Mop_16n17_782

Design

ELAINELAU AND GRACECHIN

O PT I O N S

N O V E M B E R

2 3 ,

2 0 0 9

16

in to beco with bile user regar “N cons tent seve mini the F the Berk H the e fashi on N form in R colla just t a pai a dre also appl kia’s

by FJ and Fr scree feeds week

Fashion connection Call up the latest brands and labels on Nokia’s new smart phone

T

he fashion circuit has shortened significantly from runway to computer desktop, and is made even more accessible with smart phones. Now, with Nokia’s new mobile application Fashion Asia, consumers get connected directly with the current looks from top fashion brands, straight from their fashionable phone — the Nokia N97 mini Raoul Special Edition.

This special Nokia phone marks the technological debut of Raoul, a Singapore-grown fashion label owned by the fashion and lifestyle retail group FJ Benjamin, also the distributor for Celine, Guess, Banana Republic, Marciano, La Senza and Gap across Southeast Asia and Australia.

At the launch of the application and a limited edition phone, Douglas Benjamin, CEO of FJ Benjamin and creative director of Raoul, shares that the project took four months from inception to execution. The venture into technology and association with Nokia are something Raoul is very proud of. Says Benjamin, “I am very flattered that Nokia felt we are ready to take on the mantle of having a phone.

Only a few [fashion] brands in the world have phones named

leather with a pebble-grained texture. It also comes with an additional phone back plate with signature Raoul stripes, a handy phone strap, and is presented in a beautiful leather-wrapped Raoul box. Availability is only limited to 1,000 each for both Singapore and Malaysia.

This partnership is recognition of FJ Benjamin’s leadership of fashion retail in Asia, says Vlasta Berka, Nokia’s general manager for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It was not a difficult decision to make when Nokia was approached, as he notes that fashion and technology are not incongruous industries

Berka (left) and Benjamin showing off the fashionable phones.... the project took four months to complete

after them. We’re proud to be associated with Nokia because it’s the biggest name in telecommunications.”

There isn’t much difference in the Nokia N97 mini Raoul Special Edition from the original phone

in terms of functionality, except for its finishing and appearance. It is a warmly hued metallic rose gold, with a specially designed Raoul leather pouch made of premium matte calfskin

The phone comes with a leather-wrapped box, additional backphone strap and leather pouch, all designed by Raoul

ained h an with andy nted pped only both

ognirship says neral apore ficult Nokia notes logy tries

in today’s lifestyle. Fashion has become central to our lives, and with the convergence of the mobile industry and the Internet, users will demand information regardless of time or location.

“Nokia wants to appeal to consumers with fashion content that takes into account several brands. The Nokia N97 mini Raoul Special Edition and the Fashion Asia widget have the complete package,” says Berka.

He explains why this phone is the embodiment of “connected fashion”. The N97 mini is based on Nokia’s successful N97 platform, and is sleekly dressed in Raoul’s design vision. The collaboration, however, is not just transforming a phone with a paint job or walking through a dressing room. The phone is also pre-loaded with a mobile application developed by Nokia’s technology team and aided

by FJ Benjamin’s input of style and fashion.

From the phone’s home screen, the widget Fashion Asia feeds the user with news and weekly style tips from Harp-

er’s Bazaar and Cleo, displays monthly updates of FJ Benjamin’s brand collections in a slide-show format, and has a handy GPS store-locator functionality should you want to purchase the latest in Gap’s autumn/winter collection from the nearest Gap store.

On top of that, if you can rock the look better than anyone else, you can share the look with friends, on Facebook or any social networking site.

“Sharing how you look and what you’re wearing fits into this new phase of technology and interaction… five years ago, I couldn’t imagine that people would want to share their personal lives [with blogs or on Twitter], and that other people would actually be interested,” says Berka.

Fashion Asia may function as a marketing tool for FJ Benjamin’s stable of brands, but it can also incorporate online retail in the future, says Berka. This depends on their monitoring of consumer behaviour and feedback for application by all users, as the Fashion Asia widget can

watch the show live from the phone, and send word out through the widget about a special promotion.

It’s a means of communication not just for Raoul, but all the brands in [FJ Benjamin’s] stable,” Benjamin says, envisioning the future in fashion and mobile phones.

Fashion’s venture into technology is only limited by what one can imagine, adds Berka. “This is only the beginning… we will continue our discussions.

If our first step [in interacting with consumers] is posting their own looks, the next step could be creating and designing, or a design competition. Imagination is the only thing that holds us back.”

The Nokia N97 mini Raoul Special Edition gives consumers the latest on the fashion scene

also be downloaded for free for compatible Nokia phones such as the Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, the Nokia X6, Nokia 5530

XpressMusic, Nokia 5230 and Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

“We can even beam fashion shows live from the device, or

The Nokia N97 mini Raoul Special Edition retails at RM2,550 and is available at selected Nokia stores and Raoul boutiques at The Gardens, Pavilion KL, Suria KLCC in KL and 1 Utama in PJ. Visit www.raoul.com for more information.

O PT I O N S

N O V E M B E R

2 3 ,

2 0 0 9

17