Induction Activity: Street Style

Street Style Brief

You work for a visual trend research agency that has been hired by an innovative fashion label, looking to expand their stores outside of London – and they are considering Nottingham as a potential new location. They are interested to know more about the street style scene in Nottingham, and its different style tribes. Is Nottingham an exciting place for style, trends and individualism? In teams (which will be allocated today) you must hit the streets of Nottingham, armed with a camera, a friendly and confident attitude – and an eye for a great photograph. Some geographical starting points… 

• Bridlesmith Gate

• The Victoria Centre around Topshop

• The Market Place

• Hockley, Cow Vintage & George Hotel

• Clumber street near Zara

• The Cornerhouse, around the cinema.

• Newton & Bonington building, Rock City, Spanky Van Dykes,

 Tips: Your brand is not interested in seeing lots of generic pictures of good-looking people, that all look the same. They want you to discover style influencers that no one else has. Don’t just take head to toe looks, take interesting pictures of shoes, accessories, detailing, jewellery and headshots. Think also about beauty and hair too.Be polite and courteous. Grab the opportunity / moment – but please don’t be pushy. Throughout the induction week, you will be uploading your photos to a group Pinterest account, which has already been set up. 


End Product

Everybody posted their end products onto the NTUFCP1 Pintrest account, making individual 'boards' for each group/team to present their findings. My team was in Group 8 and we named our board 'Trend Chasers' - A link to our board is below, from here you can also access the other groups' boards and their findings on the streets of Nottingham: 

http://www.pinterest.com/fcp1streetstyle/trend-chasers-group-8/

Here are our photos:

My Thoughts/Views

I really enjoyed this induction week activity, it was a great way to throw yourself into getting to know people on the course and being a team player. It was also a great way to learn about my groups' individual styles and look at fashion from each of their different perspectives when out on the streets finding what we all individually saw as a 'unique' trend or style within Nottingham.

Pinterest

Keywords:

• source / locate / edit / collate / assemble / categorise / annotate / describe / title

Why is Pinterest a useful tool for someone within the fashion industry?

• Similarly to Tumblr, Pinterest provides a platform that people can pin, describe and group images onto 'boards'. This creates a really useful research tool, as well as ideas for personal projects etc.
• Pinterest can provide a professional work place within social media, that keeps you and your research and interpretations of fashion and trends up to date and in line with the present. 
• The use of social media allows you to build up a virtual portfolio of yourself as well a promotion tool that demonstrates to industry your interest in fashion and trends on a live platform that keeps you and your ideas/research relevant.
• Boards on Pinterest can also offer insight into your personal preferences and opinions of the fashion world, for example your pet hates, your interests, your inspiration, your passions, your observations, interpretations and analysis. You can use 'Boards' to create themes within your posts for example Tim Rundle's obsevations of 'lazy approaches to fasion styling/advertising' 
• Doesn't have to be any rhyme or reason - can be completely 'random inspiration.

What can I include in my Pinterest, good places to start / board ideas?

• Passion - Anything to do with your passions within fashion - colour/accessories/items of clothing/make up
• Context - Magazines/Events/Visual Merchandising/Advertisements/In-store Displays
• Random Inspiration Board(s) - Anything you like/Takes your interest
• Street Style

My Pinterest/My Boards

• Street Style
• Interests - Shoes/Nail Art/Big Necklaces/Denim Shorts
• Events Invites etc
• Colour 
• Quotes and Random Inspiration
• Visual Merchandising
• DIY Fashion

Pre-arrival Activity Presentation

Pre-Arrival Activity FCP

Identify examples of what you feel are some of the best Fashion Communication and Promotion touch points. Who, in your opinion, is translating, projecting or exploring fashion codes and messages in an innovative and exciting way? What are you reading, watching or following? Keep in mind emerging technologies, new platform hybrids and social networking advancements. We are interested in your perspective, introduce us to your current preoccupations and fashion favourites!

•                Three digital examples (blogs, websites, twitter feeds, online marketing etc.)

•                Three printed examples (magazines, brochures, brandzines, zines, lookbooks, flyers etc.)

•                Three retail examples (shop windows, visual merchandising, shop interiors, point of sale etc.)

My Examples

     

•               Digital: Vogue.co.uk, Lookbook.nu, ASOS.com

•               Printed: Vogue, Wonderland, Rollacoaster

•               Retail: Kate Spade, Topshop

Prezi Presentation

Bill Cunningham's New York

Bill Cunningham New York

'A profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.'

Documentary/Biography, 2010

Personally, I found this film extremely inspirational. Cunningham's eye for all things fashion is remarkable, and his knowledge of clothing is simply admirable. No one can know fashion like someone who has spent every day, for the majority of their life, out on the streets of New York studying, seeing and documenting every individual style or trend; the someone is Bill Cunningham.

Trailer

Sketchbook

Below are images from my sketchbook/journal; the first is an illustrative image that I have created as a visual stimulus to remind me of the film and it's content. The second is a small fact file that I have put together as a basic referral for all things Bill Cunningham.