Matthew Williamson for H&M, courtesy of H&M

H&M’s 8% April Comparable Sales Gain Breaks Trend (WSJ)
“Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB Friday said April sales in comparable stores rose for the first time since July, indicating that it may be recovering from the global trend of consumers reining in spending amid the economic slowdown.”

Dior Jumps on the Viral-Video Bandwagon (NYMag.com)
“The House of Dior will release a short film on May 20, directed by Oliver Dahan and starring the ever-lovely Marion Cotillard,” featuring artistic shots of stockings, Lady Dior handbags, clothes by John Galliano, the Eiffel Tower, and gangsters. To whet our appetites, Dior has released a 30 second trailer. (see video here)

Esprit says to open more stores, meet target (The Guardian)
“Esprit Holdings, the world’s No.6 fashion brand, said on Thursday it will continue to open new stores and is confident of meeting its target of adding 110 outlets in the fiscal year ending in June.”

Richard Prince Wraps Hong Kong Museum For Vuitton (WWD)
“The installation, which takes its theme from Prince’s ‘After Dark’ series, heralds a significant exhibition of paintings, photographs and video installations collectively called ‘Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation’ that will be displayed inside the Museum of Art from May 22 to August 9 as part of Hong Kong’s annual French May Arts Festival.”

De La Renta to Open Stores in the Gulf Region (WWD)
“Not about to be mired down by the U.S. economy, Oscar de la Renta Ltd. is heading to the Arabian Gulf region to increase international sales.” (Subscription required)

Alexandra Shulman, courtesy of David Wise

LONDON, United Kingdom — When BoF’s Vikram Alexei Kansara explored the interactive future of fashion magazines about a month ago, a lively debate ensued in the comments section of the post and in emails with our readers. It is one of the most read articles on BoF thus far in 2009.

Clearly this is a topic on everyone’s minds, not only in the fashion media, but also print media more generally. Major newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post are deep in cost-cutting mode, the consequence of a perfect storm of technological change and plummeting advertising revenues which has sent the global publishing industry into a tailspin. Several magazines have been shut down, including Conde Nast’s Domino and Hachette Filipachi’s Home. Last week, music monthly Blender was the latest magazine to take its entire publication online, shuttering the physical publication altogether after the April issue.

So, when given the opportunity to pose a question to one of the most important fashion editors in the world, I couldn’t resist asking for her take on the future of fashion magazines in this climate of rapid change.

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Beth Ditto magazine cover, courtesy of LOVE

LONDON, United Kingdom — With the economy in the doldrums and the raging debate about “how long this will last” in full throttle, we have been distracted from the creative heart that is the fashion industry.

Thank goodness for Katie Grand, Todd Lynn and Christopher Kane.

In a recent interview with Ponystep about the launch of LOVE magazine, Grand reveals herself to be true to her creative sensibilities, especially given the emotional depth with which she approaches her magazine projects. She’s candid about her widely-publicised departure from POP, a magazine she created more than eight years ago, billed as “the world’s first superglossy.”

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LONDON, United Kingdom — The Business of Fashion is pleased to announce the launch of Inside the Studio, a series of in-depth interviews providing a 360 degree view of the world’s top fashion designers and their roles as both creative and business people.

Supported by Swarovski and produced by and developed in association with Make Believe, the first interview features renowned fashion designer Giles Deacon who celebrated his 10th season at London Fashion Week in September 2008. In a rare one-on-one conversation, Deacon speaks at length about his decision to become a fashion designer, the nature of his creative process, and his approach for managing an independent fashion business in these troubled economic times.

Inside the Studio moves beyond the ephemeral trend- and celebrity-watching common in the fashion media to reveal a fascinating side of the industry that is rarely seen.

Giles’ story will be revealed in three chapters on www.businessoffashion.net and www.swarovskisparkles.tv in the coming weeks:

Chapter I – Foundation
“Unstructured Exploration…” (3 February, 2009)

Chapter II – Creative Process
“A Designer Who Has Always Drawn…” (9 February, 2009)

Chapter III – Business
“The Surprise of Collaboration…” (16 February, 2009)

Stay tuned for the first video which debuts on Tuesday, 3 February at 12:00 noon, London time.

Artist's impression of Westfield London

LONDON, United Kingdom – I didn’t want to like the new $2.7 billion Westfield mall in London. I really didn’t.

For one thing, I’m American. I’ve done my fair share of time in malls. For another, this mall happens to be pretty much in my backyard in London’s Shepherd’s Bush and I had been indoctrinated for months before the opening that it would be a tragedy for local residents. And then there’s the name. The Australian developer has gone around the world gobbling up existing malls, building new ones, and calling them all the same thing: Westfield. Pretty un-inventive.

So, I didn’t go to Westfield for a very long time. But when I finally did make it there recently, I was completely blown away.

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