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.”