Friday 12 November 2010

Friday Wrap


 Suzy Menkes in her younger years

 The most catching article and must-read of the week, was Suzy Menkes' "Cyber Craft" for NOWNESS. As  many luxury brands and conglomerates, Menkes asks her self the question: Is there still future in  the past? Meaning if past & heritage of luxury brands are still of importance to market a product.  If those brand values still make a difference to the millennial generation, so used to the here and  now, through smart phones, instant text messaging, unlimited internet, Facebook, Twitter and  Youtube.

 As you can see here, past is something I try to refer to frequently, if not, always. To me it gives  a product so much more depth, whether it is a pair of heels, a bag, a piece of clothing, a written  article or a fashion shoot. History, craftsmanship, knowledge it's like family history. Knowing  where it comes from. It amazes me, that todays generation with the entire world and beyond on their  screen, doesn't realize the privilege of all that information, instantly available. Seriously, it  wasn't that long ago, that google did not exist, and for information on a certain topic  one actually had to go to the library, a museum, an archive, or travel, or buy a book. Sometimes  many books. Today, you just click, and most of it is all there, on your Mac, iPhone or Blackberry  screen. How come today's generation hardly uses it? I recently had a talk to a teacher at the  Italian fashion institute Marangoni, here in Paris. She told me that most of the 20 year old  students didn't even know how to properly do a research at the internet. It left me speechless. But  what surprises me even more is that marketeers for major brands start to have doubts about the  importance of the heritage of the brand they are working for. Why give in? Look at style.com,  vogue.fr, nowness, anothermag.com etc. they all use the past to refer to. That's what sets these  media platforms a part from those that only show case current products accompanied by paparazzi  pics of todays celebrities. And it sets the professionals working for these magazines and websites  a part from those who don't. I know girls with a few years of working experience for a fashion  magazine, who shop constantly and therefore consider themselves real fashion girls, ready to be the  editor in chief for important titles, but have no clue who mister Worth was, or what the difference  between ready-to-wear and haute couture is. I am not joking (and I will tell about this specific  girl in another blog post real soon). 

 Anyway, back to Suzy Menkes' "Cyber Craft". She finished the article with a Goethe quote,  Lagerfeld's mantra: "Make a better future by developing elements from the past." Perfect answer,  don't you think?

 Read Suzy direct answers to the Facebook & twitter community here: http://on.fb.me/bZsL7i
Oh, and another interesting article I just read (can't believe how I missed that one in  September... ??) about HERMÈS and its China adventure. Enjoy your weekend! TATAFORNOW♥ 

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