Santa Claus has come…

And “She” brought me something I wanted. As usual… For a couple of months I have been looking for a stainless steel ring. I saw several but I could not decide myself for one. And “She” decided for me and it was a good choice.

Swatch

Swatch is a brand name for a line of wrist watches from the Swatch Group, a Swiss conglomerate with vertical control of the production of Swiss watches and related products. In 1982, Swatch was conceived and it was introduced to the market in Switzerland in March 1983.

This concept was realised in the early 1980s, under the leadership of the then ETA SA’s CEO, Ernst Thomke with a small team of enthusiastic watch engineers led by Elmar Mock and Jacques Müller, who had had the idea to use the case back as a movement main plate (platine), as it had been done to realise the flattest watch in the world, the Delirium, suppressing a lot of parts. And designed for easy assembling.

Swatch was originally intended to re-capture entry level market share lost by Swiss manufacturers during the aggressive growth of Japanese companies such as Seiko in the 1960s and 1970s, and to re-popularize analog watches at a time when digital watches had achieved wide popularity.

The combination of marketing and manufacturing expertise restored Switzerland as a major player in the world wristwatch market. Synthetic materials were used for the watchcases as well as a new ultra-sonic welding process and the assembly technology. The number of components was reduced from 91 or more to 51, with no loss of accuracy. Compared to conventional watches, a Swatch was 80% cheaper to produce by fully automating assembly.

In light of the economic state of the Swiss watch industry at the time of the introduction of the Swatch, its directors understood that it was not enough to offer a good watch. The watches needed to be attractive, cheeky and good fun, daring in design and aggressively priced, with high quality and innovative flair. The Swatch watches were high-tech and came in a variety of fashion and art design.

The first meaning of the name “Swatch” was “Second Watch” — because the new watch was introduced with a new concept of watches as casual, fun, and relatively disposable accessories. However Franz Sprecher conceived it as the contraction of Swiss (Made) Watch: “S’Watch”, soon became “Swatch” as it is today perceived worldwide.

There are five families under the Swatch brand: Originals, Irony, Skin, Beat, Bijoux.

I have 2 Swatch Irony pieces. The first one was bought in 2000 and it still rocks.

The second was acquired this September. Its complete name is Swatch Full Blooded and will always remember me of Washington.

Needless to say I am very content with my Swatches…

Swarovski

Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut crystal glass and related products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria. The company was founded in 1895 by Armand Kosman and Franz Weis using Daniel Swarovski’s expertise at glass-cutting and his family name. It was the 1892 invention and patenting of Swarovski’s innovative electric glass-cutting machine which prompted the company to be created. Their first factory for producing carved crystal was built in Wattens, Austria.

The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor and chandeliers.

All sculptures are marked with a logo. The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, which was replaced by a “S.A.L.” logo which was finally replaced with the current swan logo in 1988. The Swan logo, however, is currently being phased out in favor of simply the Swarovski name.

In 2004, Swarovski created the nine-foot diameter, 550 pound star that tops the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City for the first of five consecutive years.

For the 75th anniversary of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Swarovski crystals decorated the costumes worn by the Rockettes during the finale number.

Swarovski is one of my favorite jewelry stores. My most recent acquisition is a Cross Jet Hematite Pendant.

MAC

Make-up Art Cosmetics, better known as MAC was founded in Toronto, Canada by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo in 1985. The first U.S MAC store opened in 1991, located at Greenwich Village.

Estée Lauder Companies acquired controlling interest of MAC in 1994, then completed their acquisition of the company in 1998. One year prior to the acquisition, original founder, Frank Angelo, died in 1997 due to complications during surgery.

The company’s product were originally designed specifically for professional make-up artists, but are now sold to consumers worldwide.

The list of past official spokespersons includes names like Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, and Catherine Deneuve. Eve, Missy Elliott, Lisa Marie Presely, Dita von Teese, Deborah Harry, Christina Aguilera, Linda Evangelista, Boy George, and others have been past spokespeople for the Viva Glam IV and V campaigns. (Viva Glam V got more notice for including a neutral shaded pink Viva Glam lipgloss).

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH (A&F)

I tried to delay as much as I could this post because I felt and still feel I am not ready. This is my favorite American brand. I could say I would go back to New York for a reason only: to shop there. I’ve heard a couple of weeks ago that I am not alone, a friend went to London for A&F.
I’ve also visited the store in London but the prices there are just ridiculous, compared to US. But the atmosphere was the same and people were waiting in line to get inside.

The modern Canoe store design features white molding and louvers on the exterior.

The interiors are highlighted with dim ceiling-lights and spot lighting.

Distinguishable aspects are the lingering scent of Fierce, an A&F fragrance, and the blasting electronic dance music.

The A&F brand holds over 353 locations nationwide the United States, three in Canada, one in London, and one in Milan. Four flagship stores are located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, within the The Grove in Los Angeles, at 7 Burlington Gardens in London, and at 12 Corso Giacomo Matteotti in Milan.

Selldorf Architects are responsible for the Fifth Avenue and Burlington Gardens flagships, that look practically alike.

A&F’s Milan flagship opened on October 29, 2009 at 10:00am and did over $1.2 million dollars (US) on its opening weekend.

A third opening in Europe, this location on the famed Avenue des Champs-Élysées in building No.23 is expected to open doors in 2011. Abercrombie & Fitch got the approval from the French government to go ahead with construction early in 2009. French law prohibits retailers from leasing space on the historically valuable avenue without consulting government approval, all in effort to protect its image by exclusively admitting image-appropriate retailers.

The official logo of Abercrombie & Fitch is the moose.

My ties with Abercrombie & Fitch are very strong. We will forever have something in common: the A&F initials.

I won’t talk about the controversy and criticism. I don’t know if products are overpriced as the materials really deserve the money. I don’t care if there are sales or not. Why should A&F offer sales if people of all age are waiting in line to enter?

A&F is not a store, is a successful concept. I encourage anyone to go visit and shop.

http://www.abercrombie.com

Forever 21

Forever 21 is a chain of clothing retailers throughout the United States, Philippines, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Thailand, China, South Korea, Japan and Puerto Rico offering fashion and accessories for young women and men. Most of the retailer’s apparel is private label and made in the United States in Southern California, with the exception of their “Fabulous Finds”, which are very cheap items imported from Vietnam. Forever 21 typically serves the same audience and competes with Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal, Guess, Deb Shops, and Charlotte Russe.

The chain, originally known as Fashion 21, was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1984 by Korean-American Do-Won Chang and his wife, Jin Sook. Trendy designs seen in South Korea were sold and targeted to the Los Angeles Korean Community. However, people from many other races and ethnicities began noticing the fashion forward designs, and the store became increasingly popular. By the end of the first year, sales had risen from $35,000 to $700,000. Fashion 21 eventually expanded at the rate of a new store every six months and changed the Fashion 21 brand name to Forever 21.
In 1995, the company expanded their store in Miami’s Mall of the Americas, this location was the first store outside of California. Adding new stores every six months, Forever 21 had reached a total of 40 stores by 1997.

Plans are in the works to open a 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) Forever 21 in Manhattan, in Times Square, in the space formerly occupied by the Virgin Megastore, in addition to some adjoining space.

GAP

The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008, Gap, Inc. has approximately 150,000 employees and operates 3,465 stores worldwide. Gap, Inc. remains the largest specialty apparel retailer in the U.S., though it has recently been surpassed by the Spanish-based Inditex Group as the world’s largest apparel retailer.

Despite its publicly-traded status, the Fisher family remains deeply involved in Gap, Inc.’s business and collectively owns a significant portion of the company’s stock.

Donald Fisher served as Chairman of the Board until 2004 and remained on the board until his death on September 27, 2009. His wife and their son, Robert J. Fisher, also serve on Gap’s Board of directors. Robert Fisher succeeded his father as chair in 2004 and also took over as president and CEO on an interim basis following the resignation of Paul Pressler in 2007.

Banana Republic, formerly a small retailer selling safari-themed clothing, was purchased by the company in 1983, and eventually was rebranded as an upscale clothing retailer in the late 1980s.
Old Navy was launched in 1994, as a value chain with a specialty flair.
Forth & Towne, the company’s fourth traditional retail concept, was launched on August 24, 2005, featuring apparel targeted toward women 35 and older. On February 26, 2007 after an 18-month trial period, Forth & Towne was discontinued, and the 19 stores were closed.
A fifth brand, the online footwear retailer Piperlime, was created in 2006.
A sixth brand, Athleta, a women’s athletic wear line was added in 2009.

Aéropostale

Aéropostale, Inc. is an American clothing retailer that sells casual clothing with over 900 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico,and the United Arab Emirates. Their stores are located in shopping malls. Aéropostale sells fashion apparel including shirts, jeans, hoodies and accessories. Their clothing is targeted at teenagers and young adults.

Building on the success of the Aéropostale teen brand the company has now launched a new brand, P.S. from Aéropostale, that sells tween clothing.

In May 2008, Aéropostale opened its first store in Puerto Rico at Plaza Carolina. The following weeks, Aéropostale opened two more stores located in Plaza Las Américas and in Prime Outlets, Puerto Rico. The company plans to open 12 to 14 more stores in Puerto Rico by 2010.

In March 2009, Aéropostale expanded its operations to the Middle East, opening its first store in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The company plans to open over 20 stores in the region over the next few years, including stores in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar.

Nine West

Nine West or 9 West is a subdivision of Jones Apparel Group. Nine West is a women’s fashion retailer/wholesaler with offices in 60 countries. There are chains of stores from Hawaii to Maine. It was co-founded by Jerome “Jack” Fisher. The footwear offices are located in White Plains, New York.

Distribution of all Nine West Goods in the United States is processed through two large warehouses both located in West Deptford, New Jersey.

By amusing coincidence, there is a Nine West outlet location on the westbound side of Route 9 in Natick, Massachusetts.

9 West is one of my favorite stores when it comes to handbags.

Hollister Co.

Hollister Co. (abbreviated to HCO or Hollister) is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept is designed to attract consumers aged 14-18 (Young Teens) through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company’s online store. Despite the age target, the appeal of the HCO brand is universal like its parent brand and was ranked as the second most preferred teen clothing brand in 2008 by US Bancorp Piper Jaffray.

Like his other brands for Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries created an elaborate fictional story to give meaning and feeling to the image of the Hollister concept.

The story begins with the fictional character John M. Hollister. An adventurous youth, he spent his youth practicing sports in the waters of Maine. He graduated from Yale University in 1915 at the age of 21. Not wanting the high-life his father established for him in Manhattan, the young man boarded a succesion of steamboats, finally arriving in the Dutch East Indies by 1917. There, he bought a rubber plantation from the fictitious Gregory Van Gilder, and soon came to know and love Gilder’s daughter, Meta. Afterwards, Hollister sold the land with half of the money purchased a 50-foot schooner on which he and Meta spent two years sailing the South Pacific Ocean treasuring the diverse cultures. John and Meta harboured in Los Angeles in 1919, and married in the late fall. John M. Hollister, Jr. was born in 1920, and after “discovering California and himself” with his love for the South Pacific in mind John Sr. established Hollister Co. in 1922 in Laguna Beach. The company became purveyors of South Pacific treasures (hand-crafted furniture, jewelry, linens, and artifacts from all the islands). The company changed after John Jr. took over the business in 1957, bringing into the inventory surf apparel and equipment. Only in fantasy is the company said to be still managed by the Hollisters. Abercrombie & Fitch calls the story “a story of passion, youth and love of the sea carrying the harmony of romance, beauty, adventure.”

The story is not made available but it helps tie in many elements of the brand which was in reallity conceived by Abercrombie & Fitch in the 21st century. The Hollister Co. brand is marketed as being established in 1922, and the date is found the labels and designs of the merchandise. The store is designed as to simulate the feeling of being in a surf shop. Furthermore, the story of the character John Jr. being a renown surfer is on the back of Jake cologne packaging.

HCO’s rapid success let Abercrombie & Fitch Co. to notice that the HCO brand was cannibalizing the Abercrombie & Fitch brand. In order to properly distinguish A&F from HCO, higher-grade materials and construction were introduced strictly in the production of A&F clothing and goods, thus raising the prices of the latter.

Starting summer 2007, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. spent an approximate amount of $10 million USD to install video walls into Hollister Co. stores nationwide. The walls play live-feed from Surf City Huntington Beach, California to provide customers with a flavor of the SoCal surf atmosphere HCO promotes.

To maintain the SoCal theme, stores and merchandise are categorized within the divisions named “Dudes” (men) and “Bettys” (women). Merchandise of which offers Hollister includes but is not limited to “applique” and “heritage” T-shirts, Polos, Henleys, Knits, Shirts, Fleece, Outerwear, regular or destroyed low-rise Jeans, Flip Flops, Fragrances, Boxers and so on. Hollister is the only brand from Abercrombie & Fitch to offer body care products such as deodorants, antiperspirants, and body washes for both sexes.

A&F Corporate keeps HCO price points affordable to its targeted high-school consumers. Many of their items are almost equal in value to that of Abercrombie, with items having a difference of 20 dollars.