Digital Exposed Seminar

Recently ECA-accredited, Ginger & Smart

Nobody have long been proud of their Ethical production practices

Images via How big is your Eco and Josephine Ki

Ethical Clothing Australia has launched their first consumer awareness campaign called `Meet your Maker’ aimed at revealing the faces and personalities behind the production of Australian fashion.
Ginger & Smart were one of the first to jump on this new scheme, and their star machinist Linthia Zheng was recently interviewed by Georgina Safe, fashion editor of the Sydney Morning Herald titled `Protection for those behind the Seams’. It outlines her crucial role in creating the fantastical designs from sisters Alexandra and Genevieve Smart and making them into runway pieces for real women.

The new campaign will aim to educate consumers about the importance of ethical manufacturing in the garment industry and assist them to make an informed choice for shopping ethically.
Fashion Source reports ECA national manager Simon McRae hopes the `campaign might build momentum through social media and lead to a situation where consumer awareness could drive additional sales to the industry.’
While many consumers may be supporters of “Australian-made”, this does not always mean it was ethically made. According to ECA figures, there are about 50,000 workers in the textile, clothing and footwear industry, and many of whom who work from home and are vulnerable to exploitation. The Ethical Clothing Australia program ensures that these workers receive fair pay and conditions.

Meet Your Maker will raise awareness by featuring a special ECA swing tag or label with the trademark stitched “e‟ that proves if a garment was made in Australia and everyone involved in its production received, as a minimum, the legal rates of pay and fair working conditions.

For more information, head to www.meetyourmaker.org.au

ASOS 10% of our orders come from mobile, “retail needs to work harder” from PEDESTRIAN.TV on Vimeo.

via Pedestrian.tv

The international high street invasion started when Spanish fast-fashion chain, Zara opened their flagship store in Sydney, followed closely by Melbourne, sparking a cult-like craze and street long queues of the city’s well-heeled lining up for their piece of the latest trends. The pink chino pant sold out, style bloggers quickly updated their posts with new Zara threads and media outlets ran docos on the company’s unique business model or `Vertical Integration’.
As Zara continues to plan new territory to conquer downunder, the global quick-to-market opposition including Uniqlo, Topshop and ASOS are also tuning their retail-dars into the Aussie dollar.

While ASOS isn’t moving in on a physical basis, they have recently launched their Australian specific site catering to our dollar, providing free shipping and an Australian return address. Considering the revelation that `we’re the e-tailer’s second biggest market, their biggest outside of the UK, thanks to a purchase volume which could fill two jumbo jets every week’, it’s obvious why they are so keen to peak our interest.

via ASOS.com

The crew at Pedestrian.tv recently interviewed the ASOS womenswear fashion director, Caren Downie and ASOS menswear head of design, John Mooney. The duo were quick to inform us of the rise in mobile spending, with a total of 10% of their sales coming from their newly launched mobile app, and that retail needs to encourage an `experience’ for shoppers now.

The traditional stagnant boutique is history.

You can watch the other half to this interview HERE.

What do you think of the global fast-chain invasion in Australia? Is it healthy competition? or the death of Australian retail? Join the conversation on our Facebook Page.

There’s more to making your space look good than just pretty clothing on hangers, or shoes positioned neatly on racks. A boutique or retail environment should also be inviting, luring shoppers in with its personal charm and individual interior that not only makes them compelled to walk in off the street, but also ensures they hang out for a while to browse and ultimately become a repeat customer.

If you’re stuck for ideas, then look to mei + picchi. They continue to bring the latest international visual merchandising trends to Australia and New Zealand with their unique range of display systems, including mannequins, wall systems and racks, hangers, signage systems and visual merchandising accessories for creating great displays.

Their latest addition to the already extensive mei + picchi selection of visual merchandising and display products is the new Furniture for Fashion range by d-Bodhi which combines old, reclaimed materials with new design, blending re-purposed certified recycled timber and recycled metals to create something new. Of course this contemporary and industrial furniture range is not only for fashion retailers, but is suitable for use within any retail and commercial environment including home wares stores and cafes, restaurants, hotels, offices and boardrooms.

Read more »

FASHIONTREND Australia has launched their new October issue showcasing Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and the Fall Winter collections direct from Paris and London. Featuring a hypnotic hair directive created by KEVIN.MURPHY, the cover story ‘DISCO’ is laced with epic beauty and after-dark allure.

Dedicated to high-voltage glamour, this highly collectable Issue unfolds into 150+ pages of unstoppable fashion.

We have 3 Issues to GIVEAWAY exclusive to our Fashion Exposed Facebook Page. ENTER NOW!

From the moment our alarm jolts us back from dreamland into reality again and we sleepily hit snooze on our smart phones, technology is all around us.
It’s so engrained in our daily lives that we aren’t even conscious of it anymore. Just think how much you rely on your phone for starters. Most of us don’t realise or comprehend how much we do via our mobile devices now. Not only are they a handy and very necessary portal for communication, they are now also our personal music device, our calendar, our address book, personal diary and notepad, calculator, camera, our map, compass and GPS, multimedia device, banking device, No.1 social media tool, shopping device, No. 1 electronic device with 23 million phones and 15 million are internet enabled! In fact they are so entrenched in our everyday that Paypal even predicts the end of the wallet by 2015.

To discuss this social media phenomenon and the rise of the mobile device, in particular M-commerce and social media realities as essential marketing tools for retailers and the future of shopping, the Australian Retailers Association brought together three key speakers at their recent `Engage in E-tail seminar’.
Key speakers at the Melbourne event included, Follow Agency, Little Rocket, and Shopworks Science.
I wanted to share one of the talks from Mark Fletcher –Director Shopworks Science as he discusses the definition of social media in retail, statistics and trends. It’s relevant to all retailers and general business practitioners right now looking to maximise their profits and improve their consumer relationships.
Click `more’ for the full PowerPoint presentation.
For those interested in attending the upcoming ARA Engage in E-tail Seminar Sydney, then you can register HERE.

Read more »

There’s never been a better time to invest in the new season. There is so much to inspire your new wardrobe, the warmer air, green sprouts showing signs of new leaves to the trees, cherry blossoms and magnolias in full bloom, and not to mention the Spring Summer seasonal shows from New York to Paris.
And up next on our social calendars is the launch of the Spring Summer Racing Season and the much-loved Melbourne Cup day. Race day outfits require the most detailed planning of all, and it’s the one event where the accessories always define the look. A simple and chic dress is usually best to let the headpiece, footwear and jewellery shine.

Which brings me to Brisbane-based accessories brand, Jessica T who’s company philosophy is based upon the belief that `accessories really can make or break an outfit’, and we concur.
The brand is a culmination of a decade-long love of all things fashion for the Creative Design Director, Jessica Russ, specialising in jewellery, handbags, wallets, clutches, overnight bags, hats, hair accessories, scarves and footwear.
Jessica T launched their debut Spring/Summer 2011 collection, Antiquarie in Giza at the recent Fashion Exposed, Melbourne showcasing a fusion of inspirations from ancient Egypt and Industrial Revolution Europe.

We asked Jess about her personal inspirations behind the debut range, what she loves most about her role, and where Australia sits on the global scale of accessories design.

Read more »

The upcoming spring summer season has most of us salivating at the rich sorbet palette with orange zest aplenty, mouthwatering watermelon and bright banana yellow.
So it comes as little surprise that the feast of fashion would literally become ready-to-eat.
MasterChef patissier guru Adriano Zumbo has gone that one step further with a dessert-inspired fashion show. Teaming up with Australian label Mossee (represented by Garland & Garland Fashion) and IM Boutique, Zumbo will launch a range of edible handbags, along with his new menu and book for the exclusive invite-only opening of his new patisserie at The Star on October 12 from 6-8pm.

Fashion Exposed Blog is told our taste buds will `pop’ as the bright summer dresses and skirts are matched with the bold and magical desserts designed by Zumbo for his new summer menu.
“From chocolate raspberry handbags to bold cake jewels, guests will be enthralled in a whimsical world display of sweet treats and fashion, then will taste the magic for themselves later in the evening,” states Zumbo. “It’s great working with an Australian label, known for bold colour, which I could use for inspiration for my menu.”

Help yourself to a sumptuous serve of food and fashion!!