DIGITAL

The Latest Digital: Versace, Balenciaga & Ritz-Carlton

by

Sophie Doran

|

This is the featured image caption
Credit: This is the featured image credit

Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Brian Atwood all unveil e-Commerce enabled websites, as Balenciaga, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Bell & Ross choose to optimise for Mobile

Over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding.

PARIS – Art and fashion have always developed side by side, for fashion, like art, often gives visual expression to the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1920s, Salvador Dalí created dresses for Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiapparelli. In the 1930s, Ferragamo’s shoes commissioned designs for advertisements from Futurist painter Lucio Venna, while Gianni Versace commissioned works from artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein for the launch of his collections. Yves Saint Laurent’s vast art collection, recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris, testified to his great love of art and revealed the influence of a variety of artists on his own designs.

In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. In the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, a book marking the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Perrin says he makes “a connection between all the different sorts of arts, and luxury goods are a kind of art. Luxury goods are handicrafts of art, applied art.”

The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemparain building in Paris

Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Brian Atwood all unveil e-Commerce enabled websites, as Balenciaga, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Bell & Ross choose to optimise for Mobile

Moët & Chandon’s new Twitter design

Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Brian Atwood all unveil e-Commerce enabled websites, as Balenciaga, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Bell & Ross choose to optimise for Mobile

Twitter has unveiled a new design for brand pages, optimising the visual experience with an emphasis on images. Moët & Chandon (MoetUSA) and Michael Kors (MichaelKors) are two of the first brands to launch with the new design.

“We knew Twitter would be making an announcement this morning and wanted to be prepared for any design changes that would affect the brand,” explained Christopher Renz, New York-based agency director of The brpr Group, the digital agency of record for Moët & Chandon USA. “We feel there is a great opportunity to lead in this space and we are committed to expanding our digital presence moving forward.”

“ The study found that consumers search more handbags and shoes via websites and mobile apps than any other type of clothing ”

And if the latest research by PM Digital is to be trusted, digital integration is beginning to pay off, as consumers flock to social media and e-commerce despite continued economic concerns. The study, “Trend Report: Luxury Brands Online,” found that consumers search more handbags and shoes via websites and mobile apps than any other type of clothing.

Search engines remain the largest source of traffic to luxury brand sites, accounting for 37 percent of all referrals, with Google alone accounting for 29 percent (Daily Deal Media). Whilst social media accounted for eight percent of traffic to luxury websites, with Facebook referring four percent of total site visits.

3.1 Phillip Lim, Online Comic Book

Phillip Lim has co-authored an original comic book called “Kill The Night,” launched in limited print as well as online, and through a free app called “Agent 3.1,” created in collaboration with King and Partners. The app uses mobile acuity technology, allowing the consumer to use their phone like a magnifying glass and search for hidden content and links throughout the comic book and future 3.1 Phillip Lim materials.

Website & Source: 3.1 Phillip Lim

Alberta Ferretti, Website

Alberta Ferretti has revealed a new look for albertaferretti.com, with a fresh design, updated navigation, and an online boutique powered by YOOX Group, accessible from 52 different countries. Users are invited to discover both the eponymous collection and that of Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, optimised for iPad and other tablets, integrated with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.

Website & Source: albertaferretti.com

Balenciaga, Mobile Optimisation

Balenciaga has followed the re-launch of its website with a mobile optimised platform, where users can make purchases, browse new collections, see videos, view campaigns and locate nearby retail stores. Users can browse through six opening slides by swiping their finger across the screen, each leading to a specific collection video or slideshow, new accessories of the GPS enabled store locator.

Website: balenciaga.com
Source: Luxury Daily

Bell & Ross, Mobile Optimisation

Bell & Ross has also launched a mobile website, dedicated to smart phones and tablets, in accordance with an increasing consumer preference to access content on the go. The international website includes high resolution images of all the brand’s models and accompanying specifications, access to the ‘Club’ and its benefits, order tracking, store locator and the ability to compile a personal wishlist, which can then be shared on social media.

Website: bellross.com
Source: Retail Jeweller

Brian Atwood, eCommerce

Brian Atwood has unveiled his redesigned – and first e-commerce enabled – digital flagship at brianatwood.com, created in partnership with Palmer Schwartz Agency. The site carries the full collection of footwear and accessories, as well as his contemporary B Brian Atwood collection. Users can shop digital lookbooks or request an invite to the private section of the website, called the “Vault,” full of editorial content like a director’s cut from a branded film and behind-the-scene images.

Website: brianatwood.com
Source: WWD

Calvin Klein, Digital Campaign

To celebrate the launch of men’s fragrance Encounter, Calvin Klein has invited consumers to participate in the “Dare to Encounter” on-line journey with a dedicated microsite. Visitors to encounterCalvinKlein.com can compete in a series of virtual challenges, using animated GIF’s, which unlock pieces of the moving image campaign. Once completed, users can watch the campaign short film and enter for a chance to win a grand prize.

Website & Source: encounterCalvinKlein.com

Ritz-Carlton, Video

Ritz-Carlton has an introduced the ‘Art of the Craft’ campaign, a creative new digital video series that highlights the day-to-day of select members of its international staff. The ten part feature profiles staff such as sommeliers, shoe-shine valets, chefs and housekeepers, shot on location in Sonoma, Istanbul and Hong Kong, to give guests a behind-the-scenes look at the people and jobs that make Ritz stays so special.

Website: ritzcarlton.com/ArtoftheCraft
Source: L2 Think Tank

Shangpin, Website

Former flash-sale operation Shangpin, has launched its full-price designer luxury site, targeting high-end shoppers in China with access to current-season designer and contemporary fashion from nearly 80 Western brands. Some of the brands represented include Balenciaga, Celine, Chloé, Fendi, Gucci, Milly, Mulberry, Prada, Tod’s and Tracy Reese. Access to the flash sale site has since moved to aolai.com, which in Mandarin sounds similar to the English word outlet.

Website: shangpin.com
Source: WWD

Versace, eCommerce

Versace has opened its first virtual Versace shop window, featuring the Italian brand’s iconic codes and spirit thanks to the active input of creative director Donatella Versace. The online store gives access to the whole Versace offering: fashion, bags and leather products, perfumes, interior design accessories, shoes as well as the new Young Versace line. The e-Shop is currently live in the UK, Italy, Germany and France, and will launch on October 17 in the US, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria.

Website: versace.com
Source: Luxuo

Vogue UK, Website

Vogue.co.uk has revamped its online presence, in a bid to move closer to the experience of reading the print magazine. The “more elegant visual approach,” aims to “capitalize on the timeliness, newsworthiness and excitement of the Web.” The new site has been built in HTML5 and CSS3, making it optimised for screen sizes from tablets through to desktop monitors, and the content will readjust itself to fit different devices’ screens.

Website: vogue.co.uk
Source: WWD

For more in the series of The Latest Digital, please see our most recent editions as follows:

The Latest Digital: BMW, Maserati & Salvatore Ferragamo
The Latest Digital: Lanvin, Graff & Marc Jacobs
The Latest Digital: Shangri-La, Breguet & Louis Vuitton

Sophie Doran
Sophie Doran

Creative Strategist, Digital

Sophie Doran is currently Senior Creative Strategist, Digital at Karla Otto. Prior to this role, she was the Paris-based editor-in-chief of Luxury Society. Prior to joining Luxury Society, Sophie completed her MBA in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on luxury brand dynamics and leadership, whilst simultaneously working in management roles for several luxury retailers.

DIGITAL

The Latest Digital: Versace, Balenciaga & Ritz-Carlton

by

Sophie Doran

|

This is the featured image caption
Credit : This is the featured image credit

Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Brian Atwood all unveil e-Commerce enabled websites, as Balenciaga, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Bell & Ross choose to optimise for Mobile

Over the last decade, collaborations between luxury brands and contemporary artists have gone beyond mere artistic partnerships towards a new kind of luxury branding.

PARIS – Art and fashion have always developed side by side, for fashion, like art, often gives visual expression to the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1920s, Salvador Dalí created dresses for Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiapparelli. In the 1930s, Ferragamo’s shoes commissioned designs for advertisements from Futurist painter Lucio Venna, while Gianni Versace commissioned works from artists such as Alighiero Boetti and Roy Lichtenstein for the launch of his collections. Yves Saint Laurent’s vast art collection, recently auctioned at Christie’s in Paris, testified to his great love of art and revealed the influence of a variety of artists on his own designs.

In the 1980s, relationships between luxury brands and artists were advanced when Alain Dominique Perrin created the Fondation Cartier. In the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, a book marking the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Perrin says he makes “a connection between all the different sorts of arts, and luxury goods are a kind of art. Luxury goods are handicrafts of art, applied art.”

The Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemparain building in Paris

Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Brian Atwood all unveil e-Commerce enabled websites, as Balenciaga, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Bell & Ross choose to optimise for Mobile

Moët & Chandon’s new Twitter design

Alberta Ferretti, Versace and Brian Atwood all unveil e-Commerce enabled websites, as Balenciaga, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Bell & Ross choose to optimise for Mobile

Twitter has unveiled a new design for brand pages, optimising the visual experience with an emphasis on images. Moët & Chandon (MoetUSA) and Michael Kors (MichaelKors) are two of the first brands to launch with the new design.

“We knew Twitter would be making an announcement this morning and wanted to be prepared for any design changes that would affect the brand,” explained Christopher Renz, New York-based agency director of The brpr Group, the digital agency of record for Moët & Chandon USA. “We feel there is a great opportunity to lead in this space and we are committed to expanding our digital presence moving forward.”

“ The study found that consumers search more handbags and shoes via websites and mobile apps than any other type of clothing ”

And if the latest research by PM Digital is to be trusted, digital integration is beginning to pay off, as consumers flock to social media and e-commerce despite continued economic concerns. The study, “Trend Report: Luxury Brands Online,” found that consumers search more handbags and shoes via websites and mobile apps than any other type of clothing.

Search engines remain the largest source of traffic to luxury brand sites, accounting for 37 percent of all referrals, with Google alone accounting for 29 percent (Daily Deal Media). Whilst social media accounted for eight percent of traffic to luxury websites, with Facebook referring four percent of total site visits.

3.1 Phillip Lim, Online Comic Book

Phillip Lim has co-authored an original comic book called “Kill The Night,” launched in limited print as well as online, and through a free app called “Agent 3.1,” created in collaboration with King and Partners. The app uses mobile acuity technology, allowing the consumer to use their phone like a magnifying glass and search for hidden content and links throughout the comic book and future 3.1 Phillip Lim materials.

Website & Source: 3.1 Phillip Lim

Alberta Ferretti, Website

Alberta Ferretti has revealed a new look for albertaferretti.com, with a fresh design, updated navigation, and an online boutique powered by YOOX Group, accessible from 52 different countries. Users are invited to discover both the eponymous collection and that of Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, optimised for iPad and other tablets, integrated with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.

Website & Source: albertaferretti.com

Balenciaga, Mobile Optimisation

Balenciaga has followed the re-launch of its website with a mobile optimised platform, where users can make purchases, browse new collections, see videos, view campaigns and locate nearby retail stores. Users can browse through six opening slides by swiping their finger across the screen, each leading to a specific collection video or slideshow, new accessories of the GPS enabled store locator.

Website: balenciaga.com
Source: Luxury Daily

Bell & Ross, Mobile Optimisation

Bell & Ross has also launched a mobile website, dedicated to smart phones and tablets, in accordance with an increasing consumer preference to access content on the go. The international website includes high resolution images of all the brand’s models and accompanying specifications, access to the ‘Club’ and its benefits, order tracking, store locator and the ability to compile a personal wishlist, which can then be shared on social media.

Website: bellross.com
Source: Retail Jeweller

Brian Atwood, eCommerce

Brian Atwood has unveiled his redesigned – and first e-commerce enabled – digital flagship at brianatwood.com, created in partnership with Palmer Schwartz Agency. The site carries the full collection of footwear and accessories, as well as his contemporary B Brian Atwood collection. Users can shop digital lookbooks or request an invite to the private section of the website, called the “Vault,” full of editorial content like a director’s cut from a branded film and behind-the-scene images.

Website: brianatwood.com
Source: WWD

Calvin Klein, Digital Campaign

To celebrate the launch of men’s fragrance Encounter, Calvin Klein has invited consumers to participate in the “Dare to Encounter” on-line journey with a dedicated microsite. Visitors to encounterCalvinKlein.com can compete in a series of virtual challenges, using animated GIF’s, which unlock pieces of the moving image campaign. Once completed, users can watch the campaign short film and enter for a chance to win a grand prize.

Website & Source: encounterCalvinKlein.com

Ritz-Carlton, Video

Ritz-Carlton has an introduced the ‘Art of the Craft’ campaign, a creative new digital video series that highlights the day-to-day of select members of its international staff. The ten part feature profiles staff such as sommeliers, shoe-shine valets, chefs and housekeepers, shot on location in Sonoma, Istanbul and Hong Kong, to give guests a behind-the-scenes look at the people and jobs that make Ritz stays so special.

Website: ritzcarlton.com/ArtoftheCraft
Source: L2 Think Tank

Shangpin, Website

Former flash-sale operation Shangpin, has launched its full-price designer luxury site, targeting high-end shoppers in China with access to current-season designer and contemporary fashion from nearly 80 Western brands. Some of the brands represented include Balenciaga, Celine, Chloé, Fendi, Gucci, Milly, Mulberry, Prada, Tod’s and Tracy Reese. Access to the flash sale site has since moved to aolai.com, which in Mandarin sounds similar to the English word outlet.

Website: shangpin.com
Source: WWD

Versace, eCommerce

Versace has opened its first virtual Versace shop window, featuring the Italian brand’s iconic codes and spirit thanks to the active input of creative director Donatella Versace. The online store gives access to the whole Versace offering: fashion, bags and leather products, perfumes, interior design accessories, shoes as well as the new Young Versace line. The e-Shop is currently live in the UK, Italy, Germany and France, and will launch on October 17 in the US, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria.

Website: versace.com
Source: Luxuo

Vogue UK, Website

Vogue.co.uk has revamped its online presence, in a bid to move closer to the experience of reading the print magazine. The “more elegant visual approach,” aims to “capitalize on the timeliness, newsworthiness and excitement of the Web.” The new site has been built in HTML5 and CSS3, making it optimised for screen sizes from tablets through to desktop monitors, and the content will readjust itself to fit different devices’ screens.

Website: vogue.co.uk
Source: WWD

For more in the series of The Latest Digital, please see our most recent editions as follows:

The Latest Digital: BMW, Maserati & Salvatore Ferragamo
The Latest Digital: Lanvin, Graff & Marc Jacobs
The Latest Digital: Shangri-La, Breguet & Louis Vuitton

Sophie Doran
Sophie Doran

Creative Strategist, Digital

Sophie Doran is currently Senior Creative Strategist, Digital at Karla Otto. Prior to this role, she was the Paris-based editor-in-chief of Luxury Society. Prior to joining Luxury Society, Sophie completed her MBA in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on luxury brand dynamics and leadership, whilst simultaneously working in management roles for several luxury retailers.

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