It’s been 10 months since The Business of Fashion was launched, and now it’s time to take stock. In sum, we would like to understand what and how we can improve so as to make the BoF more useful to you.

We have put together a 10 question survey that should take you less than 3 minutes to complete. We thought long and hard about how to motivate readers to complete the survey. Some people offer prizes for this kind of thing, but after much thought we decided that the most honest incentive would be to promise to deliver a better Business of Fashion in the future. Plus, we don’t have any clobber and swag to give away just yet!

We encourage feedback which is constructive, courteous and honest and in return commit to read everything and consider it as we take things forward.

Complete The Business of Fashion Reader Survey here. Or, if you find it easier, please feel free to leave comments below or email us using the "Email Me" link in the top right column under "About".

Thank you very much for taking the time — we hope you will see the impact of your collective feedback soon.

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The signature red sole of an $800 Christian Louboutin pump. The trademark intrecciato weave of a $4000 Bottega Veneta bag. The colourful inner lining of a $2500 Paul Smith suit. These are the markers of a movement being described by industry watchers as Discreet Luxury.

Tired of the logo-fixations of the 1990’s and early 2000’s, certain luxury customers, who don’t feel like shouting about their wealth to the world, are shunning logos for clothes and accessories that are unmarked — except for one usually understated detail that announces the item’s provenance and brand to those in the know.

Many of these consumers are in advanced luxury markets like Japan and Western Europe, and have exacting standards for quality, craftsmanship and authenticity. Therefore, also included in this growing segment are clothes about which stories can be told by the wearer — stories about why the garment is special, rare and authentic. This is apparently driving a boom in men’s luxury purchases in particular as it seems men like to tell stories to their buddies about the provenance of their threads.

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The World Luxury Congress, an annual gathering of luxury and fashion executives from around the world, was held in London earlier this week and I was able to attend due to a kind invitation from Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute, who moderated a panel I participated in earlier this year. A formidable roster of speakers and panelists implored participants to take heed of three themes that came up time and time again during the conference: the need engage with customers as human beings, the lightening speed of luxury development in emerging markets, and the missed opportunity for luxury on Internet.

The conference had its ups and downs, but one of my personal highlights was the inspiring presentation given by Guy Salter, Deputy Chairman of the Walpole Group. He kicked-off the 2-day conference with an insightful look into the future of the luxury goods industry as we approach 2008. He, in particular, highlighted the industry’s failure to grasp the potential of the Internet, both as a tool to grow the top-line, but also to engage with customers in a conversation.

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Fashion Rocks bills itself as the most glamorous event on the planet. If there is a night on the London fashion calendar that can compare to the see-and-be-seen status of New York’s Costume Institute Gala, this is it. It was originally started by the Prince’s Trust, a UK-based charity which endeavours to bring new hope to the lives of underprivileged youth. Proceeds from the event are directed to this worthy cause.

The first Fashion Rocks was held at Royal Albert Hall in London in 2003 and teamed famous musicians and fashion designers together, strutting their stuff (quite literally) in a series of fabulous performances, complete with pyrotechnics, choreographed dance ensembles, and of course, some no-bones-about-it fashion glamour. The event was reprised two years later in Monaco, taking on Swarovski as its lead sponsor.

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JC Report is one of the finest sources of global fashion content on the Internet, and thus the BoF was more than delighted to provide some of our thoughts on the fashion blogosphere and on the business of fashion to Jason Campbell for the most recent issue of JC Report. This topic seems to be quite hot at the moment, what with all the Web 2.0/Luxury conferences in London this Autumn and an interview we did for the South China Morning Post earlier this year, also on the fashion blogosphere.

But, the traditional fashion industry media are taking awhile to get on board. Women’s Wear Daily conducts "Yea or Nay" surveys, but doesn’t allow comments on its main stories. Style.com has a new roster of sharp bloggers over at StyleFile and the UK’s Drapers Record has a blog too — but this is only the first step.

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At a wedding I attended in Karachi last year, all of the guests received a parting gift from the bride’s family. For the men, it was a beautiful dark brown wool satchel, festooned with colourful embroidery and handwork by talented Pakistani artisans. No two bags were alike so each guest received a one-of-a-kind gift which was rooted in symbolism and meaning.

All around the world, in the West and in the East, artists work away in cottage industries and small businesses rooted in the passion of making of beautiful things. And yet, it seems so many consumers’ lives are dominated by just the opposite of this. We live in a world where global megabrands at the high-end and on the high street drown out the quiet beauty of products by independent artists and designers. Up until now, it has been a challenge for them to reach a global audience, due to their small scale and geographic constraints. And so the victory march of the big brands has continued on.

Enter revolutionary web 2.0 sites like Etsy.com and threadless.com, which could alter the way consumers think about luxury and exclusivity, thereby changing the design process as we know it. This forces us to ask ourselves a few questions.

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Earlier this year, the Business of Fashion visited a Central London outpost of the Gap, one of America’s most well-known high street retail chains. We left sorely disappointed with the product, the slow pace of change of collections (the opposite of ‘fast fashion’), and the deep discounting that created detrimental expectations in the minds of Gap’s core consumer base. Then, a few weeks later Paul Pressler was booted out of the CEO suite, a swift reaction to the  financial results achieved under his tenure.  To say the least, things have been looking pretty dismal indeed.

The bad news continued when the Gap reported yet another decrease in overall same-store sales today across its three brands, dropping 7% versus last year and failing to meet analyst expectations. This is the equivalent of a death knell for a public company. But, it seems there may be hope for the Gap yet.

A visit to the same Central London Gap store on the weekend was like visiting a very different store. The place was rammed with shoppers and the product was much improved. The sophistication and simplicity of the designs stood out and the positioning of these new designs as redefined classics was very much in tune with Gap’s core market and what consumers expect of this venerable chain. The deep discounting was still there, but apparently not on the European-designed collection.

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In what is what is likely a first in the fashion industry when it comes to the blogosphere, Marc Jacobs has joined the ongoing online debate raging about his supposed row with Suzy Menkes, the highly regarded fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune.

In his comment on Cathy Horyn’s On the Runway blog, Jacobs says:

I did NOT stick my tongue out at Suzy Menkes……I pulled a stupid face with my tongue out in happiness for being done with what has been a great but most stressful season for me. I am not stupid, childish or a vindictive person….I had prior to the show left a silly t-shirt and a nice note for Suzy on her seat. Why would I do anything to further upset her? Right after a show!!?? Cathy and all else reading this, I am surprised that anyone who knows me at all think that I am that petty or stupid! Anyone who has ever been on a stage would know you can’t actually see the audience. I made a face at no one in particular….I didn’t have a clue as to who was sitting there. Come on guys, give me a break!!!!!

Jacobs’ decision to respond to the backlash in a public forum, as opposed to using the normal channels of publicists and press releases, was a smart one. You can only respond to the blogosphere by going straight to the heart of the storm and engaging the community. Marc Jacobs’ choice to do this on Horyn’s blog also shows how On the Runway has become a formidable community with its own voice in the industry.   And the response from the community has generally been very positive.

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In the 1920’s, a young French designer named Madeleine Vionnet created a virtual tornado in the in the fashion industry when she developed the bias cut. By cutting fabric against the grain, she enabled it to cling, drape and give in a way that was flattering to the body. Vionnet went on to build an enviable and innovative business, dressing clients such as Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, and Greta Garbo.

The house was shut down during the Second World War, but since then, Vionnet’s technique has been widely used by numerous acclaimed designers, including Azzedine Alaia and John Galliano, who has made the bias-cut dress one of his own signatures.

Now, almost 70 years after it faded into oblivion, the House of Vionnet may not be dead for much longer. Not if Vionnet CEO Arnaud de Lummen has something to say about it. Over the past few years, he has been quietly laying the foundation to resurrect this once-great house to its former glory. De Lummen’s father bought the rights to the Vionnet business 20 years ago and has waited until now to task his son, a Harvard-trained lawyer, to make this ambitious vision a reality.

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