Roving the Frontiers of Changing Fashion : Suzi Chauvel’s videos give the apparel industry a leg up in identifying trends. The streets, not the runways of international designers, are the haunts of the Laguna Beach-based consultant.
In much the same way Margaret Mead watched the natives of Samoa in the 1920s, Suzi Chauvel documents today’s popular culture in America. After 15 years in fashion design--the last five as head designer for Ocean Pacific--Chauvel knows the radical changes taking place in fashion.
“Even five years ago, trends didn’t move this fast and change this quickly,” said Chauvel, a Laguna Beach-based fashion and image consultant. “Even then, though, I was frustrated by being in the office designing with no ‘hang time’--to observe what was happening on the street. Right now, the information that product developers get is written and report-oriented. There just isn’t enough time to read everything.”
Taking advantage of this need of designers to know current fashion trends and of their lack of time for research, Chauvel began capturing the street culture in all its myriad guises on video.
On the market less than two months, Chauvel has a fashion scouting video, called “Pop-Eye,” which has more than 30 corporate clients. An annual subscription to “Pop-Eye”--three, 90-minute fashion videos--costs $2,800. So far it’s been sold to toy, cosmetic, apparel, car and shoe manufacturers.
For about $933 per video, clients get a professional’s view of what people are wearing, talking about, listening to and buying.
“What is on the video is spontaneous. People are not listening to designers and buying what they are told to buy. Instead they are telling the designers what they want. This is quite a revolution in the fashion industry.”
For “Pop-Eye’s” first video, Chauvel and crew videotaped the Inkslinger’s Ball (400 people got tattooed an hour) in Los Angeles, the Lollapalooza concert tour’s visit to Irvine, rave parties in the Southland, club scenes, thrift shopping and Melrose Avenue. It ended with a fashion show by French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, which included a Madonna breast-baring.
“We taped all these people just being themselves and wearing clothes from their parents’ attics, thrift shops and who knows where else, and then we went to the Gaultier show and saw the same look. We felt our video idea had been vindicated.”
What Chauvel has seen outside of the designer’s studio has led her to conclude that today’s street culture is very tribal. And this is on an international, not just a local level.”
Considering it is getting more expensive to own houses and furniture, Chauvel said she believes people are more likely to express themselves through clothing, much as in London of the 1960s.
One enthusiastic “Pop-Eye” customer is Speedo America, a division of Authentic Fitness. “It’s a fantastic idea. It’s a visual record of what we see and can’t always retain through taking notes and remembering. Plus she’s going places not everybody can go,” said Jamie Madden, Speedo vice president. “To me it’s very inspirational since the video is very dynamic and funny, like Suzi. Her keen sense of observation shows through.”
Although a “Pop-Eye” video is entertaining to watch, the purpose is information, not entertainment. Each is divided into nine sections, with the main fashion tips of each section summarized. Her first video was shot during September and early October and includes original music and graphics designed by Chauvel.
“I have a production team of video and film professionals that works with me, as well as graphic artists and personalities who will appear on the video.”
Although “Pop-Eye” Studios is West Coast-based, Chauvel has agents in Milan, London, Paris and Japan.
Marie Griffin, West Coast director of Promostyle, a French trend-forecasting company, said that the “Pop-Eye” video is invaluable. “. . . There has never been better timing for a product. Today the people really determine the trend and retail is working closer to season, so they need current information.”
The recession may actually have helped “Pop-Eye’s” success, she said, because companies have reduced staff but still expect their merchandise and product development employees to stay on top of what’s popular.
“I see a lot of beauty in the creativity of people today. They’re not afraid to dress the way they want to dress,” Chauvel said. “The potential for this video is great. Right now, things are going really well and there’s no telling where it will go from here.”
