L-R Altuzarra, Prabul Gurung, Alexander Wang | Source: Style.com

You Can See Spring Coming (NY Times)
“Mr. Wang is a boy disguised as a designer — or maybe it’s the other way around — but whatever the case, he doesn’t want to grow up, and the clothes naturally follow that youthful spirit… Prabal Gurung’s show on Saturday had a pronounced erotic undercurrent that in its blunt use of violet, and the transparent hems of silk print dresses, owed something to the style last season of Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy.”

Fashion week: The ordinary people who stole the show (BBC News)
“Many people might not have heard of Tavi Gevinson, Scott Schuman, Susie Bubble and Bryanboy but they are household names to dedicated followers of fashion. All four are big players in the blogging revolution that has turned the fashion world on its head… But bloggers have been chipping away at the mainstream media as more and more people want to hear about fashion from people who apply it to everyday life.”

Where Fashion Gazes at Itself (NY Times)
“Tumblr, founded four years ago, has reached out to the fashion community in a way no other social networking site has. For the second time, it has brought users to New York Fashion Week as reporters, paying for their trips and giving them access to the shows. Their coverage is being posted on a dedicated channel, tumblr.com/NYFW, made up of posts from 20 bloggers picked by Tumblr’s staff, along with contributions from magazines that have their own Tumblrs.”

Versace sees revenue up in 2012 on H&M and Versus (Forbes)
“Italian top fashion house Versace is expecting higher revenues in 2012 after launching a collection for Swedish retailer Hennes & Mauritz this year and revamping its Versus second line…The company draws most of revenues from its top Versace line, but it launched a “Young Versace” line for kids and bought back its Versus licence this year to boost sales and profitability after starting a deep restructuring in 2009.”

Luxury: the next generation (FT)
“One of the more astonishing success stories of the past century has been the evolution of luxury retailing, from small-scale family firms to an international, multi-billion dollar industry… Yet, as the modern industry struggles to reconcile its artisanal heritage with today’s public offerings and quarterly reports, it is the personal, family connection that bridges the gap.”

Asprey Vintage Regulator Detail | Source: Asprey

Time Warp (WSJ)
“In the past couple of years, more and more guys I talk to have been going vintage when it comes to watches… It’s the inevitable pushback against the highflying hedge-fund era, when the pursuit of luxury meant the quest for highly conspicuous quality and lots of it.”

Luxury stocks bounce back as Japan stabilizes (Globe and Mail)
“Luxury stocks jumped Monday on growing optimism that the devastating Japanese earthquake’s impact on retail sales might not be as severe as initially feared. Shares of high-end clothing retailers and sellers of luxury goods were pummelled last week.”

Alexander Wang on building his fashionable family empire (Telegraph)
“Time passes faster and faster, but with every project I always want to find the next challenge and the next challenge is just as exciting as the previous one. So, like, I push myself and as the company grows and things get bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Peter Marino, Leader of the Pack (WWD)
“In an industry with the collective attention span of a fruit fly, Marino has enjoyed an improbably long run. Known for creating modern retail spaces with varying degrees of glamour, from understated to full-frontal, Marino has become the keeper of brand identities.”

The power of Anna Wintour (Yahoo)
“American Vogue’s editor-in-chief, might still be influencing unsuspecting consumers about what they wear, how they shop and what celebrity or cause is about to be the talk of the town.”

Alexander Wang and gang | Source: 21-7magazine

Women of Wang (New York Magazine)
“He’s built an approximately $25 million business on cool but benign day-into-night clothes for lithe, pragmatic downtown girls who all appear to work in galleries or PR… anything vaguely “creative.” Wang synthesized the street-style-blog-derived notion of looking like a “model off duty,” a louche fantasy of effortlessly sexy living if ever there was one.”

Reed Krakoff Names Valérie Hermann President and CEO (Fashion etc)
“[Valérie Hermann] has been named president and chief executive officer at Reed Krakoff… ‘The possibility of building a new international luxury brand with such tremendous potential comes very rarely,’ she said, ‘and I’m excited about this logical new step in my career.’”

Nordstrom to acquire HauteLook (FT)
“Nordstrom, the upmarket US fashion department store chain, is acquiring HauteLook, one of a new generation of online ‘flash sale’ marketplace sites, in a deal reflecting the merger of digital and ‘bricks and mortar’ stores. The retailer is buying HauteLook… for $180m in stock, with the possibility of the cost rising to $270m.”

CNN Is Back to Covering Fashion (NY Times)
“‘There is room for fashion in our coverage,’ Ms. Cho said… ‘Our viewers crave hard news. They want the headlines about Egypt. But we shouldn’t discount the fact there are other topics we can cover, and I don’t think it makes me any less of a journalist to cover fashion… Designers are thrilled to have CNN looking at them again.’”

Tech Pushes Tradition Into the 21st Century (NY TImes)
“Today the most audacious prints and jacquards are created by computers. Alexander McQueen used the technology for his dramatic ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ show in October 2009, and in his final collection of medieval-inspired jacquards… And during New York Fashion Week, many designers, including Narciso Rodriguez and Joseph Altuzarra, used computerized prints.”

Webisode sneak peek of Thakoon Pre-Fall 2011

NEW YORK, United States — The landscape of fashion communication and commerce continues to change radically, and not just for big brand innovators like Burberry and Louis Vuitton. For a whole generation of formerly “emerging” designers — including Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and Thakoon Panichgul — digital innovation is now a central part of their strategies for taking their businesses to the next level.

On Thursday at the Independent Fashion Bloggers conference — part of Social Media Week here in New York — I interviewed Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, who told a rapt audience of more than 200 fashion bloggers how social media is dramatically changing the way they think about the way they work, the way they sell and the way they communicate with consumers, driving sales and interest in their brand amongst a younger, tech-savvy consumer.

Following a return to form at his A/W 2011 show on Saturday, the ever energetic Alexander Wang is opening his first flagship store here in New York this week, but is also making substantial investments in his online presence, with a revamped website and online store to open later this year. “We see digital as fundamental to our development as a brand, and one of the most powerful ways for us to connect with our customers,” said Dennis Wang, the designer’s brother and CPO.

Big digital moves are also being made by Thakoon Panichgul, the Thai-American designer who became a household name to consumers around the world when Michelle Obama wore a floral print dress he designed on the evening Barack Obama accepted the 2008 Democratic Nomination, and as one of the stars of The September Issue, the popular film chronicling Anna Wintour’s reign as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue.

Today, Panichgul confidently explains to BoF how the brand new Thakoon.com will bring his brand straight to consumers, bypassing those once uber-powerful magazines with direct communication initiatives like the brand new Thakoon Studio Diary blog, a consolidated social media landing page, and video webisodes showing life behind-the-scenes at Thakoon.

… Continue Reading

Holly Fulton A/W 09, Swarovski Emerging Talent Award Winner | Source: Dazed

British Fashion Awards 2009 – The Winners (Independent)
“British fashion’s leading lights were rubbing shoulder pads last night at the prestigious annual awards which celebrate home-grown design talent and business success and are voted for by industry leaders, designers and retailers.”

Neiman Marcus sees weak luxury demand (FT)
“Neiman Marcus, the US luxury retailer, said on Wednesday it was seeing “some encouraging signs” of a recovery in parts of its high-end business, while warning that it expected overall demand to remain weak for some time.”

New York cracks down on counterfeit luxury goods (Reuters)
“New York authorities are cracking down on the sale of counterfeit luxury items, shutting down 31 stalls in raids on Tuesday and Wednesday and seizing $1 million of fake bags and watches.”

Burberry confirms London Fashion Week return (Drapers)
“Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey has confirmed that the luxury British brand will stay at London Fashion Week this February.”

Alexander Wang, for Cool Kids, and Now You (NY Times)
“Don’t tell Alexander Wang that blue is the new black or that wedge-heel boots are the season’s must-have. Such airy edicts would most likely make him laugh. “No one talks like that anymore,” said Mr. Wang, whose keen sense of what young women want to wear is matched only by his no-nonsense approach to his, um, métier.”