Weekly round-up: August 12, 2011

What happened this week? (I’m sort of wondering more: What happened to this week?!) Here’s my summary of the must-know news of the week for luxury, fashion and jewelry brands…

Social media’s influence on Americans

No analysis needed; the stats speak for themselves:

“The purchasing decisions of 38 million 13-80 year olds in the U.S. are now influenced in various ways by social media—up 14% in just six months.”

“Of the more than 149 million Americans actively using Facebook, 70% of these log on to the social network daily.”

Facebook ads now can target by zip code

I’m frequently asked about Facebook ads. Never been a big cheerleader, but this might be a game changer for regional brands…

Conde(Nast)Elevator Tweeter gets cold feet

The 8^th grader lurking inside me was secretly bummed to see this Tweeter vanish and stop churning out gossip from Conde Nast. The grown up in me, however, knows there’s enough ugly gossipers out there to (sadly) fill the void.

Gold expected to hit $2,000

Hard to believe gold may hit this high. Expect to see even more fine jewelry designers/brands experimenting with new metals and materials. On the bright side, necessity is the mother of invention, so I’m looking forward to seeing the creativity this will spur!

Vera Wang endangering her brand with Zales collaboration?

Vera Wang and Zales are interesting bedfellows, indeed. While mass/luxury brand collaborations are certainly nothing new, Zales doesn’t quite have the “masstique” allure of brands like H&M and Target... Yet. Something to watch.

David Yurman cozies up to Foursquare

We constantly push brands to embrace social media for marketing purposes, so kudos to David Yurman for embracing Foursquare! Agree, however, that their Foursquare content is far too self-promotional/product oriented.

“In order to encourage actual luxury customers, not just aspiring, to participate, it’s important to offer real-world incentives, an area where luxury brands have a difficult time,” Tamar Koifman, a senior social media strategist at Digital Luxury Group in Geneva, Switzerland and contributor to Fashion’s Collective.”

Baby steps…

The "Greening" of America’s affluent

This report is a personal favorite of mine… more than three quarters of affluent consumers are eco-friendly.

“76 percent of ecofriendly consumers have an annual household income of more than $150,000”

Proud to be representing a leader in socially conscious fine jewelry design: AnaKatarina Eco Gioielli!

How to come back from a social media gaffe

While we hope we never need to worry about it, here are some interesting case studies on the are of social media comeback

Miamore's News this Week:

• Have had a wonderful time working with the Rhode Island International Film Festival (there's one more day, in case you've missed it so far!). Thanks to the Rhode Show, Newport Mercury, Boston Globe and Projo (among others) for the coverage!
• Still drooling over the fall collection from Thistle & Bee... and over the stunning Lookbook we created for them!
• AnaKatarina Eco Gioielli isn't just a client; nor just a socially conscious luxury company; nor just another "designer" name. AnaKatarina Eco Gioielli is the baby of Ana-Katarina Vinkler-Petrovic--one of the most talented and intuitive designers I've yet to meet. Bonus: she's also, put simply: a beautiful soul. Love her blog, where we highlight her custom jewelry creations.

The ongoing quest to define "Green" in the fashion world

Everyone from luxury firms to discount stores to auto manufacturers are “Going Green”. While the true Green movement has long advocated incorporating sustainable practices in order to lessen our environmental impact, the buzz around eco-conscious businesses (and lifestyles) has created an enormous gray area. Sure it’s great to hear promises of a brighter, more eco-conscious tomorrow but are these companies actually following through on their word? To answer this question we would have to define what it actually means to be Green. In the automobile industry it comes in the form of alternative fuel sources and hybrid cars. In the culinary world, Green means buying local and using organic ingredients. In real estate, Green comes in the form of solar panels and draft proof windows. While Green standards are being put in place in various industries, we eco-friendly fashionistas are curious as to what qualifies fashion as “Green”.

Since Miamore Communications represents Avni, a rising star among eco-friendly fashion designers, we were especially aware during this season’s fashion and market weeks of how many designers and manufacturers were suddenly touting their Green practices. Some were legitimately eco-friendly, some were questionable, and some were just painfully misleading. We had several conversations with industry insiders this past month debating: ‘How many precautions are enough to be considered Green?’ and ‘Do some of these Green practices outweigh other practices?’ Sure a designer could make their entire line out of organic cotton but what if that cotton is dyed with toxic chemicals? A designer could buy locally and support their local economy but then package their clothing in wasteful materials and physically damage that very community they supported economically. Our conclusion: with all this “Green” confusion, consumers and buyers the fashion world need a standard. So, we were thrilled this week to read in the New York Times, WWD and other media that the fashion industry is taking a step toward such a standard… or at the very least, adding some transparency and clarity about “Green” claims… with the formation of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition was started by eco-conscious leaders from global apparel and footwear companies, along with environmental and social organizations. The long list of impressive founding members includes a range of companies and organizations, from Gap and Nordstrom and Duke University to H&M and Walmart. The coalition was founded on the belief that sustainable, eco-friendly apparel has a positive impact on people and communities. But it is faced with quite a large task in developing a way to measure and evaluate the sustainability of apparel. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s desired outcome of putting into place a standard sustainable apparel index requires measuring improvements in water use and quality, energy and Greenhouse gas emission, minimizing waste, chemicals and toxicity and creating positive labor environments and social effects.

Although the organization has been operating for less than a year, there is already great buzz in the apparel industry on how they will transform the “Green” fashion world. The index will give designers the knowledge and tools that they need to create Green products (and buyers the understanding of just how “Green” a design firm truly is). With this focus on what needs to be done for a designer to be considered sustainable, we hope that more time can also be spent on developing technology and research that can contribute to the “Green” apparel movement.

Going “Green” may be trendy at the moment but, in reality, it is a necessity and is becoming a way of life. We look forward to what organizations like the Sustainable Apparel Coalition have in store for not only the environment but for the future of the fashion.