Jimmy Choo for H&M controversy

*COMMENT: ...and another thing!*

I've read some ridiculous posts on discussion boards relating to how Jimmy Choo has now ruined its brand name by partnering with H&M for this latest collaboration.

Frankly I think this is ridiculous. Some are outraged that they spend hundreds on his shoes and mad about the fact people are now able to purchase them cheaply (if you can call £70-£100 cheap having just left uni), even if it is just a one-off. Others are saying the brand name has lost valuable equity. Yet others call us 'sheep'/label whores. And the best one, "everyone in town will be wearing the same thing tonight" (more correctly, a handful of people will be wearing certain pieces from the collection).

I doubt either Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, or Karl Lagerfeld have had their luxury sales affected by such collaborations with the high street chain.

In fact I think its a very clever strategy which can only benefit both parties. Firstly, H&M stands to benefit from greater brand awareness, positioned as being at the forefront of high-street fashion, and of course, it brings greater numbers of consumers into their stores. It also doesn't hurt that high-profile names such as Hayden Panettiere have publicly coveted H&M (again, of a certain age group), and both Hilton sisters wore outfits from the collection to the LA launch party.

From the Jimmy Choo side, this collaboration represents a short-time publicity drive to increase brand awareness and gain precious column inches. But more importantly, it gives those less wealthy demographics a chance to experience high fashion at an 'affordable' price. The people who bought items from this new range will, on the most part I feel be the ones buying from the high-end luxury ranges in future if and when their earning power should increase. As a recent university graduate with a recent change in view to buying quality items rather than quantity (i.e. I have never jumped on the Primark bandwagon and would rather save for something classic that will last a lot longer), this definitely is the case.

To address the 'sheep' comment, this is the first time I've gone to any H&M collaboration on launch day or in fact, queued for anything fashion. I keep a mixed wardrobe and buy things I know will look good on me (I've seen some horrendous designer pieces around which I wouldn't be caught dead in), and not fall to pieces after a couple of wears. At the same time Jimmy Choo has built a very good all-round reputation and there is nothing wrong with launching a one-off accessible option for 'the masses'. I don't like to take a disposable view to clothes as I think there is enough waste in today's world so for the most part this is a good reason to buying the odd high-end designer item. I also buy from charity shops btw!

Jimmy Choo for H&M (London, UK): SCORE!

*UPDATE*

I had one of the best retail experiences this morning, am not nursing any injuries, and managed to score quite a range of items at the Jimmy Choo for H&M collaboration launch. Definitely a successful shopping trip and well worth the wait!

I left my house just before 7am this morning and headed to Convent Garden to the Long Acre branch of H&M. When I got there at 7.15am I was bemused (although not surprised) to discover a group of people with a tent right in the front entrance. 'Wow this queue isn't that bad' I thought on arriving, and then I followed it...right around the building and down the alley. I thought, crap I probably didn't make the first 160 people who get wristbands and alloted shopping times in the Accessories area.

Turns out one of the girls in a group behind me went to count and we were between 85 and 95 in line. Brilliant!




It started raining and staff came around to hand out umbrellas, although nearly everyone had already come prepared (UGG boots and all). The wristbands were handed out around 8.15am and mine turned out to be Orange, in the 5th group of 20.

Although we ended up waiting a few hours, I got chatting to some really nice people in front and behind me in the queue so in the end it didn't feel like we were there that long despite the rain and cold. It was all very civilised and there was a general air of excitement about, especially when the first shoppers emerged with their beautiful royal blue-coloured bags.



I doubt it was the same in the Oxford Circus branch although I'm curious to find out. The whole event was planned with military precision and I was very impressed. There were no arguments over items, no catfights, no treading on toes. The whole shopping process ended up taking a lot less time than anticipated, most likely due to the fact that many had already decided what they wanted to buy from looking at the collection in shop windows and online so the 10minutes was enough. I ended up taking the last pairs of two styles in a size 4 and 5.



I will be wearing these peep-toe grey suede boots to my graduation next week to go with a dress I bought recently for the ocassion.



I'm not 100% about these 'fierce' heels although they look amazing. They're about 6 inches and I doubt I'll be able to walk in them frankly. There is a very small chance they may appear on eBay soon. Am kicking myself for not getting the blue sandals as a quick check has already revealed people bidding on eBay at double the original retail price (the scarcity principle is amazing), and I'm definitely poorer now! But then another part of me thought how unfair it is of people to buy a lot with the intention of selling them on when there are people out there dying to get them in store to their dissapointment and cannot afford such mark ups.

Other purchases included the studded belt, small leather bag, earrings, and matching bracelet.




I tried on the sequin cardigan, leather dress, and leather trousers - all which looked great but eventually I had to take finances into consideration along with the fact the look may not be 'in' for very long, although I admit fashion trends do have a way of re-emerging every decade or so. Clothes were really the only items there was still an abundance of on the racks by the time I left the store. But then that was before the doors were open to the general public. It felt very exclusive for the people who bothered to queue as the rest of the store was closed off to everyone until the 160 had finished shopping. There were no changing room queues and assistance was at hand everywhere. An all round marketing and PR success for H&M I feel.

One of the most surprising things that happened was that I got talking to a woman in front of me in the queue who had just launched her own business, and guess what? Is currently looking for an entry-ish marketing person to train up and incorporate as a new member of staff. So not only did I score some Jimmy Choo, I also scored a business card and potential job lead. How's that for random?!

The final Jimmy Choo for H&M shopping spree result:


Apologies for the picture quality - it doesn't do the items much justice. The D90 is currently in Johannesburg with my bf.

The Race issue

***Double Standards***

Why is it that Italian Vogue was allowed to print a 'groundbreaking' issue last year which only featured black models without anyone really saying a word about it...but if they were to do an issue featuring only blonde, white models (and marketing it as such) there would be a huge race outrage?

This has always bothered me. For all those who spout equality, hundreds of years after slavery was abolished why is it that race is still such a huge issue? I mean, take Oprah for example...most of what she does is championing black causes...isn't this racist? Ok I get that maybe in the US the race issues between black and white is so much bigger than in Europe (who have other conflicts such as Turks in Germany, Roma gypsies in Italy, etc), but really these separation mentalities are as good as reverse apartheid.

Oh and another thing. For even the most liberal of people, dating outside ones own race is often frowned upon...Season 3 of Sex and The City where Samantha is dating a cute black record industry guy and her 'friend', his sister warns her off him saying she doesn't want her only brother to date a white woman.

Take another example. I was in Woolworths before it closed down one or two years ago and was in the queue to pay for some stationary. This was in Hackney. I heard one girl say to another, "you can't buy Vogue, because there aren't any black models in it and all the powerful people behind the magazine are white". My thoughts were WTF??!!! Never would a 'white' person be allowed to voice this opinion out loud without shit hitting the fan!

It's all pretty ridiculous in my opinion. Its perfectly acceptable to me to use the differences in upbringing, values, education and culture as a point of difference but the colour thing is BS. Take the South Africa view that many black people outside the country possess. Yes, there was apartheid and actually it wasn't around for very long but even so, its over now yet people see all white South Africans are racist. From what I saw over the course of about a year in Johannesburg at least (ok Durban is!) is mixed groups of friends of all ages, met white people who fought for the end of apartheid and are members of the ANC...and you know what else I saw? Business rules which say you have to hire X number of black people for every white person in your company. Sure, whites there are a minority so in theory this may make sense. The reality is that when I walked into an office to get a holiday visa extension, the lawyer woman was white and there were 10 black women in the office doing absolutely nothing because there was nothing to do. Their job? To go into the CBD (which many white people are afraid to go because of the crime rates there - lots of Nigerian drug dealers, guns, etc.) and queue up to get a stamp in a passport. Also, you actually get asked your race on job application forms as a compulsory question! Now is that reverse discrimination or what? Whatever happened to talent or actual skills?