The Basics of Event Production
The professionals who manage large events such as galas, award shows, and runways are the event producers. They are in charge of recruiting a team for all of the phases of the event (pre-production, the event, post-production), and making the vision of the client into a reality under their desired budget. An event producer must have the competences of a project manager, but also be very creative in order to lead the perfect event.
Currently, the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to the risk it poses towards global human health, is having a huge impact across all industries. In the sector of event production specifically, we can take a look at fashion shows and runways being cancelled, postponed or moved to other mediums until some stability can be gained. Events such as New York Bridal Fashion Week have been moved to online mediums and the majority of fashion events until June have been postponed.
Nevertheless, this crisis is showing the importance of being present to fully live an experience. One takeaway for the fashion industry is that in-person interactions are irreplaceable, not only in terms of customers being able to enter physical stores, but also in terms of creating the aspirational experiences associated with fashion and luxury as are runways.
If you would like to learn more about this exciting world, check out our event production short course!
Trends in Event Design
Event design is about creating the perfect space for an event to take place; making it unique and memorable for the attendees. What makes a perfect event? Let’s take a look at some of the trends in this exciting sector!
-Sustainability!
Not unlike in the rest of industries, consumers want sustainable products! They want to enjoy events and feel good about their choices in terms of the global environment.
-Experiences!
Nowadays consumers want unique experiences! They want to create memories! In 2019, event planners reported their events needed more experience creation than 2-5 years ago. These can be created by using unique venues such as underused movie theaters, or even high end shops; or adding personalized touches such as a drink exclusively made for the event.
-Technology
Event designers will have to incorporate technology to their creative processes when coming up with perfect events! Experiences must be well-rounded, so this means not only focusing on the content or the venue of the event but also on how to engage the audience with the new available technological tools.
-Minimalism
Current generations go by the saying “less is more”, emphasizing even further the need to create memorable experiences for attendees. In terms of decor this means, more neutral tones and less dramatic colors; less sitting which in turn allows for more mingling, again going back to creating experiences; generally, less clutter more focus on the venue itself and the content of the event.
-Retro is in!
Another trend in decor is going back to the 90s. We see a trend in contrasting linens and rich colors to create this look.
-Interactive Lighting
Using lights creatively is an old trick for event designers. With new technologies such as crowd-responsive LED lights it is impossible not to spice up your events a little!
To become an expert event designer, join our short course!
How Do Brands Communicate?
Marketing and communications in the fashion and luxury industry have an extremely important role, as the products in this industry are sold through aspiration.
Fashion and luxury brands have the task to share with the consumer what their values are, and what buying their products communicates to the rest of the world; in other words they must promote a specific lifestyle.
In order to create these experiences, brands must go beyond traditional adverts on print and social media, they constantly need to create new ways for the consumer to enter their world.
For this reason, fashion and luxury brands organize events such as art expositions to communicate their taste, or arrange all sorts of experiences to connect with the consumer.
Take a look at the exposition at Through the Glass at Loewe’s flagship store in Madrid, where they displayed the history of the brand through the firm’s different display window arrangements.
New York Bridal Fashion Week Moves Online
The New York Bridal Fashion Week, which usually features designers such as Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Marchesa, has officially announced that the bridal market would be moved to digital channels due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some designers will present their collections through platforms such as Zoom or Join me, others will postpone their shows or presentation. Additionally, the Bridal Council will continue to upload bridal collections on their websites’ “Gown Gallery”, and the CFDA will promote designers through a digital lookbook collection on a centralized portal on its own website.
During this pandemic it is hard to ignore how much of the fashion world relies on in-presence experiences, and the many ways in which those experiences are trying to be transferred to online channels. Is it possible to do so? That remains to be seen. What is certain is that today’s professionals must be ready to react quickly to adversity, and know how to use all of their resources efficiently. Study with us, and gain the frameworks you need to have a successful career.
It's a New Season! Do You Know Yours?
Isabel Yuste, a professional Image Consultant and Personal Shopper who has taught in several editions of the Image Consultant and Personal Shopper short course in our Spain based courses, recently offered a practical class where participants were able to make an assessment to their peers.
One of the first steps in image consulting is performing a color analysis for the client, the most commonly known is the season analysis, in it there are four different color palettes, belonging to the four seasons, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. The season color palette that best matches you is selected based on your eye and hair colors and your skin tone.
The Summer palette is light and is composed of cool and muted colors; the Autumn palette is deep, this one is composed of warm and muted colors; the Winter palette is also deep like Autumn but its colors are cool and bright; finally, the Spring palette is light, and is made up of warm and bright colors. All palettes have the same colors, but it is the shades that change according to your tones.
Since there is a large range of hair and eye colors, and skin tones there is a possibility that you do not perfectly match any of these palettes, in those cases it is said you are not a “True Season”, and you could be labeled as a “Light Summer” or a “Bright Winter”.
If you would like to further your knowledge in image consulting, check out our course!
Questions About the Brick-And-Mortar vs. Online Debate Amongst the Coronavirus Pandemic
Coronavirus has created a worldwide panic that has affected the global markets. Its effects on the luxury industry are not pretty, the industry expects a 43 billion dollar loss. Empty runways such as that of Georgio Armani, cancelled events just like the Venice Carnival, closed stores etc. seem to have taken all the physical experiences and interactions with brands to a halt. This seems to be bringing consumers to the online stores, which brings attention to the consumer experience built online.
Part of the brick-and-mortar experience is the preferential treatment received by the client, can this be translated online? Can personalization features ever replace that? The answer is to be seen, but as of now, there is a differentiation between the luxury client who wants this experience, and the online client who can do without it.
Welcome to ELLE Education!
Welcome to ELLE Education!
We are very excited to launch this new platform designed for those who love fashion, luxury, events, and interior design and need flexibility in order to pursue these interests. We bring key industry leaders, and excellent professors to your screen so that you can obtain the high quality education that you need to become a successful professional.
After a 10 year trajectory in Spain with Escuela Moda ELLE, and two successful editions of the Executive Education Program Innovation Leadership for Fashion and Luxury Consumer Brands made in collaboration with MIT Sloan Executive Education, we have decided to expand and provide the same opportunities to individuals worldwide.
Our mission is to train our students to face the new challenges of the industry, and to develop the innovative mindset needed to always stay ahead of the trends. For this reason we pride ourselves in being an International platform that welcomes diversity, international networking, and that brings the best professionals in the industry to share their professional secrets.
Find the course that suits you and your passion and become part of a global community of like minded individuals looking to achieve their dreams, and assist you in achieving those dreams!
7 Tips for the Perfect LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has become an essential tool for success in your professional career; it is the biggest showcase to the professional world, as it is the preferred tool for both companies and recruitment consultants in their recruiting processes.
- Headline as a “Fit” Within the Sector
If you are not currently working or studying, you must make your headline fit into one of your specific areas of interest and be concise. For example, if you have studied marketing and fashion communication you will have to specify in the holder the area where you have more experience or where you want to go.
- A Suitable Photo
Not any picture is good enough to be your image in the sector, you should have a formal picture, as neutral as possible, and smiling if possible. It has been proven that a smile influences the perception of others about you in a very positive way; and even more so if we take into account that it is the only image of you that they will see before contacting you.
- Be Your Best Storyteller
Use the “Excerpt” area to describe yourself by summarizing your career and studies. This will be the way the selection experts will place you. Tell your career story as if it were an excerpt from a book – sell it!
- Complete All of the Information
LinkedIn offers a thousand possibilities to display our studies, work experience and our most outstanding achievements. Complete all of the information and show recruiters your specialization within your career, achievements, objectives completed in your work as well as every significant experience that your work has brought you in each of the positions you have been in.
- A Video is Worth a Thousand Words
Search videos within platforms such as Youtube or Vimeo about your university, your company or charities where you have volunteered. Select the best videos so they know first hand where you have been and what their values are.
- Keywords!
LinkedIn, just like Google with its searches, highlights the profiles most in line with the search made, for this reason it is very important to make the most of the SEO and include keywords that experts search for in selection processes.
- Share!
Like any other social network, LinkedIn exists to put its members in touch with one another, which is why it is essential that you share articles, professional opinions, other people’s content, etc. in your profile almost daily.
Search for the best professionals in your sector and the companies where you would like to work. This will give you a 360º view of the sector and how you can become a key player in it. And most importantly, it will allow you to find out about all the job opportunities that may interest you. Finally, remember that just like when you go to an interview, you try to give the best image of yourself, LinkedIn is your daily interview.
Cecilia Bönström
Cecilia Bönström, Creative Director at Zadig & Voltaire, was amongst the Guest Speakers of the Innovation Leadership for Fashion and Luxury Consumer Brands executive education program which ran from 2017-2019.
Bönström explained the brand identity of Zadig & Voltaire and how her dynamic career landed at the fashion firm. She shared her expertise with the students and answered questions on how she achieved her goals.
What Instagram Banning Plastic Surgery Filters Means
The values of fashion are changing. We associate fashion to beauty and luxury, both related to the creation of aspirational standards with an aura of unattainability, these three concepts seem to be married, they promote one another. Today we see all of these concepts evolve. By demand, the beauty standards promoted by the industry are becoming more and more realistic, dropping some facades, whilst still promoting an aspirational standard difficult to achieve, loving yourself as you are.
When we look at the most used social network system in fashion to promote the traditional luxurious aspirational lifestyles ban a filter that indirectly encourages its users to not accept themselves, we are looking at the consumer demands of the new generations, the evolution of the industry as whole as a result, and finally the coveted new aspiration: “accepting yourself”.