A fashion and lifestyle magazine and blog produced by Students in the Design and Merchandising program at Drexel University

Monday, February 9, 2015

Fit for a Princess


Last night, while watching The Grammys, I saw the trailer for Disney’s new adaptation of Cinderella, which will be hitting movie theaters this March. Personally, I have never been Disney-obsessed; If I see the movie it will be for the performances of Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter playing the fairy godmother. I also enjoy seeing the costumes in fantasy films and when it comes to Cinderella, the glass slippers are crucial. It turns out Swarovski designed the coveted shoes for the film, but additional interpretations are in production for the everyday princesses around the world. That’s right, Disney is collaborating with nine luxury footwear designers who have each created a unique and enchanting design for Cinderella’s slippers (refinery29.com).  The collection will launch globally in early March, serving as the perfect promotion for the movie premier.
The collection will be carried in retail stores including Saks Fifth Avenue in the US, Harrods in London, and Galeries Lafayette in Paris. They will also be sold in Milan, Moscow, Tokyo, and Dubai.  Distribution on this scale will surely increase awareness for the shoes and the film. Those involved in the planning of this collection are excited and eager to see it in stores. Mark Briggs, Chief Marketing and Creative Officer at Saks stated, “Saks aims to bring back the magic in retail, and what better way to celebrate than enchanting our customers with dazzling footwear fit to make any dream come true” (businesswire.com). Saks will carry the line in their New York flagship and Beverly Hills location. The windows at both stores will visually display the collection in fairytale vignettes incorporating props and even some costumes from the movie.


The nine designers in alphabetical order are: Paul Andrew, Alexandre Birman, René Caovilla, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Jerome C. Rousseau, and Stuart Weitzman. The silhouette of each glass slipper in the collection is undeniably characteristic of the brand behind it. I love that Stuart Weitzman designed a bootie (pictured above), eliminating the fear of leaving one behind when the clock strikes midnight. Unfortunately, we only have access to these distinguished designers’ sketches at the moment, but from what we can see it will be an incredibly diverse collection with enough sparkle to blind a gal. What I admire most about this collaboration is the way it carries fantasy from the big screen onto the sales floor. In my marketing courses, my professors frequently lecture on the importance of finding creative ways to promote your product, which in this case is the Cinderella movie.  Normally, I would not care about this film. However, the footwear collection associated with it will attract me into Saks just to see the shoes in person. If that experience ends up leading me into the movie theater, then job well done on Disney’s part. I’ve included three of my favorite designs from the collection – select the link below to see all nine.



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