Because Magazine Screenshot | Source: Because

LONDON, United Kingdom — Fashion editorial has long been a powerful generator of purchasing intent for brands. But ‘intent generators’ like magazines often lose their fair share of sales revenue to ‘intent harvesters’ like retailers further down the purchasing path. Squeezed by shrinking ad sales, major publishers like Condé Nast have become increasingly aware of this missed opportunity — and more and more magazines have learnt to think like retailers, embracing e-commerce to open new revenue streams and monetise their content.

Now, digital start-ups like Because Magazine, created by the team at Tank, are building commerce directly into their business models from day one. Soft-launched back in September of 2009 and currently in public beta prior to a “full scale” launch at London Fashion Week in September, Because is a curated, daily selection of fashion, accessories, jewellery and beauty products that’s a digital storefront as much as an online magazine.

BoF spoke with Caroline Issa, editor-in-chief of Because, to find out more.

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Celebrating Canadians in Fashion at the Canadian High Commission in London

LONDON, United Kingdom — On recent trips home to Canada, much to my dismay, I have struggled to find local fashion stories to share on BoF. Yes, Canada has a history of superstar models, and occasionally there is a retailer like Brian Hill of Aritzia or a young designer like Rad Hourani who captures my attention, but for the most part, getting a good Canadian fashion story has proven to be a challenge.

As it turns out, I was looking in the wrong place the whole time. I missed the quiet Canadian fashion revolution happening in my own backyard, right here in London.

On Wednesday evening, James R. Wright, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and his charming wife Donna Thomson, together with their daughter Natalie, hosted an intimate dinner at their home to celebrate the great success that London-based Canadians are having in the global fashion industry. It was only by bringing all of us together in one room that the full force of London’s Canadian fashion mafia could be truly comprehended.

Let’s take stock, shall we? … Continue Reading

Thomas Tait’s Sketchbook | Source: Thomas Tait

LONDON, United Kingdom — Each year, more than 4,000 design students graduate from fashion colleges across the UK.  But there are only about 500 new jobs available for them, leaving thousands of young designers to move abroad or start their own labels. The vast majority of these have absolutely no business training whatsoever.

For Thomas Tait — one of the most buzzed-about new graduates from Central Saint Martins, one of the UK’s leading fashion schools — and hundreds of other budding designers around the UK, PR and fame are not enough. There are also the practical necessities of developing a viable fashion business: raising funds, setting up a studio, hiring staff, securing production, creating a new collection and, ultimately convincing buyers that they should place an order because the clothes will actually arrive on time, as promised, ready to be sold.

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Mobile Screenshot, RUGBY by Ralph Lauren | Source: RUGBY

With smartphone adoption rates higher than ever, there has recently been a flurry of activity from fashion brands focused on developing and deploying mobile applications. Today, luxury brands like Hermès, Chanel and Gucci have mobile apps for Apple’s popular iPhone. But far less attention has been paid to developing Mobile Web sites. In this guest post, our friends at PercentMobile explain why investing in the Mobile Web can often make more sense than building mobile apps.

NEW YORK, United States — Mobile data traffic is expected to grow 40-fold in the next five years. As the mobile internet rises in significance, the fact that over a hundred thousand mobile applications have been developed for Apple’s iPhone has been hailed as evidence of a rapidly growing mobile ecosystem.

Indeed, there are some amazing applications available. But much less attention has been paid to the Mobile Web. Here, we aim to shed light on the critical differences between mobile apps and Mobile Web and help brands choose wisely as they develop their mobile strategies.

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