Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara

Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara; Mark Tungate; 2008; Second Edition 

Yet you should read this book with a good cup of coffee. An absolutely brilliant read, sparking too many ideas to keep track of. Hence, my advise is definitely to read this book in the morning, with a fresh cup of coffee, pen and paper and your thinking cap bright on. The book gives a good overview of various issues in fashion ranging from the basics such as the history of fashion, an industry overview, the role of various parties such as the store, designer, press, photographer and model to newer, more controversial issues such as vintage and ethical fashion, bloggers and online fashion and the rise of Asia. Each chapter is bite-sized yet very well written and thought-provoking. The book is a great analytical introduction to the world of fashion. And I have to admit, I took many an idea from this book as inspiration for my posts.

How to set up and run a fashion label

How to set up and run a fashion label; Toby Meadows; 2009

I actually attended Toby's class at the London College of Fashion which prompted me to pick up this book when I saw it on the book shelves last week. A good read in general - I enjoyed the easy-to-follow methodical progression of the book, taking you through the entire process of starting your own fashion label, from an introduction to the industry to thinking about legal structures, label name, market and trends, to production, distribution and marketing. Each chapter is also short and simply structured which makes for fast reading. Only gripe though is that having attended his class, I felt that I learnt so much more from him personally than the book conveyed. Its clear and simple take on fashion entrepreneurship is perhaps a little too simplistic and basic for my liking. But understandably, this book is written for a creative person with no business background looking to do business and in that capacity, it is brilliant.