History of Nightclubs

I am very nostalgic when it comes to club culture and the eras 80s and 90s. It is not the same anymore with these secret raves that you had to find and where you went represented who you were. Nightclubs were also more than just music. They showcased design and subculture. Ian Schrager, who established the iconic Studio 54, says:

"Design is an ethos. It's all about the mix– these disparate elements coming together to create excitement."

Area opened in New York 1963 changed its entire interior every 6 weeks. Legendary Hacienda in Manchester was in a  former warehouse and opened in the rise of acid house and the rave scene in UK. Clubs like this brought tourism to the economy because everyone wanted to experience these nights. Jochen Eisenbrand, curator of the Night Fever: Designing Club Culture 1960-Today exhibition in Germany states:

"Nightclubs don't only reflect the times, they help shape them."

AREA

Berlin's club history was particularly interesting with the fall of the Berlin Wall brought the opening of the notorious Tresor, a post industrial techno aesthetic.

All in all, clubs are spaces to try things out and that's why I am putting fragrance in there as a sensory experience.

References: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/nightclub-design-history
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90164743/the-nightclubs-that-changed-cities-forever
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/nightclub-design-history/index.html

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

Berlin's Iconic Club

I have decided to go with the idea of a 24 hour party to experience fragrance. After, I looked into the best cities for nightlife and Berlin came up on most lists. In particular, Berlin's Berghain, the notorious sex-fueled world of techno cool music. The secretive club's parties can go on for 24 hours plus, probably because it takes so long to get in and the bouncer is a celebrity himself on who he lets in. The club only opened 20 years ago after Ostgut closed and before that the fetish gatherings known as Snax in various locations in Berlin. The feel of place is industrial and the architecture is spiritual. Its your quintessential, gritty, hedonistic Berlin club. They have an underground vibe mixed with a professional service. Drinks are shuttled through hidden hallways where you can get lost in the surroundings. They attract die hard techno fans, bearded young professionals on drugs and in a nutshell non-conformists. There are no mirrors to see yourself in your state. It's definitely a fascination and an experience as a very exclusive club. The aesthetic isn't what I am going for but the idea around the party they offer is alluring and what I am inspired by.

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

References: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/berghain-the-secretive-sex-fueled-world-of-technos-coolest-club-20140206

The Hoxton

When looking at W Hotel, I was reminded of The Hoxton hotel. The boutique hotel was first introduced to me by a vlogger on YouTube, who stayed at the hotel on her trip to London. Ever since, I have wanted to stay in one. The open house hotels are inspired by the streets and scenes that surround them. They are very aesthetically pleasing as a design led hotel. They even have event spaces for meetings or parties. Currently, they are located in Paris, Holborn, Shoreditch and Amsterdam. Their website is so easy to navigate and they have a guide on what to do in the city depending on your personality. Next up they are opening in Downtown LA, Portland, Williamsburg and Chicago. I can tell they don't choose the typical tourist locations but the quirky cool neighbourhoods. To match their vibe, they also showcase work of local artists in their galleries. GQ has described them as 'effortlessly cool.' Even the Hoxton Instagram is a dream lifestyle in itself. As a millennial targeting hotel too, they focus on the lounge area. The hotel is a destination with locals visiting as well as residents from out of town. That might be me going to the London ones! It is painfully trendy and shows you don't have to sacrifice style for budget. 

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

References: 

https://thehoxton.com/

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/hotel-week-hoxton-paris/

W Hotel

My chosen brand is W Hotel. I love the unique take on hotels and their customer service. They are a luxury hotel chain owned by Starwood and marketed towards the younger crowd. They operate in 77 hotels in 33 countries since opening in 1998. W is everywhere in the brand. There is a 24/7 service called Whatever, Whenever which is something that is attractive to a young person who's day doesn't end at 10pm. In addition, they have a Wet Pool and Wired Business Centre so there is a level of consistency. Rooms even have funky names such as Wonderful, Cool Corner and Extreme Wow. Their consumer are millennials who like the hip interior design, and flirty, futuristic lobbies (known as living rooms).




W promote on Snapchat as that is the new digital platform for an interactive brand exposure that gives you feel for the brand. They don't believe in traditional advertising. Experience cant be shown and social media and word of mouth have more of an impact. As the hotel is not just a place to stay they take inspiration from all lifestyle sectors such as music. Coachella being a major hit with millennials they mixed travel with music and used that as a place to promote. As well as music; fashion, design and health play a part in the brand.



The hotels adapt to each destination to make memorable experiences. They're known as the 'wild child' in Starwood and have a huge party scene too. It has the mentality of their opening city of New York where 24/7 is in their nature. They rely on partnerships and exclusive events. The W consumer is a taste maker and lifestyle traveller. It has the personality of an independent hotel with the reliability of a major business one. Their consumer is basically me, I would love to stay in one of their hotels! I am looking forward to learning more about he brand and think there is a broad range of fragrance ideas that can come out of it.

Love, 

Shaleen

xxx

References: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/articles/w-hotels-is-this-the-worlds-coolest-hotel-brand/

http://www.chiefmarketer.com/w-hotels-creates-one-kind-experience-coachella/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bryan-elliott/how-ditching-traditional-_b_9989106.html

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/index.html

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/quirky-hotel-names/index.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2015/11/23/hotels-marriot-target-millennials-over-baby-boomers/76093970/

https://www.nunwood.com/excellence-centre/blog/2017/whatever-whenever-the-unique-customer-experience-design-of-w-hotels/?sixPillarIdList=

https://skift.com/2014/04/17/interview-how-starwood-hotels-sells-luxury-to-a-diverse-consumer-base/ 

LRS Studio

Another brand I was attracted to is LRS Studio. I was surprised to find out what the brand represents and their inspiration. LRS Studio is all about youth culture, the club scene and crazy wild kids of New York. Designer Luis Raul Solis is inspired by art and Margiela. It lives by a 'don't give a fuck' attitude. The aspirational aspect of the brand does relate to me and I think that's why I like it. He also deals with political messages as a Mexican with underwear targeting towards Trump's outrageous rules.

It's the romanticised idea of coming to New York and the freedom that comes with being who you want to be in this city. It also plays on negative aspects such as insomnia, sleepwalking and nightmares. The girl who isn't ready to sleep with all this energy from a night out.

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

Ader error

As part of the beginning stages of the summative brief we have been given 8 brands to look into for a possible fragrance. Out of the 8 brands there are three that I find particularly interesting in terms of aesthetic and brand story. Adererror is a Korean fashion phenomenon with a modern minimal aesthetic and clever Instagram presence. Their slogan caught my eye as "but near missed things" meaning seeing the old in a new way and not taking things for granted. 'Ader' is 'other' in Korean whereas 'error' is used as an expression for imperfection. It is a unisex brand that dabbles with colour, and gives and vibe of cool dad wear. It reminds me of the 90s TV show 'Freaks and Geeks' and the fashion the kids had in the high school.

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

Team Work

Today marked the end of the group work for first year and this part of the fragrance project. To say I am relieved is an understatement. Whilst some groups may have been happy that the end of the project meant not working on it I also was free from a difficult team. I do prefer independent working that's just my nature but I am good at working in teams and don't cause issues. However, I have experienced quite a journey with this group. No names will be mentioned but there was a clear divide from the beginning. 4 to 1 with me being in the majority therefore can say we are more of team players than the one excluding herself. I don't like people who think its their way or no way because it is not productive and you end up causing a drift between the group. Also, not discussing the issues you have with us and not communicating can be the number 1 problem sometimes. As adults and going into a collaborative industry, involving lectures does seem extreme and unnecessary. The misconceptions being thrown only made it harder for us to work together. Nonetheless, by the last stage we had realised that the four of us were more similar as people and had the same interests whereas we couldn't relate to the one girl. She actually is a nice person when you speak to her outside of the work which I couldn't find out until the end because she didn't want to open up to us. Different cultures do collide as she said to us eventually but I think lots could have been avoided if we had just communicated!

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

First Year

As first year is coming to end I thought I'd reflect on what a whirlwind its been. It has gone so quickly, its scary! I have learnt so much about myself living alone and a few hours away from home.

First term was definitely an adjustment which I think I adapted to well. Being thrown into a flat of strangers who I spent the majority of it with whilst I found my friends. Freshers week is highly overrated and I have had much better nights afterwards once I actually knew the people I was going out with. Went out loads regardless, enjoyed my course, and joined a couple societies. That £1 entry to Rock City even though I never went to a Cocktail Soc event is a great trick. I really got involved to try and meet as many people as possible.

2nd term was a weird one. For the first week my course and I were in New York which was so much fun. I hadn't travelled with friends in a while and it was an experience going with friends I hadn't known that long, but it only made us closer. Then we came back for deadlines and for reading week I decided to go home! By the time I had come back we were already half way through the term and I hadn't even been in Notts that much! Surprisingly this was my favourite term! I think I had become overwhelmed with uni and didn't want to go home at all during first term, that I'm glad my friend wanted me to come back for a gig in London to give me a break. March was unexpectedly an amazing month. I went to see my friends in Norwich who I hadn't seen since November and it was also snowing so that was something else. We took a day trip to London which actually made me want to stay at home but I hadn't brought a suitcase! Uni has definitely made me appreciate my hometown a lot more. I think I get bored easily and can't stay too long in one place. This was also the time I was applying for New York. The week of boat ball and St Patricks Day were very good nights out. I'd never celebrated St Patricks Day before but its just another reason to get drunk. My best friend from home came in the last week of term and I think we showed her a good time with LDOT being one of the best days/nights here. We plan on getting there at 12pm straight after handing in our deadline this term.

Third term I expected to be the same amount of fun but so far its been a bit 50/50. Deadlines have made everyone stressed, honestly didn't think I could get anymore stressed than I have been. My group weren't getting on, I didn't know what I was doing next year and never had I considered dropping out more. The fact that I have nearly got through it makes me feel so much better. The sun has helped having been out more than ever this term. The first week back were a lovely few days. Its crazy how the sun can make you feel so happy even when your life is falling apart :) Nothing lasts forever though and things are falling in place again.

My friends and I were talking about first impressions today in the Arboretum and I can't say how we became close in a short period of time it just kinda happens when you're with each other 24/7. I am looking forward to the end of term nights out and getting a job in the summer to fund my term abroad. I will for sure need to see my uni friends during the summer because that is one long time away.

Love, 

Shaleen

xxx

Fragrance Photoshoot

For our brand we were given a photographer to create a campaign for our promotion. Our idea was to show all our perfumes competitors in other industries and destroy them as a metaphor that our product can replace them. The photoshoot consisted of coffee, energy drinks and sugar food, all things used to give us energy through consumption. We took a contrast of clean and messy images for an old and new perspective. The final image was of all of them mixed together. The session went well and quite quick! I am looking forward to editing them and putting them into our promotional outcomes.

Love,

Shaleen

xxx

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Arctic Monkeys have just released an album after 5 years and as soon as they announced it I have been highly anticipating it! They are one band that I have always wanted to see live and was annoyed I couldn't get tickets for their tour in the autumn. However after the wait I am very disappointed with the latest release. Granted they have changed their sound but there isn't one song I could fully get through and could convince myself that I liked. It is just too monotone and each song sounds the same honestly. I don't see a hit or any classics coming out of this one. Some say they hope it will be a grower but it is exhausting to listen to. I heard 'Four out of Five' first which only happened by shuffle on Spotify and it does sound the most familiar to their sound I like but definitely not a banger. It does reflect The Last Shadow Puppets more than Arctic Monkeys. Even in their album I liked Miracle Aligner. I guess I will have to continue listening to their other music like I have been until they produce another one. It is the complete opposite of their their past 5 albums. They have stuck with a similar sound their entire career and maybe have left that behind for now but it isn't something I get bored of. Feeling less upset about not getting tickets now. Just hope this isn't their last album.

Love,

Shaleen

xxx