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Harlo London is a high street hybrid store based in London and is looking to expand further into the UK. It is marketed by GGM Marketing & Events company. The brand is still only new and is looking for ways in which it can grow and reach more customers.

The store is based around the theme of organic shabby chic mixed in with a modern vintage style. The garments made are unique in the way that we have a seamstress and a stylist at hand to alter or find the exact style of clothing the customer is looking for.

As it is a hybrid store there will be a modernised café/bakery within the store where customers can come in and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and eat or shop and eat. The café will have all fresh foods and different wines, cheeses and even, for a healthier option, all natural smoothies, as well as organic fair trade coffee.

This store is designed to give customers a unique service and experience in a very relaxing environment. There aren’t many stores around that give this unique mix of experience and service in this environment. This is why I think we should start to expand.

As I’m part of the marketing team as well for GGM marketing & events I thought bring the brand to The City of Liverpool College fashion show would be a really good opportunity to see how well the brand is perceived in Liverpool. I would have a pop up store at the event with some of my garments. But the main reason I wanted to put a stand up at the fashion show to try and recruit one of the design students to be a trainee designer/seamstress at my Liverpool store that I hopefully will be opening.

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What research is there to support the idea of a hybrid retail store? There seems to be a growing number of coffee/retail (and coffee/retail/ supermarket) stores available on our high streets and retail parks throughout the country. The concept has increasingly caught on in recent years and the format appears to have proved very successful. A coffee shop in-store may not increase ‘footfall’ but increases ‘dwell time’ and many shops, such as BHS and Next have decided that the coffee shop ‘proposition’ is worth sacrificing valuable selling space for.

There is a worry that with so many coffee shops springing up, it could become a case for overkill and for me to expand elsewhere with my Harlobrand could be risky. The facts are, however, the coffee shop market has grown for the past 16 years consecutively with growth of 10.7% to £7.2bn in 2014 (according to Allegra World Coffee Portal – and this is higher than the rate of retail growth). The branded market (Costa, Starbucks and Caffè Nero represent 56%) is now being outstripped by the non-specialist sector (pubs, fast food operators, supermarkets and retail stores), which is showing growth of almost 15%. Of the total coffee shop market the non-specialist sector now represents 37%, compared with branded chains with a 31% outlet market share and independent coffee shops with a 32% market share. Allegra predicted that growth would continue with the total UK coffee shop market exceeding £16.5bn turnover by 2020 and said ‘operators must continue to deliver innovation and fantastic quality, while genuinely engaging with customers in order to stay ahead of the curve’. So, expanding Harlo and its hybrid proposition into Liverpool could prove very successful if done well.

To create a successful format for my hybrid store there were a number of key questions I had to ask myself:

• Is a cafe appropriate for my retail brand?• Should the coffee side be franchise or own-brand?• Where would my coffee shop be located in-store? • What would it look like?• Would the cafe be a revenue earner or designed as a customer

service?

HYBRID STORE RESEARCH

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Yes, I think it is. Retail and café/coffee go well together. It works in many Sainsbury and Tesco stores where the café is located next to clothing away from the busy food departments, it works in my London store and in many other retail outlets too. The key is for its design and feel to be consistent with the retail side. My ‘café’ is very relaxed, very natural and very shabby chic, all qualities associated with my Harlo brand. I am a little concerned, however, that the London success may not translate up to Liverpool. London is so much more diverse and cosmopolitan, and also sometimes Southern concepts don’t fit in with Northern ideas (and vice versa), although I believe the uniqueness of my store will give a good chance of acceptance and success.

Costa, Starbucks and Café Nero are successful almost everywhere and have a really good following. It was tempting to think about having one of them in-store. I decided not to in the end as I didn’t feel they complemented my brand enough, although they do represent premium products just like Harlo. (This decision was made even though I came across New Look in Oxford Street which has a Starbucks in it, the comment by the chief creative officer at Fitch was that you could buy three outfits there for the price of a cup of a coffee. Maybe Starbucks fits in more now following New Look’s recent upgrade to a premium flagship store).

All the statistics above show that own-branded coffee shops can be as successful and more, than the branded ones like Costa. And I wanted to offer so much more to my customers in terms of experience – freshly baked goods, exciting gluten free options, healthy smoothies, tea options (including for detox, stress etc) selected wines and cheeses, ‘uniqueness’, as well as organic, fair trade coffee. This is all healthy and ethical (both huge motivators for people these days) hence targeting a wide audience.

IS A CAFÉ APPRORIATE FOR MY RETAIL BRAND?

SHOULD THE COFFEE SIDE BE A FRANCHISE OR OWN-BRAND?

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Coffee shops need to be accessible, but shouldn’t interrupt trade. Also, when taking that well deserved break from shopping and relaxing, the customer needs to be able to see the store.

There seem to be a number of solutions here. A common one is a glass-sided box that is part of the shop yet separate. Many stores with more than one floor locate the café on an upper mezzanine level with the side overlooking the store below made in glass (e.g. the Next Home and Garden store in Shoreham that opened up earlier this year – seeright). Others may be discrete from the rest of the store with the entrance obvious but the bulk hidden from view behind a large wall.

I have not yet found my ideal store for Harlo in Liverpool so my ideas for layout are quite fluid at present. I love the mezzanine idea above right creating a separate space yet still very part of the store. My personal shopping/styling area with changing rooms and seamstress facilities would be downstairs in a discrete corner with relaxing chairs and coffee tables, where refreshments from upstairs could be brought. (Plan 1 overleaf)

Alternatively, if Harlo ends up on one floor the entrance to the café area would be to the left of the main store entrance. The café would run down the length of the store separated from it by a mix of rustic brick and glass. The personal shopping/styling area etc. would be located discretely in the corner at the back of the store. (Plan 2 overleaf)

WHERE WOULD MY COFFEE SHOP BE LOCATED IN-STORE?

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Plan 1

Plan 1 upstairs

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When researching this I needed an idea of what the inside of my store would look like because for me my store and café had to be complementary, almost seamless.

It was really helpful to look at lots of different ideas and this research helped me to decide what I want my store to be like and the brand image I wanted to create. I was looking for ‘feel’ rather than absolute detail and the pictures below capture that rustic, timeless, natural and relaxing feel I was after.

WHAT WOULD MY CAFÉ LOOK LIKE?

Plan 2

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For a flagship store profit is not so important because its emphasis is on creating brand awareness and achieving market positioning and customer engagement. This is something that I might be consider for future openings and whilst I do want to engage my customers and create an environment where they can shop for leisure and pleasure, Harlo in Liverpool will be designed as a revenue earner. The returns on an effective coffee shop concept can be large and may outperform main shop activities - my Harloclothing line and café/bakery idea will hopefully both be successful.

WOULD THE CAFÉ BE A REVENUE EARNER OR DESIGNED AS A CUSTOMER SERVICE?

LOGO DESIGN

I wanted to create a logo that would really represent my brand image and so customers could get a feel for the brand before they even walk through door. I wanted my logo to be based on wood to show the natural rustic vibe of the brand. I searched through Google for a wood background and when I eventually typed in ‘raw wood’ I found this image to the right.

Once I found that I needed a strong font that would look good carved into the wood. These 3 fonts really court my eye and I think they are very modern and sharp. Which I want as my clothes are vintage inspired but with a modern twist to them.

I decided to go with the font called ‘Lion King’ as I felt it was sharp and Modern and I liked the added detail of the line above the word Harlo. I edited it on Photoshop and made the ‘London’ smaller to fit in under the ‘Harlo’. I merged the layers together after adjusting the font sizes.

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LOGO DESIGN

I then opened the wood image in Photoshop and dragged my logo on top of it on a new layer. I then followed the steps on a Youtube viewed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt_Rknvc1H0

I print-screened screen shots along the way:

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This is the final product of my logo which I would have above the shop. The image to the bottom right was another alternative logo where it wasn’t as carved it but was more chiselled in. But I’ve asked a few people in class and they prefer the top left.

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LABEL & BAG DESIGN

For my brand I wanted to design clothing tags and a bag to match my brand image. I used the same wood effect as my logo and a tag I found on the internet.

I came up with two tag ideas, one with the Harlo London on the side like the image to the right and the other bellow. I asked a few people which one they preferred and they agreed with me the one printed sidewayslooked more aesthetically pleasing. This tag really represents the rustic feel I want within my store and shows other people who see this tag what type of store it is.

The bag has the logo on and a brown edging like the tag does at the top . It is all brown and I was thinking it could be made of natural recyclable materials, which I feel

customers would appreciate as we are all becoming more environmentally conscious and moving towards more environmentally friendly options.

TWITTER & WEBSITE

Above is a twitter page I created to connect further with my customers. Below is an idea of what my website would look like when my online store goes live.

Brands and retailers have been seeking to make their social mediacontent shoppable on platforms such as twitter, Instagram andPinterest – and now its finally possible.

Pinterest, Instagramand twitter announcedthat they are offering a‘shop now’ feature atthe beginning of thismonth. This allowsusers to purchase itemswithin the site. Thisintroduction is animportant step forcompanies and forbrands; who are relyingon a large income dueto the introduction ofthis platform.

In addition to Instagram announcing itwould be introducing shoppable adsthis month, it will also be opening upits advertising platform to morecompanies. Twitter announced plansfor a commerce initiative in 2014, andhas since rolled out selectpartnerships with brands andcharities, trialling it’s version with the‘buy now’ button.

MARKETING RESEARCH

How this new platform will aid Harlo London:

Harlo London usesTwitter as one of itsmain platforms toadvertise to new andexisting customers, aswell as connecting withtheir previouscustomers. If they couldincorporate the buybutton into their twitteraccount, this wouldincrease Harlo London’srevenue and be a hugeopportunity to progressinto the large, well -known boutique that itwishes to become.

The opportunity of being able to buyproducts from Harlo London onsocial media platforms such asTwitter – opens up their market tothousands of people worldwidegiving an expansion on their brandand making their image known tomore and more.Harlo aims to be a well knownboutique on the high street – andwith features like this becomingavailable it gives endlessopportunities.

“While we wait for JeremyScott's A/W 15/16 collectionfor Moschino to hit thecatwalk in Milan this week,there is plenty of opportunityto reminisce about theBarbie-themed line thatlaunched last September.”This line took inspiration fromthe 1990’s – vintage style.The 1990’s was a verycolourful era, with Moschinobeing a very colourful brand,their Barbie range is very wellsuited.

The line came with a limitededition capsule collectionincluding handbags and phonecases. Recently, the rest of theline has been placed at the centreof a S/S 15 campaign for thebrand. A 1990’s theme permeatesas models Anna Ewers, Hollie-May Saker and Sasha Luss allappear in a series of black andwhite shots by Steven Meisel. Thecampaign hit the headlines for a‘photoshopping error’ that makesLuss appear as though she ismissing a leg.

The fact that Moschino hasused a 1990’s inspired themefor their recent campaign linkswith Harlo London massively.With Harlo being a vintageinspired brand the connectionis clearly there. Moschino haveused a lot of vintage inspiredideas with Barbie being verypopular in the 90’s and being atoy that was popular yearsbefore the 90’s also. I like howthey have done this.

The photo shoots from thecollection you can tell are veryvintage inspired. The outfitslink well with Barbie –especially the accessories thatare included.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEkzEPQhBt8

AD CAMPAIGN

For every brand there is always an amazing Ad Campaign to entice people into the brand and give customers an incite to what the brand is about and what they have to offer!

The Valentino S/S 15 ad campaign really caught my eye as it features an ethereal take on the new Valentino collection.

I love how its photographed in water, on a beach and in a forest. This could be a good idea for my ad campaign as my brand is very rustic and I like to think of it as natural and pure.

I especially love the idea of photos being taken in the forest as in store there are a lot of wood features and my shopping bags are made from recyclable materials. Also my logo is engraved into wood and I think filming and photographing in woods would be the perfect location to do my first Ad!

Link is below to the Valentino Ad Campaign video.

We aim to satisfy our customers with the highest standard possible in garments and

also service and experience. We want to create an organic shabby chic feel for this

hybrid brand from the clothing to the food. We promise to provide new designs made from quality materials that are affordable.

To give customers a unique experience in a relaxed shabby chic environment. And giving

them quality modern garments, altered to how they desire.

Harlo Vision and Mission Statement:

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

to photograph. Samantha works part-time in Urban Outfitters and loves helping whenever she can in store. As a student she loves finding chilled places to hangout with friends and able to work.

Obviously as a inspiring fashion photographer, Samantha loves to keep up with the latest trends on blogs, WGSN and magazines such as ELLE, Vogue and Grazia. She loves especially looking at editorials and researching new photographers to give her inspiration in her own work. A lot of her time is taken up by photoshoots and working with a wide range of people within and out of her university and editing photographs. When she’s not busy she enjoys adventure and going out with her friends and loves meeting new people. Samantha loves to experiment with different clothing and her favourite stores are Zara, H&M and River Island and loves to seek out bargains in charity shops. Her favourite food is definitely Italian with a glass of wine.

When she has a chance to travel she loves to visit new exciting. She enjoys visiting beautiful places such as Italy and the south of France which are her favourite place to go and anywhere else to get a good tan! She loves socialising and going to cocktail bars with her friends but also enjoys going to intimate bars and quitter places for a more laid back night out where she can listen to music and chill. Finding new little cafes and hidden places in the city is also something she loves as they have more of a homely atmosphere. Her favourite artists are The script, Chris Brown and Miguel.

Although Samantha has a busy schedule, she still finds time to maintain a healthy lifestyle by going to gym classes with friends regularly and taking pilaties to relieve any stress. She sold her car as she didn’t see the need in one and travels by train home.

Samantha Reed is a 23 year old who is in her last year in university at JMU studying fashion photography. She moved from Leeds to come study in Liverpool as she always loved visiting it when younger and thinks its an amazing city

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23 Year old Female

Rea

ds Fa

sh

ion

m

ag

azin

es

an

d resea

rch

es on

W

GSN

Loves

Italy

and the

South of

France

Fa

vo

urite

perfu

me ‘P

rin

cess’

Has an Iphone

Uses Instgram

& Twitter

Likes a

m

ix

of m

usic

Loves

Photoshop

and her

Nikon camera

Loves cocktails

& Wine

Eats a lot of Italian

food

Loves Pilates

Mixture of

high street

shops

Visits small cafes

and bakeries

Goes to group

gym classes

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SWOT ANAYSIS

Harlo London prides itself over giving an individual experience to their customers. By venturing into the north we hope to expand our company to reach more customers and also possibly a new market of consumers. Harlo prides itself over being different, unique and giving the best service. Hopefully Liverpool will take to the concept of this store and will be a ‘cool’ and relaxed place to come to and hang out.

There could be wine tasting nights and other events to bring more customers into store. What also would entice a lot of students would be around exam time we would stay open till 10 in the café for them to be able to revise elsewhere with friends in a different environment instead of their halls.

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Strengths• Unique store and

atmosphere

• Huge potential to

succeed – not many

stores around like it

• Strong customer

service

• Successful in London

• Unique vintage

inspired but modern

range – very trendy

• Majority of garments

sourced from UK

Weaknesses• Only focuses on

women

• Other cities in the

north might not take

to this concept that

worked well in the

south.

• Haven’t got a lot of

market research

Opportunity• Expansion to new

markets

• Globalisation

• Online marketing and

E Retail is gaining

importance

• Product and service

expansion

• Finding cheaper

sources of materials

Threats• Economic turn down

• Direct competition

as hybrid store is

getting more

popular

• Increase in

manufacturing costs

Internal

Factors

External

Factors

NegativePositive 23

FASHIONABLE

UNFASHIONABLE

CHEAP EXPENSISVE

COMPARTIVE PERCEPTION MAP

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COMPARITIVE SHOP

To help the research for my brand I am looking at different stores that Ifeel hold the desired image of the brand and clothing I desire. Reiss has established a design philosophy centred on creating directional, design-led menswear, womenswear and accessories. It always shows innovative and original products it fuses exceptional design, quality and value. This is what I want to show through my designs although Reiss is slightly pricey I thought this was a good store to look into.

SHEER LACE SWEATSHIRTWHITE£89white sheer lace with a ribbed-jersey neckline, hem and cuffsSIZE 4-16

DOUBLE-BREASTED BLAZERMIDNIGHT£225tailored from midnight-navy fabricSIZE 4-16

PRINTED DRESSBLUE/WHITE£169Composition & Lining: 100% PolyesterSIZE 4-16

PLEAT PANEL MIDI SKIRT ISLAND£110Composition: 100% PolyesterLining composition: 100% PolyesterSIZE 4-14

PRINTED SHORTSWHITE£85Composition : 98% Cotton, 2% ElastaneSIZE 4-16

BLOCK-HEEL SANDALSPALE GREY£129Composition & Lining: 100% Cow LeatherSIZE 3-8

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COMPARITIVE SHOP

Ted Baker is one of the fastest-growing leading lifestyle brands in the UK Ted focuses on quality, attention to detail and a quirky sense of humour. It has a sense of a young carefree spirit within its clothing which I would like to portray within mine. Like Reiss Ted is rather pricey but the clothing are beautiful.

ADWENA -Geometric Floral Shirt£109Composition: 100% PolyesterSIZE 6-16

LORILI - Long wrap coat£299Composition: SHELL: 70% Virgin Wool, 20% Polyamide, 10% CashmereBODY LINING: 95% Polyester, 5% Elastane SLEEVE LINING: 95% Polyester, 5% ElastaneSIZE 6-16

GRAYSIE - Full floral skirt£149Composition: SHELL: 57% Viscose, 37% Polyester, 6% LinenOUTER INTERLINING: 100% PolyesterINNER INTERLINGING: 100% Polyester LINING: 95% Polyester, 5% ElastaneSIZE 6-16

HARRT - Batwing Jumper£119Composition: BACK: 58% Viscose, 26% Polyamide, 10% Wool, 6% SilkFRONT: 100% PolyesterSIZE 6-16

DABRIA - Floral Bodice Dress£229Composition: SHELL: 70% Cotton, 30% PolyesterTRIM: 100% Polyamide; LINING: 97% Polyester 3% Satin100% PolyesterSIZE 6-16

MAIBEL - Stab Stitch Leather Backpack£189Composition: SHELL: 100% Bovine LeatherLINING: 100% PolyesterSIZE 6-16

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COMPARITIVE SHOP

NOT JUST A LABEL (NJAL) is the world’s leading designer platform for showcasing and nurturing today’s pioneers in contemporary fashion.It has provided a platform for over 18,000 designers to date and has become an vital tool for the industry. NJAL platform helps designers to gain exposure in the fashion industry at no cost, and finance their progression independently. It reflects the modern face of fashion and supports thriving artists outside of the major fashion capitals. This is obviously an online shop but I want that freshness of ideas and designs for my ranges and what better place to look at than the upcoming designers of today.

COAT DRESSBy Sophia French£400.00Composition:96% Viscose, 4% ElastaneLINING: 100% ViscoseONE SIZE

SILK TURQUOISE BLOUSEBy Przhonskaya£125.00Composition:100% SilkONE SIZE

SHIRT 2.2By Study NY£170.00Composition:100% CottonSIZE: XS,S,M,L

LIGHT PINK SKIRT-TROUSERSBy Sophie French£300.00Composition:96% Viscose, 4% ElastaneLINING: 100% ViscoseSIZE: S

YELLOW TUTU SKIRTBy Lara Khoury£425.00Composition:80% Polyester,20% SilkSIZE: 8-12

THE LINE 1 LOFTERS | NUDEBy Nudite£169.00Composition:100% LeatherSIZE: 2-6 27

COMPARITIVE SHOP

Zara is committed to satisfying the desires of their customers. As a result they continuously innovate their business to improve customer experience. They provide new designs made from quality materials that are affordable. “Zara, fast, affordable, pre-packaged fashion”. This is a more affordable shop with prices I prefer for my range. Zara has still got that simplicity and high fashion edge I want in my range even though it’s a lot cheaper then the other brands.

ZIPPED ROUND NECK COAT£89.99Composition:OUTER SHELL: 65%Polyester, 31% Viscose, 4% ElastaneLINING: 95% Polyester, 5% ElastaneSIZE: XS-XL

SILK DRESS WITH TASSELS£49.99Composition:OUTER SHELL: 100% Silk (Mulberry)LINING: 95% Viscose, 5% ElastaneSIZE: XS-L

MID-LENGTH SKIRT WITH PERFORATED FABRIC£39.99 Composition:OUTER SHELL: 100% CottonLINING: 84% Polyester, 16% CottonSIZE: XS-L

DRAPED TOP£59.99Composition:OUTER SHELL: 100% ViscosSIZE: XS-XL

FRINGED HIGH HEELED SANDLES£49.99 Composition:OUTER SHELL: 100%

LEATHER BUCKET BAG WITH FRINGES£49.99Composition:2nd FABRIC:100% Cotton MAIN MATERIAL : 100% Cow LeatherLINING85% COTTON, 15% LINENSIZE: M

PolyesterLINING: 50% Polyester, 50% PolyurethaneSIZE: 2-9

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COMPARITIVE SHOP

Reiss, Ted Baker and NJAL are definitely more high end and more for customers with expensive taste. Reiss customer look for more original and directional design with a strong focus on quality and detail which is something I would like to add to my brand. The clothing is rather expensive compared to high street stores such as Zara and you would pay £89.99 for a coat and £225 for a blazer in Reiss. Shorts and more simplistic tops are £85 and above and shoes starting around £100. For the price of the garments they are using polyesters, leather, cotton, elastane and jersey knits. Bearing in mind some of the fabrics aren’t that expensive but must be made with care and up to a high standard.

Ted Baker is slightly more expensive from what I can gage with shirts and skirts costing over £100. This brand is slightly more fun and youthful with less high end fashion with that sharp edge look. There is a lot more prints involved throughout the range of garments which are unique to Ted Baker. I would like to add some fun playful patterns to my range but keep it still fresh.

NJAL is the most expensive platform as they are very unique and exclusive. I love this website as there are so many high fashioned raw designs which are so fresh and are potentially the new face of fashion. I would love to bring this freshness into my designs for my store.

Zara uses the same materials as the other brands and is still cheaper. I would like to base most my price's around Zara’s but slightly more expensive as my designs will be more unique and a high attention to quality. Looking over theses brands and the type of image they portray through their clothing I’m clear in the fact I would like my new Spring/Summer range to have simple structures with some tailored items and to have a fresh young high fashioned feel to them. I would like to have a basic colour pallet with the odd dominant pattern thrown into the mix. .

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Sourcing

I wanted to source my garments mainly from the UK so I would have superb quality garments that are also highly accessible. But if a country specialised in a certain area of interest and offered high quality I would want to be able to source from there as well, as I want to give my customers as best quality garments as possible. China is an obvious source; here are some of the countries I’ve looked into:

PAKISTAN:

It has a good track record for pure cotton apparel production for items such as male T-shirts and cotton jerseys. Has low cost domestic supply of cotton and low labour costs. (This is better than Bangladesh as they have an underdeveloped apparel and fabric manufacturing industry and is targeted for sourcing of cotton garments of basic design and standard quality.)

INDONESIA:

Cotton price is the lowest in the region, but operating costs are higher than most countries in the region and much of the machinery in the industry is largely outdated. Indonesia does, however, have substantial installed capacity across a range of textile segments, and is targeted for a number of products such as synthetic fabrics, synthetic apparel, and high-end cotton shirts.

VIETNAM:

Vietnam's best sourcing opportunities are still in basic designs and standard types such as woven garments and children's products. This would be useful if I was looking into creating a children's range.

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INDIA:

India has a diverse and integrated fabric and apparel industry. It can be targeted for sourcing fabrics and textiles across virtually all product categories. It mainly specialises in embellishments and is the leading dyeing and pigments (printing) manufacture in the world and are hugely cheaper. Some of the top factories are: Atul, Asahi Songwon, AksharChem and Amal.

TURKEY:

Turkey is known for combining cotton and synthetic yarns, fibres and fabrics, home textiles, ready-wear and apparel is the largest economic sector. It has a skilled workforce and their manufacturers production complies with internationally accepted ecological standards. The country’s laws ban the use of carcinogenic azo dyes in clothing and fabric manufacturing. Only downfall is that it is 4 to 5 timer more expensive than places such as China and India.

PORTUGAL:

Portugal specialises in Industrial Footwear, Accessories, Leather Goods and Substitutes. I will be using Portugal as a source for these types of products as it is very close to the UK and has high standards.

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TREND RESEARCH

FOCUS – PARK LIFE

FILTERED FLORALS

SUBURBAN BLISS

COUCH SURFING

SS15

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TREND RESEARCH

FOCUS – PARK LIFE:

Flower motifs and prints are subtly altered, screened and filtered to create new, modern perspectives on traditional patterns. This is perfect for my modern twist on my range. The result has a painterly quality that feels traditional, but has been created through layered applications of mixed media, digital and analogue.

Country nostalgia is an indoor camping-inspired direction for lounge styling. Essential sportswear basics and old favourites are layered and gently updated with soft understated prints in an approach that is less about fashion and more concerned with pure self-indulgent comfort. This could giving my range a more relaxed feel to them and the sportswear is also being used as inspiration in SS16. Mean my range could be used for next summer as well.

This youthful, carefree story brings romantic ideas of country living into the urban environment. Both introspective and outgoing, it combines indoor and outdoor styling through a poetic, imaginative perspective that has a quiet urban confidence core. The romantic feel has always been a good theme to use and will even be used in SS16 so my garments wont be dated for next summer if I get the range right.

A casual and carefree trend that brings a dash of country romance to the city, with a fresh take on florals and a youthful edge.

FILTERED FLORALS

COUCH SURFING

SUBURBAN BLISS

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FOCUS – NOTHERN SOLSTICE

TREND RESEARCH

NORDIC SUMMER

HYPER-TACTILE

AMPLIFIED STRUCTURES

SS15

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FOCUS – NOTHERN SOLSTICE:

TREND RESEARCH

Nostalgic memories of the seaside and a simpler, more old-fashioned lifestyle are brought into the present by this cool Scandinavian summer story, in which soft nautical styling references and tactile interpretations of pristine coastlines create a strong sense of place and belonging. This theme gives a sense of relaxation and smoothness which would really compliment my clothing.

High-definition views of nature drive a hyper-tactile approach to fabrics and materials. Different types of surfaces are contrasted and layered, creating a look that feels natural and raw, yet clean and pure. This is exactly what I want my store to feel like and I want it to be represented in the clothing. Unexpected combinations, such as furry slippers or reptile skin, create a sense of wonder.

A close-up perspective on artisan crafts and textiles inspires exaggerated, oversized textures and constructions and an interplay between flat and 3D effects. This could give a very retro/vintage feel to the clothing with blown up prints which would be nice to add into my collection.

A nostalgic and poetic styling direction inspired by Nordic summers, rocky coastlines and pristine, untouched beaches.

HYPER-TACTILE

NORDIC SUMMER

AMPLIFIED STRUCTURES

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TREND RESEARCH

PAST MODERN

ARCHIVED / RESTORED / MODERN

TAILORED / CLEAN / CONTEMPORARY

CLASSIC / SCULPTED / FEMININE

SS16

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TREND RESEARCH

ARCHIVED / RESTORED / MODERN

Exhibiting and archiving products with the same respect given to art and artefacts reflects an appreciation of design value. The almost-clinical process of protecting, labelling and storing inspires us to wrap, reveal and restore. Replacement parts are unfussy and functional, highlighting the feeling of modernity. I feel this brings the old (vintage) to the new (modern) which truly reflects what I want my range to be about.

TAILORED / CLEAN / CONTEMPORARY

A return to clearly sculpted feminine silhouettes drives a classical-feeling approach where detail is secondary to shape. The sense of stripped-back glamour, mixing vintage influences with contemporary simplicity, hints at a golden era of iconic women while transcending any specific period of fashion history. I love this as I feel as if clothing can empower women and I want females to wear my clothing and feel instantly confident with more basic styles and they don’t have to dress it up too much.

CLASSIC / SCULPTED / FEMININE

Sharp, contemporary tailoring feels easy and relaxed, but not in an everyday way, as matching materials retain a sense of suiting no matter what happens with styling. Clear colour combinations and traditional craft mix with a stripped-back approach to smartness for a look as modern as it is luxurious. I feel this relates very much to what's happening in the world today with androgyny. Women are dressing more masculine and even in editorials they are using as a high fashion theme. This is catering for a new market that wouldn’t of been accepted years ago and I would like this to be apart of my brand. This is more directed at males but can be used for females.

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TREND RESEARCH

PAST MODERN

TIMELESS / UNCOMPLICATED / FUNCTIONAL

WRAPPED / ROMANTIC / CALM

OPULENT / SIMPLIFIED / REFINED

YOUNG / CASUAL / SOPHISTICATED

SS16

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TREND RESEARCH

OPULENT / SIMPLIFIED / REFINED

Artful and understated decoration feels precious and delicate rather than showy and imposing, as an update for luxurious but laidback eveningwear. This sense of subtle, intelligent opulence is reduced and simplified, using refined materials and punched or laser-cut details to emphasise its contemporary look. This type of simplicity and feeling of elegance is what I feel would be part of my modern to my garments.

YOUNG / CASUAL / SOPHISTICATED

Subtle textural contrasts help elevate this relaxed and pared-down street wear story. Understated embellishment and neutral decoration are used to bring a quiet, romantic edge to familiar, comfortable shapes. High and low culture overlap in a mix of casual silhouettes and refined patterns or materials. This gives a very young feel to clothing and my clothing are for 18-35 which is a young generation.

TIMELESS / UNCOMPLICATED / FUNCTIONAL

Simple work wear has a timeless and practical appeal, stripped of all unnecessary details to feel as neutral, anonymous and functional. Classic design can appear modern and unfussy forever when updated with dead stock or resurrected materials. This gives a vintage feel to the clothing but they are made brand new to look like they were made years ago.

WRAPPED / ROMANTIC / CALM

The body is bound and covered in garments that wrinkle and hang. Soft silhouettes and clingy or draped surfaces, reminiscent of classical marble sculptures, introduce a level of cool neutral romance. Romance links in with a trend in SS15 and if I mix these two together for inspiration I should come up with a design that can be warn for more then one year.

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TREND RESEARCH

SOFT POP

SS16

WASHED-OUT / SPORTY / ELEVATED

ENERGETIC / PLAYFUL / INTELLIGENT

SIMPLIFIED / LAYERED / VIBRANT

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TREND RESEARCH

ENERGETIC / PLAYFUL / INTELLIGENT

A sense of softness, created by using subtle texture as well as colour, underpins this playful and energetic summer story. Pop culture and youth-led blog references are stripped-back and sharpened for a grown-up and intelligent new approach to the teenager’s bedroom-inspired world of cuteness. This will bring some colour and youth to my collection and give it that extra bit of energy.

WASHED-OUT / SPORTY / ELEVATED

By bleaching out colour, new combinations of traditional and modern materials used to create sports-inspired basics feel contemporary, elevating street fashion styling to a premium level. Subtly exaggerated detail and oversized silhouettes emphasises this toned-down take on high-end casualwear. Pop pastels are key here and are always a hit in the summer no matter what!

SIMPLIFIED / LAYERED / VIBRANT

Modern retro florals have been cleaned up to remove some of the vintage cuteness, cut out and repositioned on plain grounds to encourage a more confident and simplified approach to print. Vibrant screen-prints are blocked, layered and striped together, moving graphic looks away from geometric design. This gives a modern twist to the vintage clothing making it just vintage inspired which is what I want.

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TREND RESEARCH

CARTOON / TWISTED / FUN

BRIGHT / SOFT / TACTILE

DECORATIVE / TEXTURAL / DIY

SOFT POP

SS16

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TREND RESEARCH

CARTOON / TWISTED / FUN

The candy cuteness of teenagers’ bedrooms and blogs becomes weird and subversive. Dark undertones and new contexts lend cartoon icons – and jokey products with human characteristics – twisted new personalities. Homemade magazines and sticker books inspire graphic messages with a punky attitude. This could be quite retro and vintage as cartoons and superhero's in the 60’s got huge. I feel this could be linked to pop art as well as Andy Warhol was huge in the 60’s. This would be bring some of the 60’s to modern times.

DECORATIVE / TEXTURAL / DIY

Over-the-top decoration and kitschy embellishment take on a new, sophisticated relevance, driving bold but intelligent bling-like adornment, and all-over textures that feel fun yet understated by making 2D patterns pop out in 3D. Here, DIY meets high-end, elevating sugary studs, sequins and diamantes to couture levels. I could bring my collection more to life by using more embellishments which could be quirky but customers can choose to have them or not.

BRIGHT / SOFT / TACTILE

Cosy texture and muted colour come together to lend this sporty, lounge-inspired story a tactile and visual sense of softness. Peached, tufted and flocked surfaces emerge in a palette of subdued pastels and washed-out brights. Mixing textures and colours helps highlight the importance of contrasts here too. Which will help make parts of my garments in my range stand out more than others. This can give a uniqueness to my clothing and so my garments will be different to other high street stores. 43

What I want my garments to be

like

Vintage inspired

Modern perspectives on traditional

Comfy, relaxed but still carefree,

youthful, fun and playful Mix between SS15

and SS16 so garments can be

warn both Spring/Summers

Textured clothing, natural, raw, rustic

Structured and Contemporary

History inspired – around 20’s to

90’s

Confident basic styles

Few vibrant colours

Grown up and intelligent

Subtle textures with embellishments –

to cotour level

Modern and classic

Soft florals

Pop pastels

Sense of softness

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FILTERED FLORALS

CARTOON / TWISTED / FUN

SIMPLIFIED / LAYERED / VIBRANT

For images and prints for my range I was thinking of adapting some of these pictures into my range as they represent parts of my trends.

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RANGE DEVELOPMENT

For this jumper I wanted it to look like a sporty/modern jumper with the fabric being slightly stiff like suba fabric. I wanted the design to me more simple and plain. I rubbed out lines on the main jumper and the ribbed edges on the neck and wrists. This was done by using a rubbing tool on Photoshop.

I then filled in the jumper with the colours I wished using the filler icon.

This was my end result.

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For developing a floaty dress I liked both of these dress ideas. I thought that the left-hand one looked like a sailor dress and very nostalgic which links into my trend ‘Focus’. I wasn’t sure about the neckline on it though so I cut around the neckline of the right-hand dress then copied and pasted it over.

After some moving around, rubbing and adding a few lines the dress became this.

I didn’t want to make a typical sailor dress with the navy blue and white. I want to make it fresh and bright. I found a soft print that linked into the blues I chose for my range.

I put this picture into Photoshop and went to ‘Edit’ → ‘Define Pattern’→ ‘Okay’. Then go back to the tab where the dress was and click on the filling can → go to the top right of the page and change ‘Foreground’ to ‘Pattern’ and click next to it to find the pattern you defined before.

I didn’t want the whole dress to be in this print so I just filled it in on the sides and parts of the collar. I then chose a light minty green to slightly contrast with the rest of the dress as I didn’t want to leave it plain. 49

As with the other two I rubbed out features on the skirt I didn’t want. I wanted this to look like the 50’s swing skirts and have many layers.

In my ‘Soft Pop’ trend there was focus on bright bold prints and poppies in particular so I found a poppy image and brightened it along with increasing its vibrancy and exposure.

I then like with the dress made this into a pattern and filled the skirt with the print. I wanted this skirt to be a one-off feature piece and thought there needed to be more to the skirt.

I found this lovely floral print but it was too dark. I then brightened it, increased its vibrancy and exposure and also played with the hues/saturations to change the colours and finally ended up with these two images bottom left.

I tried using both of these patterns and went back to my skirt and filled the pattern into the gaps. I preferred the bluer one as I think it went better with the poppies.

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FINAL RANGE

STRUCTURED JUMPER58% Viscose, 26% polyamide, 10% Wool, 6% SilkHL0001£70COO - UK

BLUE SHEER TOP60% Cotton, 40% PolyesterHL0002£60COO – Turkey

LONG WHITE SLEEVLESS WATERFALL COAT95% Viscose, 5% ElastaneHL0003£65COO – UK

SINCHED IN TOP90% Silk, 10% PolyesterHL0004£80COO – UK

SINCHED IN TOP90% Silk, 10% PolyesterHL0005£80COO – UK

SHORT DUNGARIES84% Polyester, 16% CottonHL0006£70COO – UK

POWDER BLUE FLORAL LAZER CUT COAT 65% Polyester, 31% Viscose, 4% ElastaneHL0007£160COO – India

DENIM SHIRT100% CottonHL0008£110COO – Pakistan

BLACK AND WHITE DRESS96% Viscose, 4% ElastaneHL0009£115COO – UK

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BLUE FEATHER SAILOR DRESS100% Polyester HL0010£120COO – India

FITTED TOP70% Cotton, 30% PolesterHL0011£85COO – UK

HL0012

HL0013

BLACK, WHITE AND GREY JOGGERS80% Cotton, 12% polyester, 3% ElastaneHL0014£70COO – UK

FLORAL SUMMER DRESS100% Polyester HL0015£145COO – India

POPPY 50’S SKIRT100% PolyesterHL0016£110COO – India

50’S SKIRT (comes in array of pastel colours)100% PolyesterHL0017£110COO – UK

DARK TURQUIOS FLARED SHORTS57% Viscose, 37% Polyester, 6% LinenHL0018£65COO – UK

WHITE FLARED PANTS96% Viscose,4% ElastaneHL0019£100COO – UK

LONG POPPY PINK COAT96% Polyester,4% ElastaneHL0020£150COO – India

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DENIM SNAPBACK98% Cotton, 2% ElastaneHL0021£45COO – UK

HEATHER GREY LEATHER BACKPACKOUTER SHELL: 100% LeatherLINNING: 100% PolyesterHL0022£95COO – UKBROWN LEATHER SHOES

100% LeatherLINNING: 50% Polyester 50% Polyurethane HL0023£105COO – Portugal

BROWN LEATHER DRAW STRING BAGOUTER SHELL: 100% LeatherLINNING: 85% Cotton, 15% Linen HL0024£105COO – UK

BLACK LEATHER HEELS100% LeatherLINNING: 50% Polyester 50% Polyurethane HL0025£75COO – Portugal

This range is based on the trends I looked into and I've picked parts from each trend to show through my garments. I also tried to link them with the stores I looked at for my Comparative Shop, such as Ted Baker. Ted Baker uses a lot of unusual prints and I tried to adapt them into my range. Some of the patterns such as on the fitted top and the feather dress I feel are retro inspired but with a fresh modern look to them.

I think I achieved what I originally wanted to which was to create part of a range that would go into my Liverpool store and that would be vintage inspired with a modern twist. The garments are fun and youthful. Some are inspired by vintage CADs such as the 50’s skirts, brown leather shoes and backpack (war inspired), flared shorts and trousers.

Garments on the first page such as the structured jumper, blue sheer top and the black and white dress are more linked in with the ‘Post Modern’ trend and take a hit at high fashion and being slightly quirky with the textures.

The price range for this range is slightly more then what you would pay at Zara but not as expensive as what you would pay at Reiss or Ted Baker. As it’s only a new store I don’t want to push the prices too high. The majority of the garments are made In the UK but also in places such as India for the best quality printing and dyeing. Also Turkey for the best Cotton mixes with synthetic yarns, Pakistan for the best Cotton and Portugal for the best made shoes. 53

FINANCIAL RANGE PLAN

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This financial plan is design for a 4 week plan if I opened up a store in Liverpool. The majority of the clothing is sourced in the UK with a 70% profit margin as fixed costs are higher. Places such as India, Portugal and Pakistan are 75% as it is cheaper to source from these countries although it costs more to import the garments. Garments from Turkey have a profit margin of 72% due to the financial state of the country and changing laws causing their fixed costs to increase – garments from here cost 4 to 5 times more than places such as China and India.

The Cost Price is higher as I’ve sourced from the best quality producing factories, and as I haven’t ordered huge amounts of garments compared to other stores, you can expect them to cost slightly more. Some costs are also more where garments have quite a few features and are not as basic.

Looking at the 50’s skirts, the Poppy skirt I sourced from India as they are the best at dyeing and printing and it is the same price as the light mint green 50’s skirt. I didn’t want to increase the price of the mint green skirt just because the profit margin was different. The profit margin is large enough as it is and doesn’t need to increase.

Overall Costs were £161,150 and the Overall Profit was £415,059. This is a good profit for only part of a range that would be in my store. With this type of money I can hire quality staff and pay an attractive wage to a designer and seamstress. This will also help with hosting social nights such as wine tasting in our café as we will be able to afford to make it more of a fun luxurious experience.

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WISSI

I predicted that every week I should be selling 25 items. In the first week I predicted to sell 20 as the range is new to the store and many might not see it. It increases when there is a sale on as more people are entering the store. This is quite a funky garment so I wasn’t sure if many would want to take it on holiday so I marked that lower. There’s an increase in sales when it is in the window display and when there are festivals. 12 garments didn’t sell by the end of the 10 weeks and will be put into the sale.

I predicted that every week I should be selling 30 items. In the first week I predicted to sell 25 as the range is new to the store and many might not see it. It increases when there is a sale on as more people are entering the store. This is very light weight and goes with anything and would sell very easily. I predicted to sell high volumes all through the summer until the end of August when people go back to school/uni when it decreases as it also starts to get slightly colder. There were no garments to go into the sale but I think for my target market I could sellthis item going into September as students would go out wearing this and dress it up.

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I predicted that every week I should be selling 30 items. The first week I predict that we’ll sell 30 and a high volume throughout the summer as the coat is light weight and can be mixed with an array of clothing. After It was put in the window display I ordered 150 as I felt going into the end of August and into early September that people will start buying more coats for the start of school.

I predicted that every week I should be selling 25 items. The first week I predict that we’ll sell 23 as it’s a new range coming into the store and not many people will know about it. It increased when more customers came into the store and after that there was high volume throughout the summer as It’s a very fun top that could be dressed up or dressed down, be warn on holiday, festivals and nights out. I ordered in 100 more after the biggest selling week of selling 53 tops when it was placed in the window. I ended up with 3 items being in the sale which is a small downside, but it was still important to order that extra 100 to supply the demand and generate more profit.

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FASHION SHOW

The City of Liverpool College Fashion is where I’ll show off my brand and new range to students, teachers and all other guests attending. I will have a stall at the show where I will present my brand and see how guests view my brand and the range I’ve created by handing out a questionnaire I’ve put together. Here is what my stall will look like:

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Above is the image without the background so you can see which items are actually on display. The other image has a backdrop of ideas of what the café and store could look like, which could create

conversation with future customers.

I showed and explained to my target audience (18-30’s) my range and ideas for the store and was able to get feedback from 10 completed questionnaires. The questionnaire that I had compiled along with a

summary of this feedback is shown on the following pages.

To get an idea of customer opinion of the Harlo range of clothing and hybrid store concept I put together a brief questionnaire with a simple scoring system to measure the responses to questions. Originally I had wanted to distribute my questionnaire to the audience at the fashion show. In the end it was not really practical, partly because of my workload behind the scenes but mainly because my pop up stall was a virtual stall and not one a potential customer could experience first hand.

As a result I decided to get together a focus group of 10 people with a good mix of background, taste and age and explain the Harlo store and clothes range to them. The questionnaire consisted of a series 9 questions most with a scoring system of 1 to 5. A score of 1 being the least positive, and 5 being very positive.

Results:

Four of the group of 10 had a very positive impression of Harlo and its branding, with 5 finding it interesting. Seven out of the group thought the clothing range attractive or very attractive and everyone appeared happy with the breadth of range on offer, and an encouraging nine out of ten claimed they were likely or very likely to make a purchase.

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Regarding pricing, no one found our pricing strategy far too expensive. Four thought the pricing just right, two expensive (these were students with no additional income), three inexpensive and just one too cheap (this was an employed female towards the end of the target age range of 30).

Looking at the store and what it has to offer only one potential customer saw no use for a seamstress, all the others thought the service quite useful or very useful. There was the same response for likeliness to use the service.Half of the group (5) preferred Café style B with its single counter offering the majority of sales items. The next popular (3) was Café style C with more a wine bar feel. And eight out of the ten said they would be likely or very likely to come and relax in it – and all ten appeared interested (quite likely/likely/very likely) in the possibility of wine tasting evenings.

All tend thought it quite likely/likely/very likely that they would recommend the Harlo café experience to a friend. And only one potential customer said they were unlikely to recommend Harlo clothing to a friend.

Conclusions:

One of the main and most pleasing results of our survey was that the Harloexperience was positive. In almost every area of questioning we got a positive result. This gives us confidence that we have got the right ideas to move forward and build a successful future.The Clothing range was well received and people gave positive buying indications. As we are new and our range is relatively small it was identified in the general group feedback that long term a little more varied product range would be needed. The café was a particular success overall which we found pleasing as we identified it as a potential additional source of income and a way of drawing potential customers in to the store who were not necessarily out to buy clothes but would see what we have to offer whilst passing through the store.

There was an overwhelming response to the wine tasting suggestion which may give scope for other social/community nurturing ideas. Having a seamstress to alter or run up a bespoke garment also got a pleasing positive result in general and gives us something of a niche offering.Finally we got a positive response in terms of us being recommended buy our customers to family and friends. So a good result all in all.

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