Category: Uncategorized

For those who don’t recognize this place, it’s on Granville Street in Vancouver. Although it says it’s opening end of September… it is now October for those who haven’t realized. Personally my anticipation is growing and I’m itching for the mad deals that are going to be purchased from this TWO FLOOR Joe Fresh flagship store. If you check out Miss 604’s blog she lets you in on some of the latest scoop of the grand opening for this Joe Fresh location. Basically, they are closing down part of Granville.. (not that it makes a difference… When ISN’T it closed somewhere….) to throw a huge concert. I’m most excited for Divine Brown and Stereos. But what she doesn’t include is that on October 13th, they are giving out loads of stuff for the first 1000 customers. Check it out here! (Did I mention it is going to be two floors?!)

So why am I so excited? Well let me tell you. Perhaps you don’t know Joe Fresh. If you’re thinking about the clothing line the Real Canadian Superstore brought in a couple years back, you’re thinking of the right line. If you’ve never shopped for clothes at Superstore… I have one thing to say to you, “You’re missing out.” Perhaps I shop at Superstore so much because there’s one super close to my home so it acts as a nice study break and a relatively inexpensive reward to all my “hard work.”

In all honesty, Joe Fresh isn’t just cheap clothes, it is pretty great quality for the price you pay. To compare Joe Fresh to another store, I’d compare it to H&M. The price range of the two stores are pretty similar, and the quality is also, for the most part, even. Perhaps Joe Fresh even offers better quality! With Joe Fresh you can find that the button holes are nicely bound, jackets are fully lined, 100% cotton or cotton blend sweaters (acrylic perhaps in 1 or 2 styles), and now they have MAKEUP. (YAY!!!) So finally, for a low price, you can dress nicely. I think this will benefit Vancouver, especially because it is so expensive to live, Vancouverites are lacking on their style factor. The thing I like about Joe Fresh is that it targets all different age categories – kids, moms, teens, young adults. In addition, Joe Fresh has clothes for nearly all occasions whether you’re going out or working out! (or just plain working..)

The thing I like about Joe Fresh’s ads and fliers is that they are simple! This reflects the line: simple, and no-beating-around-the-bush quality. Unlike a lot of fliers, you can actually find what you see in the fliers! And No if you’re thinking that Joe Fresh is simply for the soccer moms who wear “mom jeans”, you have been mistaken. I know that everyone loves a great find, the satisfaction of the purchase (for me) is overwhelming. What I’m trying to get at is that people of all fashion genres – urban, hipster, fashionista, scene – can find something great from Joe Fresh. One of my girlfriends who swears by Holt Renfrew, Hills, and Aritzia, texted me the other day saying how amazing Joe Fresh was now with their new fall line. Perhaps she received her credit card bill… but I think that she, like most people, have fallen in love with a new man – Joe Fresh.

I don’t know how this new flagship store will change the way I see Joe Fresh. Right now it seems like it’s a hidden line that no one really shops at. I mean, most people (I think..) go to Superstore to buy their groceries and bare necessities, not clothes! There aren’t many places where you can put a 100% silk blouse in the same basket as your vegetables and meats! Quite frankly I’m proud of Mr. Joseph Mimran (and his wife, Kimberley Newport-Mimran, the brains behind The Bay’s successful high-end line “Pink Tartan”). Actually, since I’m on the topic of the Mimran family, I’ll break it down for you pretty quick: Joeseph is the co-founder of Club Monaco and has become Canada’s second largest clothing label; Ms. Newport-Mimran like I said, has the extremely successful Pink Tartan line; and brother Saul owns the company that produces Pure by Alfred Sung (the line in Zellers!)

So people, if you haven’t checked out Joe Fresh, I say do it.

Thanks for reading!

T

Here are some links to the lines if you’re interested!
( Just click on them!)
Joe Fresh

Pink Tartan

PURE Alfred Sung

H&M

For those who don’t know who this lovely fellow is… His name is Jack. Jack Johnson. He has accompanied me to the beach for years and years, and on a typical Vancouver day (not sunny…) he makes it feel like there’s sunshine all around. (Maybe it’s because he’s from Oahu…) On Friday I went to see his concert and I loved it. He is such a genuine guy. He came on stage with a plain 100% cotton t-shirt, jeans, and sandals. His pianist wasn’t even wearing shoes!! So laid back.

But something that I wanted to mention in my blog is how he marketed his ideals and morals. While the crowd was doing the “wave” in anticipation for Jack’s opening song, there were messages on the front screen thanking everyone who biked, carpooled or took transit. He wants to make a difference and improve the community, everywhere he goes. He knows he can make a difference, or at least try. He supports and invests in non-profit, environmentally concerned societies, has incentives to reduce our carbon footprint, and has recorded two albums with solar power. Some reviews I’ve read are ragging on Jack’s concert being sleepy and mellow. Hello reviewers… That’s his music. If you were expecting something else, you probably shouldn’t have come. All in all, I had such an amazing time and I love Jack even more than I did before.

Also, the first opening act, Zee Avi was also really great! You should check her out if you like Jack’s mellow and easy-listening music. She’s a tiny little thing, but has such a chill voice.

Thanks for reading!

T

I’m doing it right now… You probably are too… Or you did 2 seconds ago before coming to my blog.. Or you’re going to once you leave my.. And you’re going to do it a lot. Every day. I’m talking about Social Networking. The thing that EVERYONE is talking about these days. Which actor Tweeted about what, who’s Facebook you “creeped”, which photos were uploaded, who is a mutual friend of whom… you get the idea.

Have you ever heard of 6 degrees of separation? I think it has probably gone down to 4 thanks to online social networking. Take, for example, something we’re all familiar with: Facebook. And I’ll put my geek on for you… Say there are 10 people:

And say these 10 people each have 700 friends on Facebook – 7000 “friendships”. And if these 7000 people had 700 friends – 4 900 000 people. And if THESE people have 700 friends – 3 430 000 000. You get the point. Yeah, sure, some are probably friends with other people. Buuuut you get the jist. These 10 people could have access to the WORLD!

To say the least, social networking websites is the key to success for companies and businesses. To be on top of the social network scene, you will be on top of the world! (As I have mathematically proven! 8-D ) Not only Facebook, but Twitter! I’m on Twitter (you can follow me @helloimtessad) and I follow companies such as Aritzia, InStyle Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, Virgin Radio, various music artists and actors, and Marie Claire magazine. It’s a quick and efficient way for them to get information across to “followers” – people who choose to receive notifications from them and therefore, their customers! I love Twitter because I can stay updated on recent news from the people I “follow” via my cellphone or my laptop. Staying up to date with the latest trends and news is important for a young adult so it helps that information is so efficiently available. I don’t even remember how people found out about sales and products without the Internet…. the NEWS PAPER?! Yikes. Seems so archaic to think of wasting time having to sift through the junk in a news paper to finally get to the information you want. Yeah, maybe our generation is obsessed with technology. But why wouldn’t we be?! Obsessed.. maybe. But we’re also efficient. (except when doing homework/studying, I guess..)

My aunt, (Hi Auntie Ta!!!) was over the other day for dinner and she came to me to try to learn the world of Facebook. A scary thing for her – the thought of sharing so much information into the infinity of the world of the wireless web. She knows that using social networks is the way to reach the Next Generation. We don’t have time to pick up our newspapers and sit for half an hour reading it in the morning. We are always on the go… so why shouldn’t our information be to? Thanks to Blackberry, IPhones, Android phones, and Smartphones, we can now be connected to the web (and therefore everyone we know) everywhere we go.

To sum it up (because I am now sleepy all of a sudden… I hit my head on the floor so I should probably let it rest…) I am on the go all the time, my friends are on the go all the time, basically everyone in my cohort are on the go all the time… So we need information that is accessible, instant, and quick. Since we’re always on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, GMail. Why not come to us via such sites?

Thanks for reading!

T

Oh, and for those who didn’t understand my first picture’s caption because you can’t hear the voice that I make while saying that. It’s quoting “E.T. go home!” .. but I made it more tech savvy.

Goodnight!!

Whoops! Forgot his pants!

Have you ever opened a fashion magazine? You don’t even have to have read any articles or stories from it. Simply from flipping through a few pages, I can bet that you have seen it. A lot. You’ve also seen it walking through Metrotown or along Robson Street. Perhaps you don’t even think twice about it anymore since it is everywhere. If you haven’t clued in from the photo above, I’m talking about sexually provocative advertisements.

It makes me wonder: Who is their target market with these ads? More reasonably priced stores such as Forever 21, H&M, Aritzia, and The Gap do not advertise with provocative images; hence, the sexual images are not catering towards high school students. I shiver from the idea that such ads are geared towards the Adult/Parent generation. So let’s leave that out of the question (Yikes!) Moreover, they must be trying to target men and women my age – post high school students, people who are starting to go clubbing, experiencing new walks of life, meeting new people, and so on. The marketers of brands such as Armani Exchange, Tom Ford, American Apparel, and Gucci (to say a few) have released photos a few years ago wouldn’t even be allowed out.

Perhaps it is working for them, but is it working better than non-provocative ads? I mean, if you are trying to advertise denim, and your models are barely wearing them… HOW does that make sense?

Here’s what I have to say about companies trying to use provocative images to sell: Stop. I mean, seriously, are they all out of creativeness to the point where they have come to the conclusion of using half (or completely) naked models to grab the attention of a consumer? Test yourself: If you were to cover up the logos or name brands of the advertisements, would you be able to know what brand it is or what they are trying to advertise? Sometimes yes, but a surprising amount of times no. So, does sex really sell? I know that many girls and boys find it important to look “attractive” for the opposite gender; however, no one walks around campus or the streets without a shirt on. So what are these marketers achieving from these ads?

Attraction is so much more than sexual appeal. At least I think so. Also, the sexual objectification of women in advertisement is appalling! Last year, I did a research paper on The Effects of Advertising Media and Fashion on women’s self-perceptions and perceptions of others. Dove’s campaign for REAL beauty was extremely interesting (and helpful for research!) Check out one of their research articles: “The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report“. It’s a bit lengthy but if you have the time to check it out, DO IT! Basically, what I found out from doing all this research was that Advertisement Media and Fashion strongly effect the way we view ourselves and others. By constantly being bombarded with images of modern day, North American “perfection”, us women believe that we too should look like the Photoshopped models. I won’t go on too long about this.. Heck, I’ll probably come back to this at a later date. But for now… Just check out this video. (It was written about in my Marketing textbook. I had heard about it, but had never seen it.)

I just had to put this one out there first because it always bothers me seeing such scandalous ads.

Thanks for reading!

T