Customer Profiling: Australian stores she visits...

In terms of the Australian stores my customer prefers, they include Collette Dinnigan, Zimmermann and Marnie Skillings. She likes to dress in a feminine and elegant manner, and is often drawn to designers who create garments which are particularly suitable for the evening. Collette Dinnigan provides this eveningwear elegance, while Zimmermann and Marnie Skillings are favourites for her daywear wardrobe.

Above: Inside Collette Dinnigan's Woollahra Boutique.

She is enchanted by Collette Dinnigan's exquisite silks and laces, and  bead encrusted gowns which are described to be 'qunitessentially feminine pieces...one-of-a-kind, elegant and absolutely timeless' (Broadsheet Melbourne 2012) 

Above: Runway image from Zimmermann's Spring/Summer 2011-2012 Collection.

She loves Zimmermann's use of luxurious silks and beautiful digital prints which are often paired with softer, more muted tones. 

Above: Inside Marnie Skilling's Paddington Boutique.

Marnie Skillings remains one of her favourite designers for daywear through her use of whimsical colours and soft, romantic designs.

References

2012, Collette Dinnigan, Broadsheet Melbourne, Melbourne, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://broadsheet-au.dyndns.org/melbourne/fashion/directory/shop/collette-dinnigan>

2012, Sydney's Shopping Hotspots, InStyle Magazine Australia, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.instylemag.com.au/Article/Fashion/Latest-News/Sydneys-shopping-hot-spots>

Customer Profiling: Online stores she visits...

The online stores my customer visits in order to purchase international designer labels include Net-a-porter, Shopbop and ASOS.


Net-a-porter has my customer's loyalty due to the impeccable quality of the service. 'The box is what gets them. The black and sturdy box, wrapped in grosgrain ribbon...Every purchase comes dressed as a gift - that's the secret of the success of Net-a-porter' (Wiseman 2010). My customer really appreciates the attention to detail the company provides and the way they carefully package every purchase. She is drawn to quality and Net-a-porter delivers this. 


Shopbop is another of her favourite online retailers as she can find many different designer labels so conveniently - over 2000 in fact. This retailer was established in the US in March of 2000 with the headquarters located in Madison. 


ASOS, while considered to be at a significantly lower price point, is another online retailer my customer regularly frequents. She particularly likes this site for designer accessories, but she also likes it for basics. She appreciates the fact that shipping to Australia is free and that if she ever needs to return something, returns are also without cost. 


She enjoys the convenience of shopping online and often peruses virtual shops in lunchbreaks and when in transit, although she still enjoys the social aspect of shopping with friends. She also often uses online stores to research potential purchases before then going out and finding exactly what she's looking for in a retail store. 


References
Wiseman, E., 2010, One-click wonder: The rise of Net-a-porter, The Observer, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/11/natalie-massenet-net-a-porter-internet-fashion>
2010, Shopbop, Business Insider, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/shopbop>
2012, About ASOS, ASOS, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.asos.com/infopages/pgeaboutus.aspx>

Customer Profiling: Publications she reads...

My target customer prefers garments which are elegant, sophisticated and which will stand the test of time. Thus, the publications she chooses to read possess similar characteristics: they are firmly established and remain as relevant today as they were when they first hit the shelves. While she is happy to read online publications, she always prefers to have a tangible edition to peruse in her valuable spare time. 

For these reasons, Vogue is undoubtedly one of her favourite publications and she purchases the new magazine without fail each month. 'Vogue...is the fashion benchmark for stylish women. It offers women the ultimate dream.' The magazine itself has been in circulation since 1892 in America and since 1916 in the United Kingdom (PRWeek 2009). Hence, my customer trusts this particular publication because it has proven itself to be worthy of her loyalty. 

Similarly, Harper's Bazaar is another favourite publication read by my target customer. This magazine has also been in circulation for a long time as it was first established in America in 1867. It is aimed at women with a higher income who have an eye for fashion and have both the resource and inclination to dress in a stylish manner. 

One of my target customer's other favourite publications is InStyle magazine which is also distributed monthly. InStyle states that its target audience is 'women aged 25-39 years' (InStyle 2012) which is essentially the same as my own target customer. The price points of garments advertised in InStyle are often significantly lower than those featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar which my customer appreciates, particularly when she is looking for more day-wear style pieces. She tends to look for eveningwear inspiration in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar more often than InStyle.

References

Davies, L., 2009, Why Vogue magazine remains at the top of the pile, PR Week, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/904692/Why-Vogue-magazine-remains-top-pile/
2012, About, InStyle Australia, Pacific Magazines, viewed 31st May 2012, <http://www.instylemag.com.au/about.asp>

Textile Manipulations

Below are some photographs of the outcomes I have achieved through fabric manipulations and experimentations. At this stage I know that I definitely want to incorporate the bonding technique into my collection somehow, however, I don't think I will end up utilising the organza butterflies. They are a little too 'frou-frou' which is not the aesthetic I am trying to achieve within my collection.

Experimenting with Suffolk Puffs

Suffolk puffs are also often referred to as yo yos and are essentially small circles of fabric which are gathered to form flower-type shapes which can be appliquéd onto a base cloth. Their name is believed to have been derived from Suffolk in England where they are believed to have originated in the early nineteenth century. Although evidence of the first Suffolk puffs dates back to the 1600s, they began to gain great popularity in the 1800s as a means of surface decoration on clothing and soft furnishings. This came as a result of the quest to reuse and recycle old clothes, particularly for farming families who had to survive on low incomes. Nothing was wasted.

I have been exploring the possibilities of Suffolk puffs in my own design work, using variations of this particular surface embellishment, which I have created using beautiful cloths to create interesting and visually engaging outcomes. I believe that the flower shapes I have been creating have a much more classic aesthetic than the organza butterflies I have been experimenting with. For this reason, I think that my Suffolk puff variations are a much better option in terms of a fabric manipulation which could potentially be successfully incorporated into my collection. The butterflies are a little bit childlike while the flowers have a certain elegance which I am drawn to.

References

2010, Suffolk Puffs, Craft Lovers, viewed 24^th May 2012, <http://www.craftlovers.com/content/suffolk-puff-yoyos>

Pullen, K., 2007, All About Yo-Yos or Suffolk Puffs, Sewing/Needlework @ Suite 101, viewed 24th May 2012, <http://kate-pullen.suite101.com/all-about-yoyos-or-suffolk-puffs-a27220>

Identifying My Customer (Geographic, Usage & Benefit)

Residential location: Inner city. She has her finger on the pulse of fashion because she lives close to the heart of Sydney and is in tune with what is happening around her and also in a more global context.


Urban/suburban/rural: Urban.


Housing type: Apartment/town house.


Size of city/town: Large. Sydney. Over 4.5million.


Climate: Sydney being a coastal city does not experience real extremes in temperature, with the coldest average temperature being 9 degrees celsius in July and the highest average temperature being 26 degrees celsius in January (City of Sydney 2012). My collection targets this climate as it is transeasonal and thus, suitable for the majority of the year in Sydney.


Benefits sought from products: Longevity. Quality. Exquisite craftsmanship. Environmental sustainability.


Usage rates: In terms of basics, usage rates are quite high. However, usage rates of more special eveningwear items are much lower as she doesn't like to be seen in the same outfit amongst the same crowd. Thus, she has to be careful about the way the rotates her outfits for her social events.


Volume of purchases: She is selective with her purchases. Therefore, because she does not purchase enormous volumes, she is happy to pay higher prices for the quality items she does choose.


Brand loyalty: She is loyal to the brands which have, in the past, provided her with the quality, longevity and innate style she desires. This is evidenced by a Nielsen study of 2011 which concluded 'the most important driver of brand loyalty in 20 of the 21 countries examined, across 12 factors and across generations, is quality.' However, she is also always happy to try new things and experiment with new labels. She does not box herself in.


End use of product: Her products generally tend to last a very long time as she selects classic, timeless pieces. However, once they do reach their end of life, she tries to recycle whenever possible.


References


2011, Nielsen Releases Women of Tomorrow Report, The Nielsen Company, viewed 19th May 2012, <http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/press-room/2011/women-of-tomorrow.html> 


2012, Consumer Profile: Australian Women, Marketing, viewed 19th May 2012, <http://www.marketingmag.com.au/news/consumerprofileaustralianwomen-2237/>


2012, Weather and Climate, City of Sydney, viewed 19th May 2012, <http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/aboutsydney/visitorguidesinformation/Weather.asp>

Identifying My Customer (Demographics & Psychographics)

In order to better understand and identify the customer of the garments I will be creating for my womenswear collection, I have set about researching and thus answering key questions about this person...


Gender: Female. My collection is a womenswear collection and women generally prefer to purchase their own garments. This way they can try them on for size, style and fit to be confident that what they are purchasing is just right for their body shape, lifestyle and personal style. 


Age: 25-40. My garments have a very 'eveningwear' feel to them and thus, are most suited to women who have special events to attend after 5pm. These women are generally of an age whereby they are either working throughout the week or are married with a husband who supports them financially.


Ethnicity: Not specific. In reality women of any ethnicity may like the garments and want to buy them. 


Marital Status: She is most probably single as single women do not have as many expenses as married women and consequently have more disposable income to spend on themselves and their clothes. 


Life Stage: Pre-family


Occupation: She has a stable and well paid position. Probably a young urban professional. 


Education: Tertiary educated.


Income level: Medium to high income earner.


Lifestyle: Works throughout the week and has many special events to attend of an evening. She is a fit and healthy individual who takes care of herself and has pride in her appearance. 


Social Aspirations: She aims to achieve a successful career and hopes to one day begin a family of her own. She hopes to establish herself in her own social circles as a sophisticated woman who dresses in a timeless, but never boring, fashion.


Self Image: Positive. She is confident in her own skin. She has accepted the body she has and works to take care of it as best she can. She understands what suits and flatters her shape and chooses to purchase garments accordingly. She prefers classic elegance but doesn't want to be lost in the crowd so has developed her own unique dress sensibility which is both classic and elegant but also unique to herself.


Purchasing Motives and Behaviours: She is often motivated to purchase new garments, shoes, bags and accessories for particular events in her social calender. However, she also enjoys to shop on weekends and as a social activity with her girlfriends. She does like to stay on top of what's happening in the realm of fashion on an international level (through magazines, blogs etc), however, she is not a slave to fashion. She instead invests in classic pieces which are of the highest quality she can afford and which will stand the test of time without dating. She would best be described as a 'Perfect Pieces' consumer by Posner (2011).


Interests and Hobbies: Socialising with friends and family. Wining and dining. Brunches of a weekend. Purchasing and cooking with fresh organic produce from her local farmers market. Pilates and running. Visiting markets for one-of-a-kind finds. Interior decoration and dinner parties. 


Attitudes and Opinions: She prefers to purchase garments made from natural fibres whenever possible as she likes the thought of the 'natural' much better than that of the 'artificial'. This extends beyond clothing and reaches other facets of her life, including her preference for organic foods and environmentally friendly household items. She doesn't like the thought of wearing fur (for ethical reasons), yet does not mind utilising products made from leather... She is a complex lady. She never wants to be categorised as a fashion victim or trend-follower. She loves quality pieces but is not a 'snob', with her wardrobe encompassing many labels from Bonds to Collette Dinnigan and everything in between. She understands the importance of supporting local designers and thus, often tries to purchase garments by Australian designers. She is innately feminine.