McQ debuts AW13 collection through online film

Alexander McQueen’s sister brand McQ has launched a short film showcasing its new autumn/winter 2013/14 collection in line with the start of London Fashion Week.

Shot by photographer Roger Deckker, the spot is reflective of the team’s search for alternative ways to showcase the new season’s line. For context, mainline Alexander McQueen will also not show on the catwalk in Paris this season as creative director Sarah Burton takes maternity leave.

The resulting film is comprised of a series of vignettes shot over a twenty-four hour period. It features models Maria Bradley and Botond Cseke and is inspired by “twentieth-century avant-garde Czechoslovakian and post-war Italian cinema”. Set in both London and the British countryside, its aim is to reflect the brand’s rebellious and street-inspired heritage.

Also joining it are two lookbooks (menswear and womenswear) and a mood image series, as shown below.

 

Harrods invites Facebook fans to decide Burberry collection buy

Luxury department store Harrods has decided to listen to the voice of its consumer for the autumn/winter 2012/13 season, by handing the buying decision of the forthcoming Burberry collection over to its Facebook fans.

The day after the designer’s show at London Fashion Week on Monday, Harrods will post images of every look on its Facebook page. Those that receive the most likes, will be incorporated into the store’s buy for the season.

It’s an interesting move for a store renowned for its somewhat elitist approach to retail. But crowdsourcing for inspiration (as well as confirmation) is becoming an evermore appealing route for those in tune with successful social strategies.

The argument in this case is almost certainly that it’s common sense those outfits proving the most popular at this stage will end up being the ones that sell once they hit the floor later in the year (though the profile of the Harrods Facebook fan versus the actual Harrods shopper could be questioned).

It’ll be interesting to see how this develops and ultimately, whether it works.

Look out for my forthcoming opinion piece on how this season’s fashion week shows have been about offering full consumer access versus providing press and buyers with new digital exclusives…