Engaging The Millennial: Augmented Reality And The Wired Generation (Luxist)
“Millennials have grown up linked by BlackBerries, Androids, IPhones, computers, IPods, and video games. This is the generation of Wii, Facebook, Twitter, free downloads, access to just about everything. How do luxury brands engage these mindsets?”

J. Crew $10 Million Settlement of TPG Buyout Suit Falls Apart (Bloomberg)
“J. Crew’s $10 million settlement of an investor lawsuit over the proposed takeover by private-equity firms TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners LP fell apart, a lawyer for the shareholders said.”

A Bathing Ape Takes a Final Bath (Néojaponisme)
“So if Nigo’s 18-year old pet ape is being primarily consumed by the Chinese in its old age, it only makes sense that a Hong Kong based company — I.T Ltd. — would buy out the whole thing (including the debt). The depressing detail was the 90% equity purchase only cost the acquirers $2.8 million.”

Christopher Kane: Fashion Fund Winner (Vogue.com)
“Christopher Kane has won the 2011 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. The Scottish designer beat off stiff competition… for the prize, which comprises a cash payout of £200,000 as well as business mentoring from some of the fashion industry’s biggest hitters.”

Meet Bill Cunningham, the original street style photographer (Telegraph)
“Decades before The Sartorialist and Tommy Ton, Bill Cunningham was photographing street fashions. Now an incredible new documentary ‘Bill Cunningham New York’ tells his life story.”

On the Street: Fabrizio, Milano on The Sartorialist | Source: The Sartorialist

Seen on the Street: Strangers as Style Icons (WSJ)
“We’ve had the age of supermodels as fashion icons and the age of celebrities. Now comes the age of attractive strangers… BeautifulStranger, The Sartorialist and other photo websites are turning fashion’s focus from models to regular people.”

Chinese luxury wannabes try to shake off “Made in China” image (Reuters)
“‘I threw away the rest of my suits’, beams [Warren] Buffett… Trands is one of a handful of emerging Chinese brands that someday hope to take on the likes of Gucci, Armani and Prada in the lucrative luxury goods market.”

Prada First-Half Sales Rise 29 Percent (Bloomberg)
“Prada Group, the Italian luxury company that operates the Miu Miu, Car Shoe and Church’s brands, said first-half revenue rose 29 percent, led by demand in Asia. Sales rose to 930 million euros ($1.23 billion) in the six months ending July 31.”

Next warns of slowdown on the high street (Independent)
“Two of the UK’s biggest retail chains warned of faltering consumer demand in the second half of the year, as the Government’s austerity measures start to take their toll.”

Masterful Crisp (Vogue.com)
“Thomas Crisp has been made the winner of the BFC’s MA Scholarship – the first menswear focused designer to be given the accolade. The scheme aims to provide financial help to BA graduates who wish to carry on with their studies.”

Hugo by Hugo Boss Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss European sales fall 13 percent (Drapers)
“Total European sales at Hugo Boss fell 13% to €852m (£766m) over the first nine months of 2009 as the brand and retailer was hit by a turbulent northern European and Spanish trading climate.”

M&S and Next fight back while Primark shines (Reuters)
“Updates from three of Britain’s biggest clothing retailers should shed a little more light next week on whether consumers are starting to spend more freely ahead of the key Christmas trading period.”

Lulu Guiness signs investor to fund Asian expansion (Drapers)
“Lulu Guiness has sold a 15% stake in the luxury handbags and accessories label to Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group to further expansion in Asia.”

Prada shortens temporary layoffs as orders rise (Reuters)
“Italian fashion house Prada is shortening temporary suspensions for some workers by three weeks after orders for its spring/summer 2010 clothes exceeded expectations by 10 percent.”

The Fashion Fund (Vogue)
“Vogue and the British Fashion Council have launched a new £200,000 fund today to support Britain’s young design talent both financially and with expert business advice.”

Rugby by Ralph Lauren

Polo Ralph Lauren sales and profits fall (Drapers)
“Polo Ralph Lauren has notched up first quarter sales of $1bn (£588.6m), an 8 percent fall on the same period last year.”

Luxury Brands Gain Momentum in China Despite the Slowdown (Seeking Alpha)
“Even as luxury goods consumption has fallen worldwide, China’s appetite for high-end retail has shown a strong momentum.”

Shoppers see a value in unique items, sometimes regardless of price (Canadian Press)
“The clone wars have ended: It is no longer cool to carry around the must-have handbag that all your friends have, too. Nor do you need to have matching designer outfits or easily identified mass-market kitsch.”

Fashion Membership (Vogue)
“The British Fashion Council is the latest organisation to become a member of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT). The UKFT is a trade organisation which represents the fashion and textile sector – including some of the country’s top brands – and the BFC will take up two seats on its board.”

Relatives barred from using Gucci brand name in US (Reuters)
“A judge barred a Gucci heir’s ex-wife and her daughter from using their names commercially in the United States without trademark approval on Wednesday, saying they could confuse consumers and damage the brand.”

Etail 3.0

Etail 3.0 takes customer service to the next level (Mad.co.uk)
“The industry body for global online retailing, IMRG, predicts that by the end of this year, 20 percent of the UK’s £300bn retail business will be e-commerce. Fashion brands such as ASOS (originally “As seen on screen”), Net-A-Porter, jewellery and diamond specialists Blue Nile, optician business Glasses Direct and many others are providing sophisticated customer-focused experiences that leave their high street rivals trailing in their wake.”

British Fashion Council ups commitment to new talent (Drapers)
“The British Fashion Council (BFC) has appointed Sarah Mower as its first ambassador for emerging talent.”

Thierry Mugler is back after a decade in the fashion wilderness (Telegraph)
“After a decade in the fashion wilderness, his outrageous power-clothes pushed aside by the bony elbow of waif-chic, Thierry Mugler is back and lending maximum impact to Beyoncé’s killer curves on her new world tour.”

Merchandisers …what exactly do they do? (Guardian)
“The word “merchandising” has echoes that ring down the centuries, and reminds us, among other things, of Shakespeare’s Venetian merchant, trading goods from far off lands in a strange currency called the ducat. But the basic disciplines of merchandising have endured, and are as relevant in the 21st-century retail environment as they were in the Bard’s day.”