decisions meant a lot of mistakes, discounts and disposals destroyed so much value, and could be prevented with data. Geoff, an expert at getting results out of big data, helped Julia turn this idea into a business, and together they started EDITD, which has changed the fashion business forever. The meeting with Editd was insanely interesting. I kept thinking after each presenter how brilliant this software is. I truly believe this is the future of the fashion industry and so many retailers are going to have this by 2018. How did the Internet change the industry? -‐Communication/distribution -‐Global barriers have dropped -‐Retailer’s own communication with their consumers How did you begin marketing such a novel idea to clients? -‐Looked for investors first How do you track the success of the company? -‐How many clients we have signed and they track software use Future of Editd? -‐To sign every major retailer Conflict of interest with two competing brands? -‐Each retailer will use the software differently How do you help the clients use the software? -‐24/7 help and relationship with client

Burberry

The brand was founded by 21-‐year-‐old dressmaker Thomas Burberry. Burberry is a British luxury fashion house, distributing outerwear, fashion accessories, fragrances, sunglasses, and cosmetics. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its trench coat, which was designed by founder Thomas Burberry. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world and also sells through concessions in third-‐party stores. Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants, which have been maintained despite Burberry's closure of its factory in Wales. Christopher Bailey has been the CEO and Chief Creative Officer since 2014. The Burberry meeting was so great. I learned a lot about the company I did not know and I really got encouraged and what I want to do after I graduate. Hopefully, I can figure out what their hiring process is because after the meeting I was definitely interested in working there. 5 key strategies: -‐Inspire with brand -‐Realize product potential -‐Optimize channels -‐Unlock market opportunity -‐Pursue operational excellence Functions: -‐Design -‐Marketing -‐Retail How diverse is the Burberry headquarters? -‐Very, we take pride in all the countries surrounded through these walls What are the future social media goals? -‐To be available on every platform and post consistently What is the Burberry foundation? -‐A charitable foundation that supports the youth for bigger and brighter dreams. 1% of all revenue goes to this foundation How successful is the cosmetic department? -‐Now that we have the new perfume, very. Wearable technology? -‐Maybe in the future

London: Day 3 British Adventure continues! On Day 3 in London we first hit Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. This tradition takes 45 minutes and is good entertainment for the tourists..or just me. I had one too many cups of coffee and really got into it. With the music playing I started dancing and yelling that the queen was coming. Everyone kept looking in the direction I was pointing at so it was a lot of fun to joke around and enjoy this sight. In the picture above I am pointing at the balcony where William & Kate kissed when they got married just four years ago. Shortly after we made our way to Windsor Castle (royal residence) where the queen likes to spend her weekends. The castle is open to tourists to view rooms and learn the history behind the castle. We enjoyed teasing the guard outside the castle and hoped he would smile or say something but he remained professional and ignored us. After touring the castle we went to the London bridge. From there our professor gave us the freedom of going to Oxford Circus for shopping. This street is known for its high scale brands and fun shops. We spent most of our time at Liberty. Liberty is a wide range luxury department store that contains floral and graphic prints of all major brands. The store is beautiful as well as the print seen on all their items. I regret not buying the pair of Nike shoes I wanted with the liberty print so this just gives me another reason to go back to London and get them!

London: Day 4 My day 4 in London was especially wonderful because it was a full day of my favorite designer, Alexander McQueen! We made way to the V&A museum in London where we were going to experience the Alexander McQueen Exhibit. As we made our way inside the staff reminded us no pictures. Of course I have no idea what that means so I got a couple in and my luck got in trouble for it. The exhibit is unreal. I got the chills, started crying, and was overwhelmed with how amazing it was. I took a couple of snapshots of the his pieces which are below and almost got kicked out for it. It was well worth it though--his work was and is extraordinary. I highly recommend this exhibit if anyone is going to London anytime soon! Speaking of which, everyone has to go to Brick lane. This street/market is one of the most exciting places I witnessed in London. There are so many interesting things and people all around. The art and items sold or seen are unbelievable and I recommend strolling through this part of London. Finally, our last thing on the agenda in London was the Alexander McQueen Play. This play was lovely! *british accent* It gives you perspective on how McQueen thought, what he was like, and it ties into understanding him as a person. I thought they did a wonderful job at portraying him and his work. I was able to meet the cast afterward which I was very excited about. Dianna Agron, who play Quinn in Glee, was very sweet and not only did she just take pictures with the fans but she talked to each of them for awhile. I thought that was really cool; so you could say I made another famous friend on this trip! After this long day I was on an Alexander McQueen high and I packed my things because my class and I had an early morning train to Paris. London was truly beautiful and I can't wait to go back!

Peace out London..Bonjour Paris! Paris: Day 1 When my professor told us we had to be in the lobby by 6am I thought it was a joke. (Not a morning person). However, it was worth it! Our early morning train to Paris was quick and comfortable. On arriving we were given free time to walk around and grab lunch. We were passing through markets, parks, beautiful bridges, and some cute cafe's. I noticed how all the restaurants/cafe's had chairs outside facing the street. Parisians love to people watch. My friends and I sat to have some lunch and participated in the people watching. From there we went to the docks to have a boat tour. Below you will see images that were taken on the boat. Our tour guide was witty and made the boat tour interesting which I enjoyed and appreciated. Next we got on our bus and took a night tour of the city. I took a couple of snapshots before we made our way to the Eiffel Tower for the sparkly light show. We were told to be EXTRA careful in these tourist areas for pickpocketing so beware. We ended our night watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle. Day 1 was fiercely beautiful. Furthermore, I fell in love with Paris!

Paris: Day 2 Day 2 began with the famous Musée du Louvre! This was my second favorite thing we did in Paris. My friends and I split up from our class and bee lined for the Mona Lisa. I pictured it being bigger but it was still so beautiful and under heavy protection. Below you will see all the interesting things I saw at the Louvre. Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Coronation of Napoleon, Egyptian antiquities, Napoleon's dining room and ceiling art work. After a long morning at the Louvre we made way to Notre Dame cathedral. We only saw the outside since we were staved and were able to wonder around for lunch. My friends and I sat at a cafe to enjoy a delicious crepe. (When in Paris). Next, we went shopping! Rue Saint-Honoré is the rodeo drive of Paris. After a long afternoon of shopping we took the metro back to our hotel and got ready for dinner. We chose an amazing cafe with a wonderful name, Le Cafe Marly. It is located at the Louvre. My friend and I sat at the window and not only enjoyed the view of the Louvre but the sparkling Eiffel Tower. Day 2 in Paris was incredible. Stay tuned for tomorrow to see my last days in Paris!

Paris: Day 3 Versailles Versailles Versailles! What an incredible experience! I did not know how beautiful Versailles was going to be; especially the gardens! We made way to the garden area and spent an hour there. Then, we had a virtual tour of the inside, which was amazing! After the long tour of Versailles we took the bus to Montmartre the highest point that overlooks all of Paris! Everyone on the bus fell asleep so I snapped a picture. After having dinner there we were given free time so my friends and I went to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy some crepes, sit down relax, and enjoy the live music playing on the steps. It was one of the best nights for me because all of our phones died so we didn’t take pictures all we did was appreciate the music, the sight, and each others company. Day 3 was one of my favorites!

Au Revoir Paris! Paris: Last Day I was heartbroken thinking about it being my last day in Paris. However, I made the best of it. There is nothing a little retail therapy can’t fix! My friends and I awoke and headed straight for Galeries Lafayette. I bought my first pair of Valentino heels! I’m in love I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it! When in Paris right? After my lovely purchase my friends and I made way toward Avenue des Champs Elysees. My friends shopped while I took advantage of the Parisian courtesy of champagne offering at every store! From there we walked to the Arc de Triomphe. After that we made our way to a bridge so that I could lock my love with my boyfriend, Chacho. Although he wasn’t there I wanted to do it for the both of us. We were extremely tired so from there we went back to the hotel to get some rest. My Paris experience was so much better than I expected it to be. I fell in love with everything and I am so thankful for this experience. I’ll definitely be back. Until next time..

Until next time..