Digital snippets: Facebook, 3D printing, Weibo, Topshop, Calvin Klein, Anthropologie

It’s set to be a little bit quiet on here over the space of the next week as I head down to Austin to check out this year’s SXSW. In the meantime therefore, here’s a quick round-up of some of the best fashion and digital stories from around the web these last few days:

• Facebook redesigns news feed: what’s in it for brands [Inc]

• Dita Von Teese debuts 3D-printed dress (as pictured) [Mashable]

• Dior, Prada, Marchesa, Elie Saab and Giorgio Armani top Sina Weibo’s most buzzed about brands from Oscars red carpet [WWD]

• Topshop is fashion’s most social high street brand [The Wall Blog]

• Calvin Klein launches Dark Obsession fragrance ad starring model Matthew Terry [The Cut]

• Content marketing with Instagram: five lessons from Anthropologie [The Bureau]

• Dove Canada’s Photoshop ‘hack’ reverts airbrushed, edited photos [Huffington Post]

• Five brands that reaped rewards after adopting responsive design [Econsultancy]

• One e-commerce winner, one loser; two lessons – Farfetch vs Luxup [Material World, FT]

• Shangpin taps China’s fashion e-shoppers [Financial Times]

Net-a-Porter teases Choupette Lagerfeld video

 

“She’s white, fluffy and quite possibly the best-dressed cat on the planet,” reads the copy on Net-a-Porter’s latest video uploaded to YouTube. “Oh, and did we mention she’s a Lagerfeld?”

The luxury online store has released a teaser (as above) featuring Karl Lagerfeld’s now infamous feline friend, Choupette, who just celebrated her first birthday.

A full-length exclusive video with the “oh so chic” cat, is slated to follow, presumably to tie in with the release of Lagerfeld’s second Karl collection on Net-a-Porter from today.

Got to love it when fashion doesn’t take itself quite so seriously…

Cheap Monday allows fans to unlock and shop new collection before Stockholm fashion show

Swedish brand Cheap Monday is providing Facebook fans with exclusive access to its spring/summer 2013 collection ahead of its show at Stockholm Fashion Week next week.

Launched in partnership with e-commerce start-up Tictail, the “Sneak Peek Shop” allows consumers to purchase a limited number of key items ahead of time including shirts, jeans and jewellery.

Essentially a digital pop-up shop, it is unlockable via a code, which is only accessible to those who like the brand’s Facebook page.

“Our fans and customers all over the world are the fundament of Cheap Monday. We strive to find new ways to build our relationship with them and offer exciting products and services. We hope that making it possible to purchase our SS-13 Collection before everyone else through our partnership with Tictail is just as exciting for our customers as it is for us,” says Håkan Ström, COO at Cheap Monday.

The initiative premiers Tictail’s “Exclusive Access” feature, which allows retailers to limit store access through a login service, making it possible to offer special treatment for chosen customers. “In this case, Cheap Monday turns fashion logic upside down by selling items from the new collection before it even hits the catwalk and uses the feature to give Facebook fans early access to the shop through a code,” reads the write-up.

Carl Waldekranz, co-founder and CEO of Tictail, which is named one of Wired magazine’s hottest 100 European start-ups in its September 2012 issue, adds: “We aim to empower all types of businesses, and help erase borders between them and their customers. It’s great to see smaller retailers using Tictail to sell directly to customers, and now to see a global innovative brand like Cheap Monday using it to fit their needs.”

The Cheap Monday shop opens today, ahead of Tuesday’s show (when it then becomes available to everyone), and will remain accessible until September 2. All purchases will be delivered during 2012, before they hit stores in 2013.

The show is being live-streamed online on Tuesday at 9.30pm CET at www.cheapmonday.com/show.

Elle UK live tweets Beckham cover shoot

UK Elle magazine provided its Twitter and Facebook fans with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to its July 2012 cover shoot with David Beckham in Los Angeles yesterday.

The initiative followed the success of a similar one with Twilight actress Kristen Stewart last month (she will cover the June issue). This however marks the first time the mag has had a solo male appear, which provided the editorial team with a wealth of opportunity to build hype around the event before Beckham’s name was revealed. A poll was cast on the website, alongside a series of teaser stories.

The live tweets began last night following the official announcement yesterday morning. Although full shots of Beckham weren’t ever shown, the editors set the scene with descriptions and snaps of everything from their lunch to the clothes rail being selected from. There was even a close-up on the football player’s tattoos – proof if it was ever needed. Followers were also invited to send in their own questions to @ELLEuk and through its #BeckhamElle hashtag.

The move is an interesting one for a magazine; tapping into the all-important notion of ‘real-time’ in today’s social media world by opening up the one part of its publication that tends to remain under wraps until it hits the shelves. On each occasion Elle has done it just enough to grab attention amid the “noise”, and yet not so much so as to damage levels of interest when the issue is actually printed. It’ll be interesting to see newsstand sales and subscription growth in relation for both.

The choice of Beckham is said to be a nod to the 2012 Olympic Games this summer. Elle’s editor-in-chief Lorraine Candy, said: “David Beckham is a national hero, so we saw an opportunity to shoot a celebratory cover to support an historical and patriotic year. He is an icon and Elle is known for featuring icons on its cover.”

The issue will be available from May 30. View more of the behind-the-scenes pics, here.