Micro trend - Fashion Personalisation And Customisation

The rise of personalisation

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'YOUR’ letters, Anya Hindmarch; 'Name’ clutch, Edie Parker; 'ON IT’ badges, Etre Cécile at Shopbop

•  Bethan Holt 

13 DECEMBER 2015 • 8:45AM

From bracelets to backpacks, scents to stationery, personalisation is Christmas 2015’s biggest trend.

Sugary pink, ’70s and boho are some of the major trends we’ve seen on the catwalks and in shop windows this year, but look to the corner of a bag or the back of a denim jacket and you’ll spy 2015’s real hit.

Personalisation might not be as immediately striking as fringing or florals, but the subtle statement of initials or a bespoke colour combination is the hottest way to show your fashion nous. The concept of making anything – from a bracelet to a pair of heels or trophy knit – unique to the wearer has been adapted to every price point and taste, spawning countless pop-ups and limited editions. Given the myriad personalisation options around right now, you can bet your name/star sign/birthday will be inscribed on something in your present pile come Christmas Day.

The act of engraving, monogramming, stamping or embroidering a sign, letters or motifs has long been a strategy used by designers to strengthen our bond with their brand. Stationers Smythson were among the first to get in on the act, and have been creating personalised luxury leather diaries, notebooks and handbags since 1887. The option to add an element of individuality has always been integral to its brand, with choices of colours and fonts allowing a dash of personality to shine through every time a diary was opened or a letter written. 

So, what’s triggered the current flurry of personalisation projects? Thanks to the quick turnaround of trends, anything that feels special or comes with a thoughtful touch is hugely appealing. 'We are bombarded with constant newness and retail promotions,’ observes Katie Smith, senior fashion and retail specialist for fashion analysts Edited. 'Customisation puts control back in our hands. It’s a fantastic differentiator and a way to delight loyal customers.’ If you’ve ever had that sinking feeling after seeing three people wearing the top you’ve just bought, the option to personalise a purchase adds a reassuring sense of exclusivity.

Celebrities and fashion influencers are undoubtedly fuelling the phenomenon, piquing interest with public appearances and Instagram posts featuring their personalised favourites. At Burberry’s spring/summer 2016 show, every model received a rucksack inscribed with their initials, a follow-on from 2014’s blanket ponchos, which were customised for Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn and, eventually, anyone who wanted one. French designer Vanessa Seward has created jeans with names embroidered on the back pockets that have been worn by model Caroline de Maigret and street-style star Alexandra Golovanoff, while Olivia von Halle’s monogrammed silk pyjamas are beloved of fashion editors and bloggers alike.

Cara Delevingne walking in the Burberry Spring/Summer 16 show with her personalised blanket scarf

Designer Brett Heyman’s art deco-style clutches for Edie Parker have had red-carpet exposure, with the likes of Alexa Chung and Anna dello Russo snapped posing with their name-emblazoned styles. Meanwhile, at the premiere of Pitch Perfect 2, Rebel Wilson carried an Edie Parker bag with '#Pitch’ scribbled on the front, and at the Billboard Music Awards, Taylor Swift toted one inscribed with 'Bad Blood’ – the name of her latest song. Should you decide to get your own Edie Parker clutch (bespoke prices start at over £1,000), you’ll feel less like a copycat, more part of the club. 

Designers are also using customisation to reach younger shoppers who don’t necessarily have the cash to spend on a big purchase. Launched a year ago and developed with uber-stylist Charlotte Stockdale, Anya Hindmarch’s enormous range of £50 stickers – comprising letters, roads signs, emoijs and more – have made her humorous take on luxury available to a new set of devotees, with sales already reaching £12 million. 'I have always been obsessed by personalisation, and stickers were my schoolgirl version of it,’ admits Hindmarch. 'My idea is that you can sticker up your handbag, phone or notebook and make it into your own personal artwork.’ 

While having your name written across the pocket of your T-shirt or embossed on the side of your handbag will remain a fun novelty, our shopping options are adapting so that we can be designers ourselves. Think of it as couture for the masses, kind of.  

Ben Alun-Jones is one of the design trio that make up Unmade, a knitwear concept that encourages 'co-creation’. The Royal College of Art graduate says that Unmade’s jumpers and scarves are 'not about designing your own, but working with a designer to digitally manipulate their pieces into something that is unique to you’. By creating software to upgrade a traditional knitting machine, Unmade has been able to put its business model into action. At its pop-up shop, in London’s Covent Garden until 24 December, you can tweak patterns and palettes. The only snag? There’s no instant gratification; jumpers take around five days to produce, while scarves are on a three-day turnaround. 

It’s not just plucky start-ups making the most of digital advances to create individualised versions of a signature style. Pringle of Scotland has recently launched pringledeconstructed.com, which it calls the first bespoke online cashmere service. Each piece is still imbued with the classic Pringle aesthetic, with the option to create your own take on the famous argyle jumpers and demure twinsets. Massimo Nicosia, Pringle’s head of design, says that 'it was important to show that a 200-year-old heritage brand can also embrace innovation and touchscreen technology for our digitally savvy consumers’. The nine-step process – which can even be carried out on your phone – allows shoppers to create a jumper in a colour combination they can’t find on the shelf.

Personalisation has even extended to the hallowed echelons of the designer bag, probably still the biggest single fashion investment a woman is likely to make. Fendi has created 'Strap you’, which offers nine different straps that can swapped around to give an individual and ever-changing character to a number of Fendi bags. Even more ambitious is Aspinal’s 'Chameleon’, an online and in-store personalisation service offering 15,000 possible variations (and set to expand to 50,000 next year). The signature Marylebone tote can be reimagined with mixed-and-matched grab handles, side straps, bases and cross-body straps, as well as monogramming and embossing. Aspinal also promises a swift turnaround, meaning you can leave the shop with a unique bag in hand. 

With the technology that allows for these personalisation projects to become more and more slick, expect your future wardrobe to be filled with pieces that represent your own design and colour choices. But be warned, with great freedom comes great responsibility. Customisation demands much more time and consideration than a grab-and-go Zara spree. After all, it’s much trickier to sell on eBay when it’s got your name emblazoned across the front. 

SelfridgesThere are personalisation options galore at the London and Manchester stores – from Star Wars T-shirts printed with your name to monogrammed scarves by McQ and Johnstons of Elgin.

Prices from £30, Selfridges

Burberry scarf barWith two different weights, over 100 colours and print options, and monogrammed in your choice of thread, create your own take on Burberry cashmere.

Prices from £330, Burberry

Etre Cécile x ShopbopThis French label’s stylishly tongue-in-cheek sweatshirts now have matching iron-on varsity badge patches – just pick your letter.

Sweatshirts, from £108, patches, £27.15, Shopbop

Jo MaloneThe brand’s elegant bottles and candles can now be engraved with a special name or message in a sweeping script. 

Engraving costs £15 per item, Jo Malone

Monica VinaderGo for a monogrammed bracelet or initial pendants in silver, gold or rose-gold – or be extravagant and spell out your full name.   

From £65, Monica Vinader

Maison LabicheChic French handwriting is translated on to timeless tees and Breton tops. Just supply the words of your choice.

From £38, Matches Fashion

The Rise Of Fashion Personalisation And Customisation

With the rise of social media, one of the the most challenging yet exciting changes in the fashion and luxury industry was that of the world wide democracy (to a certain extent, since there are a few exceptions) on the Internet. Therefore, it doesn’t escape our notice that not only are people around the world becoming increasingly opinionated, but they are also becoming progressively individualistic in terms of how they lead their lives, and that happens to include the curation of their wardrobes. Thanks to the digital and technological revolution in our world, the customisation trend is growing with more brands launching the bespoke treatment for their customers in innovative ways that ultimately delight them. The millennials especially love the customising option mainly because they like the fact that they are co-creating something and that sense of ownership is often overwhelming. They also like their shopping experience to be more experiential than the previous generations. In a world so saturated with trends, knock-offs, and ideas-off-of-other-ideas, it is rather becoming a necessity for the new or established brands to differentiate themselves in the fashion and luxury landscape, especially since the millennials will form a large segment of the brands' target market soon in future.

But there are three different levels to customisation and brands can focus what type of customisation suits their business models and customers’ needs, and here are some examples as well to illustrate the methodologies better.

Monogramming

First is the personalisation of a product via monogramming which is the most basic service, where the customer's initials can be added to the products to differentiate them. This can be explained well with the example of Burberry that offers the monograming service on its scarves, trench coats, rucksacks, and even fragrance bottles with customers’ initials.

Partial Customisation

Second is partial customisation, where the customer can change some small elements of the products, mixing and matching as they please however, the customers are limited in their fantasy, where they can create a 'custom' product but not entirely. For instance, The Strap You by Fendi offers straps that compliments the existing bags, so the customers can create their own combination of strap and Fendi bag.

Full Customisation

Finally, third is when a customer can create a one-of-a-kind product by changing all of its elements, which means the final ready product is hundred percent 'for the customer, by the customer.’ In this instance, Ray-Ban provides full customisation option for more than 10 eyewear models for men, women and children. This service offered online on the brand’s website worldwide, with more than 80 lenses, 10 styles and 200 colours available for customisation.

It is important to note that customisation services are often offered with the iconic products of the brand, because they are the most sought after pieces. Not only that but monogramming can be much more of an added value to the customer, if it is offered free of charge. Brands can also consider optimising this service not just to desktops but also on all mobile devices. As for promotion of these services, brands most promote the service for the first few days and then quickly forget to push the service more on their advertising platforms, which is not going to help them in the long run.

To get a better perspective on how to successfully market such customisation services and be successful in the long run, download the full Personalisation In Fashion research report recently documented by Fashionbi specialists, with more such case studies and evaluations.

Reference:

The rise of personalisation, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/the-rise-of-personalisation/

The rise of personalisaton and customization, https://fashionbi.com/insights/marketing-analysis/the-rise-of-fashion-personalisation-and-customisation

MAD FOR MONOGRAM, http://stylemagazines.com.au/fashion/mad-for-monogram/

CUSTOMIZABLE FASHION IS ON THE RISE, LAUREN SHERMAN, JUN 6, 2014, https://fashionista.com/2014/06/customization-apparel-fashion

Fashion Statement: Is customisation the future of fashion, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/nov/10/fashion-statement-customisation-burberry