马桶对卫生间镜子化解:成为炫酷名牌的六大法则

Why does French dressmaker Chanel always seem chic? What does British seamstress Vivienne Westwood have that others don't? And even though it's been 25 years since "Top Gun", why does everybody still want a pair of Ray Bans?

The short answer is, they're just really cool.

简而言之，它们实在太酷了。

It might be a subjective concept -- one man's cool Hawaiian party shirt is another's discarded Christmas gift -- but certain brands do seem to stay in fashion forever.

这可能是一个主观概念——某人时髦的夏威夷花衬衫可能在其他人眼里不值一提——但是这些牌子却一直走在时尚的前沿。

It's a phenomenon highlighted by the UK's annual top 20 "Cool Brands" list released today.

这在英国评选的20大“炫酷”品牌中是一个突出的现象。

Top of the pile is Aston Martin, James Bond's car-maker of choice, followed by Apple and motorbike designer Harley Davidson.

第一名是阿斯顿马丁，詹姆斯邦德的座驾，排在后面的品牌是苹果公司和著名的哈雷摩托。

But numerous fashion labels make it onto the list, with Rolex highest among them at number four, followed by Nike, British designer Alexander McQueen and perennially cool Ray Ban sunglasses.

很多时尚品牌都在这份名单上，劳力士位居第四，紧随其后的是耐克，英国的亚历山大麦昆和永远时尚的雷朋太阳镜。

Why denim never fades from fashion

为什么这些品牌的时尚感一直不会褪色。

So, how did these brands manage to acquire this ineffable quality -- at least in the eyes of the Brits? We ask chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis and "CoolBrand" council chairman Stephen Cheliotis for his six rules of cool.

这些品牌是怎样拥有这种不可言喻的特质呢——至少从英国人的角度是怎么看待这个问题的呢？我们从至酷品牌委员会的CEO奥蒂斯那得到了六个法则。

Style is everything

拥有独一无二的风格

From the door handles to the website and the tags on the clothes to marketing events: If people are to be persuaded a brand is the height of cool, the devil is in the detail, says Cheliotis.

从门把手到网址再到衣服的标签最终到营销手段：如果大家认为一个品牌是走在时尚前沿的，那么细节是决定成败的关键。

"It's not just about making your clothes look good," he insists. "Absolutely everything associated with the brand has to exude style -- from the packaging to the company website, to the type-face on the inside label."

“这不仅仅是让你的衣服看起来很潮，而是这个品牌的每件东西都散发着它特有的气息——从包装到公司网址，从外及里，都是如此。”

2. Never try too hard

过犹不及

No one likes a busybody and, says Cheliotis, even the word "cool" suggests a certain relaxed approach. "The original idea of being cool is being laid back, not running around like a headless chicken trying desperately hard to please everyone." This, he says, is true for people and fashion brands alike. So, if it feels like a brand is trying way too hard to impress -- chasing every trend going, for example -- then it probably won't.

没人喜欢好事的人，而“酷”则表示一种放松的方式。“酷的原意是指平稳随和，不要像无头鸡似的试图讨好每个人。”这对人和品牌都适用。所以如果一个品牌着急地通过各种方法试图让每个人都满意，那它几乎不会成功。

3. Stay true to the brand

专注于品牌固有领域

It's not cool to fake it. In other words, if a company began life selling pretty knitwear, it should think very carefully before venturing into, say, leather jackets. "You must always remain true to your roots," instructs Cheliotis. "Shoppers want something authentic and it's obvious when you're out of your comfort zone."

换方向是很不明智的，换句话说，如果一家公司从卖漂亮地针织品起家，那么当它想进入皮夹克市场时就要非常谨慎。“你必须扎根于自己的领域，消费者希望买到正宗的商品，如果你偏离了自己擅长的方向，结果可想而知。”

Designer Alexander McQueen may have recently passed away, he adds, but it doesn't mean that his eponymous label should be tempted to change its style. "As long as it (the label) sticks to his original vision it will probably stay on the list."

亚历山大麦昆最近有些衰落，但这并不代表它要改变自己的风格。只要它坚持自己特有的路线它就有待在榜单的机会。

4) Keep evolving

坚持创新

This might sound at odds with the previous rule but, according to Cheliotis, it's certainly not. "One of the reasons we keep seeing the same brands on the list, like Nike and Rolex, is because they're always innovative, but at the same time they retain their core identity."

这听起来有悖于前面一条法则，但并不是这样的。“我们追捧榜单上的品牌的一个原因是因为它们总是在革新，就像耐克和劳力士，但与此同时它们的核心特性没有改变。

5) Don't be promiscuous

不要主次不分

Some fashion houses squander their hard fought cool rep by plastering a company logo on everything that moves. In Cheliotis' view, bootmaker Dr. Martens have been guilty in recent years of such profligacy.

一些时装公司将精力浪费在推销上，他们在任何可以移动的东西上涂上他们公司的标志。在奥迪斯看来，制靴者马顿斯就对最近的这种浪费感到愧疚。

"They were known for making really sturdy, simple and good quality footwear. Now they've plastered their name on everything, it's cheapened the brand and undermined their core product."

他们是靠制作结实、简约和款式精良的鞋类产品出名的。而现在他们将公司名字随处印发只会降低品牌的价值，破坏他们的核心产品。

6) Be humble

懂得谦卑，脚踏实地

A stark word of warning for self-satisfied designers everywhere. "Successful brands don't fixate over being cool, instead they just do their own thing, stick to their founding principles and follow what they think is right," says Cheliotis. In other words, if you think you're cool, you probably won't be for much longer.

这是对那些自鸣得意的设计者的警告。“成功的品牌不会为了酷而有意为之，他们只是做好自己的事，坚持他们的原则，奉行自己的价值观”，奥蒂斯如是说。换句话说，如果你认为自己是引领潮流的那个，那你很可能不会达到那种高度。