Giambattista Valli Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Style.com

Inside a Jet-Set Designer’s Atelier (WSJ)
“Mr. Valli has become a go-to designer for the rich and royal. Producing confections of silk satin, cashmere and tulle that have been compared to Rolls-Royce sedans and have prices to match, he has dressed clients from Queen Rania of Jordan to Sarah Jessica Parker.”

Benetton CEO Leaving In April After Sales Drop (WSJ)
“Italian clothing retailer Benetton Group said Thursday Chief Executive Gerolamo Caccia Dominioni will depart after nearly three years at the helm, news that came as the company cut its dividend amid a drop in sales.”

Ralph Lauren Takes Online Marketing to Next Level (The Thread)
“Right now on Ralph Lauren’s website, anyone can watch a virtual presentation of the Lauren by Ralph Lauren collection, and — here’s the kicker — buy anything you like straight off the runway… Ralph Lauren has even created a virtual front row.”

Brazil: Lessons in luxury for an emerging class (FT)
“But it is only in the past 10 years that they have begun to develop an original style. Today, thanks to a flourishing economy, a growing middle class and increasingly sophisticated buyers, the domestic luxury jewellery market is thriving.”

CFDA Announces 2010 Awards (Vogue.com)
“Alexander McQueen will be honoured with a posthumous CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute award in June, it was announced in New York last night.”

Benetton Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: Benetton

Benetton’s Faded Colors (Time)
“Benetton, which had sales last year of about $3 billion, hasn’t gone away. The ads for its United Colors of Benetton stores are tamer and its growth less stellar, but even in middle age — the brand turned 43 this year — Benetton is proving itself to be a case study in business management.”

Luxe Market Faces Wealth of Challenges (Adweek)
“With economic conditions compelling even affluent consumers to pay more heed to what’s “absolutely necessary,”… survey data on the attitudes of affluent consumers, plus the observations of people in the business of tracking their thinking, point to a market that faces a wealth of challenges.”

Questioning the value of designer brands (FT)
“‘I used to look at $3,000 dresses and think that was reasonable – expensive, of course, but worth it. That’s just what things cost,’ says New York businesswoman Betty Sargent. ‘Then I saw all the sales last autumn and it altered my perspective.’”

John Lewis online fashion sales triple (Drapers)
“John Lewis Direct managing director Robin Terrell said that the department store had aimed to generate £8.5m of extra revenue from the relaunched fashion website in the half year to January. However, it is now expected to hit its target in early December.”

New fashion label relies on web community to design clothes (Independent)
“Beta Fashion, dubbed by its owner as the “first online fashion label whose collections are entirely based on designs submitted by members of its community,” has launched October 21, ready to take on the big labels of this world.”