Ogilvy, Montreal | Source: Wikipedia

Selfridges Group buys Ogilvy (The Province)
“Toronto’s billionaire Weston family has bought Montreal’s prestigious Ogilvy department store, adding to its stable of high-end retail offerings after the purchase of Dutch luxury institution de Bijenkorf eight months ago… The back-room deal comes as a bit of a surprise because the previous ownership group had held Ogilvy for barely a year.”

Aquascutum secures financial lifeline (Guardian)
“The new owners of Aquascutum, whose trenchcoats were once the uniform of Hollywood stars and British politicians, have secured a financial lifeline for the heavily loss-making fashion label. The brand, which was acquired by Jaeger owner Harold Tillman nearly two years ago, is in the final negotiations for a new £8m bank loan.”

L Capital to pick up 15% more stake in Genesis Luxury Fashion (The Economic Times)
“L Capital Asia, the private equity arm of the world’s largest luxury conglomerateLVMH Group and Groupe Arnault, is betting big on India. A little less than a week after it announced its acquisition of a 25.5% stake in Genesis Luxury Fashion, it is in talks to pick up an additional 14.5% stake in the company.”

Burberry joins rush to enter Hong Kong retail scene (Independent)
“The shopping landscape in Hong Kong is about to be expanded once again with news that the British luxury brand Burberry plans to open its Asian flagship store in the city… It will be the British retail giant’s largest store in the region and the second largest in the world, behind its 57th Street, New York outlet.”

At the Met, McQueen’s Final Showstopper (IHT)
“… While he was revered in fashion, and his runway shows were among the most closely watched, almost no one could have imagined that, as the subject of a museum exhibition, Mr. McQueen would prove to be almost as popular as Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.”

Prada Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Prada

The chic learn to click (Economist)
“Luxury firms may at last be waking up to the internet, but they have a long way to catch up… It is odd that an industry that would not be seen dead in last season’s colour is wedded to the last century’s technology.”

India’s luxury market remains underdeveloped (CPP Luxury)
“The lack of upscale retail space, high taxes and red tape are the main factors which have been hampering the development of the Indian luxury market. Luxury spending in India… was less than a tenth of that in China last year.”

Harvey Nichols profits up (Retail Week)
“Harvey Nichols… has revealed that the luxury department store will return to record pre-recession profit levels in its current financial year but has warned of a drop in shopper spend in 2011.”

Aquascutum fights to turn things around (Independent)
“The fashion brand Aquascutum is working with a debt advisory firm to raise capital to drive its turnaround, following its acquisition by the owner of Jaeger last September.”

Grow Your Own McQueen Garden With the New Visionaire (QS)
“The nicest touch: it turns into flowers. The issue will include images inspired by McQueen, printed on paper embedded with wildflower seeds. When you plant the pages, water and sun them, they’ll eventually blossom.”

Jaeger Summer 2010 | Source: Jaeger

Jaeger says sales picking up, eyes expansion (Reuters)
“British luxury brand Jaeger has seen a strong pick up in sales in recent weeks, it said on Wednesday as it posted a 16 percent rise in annual earnings and outlined plans to expand internationally and online.”

Saks recovers with stronger merchandising, consumer appeal (Medill Reports)
“Luxury department store Saks Inc. recovered from a year-ago loss to post a first-quarter profit Tuesday, beating Wall Street expectations. The… retailer reported earnings of $18.9 million.”

Joanna Sykes appointed designer at Aquascutum (Telegraph)
“Sykes is British, educated at [CSM] in the nineties and learned how to do things in a European luxury-goods house (Armani in Milan). All that puts her in the demographic to which her sister alumni who…. are on a quietly feminist mission to bring a bit of sense to fashion.”

Ad Pages Go Up and Down (WWD)
“Fashion magazines are still in recovery mode, but things are looking up: most titles posted an increase in ad pages during the first half of 2010 — that is, compared with the dregs of 2009 and the numbers are still far off the good ole days of 2008.”

Maison Martin Margiela exhibition at Somerset House (Telegraph)
“A London retrospective will show off Maison Martin Margiela’s 20 years of radical design… Martin Margiela delights and confounds in equal measures.”

Aquascutum A/W 09 ad campaign, courtesy of Aquascutum

Tillman Buys Storied Clothier Aquascutum (WSJ)
“U.K. retail mogul Harold Tillman, chairman and majority owner of Jaeger Ltd., has purchased Aquascutum Group PLC, the luxury clothier and trench-coat maker that has dressed British elites from Margaret Thatcher to Sean Connery for 158 years.”

Fashion elite tries on stimulus for size (FT)
“The fashion industry in 13 countries will on Thursday attempt to do what central bankers have struggled to do: get consumers spending again.”

Debenhams to confirm Henry Holland deal (Drapers)
“Debenhams is expected to confirm that it has signed London Fashion Week designer Henry Holland to join its Designers at Debenhams range at its pre-close trading update next week.”

Neiman Marcus, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2009 Results (Reuters)
“For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009, the Company reported total revenues of $768.0 million compared to $1.03 billion in the prior year. Comparable revenues decreased 23.4 percent.”

Richemont Five-Month Revenue Declines 16% as Rich Cut Spending (Bloomberg)
“Cie. Financiere Richemont SA, the world’s largest jewelry maker, said five-month revenue fell 16 percent as wealthy customers reduced spending on Cartier jewelry and Montblanc watches.”

Poppy line for Coach, Courtesy of Coach

Coach Is Now Traveling Coach (Reuters)
“With this month’s release of the budget-conscious Poppy line, Coach, a luxury-retail marvel once ridiculed for being stodgy, is increasingly associated with an entirely different-and notoriously fickle-population: teens, coeds, and grads.”

Escada Optimistic of Rescue as Katie Holmes Dressmaker Suffers (Bloomberg)
“Escada AG Chief Executive Officer Bruno Saelzer said he’s optimistic investors will back a refinancing plan and avert insolvency at the German dressmaker whose celebrity clients include actress Katie Holmes.”

Fashion sales down 1.1% in June (Drapers)
“Like-for-like fashion sales in June were down 1.1%, a little more than the average retail drop across all retail sectors of 0.9%.”

Aquascutum pulls out of London Fashion Week (Marie Claire)
“Amongst all the hullaballoo surrounding September’s London Fashion Week – billed as one of the most fabulous ever due to a new location at Somerset House and the return to the capital of blockbuster brands Burberry and Matthew Williamson – one brand, Aquascutum, will no longer be on the glittering schedule.”

From Europe | Designers’ Day at the Museum (The Moment)
European museums remind us, “that a fashion exhibition can also be thoughtful and original, with a purpose beyond just that of a brand extension for publications or an advertising campaign for fashion products sold in nearby boutiques.”

CFDA Swarovski Award winners, Tim Hamilton, Justin Giunta, Alexander Wang

Do CFDA Winners’ Businesses Grow? (Forbes)
“The backing of the Council of Fashion Designers of America confers recognition–but not always sales–to fledging designers.”

Ted Baker Sales Rise; Profit to Shift to Second Half (Bloomberg)
“Ted Baker Plc, the clothing company that dressed actor Daniel Craig as James Bond for ‘Casino Royale,’ said group sales gained 7.6 percent in the 19 weeks from Feb. 1 to June 12 as it sold more women’s clothing at its retail stores and concession counters.”

The next generation of catwalk kings and queens (Independent)
“The British Fashion Council announced yesterday which young designers would receive Newgen sponsorship to help them show and exhibit at London Fashion Week in September.”

Aquascutum thrown a lifeline (FT)
“Aquascutum, the luxury British label whose future is in doubt, has been thrown a lifeline by the millionaire owner of Crombie, that could see the overcoat maker acquire the UK arm of the 158-year-old brand.”

In the Garment District: Saving Hands Behind the Brands (WWD)
“As Manhattan struggles to keep its glitz in the downtrodden economy, Garment Center tenants are distressed about the commercial development that stands to oust them from the neighborhood and dismantle businesses that took decades to build.”

Aquascutum S/S 09 ad campaign, courtesy of Aquascutum

Aquascutum puts entire workforce into consultation (Drapers)
“Aquascutum has put its entire workforce into consultation, fueling speculation about the future of the luxury heritage brand.”

Italy’s Zegna sees lower profits in 2009 (Reuters)
“Italian luxury men’s suits maker Gruppo Ermenegildo Zegna forecast lower profits this year after a 20 percent drop in net profit excluding an extraordinary item for 2008.”

Bergdorf has to Share (NY Post)
“The luxury mecca on Fifth Avenue — long noted for its exclusive roster of top fashion-spotting talent — will now share a key pair of those execs with Dallas-based owner Neiman Marcus, which operates more than 40 stores across the US.”

Survey Says: Luxury Here to Stay, Topshop & Chanel Unshakable (BlackBook)
“Will the economic downturn wipe out the luxury market for good, or merely sour its sales temporarily?”

Michael Bastian: That Thing He Does (New York Times)
“Mr. Bastian has found surprising success with an agenda so modest it almost seems radical: to give men slimmed-down, spiffed-up versions of the all-American clothes they have long loved.”