Love has been in the air lately and it was also in Banana Republic’s store windows on Valentine’s Day. It’s all part of the San Francisco-based retailer’s “Love” campaign.

Banana Republic is partnering with Match.com to host eight in-store meet-and-greet events for the online dating site’s subscribers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and a few other markets. Customers who are also members of Match.com will be able to mingle at after-hours mixers while enjoying refreshments and a free music CD.

“Love” also includes social media outreach, using photos from fashion and lifestyle blogger Joy D. Cho, author of “Oh Joy,” to write about her own personal love story. Continue reading →

DDI’s CitySCENE is making the West Coast our first stop of the year and The Emerald City (that’s Seattle for those who don’t know!) is our pick. Join us, won’t you? Gather with industry colleagues Wednesday, March 20, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle. This “both relaxed and upscale spot” in the West Edge neighborhood is two blocks from Pioneer Square, so you know it’s a cool venue. Grab your colleagues (just don’t forget to have them register too) and abandon the boards a wee bit early for midweek socializing and networking. We’ll provide drinks and light fare. Continue reading →

Do you know some awesome retail design colleagues who you think deserve some props? Of course you do! But all kidding and ’90s lingo aside, now is the time to make your nominations for this year’s Markopoulos Award, one of the industry’s most prestigious honors recognizing outstanding achievement and contributions in visual merchandising and store design. Each year, DDI Magazine presents one industry professional with the Markopoulos Award, an honor named after the late visual merchandising legend Andrew Markopoulos.

Think you know someone deserving of the honor? Check out the following criteria as a guide in nominating a candidate:
1)   Lifetime achievement, overall accomplishments, awards and recognitions
2)   Providing innovation and inspiration for the industry and others
3)   Contribution to the success of a retailer and/or the industry
4)   Nurturing/mentoring the next generation
5)   Contribution to, participation in and support of the retail design and visual merchandising industries as a whole
6)   Admirable role model: professionally, personally

Nominations for the award are open to anyone in the industry, and the winning candidate is determined by a vote of the prior winners. Continue reading →

Ever since the beginning of time, human beings have nurtured big dreams, high hopes and the desire to make a difference in the world (think Columbus, Versace or Carrie Bradshaw). Their stories are not only exciting, but serve as inspiration, so that the next generation can follow their big dreams and desires.

Case in point: 24-year-old Ranya Batal began making inspirational T-shirts back in December 2011 to inspire her friends. What she wasn’t expecting was that her friends, their friends, family members and the world at large was also going to want to get their hands on these motivational T-shirts. Soon, Batal couldn’t keep up with the demand, and had to expand. Continue reading →

So…in case you weren’t aware, Christmas is Tuesday.

And if you’re like me, you probably still have more shopping to do (just when I think I’ve got everyone, more appear!). In fact, if you’re like me, you’re probably trying to figure out exactly what to get some of these last-minute folks.

Am I right? Yeah, I’m right.

Deloitte released an annual holiday survey filled with good news and some great gift ideas for those of us still on the hunt. Not only did they find that consumers are more confident about the economy (50 percent of consumers expect the economy to improve within the next year), but they also found that while most folks are buying 12.8 gifts (please, I exceeded that in November!), the value of their gifts are increasing. Continue reading →