Cruise Collections

[Deleted member 138517]

Hi guys! Would just like to ask about the cruise collections in general as it is very interesting to see these huge luxury conglomerates spend tons to produce shows in different locations around the globe. I'd like to start of by asking if these cruise collections are relatively cheaper or more expensive than the actual seasonal collections. Is there a pricing difference?

 

[anlabe32]

I don't know much about the business of fashion but the last thing I heard was that pre-collections are cheaper, remain in the stores longer than other collections and are therefore more successful than RTW collection. That's why big brands like Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Prada spend a lot of money on big shows and campaigns.

They're very lucrative collections.

 

[dodencebt]

What anlabe32 said is very much true; it would be great if someone could post an article that expands on that.

This article from The Law is a bit outside the margins of your question, but still very much connected to the Resort shows and a great read. It elaborates on one of the reasons - a very important one, if you ask me - for throwing lavish shows in exotic locations.

It's too long to be posted on the forum, so you can click here to read it.

 

[ominao]

"Fashion's cruise shows are going where the money is"
"Pre-collections: Fashion's new favourite thing"

These articles by Alex Fury did help me get a little grasp of what "Cruise" or "Resort" or "Pre" or whatever you want to call it mean.
Sorry if you find nothing you want to know in them.

 

[Lola701]

Originally, pre-collections were cheaper than main collections for most of the brands. Like Alex Fury said, it was the "buyers & boutiques" collections.
I remember for example that when NG was at Balenciaga, i bought mostly pre-collections because i was buying the actual presented version of look i saw in the lookbook, at a decent price and with the same integrity. The runway show pieces were great but you had to buy the diluted version to make it your own.

I think that you can't talk about pre-collections without mentionning Chanel. They have been the first to really push pre-collections, brands started to show pictures of their pre-collections.
The big shift was in 2007/2008 with their L.A. Airport resort. It really the first big show held for a such a collection. That collection had the impact as their usual main collections.
The show pieces (pilote suits, sequined bathrobes) were sold-out in the Cambon boutique.
After that collection, designers started to push the creativity and the presentation of their pre-collections.

Nowadays, their are still a bit cheaper but the gap is not that important anymore.

 

[fashionista-ta]

What anlabe32 said is very much true; it would be great if someone could post an article that expands on that.

This article from The Law is a bit outside the margins of your question, but still very much connected to the Resort shows and a great read. It elaborates on one of the reasons - a very important one, if you ask me - for throwing lavish shows in exotic locations.

It's too long to be posted on the forum, so you can click here to read it.

Good point ... hadn't thought about the press junket aspect. However, I will say that I have virtually no expectation of objectivity when reading fashion coverage. IMO the number of actual fashion journalists can be counted on one hand (and you might not need all the fingers). It's pretty clear from what the magazines don't write about ... usually they ignore whatever elephant is in the room.

I'm also not sure there's a significant price differential with resort. Perhaps they do make sure there are some relatively affordable pieces in the mix ... but there are very expensive resort pieces too.

 

[ultramarine]

Good point ... hadn't thought about the press junket aspect. However, I will say that I have virtually no expectation of objectivity when reading fashion coverage. IMO the number of actual fashion journalists can be counted on one hand (and you might not need all the fingers). It's pretty clear from what the magazines don't write about ... usually they ignore whatever elephant is in the room.

I'm also not sure there's a significant price differential with resort. Perhaps they do make sure there are some relatively affordable pieces in the mix ... but there are very expensive resort pieces too.

Well, the reviews here, on tFS generally do praise some pre/resort collections for some labels even more than the regular seasons.

This collections are much more commercial and I always get the feeling that they are somewhat a bit more "free" which is always welcomed!

It took a while for the big houses to catch up with the demand and now there are houses churning collections for sale as soon as the last model leaves the catwalk, so we keep seeing everything moving fast, fast, fast ... We dont know if this is good, but the model IS changing thanks to the in-between seasons