Prada Menswear Spring/Summer 2010 | Source: Twenty2

What the Chinese Want (WSJ)
“The rise of microbloggers, the popularity of rock bands with names like Hutong Fist and Catcher in the Rye, and even the newfound popularity of Christmas all seem to point toward a growing Westernization… Consumers in China aren’t becoming ‘Western.’ They are increasingly modern and international, but they remain distinctly Chinese.”

LVMH looks to burnish Vuitton mystique and buoy sales (Reuters)
“French luxury giant LVMH is struggling to retain its image as exclusive and high-end creators of $10,000 alligator handbags and goat-lined fur coats, while opening enough stores and reaching enough customers to keep profits high.”

Dr. Martens awaits private equity tie-up (Independent)
“Private equity firms have put their best foot forward and submitted first-round bids of up to £120m for Dr Martens, the British footwear brand made famous by skinheads but now favoured by a trendier crowd.”

Sartorialist Founder Scott Schuman Airs Grievances in GQ (WWD)
“Good old print magazines keep getting the shaft these days. Even in their own pages. ‘It shocks me when young kids still say, ‘I want to do a magazine,’ Scott Schuman said, in the June issue of GQ.”

Fashion Talks: Steven Alan (WWD)
“Stores are very capital-intensive, so for us it’s a slow process, but I’m thinking about Boston, Georgetown, Chicago, Seattle. We’re really a neighborhood store, like on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn — I can’t imagine us ever being on Fifth Avenue or 57th Street. It’s really fun to shape the store to the community.”

The Week in Review, 14-19 May 2012

Is Fashion Ready for a New Aesthetic? (Intelligence)
“Over the past year, a loose group of creatives in London’s East End have given birth to a counter-narrative to the growing tide of heritage and nostalgia, examining the reality of our increasingly artificial and technology-mediated world head-on.”

Commerce That’s Curated Just for You (Fashion 2.0)
“Ambitious start-ups are aiming to offer consumers more sophisticated personalised product selections and styling advice by building expert curation into their online business models.”

Inez and Vinoodh (The Creative Class)
“Working as a team, Lamsweerde and her husband, Vinoodh Matadin, have forged a unique personal and creative union which has given rise to a remarkable body of work.”

Edeline Lee (The Spotlight)
“Seeing the designer in her element, there is no mistaking that Edeline Lee is woman who wears many hats. For the designer, entrepreneur and mother, the reality of a multitasking lifestyle is central to her work.”

… Continue Reading

Alber Elbaz | Source: Hypebeast

In the Spotlight’s Glare (NY Times)
“Much of what has been written about Mr. Elbaz on the occasion of his 10th anniversary as the designer of Lanvin, a milestone that normally might merit a mention somewhere near the classifieds, could illustrate what is a rare example in the catty fashion industry of the Buddhist concept of mudita, or taking pleasure in another person’s good fortune. These days, everyone seems to love him, and naturally, that makes him uncomfortable.”

Yoox Surges In Milan On Talks To Set Up PPR E-Commerce Venture (Bloomberg)
Yoox an Italian online fashion retailer, rose the most in 2 1/2 years in Milan trading after confirming that it’s in discussions to set up an e-commerce joint venture with PPR. The venture will run the online sales of all of Paris-based PPR’s luxury brands, including Gucci, a person with knowledge of the talks told Bloomberg News yesterday.”

Gap sales boost turnround strategy (FT)
“Gap produced further evidence that a turnround at the US retailer was under way as it reported a quarterly sales increase and raised its profit forecast for the year. For the three months to April 28, Gap reported net sales of $3.5bn, a 6 per cent rise compared with the same quarter a year ago. Comparable sales saw a 4 per cent increase.”

Facebook set to make market splash with $100bn floatation (Independent)
“Facebook shares are being offered to the public for 38 US dollars (£24) in one of the biggest ever US stock flotations. The social media giant is now valued at more than 100 billion dollars (£66 billion) and stands to reap up to 18.4 billion dollars (£11.6 billion) from the sale of hundreds of millions of shares.”

Pinterest Raises $100 Million (DealBook)
“Pinterest, the social bookmarking site that is popular among Mormons, brides-to-be and Barack Obama, just got richer. The site, which allows users to share photographs, recipes and other media on custom ‘pinboards,’ raised $100 million in a funding round led by the Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten, according to an announcement on Thursday.”

Richemont CEO Johann Rupert | Source: Connecting Watches

Richemont Full-Year Profit Beats Estimates on Asian Sales (Bloomberg)
“Richemont, the second-biggest luxury goods company, reported full-year profit that beat analysts’ estimates as sales were boosted by buoyant demand for high-end goods in the Asia-Pacific region. Net income climbed 43 percent to 1.54 billion euros ($1.96 billion) in the 12 months through March 31, the Geneva-based company said today in a statement.”

Coach to Kate Spade to Tiffany Chase Sao Paulo Shoppers (Bloomberg)
“For years, Brazilians coveting a Coach bag or Tiffany diamonds boarded flights to places like New York and Miami. Now American luxury is coming to them… Last year luxury sales in Brazil accelerated 20 percent to 2.3 billion euros ($2.9 billion), according to Bain & Co., the Boston-based consulting firm.”

Going for sportswear gold (FT)
“Mr Clarke can reel off a long list of NBA and American football teams that have bought 2XU branded garments for players to wear under their uniforms… Such deals along with alliances with sporting bodies such as Swimming Australia and the PGA of Australia have helped 2XU increase sales at an annual compound rate of 40 per cent over the past four years and carve a profitable niche in sportswear.”

Online retailer My-wardrobe to open Asian doors (Reuters)
“The company, already big in the United Kingdom, is expanding to the Asia-Pacific region, and tech-savvy Singapore is the first stop of its Asian rollout. It’s also where Curran intends to learn the tastes and cultures of Asian consumers before expanding further into the region.”

Todd Snyder: Making Up for Lost Time Post-J.Crew (WSJ)
“Last February, Mr. Snyder, who in 2008 left J.Crew, where he was in charge of what became its very influential menswear, returned to the scene with his own menswear line. Earlier this year, he was named one of the finalists for GQ magazine’s Best New Menswear Designers in America program.”

JCPenney Mother's Day 2012 | Source: Adrants

J. C. Penney Posts Big Loss as 3 Retailers Gain (NY Times)
“While retailers including Home Depot, Saks Fifth Avenue and TJX Companies reported solid profits on Tuesday, J. C. Penney, in the midst of an ambitious turnaround plan, posted a big loss and said its quarterly sales had dropped 20 percent.”

Strong Asia demand keeps Richemont optimistic (Reuters)
“Richemont, the world’s second-largest luxury goods group, said on Wednesday it was cautiously optimistic for the future despite the unstable economic environment as it posted forecast-beating results, driven by strong Asian demand.”

Young, broke and spending on luxury (Fiscal Times)
“Though some millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000, are launching promising careers, most are burdened with large student loans, and thousands are unemployed. Despite this, they are making luxury purchases a priority.”

Jewelry designer Alexis Bittar in expansion mode (LA Times)
“Fashion jewelry design is in the midst of a renaissance the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1980s. And Alexis Bittar blazed the trail. In the last two decades, the New York-based jewelry designer has gone from selling his signature colorful, hand-carved Lucite pieces on the streets of SoHo to bejeweling leading ladies in Hollywood and beyond.”

Fashion Insider, Jess Hallett (AnOther)
“Hallett has become one of the most influential casting directors working today. Besides her enduring 10-year collaboration at Alexander McQueen, last season alone she worked on shows such as Kenzo, Mugler, Mary Katrantzou and on editorials for AnOther Magazine, Another Man and W.”