Online fashion speakers at the Fashion Summit
Sunday November 01, 2009 /
The Drapers/WGSN Fashion Summit takes place this month, and I’ll be on the panel for the ‘power of the style press’ discussion with Courtney Blackman, Rebekah Roy, Colin McDowell and Ali Hall.
Drapers’s online editor Keely Stocker will be guest chairing a social networking session.
My-Wardrobe.com founder Sarah Curran, Fat Face Director Kristine Kirby, Coggles owner Mark Bage and ASOS CEO Nick Robertson will be giving invaluable advice on getting online right.
Also speaking at the summit the from online world will be Stephanie Phair from theOutnet.com, Google’s Peter Fitzgerald, Steve Robinson of M&M Direct, Vente-Privee’s Bunty Stocks and Andrew Robb of Cocosa.
See here for more information
The Online Fashion Agency & Fashshot.com Director Drinks
Sunday September 13, 2009 /
The Online Fashion Agency and Fashshot.com held the Directors Drinks at Pep-C in Mayfair.
Photos featured in Drapers Off The Record.
Manchester Fashion Network - Trading Online Event August 25th
Sunday August 23, 2009 /
The London Fashion Network held a series of events in Kentish Town focused at online retail and blogging, two of which I chaired (getting noticed, merchandising, blogging).
Now it’s the turn of Manchester to host a beginners class to online retail at the Circle Club in Deansgate on August 25th.
Tickets are £8 and the panel includes CJ Brough from Blunt Communications, Usability expert Paul Rouke and Christina Barratt from Moonsparkonline.
Book your ticket here.
Fashion Business Club – Daily Candy
Tuesday August 11, 2009 /
The Fashion Business Club had a focus on Online for its most recent event.
Malika Dalamal of Daily Candy interviewed by Alison Whelan
Malika Dalamal, London editor of Daily Candy who I featured on the blog a while ago (here), was the special guest, interviewed by the club’s co-founder Alison Whelan.
She’s in good company as previous guests have included Alexandra Shulman and Harold Tillman.
If you missed the event Fashionista-at-Law has an excellent overview on what was discussed.
Daily Candy has been very much an email based media platform, but this will change at the end of the year with a new website , containing city guide information, due to be launched.
A new wedding website is in the planning, as is video content for Daily Candy New York.
London Fashion Network: The Power of the Blog – Making Money
Thursday August 06, 2009 /
I chaired the final online event for the London Fashion Network; this one was about the power of the blog.
One of the hot topics was making money from blogs.
Charlotte from Glam Media was keen for fashion bloggers to monetise their websites with Glam’s network adverts but the panel of bloggers weren’t so sure.
Some thought it would put readers off, whilst others just didn’t want the hassle.
It is possible to make a living by having affiliate links and adverts on blogs, but it can compromise the content; a lot of bloggers in the fashion space don’t want to risk that.
Blogger Mademoiselle Robot charges for personal styling (see here)
My own view is that blogs can be used to enhance how someone already makes money offline.
Mademoiselle Robot is using the following she has built up on her blog to launch a new online personal styling consultancy.
I think the team at Glam, and many other ad networks, will just have to accept that some fashion bloggers just don’t want adverts.
It doesn’t mean they’re commercially dim or afraid of advertisers, it just means they don’t want to make money from their passion – because then it becomes a job.
London Fashion Network: The Power of the Blog – Vox Pops
Sunday August 02, 2009 /
London Fashion Network Event: Merchandising
Tuesday July 21, 2009 /
The London Fashion Network recently held an event on e-commerce merchandising.
The panel: Lee Friend, Zia Zareem-Slade and Gary Day-Ellison
I recommended two of the three panellists, Lee Friend and Zia Zareem-Slade, both extremely knowledgeable in all things online retail, but specifically visual merchandising on the web.
Myself with Fashshot’s Lee Friend
Along with branding expert Gary Day-Ellison the trio offered some helpful tips to up and coming retailers.
Some of the tips offered by the panel…
- If you decide to use model shots be aware some customers can be put off by models with certain hair colours
- Write decent copy about fabric and materials; how will it sit, feel, flow etc?
- Design your website to show as many preview images as possible
- Don’t be distracted by innovations in mobile technology, get the basic offering right first
I’ll post the podcast of the event when it becomes available
Beth Ditto for Evans Party
Thursday July 02, 2009 /
See my Drapers blog ‘Arcadia gets bloggers to Beth Ditto Evans party’ and check out Miggy Likes The Internet for a run down on the party.
Online Fashion 100 Event sponsored by Fashshot.com (part 4)
Monday June 22, 2009 /
Fashshot.com’s Lee Friend chats to Caprice
Eamonn and Marilyn Clarke of Schway
Myself with Nick Ede from EdenCanCan
Fashion Business Club’s Courtney Blackman and Rebekah Roy from Stylist Stuff
Chantelle Znideric and Hayden Allen-Vercoe of iStylista.com
OSOYOU.com’s Jess Markwood
Online Fashion 100 Event sponsored by Fashshot.com (part 3)
Sunday June 21, 2009 /
Emap’s Andre Rickerby
Extreme CEO Al Gosling
Liberty’s Guy Hipwell and Zia Zareen-Slade of Conchango
Robert & Claire Russell of Shudoo.co.uk
My Fashion Life’s Michele Obi and myself
Rob Jones of Harvey Nichols
Myself with Lipsy’s Kristine Kirby
Brand expert Frances Card
Online Fashion 100 Event sponsored by Fashshot.com (part 2)
Saturday June 20, 2009 /
With Zia Zareem-Slade of Conchango
Baukjen de Swaan Arons of Isabella Oliver
Fashion Business Club founder Courtney Blackman checks out my outfit
Nicky Hambleton-Jones announces the winner of Online Fashion Star 2009
Lipsy’s Kristine Kirby with Michael Ross of Ecommera
Drapers’s Keely Stocker
Online Fashion 100 Event sponsored by Fashshot.com
Friday June 19, 2009 /
Miriam Lahage from Koodos.com was named the Online Fashion Star 2009 at the Online Fashion 100 event at 24 London.
Myself with Miriam Lahage and Nicky Hambleton-Jones
Sponsored by Fashshot.com, the great and the good, from e-commerce and fashion, celebrated the work done by those named in Online Fashion 100.
Lee Friend, Managing Director of Fashshot.com, Caprice and Myself
Fashion expert Nicky Hambleton-Jones announced Miriam Lahage as winner, and supermodel-turned-businesswoman Caprice made a surprise appearance.
Lee Friend, Miriam Lahage and Myself
Myself with Abigail Blackburn, editor of NOW magazine
Being filmed with Eammon and Marilyn Clarke from Schway
Antony Hawman and Lauretta Roberts, editor of Drapers
Myself with Nicky Hambleton-Jones
More photos to come.
London Fashion Bloggers at the Design Museum for Let Them Eat Cake
Wednesday June 17, 2009 /
On Friday I was on the panel for an informal discussion hosted by Let Them Eat Cake magazine at the Design Museum.
There were eight fashion bloggers including Steve from Style Salvage, Rebekah Roy, Vicki Loomes, Elaine Robertson, Susie Bubble, Alex Fury and Jeanie Annan-Lewin.
The old debate of print vs online came up. There was a consensus from the panel that we’re simply going through change, and it shouldn’t be a case or one vs the other. Both will survive.
My view was that blogs can hit niches, because of the easy route to publishing (anyone can blog for free), whereas printed media needs to appeal more to masses, as the route to publishing in print is a little more challenging to say the least.
London Fashion Network Event: Trading Online, Getting Noticed
Monday June 15, 2009 /
Last week I chaired the London Fashion Network’s Trading Online event, which focused on Getting Noticed.
L to R: Richard, Barnaby, myself, Joel, Stephen
The panel included Stephen Pratley from Shine Marketing, Richard Thorpe from Screen Pages, Joel Vertes from Olswang and Barnaby Brown from motelrocks.com.
Topics covered included search engine optimisation, paid search, fashion blogs, domain names and email marketing.
There were a mixture of experiences on the panel, and I was most pleased that all agreed on the principle of online PR being the focus for SEO and building traffic.
I’ve said many times before about the importance of finding that interesting unique thing, about a website or brand, to shout about, in order to attract links and attention.
There was also a consensus on using paid search as a research resource, for instance to find out which keywords are the best converters. The panel were keen to stress that campaigns should be managed, or at least set up, by a professional, otherwise costs can spiral.
The next Trading Online event will be on July 9th and focuses on ensuring your website is ‘Looking Good’.
