REVIEW: Everywhere festival Nottingham

On Bank Holiday Sunday 4th May Dollop returned with their biggest event yet 'EVERYWHERE 002'

With a line-up including: Artwork, Blonde, Hannah Wants, Karma Kid, Loefah, Mak & Pasteman, Mike Skinner, MK, Paul Woolford, Richy Ahmed, Route 94, Scuba, Skream, Snakehips and Waff it promised to be a night not to miss.

With mixed initial thoughts at the choice of venues such as Walkabout (a bar) and headliners performing at the same time (Hannah Wants, MK and Route 94) we planned who we wanted to see factoring in times to get into venues and I'm SO glad we did. After the event I have seen people complaining on blogs and social media feeds about queuing for nearly two hours to get into some venues but with something of this scale it was clear to me you would have to factor in waiting time.

Summer Plans

As much as I never want freshers year to end I CANNOT WAIT for this summer. Starting on Sunday 4th May with Everywhere festival in Nottingham. It is held at multiple venues across Nottingham including rock city, stealth, spankys, walkabout and rescue rooms. 

Line up for everywhere

I also have tickets for Parklife festival at Heaton park in Manchester on the 7th and 8th June, which could not be at a better time with my last deadline being on the 6th June. 

Initial research - in Nottingham

Nottingham Research Day

Lush

The woman in the Lush shop was able to give us a lot of information about their fragrances which previously I did not even know existed - such as the fact that Lush scents are worked on by the Lush owner and his son. 

The packaging was something I really thought had been well done as it took away the serious side to Lush with the cartoonised boxes for the different perfumes. 

Lush is a much more innovative brand than I initially realised, instead of having a press launch or party they opened a perfume gallery in London in which each room was scented differently to showcase the new range. They also released a bath bomb called 'breath of god' which has inhale and exhale on which both contain different scents to relax the body.

The most popular product for men is a scent called 'dirty' which is a spray (like cleaning product) bottle and so although it is a unisex product, appeals much more to men. A lot of the products collaborate with other products to fill a whole range. An example of this is the dirty range where there is spearmint soap, springwash shower gel, toothpaste and sandalwood shaving cream. The idea is that when layered together the smell is 'dirty'. The range had the slogan 'don't be dirty, be clean'.

This image shows the Gorilla perfume which is different to all of the other perfumes. It is called Gorilla as it is to do with warfare and being against status quo. The perfume has simple, black and plain packaging which is more like the usual Lush products. 

 Zara

In Zara I found the packaging quite cheap looking. It is a cheap product with perfumes ranging around £14.99ish and so you would not expect the same look as a premium product but I don't feel it has been done very well. 

Crabtree and Evelyn

Interesting idea for a continuation of the scent into a range - bringing vintage up to date with a new product. They have re-released shaving soap but in a wooden box so retaining the vintage feel of the product. 

Kiehls

Kiehl's started as a pharmacy in 1851 making naturally derived, fragrance free products. It was the first company in the whole beauty industry to have a full men's range. They have since branched out further with a dog and horse range in America.

All their fragrances are unisex with the fig leaf & sage being most popular with men. Original musk is a scent which is a recreation of a perfume found in the basement of the original store in the 1920s.

L'Occitane

Here we mainly focused on the VM and the way in which the product was presented. We found that glass generally made it look like a cheaper product - with ceramic instantly making it more appealable. 

I liked the way they presented ranges with key words that sum up the product, an example is in the image below. Verdon eau de toilette - exhilarating, modern and fresh. 

Aveda

Products packaging focused on a woody theme with natural looking recycled elements. The men's care range is called 'pure-formance' which hints at a natural range reflecting on a need for good products. 

They clearly care a lot about the ingredients used in their products with a book called the 'buriti book' entirely dedicated about an ingredient in the oils, with the book being the actual size of a 'buriti'.

Shop Visit: White Stuff, Nottingham

20th October 2013

Today I visited one of White Stuff's flagship stores based in Nottingham. White stuff is a shop I have only previously seen in Milton Keynes and John Lewis however this store is a completely different experience. 

The store even had a 'Nottingham Picture House' which was a mini cinema with blankets and cuddly toys which is a good selling point for parents as their children are kept entertained while they can spend more money. 

Every aspect of the store seemed carefully considered with constant surprises throughout the store including vandalised classic images and paintings on the stairway leading from womenswear to upstairs. Another clever aspect were the sweets behind the shop counter - these were sold for charity which is something which would encourage customers to return and works as positive marketing for White Company as they are not seen to be all about profits for themselves.  

The changing rooms were a visual merchandising dream. Laid out as if part of an allotment; each individual changing room was laid out like a mini shed with spades, watering cans and aprons.

Shop visit: Cow Vintage

12th October 2013

I had heard many good reviews of this shop so decided to go and have a look for myself. I really liked the range of clothes in the store from classic lee and levi denim jackets to clothes that they had customised themselves such as denim levi shorts which had a checked bow sewn onto the back pockets. I liked the way they are bringing vintage up to date by adding a modern twist - with the checked fabric something in a lot of high street stores at the moment.

Cow vintage describe themselves as 'an affordable vintage clothing and accessories retailer, selling handpicked items that are sourced from around the world.' 

Bill Cunningham film review

25th September 2013

Today I went to see a cinema screening of 'Bill Cunningham New York' at the Broadway cinema in Nottingham. 

Prior to watching the film I was completely unaware of Bill Cunningham and so watching this film enabled me to find out about him and his work. I feel the film gave me a good insight into the way in which he works but also into the fashion industry as before I was not aware something of this nature would have so much impact on the industry.

The film made by Richard Press shows the magnificent, distinctive and unusual way in which Bill works. It also includes extracts and interviews from people including Michael Kors, Tom Wolfe and Anna Piaggi. Anna Wintour Vogue's editorix is quoted in the film saying 'we all get dressed for Bill' which really shows quite how much impact and influence he has.

I really admire Bill for his long time dedication and hard work to provide a visual history of New York over around 40 years. However I was shocked at the way in which he spoke to some of his co-workers as he at first seemed genuine and caring through his passion for what he does. But towards the end he seemed rude and abrupt but this could potentially be because he has been in the industry so long that he knows exactly what he wants and needs to achieve. However personally I think it would be difficult working day in day out with someone of this nature but it would be an incredible opportunity to learn from his expertise.

Street Style Task

23rd September 2013

The task set was to take 25-30 images of street style in Nottingham. We were asked to visit specific areas including Bridlesmith Gate, The Victoria centre and Clumber Street near Zara. While in these areas we approached people and asked to take a photo of what they were wearing if it seemed interesting, different of if there was a statement piece.

We then added them onto a Pinterest board - 

http://www.pinterest.com/fcp1streetstyle/group-8-street-chapter/

We found that generally in the areas we looked in Nottingham people's style tended to be quite ordinary with an edgy twist. This was mainly accessories; for example the image on the right would be a plain outfit and would have not been chosen without the chain necklace. 

The Beginning

21st September 2013

Today is the day I moved to Nottingham and started Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent University. I am particularly excited to start the modules on journalism, visual merchandising and trend forecasting. I will keep this blog regularly updated with notes from lectures, reviews/opinions and images.