1. Lol B
   Apr 30th 2006
   7:57 PM

   Hey Andy,

   I’ve been following the blog thread in the Sydney Morning Herald re this show, it’s certainly sparked some controversy! Considering the hype surrounding the $15,000 give away publicity stunt, there’s been a somewhat lukewarm/ negative response to the actual clothing.

   I have to say that I kinda feel that if you need to create this kind of hype/marketing spin to gain attention to your label then it doesn’t say much for your range, the clothes should speak for themselves. At the end of the day the buyers are hard nosed and savvy and publicity stunts like this could well backfire on you. I hear that the buyers were not exactly impressed. I’m interested to see where this marketing spin leads them !
2. Andy
   Apr 30th 2006
   8:51 PM

   Hey Lol, thanks for the heads up, I had no idea the guys caused such a media frenzy with the stunt. But hey, that’s the whole idea right? Personally I thought it was fun and entertaining, below is a copy of my comment on SMH which is currently awaiting approval:

   I was at the show and personally thought the stunt was great! For the record, the video began outside a Commonwealth Bank branch and was filmed and cut in a classic Australian style. I thought the signs the guys held up in the clip were:

   “We’re going to rob this bank” “To pay for Fashion Week”

   After the clip, which was quite entertaining, the would-be bank robbers ran onto the runway and for me it created a lot of excitement; it was a nice effect to go from a clip of bank robbery to having some masked bandits on the runway.

   There is no way there was $15,000 in the six bags. All the notes were $5 notes, which means the guys would’ve had to throw 3000 notes between them, or 500 each, to reach a total of $15,000.

   Watching the notes being thrown into the crowd I was trying to guess how many each robber was throwing, and I calculated about 50 per robber. If so, this totals $1500 which is a much more likely sum.

   I can’t imagine why any unnamed bank would want to sponsor $1500, let alone $15,000 without getting a mention. You’d have to think the stunt was self-funded.

   It was original and effective. I enjoyed it.
3. Lol B
   Apr 30th 2006
   9:28 PM

   yeah, but Andy did ya dig the clothes? They seem to have been overlooked !
4. Andy
   Apr 30th 2006
   9:41 PM

   Yeah I have overlooked them Lol… and no I didn’t think the collection was outstanding. I like some previous pieces from Tight Knickers but I didn’t find the clothes in the MAFW show all that exciting or inspiring.
5. Lol B
   Apr 30th 2006
   10:01 PM

   Hey Andy,

   I agree with you.

   As someone who is a designer and pattern cutter, I’m left pretty cold by t shirts and skinny jeans on the rumway. There’s not much innovation or beauty for me to appreciate here.

   What does concern me though is the dwindling (contrary to what IMG claim)number of international buyers/media at MAFW, I’m saddened by the international reviews of this week, it’s been tagged with the following, ‘mainstream’, ‘high street’, ‘pedestrian’, ‘lacking innovation’ etc. These reviews will not help international attendance figures for next year at all.

   We have some amazing talent here in Australia, but sadly many didn’t show this week and others are choosing to show in London,Paris and New York. You can understand why, with shows costing so much and with no real certainty of quality buyers being present why would designers take the risk?

   Thank goodness for Akira and Tony Maticesvski they prove that we do have some amazing talent here!
6. Lol B
   May 1st 2006
   9:53 AM

   Yes,It’s me again !

   Perhaps I’m wrong about fashion week, I’ve been reading a lot of reports saying that the week was a success due to large contingent of Chinese/Asian buyers at the event.

   If this is true then the ’street style’ trendy fashion labels will do well as this is what the Chinese market is after. Sophisticated, dark styling is not as popular with the asian market. They’re looking for streetwear and fun fresh styling. Apparently there was lots of nterest in tight Knickers from the Chinese.

   As every one knows China is the fastest growing economy in the world so I suppose some of the Aussie labels may be playing to that market. It does mean a lack of Kudos internationally ie in Europe but hey if it keeps the Australian fashion industry afloat you can’t really complain. You have to design to your market I suppose! We do have obvious climatic differences and a different culture and lifestyle from Europe so I suppose it’s natural that we have a more sporty ‘low brow’ fashion week. It is quite a change from a few seasons ago when MAFW was drowning in evening gowns! Designers have obviously wised up to why buyers are here and what they are looking for.

   Ta for letting me rant in your space!
7. Andy
   May 1st 2006
   7:30 PM

   No worries Lol, it’s a pleasure having you
   I heard there were 26 buyers at MAFW from China alone, and like Lol said they seem to be after streetwear. It’s a smart move from labels to cater to the buyer’s interests, and a very smart move from Tight Knickers to generate a lot of free publicity around a stunt in a streetwear show. I’m sure it won’t harm sales!

   I can understand how this could be frustrating from Lol’s perspective.. talent is not always rewarded, and instead the buyers go for what they like or what they think is cool from the show alone (e.g. following a fun stunt like the one from Tight Knickers).
8. Alistair James
   May 4th 2006
   11:07 PM

   Was just reading your comments re: the Tight Knickers show. I was at the show, and while the brand did not show any innovative fashion pieces, they stayed true to their identity doing great simple cuts and awesome graphics. Comparing them to Toni M. is apples and oranges.. I thought the clothing was great, the music, the stunt, the vibe, everything.. It was very “tight knickers”, and while it wasn’t Gaultier, it was a good solid range of streetwear.. Maybe I am fashion unconscious but I loved the whole bit. Cheers,

   Al
9. Lol B
   May 5th 2006
   6:01 PM

   Alistair, please tell me where I made a direct comparison between Tony M and Tight knickers ?
10. KRiSTOPHER DUKES
    May 9th 2006
    3:26 PM

    Ooh la love.

    I am digging that hoodie - is that what it is? - the girl model is rocking… I’m such a sucker for hoodies, even though I own no other “casual” gear.

    Mercedes/Olympic/IMG is taking over the world’s fashion weeks… They produce every major fashion week in the world, don’t they? I wonder how much money they put into every week. I have no problem with big corporations, but I wonder if it makes for McFashion around the world
11. Julz
    Aug 12th 2006
    1:37 PM

    Hey Andy,
    I’ve been recently conducting a little investigation and was hoping that you could help me out here. By the way I was trying to find your email address but being extremely computer illiterate I failed, so sorry for posting this question here but I guess it’s fashion week related anyway. I was wondering if you knew if fashion week acheives any financial benefits for new designers? I’ve heard that many young designers pay up to thousands of dollars to set up tiny displays of their work, but is it worth it?

    -Julz
12. Andy
    Aug 13th 2006
    4:47 PM

    Hey Julz!

    I’ve wondered the same myself… but to be honest I’m not exactly sure. It must achieve some benefits, but like you say it’s a matter of whether the costs are worth it. Hmmm. Wish I could help you further but I really don’t know - maybe you could ask a young designer who has had a show at MAFW?

    You can email me any time - andy@camarilla.com.au

    Catchya,
    Andy

1. April 29th 2006
   

   Camarilla::Australian Independent Fashion » Social media: Tight Knickers on YouTube

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