Meadham Kirchhoff Spring/Summer 2012 | Source: I want you to know

Out of fashion: Designers finding new ways to sell their style (Independent)
“As the autumn 2012 collections are unveiled, more and more designers are questioning the format; seeking something new in an age where digital culture means every image is beamed straight to an audience at home and cloistered, exclusive runways are no longer the most practical way of promoting their labels.”

New York Fashion Week Parades 328 Shows (Bloomberg)
“There was a time when Ruth Finley could easily avoid conflicts while putting together the schedule for New York Fashion Week. This month, the publisher of the pink-paper Fashion Calendar, the trade’s must-read, had to fit as many as eight different runway shows and presentations into one time slot.”

Hugo Boss says good start to 2012 after record 2011 (Reuters)
“German fashion house Hugo Boss said 2012 had got off to a good start as it reported better than expected sales and earnings for 2011, thanks to wealthy Asian buyers snapping up luxury European brands.”

The beauty business (Economist)
“Careers in modelling are typically short-lived, badly paid and less glamorous than pretty young dreamers imagine. Yet the business is changing. For one thing, educated models are in. This may sound improbable. In the film ‘Zoolander’, male models are portrayed as so dumb that they play-fight with petrol and then start smoking. But such stereotypes are so last year.”

Michael Kors: Designer for the Jet Set (WSJ)
“The Michael Kors woman is lightly tanned, toned, polished and pulled together at all times. She loves fur, figure-hugging fabrics and expensive shoes. She may or may not travel by private jet, but she certainly looks as though she does… It could be said that if Oscar de la Renta is the Park Avenue Princess’s couturier of choice, then Kors is their regular tailor. “

Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2012 | Source: Style Carrot

Family, fashion dominate the days of Carolina Herrera (Reuters)
“Designer Carolina Herrera didn’t grow up dreaming of a fashion career. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she spent her childhood riding horses and pursuing favorite pastimes on the family estate. But fashion became her calling and after a lifetime of design, winning awards and providing red carpet looks for stars ranging from Oscar winner Renee Zellweger to Grammy winner Lady Gaga.”

Why Fashion Trends are Still Relevant (Huffington Post)
“Money may well be tight for the consumer but this doesn’t mean to say they’ve stopped caring what they wear. Quite the contrary, they are becoming far more specific in what they buy and are looking for pieces that hit the nail squarely on the head. The scattergun approach to shopping is dead in the water; people don’t want five Breton striped tees any more, they want one ultimate Breton striped tee and are prepared to pay the cumulative cost.”

Fashion Week’s Latest Digital Moves (WWD)
“New York Fashion Week kicks off today — and with nearly every major player live-streaming their runway show this season, tweeting up a storm and hosting interactive Facebook chats, brands are looking to raise the digital bar even higher. Key initiatives this season range from shoppable runways to digital fashion shows to ‘social service.’”

Moving Past ‘Fierce’ (NY Times)
“Though it made him famous, Christian Siriano hardly ever uses the word ‘fierce’ anymore. He is more likely to say something is ‘fine,’ as in ‘Sometimes I think the critics don’t like me personally, which is fine.’ Or ‘Fashion is subjective, which is fine.’ Or ‘There are people in the business who will never support me in the way they would a Wang or a Wu or any of those boys, which is fine.’”

The Man Who Says No (NY Times)
“Though few people outside fashion know his name, Mr. Rougier, 50, is unquestionably one of that world’s most influential — and controversial — characters. With Sylvie Picquet Damesme, his New York partner in PR Consulting, Mr. Rougier has collected an enviable client list that includes Jil Sander, L’Wren Scott, Versace and Rag & Bone.”

H&M flagship store | Source: NY Magazine

Swedish fashion: How less can be more (CNN)
“Stockholm fashion may not have the clout of Parisian haute couture or the glamor of Milan’s upscale brands. But the city is turning its flair for sleek design into a major business export.”

Bulgari family sells LVMH shares (FT)
“People close to the deal said the Bulgari family had decided to reduce their stake after a strong rise in the shares in the past year and a strong set of results from the world’s largest luxury goods group.”

Savvy Chinese consumer comes of age (FT)
“China even seems to be losing its appetite for fakes. Counterfeit luxury goods, a hit with the girls in the Shanghai typing pool, are losing out to the real thing. Chinese shoppers still like an extra dose of bling on everything, but as salaries and sophistication rise, they prefer their glitz genuine rather than fake.”

Fashion Startup Moda Operandi: Now Opening to the World (Mashable)
“Moda Operandi, the closely watched online retail operation from ex-Gilt exec Aslaug Magnusdottir and Vogue contributing editor Lauren Santo Domingo, is in transition. Once accessible only via application, the year-old site is opening its doors and bolstering its content offerings in an attempt to draw new shoppers in and keep them there.”

Pitching a Few New Tents of Her Own (NY Times)
“Attention young fashion designers, editors, bloggers, stylists and others gearing up for New York Fashion Week. Fern Mallis, widely credited for making this week the huge news media spectacle it is today, has two words of advice: Be nice.”

Stella McCartney’s Fashion Message (On the Runway)
“Stella McCartney appears in a new video by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, released today. It’s worth watching. The subject is animal suffering in the leather industry and the risks to human health and the environment from tanneries.”

At Fashion Week, a Peek at a New Tactic for Marketers (NY Times)
“Made Fashion Week’s mobile app… has been designed to listen for specific sound waves that will be played over the speakers during runway shows throughout the week. The app will then automatically pull up a photograph of the outfit — taken by a photographer on the scene — as well as the designer’s name, biography and contact information.”

Models form rights group ahead of New York Fashion Week (Reuters)
“Fashion models in the United States launched a rights group on Monday ahead of New York Fashion Week to seek workplace standards including backstage privacy to stop unauthorized nude photos and a program to provide confidential advice on dealing with sexual harassment.”

Startup of the Week: Lux Fix (Wired)
“Lux Fix is an e-commerce site that works with designers to offer super-curated luxury fashion with members-only discounts… We are the only site which is able to provide its customers with current season offers from top luxury fashion brands; this is possible because we provide marketing and sales generation for our designer partners’ brands and websites.”

French Vogue embraces the digital age with website relaunch (Guardian)
“Vogue magazine has stayed at the pinnacle of fashion. From launching the careers of designers to creating trends and showcasing the latest in culture, Vogue has always been seen as the taste maker in an industry dedicated to the creation of taste makers… Today sees a new website launch from French Vogue.”

Santee Alley in LA by Gina Ferazzi | Source: LA Times

Counterfeit Gap joins the counterfeit Gucci (LA Times)
“The economy is one reason for the trend. ‘The recession has more people trading down,’ said Susan Scafidi, academic director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University’s law school. ‘Even lower-priced brands feel like a stretch in this economy, and people are more likely to trade down to counterfeits.’ There are several other factors driving the low-rent-counterfeit trend, including the Internet, a changing consumer mind-set and beefed-up anti-counterfeiting efforts by the giant apparel companies.”

An awful lot of fashion in Brazil (FT)
“If France and Italy, the world’s fashion capitals, are content with one big ready-to-wear fashion week, does Brazil really need two? Yes, the country boasts the world’s sixth-largest economy, a growing and appetising consumer market and great tourist appeal, but is there so much going on style-wise that the world requires both Fashion Rio and São Paulo Fashion Week.”

Cashmere maker Cucinelli files for Milan listing (Reuters)
“Italian cashmere goods maker Brunello Cucinelli said on Friday it had filed with Italian regulators for an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares on the Milan bourse , as signs emerged recently of steadier market conditions.”

Beyond the Runway: Meet the PR Pros Who Run Fashion Week (AdAge)
“Those outside the tight-knit fashion PR community might be familiar with Paul Wilmot, who sold his firm to Omnicom’s Fleishman-Hillard; HL-Group, which got snatched up by MDC; or People’s Revolution owner Kelly Cutrone, who through reality TV demystified the frantic nature of fashion-show seating and swag-labeling. But inside the sartorial bubble live some highly influential shops unfamiliar to those outside the industry.”

Embracing the Ghost of a Faraway Past (NY Times)
“‘Who you are today is a ghost of your past,’ said the fast-rising New York designer Prabal Gurung. The observation sounds a bit dark and moody for the amiable young talent, who introduced his line three years ago, full of bright colors and sexy, feminine silhouettes that instantly endeared him to, among many others, the first lady. Lately, though, Mr. Gurung has shown that there’s bite behind the smile.”