Reflection

After creating my digital design project, there is a lot of things I definitely would have improved or worked on differently.  After an in class checkup of our blogs, it finally sparked in my mind that this will be completely all trial and error.  Since this is my first time creating anything digital online, it is not supposed to be a perfect, it is supposed to resemble someone who is exploratory in his or her research about a certain topic.  Although I may be familiar with both fashion and music, I actually still learning about the effect of technology on both genres.   Some potential for revisions include an easier layout to read, although I really enjoyed my layout I wanted it to be not as artistic and a little more literary, yet my topic was fashion and music- two rebellious elements.   Some weaknesses include trying to keep up with posting interesting enough blogs in a reasonable amount of time so my viewers could relate in a quicker time span.  I really do feel like my blog is interesting, and I hope viewers will gain something from exploring it. 

It was a bit of an issue to try and not be too personal with my posts, since I tried to demonstrate a tone that was easily relatable to readers of the blog.  I did not want the blog to come off as biased towards one designer, publication, or website, I just wanted to inform the readers of the blog of what my favorite mediums pertaining to genres are.  My tone easily coincided with the information I was displaying; I was conveying a message I wanted to convey.  Being passionate about both genres is what allowed me to clearly communicate what I was feeling in an unbiased manner. 

Composing articles pertaining to both music and fashion required research about what conviction I wanted to display on the blog.  I think I really pieced together the full purpose of rhetorical composition, which was to communicate using text to a targeted audience.  I also learned that writing with feeling and honesty about a specific subject makes you a credible author and person to your audience.  By honestly blogging posts, I had to make sure the information was accurate yet relatable to fashion and music enthusiasts or viewers who nothing about either of the subjects.  I hope that I affectively garnered positive attention from my blog.  I also hope that I will not drive myself crazy in the future trying to produce something digital.  I think this exercise definitely helped me to observe and partake in new technology by creating a medium I never really knew how to design before.  By majoring in Editing, Writing, and Media I have to be prepared that in my future ambitions or future career I will need to be able to blog at any given moment.  I believe I also gave a couple of valid examples of new technology in my blog whether it was discussing the lack of interest in print media with a shift to online publication or the online streaming of new music. 

    I hope this website provided viewers with a sense of my identity, I think the array of examples of videos and pictures also add to the overall feeling of the site as well. I think I would give myself a B on this digital design project, because it shows there is still need for improvement on my first published blog.   

Predicting the Future....

When it comes to predicting what will happen in the near future with both music and fashion, all that is certain is that the use of new media will be present in both mediums.  Due to the lack of interest in print media in recent years, fashion marketers will have to do the following:

-Get Acquainted with Bloggers

-Eye-Catching Online Advertisements

-Popular Endorsements

-Charitable Cause or Eco-Friendly Publicity Push 

Due to the struggling economy, new media will highlight designers and their art in an effective way available for all admirers of fashion.  Examples like the “mini-movie” posted on youtube channels will connect designers to the public on an intimate level, yet reach worldwide advertising success.   As for music, the same can be applied and new advances in streaming recording tracks on the internet will help gain the artists attention as well as a valid audience.  

What is Fashion PR?

An essential purpose of this blog, is to inform an audience about the fundamentals of fashion public relations.   I wasn’t exactly sure what fashion pr entailed when I started researching it a couple of years ago, it was somewhat a foreign subcategory of fashion itself.  Fashion is not just based on design and the structure of apparel created by designers, but how the design will be presented to the public for purchase.  Fashion designers need business savvy partners in order to fulfill the demands of the fashion world and also to gain an avid group of followers.

Public Relations is formally defined as “an activity aimed at the increasing communication and understanding between an organization, individual, or groups called publics”. 

The ultimate goal for a specific institution using public relations as an effort is to gain the favor of the general public, good communication is a key part of this process. 

Fashion Public Relations has the same general goal, specifically using communication efforts to market a designer and brand that designer into mainstream media.  A fashion designer is known for their creativity to create impeccable garments.   In order for those creations to be noticed in the fashion industry and the general public, fashion publicists must advertise and inform who the designer is through press releases, events, runway shows, and public appearances.

In today’s media, new technology has completely changed the way publicists would advertise their client.  For designers and fashion houses what use to be press releases and worldwide commercials is now Facebook posts and Youtube videos.  The recession has left the multi-million dollar fashion industry begging for new ways to reach the general public.  To most people in fashion pr, the cheaper and more affective way of advertisement and marketing is what will kick start fashion careers in the future.

 

I started to gain insight to fashion pr after reading various articles in not only W  and Vogue but in Time and the New York Times as well.  Another medium that allowed me to witness the world of fashion pr was a short-lived reality series on Bravo titled Kell On Earth that aired the behind the scenes of a thriving fashion pr company known as People’s Revolution, spearheaded by the eccentric Kelly Cutrone.  At first glance, Kelly looks like an absolute rebel to society dressed head to toe in black, pale as a ghost with disheveled hair and a severe middle part.  Yet maybe that is why she fits in so well with fashion society, she is not afraid of artistic expression nor what other people think.  The show depicted how to publicize a designer with press releases and online review and advertisement as well as planning their runway shows or fashion presentations to perfection.  The show made fashion enthusiasts like myself who really do not see designing apparel in my future, realize that this is something that is thrilling yet allows for creative expression in print and publication as well.  

Kelly Cutrone (above) is a valid example of fashion publicists.  Below is an image of her book cover, I have actually read this book and I don't know how to put this into better words but this is a swift kick in the butt, sets you right on track not just in pursuing fashion but in life!

An example of a dynamic team between a fashion designer and business advisor is 

Marc Jacobs & Robert Duffy.  Here is a link to an article describing their work relationship in W Magazine.    http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/2007/10/marc_jacobs_robert_duffy

Music Downloads

The invention of iTunes has completely changed the dynamics of the music industry, allowing music to be instantly added to your laptop or computer by purchase.  With this invention,  I am sure that myself as any other college student is obsessed with music, pretty much replaying songs over and over again.  Although it may seem a bit tedious, it almost helps to keep me on track with schoolwork or anything else I need to accomplish.  A question regarding the instant access of music on an individual’s computer is how that individual actually gets the song?  Illegal downloading of music is as popular as ever with newer ways where zip files can contain whole recorded albums, or just googling the song and a download box instantly appears on your screen.  Essentially a person can find almost anything on the internet, and I was recently told that there is an “underground” internet where almost anything even illegal substances can be instantly delivered to you without the government finding out, that is scary right?  (I am not sure if that is entirely true, but worrisome to think about!) But back to the point, downloading music proves to be a volatile problem in the music industry because recording artists essentially are having their music stolen from them because the downloads are free.  I do try and respect the band or artist because it essentially is their livelihood to promote and sell their music, but it is interesting to know that a genre can reach a multitude of people within seconds.  I wonder if the musicians who are involved in the recording industry look at this from a rhetorical perspective, that in a way their message is providing discourse to an audience, gaining followers who just want to hear their tone and creative design with their music?

Music and Fashion Intertwined

It is quite obvious that music and fashion, although entirely different genres, coincide very well together.  Fashion designers look to music for inspiration, and musicians play off fashion as a means to express personal style.  Musicians have actually become fashion icons throughout the eras and their specific apparel choices have altered the terms of style.  For instance people identify a black leather motorcycle jacket paired with a striped crew shirt as one of The Ramones, or a sleek and tailored suit paired with a fedora as Frank Sinatra.  Today a whole new crop of musicians are trying to complete the list of icons by performing at fashion-based events or flaunting specific designers while performing, giving a sense of their own personal style.  

Best Coast performed at Helmut Lang for Fashion's Night Out on September 8, 2011. 

Kanye West performed at Coachella in April of 2011 wearing a piece from the Celine Spring/Summer Collection.  Some were shocked because Celine is a womenswear line designed by Phoebe Philo.  

Fashion's Night Out

Sharing from Vogue.com

Fashion’s Night Out has turned into one of the biggest gatherings of fashion designers, enthusiasts, and buyers alike since the seasonal fashion weeks. Based in New York at the various flagship stores, retailers and designers alike are trying to encourage shoppers to have fun, buy breathtaking clothes, and support the economy in an after hours shopping event. It is also an opportunity for designers to appeal to the masses with their seasonal collections. Retailers give in to the hype of FNO because it shows that that specific store is in tune with what is up and coming and edgy in the fashion world. The night, which was once dedicated to encouraging consumers to buy during an economic crisis has become an innovative extravaganza that shoppers and admirers of apparel flock to in hopes of scoring deals. This event began in September of 2009 and was followed by two other successful annual events in 2010 and 2011, stretching to 250 retailers across the country as well as internationally. Spearheaded by Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, this event, more so in New York City, has attracted an array of celebrities, artists, and other influential people in society. This event truly exemplifies the essence of public relations, how the right advertisements, motive for change, and appealing resources pull an audience in.

Vinyl Revisited

     It is amazing to witness the progression music has made within the world of technology, from the invention of iTunes to the recording, broadcasting, and then selling of an artist’s musical composition online.   Yet have you ever wondered if young adults today are trying to get a taste of their parent’s youth hood by playing a vinyl record?  Personally there is nothing greater to pull out a Led Zeppelin vinyl from my family’s collection and just listen to the raw performance.  I guess I just have an admiration for records since it reminds me of the golden eras of rock in the 1960’s and 70’s and allows myself to take on a new perspective of listening.  Evidently I am not the only person who feels that way, since there has been an increase in vinyl consumerism, by way of purchasing turntables and various LP’s.  The music industry is actually thrilled with the “throwback” to vinyl since it allows for another means of selling music versus illegally downloading on the Internet.  Modern day recording artists have actually been quite enthusiastic about the minor shift of music consumerism, and more bands actually release their new albums online as well as on Vinyl in stores.  

      

 Trendy retailers such as Urban Outfitters have increased their sales production of vinyl records by displaying bands that have collected an audience over the year as well as displaying new releases.  So is revisiting past musical endeavors really a trendy thing to do?  I think some of the retailers have actually played into the hype and are trying to stylize the records like the apparel sold in their stores.  Or maybe some music enthusiasts are just trying to escape every mean of digitality while they can.