Fashion Marketing: California versus London

BASED ON MY OPINION

California is a broad term to speak of and has stereotyped the California girl (just as the New York girl and so forth). California is about 1.9 times bigger than England and living in one part of California is completely different compared to living in another part. Just like the different parts of England. We have the girls who live in northern California, central California, and southern California. We have the girls who live in the city, the girls who live in the suburbs, and the girls who live in the rural/country side. The fashion styles different tremendously and fashion is offered differently. My former roommate lived in an area where the nearest, good shopping center was 15 minutes away. On the contrary, I grew up in an area where I had six shopping centers within 15 minutes away.

I live in the dorms here in Hatfield and the nearest shopping center is an absolute dirt hole (The Galleria). I'm not even sure if you can even call it a shopping center. There's nothing fabulous about it and you would not see my customer shopping in this sort of location. I went to St. Albans a few days ago and had higher expectations. I feel like all the stores aren't flashy with their store fronts compared to back at home. It wasn't as busy and the mall did not have much to offer, but a few stores. The Top Shop and River Island was very different compared to the ones on Oxford street. It was a lot more mellow and had lesser employees working. The experience was different. When I walked in to each store, I felt like the employees were bored and didn't have much to do. The stores looked the same to me also. They offered the same sort of styles, with their little twist in a different price range. On Oxford Street/Circus, it was quite insane. Lots of clothing, lots of people... just lots of things going on.

Unlike my experiences here in England, I feel like there are so many different stores that offer different styles. The shopping centers are bigger and have all sorts of stores for the woman. You can go for a classier look, something more beachy, something more skater-like, something more fashion forward, etc. Not all the fashion stores are located in shopping centers also. There are tons of thrift stores and independent stores that are in random locations. Also, selling clothing has taken a different step, ONLINE. I know a ton of American websites where you can only purchase the items online. A lot of stores have used social networking such as Facebook, Instagram, etc. to help their brands sell their merchandise.

UCI Vendor Fair & College Students Spending Habits

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UCI-Vendor-Fair/208863312470002
Source: http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/The-Spending-Habits-of-College-Students.html

The UCI Vendor Fair is a great sales channel to grow my business in the early stages. My customer profile is around this age where girls this age are very fashion forward and spend a lot of their money on clothing because they think more is essential. The vendor fair happens is not a one time a year fair, but happens for a week long about once or twice a school quarter. Also, we can target not just only one school, but several schools that provide vendor fairs for their schools. I do know that UC San Diego and UCI have vendor fairs quite frequently. These schools should be targeted because they are schools that are close to the beach that will have girls interested in this fashion. College vendor fairs is a great starting point for growing a fashion company.



A Look at the Spending Habits of College Students
While some students struggle to make ends meet, the stereotypical college experience of eating Ramen Noodles, wearing clothes from Goodwill, and drinking cheap beer is quickly disappearing. Much of this can be explained by the changing demographics of today’s students. Less than half (43%) of college students are 18-21. The typical college student is in their mid-twenties, either lives at home or on campus, and has a job. Students no longer expect to complete college in 4 consecutive years, and many fluctuate between full-time and part-time study over a period of 5 to 7 years. The older the student, the more money he or she generally has.

The typical college student gets an average of $757 a month from jobs, parents or other sources. Most money comes from work. 75% of students maintain jobs while attending school, earning $645 per month on average. 20% have secured an on-campus job and 42% are spending school breaks working. Parents contribute too, contributing an average of $154 to a student’s monthly income. A student spends more than $13,000 per year on average, 19% of which is discretionary. That adds up to a substantial $211 per month of discretionary spending.

Credit cards are monetary sources for some students. Most students – 70% of males and 75% of females – have between 1-3 credit cards. While establishing credit in college can be to your advantage, using credit cards for basic living expenses can create financial problems. Use credit cards sparingly.

Overall, data reveals college students to be savvy, capable and influential consumers, balancing the rising cost of tuition with a hardy work ethic, spending a fair portion of their considerable discretionary income on high-end technology, and holding considerable sway over the purchasing decisions of their peers.

College students spend most of their discretionary income on food. Students spend more than $11 billion a year on snacks and beverages. Even students who live in the dorms and have meal plans spend a lot of money eating out. You can spend hundreds of dollars on coffee each semester. Utilizing your meal plan and cooking your own meals can save a great deal of money.

A large expense for many college students is electronics, gadgets, and technology. Students rely on technology to access information, communicate with friends, and keep themselves entertained. These expenses are seen as necessities. The majority of college students (90%) own a computer, and two-thirds (65%) of those students have a broadband connection. 62% of college students own a stereo, a cell phone (77%), a printer (77%), and a television (84%). A large portion of income goes to cell phone service, which 85 percent of students have. The majority of students with cell phone service pay for extras such as text messaging (62%) and internet access through their mobile phone (41%).

Entertainment is another large expense for college students. They spend nearly $3 billion annually on movies, DVDs, music, and video games. They spend $474 million on music sales, $658 million on theater tickets, and $341 million on games each year. At home and in the dorms, they’re watching movies, spending $600 million to buy and $326 million to rent DVDs. If you think a big entertainment expense for college students is going out to bars and partying with friends, you’re right. It is estimated that the average student spends at least $50 per month on beer alone. Each year, American college students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol. While smoking is not a form of entertainment to most, it is a costly habit. A pack-a-day habit can cost you several hundred dollars a semester.

Personal care is another big expense for college students, with $4 billion spent each year for personal care products alone. Students also spend a lot of money clothing themselves. Nationally, students spend more than $5 billion a year on clothes and shoes.

By the time they reach college, full-time students represent over sixty billion dollars in buying power. This amount usually increases once the student graduates and becomes employed. Marketers who can successfully reach these young adults with a quality product, positive message, and clear value, may enjoy decades of loyal purchasing and millions of dollars worth of free, word-of-mouth marketing. Hooking someone while still in college is one way to do this.

Read more: A Look at the Spending Habits of College Students - StateUniversity.com Blog http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/The-Spending-Habits-of-College-Students.html#ixzz2MDentEg2

Designer Inspiration: Philippe Plein

Designer Inspiration: Byblos Milano and Calla

Designer Inspiration: Blumarine

Designer Inspiration: Blugirl

Blugirl is the epitomy of what I want Nixie Girl to be like. I love the colors the loose and flowy look, and the Bohemian touch to these outfits. I loved the prints incorporated that's settle, but adds the right touch.

Designer Inspiration: Azzaro

Azzaro.
Light. Airy. Floral. Simple. Sheer.

Designer Inspiration: Assembly

To begin with, this entire process for this project is so fresh and brand new to me as a fashion merchandising student from CSULB. I'm grateful to experience a different way of learning about fashion. This fashion marketing class is different because at CSULB, we learn a lot from lectures and from the books, it's not really hands on. This class is a lot more design based and has taught me to analyze more into fashion such as looking at designers, trend analysis, and color forecasting.

It's pretty much my first time looking at designers for inspiration or just looking at what designers bring to the runway and I'm in complete awe. I usually look through Pinterest and Tumblr for fashion inspiration, but what the designers bring is like no other.

What I love about Assembly is the simplicity of the looks that I picked out as inspiration for Nixie Girl. The clean but flowy look is very inspiring. I love the denim look to these outfits.

How to Be a "Beach Girl" Without a Beach

This was a fun thing that I found on the web when looking up inspiration for Nixie Girl.

You love the beach style look. You have the beach girl attitude, but you don't live anywhere near a beach. But don't let that get you down! Just read on..

1. Clothes
   Beach girls don't trade fashion for comfort, they combine them! It's not all about buying beach brands either, beach goddesses love mixing vintage finds with brand names. Summer staples include white maxi dresses, bright swimsuits (doesn't matter what type) that peek out of loose fitting tank tops, rompers, cut off denim shorts, and flowing skirts. In the fall and winter seasons, keep warm with boyfriend blazers, cardigans, dark washed jeans, and pops of color. Remember: It's all about the look of no-fuss, just-rolled-out-of-bed, and yes-I-do-look-naturally-gorgeous outfits that make a beach bunny look cute, carefree, and smart.
2. Shoes and Accessories
   Flip flips are for the beach so leave cute sandals for the streets. No one could go wrong with comfy Vans or Converse, while brightly colored espadrilles are great for going out. Okay, so some may say Puka shells (little bead like objects) and sharks teeth accessories are so early 2000s, but wearing them now couldn't hurt! Beach girls love to layer, whether it be bracelets or necklaces. Keep them light and thin, like simple gold chains, with small charms to keep it visually interesting. Homemade friendship bracelets never go out of style; try stacking several with leather and metal bracelets. Groovy shades like aviators and straw fedoras to keep out the bright sun are a must. Sass your wardrobes with a necklace scarf too.
3. Hair
   Not all beach girls are blonde with long hair. Brunette and Black haired beach babes have caramel or toffee highlights that frame the face, mimicking the way the sunlight hits wind kissed locks just right. Though, you don't have to have highlights if you want to be absolutely natural. Natural is key! Hair is layered for extra movement and volume. Start by washing hair with shampoos or conditioners that enhance curl. Style with salt spray hair product to create the matte look that comes from just coming out of a gnarly wave. Spray on something like Bumble and Bumble Sea Spray unto wet hair and use a diffuser nozzle on your hair dryer while scrunching lightly. For a night time look, French braid the front part of your hair and keep the rest loose, or pull it to a side pony tail with eye catching headbands. A Beach Girl doesn't have too much time to spend on her hair, especially when there's so much fun to have in the sun! There are also people with nappy hair. If you have nappy hair, leave your hair in an afro!
4. Make-up
   When doing your make-up, keep it very natural. It's even better not to have any makeup ever in your life. But if you want to, aim for tinted moisturizers (with SPF of course) and just enough concealer to hide the dark eye circles that came from that awesome beach bonfire last night. Also try mixing liquid bronzer with foundation topped off with peach blush for a "just spent the day baking in the sun without the skin cancer" look. Gold eyeshadow and teal eyeliner looks great on any eye color, but you can never go wrong with a brown smoky eye paired with a light pink gloss. All eye product must be waterproof, of course. You never know when you'll be hitting the water!
5. Attitude
   Life's a beach, so have fun! You don't need to know how swim or surf to be laid back. Beach girls love trying new things, protecting Mother Earth, and accepting people for who they are. We don't get hot surfer guys by being boring and being high maintenance! Learn to be confident in yourself and not stressing every little thing, and you're on your way to having a Beach Girl state of mind.

Source: WikiHow

Mission Statement.

Nixie Girl's mission is to provide our customers a selection of lifestyle fashion for the atypical California girl.

London Bound: Oxford Street & Circus

It was my first time in London and it was my first time shopping in London. Although I didn't do any shopping, I was amazed by everything. I've been shopping in New York before and looking around Oxford street reminded me of Soho, not Time Square. There aren't big fancy screens on top of the store fronts, but the interiors of each store is massive. I only went to a few stores, particularly Dorothy Perkins, River Island, and Top Shop. I didn't not get a chance to see stores like Zara, H&M, Forever 21, and Primark.

Dorothy Perkins is very classic and defined. Their target customer, to me, seems like the fashionable working/business lady. The area was very spacey and it was easy to shop. I went on a Friday and it didn't feel too crowded in the store. I felt like the areas were defined to a particular style and there wasn't a big mess. Unfortunately, I didn't think the store had anything I desired for my company. It was too clean cut for me.

I went to River Island and only explored the main floor of the store. It intrigues me how every store has several floors to the store. I realized that I want my store to be smaller and I don't think Oxford street would be the best location to start my store. I want my clothing to be very selective; I don't want a broad range of clothing. River Island reminds me of H&M back at home. It's very trendy and right off the bat, when I came through the front, I can see what's new and what's in. I didn't care for much of the display on the tables; they weren't memorable (I don't even remember how the clothing was displayed in Dorothy Perkins). Again, I didn't feel like I could bring anything from River Island to my company because the style is just so different.

When I went to Top Shop, it was absolutely insane. It was the store that was just packed with people. It wasn't enjoyable at all. It kind of scares me how overwhelming the store is. Maybe because the store is on Oxford. I have been to two Top Shop's back at home. The one in Las Vegas is a lot smaller and I believe only had one floor. But even with it's size, it was easy to maneuver around. I've been to the Top Shop in New York too. This store felt just as busy as the one in Oxford. It was hard to get around and there was so many products. The sales section was massive, but very cluttered. In this Top Shop, I felt like although I could tell different sections apart, there were a lot of areas that seemed like everything was just mixed in together. I'd see the same coat in three different areas. The store was way too big and I wouldn't want to be as a customer to shop through that. Whereas, some girls love that it's so big because the store has so much to offer. I just found it very frustrating to get around the store.

Although none of the stores really had what I wanted for my company/brand, I came to a conclusion that I don't want a store that's high street. We don't have this term "high street" back at home in California so I believe that's why my store wouldn't be like any of these stores in Oxford. I'd want a smaller store, almost like a boutique, but offered world wide. All of the stores have a classiness to the style, very bold and fashion forward. I didn't see any stores that had a laid back feel. What I distinctly remember are white floors. It's something not really noticed in stores, but I'd want wooden floors with particular lighting that gives a warm feeling. I found it interesting how Top Shop had an area to go into the fitting room and an area to go out. I thought that this was really convenient because the employees could focus on their duties, maintaining the clothing better. Although, most of the customer service was very poor. Back at home, particular in South Coast Plaza, there's always someone greeting you at the door, someone asking you if you need assistance as you browse, and the fitting room people are a lot friendlier. Maybe it's a London thing. Probably a New York thing too.

I hope to explore more shopping areas to compare stores to one another.

Sales Channels

SWOT Analysis

I was very confused about this part because I have never done a SWOT analysis before. I didn't know if I had to do one for the stores that I looked at or for my own company.

Competitor Analysis: LuLu's

LuLu's is an online based store and I wanted to look at their style and clothing to get a different feel compared to what I've looked at that relate to what I want to do.

LuLu's style is definitely more feminine and flirty compared to the other brands that I looked at. The way the girls are composed, they look like they are determined to catch a guy's attention.

Their clothing is composed of lots of pastels, floral, and feminine features. They like to use light fabrics and chiffons. The girls are posed in a "cute-sy" way. This is the sort of feminine touch that I want my brand to dabble into.

Price Range:

• Dresses: 30~150
• Tops/Jackets: 20~130
• Bottoms: 30~70

Competitor Analysis: Free People

Free People is the kind of girl that I want to dress, but something more simple and relaxed.

The store is well decorated with florals and it gives this vintage feeling to its customers. The mannequins are just absolutely well dressed that you want to buy the entire outfit. They use a lot of layering. The tables are neat and the selection is impeccable.

As much as I love Free People, the prices are ridiculous. The price range is very big compared to Roxy. Here are the price points of some of their items:

• Dresses: 60~1000
• Tops: 38~300
• Sweaters: 70~250
• Pants: 70~200

I suppose there is a reason why the prices are ridiculous. The quality is amazing and what you get is almost one of a kind (you can't find it at another store). Free People embodies the bohemian chic look with the flowy look, maxi skirts, lots of layering, and tons of different textures and patterns. They're all about lace and floral.

I would love to design for a girl with a mixture of Free People and the simplicity of Brandy Melville and Roxy.

Competitor Analysis: Brandy Melville

Brandy Melville is one of my favorite brands back at home. It has a vintage feel and when you go inside, they love to play country music. Although it has a country feel, I thought I'd take a look at how this company took on it's brand.

Just like Roxy, everything is decorated with wooden furniture from the floors to the tables. What's unique about this store are the unique hangers that they have. I think they are metal hangers wrapped with long strips of fabric. Brandy Melville's store is well decorated. Their tables are filled with all sorts of things. It's like a neat mess? (If that makes any sense) They like to fill up every nick and cranny of the store.

After looking over all their merchandise, I concluded that the brand is all about comfortability also. A lot of their clothing are basics, not much patterns. The clothing show a lot of skin and are loose fitting. They love their maxis! Their accessories contained a lot of simple, delicate jewelry that is meant to layer on. The store did not have anything fancy or unique.

Price Points:

• Tops: 10~30
• Dresses: 20~50
• Skirts: 10~40

Competitor Analysis: Roxy

Roxy is the epitome of a California surf girl. I knew this already right off the bat even though I've only been into their store probably once. Just based on internet knowledge, I can tell how much it embodies the surfer chick.

The store has wooden everything! From the wooden floors to the wooden hangers, it reminds you of the beach vibe you get when you're walking across the sandy wooden pier. The store has probably included everything that relates to the ocean such as shells, the ocean, and the blue lighting.

Upon looking at the brand's design, fabrication, and price points, Roxy would be classified as super casual. I feel like the brand gears towards the comfort of beach wear instead of being fashionable (which isn't what I'm looking for). Roxy uses a lot of patterns, but at the same time has basic tanks and such to compliment these patterns. A lot of the clothing are loose fitting and skin exposing. They're all about hoodies and cut off shorts. The jackets are light and a lot of their clothing are casual. Roxy is all about comfort. The price range feels steep for the quality.

• Dresses: 40~60
• Tops: 25~60
• Shorts: 30~40
• Jackets: 60~70
• Skirts: 40~70
• (in American dollars)

After my research, although I am gearing towards the California girl, I do not want to embody what Roxy has. Roxy is way too beach-y looking. I want to dress the California girl that you wouldn't always see at the beach, but always out and about. Roxy's look is too casual and not so much fashion forward. It is very basic.

Customer Profile