Mintel

WHAT IS MINTEL?

Mintel is an independent company that provides market analysis and recommendation. It also allows retailers to keep an eye on there competitors. This research is aimed at the Finance, leisure, media and retail sectors. Users subscribe to view the full content and students can more a more limited content for free.

CONTENT

There is a vast amount of information on the Mintel website with many articles commenting on current consumer trends. These articles include data analysis, market intelligence and product innovation. This information can help retailers to make a more informed decisions.

HOW CAN IT HELP ME

Mintel is a fantastic resource especially for figures and statistics. The student content allows me to read most articles. I think that this recourse will be very useful in my final year when I am writing my dissertation. I am very interested in brand communication and in particular the ways in which companies get consumers to buy into a brand and this is something I would like to research further next year. When browsing Mintel I found many interesting articles related to this area. Most of the articles included facts and figures which are a good way of backing up an argument.

Fashion Moniter

WHAT IS FASHION MONITOR?
Fashion Monitor is a website used by professionals in the fashion and beauty industry to keep up to date with the latest industry news and search for contacts

CONTENT
Subscribers of fashion Monitor have access to contacts working in fashion and beauty including Freelance journalists, stylists, photographers and event producers.
The website is regularly updated with the lasted new and events information including articles on catwalk shows, press launches, and trade exhibitions.

HOW CAN IT HELP ME

Having a look through the free content available on fashion Monitor I can see this website would be very useful for people working in a PR or communications based role. Working in fashion PR or in editorial it is vital to have your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the industry. Fashion Monitor is a time saving tool that also allows the user to gain access to contacts without spending hours networking. For me personally I don't feel that this website would benefit me greatly at this stage of my career. However if in the future I set up my own business I think It would be a good way to promote a business and find professionals in PR and event management.
I have set up an account page on www.linkedin.com This is a free service that allows you to make contacts online. My page includes my CV and contact details. Once you have made a contact you are then able to view all of there contacts. For example one of my contacts is the assistant designer at New Look who I met whilst on a work placement. I can now view all of her contacts in the industry. I think this website will prove very useful in the future when I am trying to find employment.

5 Year Plan

June 2010-Fashion Show

The end of year show is a fantastic opportunity for me to showcase my design work.It also allows me to have examples of my designs to put in my Portfolio. At this time I would like to update my CV and have finished a Professional portfolio.Previous PPRD lessons have demonstrated that I should consider myself as a ‘brand’ I would like my portfolio to have a running theme with a logo or typeface that represents my ‘core values’ as a designer.

Sep 2010 BA (hons)

I have decided to continue my studies and complete the one year top up.I hope to progress onto the Fda top up option as I think that a work placement would be invaluable experience that would increase my chances of employment I would like to complete a work placement with a market leading lifestyle brand and have also considered the option of completing a work placement abroad.During this time I would like to make vital contacts in the industry and in particular refine my CAD skills
In my final year I would also like to:

- Learn more skills that will help me in the work place
- Create a digital portfolio
- Create my own website including my Portfolio and CV as a way to promote myself when
I graduate
- Perfect my interview technique so that I am prepared and can stand out against many
other applicants
- Get a first class degree!!!

Jul 2010-Get a job

After graduating I will apply for work in the casual/sports apparel industry. After researching companies I have found that O’neill, Adidas and Abbercrombie and Fitch employ university leavers on a ‘graduate training programme’ I would also consider working on a freelance basis as this can have many benefits including flexibility and variation. In order to secure a job I will use a variety of methods including:

- Send out speculative letters to companies that are not advertising
- Search online for new positions
- Apply to agencies such as fashion enter
- Look for advertised positions in publications such as Drapers Record

I understand that I will be competing with thousands of applicants but I feel confident that if I make the most of my final year at university I will be well equipt to secure myself a role as an assistant designer.

2010-Designer

After 2 years experimce working in a head office design department I hope to be given my own small department to design for. Whilst in this role I would like to:

- gain a sound understanding of the critical path and the terminology used in industry
- Visit factories and Suppliers
- Gain further contacts in the industry
- Start completing a detailed business plan
- Secure funding so I can start my own businessI hope that after gaining experience


2012-Set up womenswear brand

I hope that after gaining experience working for a large retail company I would be prepared to set up my own business.. I would like to create a lifestyle brand aimed at women who enjoy extreme sports. To begin with I aim to start on a small scale and sell my designs online. I hope to go into bussines with another person as I feel I would have a much greater chance of success if I was working with somebody who had ‘buyiing’ or ‘bussiness’ experience.

Buying a piece of the American dream

Abercrombie and Fitch is an American retailer specialising in ‘casual luxury’ apparel. Times magazine recently printed that they are the 6th biggest brand in the USA (putting them in front of Nintendo and Levis)
At the London flagship store customers que for hours just to have a look around. This weekend I braved the ques to see what all the excitement was about. I left 2 hours later having bought several things I hadn't intended to including a bottle of fragrance sold to me at the till. I have since researched the techniques that Abercrombie and Fitch use to make people buy into there brand
When walking around the store there are different elements that arouse all the senses. Interiors are highlighted with dim ceiling light. Loud Electronic or dance music is played throughout the store. Clothing is folded in wooden wardrobe like structures. Even the scent is considered with A+F Fragrance ‘Fierce’ being sprayed regularly from black boxes that contain concentrated fragrance. Wood paneled walls leather sofas and rugs give the store a home like feel. The clever interiors combined with the upbeat music and dim lighting make you feel like you have been invited to an exclusive house party full of beautiful people. I think that this fun and upbeat atmosphere is a huge part of the brands appeal and keep the brands target customer coming back.


However these techniques are not just used to keep the customer returning to the store. A well executed store design means that people are more likely to spend more time in store resulting in larger sales. Layers of atmospherics can actually alter the perception of time for shoppers, encouraging them to become so comfortable and pleasantly stimulated by the shopping environment that time becomes less important.

The effective store design alongside eye-catching marketing campaigns make visiting Abercrombie and Fitch an’irresistible’ shopping experience. I think that the visual merchandising and branding is so well executed that when shopping in store the customer is actually buying into a lifestyle that they want to be associated with.
After graduating I would like to work for a sports lifestyle brand. I now realize the importance of building a brand and how everything from store layout to music and typography must reflect the brands ideal. I will also consider this when putting my portfolio together.

In the future I think the Abercrombie and Fitch brand will continue to flourish. American lifestyle brands such as ‘Gap’ ‘Tommy Hilfiger’ and ‘Polo’ continue to have global appeal.. However they may become a victim of there own success. With more stores being opened across the UK and Europe the shopper may loose the feeling of ‘exclusivity’ that the brand relies on.