• Mary Katrantzou is credited as being largely responsible for bringing the art of digital print to prominence, thus the brand’s website relies heavily on visual elements to attract the viewers.

• Homepage images link through to various threads of the site

• The vivid colour palette against the clean white catwalk background helps accentuate the images and makes them visually appealing.

•With minimal and concise written copy throughout the official website, it avoids detracting from the imagery, retaining the brand aesthetic.

• Enforces the convenience of the website, no pretension despite high end price point

• Products filtered by size and print

• Layout similar to Pinterest, highlights appeal to target audience, also subtly suggestive in pinning images for brand awareness expansion

• Ecommerce section of the site divided into side menu subcategories as well as image highlights of the collection – catches customer’s interest, draws them to popular items

• Live feed of social media outreach, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google +

• Content links consisting of editorial photoshoots involving the brand (Wearing Katrantzou); worldwide cultural events recommendations by the designer herself (Mary Likes); links to all social media mentions (The Feed); and information on previous and future projects undertaken by Mary Katrantzou (News & Events)

“The chicest thing is when you don’t exist on Google. God, I would love to be that person!” - Phoebe Philo

• Minimal layout, representative of Celine’s aesthetic

• Limited information in each section; collection images taken directly from lookbooks, takes away from the exclusivity

• No links to social media – brand has no social media at all

of the resort collection to the likes of Style.com by a full five months, just days before the collection went on sale, resulted in no image leaks at all: something almost unheard of.

Celine is widely regarded as at the top of its game, and therefore has the power to easily persuade fashion editors to keep silent, while keeping the voice of the brand clear, instead of getting lost in translation over too many social media outlets. However, this will only continue to work if Celine remains alone in digital media no-man’s land. If other fashion brands join Philo in this pursuit for exclusivity, it dilutes the unique selling point, making their inaccessibility ironically commonplace.

The French brand, Celine, has a unique stance when it comes to social media. Creative Director, Phoebe Philo, has been quoted in numerous interviews as saying “the chicest thing is when you don’t exist on Google. God, I would love to be that person!” As every other fashion outlet is constantly updating and expanding their online presence, Celine have chosen to go in quite the reverse direction. They have no social media attachments (any that do exist are unofficial), nor are they affiliated with any ecommerce platforms. Furthermore, brand publicists ask for no photos or videos to be taken and no tweets be written at their exclusive Paris fashion shows, only in-house photographers are allowed to snap what comes down the catwalk. Any who break these conditions are told, in no uncertain terms, they will not be invited back to any future presentations.

To some onlookers, this could be deemed foolish, as the internet is commonly thought of as the best place to expand brand awareness. However, Celine’s choice to disregard nearly all online activity is to preserve their exclusivity. And it’s working. Their target market is made up of the top 0.01% income owners/holders of the world, thus their key attraction is exclusivity, and the internet by nature is the exact opposite. By disallowing the fashion buyers and stylists from digitally recording any of the runway products, Celine ensures no design of theirs will filter down to lesser designers and the high street before their line hits their stores. Philo’s choice to delay online release

Celine’s SS’14 Campaign

• Use of well-known model, Sam Rollinson, sets the tone for new collection – more youthful and edgy than previous season (fronted by Rosamund Pike)

• ‘Read more & shop her look’ link – draws in fans of model and her style, sounds like she chose the look herself

• Homepage image carousel is vibrant, draws in the customer. Modern and up-to-date artwork, represents the level of quality and product price-point

• Illustration more in keeping with high fashion magazine, brand looks more expensive and gives website an accessible feel

• Preview of SS’14 collection and campaign image online in mid January, followed by full campaign drop (including video and collection release) two weeks later

• Description of the ‘L.K.Bennett woman’, new direction for brand, attraction a younger clientele

• Language is positive and exciting, makes customer look forward to the season’s product release

• Informative of Spring ‘14 trends and how they are reflected in the new range, simple language for those who aren’t familiar with technical jargon

• Interactive image with links to product ecommerce pages, involves the customer, keeps their interest

• ‘Discover our new arrivals’ link – products in descending price order, customer more likely to buy more expensive items rather than scroll through. Also forces mid market customers to look through all products to get to lower price point – tempted to splurge

Subcategories to divide up THE EDIT:

• Features – news, events, inspiration and ‘fashion fix’

• E-zine style language

• Highlights page consists of the most recent/most viewed features and videos involving products, styling advice, and (British) celebrities who fit the brand aesthetic and are wearing L.K.Bennett

• As Seen On – who has worn L.K.Bennett• Video – behind the scenes footage

• Email update option and social media buttons at the head of every page, generating interest each time the customer surfs through the website – more likely to click on the links

• Much more informal language than website

• Eye-catching features e.g. #ShoeOfTheWeek, product spotlights, and culture event recommendations

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