GQ and Park & Bond pop-up shop, NYC | Source: Selectism

When mags merge with bags (FT)
“GQ is not the only media operation to embrace a more overt commercial role. More and more publications have been trying to establish ecommerce operations in an effort to extend their brands beyond the printed page, and find new sources of revenue in a tough advertising market.”

Mulberry enjoys strong festive season, sales up (Reuters)
“Luxury fashion company Mulberry Group Plc expects 2012 financial year results to exceed its earlier forecast, led by strong Christmas and New Year sales, putting it firmly in the festive winners’ camp in the UK.”

Asos Third-Quarter Sales Rise on Retail Growth Outside U.K. (Bloomberg)
“Asos Plc, the U.K.’s second-largest online clothing retailer, reported a 46 percent increase in third-quarter retail sales because of growth abroad, and said it’s confident of meeting analysts’ full-year profit estimates.”

Chinese haute-couture steps up at HK Fashion Week (Reuters)
“China at one time may have been better known for fashion knockoffs than catwalk creations, but Chinese haute-couture is now finding its feet on the international stage — even as it grows ever more popular with customers at home.”

Marc Jacobs: “I don’t know what the key to happiness is” (The Talk)
“I don’t know, I don’t know what the key to happiness is. Happy is just a feeling like every other feeling. I certainly feel happy some days and in general I am pretty happy, but I have all the other feelings as well. So I don’t know if there is a key.”

Modcloth screenshot | Source: Modcloth

In Part I, we examined the innovations and infrastructural advances that have improved the historically poor economics of e-commerce and set the stage for a renaissance in online retail. Today, we explore some of new and exciting business models taking shape, the companies exploiting them and the challenges they face.

SAN FRANCISCO, United States — For years, e-commerce suffered from capital inefficiencies and complexities that pushed investors away. But in recent years, major infrastructural advances and the success of innovative start-ups like Gilt Groupe have rekindled investor interest and set the stage for an explosion of promising new business models including personal subscription, social merchandising, mass customisation and collaborative consumption.

… Continue Reading

Miu Miu Autumn/Winter 2011 photographed by Bruce Weber | Source: Miu Miu

Prada Woos Young Chinese With Edgier Sister-Brand (WSJ)
“Aiming to cash in on China’s bulging population of young fashion-lovers, Prada is turning its focus in the Chinese market to its… Sister-brand… Miu Miu has struck a chord with China’s young luxury shoppers… Who… Don’t remember the era in which the brand was overshadowed by the Prada label.”

Global growth drives ASOS sales (FT)
“Online fashion retailer Asos intends to make free global shipping a “permanent” part of its business model, after international sales growth fuelled a 63 per cent jump in sales in the first quarter to £107m… International sales grew 160 per cent… And now make up 57 per cent of overall sales.”

Hugo Boss raises outlook on China, U.S. demand (Reuters)
“German fashion house Hugo Boss raised its outlook for the year, boosted by growing sales in China and the United States…  The group, known for its sharp suits for men, said it now expected 2011 sales to rise by between 15 and 17 percent and underlying earnings to rise by 25 and 30 percent.”

Yves Saint Laurent Defends Its Red Soles Against Christian Louboutin (The Cut)
“Yves Saint Laurent, Inc.’s lawyers issued a… response to Christian Louboutin’s trademark-infringement charges this week, stating first… That no one can prove that YSL’s use of red soles hurt Louboutin’s sales or caused any consumer confusion… They argued that Louboutin never should have gotten a trademark for those red soles.”

In Berlin, Rocking the Fashion Trade Fair (IHT)
“A person stumbling into this spectacle… could easily mistake it for an artsy free-for-all in Berlin… Yet that is precisely what makes Bread & Butter, among the world’s most important urban and street fashion trade fairs… Held this year… It drew 100,000 visitors and 600 brands like Adidas, Diesel and G-Star”

Kris Van Assche by Paolo Roversi | Source: Interiew Magazine

Kris Van Assche By Rick Owens (Interview)
“The last two years have marked a subtle turning point for the 35-year-old Van Assche, who has weathered the early storms, turned back the critics, and started to carve out his own territory. But as he confesses to Rick Owens, beneath his organized, controlled surface lies a quiet intensity that continues to fuel his work.”

The height of fashion (Marketing Week)
“‘If you bought the first Harry Potter film, then you are probably going to buy the next one… But if you’ve bought a pair of red shoes there’s no certainty over what you are going to buy after that.. It’s more about understanding a customer’s preferred brands, styles and price point, then engineering that to a point where the product served to them is relevant.’”

Madewell, but Remade How Well? (NY Times)
“Around the turn of this millennium, Mr. Drexler… presciently intuited a groundswell of consumer yearning for traditional American dry goods and bought the rights to, though not the physical remains of, Madewell, a brave little workwear manufacturer in New Bedford, Mass.”

Mulberry profits surge as fashion group expands (BBC)
“Luxury fashion group Mulberry has reported a sharp rise in profits as the boom in luxury goods continues to defy the economic gloom. Pre-tax profit for the year to March jumped to £23.3m from £5.1m a year ago… ‘Strong demand in all markets has continued into the new financial year and the outlook for the Mulberry brand is positive.’”

The Sound of Style | Tim Blanks (AnOther)
“‘I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing for such a long time, but people don’t really know that much about me,’… Blanks rose to prominence celebrating and disseminating shows on video for Canada’s Fashion File, an international cult that gave thousands of viewers an insight to the world’s most vibrant catwalks, opening a closed-door culture.”

Marc Jacobs | Source: Wajima

Marc Jacobs: The Survivor (NY Times)
“Call him a genius. Call him a junkie, an original, a shameless copycat, a winsome recluse, a brazen exhibitionist. Marc Jacobs has heard it all. And he has absorbed it all with a hard-won equanimity.”

One size does not fit all (FT)
“Sizing is a national issue: whether fashion brands are upscaling their definition of a size four for the upscaled US consumer, shrinking their purses for Japan, or… launching a new shoe shape specifically for the Hong Kong foot.”

Global luxury brands flock to Hong Kong bourse (AFP)
“Some of the world’s top luxury brands are set to list on the Hong Kong bourse to tap China’s deep capital markets — and draw more customers… China is forecast to be the world’s top buyer of products such as cosmetics, handbags, watches, shoes and clothes by 2015.”

Asos sales boosted by international growth (BBC)
“Asos has reported a sharp rise in full-year revenue as sales at the online fashion retailer’s international business continue to grow rapidly… “I am pleased to report another successful year for Asos,” said the group’s chief executive Nick Robertson.”

Vuitton’s Intrepid Effort to Court China’s Tourists (WSJ China Real Time Report)
“LV’s museum partnership also fits into China’s recent art rage. According to a report commissioned by the European Fine Art Foundation, China is now the world’s second-largest market for art and antiques.”