Mister Crew

A recent piece in the WSJ profiled the use of Twitter by several companies in the fashion world, that I think highlights a transformation in customer/business relationships:

Ms. Bearman is one of several executives who tweet on behalf of luxury fashion brands, masking their marketing in a Carrie-Bradshaw-esque life-stream. Dozens of labels now have a presence on Twitter, the benefits of which are seen most clearly during New York Fashion Week. Tweets come fast and furious during the shows, providing designers with instantaneous feedback from attendees and giving the events a much bigger marketing stage, albeit a virtual one.

When starting a new company or store, opening accounts on Twitter/Facebook/etc should be on the top of the to-do list.

LVMH recently got into a bit of trouble in Europe for advertising their products as being handmade by small workshop artisans when in truth, a majority of their products are made on assembly lines:

There’s just one tiny detail missing. Hardly any Vuitton bags or wallets are handmade. While reporting an article on Vuitton in 2004, I visited one of its factories in the village of Ducey near Mont St. Michel. There I saw rows of workers seated at sewing machines, stitching together machine-cut pieces of canvas and leather. The partially finished bags were rolled from one workstation to the next on metal carts.

Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority then ordered them to stop not long after the ad campaign started:

The bureaucrats paid to protect the public from flimflammery declared this to be a fraud. “[C]onsumers would interpret the image of a woman using a needle and thread to stitch the handle of a bag,” the agency ruled, “to mean that Louis Vuitton bags were hand stitched.”

Fair enough, but one can’t help but think that the Standards Authority was just attempting to protect Savile Row and Northhampton craftsman, many of whom use machines for their own “handmade” work. The word is very ambiguous in marketing these days and it’s probably too late to protect it now.

What even counts as being handmade? Despite what notions we like to think of, most goods sold today were probably touched by a machine at some point – shoes need to be welted, jeans need to be sewn, and buttons need to be punched. These sorts of things should be encouraged though, as it helps efficiency (and in theory, better prices for consumers). A little leeway should be alright; after all, handwork is still involved somewhere along the way and a machine can still not beat the experience of a seamstress who has the finesse to finish those delicate details or the tailor who knows how to cut the fabric just right.

Some things from last week that you might have missed if you’re not following me on twitter:

– Speaking of gems, check out what the Bureau still has lying around from past seasons: Link. It’s too bad that Raf Simons can’t put out cool stuff like those parkas anymore. (no idea if they’re actually for sale or not)

– Simon Crompton gets his shoes back from Edward Green: Link

– Cool naval/military inspired bags: Link

– Jasper Johns on Secret Forts: Link

– NYTimes T Magazine finds out what bloggers are using for their cameras: Link. I’m shopping for a new camera now, and I’m torn between the usefulness of a Canon Rebel, the snob appeal of a Leica point and shoot, and a gadget lust for an Olympic EP-2.

– Cliff Grodd, the legendary president of Paul Stuart passes away: Link

It will be impossible to walk into that store and not feel his presence in every perfect detail. It is the end of an era with his passing, and he will be greatly missed by the many well-dressed gentlemen whose life he touched.