L-R Mugler, Issey Miyake, 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012 | Source: Style.com

Asian Designers Make an Impact in Paris (IHT)
“Asian designers, whether home based or in the fashion diaspora, are making an impact in the opening days of the Paris men’s 2012 season. Phillip Lim, the Cambodian-American designer based in New York, was smart to come to Paris to show a 3.1 Phillip Lim collection that was simple but laced with the conceptual.”

European Luxury-Goods Stocks May Benefit From Weaker Currencies (Bloomberg)
“Investors forecasting the euro and Swiss franc will weaken against the dollar may find comfort in shares of European luxury-goods companies. Financiere Richemont and LVMH are among stocks that would benefit disproportionately if the currencies fall further from year-ago levels.”

Crisis on the catwalk over Britain’s fashion brain drain (Independent)
“The British Fashion Council (BFC) yesterday announced the formation of a Fashion 2012 Menswear committee, designed to raise the profile of UK designers and increase sales.”

More Heads Roll at Ungaro (The Cut)
“After losing Giles Deacon in December and new CEO Jeffry Aronsson just last month, Emanuel Ungaro appears to be on one shaky last leg. WWD reports that the ailing French fashion house told retailers that they’re unable to deliver their spring-summer collection because of ‘internal reorganization.’”

Louis Vuitton’s Kim Jones: exclusive Q&A (Guardian)
“British menswear designer of the year Kim Jones presented his second collection for Louis Vuitton. He talks exclusively to the Guardian about his inspirations and moodboard.”

Gilt Groupe screenshot | Source: Gilt.com

Online flash sales less flashy as inventory shrinks (Reuters)
“The flash sales business has lost some of its flash, forcing online luxury clothing merchants such as Gilt Groupe, Ideeli and Rue La La to radically change their business models. These businesses burst onto the fashion scene during the recession to try to move a mountain of unsold clothes. Now there is less luxury inventory and flash sales sites are bigger. That has forced these companies to pay more or find other ways to get their products.”

Storm Clouds Loom Over China’s Red-Hot Luxury E-Commerce Market (Jing Daily)
“With China’s luxury industry expected to become the world’s largest by 2015, and the country’s online population swelling, dozens of companies have jumped on the high-end online retail bandwagon… With online shopping moving up the value chain, more competition looking to crack the market, and more individual brands expressing interest in adding e-commerce functionality in China, there’s plenty to be optimistic about. But as an extremely young and untested market, full of similarly young and untested companies, storm clouds may be looming.”

LVMH confident on 2011 as Q3 sales rise (Reuters)
“LVMH , the world’s biggest luxury group, posted forecast-beating third-quarter sales growth on Tuesday and said it was confident for the rest of 2011, showing no signs of a slowdown in the luxury industry despite the slowing economy… The company said like-for-like sales rose 15 percent to 6.01 billion euros ($8.27 billion) in the three months to Sept. 30.”

India’s Luxury Market Up 20% in 2010 (Forbes)
“It’s not just the new wealthy in China that is enjoying a life of luxury. Its neighbor India is showing that it has a taste for the good life as well. The luxury market in India is grew 20 percent to 5.8 billion in 2010 and this growth is expected to continue into the near future, according to a survey by the Confederation of India Industry andA.T. Kearney Ltd.”

London To LA (Vogue UK)
“The British Fashion Council has taken the cream of British design talent to Los Angeles for the first time, as part of its London ShowRooms series… The initiative, which regularly takes the country’s most promising designers to Paris and New York to meet with potential stockists, will allow London-based names… To meet LA’s key press and buyers at a showroom.”

Suno Spring/Summer 2011 | Source: Suno

Into Africa (Telegraph)
“Made in England; made in Italy; made in China. These are familiar labels in our clothes and accessories. But how about ‘made in Kenya’, stitched into the lining of a Vivienne Westwood handbag? Or on the swing tags of Matches ‘hot new collection, Suno, with its juicy mixes of colour and print?”

For New Stars of London, a New York Debut (NY Times)
“Among the world fashion capitals, London has historically taken pride in the brash creativity demonstrated by its designers, the latest crop being no exception… Creativity only gets you so far, however, and it certainly doesn’t make surviving in fashion any easier.”

Crowning Jewelry (WSJ)
“Owning a stunning piece of jewelry is a sensorial experience, but when it’s also a piece of history, that feeling is magnified… The sale of the Windsor jewels illustrates the continued spectacular demand for fine jewelry with provenance – a demand that has not been dimmed by financial crisis and recession.”

Italian industry must look beyond protectionism (FT)
“Why does a country such as Italy, with its talent in luxury goods and craftsmanship, not have a global luxury group to match LVMH and PPR in France, or Richemont in Switzerland? Italian industry needs vision more than patriotism.”

At Cartier, Designer Promotes Philosophy of Sharing (NY Times)
“Probably fewer than a hundred women work in the upper management… and the master watchmakers who happen to be women can be counted on one hand. It can therefore come as something of a surprise to learn that a woman is behind some of the most innovative watch designs to come to the market in the past few years.”

Holly Fulton A/W 09, Swarovski Emerging Talent Award Winner | Source: Dazed

British Fashion Awards 2009 – The Winners (Independent)
“British fashion’s leading lights were rubbing shoulder pads last night at the prestigious annual awards which celebrate home-grown design talent and business success and are voted for by industry leaders, designers and retailers.”

Neiman Marcus sees weak luxury demand (FT)
“Neiman Marcus, the US luxury retailer, said on Wednesday it was seeing “some encouraging signs” of a recovery in parts of its high-end business, while warning that it expected overall demand to remain weak for some time.”

New York cracks down on counterfeit luxury goods (Reuters)
“New York authorities are cracking down on the sale of counterfeit luxury items, shutting down 31 stalls in raids on Tuesday and Wednesday and seizing $1 million of fake bags and watches.”

Burberry confirms London Fashion Week return (Drapers)
“Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey has confirmed that the luxury British brand will stay at London Fashion Week this February.”

Alexander Wang, for Cool Kids, and Now You (NY Times)
“Don’t tell Alexander Wang that blue is the new black or that wedge-heel boots are the season’s must-have. Such airy edicts would most likely make him laugh. “No one talks like that anymore,” said Mr. Wang, whose keen sense of what young women want to wear is matched only by his no-nonsense approach to his, um, métier.”

Harold Tillman, Chairman, The British Fashion Council

LONDON, United Kingdom — Long before he was appointed Chairman of The British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman had already shown a commitment for supporting British Fashion, and young designers in particular. He famously gave Paul Smith his first job. And, in my first meeting with him back in 2006, Mr. Tillman and I vigorously debated and discussed the common challenges faced by the city’s designers and what could possibly be done to support them. A few months earlier, he had personally financed a £1m scholarship program at his alma mater, The London College of Fashion, to sponsor 10 students each year.

So, it must be with great satisfaction that Mr. Tillman reads widespread reports of the great comeback that London Fashion Week is making this season. The buzz about London’s young designers is hotter than ever. And, with a flood of returning brands, designers and important American and European editors, this will certainly be a fashion week to remember.

But, Mr. Tillman will also be the first to admit that hype and media attention are not enough. A seasoned entrepreneur (he took his first company public at the age of 24), business builder (with Belinda Earl, CEO of Jaeger, he has re-built the excitement around the venerable British brand), and investor (with a group of partners, he recently saved Acquscutum from the brink), Tillman recognises the importance of secure financing, flawless execution and great design for success in fashion.

On this, the first day of London Fashion week, I reached Mr Tillman by email to better understand his plans for London Fashion Week, the various initiatives planned to support British fashion businesses, and his long-term objectives for the British fashion industry. In particular, now that several young fashion businesses in London — Erdem and Christopher Kane included — have achieved annual revenues of over £1m, now is the time to assess how to take these high-potential businesses to the next level.

BoF: Matthew Williamson, Burberry Prorsum, Pringle and several other British brands are returning to join the festivities for the BFC’s 25th anniversary at London Fashion Week. How did you convince them all to return?

We have been speaking to them all for a while and the time was right on both sides for them to return to London to help us celebrate 25 years of British Fashion. London has a global reputation for showcasing the most innovative emerging designer businesses in the world. We also have strong businesses that show here such as Paul Smith, Betty Jackson, and brands such as Mulberry, Jaeger and Aquascutum.

London has launched many great careers and it made sense for some of these to support London and help us focus the spotlight of breadth of talent in London.

BoF: Each fashion capital seems to have its own personality and make its own contribution to the global fashion ecosystem. What do you see as London’s role in this ecosystem?

London’s reputation as the leading creative fashion capital has developed over the past 25 years. Our designers have a reputation for originality in design and those designs are exported globally to stores and independent retailers and through fashion media. It isn’t just designers who are recognised for their creativity, it is our photographers, stylists, make-up artists, hair stylists and creative directors. London’s multiculturalism brings a clash of heritage and modernity which influences and inspires all creative sectors making London a hotbed for creative talents in different disciplines.

In addition to this we have some of the best fashion colleges in the world which produce world class talents — some of which develop their businesses in London, others who take up positions all over the world — providing London-based designers with unparalleled opportunities for emerging talents to work for or collaborate with international brands. Global brands look to London for design talent to bring a new dimension to their offering. This trend began in the 90s and continues. Today you see this with Christopher Kane consulting for Versace and Marios Schwab for Halston.

BoF: Many of the labels on the London schedule are nascent businesses, often with brand profiles that are disproportionately larger than their sales books. What is the BFC doing specifically to help these designers establish long-term businesses?

We have a number of schemes to help emerging designer businesses.

Labels that have been in business for less than 3 years are eligible to apply for NEWGEN and NEWGEN MEN which helps designers with showcasing and business support. There are many success stories that have come out of the NEWGEN scheme – Alexander McQueen was one of the first recipients back in 1993, since then the likes of Matthew Williamson, Giles Deacon and Gareth Pugh have come through the scheme. NEWGEN was created to support these new talents to showcase their collections to an international audience and in doing so, assist in the growth of their business.

A second stage, Fashion Forward, gives a further two seasons support to the most promising designers as they emerge from NEWGEN. As part of our 25 year celebrations we have also launched a third tier the ‘British Fashion Council’s Fashion Fund’ which will help the very best designers become international businesses.

Over the past couple of years we have also developed a small business support unit which provides 1:1 advice to designer businesses and gives these businesses to expert advice in law, accountancy and finance through Shoosmiths, Baker Tilly and Lloyds TSB.

BoF: Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by the UK fashion industry is the erosion of a local high-quality manufacturing base. How can the British fashion industry overcome this major issue?

We know that many of our emerging stars manufacture here in the UK.  It’s a necessity for these small but growing businesses that don’t have the large production runs or a production manager and don’t benefit from the economies of scale of manufacturing overseas.   These businesses use Atelier type units where they can oversee production and they have confidence in quality of finish. These units are a scarce resource with increasing demand.

We recognise that there is a real opportunity to develop skills to support designer businesses in London and developing these Atelier type units would be a step in the right direction.

BoF: As the BFC looks ahead to its next 25 years, what is your vision for where British fashion should be?

There is such an exciting energy in London at the moment and we are dedicated to using our 25 year celebrations as a launch pad into the next 25 years. We will continue to strengthen both our schedule and home grown talent.

Through the BFC Fashion Fund I hope we can create some international businesses that will follow in the footsteps of our iconic brands such as Burberry, Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood.

Imran Amed is Editor of The Business of Fashion. CEO Talk is an ongoing series of discussions with fashion entrepreneurs and business leaders. Previous interviews are listed below:

• Natalie Massenet, Chairman and Founder, Net-a-Porter
• Camilla Skovgaard, Shoe designer and Entrepreneur
• Susan Lyne, Chief Executive Officer, Gilt Groupe
• Priya Kishore, Founder and Creative Director, Bombay Electric
• Alex Bolen, Chief Executive Officer, Oscar de la Renta
• Jeffrey Kapelman, Chief Executive Officer, Hilldun Corporation
• Bonnie Takhar, Chief Executive Officer and President, Halston
• Sara Ferrero, Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Group
• Paolo Fontanelli, Chief Executive Officer, Furla
• Stella Iishi, President and Founder, The News Inc.
• Greg Furman, Founder and Chairman, Luxury Marketing Council
• Sarah Curran, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, my-wardrobe.com
• Brian Hill, Chief Executive Officer, Aritzia
• José Neves, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, farfetch.com
• Federico Marchetti, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, YOOX Group
• Sojin Lee, Co-Founder, Fashionair.com

Alexander McQueen F/W 09, courtesy of Coutorture

McQueen Leaves Fashion in Ruins (New York Times)
“With a runway of broken mirrors surrounding a garbage heap made of props from his own past collections, Mr. McQueen created a stage to symbolize the sudden crash of luxury exuberance.”

Hilary Riva is to step down as chief executive of the British Fashion Council (Drapers)
Riva to shift roles, “as part of a management restructure initiated by chairman Harold Tillman.”

Bulgari Profits Fall 45 Percent (WWD)
Emblematic of the economy’s toll on luxury, Bulgari’s profit took a significant fall. (Subscription required)

On Style: What Is A Fair Price For Luxury? (WSJ)
“Now it’s your turn to speak up. What is a fair price for luxury – and what sort of service and quality do you expect of it?”