Aitor Throup Melds Art & Fashion In His First Menswear Line Of Shiva Skull Bags.

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After 6 years in development, fashion illustrator, sculptor and designer Aitor Throup has finally launched his first long awaited menswear product line. The recent unveiling of his 2013 menswear product line in an exhibit called New Object Research, focused on his fabulous Shiva Skull Bags. Constructed in the shape of a human skull, the black and grey tweed bags with leather accents and zippers will be launched to few key influential retailers globally and are the first of his products to be marketed.





An installation of his Archetypal Shiva Skull Bag as it transformed over the years:

And a close look at them:








Aitor's design process is centered around innovative methods of design and construction, in particular a construction process which utilizes his own sculptures of the human body as a system for blocking garments. Below you can see the Shiva Skull bags placed upon his own sculpted mannequins:




More of Aitor's sculpted mannequins from the exhibit:


close-up:




One complete outfit was in the show (shown below) and will be available exclusively through Dover Street Market, with whom the designer is planning an exciting event to coincide with Frieze Art Fair in London in October, 2012:

The artist at work (photo by Neil Bedford):


An incredible illustrator, Aitor's daily sketchbook archives (a few of which are shown below)are simply beautiful and can be seen here on The Breaks or on his official Facebook page:




About Aitor Throup:
Aitor Throup was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1980. He arrived in Burnley, Lancashire in 1992. It was in Burnley that Throup developed a passion for labels such as Stone Island and C.P. Company. A mixture of Aitor’s interest in these products and his own passion for drawing led him to begin a BA in Fashion Design at Manchester Metropolitan University, from where he graduated with first class honors in 2004. In 2006, he completed an MA in Fashion Menswear at the Royal College of Art in London.

Aitor is fascinated with anatomy and his main interest is drawing. His hand drawn characters become the primary tool in the exploration of his ‘justified design philosophy’, which highlights the necessity of a reason or function behind all design features. Aitor's design process is centered around innovative methods of design and construction, in particular a construction process which utilises his own sculptures of the human body as a system for blocking garments.

Aitor Throup began working as a creative consultant with the British football brand Umbro in 2008, which led to his involvement in the concept and design of both the ‘home’ and ‘away’ football kits worn by England at the 2010 World Cup.

Aitor has won multiple awards over the years, including the ‘Collection of The Year Award’ and the ‘i-D Styling Award’ At ITS#FIVE (International Talent Support #5). He has worked as an art director/stylist with i-D magazine, Arena Homme+, V-Man, and GQ Style, and he designed the cover for the December 2008 issue of Dazed and Confused Japan, which also included an 8-page portfolio of his work.


Here's a nice interview with Aitor about the New Object Research exhibit at Dazed Digital

Some of the images in this post were shot by the talented UK photographer Neil Bedford, other images courtesy of Fashionmag and Aitor Throup Studio

Aitor Throup

Dr. Pepper : "Not For Women"

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Dr. Pepper Ten is the new 10-calorie soda, and according to its ad campaign, it is made "for men only". While this is excellent target marketing and will entice men to try the drink made made just for them, critics are skeptical about the "Not For Women" tagline.


In today's society, women are most often the person who shops for the family. An ad campaign that explitly excludes women will probably not encourage them to buy the product. So even if the ad successfully connects with men, the campaign is still very risky.


Despite critics' doubts about the marketing campaign, Dr. Pepper CEO Larry Young is thrilled wiwth Dt. Pepper 10 's reception so far. If the current sales continue, then maybe a very exclusive target market is a good marketing plan after all.

Dr. Pepper TEN commericial:





For further reading: http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauraheller/2011/10/31/does-dr-pepper-ten-violate-the-rule-of-shopper-marketing/

State Farm's New Commercial

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Last month, State Farm Insurance Agency released a new commercial featuring the Green Bay Packers Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. The ad promotes State Farm's "Discount Double Check" program, and displays the player's signature touchdown dance as the new "discount double check dance". Since the release of the commercial, State Farm's buzz score increased dramatically, specifically within football fans and Wisconsin residents. Add this commercial to their previously existing ads that pair a catchy slogan / jingle, "Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There", with a perfect balance of comedy and a relatable lifestyle, State Farm has a flawless advertising campaign.  

Personally, I think State Farms ads are hilarious. Theirs are among the few ads that I actually like watching. The new Aaron Rodgers, "Discount Double Check" commercial fits right in with the rest. In this way, State Farm should be an inspiration for other companies marketing teams. Grab the consumers attention and get a jingle stuck in their head without being annoying? Sounds like a successful ad campaign.


The Aaron Rodgers Commercial:



For further reading:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/brandindex/2011/11/16/aaron-rodgers-ad-lifts-up-state-farm-among-football-fans-wisconsinites/

Google's New Digital Music Store

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Watch out Apple. Google’s really coming after you now.

First, it was the Droid, Google’s smartphone that’s becoming stronger and tougher competition for the Apple iPhone. Now, it’s Google Music, Google’s new music download store, and the first real competition to Apple’s iTunes.
Wanting to expand its product line as the new face of social networking and digital technology, Google introduced its own music store, which will sell tracks and full albums. Google Music allows users to store its songs on “cloud accounts”, where friends can have one free listen to any friend’s bought track. Users will also be able to listen to their own music on any device or computer, something Apple iTunes charges $25 per year.
The only obstacle to this new product is that Google has been unable to form a partnership with the Warner Music Group, the third largest major label. However, Google Music is ready to sell $13 million songs, from three of the four major record labels.
This new business venture is one that, I think, will prove to be successful for Google. Apple iTunes, as dominant as it is, is expensive and sometimes difficult. If Google Music is marketed as the new place to buy music, with lower rates and simpler ways to move your own music, this could be hugely popular and profitable. Best case scenario, as it improves and grows, Google Music could have a strong hold in the music downloading industry, becoming strong competition for iTunes and propelling Google even further in the social networking and entertainment industry.
For further reading: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/google-opens-a-digital-music-store/?src=me&ref=business

Smirnoff's New Flavors

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Smirnoff, the world’s largest vodka brand, just added two new flavors:  Fluffed Marshmallow and Whipped Cream. To go with these new flavors, they are launching a new, edgy campaign estimated between $8 million to $11 million. The campaign features commercials, print ads and billboards and will be shown in places where most viewers are above the age of 21. With competitors like Three Olives and Pinnacle Vodka, who already have sweet vodka flavors like bubblegum, cake, cotton candy, and whipped cream, Smirnoff needed a fantastic campaign to convince consumers to buy theirs instead.  


With the two new flavors and the new campaign Smirnoff is definitely making the right moves. The new ad campaign plays to the fun side of vodka and the new flavors play to the sweet side. Between the two, viewers will be too interested and curious to resist. Also, since no other vodka brand has a marshmallow flavor, Smirnoff now has an edge on its competitors. Even if the flavor sounds not so great, Smirnoff has one flavor the others don’t. And being a trusted name in the industry, Smirnoff is bound to increase sales.
For further reading: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/how-do-you-drink-your-vodka-fluffed-no-chaser/?ref=business

Followup on Five Wives Vodka flap

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A few days ago, I reported ("Idaho joins ranks of the nanny states") that the Idaho Liquor Control Division has banned the sale of Utah-made Five Wives Vodka because its title may offend Mormons whose religion once allowed polygamy.

Part of the fallout from that ludicrous position -- polygamy has been outlawed since the 1800s -- was the possibility that the distiller, Ogden's Own Distillery, was considering withdrawing as a sponsor of the upcoming Boise Music Festival.

However, the distiller reconsidered after seeing a lot of public support for their product in Idaho.More than 1,000 T-shirts emblazoned with "Free the Five Wives" have been sold in the past few days. The company said it will use the proceeds to help underwrite the music festival at the original level of commitment. It will continue selling the T-shirts online.

"We are absolutely humbled by the support of the people in our neighboring state," said Steve Conlin, partner and vice president of marketing for Ogden's Own Distillery told the Idaho Statesman. "We've sold so many T-shirts to Idaho residents that we think it is only fair to give those proceeds back in sponsorship dollars. We feel bad that we can't get the shirts out fast enough."

Due to many state laws, the company cannot ship directly, but is hoping to have an online distributor available in 26 states early next week.

Ogden's Own is a micro-distillery located in Ogden, UT, the city's first licensed distillery since the 1800s. Its first product, Underground Herbal Spirit, won a Double Gold award at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Incidentally, the vintage photo used on the label of Five Wives is of an old, scandalous vaudeville group, not a group of Mormon wives. The Salt Lake Tribune did some digging to get the background on the story. A fun read, available here.

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Maker's Mark gets court seal of approval

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The first time I visited Maker’s Mark bourbon in Loretto, KY, I was invited to dip a just-filled bottle in the distillery’s iconic melted red wax.

In my enthusiasm, I plunged the neck of the bottle into the molten vat a bit too vigorously, and wound up with dripping wax coating the neck, half the bottle and my hand up to the wrist. My face was as red as the wax.

That embarrassing moment has always stayed with me, so when I saw a legal decree involving the wax seal, it naturally caught my attention.

From now on, if you see a whiskey with a dripping wax seal on its and it doesn't say Maker's Mark on the label, you may be seeing something illegal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the red, wax seal that covers the stopper on bottles of Maker’s Mark bourbon is a protected trademark that must be used exclusively by that brand.The ruling follows a lawsuit in which Maker’s Mark Distillery Inc. sought to prevent a similar seal from being used on bottles of Jose Cuervo tequila.

It's not the use of a wax seal, per se, that is the problem. Lots of distillers use wax seals -- Knob Creek, for one, and even Cuervo for years. Rather, it is the design of the seal that Maker's Mark worries about.

Until 2001, Cuervo bottles had been crowned with a straight-edge seal, then the design was changed to an uneven style that made the wax look as if it were dripping down the bottle neck, a la Maker's which was trademarked in 1985.

Judge John Heyburn II of the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ruled in favor of Maker’s Mark on the dual points of infringement and trademark validity. This was upheld on appeal at the Sixth Circuit.

In their ruling, the three appeal judges noted: "The company has bottled bourbon for commercial sale under the Maker’s Mark name, and has used a red dripping-wax seal on its Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles, since 1958. Maker’s Mark -- and craft bourbon generally – garnered national attention when The Wall Street Journal published a front-page article about the bourbon, the red dripping-wax seal, and the family behind it ['Maker’s mark goes against the grain to make its mark,' by David P. Garino, 1980]."Furthermore, the appeal judges noted, a 2002 Business Week report declared the dripping-wax seal "one of the most recognizable branding symbols in the world." Six years later, the "CBS Sunday Morning" show referred to the factory process for applying the feature as the "famous dip in red sealing wax."

These findings, said the judges, "support the district court’s ultimate conclusion regarding the breadth of market recognition of Maker’s Mark’s trademarked, red dripping-wax seal."

Also, the judges wrote, "There is more than one way to seal a bottle with wax to make it look appealing.

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