It looks like it’s back to the library for the gang at M&S as they launch their latest initiative to team up with Uni students from the RCA for the brands latest limited-edition collection.

Presented as a brief by M&S, the RCA students have been tasked with creating a collection that would complement and enhance M&S’s Limited Collection.  Consisting of 12-pieces, the collection will be featured at the brands Marble Arch store and online this September during Fashion Week.  And if that isn’t enough motivation for the students, then the promise of a full collection for one lucky student to be produced for Spring 2011 should be…

What’s more, M&S has also brought Elleuk.com on board for the competition.  Elle will be supporting the project, ‘giving valuable exposure and advice to the students at a crucial time in their careers’.

“ELLEuk.com is thrilled to be involved in this exciting project that brings together the inspiring raw talents of the RCA students, the unrivalled retail and manufacturing experience of M&S with the discerning eye of Elleuk.com. It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and nurture home-grown design”. – Carrie Gorman Editor of ELLEuk.com

All in all, it sounds like a great way to get people excited about M&S as they bring in fresh, new talent.  We’re all looking forward to seeing what’s to come.

For more details check out rca.ac.uk

For four years Trekstock has been supporting and raising awareness for teenage cancer through music and fashion. To celebrate the recent collaboration with Cancer Research UK, a pop-up shop is appearing in Carnaby during the next two weeks. This promises to be a star-studded event with appearances from Ellie Goulding and Bloc Party (to name but a few!) Get yourselves down to Broadwick Street and support a great cause, and as if you needed anymore convincing; there is the opportunity to get your hands on exclusive Trekstock t-shirts designed and signed by the stars!

For more information, visit trekstock.com

- Yasemin

For more information, frankscafe.org.uk/

- Yasemin

As a celebrity, you really know you’ve made it when all the big name designers are knocking at your door with request to dress you.

Well it looks like the time has come for Barbie’s main squeeze, Ken. With a new feature film coming out (Toy Story 3), everyone’s favourite heartthrob is the busy modeling for all the big designers from Burberry Prorsum and Paul Smith to Gucci, and Prada. Ken’s full shoot will be featured in the August edition of Esquire and Toy Story 3 hits the big screen 21 July.

Barley cotton canvas overcoat, £2,495; grey cotton utility shirt, £225; black wool slim fit trousers, £495; black leather boots, £495, all by Burberry Prorsum

Black wool jacket with satin shawl collar, £609; blue cotton shirt with embroidery, £179; purple wool trousers, £179; black leather lace-ups, £225, all by Paul Smith.

Cream suede trench coat, £1,430; grey cashmere turtle-neck sweater, £450; white wool slim trousers, £460; dark brown calf leather boots, £620; dark brown suede belt, £175; tortoiseshell aviators, £150; beige diamante large duffle bag with brown crocodile trim, £9,070, all by Gucci

Reported on Retail Week last week, the new campaign uses motion responsive imagery that will allow consumers to choose the view and perspective of the video campaign. Featuing 14 images and six interactive videos of the brand’s Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London, Burberry Brit and Burberry Accessories collections, the on screen imagery is said to be able to be rotated, paused and dragged by 180 degrees.

The concept isn’t unheard of as we’ve seen brands like ASOS and Ralph Lauren use the advances in technology to their advantage through innovative campaigns. However, Burberry has said ‘the use of such technology will be a first for a global luxury fashion advertising campaign and that it was developed to reinforce the brand’s innovation and digital creativity.’

Officially launching in July on Burberry.com, the campaign is already live on the brand’s website. It is set to run in conjunction with Twitter and Facebook campaigns.

“This campaign protects our authentic and timeless heritage and evolves the modern way in which we communicate that. The Burberry campaigns have always been characterised by the dynamic British cast and I wanted to express the individuality and the energy behind each of their different creative expressions.

Burberry was founded on innovation and outerwear and I want anyone who sees the campaign not just to see images, but to feel a part of what we have created; connecting people through technology, music, the collections, the attitude, and the emotion captured.” – Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer

Check it out for yourself at Burberry.com

Heads up!  Puma is popping OUT!  Expanding on the concept of a pop-up shop, Puma has created a mobile ‘pop-out’ shop their ‘Rewind Forward’ project.  A customised vehicle – the Puma truck transforms into an interactive retail space that will travel to various locations around the country from July.  Celebrating the Puma Archive, the Rewind Forward project aims to bring the brand’s heritage to the present.

A collaborative project by Eat Sleep Work/Play, Inventory Studio and The Klassnik Corporation, we look forward to seeing how it looks come July

Commenting on the project, Robert Boon of Inventory Studio says: ‘As designers, we thrive on problem solving, so we relished the opportunity to bring the Puma archive to a wider contemporary audience’. Rewind Forward will place the Puma Archive in the ‘now’ and show how the products are as relevant today as they were in the 70s and 80s.

“Don’t expect the average pop-up shop experience…the ‘Pop-Out’ shop will be made of elements that ‘Pop-Out’! Seating, storage, TV screens and a projector (that will project footage onto walls as the vehicle drives along) can all pop-out of the vehicles framework. As such, the vehicle will be a multi-platform experience both externally and internally… Once popped-out the vehicle pieces engage with the outside space and can be arranged in a functional way; as seating and tables, or as sculptures with the pieces arranged as the public deem fit… The inside of the Pop-Out shop will be decked out with the best archive moments in PUMA’s legendary history alongside PUMA Archive products…It’s about a unique interactive art/retail space, where the consumer can be part of the Rewind Forward story.”

For more details, check out the Puma Archive

On the eve of the Summer Solstice (20 June), a secret location in the heart of concrete London will be transformed into a modern day Stonehenge celebration in collaboration with Diesel, Pollocks and Gary Fairfull. Civic Solstice, the strictly private party, will allow the new high priests and priestesses of contemporary culture to reconnect with the universe through art, music, sacrifice and rituals, including pagan weddings.

A select few druid, witches or fairies may be granted invites to the rituals, via civicsolstice.com. Loved-up guests will be able to Be Stupid and wed in a pagan handfasting ritual performed by the High Priestess Johnny Blueeyes; join in the cities biggest acoustic jamming session (bring a bongo); cast spells with fairies and join in the rituals of old and new.

A monolithic piece of architectural artwork, created by Pollocks, will emerge throughout the night as a centerpiece for the event. Rising into the midsummer sky, it will be visible for miles around and will mark the coming together of the urbanites.

Sacrificial Entry: Get it off to get in*.

*All guests have to donate an item of clothing to an Alter as they arrive to get in. The collection of clothing will then be given to Diesel’s chosen homeless charity.

Public pairs of tickets are available via civicsolstice.com.
For further information contact:
Annalisa at annalisa@notablonde.com | 07834 702 954

Another designer to follow in the footsteps of Chanel is Christian Dior, they are taking branding to a whole new level by selling logoed contact lenses. The tiny designer optical discs have gold edging and the Parisian Fashion house’s tiny CD monogram.

It seems the fashion house and cosmetic power brand has finally found a way to dress the last inches of your face.  Is this one step too far or pure fashion genius?

First we saw our friends at Topshop jump the pond the America, then we heard that the boys and girls of Jack Wills were tanning on the shores of New England. But in the latest news of the British invasion of America, All Saints Opened late last month in New York.

The shop launched with huge amounts of press coverage, but less than a month later – no one could have truly anticipated how much of a success All Saints would be…

Racking up sales of nearly $1m (£680,000) in its first week of trading, the Broadway-located store has smashed its sales targets in its first full week of trading, despite following All Saints’ typical strategy of keeping openings under the radar and adopting no marketing activity.

Putting the sales figures into perspective, sources say that a good benchmark for performance from a store of similar size and location would be $500,000 (£340,000), with the average weekly turnover target about $300,000 (£204,000).

It will be interesting to see how the shop progresses in the upcoming weeks and months – particularly without marketing initiatives in place.

There’s nothing like the joining of super powers to form ultimate crime-stopping teams in the world of comics. From the Avengers to the Justice League, we all sleep better at night knowing that superheros are watching over us. And when fighting crime isn’t enough, they also join forces with the heros of fashion…

Colette has just launched their new collaboration with Warner Brothers to celebrate DC Comic’s 75th anniversary. Combining forces, the two have created a collection with the likes of Alexis Mabille for The Joker, Balmain and Lanvin for Batman, Karl Lagerfeld for The Green Lantern, Sonia Rykiel and Maison Michel for Wonderwoman, Pierre Hardy and Julien David for Superman, Thierry Lasry for Plastic Man, Repetto for Flash, and Roger Vivier for Catwoman.

The limited edition collection launched yesterday, with feature window displays in Colette’s Paris shop through the 5 June.

“Because we are all Wonder Woman!” — Sonia Rykiel.

“Everybody remember Michelle Pfeiffer, an incredible Catwoman! As a gwendoline or dominatrix… A cat on an ardent roof! Necessarily black!” — Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier

“I was always a fan of comics, Plastic man with his sunglasses is my favorite, I encrusted 200 crystals Swarovski on the right glass of his glasses” — Thierry Lasry.

Visit colette’s website for more details