After weeks of endless teasing, Daft Punk have finally released the entirety of their new album Random Access Memories on iTunes. The French duo who have not allowed their faces to be photographed since 1996, continue to cause mass hysteria even when they pre-launch their album on top of The Shard and aren’t even there.

Their secrecy causes curiosity that attracts new listeners whilst keeping their fans loyal and intrigued.

The allure of mystery is arguably a key component of any successful marketing campaign today. Take Topshop’s hugely successful #whosthatgirl Christmas campaign which eventually revealed Kate Bosworth singing Winter Wonderland – interactive, addictive and highly social. Terry Richardson’s new campaign for Valentino, where un-identifed tattoed hands clasp new accessories, allows the viewer to vicariously indulge in a fashion fantasy.  

When every aspect of human life is over-accessible, brands should play on their ability to manipulate accessibility into a game of mystery.

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.  

Neil Armstrong once said, and to understand means to explore- to an online start up or brand that means traffic, page views and hopefully conversions. Or If you just want to know How to Be a Mysterious Girl you can CLICK HERE                                                         

A Mysterious Weekend: At the Feria de Jerez with Greta Bellamacina and Juan Pepa

Shop Jewellery with a touch of Mystery 

* Regiment of Dreamers Necklace*** Ship in a Bottle Necklace ***Classic Love Loop Ring *

To Covent Garden today where I helped luxury beauty subscription company Glossy Box host their 2nd birthday party! Presiding over a GIANT Glossy Box that opened every other hour to reveal free May boxes, I had so much fun meeting wonderful fans and hanging out with all the glossy girls, sharing beauty tips and tricks!

Launched in the UK in May 2011, Glossy Box has over 36k subscribers in the UK alone, helping consumers discover new beauty products for £10 a month, via luxurious little samples from companies including Givenchy and Nails Inc. In a moment of calm in the air stream trailer we had parked next to the box, I sat down with their uber CEO Kate Cornell to discover more about the business…

AMBER: Kate you joined as CEO in 2012 at the age of 24, what were your main aims coming into the biz?

KATE: Glossy Box had grown rapidly and there was a slight imbalance between demand and the quality of supply. My first focus was to streamline logistics, improve the tech spec and most of all get a great team together.

AMBER: From Netflix to Quarterly, subscription models are a hot ticket in ecomm right now – why?

KATE: It’s an extremely straight forward business models with a transparent revenue stream that makes cash flow easy to manage. A loyal customer database provides us with valuable consumer insights such as, the average woman in the UK spends over £50 a month on beauty related products or that women place more importance on beauty than buying a house! The model does have it challenges though, we found users were unsubscribing after 7 months so we introduced collaborations with celebrities and brands e.g. Pearl Lowe and Harrods which helped retain subscribers.

AMBER: Net-a-Porter have recently delved into beauty- what are your thoughts on this?

KATE: Yes we recently met with them actually- I think if anything it proves there is a growing market for luxury beauty products and that more can be done to emphasize the link between beauty and fashion. What we know is that people want to have luxury but not pay full price.

AMBER: It’s almost like your a decadent pringle once you pop….

KATE: Yes well there is an extremely high conversion rate in beauty between trying and buying.We’re offering you a luxurious experience of discovery for £10 coupled with our online content it makes for an engaging proposition.

AMBER: What are your tips for start ups about managing a team?

KATE: I believe whole heartedly in the importance of a lean team with one vision. Surround yourself with people from all different backgrounds that bring different points of view to the table but ultimately have passion. I  like to be harsh but fair and love engaging the team in yoga once a week or group runs and regular team lunches- It’s important to reward your talent and create an atmosphere of unity.

Thanks to Kate and the team and everyone who came down to celebrate with us today! Check out Glossy Box here!

#TODAYIWORE: All Saints Dress and Jacket, Charlotte Olympia Shoes, BARK for MYFLASHTRASH Jewellery

 ♥  Sunset Palm Tree Hoops £115 ♥

1) To Sell is Human- Daniel H. Pink 2) Velocity- Ajaz Ahmed & Stefan Olander  3) What They Teach You at Harvard Business School- Philip Delves Broughton  4) Coming up Roses- Cath Kidston 5) Buyology- Martin Linstrom 

WATCH: Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders

 

From Made in Chelsea truths, to entrepreneur tips…

READ THE INTERVIEW IN FULL OVER @ COMPANYMAGAZINE.CO.UK

FELDER FELDER

To the Saatchi Gallery last week for the launch of Roger Vivier’s book. Flatteringly cut in graphic print silk, I love Felder Felder dresses for a day or evening event. Layered up with a chain necklace from our latest jewellery designer on MYFLASHTRASH.COM the super fly Alona! Im obsessed with her karma bracelets and chain necklaces

Asia Butterfly Dress Felder Felder

SONIA RYKIEL

 This Sonia Rykiel top has become my go to work tee, that I can carry on wearing from a meeting straight to an event like Vogue Festival above. I love the graphic 3 panel design and tube neckline. Teamed with a dainty cross and heart ring from Me & Zena , minimal chic.

Really into this Zig Zag light weight sweater by Sonia. Perfect for this weird spring but winter weather

Ice cream is one of the most talked about things by women on social media, and with over 6 million fans on Facebook, Ben & Jerry’s is positioned as the third most popular ice cream brand in the UK ( after Cornetto & Magnum). From Cookie Dough to Chunky Monkey, we’ve all got a favourite B&J flavour, and it was earlier this week when I found myself having a cosy night in with a mini tub of Chocolate Fudge Brownie that I wanted to find out more about this charming ice cream monopoly!

Founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield back in 1978, B & J is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Unilever, (which also counts Cornetto and Magnum in its stable.) Last year the UK ice cream category posted 9% growth according to a Euro Monitor report, but how did B&J come to be a dominant player in the market? And what lessons can entrepreuners learn from their journey?

 

1)  FIND THE GAP

 Ben and Jerry had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives, after pin pointing a passion for food, they chose to learn how to make and manufacture ice cream after finding bagel catering equipment was too expensive. They then went around every college campus in the US to find one that didn’t have an ice cream parlour: South Burlington, Vermont.

2) PIVOT

Whilst B&J had fun running their one Vermont store, they were barely breaking even- it was only when Ben decided to carton up ice cream for local grocery stores and restaurants did the business really begin to scale. Diversifying their revenue streams led to recognition outside of just 1 state.

3) LEVERAGE LOCAL LOYALTY

From putting on events in winter to drive ice cream sales, to free ice cream for all locals after their first year in business. B&J knew the value of customer loyalty from day 1. Thus when they were ready to scale they shunned VC money and went for a localised stock offering, selling each share at $10.5 with a minimum buy of 12 shares.

4) IF THERE’S SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT BUSINESS DO IT DIFFERENTLY

Ben and Jerry were heavily involved in political activism and supporting local community. From working with ex-convicts to brining children’s basic needs to the top of the national agenda, B & J believed from the outset that business should not just make a profit but profit man kind. Their value led proposition led the way for corporate social responsibility.

I  received an invitation the other week from my  friend Julia Sarr-Jamois to attend the opening of Shay & Blue, Ah a new bar opening I thought! Sure, and after a spot of dinner at Sake No Hana promptly jumped into a cab with MTV presenter Lilah Parsons to Marylebone. Upon arriving at 80 York Street, and entering a PR guarded candle lit door, we entered what was quite clearly not a bar but an exclusive fragrance boutique. Hit by an intense aroma of blood orange and jasmine, this curiosity style boutique was filled with beautifully branded bottles and candles.

A boutique point of view means personal passion. It means a concern for detail and craftsmanship. ‘Many perfumes smell the same… lacking in authenticity or integrity… because the strange truth is that they are anonymous products churned out in factories in their millions.‘ note the founders Dom de Vetta and Julie Masse, both renowed in the fragrance field for their quiet expertise. ( Dom was the Senior Vice President at Chanel, and the Global General Manager of Jo Malone London.)

Amber Rose, Scented Natural Wax Candle, 140g £35   Blood Oranges, Natural Spray Fragrance, Large Size 100ml £55

 Your scent makes a first impression just as much as your business card or hand shake, invest in a fragrance that’s personal to you and make a memorable appearance. Click to Shop Shay & Blue

We are a generation obsessed with phrases , 10% of all pins on Pinterest are Quotes  “Pinterest is designed to be a visual experience,” said Barry Schnitt, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based company, adding, “We were surprised by the popularity of these quotes.”  Blogger, Bonnie Tsang, like many users, leverages the visual experience by layering quotes on top of images, A recent pin that reads “Don’t Hate What You Don’t Understand!” with an image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, was re-pinned more than 1,600 times.

Twitter  is another popular place for the quote hungry, with hundreds of accounts dedicated to motivational quotes, infact my #amberattitudes tweets are among my most favourited and RT’d tweets. But where do the really die hard quote fans go?  WeHeartIt . Favourited by designer Mary Katrantzou, this huge pre-teen social playground is massively under utilised by retailers , at one point, WeHeartIt Founded in 2008 by Brazil native Fabio Giolito,was nearly five times the size of Pinterest.

Ashish Gupta is the man behind quote and sequin tastic  Ashish! The tongue in cheek, playful London fashion label that’s known for its craftsmanship and quality just as much as its pop-culture influenced branding. I wore Ashish last night to the wonderful Liberatum dinner in honor of John Hurt ( see below- my real dad?! #couldnotresist) and it got a lot of attention, but moreover it sparked an interesting debate about our appetite for quotes in all forms and what they mean to our culture. Whilst slogans enjoy a continued fashion revival, see Susie Bubble’s recent post  revealing Kenzo have sold 20,000 of those Tiger sweatshirts with ongoing waiting lists at stores, designers including Markus Lupfer and Zoe Karssen enjoy growing commercial success with their witty phrase tees and sweaters.

Markus Lupfer ‘CHILL’ Tee Sweater £298

Ashish himself remarks, “I find Tumblr very inspiring, it’s like an ever-evolving giant scrapbook of ideas from millions of people all over the world. It’s just an incredibly good source for visual research.” taking the trend to display these quotes rendered in beautiful typography and transferring them to tees and sweaters is proving to be a lucrative concept. Whilst cats, one of,  if not THE most popular thing on the internet,  is seeping its way into fashion- I noticed Topshop have cats on their carrier bags now- will popular hashtags transfer over to be branded over clothes next? #JustSayin either way as Ashish’s Tee says, Je Suis Fatigue. Time for bed. 

O bed! O bed! delicious bed! That heaven upon earth to the weary head. ~Thomas Hood, Miss Kilmansegg – Her Dream

 

Breakfast: Daylesford Organic 

‘With locations in Pimlico and Westbourne Grove, this light and minimalistic eatery is farm fresh. Set up by Carole Bamford (the wife of JCB construction founder Anthony Bamford) whose wide range of business interests includes farming, retailing, restaurants, clothing and spas. Quiet, well lit with beautiful organic food- go early in the morning when the communal tables aren’t packed there are also a few more private tables/ breakfast bars for 2 people. ‘

Eat: Boiled Eggs & Sour Dough Toast.  Drink: English Breakfast Tea & Blood Orange Juice

Lunch: Ceviche 

 ’This eclectic and citrus clean Soho eatery is a hot pick for lunch. Serving a delicious array of tapas style bites, perfect to share and nibble on when you’re talking business. The atmosphere manages to be vibrant and cool without being too noisy and has an infectious positive energy that lingers when you leave. Founded by Martin Morales ( Ex Head of Disney Music) the meticulous interior design, music and layout comprise to make Ceviche a super cool brand ( their website is ace!) and lunch time experience. ‘

Eat: Plantain Chips, Don Ceviche & Grilled Skewers. Drink: Piso Sour

Dinner: Bob Bob Ricard 

 ’I fell in love with Bob Bob Ricard when it opened in 2008, and after interviewing one of the founders, Leonid, who insisted on shots of vodka, have found it difficult to stay away from this sexy, decadent hide out ever since. Nestled on the corner of Lower St James Street in Soho, this eccentric restaurant is a collection of intimate booths each with their own ‘Push For Champagne Button’. Everything is theatrical and opulent with interiors by David Collins, its the perfect place to impress and indulge.’

Eat: Caviar, Sole Paupiette & Bramley Apple Tart  Drink: The Best Bloody Marys in London. Try the chilled Vodka and Pear Bellinis.

A girl can never have too many high quality tees, or tongue in cheek sweaters, and right now I can’t get enough of Zoe Karssen and her playful, rock’n'roll take on varsity.  Launched by Amsterdam based design duo Zoe and Quince Karssen in 2010, the label’s been gaining a cult following over the past couple of years. Mixing pop culture slang and famous fashion quotes with high school finish that screams teen crush, Karssen’s witty label is a perfect spring time wardrobe pick me up!

CLICK TO SHOP ZOE KARSSEN 

Zoe Karssen D’Accord Sweatshirt £82.50

Zoe Karssen Live Fast Tee £49.50 

Psssst. Have you heard of Pop Bands? Huge state side, and on every model’s wrist at fashion week, these rad little hair bands will change your pony tail/ top knot hair life forever! Now available in UK from £5. Shop Here