Native Nomads & Paul Hollywood | Big Idea

So, the second part of my FCP summative project was to gather some research about the social media presence of a brand/product that we were allocated. We then had to develop a variety of mind-maps, combining the trend (context stage) with the brand and product, before refining our ideas and defining it in a 15 word statement.

The brand I was given was Paul Hollywood, with the product being his newly released bread stamp.

I began by researching the Paul Hollywood brand as a general starting point, finding out which social media the brand/Paul Hollywood used, where Paul Hollywood started from and where the products were sold. Then I did some more in-depth research of the different social media presence, the specific product and previous promotion, just to get an idea of how Paul Hollywood presented himself and his brand. From this I learnt that he has accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with Twitter being the most followed account. On each of the accounts, there are links to his website and the other social media accounts, which helps increase the interaction between him and his fans as everything is connected. There are also elements of promotion, such as his Twitter location being 'The Tent', therefore referencing his part in The Great British Bake Off, and his Facebook cover page is a photo of his new range with the phrase "Introducing my new bakeware! Tried, tested and loved by me. In stores now."

I also learnt that the bread stamp was distributed by KitchenCraft, John Lewis and a few independent department stores, suggesting that the range is somewhat exclusive and sophisticated. John Lewis' product description is "Great presentation can make all the difference to your baking, that's why this Paul Hollywood bread stamp is a quick, easy way to add a rustic finishing touch". From this I realised that the main aim of the product was to offer easy solutions for baking, which can sometimes be seen as tricky and too time consuming for the everyday, busy person.

I then wanted to get a bit more of an insight into what real people thought of the brand, so I did a questionnaire asking for the words which people first thought of when they thought of Paul Hollywood and his brand. I also asked for the words which they first thought of the they looked at the Native Nomads trend, so I could see which words kind of crossed over and this would therefore help me come up with my concepts for bringing the two together. Rustic, crafted and culture where my main three.

After doing a bit of brainstorming, I came up with my final idea.

"Combing the Native Nomads trend with Paul Hollywood's bread stamp with a Wild West theme". 

I noticed that Paul Hollywood's primary target consumer were females, so I wanted to try and extend his target consumer to men, in juxtaposition with the product trying to offer an easier solution to baking. As well as this, I realised, from my primary research, that the Wild West genre is easily recognisable, and as my trend was a menswear trend, I wanted to add a touch of Paul Hollywood's masculinity to an otherwise feminine product.

My three alternative ways of communicating my big idea:

1. A 'WANTED: Dead or Alive' poster, with Paul Hollywood holding some bread rolls and a bread stamp layered on top. The crime would be 'attempting to change the game by making bread rolls easier with a bread stamp'.
2. A flat lay of 6 bread rolls and 2 stamps. Layered on top, a quote would say "I count 6 rolls, baker" "I count 2 stamps, baker", relating to the famous quote in Django Unchained ("I count 6 shots, n***er", "I count 2 guns, n***er")
3. A set up, which features a Pendleton blanket, a cowboy hat, the bread stamp and some other western iconography. There would also be a famous quote next to it, possibly from a Clint Eastwood theme such as Dirty Harry or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Th next stage was to create three concept boards, which you'll be able to see in the next post! 

Georgia.xo

New York, New York!

As you may already know by a very excited previous post and my Instagram, I went to New York last week with FCP. I've been dreaming about the day I go to NYC for as long as I can remember and then it's been and gone within a flash! I had the best week and, without sounding too cliche, it couldn't have been more perfect. 

When we first got there it had snowed and it was about -4C, which isn't the greatest of weather's when it bites you in the face. It did gradually warm up though, with Thursday being 16 degrees - we were literally peeling the layers off like an onion. 

On the first night, we headed straight for Times Square and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (BEST BURGERS EVER BY THE WAY), before realising that it was way too cold and we were way too tired to carry on much longer. On Tuesday, we strolled up 5th Avenue, visiting the library, various shops, the cathedral, the Rockefeller Centre and Central Park. Central Park was absolutely beautiful in the snow and we went to the zoo too! Then we took the Subway to Chelsea, where we visited the Chelsea Food Market, which I highly recommend. Then on Wednesday we had a tour of the Garment District, I ate the BEST smoked salmon bagel and we walked down to Greenwich in the afternoon. Thursday involved even more walking as we took the ferry to Williamsburg (my future home), had a bit of a wonder and then to Brooklyn, before walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. On Friday we tried to pack in the last few bits such as the F.I.T Black Fashion Designers exhibit and the 9/11 Museum, which was deeply moving and we all came out all teary. 

We stayed in the Hotel Wolcott on 4 West 31st Street, which is over 100 years old so has some quite old fashioned decor. Depending on what room you have, it can either be very old fashioned chic or actually quite haunted looking, but as the hotel goes in general, it was a lovely place to stay and they were even filing Gotham the day we were leaving! 

You definitely need more than a week or to go multiple times if you want to get everything done, and I mean both the landmarks, the shops and the different districts. On the other hand, we did do a lot of wondering about exploring rather than going straight to each bit. But it was everything that I expected it to be and more! 

Georgia.xo

Native Nomads | Context

For the first part of my FCP summative project, I've had to research the emerging trend 'Native Nomads'. The trend has emerged from influences such as the Wild West, Clint Eastwood, western films and Pendleton. I actually really quite enjoy researching into trends and finding out where they've developed from. I've never focused on menswear either, which made it even more interesting.

In general, the trend is quite folky and includes neutral tones, layered styling and aztec-style patterns, which include geometric shapes and are consistent in colour with pops of reds, greens and yellows. The tones are quite saturated "with hues that appear burnt out, as if faded by spending miles under the sun", for example, the yellow shade 'Apple Cinnamon'. The materials appear to be strong and long lasting, such as the Krammer & Stoudt spotted jacket and are quite rug like, such as the Gyspy Sport striped shirt.

When styling the trend, you can accessories through boots, bags and hats, which are all very typical of the Wild West due to the fact that they are made out of brown leather and the hats can be seen as an extension of the cowboy hat.

I then looked beyond my general trend and began to look at influences. These included the actor and director Clint Eastwood, the film Django Unchained (directed by Quentin Tarantino), the artist Georgia O'Keeffe and the family owned business Pendleton Woollen Mills. Each of these has clearly influenced the trend in some way or another. For example, Clint Eastwood is practically the face of the Western film genre, Georgia O'Keeffe's famous skulls have been replicated in motifs within the Dolce & Gabbana A/W 16 catwalk and street style, and Pendleton directly studied the colour and design preferences of local Native Americans.

Once I had gathered enough research to see a steady link between the trend and historical and cultural references, I started to see how the trend had been communicated within the media and through street style. I can definitely see that the trend has been noticed, due to the fact that Vogue.com, GQ magazine and Fortitude magazine have all reported on it, as well as various blogs. However, in terms of street style, I don't think that it's particularly popular. When I asked people what they thought of the trend, many said that they couldn't see themselves buying into the trend, and some said that they'd probably wear elements of it, e.g. just a patterned shirt or a scarf, rather than going all out. After also having a look on street style websites such as lookbook.nu, I found that it was most popular in A/W 15 rather than this current year. This could possibly be because the trend is a bubble-up one ('essential' on WGSN), meaning that men on the street were wearing it before it hit the catwalk.

Overall, I've really enjoyed researching into the trend and being menswear it was a new challenge for me. I can confirm that the trend definitely exists, however it isn't as prominent as other menswear trends, such as a roll neck with a long line coat or skinny jeans with shearling jackets. It's quite a bold trend to wear and buy into, with only the most confident dresses choosing to style their clothes this particular way.

Georgia.xo

* Top photo is from WGSN, the rest of the photos are my own. 

Top 5 Favourite Golden Globes Outfits

With the 74th Golden Globes tonight, I thought I'd do a bit of reminiscing and go through my top 5 favourite outfits from past awards.

5. Emily Blunt / Dolce & Gabbana / 2011

Didn't Emily Blunt look gorgeous in this dress? I think the dusty pink goes so well with her dark brown hair and the ruffles fall so well alongside her curls. Dusty pink dresses are hard to pull off I think, because they can often make you look a bit naked from a distance but Emily's glowing skin is perfect for this dress. 

4. Michelle Dockery / Alexandre Vauthier / 2013
At a time when Downton Abbey was at it's prime in both the UK and the US, Michelle Dockery wore this dress like a rockstar. There's something I love about golds and whites with brunette hair, it's quite a goddess look and she suits this down to the ground. 

3. Emma Stone / Lanvin / 2012
This is a very gothic look but it's gorgeous. The blood red of the dress and her smokey eye make-up contrast so well. It's seriously sultry, especially with the embellished shoulders and scrappy heels.

2. Saoirse Ronan / Saint Laurent / 2016
As always, Saoirse Ronan looks gorgeous. This grecian gown is everything. I often find that a lot of white dresses begin to look like wedding gown's but this is far from tacky. It's so simple, yet so elegant.

1. Lupita Nyong'o / Ralph Lauren / 2014
Lupin's awards dresses ALWAYS blow me away, especially the baby blue chiffon Prada dress she wore to the Oscar's in 2014. But this dress is just as gorgeous; it shows off her figure,  compliments her skin tone perfectly and the caped back gives is a twist on the usual off-the-shoulder dress.

Georgia.xo

I'm Going To NYC!

If there's one place I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember it would be New York. The Big Apple. Home of Time Square, The Statue of Liberty, Central Park and the Empire State building to name just a few. It's a dream that's been created by my love for Gossip Girl, Sex and The City and Friends, and I'm going. On Monday! 

If FCP isn't 'me' enough, they've truly outdone themselves this time! Lots of photos are going to be taken, so be prepared for many NYC related posts (mostly crying about how I miss it) afterwards (and maybe some FCP related stuff too!)

Georgia.xo