Time to go Online?

Today, in-between my lectures, I decided to have a quick look at my inbox and there it was, a 75% off on select products from H&M. Thanks to that, I spent the next 30 minutes doing online window-shopping rather than listening to my lecturer. Online window-shopping can be a lucrative stress reliever for an over-worked, marginalized poor student like me, and also a motivation to work even harder to afford the clothes. With various sales and offers around, January could seemingly be an extremely hard month on the bank account.

In the past I have bought some products online, but only because of the big discounts that were offered. It's a wonder how the email marketing of my regular brand has made me spend money without even leaving my seat. It is noticeable that for most brands, the online retail works independently to their high street ones. For this, the brand can provided lucrative deals online to consumers as they can cut down on costs like rents, labour, distribution, among others. As for the customers, they are spared of the commute to the store along with queuing up for trial and payment.

I must say I am surprised by the increasing trends of online shopping in Asia. According to a McKinsey, China's revenue from online retail was $210 billion in 2012, making it the second largest e-tail market in the world. According to PwC, 50% of apparel shopping in India is done online. While more and more people are turning to the internet to fulfill their shopping needs and it seems like a trend that'll stay, I am still quite traditional when it comes to buying clothes and accessories because I prefer to touch, try and feel.

Raise your glass!

It’s that time of of the year when everyone just wants to party, thanks to Christmas and New Year's Eve! It’s the holiday season with festivity, good food, lots of shopping, big gifts, bigger parties and even more alcohol. It has come to my realization that in this month itself, I have been to more parties than the whole year combined! And now, the Transport for London (TfL) has provided the proverbial "icing on the cake" by allowing free transport on the morning of January 1st, to end the party season. During my past New Year Celebrations in London, I wondered, how much money would TfL stand to lose by allowing free transport for the period when most of London is out and about.

Today while rushing to get some last-minute shopping done, a poster caught my eyes. It was not just about the free transport provided on New Year's Eve, but that the sponsorship for the whole scheme by the British alcohol company 'Diageo'. Diageo is the largest producer of spirits in the UK with annual revenues of over £14.5 billion. I really liked the fact that TfL along with Diageo was asking people to drink responsibly. As advertising of alcohol and tobacco is highly regulated, they rely heavily on sponsorship advertising to promote their brand.

Campaigns to "drink responsibly" in most parts of the world are actually carried out or funded by the alcohol companies. The "Drink Aware" campaign in the UK and 'The Century Council' in the US are funded by the alcohol companies to promote responsible drinking. But when it comes to promotion for the brand, most of the alcohol and tobacco companies rely on sponsorships. Some popular alcohol brands sponsoring are 'Heineken' for the Heineken Cup for Rugby and 'Anheuser-Busch' and 'Budweiser' for NASCAR. Tobacco companies have been severely hit after many countries banned the endorsement of tobacco brands in different events, most prominently Formula 1.

We will not see any advertising of the Marlboro Man anymore, but it's better to be safe than sorry. It’s the holiday season, so let us all have fun and be responsible as well. Merry Christmas!

Be Flamboyant!

People like colours, but when it comes to wearing them, most men prefer to stay away from them. This is a major difference which can be seen in the dressing style of the men in Guwahati and London.  Since I started feeling the fashion of London, I took a bold approach towards colour in my dressing which can sometimes be classified as a ‘clown’ in Guwahati. It can be scary for one to wear ‘Orange Trousers’ or ‘Green Jeans’ for the first time but once one overcomes the fear, it will change the style and outlook.

Credit: British Fashion Council

I have come across some interesting point about wearing colours by men at Topman Generation. Topman Generation is an online magazine which has innovative updates about fashion, culture, lifestyle and music. The piece ‘The 5 Rules for Wearing Colour’ highlighted few points about overcoming the fear of wearing colours (Click here to check). It ranges from experimenting a little bit when incorporating colour, adding a splash of colour with accessories to avoiding too much grey. Following these rules will be a good start to try out colours. 

Colours can be an interesting way to show your character. One should use imagination to experiment with colours but at the same time remember to keep in mind the shade of colour which will suit the skin tone.  Go ahead; it’s good to be flamboyant!

Credit: British Fashion Council