Can't get enough of Katie Grand'sLOVE? Download the magazine's new free iPad app, which will offer fashion stories on film, exclusive making-of movies and special projects beyond what you'll see in the print version. See Duran Duran in action by Alasdair McLellan, New York club kids posing for Patrick Demarchelier, a special project on the Louis Vuitton Fall '11 presentation, and behind-the-scenes footage of Grand and Marc Jacobs.
Expect a fantastic soundtrack, plus exclusive audio interviews with Marisa Berenson and LOVE cover star Lea T. Can't wait to check it out? You can download the app right here.
Although they might be ahead of the rest of the world with pretty much everything else, the U.S are missing out on Zara's latest venture. On September 2nd, the successful high street chain will offer e-commerce in a select few countries. These places include France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom where the system will work from computers, smartphones and the newly launched iPad. However, there has been no discussion of bringing this system into action in the U.S and it seems it is not only Zara who lacks an internet presence in America. H&M also resists selling online in the States and gives the excuse that the clothes are manufactured and sold within weeks where there really is no time for internet business abroad.
Brian Sozzi, a retail analyst did not disagree with this statement and said: “I think the core thing with the fast fashion guys has been their inability to localize product by specific region. The way I think about H&M and Zara is that they make a broad bet on fashion, allowing them to receive good costs. What’s more, these companies have been very focused on growing square footage, devoting capital to selling the store experience instead of the Web."
However, major competition like Topshop and Mango are playing the online game and making more money than ever. Although Zara's sales are on the increase it wouldn't hurt them to pursue an internet commerce within the United States, there is certainly a demand for it so there is no money to be lost.
Despite originally being seen as the saviour for fashion magazines the world over, it has been revealed that magazines creating issues for Apple's new iPad will have to cut back on nudity, censoring their editorials. It is rumoured that bare nipples in particular won't be acceptable for the newly created iPad issues, despite being a popular aesthetic for many publications - particularly those in Europe. Parallels between the censorship of the Muslim religion and the iTunes App store have even been made by an insider at Dazed and Confused, who revealed that their latest iPad-ready issue had been nicknamed the Iran edition.
Whilst Apple usually lead the way with cutting edge technology and successfully interacting with the public, it seems they might be missing the mark when it comes to the fashion circle. The idea of being able to purchase your favourite foreign fashion magazines from the ease of an iPad became one of the reasons we got so excited about the idea, however if the likes of Dazed, French Vogue and other publications that are renowned for their somewhat provocative photo shoots are forced to censor their content, then surely the whole point is lost? Maybe Apple should ask Terry Richardson, Carine Roitfeld and other advocates of fashionable nudity before completely enforcing their no-nipple policy, after all, editorials can hardly be classed as iPorn?
We've seen the likes of Grazia and Dazed and Confused jump on the highly technical augmented reality bandwagon, and now furthering the transition of magazines to the digital world is Condé Nast's first iPad version of Interview magazine. The publishing giant revealed that five of their titles would be trying out the new advance in technology (which surprisingly didn't include Vogue or W), and a video demo of their iPad app was released back in February, showing how the text and photography of the original magazine would mingle with new and exciting video and audio content.
Condé Nast coincided the launch of the iPad application yesterday with the launch of its debut iPad Issue of Interview, which sees the April addition released more than a week prior to the print copy. The innovative iPad Issue contains 330 screens of images and text, along with 20 minutes of video and audio content (including a video of photographer Bruce Weber), and costs only 99 cents - the special edition price to celebrate the launch. So not only can we get our hands on Interview before it hits newstands on the 12th of April, but it comes with extra content and for a small price? Condé Nast do know how to treat us...
