Digital snippets: Alexander McQueen, Vogue, M&S, Nike, Guess, Bloomingdale’s

Some more great stories from around the web surrounding all things fashion and digital over the past week:

 

• Alexander McQueen backstage film AW12 (as above) [DisneyRollerGirl]

• Vogue.com, SHOWstudio win Webby Awards [WWD]

• M&S raids its archives to create interactive lingerie timeline [Pressitt]

• Nike projection mapping sees building twist [Digital Buzz]

• Guess Inc’s social strategy [WWD]

• Bloomingdale’s exec: RFID boosts inventory accuracy, sales [Luxury Daily]

• Japanese virtual stores designed to give realistic in-store experience [PSFK]

• Decoded Fashion conference highlights fashion and tech’s tricky relationship [BetaBeat]

• Infographic: could Pinterest be the silver bullet for retailers on social media [Mashable]

Vogue.fr launches English site

Vogue Paris has introduced an English-language option on its recently relaunched website, featuring a daily selection of exclusive content for its international audience.

The move comes hot on the heels of the site’s reported 130% increase in traffic to 520,000 unique users a month in February 2012; an impressive figure alongside Condé Nast’s English language sites such as Vogue.com, which has 1.2 million uniques, or Style.com’s 2.6 million.

“We know that we have a very international audience, which is why we expect the English edition to drive even more traffic and help us develop the brand,” Sarah Herz, director of Condé Nast Digital in France, told The Business of Fashion. “Our strategy is to embed the style and feel of the magazine across all formats, as it responds to the new way in which we consume information today, and meets readers needs in terms of temporality and mobility.”

The Vogue.fr brand also celebrated reaching 500,000 fans on Facebook recently, and 1 million followers on Twitter (making it the leading French media account on the platform).

Next up will be a new iPhone app next week, as well as a mobile-optimised version of its website. From June, there will be a rich media version of the magazine available on iPad, and an Android app at around the same time.

Twitter hashtag accompanies new Vogue Italia cover

It’s great to see the new cover of Vogue Italia not only featuring black supermodel Joan Smalls, but a tech reference with the now universal Twitter hashtag.

#OVERTHETOP is the only line accompanying the image of Smalls, shot by Steven Meisel, for the March issue of the magazine.

Vogue Italia – frequently referred to as somewhat savvy when it comes to digital initiatives – also released a series of GIFs shot by Meisel called “Haute Mess”, as a preview of the issue. See the one featuring Smalls below, and click here for more.

 

 

Emmanuelle Alt fronts brilliant spoof video for Vogue.fr

To celebrate the relaunch of its website, French Vogue has posted a great video featuring editor Emmanuelle Alt playing the role of George Michael in a remake of Wham! classic, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go:

 

The video ends by encouraging viewers to Go-Go to the new Vogue.fr.

The Super Bowl’s stylish digital spin, featuring H&M, Madonna and Vogue [PICS]

No surprise to hear that last night’s Super Bowl XLVI hit an all-time record on Twitter in the sports event category. The ‘Social Super Bowl’, as it was readily dubbed, hit an average of 10,000 tweets per second during the last three minutes of the game.

But there were two other digital aspects to the game that I loved, no less because they’re related to the fashion industry…

First up, is all about H&M. As we already know, the Swedish retailer aired its new David Beckham Bodywear ad during the second quarter, which inevitably proved a key conversation point in the social space (it’d be interesting to break those Twitter stats up minute by minute not to mention demographically).

But, the company also very cleverly paid attention to what else might hit a high in terms of chatter, and of course came up with Madonna’s halftime show. Consequently the trending topic for #Madonna was sponsored by H&M. Genius:

(Image via @AmyJoMartin)

The second great thing, of course, was the digital stage set accompanying Givenchy-clad Madonna, and its subsequent shout out to Vogue.

The interactive installation was designed by Canadian multimedia studio, Moment Factory. Here’s a closer look:

French Vogue to relaunch website, launch social reader app with Facebook

French Vogue is set to unveil a new website (as pictured) on February 6, which will blend its digital and print editions under the charge of Emmanuelle Alt.

Vogue.fr will cover everything from private meetings with fashion creators to backstage access to shoots with fashion photographers including Mario Sorrenti, Peter Lindbergh, Mario Testino and Inez & Vinoodh, and key insights into the current fashion and editing choices of its team.

“The age of internet has given way to a digital world in which media brands can at last express and use their skills, and that has made the creation of new emotions possible, the aim of the new Vogue.fr,” explains Sarah Herz, director of digital affairs at Condé Nast.

The design of the new site is based on large-format pictures and full-screen slideshows. The navigation of it is inspired by the iPad. It also integrates with social networks – allowing fashion shows and events to be followed live, as well as the magazine’s posts on Twitter and Tumblr.

“With this new website, we wanted to go a step further and create a new and original brand experience. We have overthrown the normal codes of web design. Our aim is to make it the digital reference in the field of fashion and trends,” says Delphine Royant, editor of French Vogue.

In further news, the magazine will also launch an application in partnership with Facebook called the “Vogue Paris Social Reader”. It will enable users to see the content read by their friends, consult the whole article within the Facebook ecosystem and share with others:

WGSN sponsors Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Online fashion forecaster WGSN is set to sponsor Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.

The service, which has provided creative and business intelligence for the apparel, style, design and retail industries since 1998, will also host a trendzone in the grand lobby of the event space.

WGSN’s CEO, Julie Harris, said: “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York is the highlight of the seasonal show calendar and a must-attend event. We are delighted to be embarking on this exclusive relationship giving WGSN’s 38,000 global subscriber base privileged and exclusive access to all the runway shows in New York through WGSN.com as well as live expert analysis on site in the WGSN TrendZone.”

Visitors will be privy to catwalk trend briefings as they happen, access to the WGSN.com site on one of the free work stations, and be able to explore the recently launched Vogue Archive, featuring every page of every issue of American Vogue from 1892 until today.

The Cut and Vice win best fashion apps; Vogue launches Daily News app

The Cut on the Runway and Vice – Dos and Don’ts have been named the best fashion apps currently available by The Sunday Times.

The newspaper’s Apps List 2012, the first section of which was published on January 22, features 250 of the best apps (the second 250 will follow on January 29), according to a team of experienced reviewers aided by several experts in specialist fields.

New York Magazine’s The Cut and Vice lead in the fashion space, alongside other entries across culture, entertainment, sport, food, travel, health and science.

Meanwhile, British Vogue has today announced the launch of its Daily News app, in association with Vertu. Available on the iPhone and Blackberry and soon on Android and Windows 7, it offers news updates throughout the day, backstage access, insider interviews, and party pictures.

“The Daily News on Vogue.com has become one of the strongest elements of the site over the last 15 years, bringing the latest updates and the most inspirational, stylish stories into the limelight throughout the day every day,” says Vogue.com editor, Dolly Jones.

“Whether you’re interested in the latest on the YSL vs. Louboutin court battle; the best new fashion labels; strongest trends; or just want to know which supermodel is wearing what and where every day, we offer the latest and most trusted fashion news resource. The fact that our readers can now read it on their phones will be a fantastic advantage.”

Vogue launches 120-year digital archive

It’s been kept under cloak and dagger for months on end, but finally the Vogue Archive is live.

And what a feat…

Every page of every issue since 1892 has been digitised; that’s over 400,000 full-colour images of covers, ads, features, fashion portfolios, illustrations and more, in their original context. As they say, “the essential resource for fashion, design and marketing professionals”.

Powered globally by online trend analysis and research service WGSN, it offers an unparalleled record of fashion, social and cultural history. As such, it provides a rich resource for everyone from designers to students.

Steve Markov, president of WGSN Americas, says: “As the world’s leading trend forecaster and supplier of digital inspiration tools for the fashion and design industries, WGSN is ideally suited to maximize the commercial potential of the Vogue Archive. Both WGSN and the Vogue Archive are must-haves for any creative, design, or fashion business. The integration of two such powerful resources is an industry first.”

The archive is enhanced by the fact it also allows users to search and refine results; sorting by articles, images, covers, or advertisements; as well as decade, issue, brand, designer, photographer or model. That’s hours on end of my day gone then…

Watch the video demo, here.

International Vogue editors pose for Japan

Not in any shape or form a digital story, but I thought I’d post this picture of the Vogue editors from all around the world posing together for the very first time.

Led by American Vogue’s Anna Wintour, the editors represent the 18 countries where Vogue is published. The group joined forces for Tokyo’s Fashion’s Night Out in in a bid to boost spirits and sales following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year.

The industry’s most powerful women, despite their printed form…

Photo by Frederic Aranda

Editors positions (left to right): Yolanda Sacristan – Spain (seated), Kirstie Clements- Australia (middle), Anaita Adajania – India (back), Christiane Arp – Germany (seated), Angelica Cheung -China (standing), Franca Sozzani- Italy (seated), Mitsuko Watanabe – Japan (standing), Anna Wintour- America (seated), Emmanuelle Alt – France (reclining), Alexandra Shulman – Britain (seated), Victoria Davydova – Russia (standing), Anna Harvey-representing Brazil and Greece (seated), Seda Domanic – Turkey (seated), Myung Hee Lee – Korea (seated), Rosalie Huang -Taiwan (standing), Eva Hughes – Mexico and Latin America (standing), Paula Mateus – Portugal (seated)