target market: socially aware

this is the target market mood board that I have been doing, I have researched the area for so long it is so great to finally have a customer i want to aim to! Have come up with a segment in roy morgan called socially aware

concept! fundamental expressionism

this is my final concept:
In a world of facades and hyper-realism, holding back the every-day woman is the struggle to express one self without offending, patronising, and contradicting the average idealist. Most people would sell all they have for a controlled, simplified life, but simultaneously search for that outlet to vent the abstract, individualised self .

The raging insides of a handbag can be an expressive art-form in itself, and this collection aims to provide women with that space where they feel expressed, listened to and understood, without having to scream for help in a dying, self-obsessed world.
With an understated handbag, stripped down to its fundamental exterior, you can let loose your emotive reaction when you search for your lipstick, phone or wallet.

J. M. W. Turner / (william turner)

i have always wanted to include my heritage into fashion concepts, and finally this time around it really fits into what i am wanting to do.

so for my concept, I am exploring the inner and outer worlds of people, handbags, artwork.  through this, i am looking at expressionist/impressionist paintings from the 1800's, and looking at different minimalist artpieces of today.

i was going to solely look at rubens for my inspiration, but then thought of another artist who resembled the concept i had in mind aswell!

i want to portray the idea that people can look minimal, plain, standardised on the outside, yet have a strong character, live a very rich life (not necessarily money wise), and be full of emotion and action, all at the same time.  I see this is a handbag.  it is almost like a facade...plain, simple on the outside. but if you look on the inside...if you dare...you don't know what different emotions, expressions you will find.  handbags just have to match your outfit usually, they aren't THE outfit.  therefore, people want a plain exterior.  but the interior, becaus eyou're the only one seeing it, doesn't have to match what you're wearing.

 it can just be you. and the lining.  an expression of the self.
i see william turners art pieces as very emotional, expressive and inspiring.  his colours are very warm and convey a ferocity and depth not normally felt through paintings.

william turner is also said to be in my family tree - so it's exciting to base my concept from a painter in the family!

here is some of his work:

rubens

i have been researching alot into rubens and his emotional and expressionist paintings. so inspiring! thought i'd let you have a look at some aswell, i feel so involved when i look at his stuff! He has put in so much of himself into each painting, and i love the colours that he uses.  but i ask - why in life do we always go from one extreme to the other? is there never a midpoint? it gets me thinking about handbags.  handbags are so private and personal, it is like the midpoint that connects the woman to the world.  or does she carry the whole world in her handbag?
here is some of rubens paintings:

barnett newman

i have been researching alot into my concept and all about realism vs 1800's expressionism paintings.

just came across a really cool minimalist: barnett newman.  here is a bit about him and his paintings.

Newman was interested in creating an art of "pure idea" that could speak to man's tragic condition, yielding metaphysical understanding. To reach that state, the art would have to jettison all narrative, all figuration, and even pare down detail and painterly incident. By 1948, he had honed his concept of "pure idea." He explored the philosophical notion articulated by Edmund Burke in the eighteenth century that the merely beautiful be renounced in favor of something greater and more meaningful: the sublime. Newman spoke of artists' need for "freeing ourselves of impediments" in order to produce images of "revelation, real and concrete." And by 1948, Newman had developed his own unique format, designed to express these concerns of meaning and content.
Newman's compositions are built around a strict format: a field of color is bisected vertically by one or a few bands (narrow or wide) that he referred to as "zips." Such extreme minimalism, though, derives from an approach described by the artist as intuitive: "I start each painting as if I had never painted before. … I have no formal solutions … I paint out of high passion, and although my way of working may seem simple, for me it is difficult and complex." Concord is not a geometric picture. The colored field is not meant as a void on which a simple boundary is delineated. Pictures like this one ask the viewer to consider whether space alone, without narrative detail, can convey meaning. In Newman's words, "Instead of using outlines, instead of making shapes or setting off spaces my drawing declares the space." The zip is "a field that brings life to the other fields, just as the other fields bring life to this so-called line."


Source: Barnett Newman: Concord (68.178) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

target customer

when it comes to target customer, as outlined below, they are primarily in the socially aware segment.  This is a mindset.  Furthermore, demographically, my target consumer is a female.  I have some images of what my brand personality is like and the type of woman it might draw, and target its marketing towards.

How Can You Refuse Him Now Brooke Fraser, Hillsong

i love this song by brooke fraser - am thinking of possibly doing my concept along the lines of this....

salvatore ferragamo goes green!

"It’s probably time for me to sell my SUV, because the Green movement just keeps spreading to more and more areas of our lives. And it appears that it has finally come, in a serious way, to designer handbags. Salvatore Ferragamo recently released a line of five environmentally friendly handbags, aptly tited Eco Ferragamo. My personal favorite is the Salvatore Ferragamo Risvolti Eco Tote, pictured left.



These bags are still made of the super-luxe leather that we expect from designer purses, but the leather was tanned using natural tannins instead of the harmful chemicals that are used in the manufacture of most leather on the consumer marketplace. The interiors are made of a hand-woven hemp lining, which involves little, if any, chemical processing that would damage the environment. The one thing that confuses me is this: the bags claim to be metal-free, but there’s no alternative explanation of what the hardware is made out of. It looks metal to me, but could it be plastic? And if it was…isn’t that just as bad? Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1890. " quoted from http://www.purseblog.com/eco-friendly/

FEED bags

This bag is not just about being Eco Friendly, but it is for a great cause. Bergdorf Goodman just launched Lauren Bush’s newest FEED bag exclusively. The FEED 2 Kenya bag will help feed 2 people for one whole year for each bag sold.

Each FEED 2 Kenya Bag will feed two Kenyan kids in school for one year. The bag will cost $100 which is a donation to the United Nations World Food Programme’s School Feeding operations in Kenya. The FEED Kenya Bag is handcrafted by a coop of women in Kenya featuring colorful beading. The materials may not be worth $100, but the point of the bag is to donate to support the kids in Kenya while also supporting women artisans in Kenya. This bag is being sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman.

http://www.purseblog.com/eco-friendly/buzz-worthy-feed-2-kenya-bag.html

target consumer!

TARGET CONSUMER!
yay! i have been researching and researching what kind of person i am targeting with my product, or more so what type of consumer would want to pbuy my product.  The socially aware category or roy morgans values segment has divided the consumer up into 10 different categories.  The socially aware category fits PERFECTLY into what I had in mind, and now i must research research research what this will mean for me and my business, designs, colours etc.  Here is a little speel about the customer group:

Socially Aware^© refers to a pattern of responses offered by people who are community minded and socially active. Information vacuum cleaners, this segment are always searching for something new and different and new things to learn. They believe strongly in the concept of learning a living rather than earning a living, always seeking new opportunities for training, education and knowledge. http://www.roymorgan.com/products/values-segments/socially-aware.cfm

beautiful!

i love this picture taken by mariah jelena for faint magazine.  I love the raw and organic look that it gives, the beauty that comes from an untouched picture (even though it is probably touched!).  I am really inspired by these types of images for my handbags, and in particular for my target consumer.

Emma Watson & People Tree - Spring Summer 2011

emma watson for people tree - i find the clothing a bit standard and boring...but thats just my opinion!

Marks and Spencer: Your M&S Fair Trade

head of m&s stating that fair trade is a way they do business, not just an option they have in certain areas. quite good!

Inside Fairtrade fashion - a day in the life of People Tree

a really good video on the people tree; head designer talks of the struggles in fair trade industry; the longer lead times, and less profitability. Really good to watch!!!!!

people tree - funky ethical company

http://www.peopletree.co.uk/


For every beautiful garment People Tree makes, there's an equally beautiful change happening somewhere in the world.


We like to think of it in terms of our little shoots-and-roots motif. We provide you with exclusive fashion - the shoots - while at the same time we work deep down through the roots, improving the lives and environment of the artisans and farmers in developing countries who work to produce it. It's Fair Trade throughout. Simple.



How it works

In order to ensure People Tree fashion meets the Fair Trade principles set out by WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation), we work closely with 50 Fair Trade groups in 15 countries. That way, we can bring benefits to people and the planet at as many steps of the production process as possible – growing cotton, weaving, dyeing, embroidery, stitching etc. – helping alleviate poverty in the world's most marginalised communities.



We also work hard to ensure that we pioneer ecologically sound methods of production and minimise environmental impact. Not only is most of our cotton certified organic and Fairtrade, all our clothes are dyed using safe and natural dyes. And we source as many products as we can locally, choosing natural and recycled products over toxic, synthetic and non-biodegradable materials.



All our designers – both in the UK and Japan – know how to work within this set-up, which means we can produce garments that are beautiful, as well as caring. So, our collections are all the more special because they make imaginative use of local skills (handwoven fabrics, hand screen printing and hand embroidery are used a great deal), which creates as much employment as possible in areas that really need it.

People Tree - Emma's Fashion Line

Fair Trade

Ethical Trade - The First Decade

http://www.stylewithheart.com/category/accessories/

http://www.stylewithheart.com/category/accessories/

wow - ok...i didn't realise how many ethical/fair trade websites are out there!!!

so many!

here is another website that i found that gives you good information and promotes ethical labels

http://www.artisanlife.co.uk/c-14-handbags.aspx

http://www.artisanlife.co.uk/c-14-handbags.aspx

awesome website about ethical/eco trading that i found.

Some cool funky stuff that i will definitely take inspiriation from, and all for a good cause! win!