Shanghai Tang Autumn/Winter 2011 | Source: Shanghai Tang

Can China Produce A Luxury Brand? (Forbes)
“China is more known as a luxury consumer rather than a producer. And while it is a manufacturing hub for many global labels and retailers, it has yet to produce its own luxury brand in the manner of Hermes or Louis Vuitton. True, it took centuries for Hermes and Louis Vuitton to become what they are today, but these questions begged to be asked: Are there Chinese labels that are poised to become the Hermes of tomorrow?”

Oscar de la Renta to Launch F-Commerce (WWD)
“Oscar de la Renta is the first luxury brand to launch a Facebook commerce, or F-commerce, initiative contained entirely on the social medium where it has over 283,000 followers… It is the first to offer a commerce experience from beginning to end without leaving Facebook. In fact, the whole transaction can be done either on a tab on the brand’s page or, if the user prefers, without even leaving his or her newsfeed.”

Adidas raises 2011 outlook on emerging markets (Reuters)
“Germany’s Adidas lifted its 2011 sales outlook on strong demand for its sporting goods in emerging markets and as it expands its high margin brand-name stores… This is the fourth time this year Adidas has upgraded its sales forecast as demand for its three-stripe branded products soars, with running shoes and fashion products proving especially popular with U.S. and Chinese consumers.”

Fitted Fashion Uses 3D Scanners to Create Custom-Fit Jeans (Mashable)
“The single most challenging item of clothing to shop for is jeans… Fitted Fashion, a recent graduate of startup incubator Betaspring, is one of several startups aiming to address that problem. The company is currently testing 3D body scanners alongside its own pattern-making software to develop custom jeans and suits, among other items.”

Prabal Gurung: the red carpet’s new darling (Telegraph)
“You may not recognise the name, but we’re sure you will have seen one of Prabal Gurung’s designs before. The New York based designer has slipped under the radar for a few years now, but he is finally having his moment in the limelight… It has only been in the last twelve months that celebrities have been clambering over themselves to wear Gurung on the red carpet.”

Taobao | Source: Jing Daily

Online shopping is growing rapidly in China (BBC News)
“Across China, online companies large and small are learning how to be effective e-commerce players – or fail like US goliath eBay, which was trounced by upstart Taobao back in 2006. In 2010, China’s online shopping industry had a turnover of $80bn, and grew 87% year-on-year. China’s 420 million internet users spend around a billion hours each day online – and last year, 185 million made at least one online purchase.”

Ferragamo shows resilience of luxury sector (Reuters)
“Up-market Italian shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo posted first-half profits up by a third on Monday, adding to evidence that the luxury industry remains vigorous through the global financial turmoil… The Florence-based family firm, which is less profitable than its peers, said first-half core earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 59 percent to 83.8 million euros, with a margin on sales of 18.2 percent from 14.9 percent a year before.”

Combining Sports, Music and Fashion Raises Buzz for Sneaker Companies (Forbes)
“Buzz scores—which measure recent consumer perception—have been rising among 18-49 year-olds since early August for sneaker giants Adidas and Nike, corresponding to the companies’ recent advertising endeavors that combine together sports, music and fashion.”

Snapette Aims at Women Shoppers (All Things Digital)
“The majority of e-commerce sites share a single thing in common: They were built by dudes. That hasn’t escaped the founders of Snapette, a social photo-sharing app built by women, explicitly for women… The app, which launched in Apple’s App Store a few weeks back, focuses on the experience of shopping and leaves out buying altogether — for now.”

Lulu Kennedy: fashion’s fairy godmother (Telegraph)
“Kennedy is a fashion talent-spotter, founder of the venture Fashion East, which plucks emerging designers out of obscurity and gives them the chance to showcase collections to the style cognoscenti during London Fashion Week… Since 2000, star designers including Ilincic, Saunders, Richard Nicoll, Henry Holland of House of Holland and the Pringle designer Alistair Carr have all had their careers kick-started after being singled out by Kennedy’s gimlet eye.”

Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse | Source: Catwalk Queen

Dowdy Department Stores Start Looking Cool Again (WSJ)
“The sector, long derided for dowdy merchandise, maze-like stores and crumbling facades, is making a comeback. Macy’s Inc., Nordstrom Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. are posting solid sales gains even as consumers remain cautious and manufacturing costs rise—and they are poised to continue the streak this fall.”

Lagerfeld for the Masses, Again (On the Runway)
“Macy’s unveiled its newest fast-fashion collection, this one designed by Karl Lagerfeld… What struck me about the designs, actually Mr. Lagerfeld’s second endeavor into the mainstream market, after his pioneering collection for H&M in 2004, was how much more sophisticated they seemed.”

Chinese, U.S. demand helps boost Adidas sales forecast (Reuters)
“Adidas, the world’s second-largest sports clothing company, raised its year forecasts again on Thursday after seeing a 5 percent rise in sales in the second quarter thanks to strong demand in China… The German group said on Thursday it now expects sales this year to be up 10 percent and earnings per share up by 15 percent, with demand in North America also remaining strong.”

Retail Sales Rise at Expensive Stores but Are Mixed Elsewhere (NY Times)
“New data from July shows that the retail economy is locked on two tracks: one for businesses that cater to the well-to-do, and the other for everyone else… While expensive stores turned in strong results, including a startling 15.6 percent increase at Saks Fifth Avenue, almost double what analysts had predicted, middle- and low-end stores were largely dependent on marked-down summer clothes for their increases.”

A Small Victory for Christian Louboutin in the Suit Against Yves Saint Laurent (The Cut)
“A development in the case, which should set a precedent as to whether other luxury shoe labels can safely design shoes with red soles for aesthetic rather than branding reasons, seems to suggest Team Louboutin may have an edge… The judge ruled in Louboutin’s favor on that chart, as well as on other disputed YSL exhibits.”

The Bay’s Bonnie Brooks’ lifelong ‘quest to be the best’ (Globe and Mail)
“Ms. Brooks is used to thinking big.  [At Lane Crawford], she used some of the same tactics that she’s applying at the Bay to turn it around: introducing an array of with-it brands, ditching old ones and putting a spotlight on high-margin shoes and handbags.“

How luxury brands can tap the blogosphere’s growing influence (Luxury Daily)
“Consumers trust blogs more compared to traditional media than they did five years ago. Brands should actively look for ways to generate positive press by developing relationships with prominent industry bloggers.”

Hermès needs to style media defense to unsaddle LVMH (Reuters)
“Winning the media war against luxury giant LVMH which began in earnest this week is likely Hermès’ only realistic chance of shaking off its unwelcome new shareholder.”

Adidas Aims to Increase Sales 50% to 17 Billion Euros by 2015 (Bloomberg)
“Adidas… aims to increase sales as much as 50 percent by 2015, CEO Herbert Hainer said. Revenue will rise to 17 billion euros ($23.7 billion) by the target date, increasing annually by an average of 15 percent.”

Kenzo celebrates 40 years (Telegraph)
“When Takada, the irrepressible, Japanese designer set up shop in Paris’s rue Vivienne, in 1970, he was part of a seemingly never-ending festival of fashion creativity that embodied youth, modernity, fun and freedom.”

Olivier Zahm Self-Portrait | Source: purple DIARY

For Fashion’s Bad Boy, No Secrets (NY Times)
“[With Purple] and often salacious photographic blog, purple-diary.com, Mr. Zahm, a former art critic, has become a demi-celebrity in the fashion world. He likens himself to Andy Warhol, who managed a similar feat with Interview.”

Discount luxury e-tailer BrandAlley to launch a crowdsourced platform (Independent)
“Discount luxury e-tailer BrandAlley is launching a new virtual platform… Taking a cue from the rising trend of crowdsourcing, Le Lab will allow BrandAlley Web users to vote on and decide which designs make it into production.”

Master of the Brand: Bernard Arnault (Forbes)
“Though LVMH quickly denied it would try to take control of the 173-year-old Hermès, the stage is clearly set. It may be a long drama: Three-quarters of the company is still in the hands of 200 Hermès family members. Winning them over could take decades.”

Adidas raises earnings guidance for 2011 (FT)
“Adidas, Europe’s biggest sports goods maker, gave its first indications of how economic recovery will extend into next year, saying it expects earnings growth of up to 15 percent in 2011 after raising its guidance on 2010 earnings for the third time.”

Window Dressing Warriors (NY Times)
“David Hoey [and] Linda Fargo, have dressed windows for 14 years… During that period, they have earned Bergdorf a reputation for decadent, intellectual art pieces that tickle both street crowds and museum snobs alike.”

Detail, 50 Yuan Note | Source: Kekapana

China’s textile firms may face bankruptcy on yuan appreciation (Xinhuanet)
“Half of China’s textile firms may risk going bankrupt if the value of the Chinese currency yuan rises 5 percent against the U.S. dollar given the industry’s thin profit margins.”

French Court Kicks Google/LVMH Case Back To Appeals (WSJ)
“The French Supreme Court Tuesday referred a previous ruling against Internet search giant Google back to the Court of Appeal, effectively canceling an earlier decision in favour of French luxury goods company LVMH.”

Manolos, Manbags Set to Outdo `It’ Bags as Luxury Growth Driver (Bloomberg)
“The next ‘It’ bag may be a shoe. As some customers struggle to justify spending thousands of dollars on Hermes Kelly or Chanel 2.55 bags, shoes like Jimmy Choo gladiator sandals are set to become a faster-growing luxury.”

The Actual Cost of Digital Marketing (Fashion’s Collective)
“Working as a brand marketer in today’s oversaturated landscape of media is a more difficult job than ever. Determining where and how budget should be allocated is becoming more fragmented with the constantly growing number of platforms.”

Stella McCartney gives Team GB fashion fix (Guardian)
“If an elegantly cut and tastefully colour co-ordinated tracksuit makes for a better athlete, then Team GB’s Olympic campaign received a massive boost today after Stella McCartney was revealed as its creative director.”

Adidas Y3 Spring/Summer 2010 | Source: Adidas

Adidas Net Profit Drops 65 percent (WSJ)
“Adidas reported a sharper-than-expected 65% fall in quarterly net profit Wednesday, but said it expects a rise in 2010 sales and earnings.”

H&M plans two-for-one stock split (Reuters)
“The world’s third largest fashion chain by sales said on Wednesday its board would propose the split at its annual shareholders’ meeting on April 29 and it would take effect between May 20 and June 18.”

Tesco launches recycled clothing collection (Guardian)
“The news that Tesco have collaborated with an ethical fashion label to create a line of recycled clothing for the Florence & Fred label may raise a few eyebrows.”

Christian Lacroix eyeing comeback (Independent)
“Lacroix’s ready-to-wear and haute couture might be things of the past… but the label will be branching out into stationery, sunglasses, and home decoration.”

Fashion is still a feminist issue (Times)
“Did Miuccia Prada really say after last week’s show in Milan that she was a former feminist? I lent in closer.  Yes, that’s what she’d said all right. ‘Feminism?’ she sighed, ‘it doesn’t really exist anymore does it?”

Rodarte’s Target (Vogue)
“Rodarte will join the ranks of Erin Fetherston, Jovovich-Hawk, Rogan and Jonathan Saunders (among others), as the latest designers to collaborate with American retailer Target as part of its Go International series.”

Clessidra Pulls Out Of Deal With Cavalli (WSJ)
“Italian private equity fund Clessidra SGR SpA has pulled out of a deal with fashion house Roberto Cavalli after disagreement over the value of the company, a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires on Wednesday. The talks collapsed just two months after Cavalli and Clessidra signed a letter of intent for the fund to buy 30% of the fashion house.”

Mark Ronson designs trainers for Gucci’s Pop-Up Store (Elle UK)
“Gucci launches ‘Gucci Icon-Temporary’, a pop-up trainer store that will travel the world. The shop will stock 18 trainer designs in all, 16 for men and two for women. And for that extra limited edition-ness Gucci has collaborated with DJ and trainer addict Mark Ronson to design one exclusive, unisex trainer for each city.”

Adidas profits plunge 93% (Drapers)
“Adidas suffered a 93 percent plunge in profits in its second quarter as the downturn continues to take its toll on consumer spending.”

Naomi Sims, the First Black Supermodel (Time)
“A tall, striking, confident, chiseled, brown-skinned beauty, she has forever changed how America defines beautiful.”

Mango ad campaign (Iran), courtesy of Mango

High fashion and Hollywood glamour as Mango open stores around the world (Times)
After a successful launch in Iran, Mango looks to move further into the Middle East, setting up a store in Irbil, Iraq.

Is luxury fashion good for the planet? (Observer)
“Premium brands don’t have the best reputation when it comes to social and environmental issues, but change is in the air.”

Matthew Williamson returns to London Fashion Week (Drapers)
“Matthew Williamson will join Burberry at London Fashion Week in September to help celebrate the event’s 25th birthday.”

Topshop confirms US roll out (Drapers)
“Sir Philip Green, the owner of Topshop, has confirmed he plans to open a second store in New York after the debut Manhattan store achieved strong sales in its first two months of trading.”

Adidas doesn’t want to run before learning to walk (Business Standard)
“Adidas, which launched its premium lifestyle product – Originals – in India two years ago, is still in the process of educating customers about the different story that the collections, represented by the Trefoil logo, has to tell vis-à-vis its regular ‘performance’ brands.”

Adidas ad camapaign, courtesy of Adidas

Adidas issues profit warning (Drapers)
“Pre-tax profits at the Adidas group sunk by 97% to just €5 million (£4.4m) in the first three months of 2009. Currency-neutral group sales fell 6% to €2.58 billion (£2.28bn), compared to €2.62bn (£2.32bn) in the first three months of 2009.”

The Sui Target (Vogue UK)
“ANNA SUI has become the second designer to participate in discount retailer Target’s Designer Collaboration series.”

Zegna expands business despite downturn (Gulf News)
“Paolo Zegna, spoke to Gulf News on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of his company’s first Global Concept Store in the Middle East designed by world renowned retail architect Peter Marino, at Dubai Mall, which was opened yesterday.”

Kenneth Cole Posts First-Qtr. Loss (WWD)
“Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. on Tuesday posted a first-quarter loss and a decline in revenues.For the three months ended March 31, the company lost $8.2 million.” (Subscription required)