TRACKING TRENDS AT TAGWALK
Created by Alexandra Van Houtte and launched in 2016,Tagwalk is considered the Google or IMDB (Internet Movie Database) of fashion. Thanks to its tags and keywords – more than 2,800 of them – the site lets users search through collections by city, season, designer, colour, trend or model, guiding them through a maze of more than 128,000 images.Van Houtte began her career as an assistant stylist for various publications, including French Elle, The Sunday Times Style and Numéro.Those experiences fuelled her desire to create a database for simplifying the everyday photo searches carried out by stylists, designers and journalists, who each season must sort through thousands of fashion show pictures. Now, if someone wants to search for a specific trend or object seen on the runways, they can go to Tagwalk instead of sifting through every image of a fashion show one by one.All they have to do is type in a keyword on Tagwalk to obtain alphabetised search results. Carmen Busquets – theVenezuelan businesswoman who first believed in the Natalie Massenet-founded Net-a-Porter – took a chance on Tagwalk’s potential, even when other investors were dismissing it as an excessively niche project.Yet Tagwalk’s niche has proven to be quite significant, especially in statistical terms because it is used by industry professionals of all kinds and at all levels.The site allows us to get an idea of what these fashion insiders are searching for at different times of the year, in catwalk season as well as during less busy periods. People working in fashion make up 88 per cent of Tagwalk’s users, while the rest are highly informed consumers. No surprise then that one of Tagwalk’s sources of revenue is digital consulting. It also works with up-and-coming brands, which can pay a monthly fee (after an internal selection process) to gain greater visibility.The service costs from 150 to 450 euros per month depending on the size of the brand.Tagwalk has also launched a shopping app. However, gathering and analysing data from the searches on the site still represents the most valuable part of what has become a very useful indicator for gauging the mood in this continually changing industry.A case in point is the data from the latest menswear collections that Tagwalk analysed for L’Uomo, and which we present on these pages.
A magazine that literally comes to life with journalistic features leaping off the page to become encounters, interviews and debates. This was the idea behind the first edition of L’Uomo Live, which took place this past June in Florence on the sidelines of the 96th Pitti Immagine Uomo. Hosted by Polimoda in the halls of Villa Favard, the event handed the stage to some of the most influential figures on the men’s fashion scene.They debated topics such as work opportunities in the industry, the new challenges of internationalisation for the so-called “Made in Italy” sector, the great potential for communications and journalism, both online and offline, as well as the value of diversity and personal freedom of expression. Trends, international current events, industry business tips and insights from the world of manufacturing: L’Uomo Live – much like the magazine that inspired it – goes beyond the concept of a men’s publication to carve out an almost technical role investigating the cultural and lifestyle system surrounding menswear. For example,Timothy Earnest, group director of Al-Futtaim Malls, told the audience about a redefined concept of shopping and new ways of looking for and purchasing collections. His is a privileged viewpoint, considering that Al-Futtaim – via Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate – has created mixeduse projects such as Cairo Festival City and Dubai Festival City, which have become magnets for business and entertainment.
In terms of retail, and starting from the supply chain, the spotlight was thrown on the potential for jobs in clothing and accessories, which should see exponential growth in the next few years.This is what emerged from the “Informal Luxury” talk, featuring a variety of outstanding names including Claudio Marenzi, president of Confindustria Moda and Pitti Immagine; Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine;Tommaso Cancellara, CEO of Micam, the international footwear trade show and hub for trends in accessories promoted by Assocalzaturifici; Michele Lupi, men’s collections visionary at Tod’s; Alessandra Simonella, senior consultant at CONSEA Fashion&Retail; and
DaniloVenturi, director of Polimoda. There were also two guests from Pitti Uomo – Massimo Giorgetti and Marco de Vincenzo – who discussed their experiences in forging a career in fashion. Conversing with Hirofumi Kurino, co-founder and senior adviser for creative direction at United Arrows, they revealed how they built their successful brands by investing in the creative and manufacturing potential of the “Made in Italy” sector.
Two of the L’Uomo Live sessions focused on media, both old and new. Gord Ray, the EMEA brand-development lead for Instagram, spoke with Arby Li, editorin-chief of Hypebeast, about the potential (and risks) that new platforms bring to menswear brands. Editors from the industry’s most important indie magazines (Ben Cobb of Another Man and Nicholas Georgiou of Dapper Dan magazine, along with Dust Magazine contributor Michele Fossi) shared their opinions with Angelo Flaccavento and Emanuele Farneti, editor-in-chief of L’Uomo, regarding the continued importance of print media in the industry.“Our job is to create the best fashion magazine possible thanks to the collaborations that we have with the most important international talents.At the same time, we are increasingly called upon to express our opinion on the world around us. Fashion has always done this, but it is ever more important today that a magazine like ours makes sure its voice is heard,” explained Farneti, pointing out that L’Uomo also dedicated an issue to the European elections. Meanwhile, Lea T highlighted the importance of social responsibility in the fashion industry, with a thought-provoking talk in which she told the audience about her battles for LGBTQ rights and the conservation of the Amazon rainforest, which has suffered unprecedented destruction in the last few months.As the sun went down, the gardens of Villa Favard transformed into a cocktail party accompanied by a DJ set.This event within an event was a further opportunity to share ideas, visions and opinions that will undoubtedly animate future editions of L’Uomo Live.