Thomas Tait | Source: Mother Blog

A London Design Maverick as a Pragmatist (On the Runway)
“Thomas Tait was in New York last week for London Showrooms, a presentation of young British fashion talent. Actually, Mr. Tait is Canadian, educated at a technical school in Montreal. In 2010, he completed the master’s program in women’s wear at Central Saint Martins in London, whereupon he joined that distinguished race known as the Young Fashion Designer.”

Urban Outfitters Losing Investors With Failing Fashions (Bloomberg)
“‘Bizarre’ and ‘lackluster’ fashions at its namesake stores may be why Urban, which also operates Anthropologie and Free People, is losing investors’ confidence, said Pamela Quintiliano, a New York-based analyst at Oppenheimer & Co. The shares have slid 27 percent this year, the biggest drop among U.S. specialty apparel retailers except for Aeropostale Inc.”

Gap bets on discounts to draw holiday shoppers (Reuters)
“Gap Inc said it plans to “compete aggressively” on discounts to attract shoppers in the crucial holiday season as the no. 1 U.S. clothes retailer continues to look for ways wrestle back market share from its peers. The retailer, which competes with more affordable and fashionable foreign players like Zara owner Inditex, Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing and Hennes & Mauritz , is trying to keep pace with fashion trends by revamping its stores and merchandise, but without much success so far.”

Nordstrom eyes Vancouver for expansion (Vancouver Sun)
“Nordstrom’s interest in its northern neighbour mirrors that of several major U.S. retailers lately… The big retail chains are looking for good opportunities and right now there aren’t a lot of good opportunities in the United States, so Canada is a natural place to look, and B.C. in particular because the economic performance here has been pretty good.”

There’s No Business Like Shoe Business (WSJ)
“Ms. Skovgaard’s designs are more rebellious than reserved, more dangerous than dainty, and since launching her eponymous collection in 2007, she has gained recognition across the fashion industry… In 2010, Ms. Skovgaard won accessory designer of the year at the Elle Style Awards, and most recently, she took the title of accessory designer of the year at the 2011 Dansk Fashion Awards, one of Denmark’s most prestigious industry prizes.”

HONG KONG, China - Camilla Skovgaard is one of those rare aberrations of the current economic malaise.

While almost all other designers I have spoken to are nervously reporting order cancellations and declining or flat sales, Skovgaard’s shoes have chalked up triple-digit increases for Spring/Summer 2009.

Of course, part of this growth can be explained by the rapid growth of the luxury shoe category — it’s a case of  ‘the rising tide raises all boats. ‘ And, according to a recent report by Bain & Company, shoes will continue to be the fastest growing luxury segment of all; more than handbags, apparel, watches, jewelry and fragrances.

However, Camilla’s enviable success can mostly be attributed to perseverance, an incredible work-ethic, great design and pragmatism about merchandising and pricing her collection for the downturn. In our second CEO Talk, we caught up with Camilla to learn the secrets of her success.

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