MOCA Gala 2025: BVLGARI Partners with MOCA to Celebrate Art, Innovation, and Legacy

 The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is gearing up for its highly anticipated annual Gala on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles’ vibrant Little Tokyo. This year’s event, presented in partnership with luxury brand BVLGARI, promises to be a landmark occasion as MOCA introduces its new MOCA Legends format. The evening will honor three transformative figures—Theaster Gates, Frank Gehry, and Wendy Schmidt—whose contributions have shaped MOCA’s legacy as a global leader in contemporary art.

Honoring MOCA Legends

The 2025 Gala marks the debut of the MOCA Legends initiative, a new tradition celebrating individuals who have profoundly influenced the museum’s mission and the broader cultural landscape. This year’s honorees are:

• Theaster Gates, an artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, performance, and urban planning. Gates’ 2011 solo exhibition at MOCA Geffen was a milestone, and his work continues to redefine how art engages with community and history.

• Frank Gehry, the legendary architect whose 1983 renovation of The Geffen Contemporary pioneered adaptive reuse and set the stage for MOCA’s bold exhibitions. Gehry’s innovative designs, from dynamic buildings to sculptural furniture, remain iconic.

• Wendy Schmidt, a philanthropist whose transformative support has fueled initiatives like the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize, launching at MOCA in 2025 with projects by artists Cecilia Vicuña and Julian Charrière.

As MOCA Board President Carolyn Clark Powers notes, “We’re proud to position the MOCA Gala moving forward as a platform to recognize legends like Theaster, Frank, and Wendy, who have radically transformed everything we do.”

A Night of Art and Celebration

The Gala will bring together artists, philanthropists, and luminaries from the entertainment and fashion worlds for an unforgettable evening. Guests will kick off the night with a cocktail reception in the Aileen Getty Plaza, where they can experience a special viewing of Olafur Eliasson: OPEN, an immersive exhibition exclusive to the event. The evening will culminate in a seated dinner, accompanied by a performance from GRAMMY-nominated artist Tierra Whack, whose critically acclaimed 2024 album World Wide Whack has solidified her as one of today’s most dynamic voices in music.

MOCA’s collaboration with BVLGARI underscores a shared commitment to creativity and innovation. “MOCA’s bold spirit and dedication to contemporary creativity mirror our own passion for craftsmanship,” said Herve Perrot, BVLGARI North American President. This partnership not only elevates the Gala but also reinforces BVLGARI’s long-term support for Los Angeles’ thriving art community.

Funds raised at the Gala will directly support MOCA’s ambitious programming, including its world-class exhibitions, education initiatives, and operational needs. With nearly 8,000 objects in its collection and a history of groundbreaking shows, MOCA remains a vital hub for contemporary art, thanks to the generosity of its supporters.

Luisa Diaz Hosts Kindness Gala at the Plaza Hotel

 This past week Luisa Diaz founder of the MAG Gala decided to bring her "Making kindness cool" movement to NYC in style. There were several important red carpet guests in attendance including Peter Roth founder of Peter Roth Skincare who sponsored the event, Jean Shafiroff philanthropist, and many other celebs. Luisa Diaz spoke to me about her movement which was supporting domestic violence survivors for the night. She talked about how fashion can help women feel empowered as well as shared details of her amazing dress. Check out the video below to see her full interview.

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Guests enjoyed musical performances, dancing, and more. The gala also honored several domestic abuse survivors with the runway of hope where survivors were honored in custom created outfits to symbolize empowerment. The Gala was a huge success and everyone was excited to raise money for a great cause as well as spread kindness in style. 

Simply OC returns to Fashion Island with an Amazing line up of guest speakers

This year the annual Simply Fashion conference returned to Fashion Island with an amazing line up of experts across the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle spaces. The weekend kicked off with a fashion panel including Content Creator Cassydy Berliner, jewelry designer Gorjana Reidel, TV star Courtney Kerr, celebrity stylist Lo VonRumpf, designer Lindsay Albanese and TV personality Carly Steel. They talked about the latest industry trends and shared their advice with the audience. Next up was the beauty panel with appearances from blogger Christine Kong, TV star Courtney Kerr, celebrity makeup artist Joyce Bonelli, Founder of O Cosmetiques Olia Majd and Founder of GlowTopia Diana Madison. They shared some amazing make up tips! Finally the night ended with a digital marketing panel from .experts Glee Star Becca Tobin, Founder of Planoly Brandy Pham, Content Creator Quigley, model Rocky Barnes and Founder of Elevate My Brand Laurel Wintz. The audience got a special treat with the closing speech by Ashlee Simpson Ross who shared all about her take on fashion, fall and more! It was a great event filled with fun, networking, and expert advice! Not to mention all the great fashions! 

Tis the Season! Check Out My Article for Hollywood Glam Magazine on the Hollywood Christmas Parade

http://www.hollywoodglammagazine.com/2018/11/29/celebs-perform-christmas-carols-and-more-at-the-hollywood-christmas-parade/

Vintage Shopping on Melrose

Today I headed into Melrose to check out the vintage stores for a fall wardrobe refresh. I had so much fun looking through the stores and found some great pieces. There is something for everyone on Melrose from designer vintage pieces to more funky retro styles. I also loved showing off my fall outfit and found this cute hippy car to take pictures next to! Check out all the fun below.

Check Out My Article for Hercampus for the Best Tips on How to Layer Your Clothes this Fall!

A post shared by SierraClair (@cerisesdumatin) on Jun 25, 2017 at 5:50pm PDT

https://stage.hercampus.com/style/art-layering-how-make-your-closet-feel-10-times-bigger

Behind the Scenes at Awesomeness TV with Emily Hecht

My look for the conference! 

Saturday August 11, the Simply LA conference took place at the Americana at brand mall in Glendale, The digital marketing focused conference was filled with experts from the fashion and beauty industries. I got an exclusive interview with Emily Hecht the Head of Fashion and Beauty programming atAwesomeness TV. Before going onto her panel she shared some insight into the current trends in the industry as well as what it's really like to work at the digital media brand geared towards Gen Z!

First we talked about what it was like working with influencers since she interacts with them a lot in her job. She shared some of her top tips for influencers and how to keep content fresh and popular!

She recommended, "Always be organic and true to yourself. I think the reliability factor that influencers bring is so important especially now I just think that really being real with your audience and staying true to who you are is so valuable."

This was a theme echoed throughout the Simply conference and is such an important message for content creators!

Next we talked about what it looks like to take your influencer brand to the next level from her perspective working in the media and reporting on new brands and product laucnhes. For influencers who want to start their own brands or launch products Emily says it's important to be relateable to your audience.
She told me, "It's really the relatability factor of your brand and really building your brand based off of your vibe and your aesthetic, and building everything around who you really are so you can keep up. Because if you have a fake persona its harder for you to keep posting and keep being that person. Really just relating to yourself and hoping that your audience is going to appreciate that is the best way to build a brand."
Finally we talked about what's next for this growing space and Emily shared some of the top trends she's been seeing in her work in the entertainment world right now saying, "Raw content, like the more raw the better. It's really crazy. We see that a lot like on insta-stories. Like its this part of their life that we're not really seeing on their Insta feed because that's a lot more polished. And then on YouTube we see a lot of vlog content which is also not very polished just kind of like a day in the life type thing. I think that's just again, so relateable that people wanna watch that. Teenagers see themselves in that influencer or feel like that person is their best friend which is so cool."
Speaking of Insta stories you can find my Simply experience in my highlights section on Instagram @cerisesdumatin. Plus check out more of my Simply coverage on the blog as well as my article over at Hollywood Glam magazine!

Check Out my Article on Kat Graham's Favorite Style Icons and More at Simply LA for Hollywood Glam Magazine

I interviewed the former Vampire Diaries star at the Simply LA fashion and beauty conference on Saturday August 11. She shared her favorite style inspirations as well as talked about her latest collection of Foster Grant sunglasses. Read the full article here http://www.hollywoodglammagazine.com/2018/08/13/kat-graham-talks-style-and-fame-at-simply-la/

CdM Exclusive: Lauren Bushnell Talks About Her New Fashion Line at Simply LA

Photo Credit: Innovative PR

Lauren Bushnell, season 20 bachelor contestant turned social media star came out to the Simply LA event where she spoke on a panel about launching a product as an influencer and growing a business. If you haven't heard of Simply LA go check out my article in Hollywood glam magazine o get the full story on the star studded event here and don't forget to read my coverage from last year on the blog here! 
This year was another great lineup of brands and speakers and I got an exclusive interview with Lauren about both her latest life updates and her newest business venture Bellevue the label. Her clothing brand also had a popup shop at the Simply event where she showcased her cute designs! It was a real crowd pleaser and many guests stopped by to look at the fresh summer styles.  Lauren was even wearing a cute two piece set from her line at the event. I asked her about her look and that's when she excitedly shared with me her new clothing label. 
She said, "I'm wearing Bellevue the label so this is my clothing line we did like a little capsule collection if you will. Testing the waters seeing if it works."

Photo Credit: @Bellevuethelabel

She talked about her inspiration for the designs saying, "I honestly needed cute clothes for summer and I was like wait why don't we just design a few pieces. why not. I already know what I like and what I don't like. So we just put together a little capsule collection and its really comfy I'm glad that I wore it because it's like 105 degrees here." 
She also shared how her style has evolved since being on the bachelor saying, "I just with experience learned what I like what I don’t like and just also like growing up too. I gained my platform from going on the bachelor the TV show and I was 25 years old and now I’m 28 so I think that naturally with time too I’ve matured and grown I’ve been through situations and I’ve learned and I’ve lived…Now I’m a little bit more sure of who I am and a little bit more sure of what I like what I don’t like and that goes for all things. Whether its work business personal life clothing fashion all those things I think it just kind of evolved with me.” 
She was obviously passionate about the idea and talked about the difference between working as an influencer and having her own label saying, "Being an influencer but then launching a product and not just putting your name behind it but actually like launching it. you have to be passionate about it because you’re going to be working on this every day into late hours and on the weekend so you have to be passionate about what you’re doing and that will translate. So for me using my social media platform I think there’s a difference between promoting a product that you love or a sponsorship that you love versus something that you have ownership over. I think people can tell the difference so if you can share that passion about your brand your product I think it will translate." 
After hearing her speak on her panel about her other label Dear Rose wines sounding like a knowledgeable businesswoman I have no doubt we'll be seeing more from her latest venture in the fashion world! 

Check out my article for Hercampus! "Celeb approved Clothing Brands You Can Afford"

Miley Cyrus was spotted in this adorable swim brand Tee Ink! Read about the rest of these hot brands below!

https://www.hercampus.com/style/7-celebrity-approved-brands-you-can-actually-afford 

Check Out my Article for Hollywood Glam Magazine: Audrina Patridge Talks About Creating Prey Swim and Summer Trends at Simply LA

"You always have to be ahead of the trends or create the trends.” - Audrina Patridge

Image via Instagram @audrinapatridge

On Saturday July 15, the Simply LA fashion and beauty conference kicked off on the rooftop of The Grove shopping center in Beverly Hills. The fun filled day included celebrity guest appearances, panels, and free hair and make-up samples from the up and coming brands exhibiting at the event. For many guests seeing some of their favorite brands and discovering new products was the highlight of the event. One of the brands exhibiting was Prey Swim, created by reality star and model Audrina Patridge, who attended the event as a panelist and exhibitor for her new line. The actress was so excited to share in an interview about her experience designing the line.

According to Audrina the process has given her a new respect for the fashion industry and her line focuses on customizable pieces for her customers. She takes some of her inspiration from the type of swimwear that she would’ve liked as a teen and has created swim sets that girls can mix and match in different sizes according to their body type. She also had some reversible pieces in her collection as well to give customers even more options for colors and patterns.

This season’s collection was all about high waisted pieces and fun prints for customers to create their own look.

Audrina talked about her favorite trends of the summer saying, “I love all the high waisted, I love that all the 90s grunge with the 70s are in and that people are mixing the two eras and creating their own style.”

And for the SoCal native, the trends from the beaches of LA were another big hit for her summer style inspiration.

She said, “One-piece bikinis are trending, they’re huge! One piece and high waisted, especially with Baywatch, like I’ve been seeing a lot of red bikinis and yellow. And all the 80s high cut bikinis are back in…you know, it’s a circle.”

The actress was getting in on the revival and, wearing a red patterned jumper, told me about her own style saying, “My mom sees how I dress and says you look like I did when I was in my 20s!”

She also talked about beauty saying, “I love that all the natural make-up is coming back and all the natural hair because it’s just natural beauty and, it’s so much easier to get ready!”

And saving time and energy is always on her mind since she’s been working on her line and keeping up with the fast pace of the fashion industry. 

She told me, “I feel like in the fashion industry you never really get a chance to have a break it’s like non- stop. You always have to be ahead of the trends or create the trends.”

But the hard work has paid off for Audrina, who talked about her upcoming plans saying, “It’s fun. We’re showing at Miami Swim Week next Friday so we’ve been working on showing our two collections, casting models and just preparing for it. And then, after that we’re working on spring and summer.”

The Return of Made in America: What Would it Really Take?

The made in America trend is coming back in full force and optimism is abound according to one survey by the National Association of Manufacturers but, after the announcement of Ralph Lauren's continued layoff plans this week and a disappointing 7 quarter decline in American's apparel spending the fashion industry is seemingly left out of the revival. American made clothing would be a smart investment for struggling luxury retailers who have been losing business to fast fashion, as frustrated consumers have been calling for American made apparel for a long time, with one of the most notable instances being the backlash for the Ralph Lauren US Olympic Uniforms made in China in 2012. Their voices have only gotten louder since the election of President Trump who has promised "America First" trade policies. An even bigger benefit is the increased turnaround time that American production provides. The year round work schedule and locality of domestic production more than compensates for the scale and speed of overseas production in most cases. However, companies have struggled to make any progress in this area and many are paying for it in profit losses and a declining reputation. Despite the dismal retail climate and lack of initiative from some of the industries' key players the American apparel industry is actually quite well suited for a turn around but, relying on traditional business practices from previous generations won't lead to success. Consumers are more and more interested in a local experience and they are placing value on high quality clothing that has an impeccable fit and, more disinterested in keeping up with fly by night trends in the ever expanding multi-seasonal retail calendar.

American apparel manufacturers have also been struggling ever since outsourcing and international licensing became the industry's new business model in the 90s. Factories have been shuttering their doors and skilled apparel workers have found themselves out of work or lacking in the latest training making them unemployable. There are already several programs in place throughout the US that provide education and resources to displaced apparel workers however, increased funding and outreach is still needed. Those factories that have managed to stay open have had to make major cutbacks to key roles such as pattern makers and increase their minimum order sizes to ensure profits on new lines causing extra work for everyone and making it hard for designers to afford sample runs (for more detailed info. read my article about the process of manufacturing a garment here). Contradictory to what one might think it is the local factories and family run businesses that have weathered the bad economy by carving out a niche for themselves in specific products such as t-shirts or lounge wear.

The American garment factory emerged from the recession with a new model that has adapted to small specialty lines catering to wealthy consumers' niche interests and hobbies. Producing collections on a national scale is definitely possible and some brands have successfully done it but, there have been a limited number of these cases. Recreating the glory days of made in America clothing is going to be a difficult task in this new landscape as factories with complete vertical production capabilities are rare and small in scale. For example, one factory owner I spoke to explained that he used to have 3 or 4 button manufacturers he worked with but, over the years all but one has closed. Now he relies on one button manufacturer for all the lines he produces making it imperative for him to coordinate large orders in advance.

Diversifying is key and big brands that have access to cash flow can help support the growth of the domestic industry and reintegrate production in the US by introducing high-quality American production one line at a time and finding factories with the capabilities suitable to each of their markets (i.e. starting with the athletic line, then the basics line etc.) instead of expecting a factory to come equipped with capabilities for every product. Retailers can also help by stocking orders of made in America clothing so that up and coming designers are encouraged to establish US production and less likely to move operations over seas. And providing high-quality products made to fit could mean big payoffs for their reputation in the eyes of the consumer.

What Fashion Brands can Learn from Sears' Downfall

Hey guys! I know I don't normally post opinion articles on my blog but, this story has been on my mind lately. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Sears Holding Corp. has been on a downward spiral that caught the attention of the finance world in 2015, when reports suggesting that the company was no longer viable came out and really hurt the retailer’s already shaky image. However, many Wall Street analysts have written that the company’s true downfall started long before. According to an article from Business Insider published on January 8^th the retail giant has been suffering under the direction of CEO Edward Lampert. Lampert became CEO in 2013 although he had been involved with Sears for many years prior. According to the article, Lampert has been trying to turn the retailer into a data collection service that resembles tech companies like Amazon and Uber. The Sears Shop Your Way program, launched in 2009, spearheads this strategy. Lampert has been criticized for selling off the company’s assets, such as the well-liked Lands End clothing brand as well as real estate, to prop up the business. Unfortunately, the company’s financial statements from last quarter showed further losses and little hope that a turnaround is on the rise.  

What happened to the 123 year old American heavyweight? I’ll leave the numbers to Wall Street and the SEC but, I can say that Sears is a prime example of how retailers have been failing at branding. This narrative is not unique to Sears and many fashion brands have joined the race to vie for the notoriously flighty attention span of young millennial and gen Z consumers. However, some companies are all too eager to give up their brand in order to “evolve” and appeal to the younger generation. This often results in one of two unhelpful outcomes. Either, a very inauthentic marketing campaign directed at young people that is usually received by the audience as arrogant or out of touch or, an attempt to remake the brand’s image that just ends up confusing core customers and new comers alike.

 Lampert has been quoted as comparing his vison for Sears to companies like Apple and Microsoft which are well known for their cult following of loyal millennial customers. He is not the only one who has noticed this phenomenon though and many brands believe that the success of companies like Apple lies with their “cool” and “hipster” image as well as their aggressive branding strategy. For example, their strategies include putting the simple Apple logo on everything and diligently ensuring every piece of the company, from retail stores to commercials, projects the easily recognizable sleek aesthetic of the Apple brand. While these tactics are definitely factors in these companies’ success what many have failed to recognize is that the companies true appeal for young people lies with their inspiring story of success and the perseverance their young founders exhibited through many rejections. Gen Zers in particular are a generation of entrepreneurs and respect the entrepreneurial spirit of some of the more recent and well known founders and their companies. Ask almost anyone under 35 how Apple was started and you will most likely get an answer that includes “by Steve Jobs in a garage”

How many people under 35 know who founded Sears? J.C. Penny? Macy's? Nordstrom?

Millennials, especially young millennials and gen Zers who grew up during the recession, are often portrayed as being a generation of cynics who don’t believe in the American dream. Whether it was intentional or not many companies have responded by burying their brand’s roots in a jumble of other “ironic” advertising and PR campaigns that are supposedly more trendy. Others, especially newer brands, have gone the opposite direction overbranding their company with “storytelling” to the point of inauthenticity.

Some companies’ appeal is simply due to their “cool” factor and in that case the founding of the brand isn’t really that important to their audience. But, for a company like Sears, with a rich history of innovation and company culture, leaving that behind and trying to be the next “it brand” can lead to disastrous consequences. The line between remaining relevant and exciting and, retaining the core brand story is thin and blurry however it shouldn’t go unnoticed. While it would be easy to blame Sears entire demise on Lampert, I believe their troubles started long before he was involved. Revenues were falling as early as 2001 and the company was already facing a rapidly shrinking customer base by the time Lampert came onto the scene. The company, like so many others, relied on word of mouth among their older customers for their brand's reputation and failed to carve out a clear cut purpose in the minds of new customers making them increasingly irrelevant. Leaving customers to wonder things like: "What does Sears do?" won't lead to the success of any new initiatives the company may have on the rise. Making sure that a company’s purpose and direction is clear to consumers before attempting any experimental marketing or business strategies is very important for new and existing brands alike.

Courtney Allegra Melrose launch party

Thursday night I headed over to the grand opening of the first ever Courtney Allegra flagship store on Melrose Avenue. The star studded event included appearances from young Hollywood celebrities who are some of the young designer’s clients as well as Los Angeles fashion industry professionals. The 19 year old fashion student and designer already has her own retail location. I interviewed her about her success and she was excited to realize this major step in her career. I asked Allegra about her designs and she told me that she wanted to design fashionable and sexy swimwear.

Her swimwear line has taken off and she has been able to show her collection at several Los Angeles fashion week events. Thursday she was eager to show me her new line of street wear which included graphic tees and some metallic pieces., which were a crowd favorite. After talking with Courtney I was able to interview a childhood friend who told me she had started hand sewing her first designs at 15. The hard work of this motivated young designer is definitely paying off. I can’t wait to see what else she will come up with!

The event was full of chic looks and emerging trends for Fall but don't worry I’ve done the hard work for you. Here is a breakdown of the latest Hollywood must haves.

Trench dress

I love the silhouette of this trench dress. It is the perfect basic to accessorize with all the bright colors we've seen on the runway for Fall.

Army green

Celebrities favored this muted color on the pink carpet at this event. The sexy lines mixed with street style makes this look a must have for Fall.

Metallics

The matching metallic set at the center of the Courtney Allegra store is a fun take on the 90s revival we've been seeing this season. A must have for anyone whose seen Clueless!

Leopard print

This Fall is all about bold statements and leopard print is the perfect way to make yours. I especially love the rainbow colors in the Courtney Allegra collection! 

4th of July fun: Rock n Roll retro style

This 4th of July embrace the retro styles of the summer and design a bold look for your sizzling holiday weekend! Here is some inspiration styled by me to get you started! 

I love this star clutch by Kate Spade. It adds the perfect pop of pattern to my 60s outfit. Also I made this outfit truly vintage with this one of a kind bandana from my grandmothers closet. 

I also added this red bandana in my hair for an authentic look. I made my lips pop with my new favorite nyx red lip cream. Top it off with these Dolce and Gabana cat eye sunnies for the perfect outdoor BBQ style. 

I love how this button up jean skirt from the Gap hugs my curves. You can wear it high waisted or mid waisted making it a versatile piece in your closet. I chose high waisted with this lace up crop top from guess for an edgy patriotic look. 

Rock n Roll USA! Live it up in style this weekend wherever you are! 

Fashionable Friday: Melange tradeshow in downtown LA

I have been at the Mélange tradeshow for the past two days where I was invited to speak as an expert on a panel about social media and the connected generation of consumers.  While I was there I got to meet many interesting people in fashion and technology and I will have some exciting interviews on the blog soon! I also got to listen to many panelists talk about the upcoming trends in the fashion and technology marketplace and where they think the direction of wearable tech is going. We heard from many industry experts and innovators. Check out the categories below for all the latest updates from each area.
Apps
Melange held a "Best of the Beach" contest (Silicone Beach) for new apps and these were the three finalists.
Livit
Founded by Adam Blazer this app is all about sharing and connecting  travel and lifestyle stories from real people.
Donde
Donde is my personal favorite from this list. Donde is a fashion app where anyone can search for their next outfit with just a few taps. Donde uses new image recognition software to find images from thousands of brands on the web that fit your search criteria. You can make purchases or mark items so that the app will notify you when they go on sale so you never have to leave the app! I am so excited to see how this app will change the way people shop online. I think there are so many practical applications for Donde. You can download it now on the app store!
Fashiontapapp
The fashiontapapp was founded by Amy Roiland of A Fashion Nerd. A fashion tap is for fashion bloggers and other users to tag their outfits and beauty items so everyone can see who they are wearing. It includes a buy button so that users can easily purchase the items they like straight from the app.
Social Media
We heard from many social media experts at Melange this week including, the director of social media for Toms shoes, the SVP of Shoedazzle, fashion bloggers, the VP of BCBG Max Azria, and myself.
Sarah Tabbush the director of Social Media for Toms shoes shared that she felt that some of their bigger social media channels were straying away from the brand image that they wanted to represent and so they decided to open a Snapchat account in order to stay young and fresh as well as connect with their fans. She said that she believed that content should be organic and that followers are not interested in seeing very posed and perfect images for marketing. Ann Lawrence co founder of the site Pink51.com shared that she also believes it is a important to create a community feeling through social media. We also heard from Alon Caidor the CEO of TV page and Eric from Invodo that video will be the next big thing in internet advertising. They believe that video will increase the attention span of the online consumer which is about 8.5 seconds right now to up to 30 seconds. We saw a transformation of the web from 1999 to 2015 with pictures and videos increasing dramatically on all the websites. We also heard from several omnichannel marketing experts on how to use social media to engage your followers. They recommended that brands focus on using social media to gain awareness and create a brand image but not for sales. Several marketing experts at the show, including a representative form Li & Fung Associates Business Intelligence, cited studies showing that brick and mortar was still the most successful sales rate. Using social media to entice customers to come into the store can be more beneficial to a brand then trying to sell on social networking sites. We heard from Amy Roiland and Jordynn Schafer that many people are moving away from Instagram and going towards live video feed social networking sites such as Periscope. I've also included a video of my panel covering how millennials and centennials use social media as consumers. There were many interesting marketing trends explored at Mélange this year.
Wearable tech
Misfit
We heard from two experts in the wearable tech industry at Melange. First we heard from Tommy Chang VP of ecommerce at misfit. You may have heard of misfit the wearable tech health accessory. It can track your daily activity and sleep patterns. Tommy Chang talked to us about the direction of misfit and their new developments. He believes the new direction for wearable tech is to focus on things that are fashionable and functional. They are developing new items that will be made form durable materials such as metal. They are also focusing on technology that won't need charging. They want to develop accessories that will have durable batteries that can be taken anywhere and changed out around every 3 months. They are also working on a really exciting project with their partner Swarovski. It will be a wearable fitness accessory made out of a Swarovski crystal that has solar charging capabilities. It is still in the developmental stages but they believe it will only need a few minutes of sun exposure to stay charged all day. I am very excited to see the new things misfit has in store!
The next speaker we had was Kristine Upseleja a professor of Textile science at FIDM. She is considered an expert in the field of innovative textiles. Her presentation included companies that were working on things like growing textiles form bacteria, creating textiles connected to the internet, hearables, and 3D printed clothes. She believes that the future of wearable tech is actually going towards hearables such as the German brand Bragi. Basically earbuds that don't need to be connected to a phone or ipod. Bragi is mainly focused on fitness and health right now. They can tell you calories burned, pace, etc and they are even waterproof so you can play music while swimming! She also showed photos of a designer who printed her entire collection on a 3D printer in her own home. The 3D printer is definitely in the future for wearable tech. She also showed a presentation of a company who is working on textiles that can be connected to the internet such as the Twitter dress that Katy Perry wore in the iTunes music festival. Check it out here. The new innovations in this field are very exciting!
Experiential marketing
Another important trend in the fashion marketing and advertising world is experiential marketing. Many industry experts believe this is the way of the future for fashion marketing. There are many new companies popping up in this industry with different ideas on how to approach experiential marketing and engage the consumer.
Blippar
Blippar is a software for smartphones that allows users to "blip" things by waving the smartphone over an item. The item then appears in 3D on the smartphone and customers can even try on the item. So far they have worked with brands like L'Oreal and Vogue. Check out the video to see how it works here.
Holograms
We heard from Ashley Crowder CEO and founder of Vntana a holographic systems company that provides interactive holograms for brands in stores. I loved the Vntana idea and I think it will definitely bring customers back into stores. Another holographic system was Zugara. They are a system of holographic mirrors that can be installed in stores to allow you to try on clothing in different colors that might not be available in the store. Seeing yourself in the mirror is really fun. You can check them out in person at the Rebecca Minkoff store on Melrose Avenue right here in LA.
Beacon Marketing
Beacon marketing is a new idea of location based marketing where users can download different apps that will let them know about sales and other things happening at the stores around them. Marie Driscoll of Li & Fung believes that this will become a big trend for 2016.