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Alexandra Owen
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Dover Street Market: When creativity, risk and commerce align

“We just do what we think is good, exciting and new, and everybody else taps us. We don’t try and tap into things; we try to lead. It’s risky, but leading is not something that we’ve ever been afraid of. ”
— Adrian Joffe, CEO Dover Street Market

Read more at Busines of Fashion 

tags: bof, dover street market, comme des garcons, rae kawakubo, business of fashion, adrian joffe
categories: Business Advice, Pioneers of Industry, Luxury
Thursday 10.23.14
Posted by Alexandra Owen
 

Australian footwear company Feit

Women's footwear from Feit

Women's footwear from Feit

Today's consumer craves authenticity more than ever. And it's not just in product design that we seek  it. We want to our interactions with brands to be real and meaningful. Feit, an Australian footwear company I discovered recently, has created a brand that cuts through a lot of the noise in the fashion and footwear industry today. High quality, long life-span, handmade product is Feit's focus, manufacturing exclusively in limited, sustainable batches. 

This behind-the-scenes video (below) shows a jaw dropping amount of craftsmanship, making their price point seem very reasonable. Click here to go to Feit's website. 

tags: Feit, craftsmaship, small business, independent luxury, designer footwear, luxury sneakers
categories: Australian Retail, Luxury, Pioneers of Industry, Sustainability, Things I like, Value communication
Wednesday 06.04.14
Posted by Alexandra Owen
 

The pioneer of New Zealand art

Our Spring-Summer 09 Campaign featuring art-dealer Peter McLeavey and performer Sheba Williams. Artist Bill Hammond appears in the backdrop.

Our Spring-Summer 09 Campaign featuring art-dealer Peter McLeavey and performer Sheba Williams. Artist Bill Hammond appears in the backdrop.

To honour New Zealand's most cherished art dealer, who nurtured artists such as Bill Hammond and Yvonne Todd from the ground up, Te Papa has published a book on the legendary Peter McLeavey.

For me, McLeavey and his gallery are the pioneers of New Zealand's creative sector; an inspiring example of how art dealer and artist must work together in harmony to support and respect one another.

Whilst many other NZ industries, such as design and music, lack strong commercial alliances that keep artists and industries alive, McLeavey has shown that artists don't need mega-corporations in order to have effective partnerships.

Tapping in to a community's culture, ideals and values has been a big part of the McLeavey DNA. Selling a story, an artist and a sense of place has been an effective tool to bring artists in to peoples worlds.

You might say that McLeavey is the quintessential marketer, with a gut feel for the market and social trends. His charming latter-day manner helps too, so authentic that every McLeavey family member possesses this same delicacy and regard for others.

Here's the trailer for the book  "Peter McLeavey: The life and times of a New Zealand art dealer".  It features the campaign I once shot in his gallery (picture above). It is a book to cherish. 

AO

tags: peter mcleavey, te papa, sheba williams, art dealers, new zealand, bill hammond, yvonne todd
categories: Pioneers of Industry
Tuesday 10.29.13
Posted by Alexandra Owen
Comments: 1