Let’s Talk about Will.

On a hot day last August, a good looking young guy in a black hat and tons of swagger called Will Solomon came to see me about his ideas for a new label.  If you know Will, you’ll know he’s a confident young 21 year old who knows exactly what he wants.  He’s an exceptionally talented artist and his show at a Mayfair art gallery over the next couple of weeks is going to be a knock out.  You can check out his fabulous art here: www.willsolomonstudios.com

Will showed me his ideas at the Fashionworks London workroom in Brick Lane.  I immediately spotted an amazing talent.  His wearable art is fantastically subtle in a very ‘in your face’ way.  He takes classic pieces, sweaters, bomber jackets and leather biker jackets and turns them into wearable art pieces that just look amazing…. amazing because they’re all unique limited editions and you cannot miss them.  They stand out in a crowd of ‘average’ like the Queen’s Crown Jewels light up the Tower of London.  Will paints directly on to  the soft nappa leather that we use to make his jackets.  His artwork is also printed onto jersey and canvas to create unique sweaters with zip details, leather sleeves and other great finishing touches. None of the sweaters are the same and Will only runs 10 off at a time, so if you want to wear something nobody else will ever own, then buy a Will Solomon sweater.

 

Will intended his first capsule collection to be worn by both girls and guys and they look equally at home on both genders. Raf Simmons has done the same in his latest offering for AW17 for Calvin Klein, giving equal opportunity for both genres.  This is a trend I see coming through for the new season’s collections, especially for streetwear.  My other young clients, Tom Bradly and Daniel Ball, whose fabulous streetwear label, Arthur and Adelyne is wonderfully genderless.  I’m going to write more about these guys after their launch.  For now, centre stage belongs to our gorgeous talented Will Solomon.

If you’re interested in Will’s limited editions, you can contact him through his website or contact Fashionworks London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Luxury Fashion Brands from Verb Media – Jennifer Cotton. (Our neighbours in Brick Lane).

http://verbbrands.com/top-8-luxury-fashion-brands-instagram-accounts-to-follow/

 

 

Raf Simons – The ‘Anti’ Designer

Raf Simons,  designer, has captured the ‘Zeitgeist’… Brilliant is the only word that describes this collection and even that doesn’t say enough. I’m glad he left Dior… not his baby.  Here’s who he is:

“Everyone is paying attention to the wrong thing in my opinion. There’s this huge debate about ‘Oh my God, should we sell the garments the day after the show or three days after the show or should we tweet it in this way or Instagram it in that way?’… You know, all that kind of bullshit. Will all that stuff still be relevant 30 years from now? I don’t think so…My generation especially is shifting now, like me and Phoebe [Philo], Nicolas [Ghesquière] and Marc [Jacobs]. We’ve been around for 20 or more years. We know what fashion was and where it’s heading to. Now it’s a question of what we are willing to do and how we are going to do it.”

Raf has to be my absolute favourite because he has a gift of ‘knowing’ and that’s what a good designer needs.  Streetwear is my ‘thing’ and my passion.  I love working with my young streetwear clients.  It’s a tough call launching a streetwear collection… those subtle elements like making the pockets big enough for the iphone, the fit, the layering, the ‘I’m not fashionable’ attitude that must comes across as the wearer is just not trying. Above all streetwear is the ultimate ‘anti’ fashion fashion.

 

Walking around Shoreditch during the day and evening, I see some fabulous streetwear being worn.  What I love about Raf’s collection is that he’s taken the concept and moved it up a hundred notches and made streetwear just outstanding… in fact leagues above any other fashion statement. Just genius! Very powerful statements here.

I wish he’d do a women’s streetwear collection like this.  I’d buy it in a heartbeat.  Comfortable, stylish, practical… and of course that special ingredient – Zeitgeist!

All designers should be looking ahead, designing for the future and not for today.  We must look at the political arena, current affairs, global events, cultural fusions, the economy and yes, even Donald J Trump!  All of these must be delved into and researched thoroughly to come up with the most exciting and innovative creations.  When you look back at the sixties, you see the Zeitgeist in the clothes people wore, likewise the ’70’s and every decade past. This next decade must also be represented to form part of our history and Raf’s new collection does exactly that.

This is what is going to be the new trend:

and this:

 

Says it all doesn’t he?  Legend.

London Fashion Week SS17 – Phew!

Wow!  What a hectic few weeks it has been at Fashionworks London in our studio in Brick Lane.  Big thanks to my SS17 team – Dan and also Tanja who both worked hard to meet some very tight deadlines.  The proof of the pudding as they say…….

We also moved into our new bigger studio in the main building of the Old Truman Brewery and have a view of half the Gherkin. All in all we got through it and clients got their designs on the rails at London Fashion Week.

One of my favourite collections this SS17 was Caine London.  Hayley and Matthew are just incredibly talented designers, artists and musicians.  They create masterpieces – literally!

Works of art on the back of cool denim jackets.

The rest of the collection is just super cool.

It was a delight to work for Alistair James this season.  These guys are lovely… I mean seriously lovely.  They look like two peas out of the same pod and it’s not surprising they are partners, both professionally and personally.  What a great launch… everything in the collection is beautiful and divine.  Total attention to details, fabulous prints, amazing silhouettes – just gorgeous.  They gave me a bottle of champagne after it was all over too… in its own little jacket! Can’t complain.

For all young fashion designers out there, my advice to you is to keep going and you’ll get there.  These young designers I’ve helped for SS17 are a true inspiration of what can be achieved if you work hard and then some.  It is a labour of love, no doubt about it….. but let’s face it, we do love it!

My satisfaction comes from seeing you all succeed.  So, if you want to launch your own collection next season, pop in and see me for a free consultation.  My team and I will do our very best to help you.

Copyright – Fashion Designs.

Here’s some useful information on protecting your designs.  Copying is rife in the fashion industry but a designer does have some protection from plagiarism.

Copyright protects the expression of creativity by the author, not ideas. So you cannot protect an idea for a dress, but once it is drawn or painted, it is the drawing or painting of the dress, as an expression of that idea, which is protected, not a garment. These are often protected by design rights.  Copyright arises automatically once a work is created. There is no need for registration. The main provisions for the protection of copyright are contained within the Copyright, Designs ands Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988).

A design can be protected under s4 of CDPA 1988 as an artistic work; specifically as a graphic work which includes a painting or a drawing. Textile designs may benefit from copyright protection but an actual coat or dress (when made) does not.

The author is the person who creates the work, i.e you!  If you have collaborated with another designer in creating the design, the work may be a work of joint authorship with both designers sharing in the rights.  The author is the first owner of copyright under s11(1) CDPA 1988. There are, however, exceptions. These are:

Works made by employees in the course of employment.

Commissioned works.

In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, where an artistic work is made in the course of the employment, the employer is the first owner of any copyright in the work  A copyright owner has the exclusive right to:

Copy the work

Issue copies of the work to the public

Authorise others to carry out any of these activities (ie licences).

If a design is industrially exploited (which will usually be the case for textiles and fashion designs), the protection is reduced to 25 years from when the work is first exploited.

You don’t need to formally register your design to acquire copyright or EC design protection. But keeping a good record of what you have designed is critical. So put a copyright notice on each design: © + year of creation + your name + contact details.

Design rights can be relevant for fashion design. This is a complex area with several possible legal rights. However, the most relevant for a designer would be the EU Unregistered Community Design. This gives a very broad range of protection and can cover: Your design can be protected as an unregistered Community Design for three years. You do not need to register your design or fulfill any other formal requirements. If you decide to register the design, you can choose whether to make a single registration for the entire EU or merely for the UK. A registered design provides protection for 25 years. There is generally no need to worry about registration due to the fast moving nature of fashion. Even if you chose to register your design, you can delay doing so for 12 months from first marketing the design. This means you can wait and see if the design is likely to become a hit before incurring the registration fees.

In addition to the Community rights just described, there is a further UK right called the UK unregistered design right. This protects any aspect of shape or configuration of a design, though not surface decoration. This right can last for up to 10 years from when an article was first made to the design. This right arises from s213 of the CDPA 1988. There is overlap between these various rights. For example, a handbag may be protected as a Community Design and under the UK unregistered design right. © 2009 John/Jane Smith (address and telephone number). • costume design • urban design • product design • packaging design • industrial design ‘the appearance of the whole or part of a product resulting from the feature of, in particular, the lines, contour, colours, shape, texture and/or materials of the product itself and/or its ornamentation’. EU Designs Directive, Art 1(a), RDA s1(2) 4

A trade mark is a sign which distinguishes your goods from those of your competitors. Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gap are examples of well-known trade marks. Trade marks are important because they are the attractive force that pulls in your customers. Generally, your name or the name of your fashion label may function as a trade mark. Distinctive shapes can also be trade marks. For example the Burberry check and the classic Louis Vuitton print are registered trade marks. However, any sign that is customary in the trade is unlikely to be registrable as a trade mark. This applies to standard shapes (eg, the shape of a shoe), words used to describe your goods (eg the word ‘coat’ for outerwear) or shapes that result exclusively from the nature of the goods themselves (eg the shape of a dress). If there is a word, phrase, or design that you use repeatedly a trade mark registration may be something you should consider. Trade marks can be registered just for the UK (at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO)) or throughout the EU (at the Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market (OHIM) in Alicante, Spain). Once registered, protection for your trade mark may last indefinitely as long as you continuing renewing your registration every 10 years. When registering a trade mark it is generally advisable to instruct a trade mark attorney to ensure that all of the requirements of registration are met. Once registered, a trade mark registration generally allows you to stop the use and distributing of goods bearing your trade mark. For example, Louis Vuitton can stop the selling and importing of counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags bearing its registered trade mark design. A registered trade mark can be a very powerful tool.

If your business has a reputation (goodwill) in the UK, and another trader misrepresents its goods to be yours, you may have a claim based on ‘passing off’. Passing off operates in a similar manner as a trade mark claim without the need for a registration, but it can prove difficult and expensive to prove that your name has a reputation A registered trade mark avoids some of these steps and associated costs.

You should keep a photographic or photocopy catalogue of your designs, detailing when they were created, so that the date of creation can be proved if there is some future dispute. If you are employed as a designer and create the design in the course of your job, the copyright and/or design right will belong to your employer, not to you. If you are commissioned to create a design the position is more complicated. You should agree with the person commissioning who is to own the copyright and/or design right. If you are asked to send designs to a prospective client include a standard statement of ownership.

When a manufacturer wishes to use your work you should enter into a contract with one another. You may either LICENCE or ASSIGN your rights. An ASSIGNMENT is more usual since this is an outright transfer of your copyright and the customer will then have full, exclusive, control. A LICENCE is for specific purposes which you and your customer will agree. For example, you allow use of your design for one season or for one market sector. During the period you have licensed your design you remain the copyright owner. Usually an outright fee is paid to you; more rarely a royalty based on sales can be negotiated. You should require your full fee to be paid upfront. Signatures: It is advisable that the invoice detailing the charges and currency is signed by both parties. Usually this is worldwide although you can try and negotiate for a more limited area, eg UK or USA only. ‘This design is protected by copyright © and/or design rights. It is provided to you “in confidence” and you are not at liberty to disclose the design to a third party. Any infringement of the designer’s copyright and/or design rights will be pursued.’ Generally ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Fees Signatures Geographic Area.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I hope all my clients, past, present and future enjoy a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year 2016.  It’s a Leap Year so that means great things are going to happen.

If you’re thinking about starting a fashion label, now’s the time to put your ideas into action and call me to set up a meeting.

In the New Year, I’ll be posting some great information on pitching to buyers and fashion editors – from the horse’s mouth!  Forget expensive PR – do it yourself for better results.

See you all in 2016

Bye for now

Katy Cordina

Fashion Start-Ups.

I wanted to write about starting up a fashion label and give you some help and useful information. If you’re thinking about launching your own collection you need help and advice and often young people find it difficult to access the necessary resources that are free of charge.

Clients come to me with some fantastic designs but without a business plan and funding, it’s very difficult to make the dream a reality. I don’t normally help with the funding part, as I expect you to already have passed that stage when I meet you.  However, lately a couple of young designers have asked me about funding possibilities.  First of all, nobody is going to lend you any money if you don’t have a good business plan. Sitting down and writing a business plan is a discipline and I’m not qualified to give any advice.  However, there is one lady I know who could help and her name is Lynne Hammond.  Lynne can give advice on business and marketing and is willing to give my clients half an hour of her time free of charge, to set you on the right path.  So, you might want to get in touch with her and mention Katy Cordina and Fashionworks London.  Her contact details are on her website: Lynne Hammond

Possible sources of funding are Virgin-Start Ups and The School for Creative Start-Ups.  The British Library IP Business Centre is also a good resource. You might get funding from Kick Starter or some other crowd funding platform.  However, I’m not here to give you advice on where to find funding, you may be fortunate enough not to need any. I’m here to draw you a map of how to get from concept to launch once you have funding in place.

Once you have the money to launch your business, you call me or email me.  I always have time to offer my help and advice if you’re genuinely looking to start a fashion label.  We arrange to meet and discuss your designs.  I talk you through the way we work at Fashionworks London and I give you an honest appraisal. I tell you whether your designs are good and likely to sell or whether you’re barking up the wrong tree and wasting my time and your money.  I’m very frank and don’t give you any bullshit.

If I think your ideas are good, I’ll write up a quote and if you accept, we’ll work on your project.  We are selective who we take on because we value our reputation. We are renowned for quality and service and for accurately interpreting your sketches. One thing that sets us apart from other sampling studios is that I will mentor you along the way. I help you source the right fabrics at the right prices directly from the mills who will supply small quantities to start-ups. I have negotiated amazing deals for young designers for the best Italian zips.  I help you select buttons.  I put you in touch with printers who can print your designs, pleaters, washers and dyers, embroiderers etc. I do personal fittings free and amend your patterns at no extra charge.  Emile, who runs the sample room makes beautiful, well cut and neatly sewn samples.

What’s more, we never finish a collection and hand it over to you until you’re 100% happy with the results  (Just letting you know that you’re in good hands when we work for you).  We have clients from Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Casablanca, Barcelona, Dublin and we work with young people who are based in London and all over the UK.  I can help you source the right factory for your collection and put you in the best hands after we’ve finished your samples.

Starting your own label can be expensive.  It depends how big you want it to be.  If you’ve got big ambitions to launch at London Fashion Week, you need to be prepared to pay a lot of money. I’ve got clients from both ends of the spectrum.  Some young designers start very small, with a capsule collection of between 3-8 designs.  They use social media to promote themselves and sell via their website.  It works.  If you’re good with social media you stand a very good chance of success…. If your designs are good, the quality is good and your prices are right (that doesn’t mean cheap!).

One of my recent clients is about to launch her collection on the back of her very popular fashion blog that has accumulated over 20,000 followers during her 3 years at university.  She’s a chemical engineer!

Another young client launched her collection of leather jackets with just one jacket!

My Malaysian client has shown at London Fashion Week and in Paris and he’s now launching an amazing collection of sweaters… watch this space!

My lovely Japanese designer is launching at London Fashion Week in February 2016 and afterwards in Tokyo.  Not only is she a fashion designer….she’s also a great singer and an author.  She’s amazingly talented.

Talent plays a huge part in whether or not you’re going to have a chance at success but so does sheer determination and effort.  If you come to me with photographs of other designer’s work and ask me to copy it for you…I can guarantee you will fail.  Apart from anything else, what’s the point?  (We don’t copy other people’s work by the way).

So, that’s about it in a nutshell.

I can help you launch a label… bringing your designs to life and guiding you through the process and helping you to overcome pitfalls and problems.

Fact:  It doesn’t matter if you can’t draw – many designers can’t!  As long as you can express your ideas in a way that I can understand, you’ll be fine. Use a template (you can get them free online) and remember to draw the back view!  You don’t need to pay for technical drawings. Inspirational images, mood boards are very helpful too.

We’re now taking on new projects for Spring/Summer 2017, so when you’re ready, get it touch but don’t leave it too long – we get fully booked very quickly and I hate turning great designs away… pattern cutting is my passion.  It’s what I’m known for and it’s nice to get stuck in to creating patterns for brilliant designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Leader of The Pack

I’ve been doing a lot of patterns and samples for leather jackets lately for various designers.  It’s so exciting!  It has taken me back to my teens when we all listened to the Shangri-La’s ‘Leader of the Pack’….In those days, we were either mods or rockers.  Okay, I’m showing my age but it was an exciting time and it was reflected in music and in films such as ‘Easy Rider’ with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper – 2 Harley Davison riding hippies who drove across America in search of spiritual truths.  Listen to ‘The Leader of the Pack’ and tell me it’s not exciting!

My first boyfriend was called Giacomo and he drove an Italian 900cc Laverda motorbike…with me on the back of course. We used to belt up and down the German ‘Autobahns’ – Ah! those were the days.  When I was reckless and careless and 19 years old!

Making the patterns for these leather biker jackets has taken me back to my youth and the excitement of travelling on a motorbike. It is a sexy machine…no doubt about it and it’s been portrayed as such by countless film idols throughout the last 50 years or so – Marlon Brando and James Dean spring to mind.  There is an element of ‘naughtiness’ attached to the biker look. Aren’t they gorgeous!

But what about the girls?  The first rock chicks I remember strutting around on stage wearing a leather biker were Patti Smith and Suzy Quatro.  It’s in the attitude!

Back to today….. my favourite bikers have to be from McQueen and Burberry…. it’s all in the details.

See how team McQueen have created an’Innocent’ biker jacket.  They’ve transformed it.  It’s lost the ‘naughty’ image of the past and is now portrayed as very feminine with an almost ‘choir boy’ type of innocence.

Burberry on the other hand have stuck with the modern sexy look… Phew! For a minute I thought she was carrying a whip! The details in these 2 jackets are incredible.. the zips, pockets, quilting details….perfection!  I take my hat off to the pattern cutter who created these two gems..they’re works of art!  A leather jacket like this consists of no less than 30 pattern pieces, all intricately linked like one of those 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.  I also take my hat off to the machinists who have the task of sewing them up.  They are true masters.  These jackets retail for around £1500 and worth every penny.  You’ll have it for years and see how little it dates.  I’d still wear Patti Smith’s biker style and be very fashionable.

If your budget doesn’t stretch to these masterpieces there are some good quilted black jackets around that give a similar look and at the moment my current favourite collection is Barbour International.  I had to buy a few pieces from this fantastic every day collection.  The word ‘chic’ doesn’t do it justice!

The Chicara Wax Jacket is a motorcycling-inspired piece…I also love the Barbour Lapwing jumpsuit and the Lapwing dress – now we’re talking my style!  Simple, chic and black!

So guys and girls – get motor biking…. get moving!

Suzi Perry looking good in leather. Timeless, classic… attitude!

This is a very elegant understated cropped leather biker jacket we have just finished for the young designer Frankie Wyld.

Hot off the sewing machine!

British Vogue Magazine – Full of Advertisements and Little Else of Interest.

I want to write about my experience of reading a Vogue magazine this weekend.  Whilst doing my grocery shopping, I passed the magazine stand and noticed that Vogue Magazine was at a special price of £2, so I bought one.  I haven’t read a Vogue Magazine since graduating from St. Martins and after reading this June 2015 issue, I’m certain I wont ever read one again.

The young model on the cover looked like a young Brigitte Bardot with her open-mouthed pout and messy blonde locks, perched on the sand in her gingham bikini…. reminding us that summer time and fun time is on the horizon (not quite though as it’s just started to rain here).

I open the magazine.  First page spread is advertising Dior handbags, second page is advertising Chanel fine jewellery, third page is advertising Prada handbags fourth page is advertising Chanel sunglasses, fifth page is advertising Estee Lauder Double Wear make-up, sixth page is advertising Dior fine jewellery, seventh page is advertising Burberry handbags eighth page is advertising Miu Miu handbags, ninth page is advertising Saint Laurent Paris, tenth page is advertising Valentino footwear and handbags, eleventh page is advertising Louis Vuitton handbags, twelfth page is advertising Louis Vuitton handbags….Phew!  Twelve pages of advertising before we finally reach ‘Inside Vogue’ giving us details of what we can expect between the pages of advertisements.

After reading ‘Inside Vogue’ I turn the page – more advertising!  Fourteenth page is advertising Ralph Lauren’s ‘Ricky Drawstring’ bag and ‘Ricky’ Sunglasses. Fifteenth page is advertising Rolex watches, and sixteenth page is more ‘Inside Vogue’ information.  So far my experience of ‘Inside Vogue’ has been page after page of double spread advertisements. However I press on…

Ah! Seventeenth page is advertising Clinique lipstick, eighteenth page is advertising Lancome Grandiose mascara, nineteenth page is advertising Dior Rouge Brillant lipstick, twentieth page is advertising Patek Philippe watches, twenty first page is advertising Dior watches.  It seems like they come in batches according to product.  There’s clearly a method to this.  I push on getting thoroughly bored by now but also intrigued… I want to count the advertisements I just paid £2 to read.

Ah! Here we have ‘Editor’s Letter’… now let’s see what she has to say…. Mmmn more boring stuff. It begins “Since I’m a sun-lover through and through this issue is usually one of my favourites of the year”… I can’t think why.  So far, it’s all advertisements for merchandise few of us can afford.  I push on.

Twenty second page is advertising Chanel lipstick, twenty third page is advertising Tiffany jewellery, twenty fourth page is advertising Van Cleef and Arpels jewellery, twenty fifth page is advertising Bvlgari jewellery, twenty seventh page is advertising Chopard jewellery, twenty eighth page is advertising Viktor and Rolf feminine fragrance, twenty ninth page is advertising Gucci Guilty fragrances for him and her, thirtieth page is advertising Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, thirty first page is advertising Giorgio Armani sunglasses, thirty second page is advertising La Perla swimsuits, thirty third page is advertising Fendi handbags.

Ah!  Now we come to ‘Vogue Spy’… ‘Shopping List…What to Buy Now’ it says.  ‘Sweep into cocktail hour’…. I’m told to buy a La Perla swimsuit for £480, gold pendant necklace for £340, Bracelet with diamond £384 and a few other expensive garments to make it look like I’m at least dressed whilst sipping my cocktail.

I won’t bore you any further.  I had just about reached my boredom threshold by this time anyway.

All I can say is this…. VOGUE MAGAZINE YOU ARE SO OUT OF TOUCH!

Thank goodness I work with fresh young talent and see the effort these young talented designers make to create their fascinating and innovative collections. All that ostentatious Vogue ‘in your face’ advertising is out of touch with reality.

The world has changed Vogue Magazine…Young designers are creating their own fashion, creating their own tribes online, reaching the far corners of the globe.  The window on their world is vibrant and exciting and fresh and full of energy.  I didn’t see that energy in any of your pages as I turned and turned and turned those glossy advertisements, showing diamonds and handbags. Most of us in this new era of post-austerity would never consider adorning ourselves with all that bling. Vogue magazine is an expensive booklet of corporate advertisements.

Young designers that I work with have the talent to create fresh and innovative collections… even on a tight budget.

Please support young British design talent.  Look for them online and through social media.  You won’t find them inside the glossy pages of a Vogue magazine that’s for sure.

Walking Billboards.

I’ve been meaning to write about this topic for some time because it really bugs me to see people walking around with logos and branding written all over their chests, backs, heads, feet – in fact wherever they can get away with it, clothing brands will stamp their mark all over their ‘herd’.  It is such a lucrative marketing tactic that it amazes me how they have actually made it ‘normal’ for several years now.

Walk down any high street and you will see what I’m talking about.  People just seem to accept it as the norm.  It’s normal to have ‘Superdry’ written all over your body, or some big brashy logo at the sides of your sunglasses.  God forbid if M&S put their logo on the side of their £10 sunglasses!  They’d go bankrupt!  On the other hand if we’ve just shelled out £200 plus for a pair of designer sunglasses, we want everyone to know we have ‘great taste’ and plenty of cash to spend showing off our great taste.

One type of person wears logos to show off their wealth, so they will choose the logos of the ‘designer’ brands, the status symbols.  Another type of person wants to show they’re ‘hip’, so they’ll choose the ‘hip’ brands.  Lastly, the third type doesn’t even realise they’re a walking billboard.

I think it’s the cleverest marketing trick ever!

When we see sports people covered in logos, we know they are being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for being seen with a particular logo stitched or printed on their shirt.  They go out and play their game in front of millions and everyone looks at the logos and it registers in their brain. That tick means something – it’s a winner!

The ‘walking billboard’ actually pays to be the host of the advertisements.  These walking billboards walk down the busy high street or in the bar or Starbucks and the like and people look at the logos.  Brand identity is very powerful. Difference is, these people are not getting paid to be walking billboards – they’re doing it for free, even paying hard earned cash for the privilege of advertising on behalf of their chosen multi million pound company.

It is very difficult to create a brand from scratch these days, to be able to ‘brand’ people, unless you have managed to build up a cult following (usually achieved through social media).  These new cults like to show off the brand they ‘belong’ to by wearing the logo. This is a tribal instinct.

‘Sinstar – The Sinners and The Saints’.

Could it have something to do with people needing to belong to a tribe?  The new idea of ‘family’? Or is it an identity crisis?It seems that way to me. Why do people walk around with a giant logo written all over their chest?  Why do some prefer to be a walking billboard rather than wear clothes that are just comfortable or items that are well designed and well made?

The majority of ‘walking billboards’ are dressed in casual clothing like sweats, T’s and the like.  Juicy Couture make very boring velour tracksuits worn mostly by ‘The Real Housewives of……’ and they put a big, bold and gold and silver ‘Juicy’ logo on them that sells millions.  These boring velour tracksuits are usually worn with a large pair of ‘designer’ sunglasses with big, bold and gold logos on the sides.  We won’t bother mentioning the logos on the feet…but we know they’ll be there, just as we know they’ll be sprayed with a generous amount of ‘designer’ perfume ….and they’re good to go.

Now, some of you might be cringing at the very thought of the above but think about it.  What’s the difference between that and lugging around your big expensive handbag?  The brown one that’s covered in LV?  Or is that more ‘tasteful’? There are now companies that rent out designer handbags by the day – it’s that bad!

Rent this Chanel handbag for a few hundred pounds a day – Really?

I am truly fed up with walking billboards and I think people should stop buying items with logos.  I think people who need to show off like this are declaring themselves insecure.  Do you really need to let people know where you bought your clothes from?  It’s like keeping the price tag on a gift and then wrapping it up. Logos do not equate to quality.

Get over yourselves… It really is ridiculous.  Makes me chuckle when I see it.  And the cash register rattles on….

I own up to owning a ‘designer’ bag. It is a £5 canvas shopper bought at Sainsbury, designed by Lulu Guiness for Red Nose Day – all in a good cause!

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN – NO MORE WALKING BILLBOARDS!