Marketing Report
We were fortunate enough to score an exclusive interview with
one of New York’s newest up and coming designers. Her contemporary couture
designs are effortlessly captivating, and truly holds the essence of the new
era of the modern working woman. Rebecca only recently moved her designer store
to New York a matter of months ago, but something is telling us, this is just
the beginning.
Q: So Rebecca, we’ve heard recent rumours about your new
collection, but we’d love for you to set the record straight, are you really
designing for Rihanna?
RP: Yes! Rihanna and her team approached me a while back and
asked if I would design an exclusive collection, specifically for her award shows
for 2016. The CFDA awards, the Met Gala, the MTV awards and definitely the
after parties are some of the biggest events for celebrity fashion. I was more
than happy to design for her. Rihanna never holds back when it comes to her
personal style, her ‘dare to bare’ reputation still holds strong, but she
always remains classy and feminine. She’s also the perfect fit for my brand and
image. I am obsessed with the way women are constantly evolving to becoming stronger
and more powerful than ever, and their wardrobe should show that too.
Q: So why Rihanna?
RP: Most importantly, she’s going to look incredible in my
collection. She’s such a strong and independent woman, which is what my brand
is all about. Rihanna has over 37 million followers on social media, including
Twitter and Instagram, so publicity will be huge. Since rumours circulated
about our collection, my social media following has boosted massively, in the
past week my Instagram following has increased by 3,000! Business is booming.
It’s perfect for my brand promotion, especially now that social media plays one
of the biggest roles in the industry. Rihanna is an icon, she has collaborated
with high street stores and sports brands, and her personal style is always
setting trends.
Q: Describe the process with Rihanna, what was it like
working with such a big star?
RP: Despite her constantly being under the spotlight and holding the stress that
brings over her head, she is incredibly down to earth, humble and overall a
really lovely and genuine person. The process was tricky, as we both had to
incorporate our own ideas into our designs, and balance the level of both
influences. We stumbled across a few technical weaknesses, for example, she
thought that a few designs were too formal and she wanted to push more out of
each design, to define her more. As she has a lot of awards coming up this
year, she wanted to incorporate more futuristic fabrics into the designs.
Eventually we would both meet a compromise and produce the best collection
possible. Rihanna is always invited to all of the exclusive award shows, which
are all about the celebrity’s and who they are wearing, and my collection will
be featured in all the media coverage, from weekly magazines, to the Vogue
website’s red carpet celebrity coverage. Images circulate the image platform
Instagram instantly, fans reposting their favourite outfits of the night.
Q: We couldn’t agree more! So tell us more about your
collection.
RP: The collection is inspired by geometry and minimalism. I
have always been fascinated by the effect of simplicity in womenswear, how
something refined can still make a statement. As
Miuccia Prada pointed out a few seasons ago: "I think that minimalism is
interesting right now, because there has probably been too much obvious glamour
and nakedness in fashion." There is something intrinsically cool
about minimalism. It suits all
occasions, because it is uncluttered. The collection was designed specifically
for Rihanna, therefore they have to be limited edition statement pieces.
Q: Is it true that Vogue are doing a special edition on Rihanna?
RP: Later this year, yet no
dates are yet confirmed, Vogue will be doing a spread on Rihanna for their
special edition magazine. In this editorial spread, they will be getting
personal with Rihanna, including talking about this collection and getting a
few pictures of her in a few pieces from the range. This will be incredible to
get some professional studio shots of Rihanna in the collection to be shown to
the world in Vogue. It will be amazing for me as a designer as I will no doubt
be approached by some of the biggest designers in the industry, such as Versace
and Gucci. Having your collection pieces in Vogue is an incredible honour and
definitely develops your reputation in the industry.
Q: We know that the pieces
are couture, but how much will they retail for?
RP: The garments will not be available for sale. They will
be worth a lot, but I prefer to keep price points private.
Q: So when and where will the collection be available?
RP: The collection is exclusively for Rihanna. All the
attention is about Rihanna and the designs, but I am fully aware that not
everyone will idolise her, including some of my customers, and to me, they are
of the most importance. Therefore, I have decided to stay true to myself as a
designer and create a collection with my own twist, so I am currently finalising
a diffusion range, which will be available in late 2016. The designs will be ready-to-wear
and very similar to those of Rihanna’s. It will be limited edition to maintain
my brand’s exclusivity. The diffusion collection will be available in my stores
in New York, Paris, Milan and London.
Q: Your stores are synonymous for your special service, why
is this?
RP: Service is the most important aspect to me, it’s
important that my customers receive luxury service from the moment that they
enter my stores. All of my staff are the best of the best, I have personal
stylists and seamstresses in every store, to make sure the customer receives
the most out of her visits.
Q: When are you launching your Ready-To-Wear collection?
RP: I am currently finalising my designs, and we have just
signed contracts with the models. Rihanna is the perfect celebrity endorser,
but in regards to my editorials in magazines, I will be using influential
models such as Gigi Hadid and Jourdan Dunn to wear my collection, photographed
by the remarkable Mario Testino. A collaboration that is going to be
unforgettable. It is a very strong campaign, the models represent my brand’s
ethos well and I am very excited, as it is one of the biggest collections that
I have done as a designer. My collection is about empowering the modern woman,
and my models, which are strong and independent women, capture this perfectly.
Q: You have mentioned social media a lot throughout this
interview, is that a big factor for you?
RP: Of course! I believe that bloggers are the way to the
future. The bloggers who will be covering my ready-to-wear collection will be;
the clean cut and classy, Victoria Mcgrath who writes Inthefrow.com, and the
diverse and edgy Suzie Lau who writes Stylebubble.com. They will be invited to
the launch event and will be wearing my collection for the night, offering
their opinions on the collection and the event, to share with their social
media following of over 23k.
Q: Sounds like it is going to be amazing, definitely
investing in history here. We can’t wait to see the final outcomes! Especially
the diffusion range…
RP: It was a pleasure to talk to you today! It’s very
exciting. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and the outcomes will be
fantastic!
After speaking to Rebecca today, it’s clear that she’s going
to have an amazing year breaking into the New York fashion industry. Her clean
cut and empowering designs will no doubt be worn by the socially elite and
independent women all across the globe. We can’t wait to see the forthcoming
collections, and we can all agree that many items will make incredible
investment pieces for the modern woman’s wardrobe.
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