We are very delighted that Andrea Schubert, Head of Marketing of the STRELLSON AG Division windsor., is supporting this year's GoSeeAWARDS as a juror and will be there when the winners are announced at UPDATE16 in Berlin. Through mid-August, photographers as well as stylists, fashion editors, illustrators... can submit their most inspiring work from the past year free of charge. Like the other jurors – all top creatives and decision makers from the areas of marketing and advertising and art producers and art buyers – Andrea Schubert looks forward to your exciting and innovative submissions. Here on GoSee, we introduce her to you in an interview, including the new windsor. campaign and brand message.
As Head of Marketing of the STRELLSON AG Division windsor., you supervise the areas of marketing, PR and trade marketing. What are your main topics? Controlling the brand together with the management board and the Design department – that is, positioning, public image etc. All in all, everything is bundled in my position and comes together on my desk.
The windsor. campaigns focus is, like the slogan says, only on what is important. “They present our fashion and nothing else. We leave out everything which is superfluous, as we do in the communication; that is our principle. That is why windsor. has developed from a brand to a character.” What is the character of the brand exactly? What is the difference? Fashion from windsor. has always been more than just clothes and epitomizes a certain lifestyle attitude. All of our collections stand for quality and, at the same, modernity. The people who wear windsor. clothes stand for understatement and have high standards – exactly like our brand. Moreover, windsor. has achieved continuity in its brand alignment in recent years thanks to a clear approach.
The new F/W 2016 campaign was photographed with Tina Luther. Which look, which customer does the latest collection stand for? And to what extent has it been realized by means of imagery? The changing values in our society – away from mass consumption to quality, understatement and timelessness is an issue that is more and more in the focus of windsor. The combination of tradition and modernity is and always will be an important theme. The new winter collection reflects the zeitgeist while, at the same time, referring to classical elements – just easygoing. In the Fall/Winter collection, this is also reflected in the interplay of contrasts or hybrid parts in the menswear, generally a kind of cool classic. windsor. is absolutely time- and ageless and represents people who are at a confident place in life, which is wonderfully demonstrated in the campaign, e.g., by the selection of looks – from chic to casual, the protagonists who show character, just a relaxed statement with equally relaxed imagery, in which the product is still very much the focus, but in which the people or attitudes remain down to earth.
How many campaigns are produced every year? We produce two campaigns each year as well as four lookbooks
Who picks the models? Who chooses the photographers, stylists and hair & make-up artists? Is there a casting director or is it taken care of in house? Who decides which photographer to commission? Everything is done in collaboration with the agency, our Head of Design and the Marketing department. We are constantly in search of new faces, photographers who fit the stylistics of the agreed approach, and can bring new flavor to the brand. The decision on which models or photographers to book is made by us in house. Casting is taken care of by our lead agency INK. H&M recommendations from the photographer are always welcome, because they know best, who will work for a given concept.
Are the motifs produced particularly for the website and the POS, or are classic ads still an important marketing tool? The motifs have to function 360 degrees, that is, we already plan where and how they will be used in advance of the shoots. Ads are still an important part of image building, but it is increasingly important to find other touchpoints to reach the target group more effectively.
Last season, a limited edition windsor. jacket in a special color was presented together with GQ and Italian manufacturer Tintoria Emiliana. How did the cooperation come about, will it be continued, and what can we expect next? Together with GQ, we thought about possible push-to-store tactics. Since the windsor. heritage is deeply rooted in the jacket area, and the topic of frosted wool (Tintoria Emiliana) has been hot for several seasons, we decided on cooperating. Whether there will be a continuation in other projects of this kind, we do not know. But everything is possible.
Windsor. not only manufactures fashion, but is also involved in the arts. Last year, the artist Sam Samore from New York presented his work to an audience in person, and the invited guests had the chance to talk about art and fashion with the designers of windsor. men and windsor. women. How important is it for a company to take a broader stance as a lifestyle brand today... and do you plan on expanding such activities in the future? It is of general importance for brands to become established in certain lifestyle areas or to find its niche and focus. Firstly, just to create added value, to create a unique selling point extending beyond the products, while creating a world customers can relate to and generating content on the other hand. Of course, we will further pursue the subject of the windsor. art collection, and we may even get deeper into it. For instance, artwork from the collection is now on display in our monobrand stores, which we are communicating to the press and end consumers.
We were delighted to hear that windsor. has its own art collection with a main focus on photography: Helmut Newton, Terry Richardson, ... Will it be presented in the stores? Are they copies or originals? And who selects the artwork? As a matter of fact, the windsor. art collection is a collection of contemporary photography and was presented to the public for the first time in 2000. It was compiled by curator Michelle Nicol in close cooperation with the Holy Family. Much of the work is in our stores – Munich, Dusseldorf, Wiesbaden, Salzburg, Vienna. The remaining works are on display at the headquarters in Kreuzlingen. They are all originals, which were purchased directly from the artists or their galleries as well as pieces, including Helmut Newton or Terry Richardson, which were created on commission, e.g., directly at vernissages of the windsor. art collection.
Tell us a little bit about your personal relationship to photography? And what can win over your photographic heart? Maybe there is something contemporary for the art collection? Photography has always fascinated me. It is all about that famous 'perfect moment', that one millisecond when all components of the motifs are in perfect harmony for the bat of an eye. Photography is, in my opinion, part of the art scene – and rightly so. On my travels – both professional and personal – I like to use the opportunity to visit photography exhibitions. My work in marketing is frequently at a cusp with photography. When we shoot a campaign for windsor., for example, I am always on set. I like the creative mood – and appreciate the passion with which most photographers do their work. For them, it is more than just a job – for them, it is a vocation and artistic expression at the same time. What mostly convinces me is the depth of a photo. There are a lot of photos which look good superficially, but if an image radiates something magical, something attractive, then and only then is it a good photo. It is all about details and conveying a feeling.
So: Inspire Andrea Schubert with your perfect moments and submit your best works from the past few months to the GoSeeAWARDS! www.GoSeeAWARDS.com
