F is for Fendi, Maintaining Fur and The Rise Of Branded Content

This week Fendi announced F is for Fendi, their new digital platform that will target millennials and all the other cool stuff in the music and lifestyle categories their brand wants to start associating themselves with, and the launch could not have come at a better time than days before New York Fashion Week. Fendi is iconic for its furs and these past few months, I’ve had the great pleasure of witnessing some of the world’s most fabulously expensive furs casually come through factory. The Italian luxury house that was founded in Rome in 1925 as a small leather and fur shop the has grown into the world’s most renowned brand dedicated to producing colorful, vibrant and awe-inspiring furs that will absolutely leave you speechless at the sight! From deep magenta long haired silky and moist skins with colorful fur flower petals protruding Swarovski crystals as decorative jewels, to heavy AF coats that will add at least 30 pounds to your body weight, Fendi furs are one of a kind. Proceed with caution, okay?

F is for Fendi... is the new trending web platform of the moment or perhaps for this week, but the industry has been wreaking of new digital platforms because the average online fashion reader is bored of the same websites and publishing companies who haven’t grasped the concept of constantly discovering subcultures and chasing the zeitgeist. It’s like they’ve totally relied on rappers as a cheap code - ahem Lil Uzi Vert is apparently on the launch party’s guest list? F is Fendi...is supposed to satisfy what the “millennials” have been drooling over and from the content so far, it’s giving me major Tumblr vibes. And that’s not such a bad thing! Tumblr has always been the answer to finding whatever the kids are obsessed with these days, so add a weird happy face with heart- shaped eyeballs and we’re onto something much different. Could this be the online zine of the year? 2017 has already been declared the year of living your best life and Fendi is daringly doing just this. However, who can really afford a ten thousand worth of fur at the age demo this site is apparently targeting? This is only happening if your husband owns half of Park Avenue and I kow this one lady who literally gets her fur cleaned or freshened up after each wear like clock work.

Moreover, there’s been an increase in the need for branded content in general. Companies are realizing that they don’t have to go to a reputable publishing house to portray their brand message if they’ve already built a product based following who are simultaneously looking for engaging content while shopping for the look of the season. According to a research poll conducted by Forbes in 2016, more than 59% of people are likely to search for content from a brand after viewing the company’s branded content for the first time and taking interest in both clothes and the message. Moreover, the success of branded content doesn’t really care about long and short form writing; it’s about the content itself and how relatable it is to current events. Branded content is why all brands have suddenly revamped their blog platforms and hired writers to give it that editor’s touch that will further engage customers and in turn drive revenue. It’s like the reverse effect of High Snobiety’s venture into the e-commerce world.; a blog turned store is always going to be awkward at first.

So it’s finally clicking to marketers. People do love to read and perhaps the reader isn’t married to the magazine binded opinion, but perhaps the brand itself devoted its practices on producing better content and better clothes in tanden.

Here’s how to maintain and preserve second- hand fur:

1. Is the skin dried out? Any fur purchased second hand runs the risk of its skin being too dried out to restored. Sure signs of this are rips and tears when you buy a fur coat from the thrift store. If the skin is too dried, it absolutely cannot be salvaged and if any furrier tells you different, they do not care about looking properly chic AF and only want your money.

2. All fur must be stored in a climate controlled vault or room. During the off season, fur should be kept in a climate controlled air conditioned room, slightly between 60-70 degrees, to maintain the moisture and texture of the fur. Dried out fur is subjected to tearing. Remember, your fur was once living.

3. All fur should be cleaned and glazed at least once per winter season in order to maintain its shiny appearance. A trip to your local furrier at least every year is advised in order to maintain its texture.