“You have to bring it back to the house where you are working. We never look at fashion references. It’s always very much creating a world through a story. It’s always very much: ‘What would McQueen do?”

Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen, explains the craftsmanship, mathematics and underwater inspiration for the McQueen woman in Spring/Summer 2012 to New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn for NOWNESS.

Cathy Horyn | Source: Fashionologie

Fashion’s Most Feared Critic (Daily Beast)
“Cathy Horyn wields a pointed pen to (sometimes) skewer her subjects…Carolina Herrera, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Helmut Lang, Nicole Miller, and Oscar de la Renta have all banned Horyn and the Times from covering their collections at various points…None of this has seemed to faze the journalist, who, this fashion season, displayed her trademark ability to excite and infuriate.”

Coach targets UK in European push (FT)
“Coach, the US handbag and accessories retailer, is planning to open up to 15 British outlets over the next three years, as part of a push into the European luxury goods market.”

Is fast fashion killing fashion? (Just Style)
“Against such stellar growth it might seem strange to question whether a concept that’s so obviously popular and makes fashion accessible to a large number of people could also be killing the industry.”

Redesigned Versace eyes return to Japan (FT)
“A year into his turnround and Mr Ferraris… says he is ‘more optimistic’ than he expected, so much so that he is considering pushing the company to open stores in Japan once again.”

A feast from the East (Telegraph)
“A unique exhibition at the Barbican, ‘Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion’, shows how oriental designers walk a creative tightrope between tradition and innovation.”

Kate Moss arrives at Christian Dior show, Paris | Photo: Imran Amed

LONDON, United Kingdom — One never knows exactly what to expect from fashion month. Which designers will soar higher, which will stumble, and which will seemingly rise from the ashes? Four weeks of shows, parties and extravaganzas finally came to an end last Wednesday, and the answers to many of these questions have now been revealed.

But of course fashion week isn’t just about shows and parties, it is also the time of year when fashion editors, buyers, models, designers, stylists, bloggers, and photographers all travel together in a caravan-like four week trade conference. Not surprisingly then, fashion week is also the time of year when the most deals are done, relationships are born, and ideas are developed. At a time when the fashion industry is being radically reshaped by the forces of digital revolution, rapid globalisation and a post-recessionary economy, this biannual meeting of the fashion flock has become an even more important barometer of things to come.

Perhaps this is why our seasonal review has become a mainstay of BoF fashion week coverage. We take a step back and look at everything with a degree of distance, trying to understand what it all means. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been chatting with the good and great to get the inside scoop on the market drivers and trends that will shape the business of fashion in the months to come, and am happy to share them with you in this roundup of Spring/Summer 2011, the season that was.

1. THE RETURN OF OPTIMISM? FOR NOW.

The Jobless Recovery | Source: New York Times; Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chart by Amanda Cox.

It’s hard to believe it’s already been two years since fashion month was upstaged by teetering Wall Street banks and the eventual demise of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008. The Spring/Summer 2011 season was by far the most optimistic since the heady days of 2007. As one seasoned industry observer said to me, “the money has returned” to luxury and fashion. Indeed, senior business leaders and fashion CEOs boasted of high double digit percentage gains in revenue, albeit over the dismal numbers of 2009.

But is all this optimism well-founded, and will it last? Even with significant growth in 2010, the luxury market is still not back where it was before the financial crisis. The economies in the traditional luxury markets of Europe, Japan and the US remain weak and fragile. It’s only consumption in emerging markets like China, Brazil and India (or by citizens of these countries purchasing abroad) that is driving luxury market growth today. Indeed, we are at an inflection point in global economic history as power shifts away from the incumbents.

But over the longer term, the imbalanced nature of current global economic growth doesn’t bode well. As fiscal austerity measures begin to take hold in Western economies — further strangling the already feeble economic growth of the so-called “jobless recovery” — the luxury market risks becoming more and more dependent on new markets. And, as The Economist reported this week, without “micro” structural reform in both developed and developing markets, current growth rates are unlikely to last.

Bottom line? There is no crystal ball, but there is still a good chance that 2011 will see the return of economic contraction in traditional luxury markets, growth will slow in emerging markets, and the decade to come will be long and hard. I hate to burst the bubble of optimism that was palpable this fashion week, but we are far from being out of the woods.

2. SEVENTIES GLAMOUR, GRAPHICS AND NEON COLOURS STORM THE RUNWAY

Rodarte and Christopher Kane, Spring/Summer 2011 | Source: Style.com

While the camel colours of Phoebe Philo’s new minimalism may have dominated the wardrobes in the front row, many designers were taking an altogether different point of view on the runway – including, to some extent, Ms. Philo herself, who for the first time injected colourful prints into her runway collection for Céline.

In New York, the standout show was Rodarte, where the Mulleavy sisters finally found that elusive commercial counterbalance to their undeniable creativity. Ohne Titel — another female design duo — delivered one of their strongest collections to date, while Preen’s collection of tailored daywear was super chic.

Marc Jacobs’ seventies revival was a fun, commercial romp and set the wheels in motion for a seventies revival all around. “This is our moment,” Bonnie Takhar, chief executive of Halston said to me when I visited her showroom in New York. “For some brands seventies glamour is a trend. But for Halston, it is central to our brand DNA.”

During another strong London Fashion Week, Mary Katrantzou’s surrealist interior prints elevated her signature aesthetic to a whole new level, while Peter Pilotto delivered a knockout collection of eminently wearable clothes which were still distinctive for their fabrics and construction. Richard Nicoll’s powerful evening show at the old Eurostar terminal is still firmly registered in my head, as are Christopher Kane’s amazing Yakuza prints and neon lace-cum-leather looks.

I missed Milan, but Prada and Jil Sander — again in tune with colour blocking and graphics — seemed to be the standouts. For me at least, and despite reports in WWD to the contrary, Paris felt flat. Except for the stunning Lanvin show and a new haute vision from Rick Owens, the most exciting new development in the city of lights was the fact that taxis now come with red lights that finally signal that they’re available for hire.

Then again, I did miss the last day when Miu Miu looked particularly good, and Stefano Pilati pulled out a strong collection for YSL, which may have saved him his job at the venerable French house. Sarah Burton’s debut for Alexander McQueen also looked impressive and in-tune with the McQueen DNA.

3. THE RISKS OF FASHION IMMEDIACY

I have often referred to Burberry as the world’s first truly digital luxury brand, what with the phenomenal success of Art of the Trench, the innovative Burberry Acoustic initiative, trans-seasonal collections like “April Showers” and “Winter Storms” promoted via YouTube, and of course the pioneering live streamed shows which in recent seasons have featured shopable items, available for immediate order, with delivery in 6-8 weeks. Burberry has consistently been the fashion industry’s undisputed digital powerhouse.

But there are inherent risks in being the constant innovator and first mover. During Burberry’s latest fashion show, beamed live from London Fashion Week , several models tumbled to the ground from the towering heels they were asked to walk in. All of this was broadcast live to Burberry fans around the world. Of course, models fall at fashion shows fairly regularly, but in the past this would have been neatly edited out of the video that was later shown to consumers. This time, however, the unscripted moment was broadcast live around the world and will live in eternity online. A video of the finale fall posted by London’s Telegraph newspaper has been viewed more than 600,000 times.

That said, the risk of consumers seeing models falling is relatively minor compared to the benefit of capturing the immediate excitement of a live event. But to make matters worse, the Burberry collection reviews from some of the most influential fashion critics were not positive, and not just because of the shoes. Said Sarah Mower, “The problem with direct selling of this kind is that it can cut out a designer’s ability to explore variety in a show, to experiment with a creative way forward rather than satisfy the need to make something that has to be ready to arrive at someone’s door in six weeks.” Cathy Horyn, in her characteristically honest direct style went even further, saying “When I think of all the great collections that Mr. Bailey has done for Burberry, they’ve all been characterized by a sense of emotion that he was willing to put out there. It wasn’t all crass e-commerce.”

It seems the greater problem is that Burberry is conflating a consumer event with a trade event. Critics and editors are looking for an overall message, creativity and perhaps inspiration for fashion editorials, while consumers are ultimately looking for things to buy. Trying to achieve both of these with one collection in one live event is challenging.

Unfortunately, Burberry declined to comment on their plans for fashion immediacy, and some of the other potential benefits accrued from such an approach.

Tom Ford took an entirely different tack altogether. Ford told WWD, “I don’t get the need for fashion immediacy. I think it’s bad.” Ford debuted his first eponymous women’s collection to an intimate (and super exclusive) crowd of 100 or so editors and buyers, all of whom were asked not to take photographs. Most editors complied and thus, in a typically genius stroke of Tom Ford PR, he managed to get everyone who wasn’t present to pay attention to what he is doing for womenswear without showing them anything. Then again, thinking that he can totally prevent communication in the digital era is a stretch, even for Mr. Ford. No doubt, he will be fighting a losing battle against a digital tidal wave that is much more powerful than any brand or designer, even one who is as masterful a marketeer as Mr Ford.

Perhaps Gareth Pugh is onto something. He had a different take on the digital fashion show of the future. Rather than put on a traditional show, he chose to use a fashion film, which, as he explained to me over tea with his benefactor Michele Lamy, enabled him to more carefully control the image of his collection as it was beamed out live to the world. He was also able to provide Style.com and WWD runway images which were also carefully chosen and shot by his team in advance. This was the second time that Gareth employed this strategy, but for some reason the industry took much more notice this time around. Maybe it’s a sign that we are finally ready for a new fashion show format altogether.

More and more, the challenge for fashion brands and designers will be to embrace our new digital reality, while also carefully managing its inherent risks.

4. MAINSTREAM FASHION EDITORS TAKE TO NEW MEDIA

Clockwise from left, Cathy Horyn, Vanessa Friedman, Suzy Menkes, Hilary Alexander and screenshot from FT Material World

Following the lead of Cathy Horyn who launched her must-read On the Runway blog back in January 2007 (the same month, incidentally, that BoF was founded), many other important editors have taken up tweeting and blogging with a new-found vigour.

The latest to enter the fray is the Financial Times fashion editor Vanessa Friedman , who launched Material World, a blog that “deals with the fashion/luxury industry from both a corporate and consumer point of view.” Vanessa told me via email that the idea to start a fashion blog actually came from Robert Shrimsley, editor of ft.com. “I was thrilled,” she said, “because there is a lot of fashion news that the FT was structurally unable to cover in its paper incarnation, but that absolutely merits a comment or observation.” We’ll be reading Vanessa’s blog carefully, as it will no doubt address fashion business topics near and dear to us.

Amongst the twittering classes, no other editor has earned more followers than Hilary Alexander, fashion editor of the Daily Telegraph whose approach is simple: call it like she sees it. This results in a Twitter account with a real voice, something to which all professional tweeters should aspire. “If something happens you can tell people ‘this has just happened,’” she told me as we waited for the Peter Pilotto show to start. “It’s a good way of connecting with readers and getting them to explore the Telegraph website.”

The one digital holdout thus far is Suzy Menkes, although she does have a Facebook fan page. Now that the standalone International Herald Tribune site is no longer, her reviews have been buried on the New York Times website. Perhaps they should give Suzy a blog to give her the visibility she deserves. God knows she already moves at Internet speed. Her show reviews are almost always the first to appear. It’s really too bad they have made them so hard to find.

5. STYLE.COM VERSUS VOGUE.COM

Style.com and Vogue.com Screenshots | Source: Style.com and Vogue.com

Over the past decade, Style.com has established itself as the go-to destination for the fashion-obsessed. It is the website of record, especially because its show summaries are the first place many people look for images and snappy, intelligent reviews of the most important collections. Having built an archive over the past ten years, Style.com is now like an encyclopedia of fashion and an indispensable industry resource.

This season the website also stepped things up further, live-streaming select shows, pushing out more content, more quickly on its StyleFile blog, and getting its show photos and reviews up as they are ready, instead of waiting to put all the shows up at the same time the next day.

But Style.com also lost one of its very best critics when Sarah Mower — who has long been American Vogue’s eyes and ears in Europe — moved to Vogue.com, which was quietly launched in early September. Using a “less-is-more” approach, Vogue.com doesn’t review nearly as many shows as Style.com, but it regularly features contributions from senior Vogue editors like Hamish Bowles, Mark Holgate and Meredith Melling-Burke, meaning that the magazine speaks with the same voice, online and off, and has one editor-in-chief. This is a unified approach that more fashion magazines around the world should pay attention to. Personally, I have enjoyed the down-to-earth writing and large format candid party pictures, which aren’t as posed and perfect as the ones you find elsewhere, and therefore feel more authentic and fun.

It’s too bad, then, that the new Vogue.com site is clunky and hard to navigate. What’s more, for those of us in countries which have local Vogue websites, we must type AmericanVogue.com in order to reach the site, which is fine, I guess. But even once we’ve done that, if we click on the Vogue.com logo in the top left hand corner to go to the home page, we actually end up at Vogue.co.uk or Vogue.fr or Vogue.in, depending on which country we’re in. This needs to be fixed, pronto.

So what does the future hold for the two Condé Nast fashion websites? It’s not entirely clear as yet. But Condé Nast would be wise to fund and support the growth of both of these sites, as they find their voice and niche in online fashion media. There is plenty of room for both of them, and they both have a role to play. Style.com may become more industry-facing, expanding its role as the an essential indutry tool while Vogue.com could carve out a consumer-facing point of view.

Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion

Christophe Lemaire, new Director of Womens, Hermès | Source: Adah

Three Separate Challenges (NY Times)
“With a number of companies now being run by equity-market managers, you can bet your bottom dollar that they would love to get their hands on an experienced design maestro — if more were available.”

A New Pragmatism Behind the Catwalk (IHT)
“A post-recession strategy likely to define luxury brand management for the early 21st century has emerged from a week packed with designer changes at European fashion houses… the era of the star designer… is over.”

Louis Vuitton: Where the boom never ends (Independent)
“‘We have a wider range of product – ready-to-wear, watches, jewellery – than we did 30 or 40 years ago…but the spirit is the same. In each product we have an extraordinary mix of tradition and innovation.’”

Cambodian Factories Seek Eco-Friendly Power Alternatives (IHT)
“The majority of the country’s garment factories — making clothes for brand names in the U.S. and European markets — use firewood to heat old-fashioned boilers that produce hot water for dying fabrics and steam for ironing.”

Are Luxury Brands Just Shuffling Deck Chairs on the Titanic? (Nathan Branch)
“The brand leaders appear to know that something needs to be changed, but as they’re charging forward with their lists of decisions… there’s little to no public attention being paid to the water pouring into the forward compartments below.”

Alexa Chung for New Look Spring 2009 | Source: New Look

New Look joins list of companies scrapping IPOs (Independent)
“The fashion chain New Look yesterday became the third major company in as many days to scrap a planned stock market flotation, blaming the lack of appetite of potential investors.”

Superdry owner SuperGroup plans stock-market flotation (Guardian)
“SuperGroup, the fashion company behind the fast-growing Superdry label, is expected to unveil plans to press ahead with a stock-market flotation today, bucking last week’s trend, in which three big companies abandoned their plans to seek a listing.”

H&M Same-Store Sales Beat Forecasts (WSJ)
“Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB Monday reported a better-than-expected gain in same-store sales in January, marking the second consecutive monthly increase in sales.”

Fashion industry, struggling with size, realizes age is part of the problem (AP)
“The models auditioning for New York Fashion Week were undeniably thin. But it was only after the fashion industry started worrying about too-skinny models that casting agent James Scully began asking their age.”

The Future of Fashion: Cathy Horyn (Style.com)
“During our conversation… she talked about the critic’s evolving role, her sense that leggings are the enemy of innovation, and her belief that, in design, technique matters now more than ever.”

On the eve of his final couture show held in Paris on Wednesday, Valentino Garavani was telling Italian newspapers that business is ruining the fashion industry and that he wished he had had time to groom a successor before retiring.

Earlier this year, Permira, the private equity company, won a battle with The Carlyle Group for control of the Valentino business, which at the time was split up amongst several shareholders who had aligned themselves with different investors, leading to a down-to-the-wire battle for the venerable Italian fashion house. This may explain why Mr Valentino chose to use particularly strong language to describe the state of the fashion industry, telling Italy’s Messagero newspaper that:

"The world of fashion has now been ruined. I got rather bored of continuing in a world which doesn’t say anything to me. There is little creativity and too much business. The young are all doing the same things."    

This is not the first time that the acrimony surrounding Permira’s acquisition and Mr. Valentino’s abrupt departure has appeared in the press. Giancarlo Giammetti, Mr. Valentino’s business partner, told Cathy Horyn that financial investors in fashion do not respect or understand the creative side of the business. He asked "Why should we go on explaining? Why should we go on fighting? For what?"

Nestled between the socialites and royalty (both fashion and otherwise) in the front row of Valentino’s final couture show was Alessandra Facchinetti, the former Gucci womenswear designer and Valentino’s replacement (named after some serious industry speculation). Of his successor, Valentino said the night before:

"We haven’t met. I gave her some advice, it will be up to her to find her way. I regret not to have had the time nor the will to groom an heir."

In January, Facchinetti gave us a first peek at what may be in store for Valentino under her reign in her pre-Fall for 2008, a collection which was generally well received. She told Style.com

"You can’t imagine how honored I am. It was the last thing I thought would happen. I can’t compare Valentino with anyone. He is a part of the history of fashion. This is a new start."

Valentino’s regret at not leaving on his own terms, with a handpicked replacement installed, is completely understandable. However, it seems unfair not to acknowledge that the business of the fashion industry has also made him a very rich man, and that he would not have achieved this level of success (or lifestyle) without it. That not all of the investors respected Valentino’s immense talent as much as Ms. Facchinetti does is extremely unfortunate (just have a look at his final couture show) — and not only for Valentino.

In what is what is likely a first in the fashion industry when it comes to the blogosphere, Marc Jacobs has joined the ongoing online debate raging about his supposed row with Suzy Menkes, the highly regarded fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune.

In his comment on Cathy Horyn’s On the Runway blog, Jacobs says:

I did NOT stick my tongue out at Suzy Menkes……I pulled a stupid face with my tongue out in happiness for being done with what has been a great but most stressful season for me. I am not stupid, childish or a vindictive person….I had prior to the show left a silly t-shirt and a nice note for Suzy on her seat. Why would I do anything to further upset her? Right after a show!!?? Cathy and all else reading this, I am surprised that anyone who knows me at all think that I am that petty or stupid! Anyone who has ever been on a stage would know you can’t actually see the audience. I made a face at no one in particular….I didn’t have a clue as to who was sitting there. Come on guys, give me a break!!!!!

Jacobs’ decision to respond to the backlash in a public forum, as opposed to using the normal channels of publicists and press releases, was a smart one. You can only respond to the blogosphere by going straight to the heart of the storm and engaging the community. Marc Jacobs’ choice to do this on Horyn’s blog also shows how On the Runway has become a formidable community with its own voice in the industry.   And the response from the community has generally been very positive.

Said one commenter of Mr. Jacobs response:

For some reason I completely missed Marc Jacobs post. I don’t mean to bring his documentary up again (And if your reading this Marc I apologize in advance as it’s all I have to go by) but one thing you gather very quickly is how stressful his job is (It reminded me of architecture school and I can’t imagine pulling off all-nighters again for the rest of my life), it’s not only about the design anymore but maintaining a public image as well.

Horyn added her two cents in, possibly to calm the storm:

Some of you probably noticed that Marc Jacobs posted, explaining his side of what happened at the end of the Vuitton show, and I also contacted him by phone. I’m convinced after talking to him that the tongue-wagging, face-pulling on the runway was misunderstood and not directed at Suzy Menkes, though it upset her, and I offered him my apologies for the fuss. After the dust-up in New York, Jacobs said he had put a T-shirt on her seat at the LV show as an olive branch. It showed a cartoon of the fashion critic wringing the designer’s neck and it was embroidered by Lesage. He thought it was a sweet way of making up.

Menkes herself hasn’t commented on the issue since she said she wanted to wring the designer’s neck after his New York show ran 2 hours late. Her recent review of the Louis Vuitton show, also designed by Jacobs, was cautiously complimentary.

The Times of London: G-Force
Frida Giannini, the last remaining designer of the trio that was selected to replace Tom Ford at Gucci, is an advocate for Gucci without the sex. According to The Times, the results speak for themselves with a 16% increase in sales to over £1.5b – the highest in the company’s history.

The New York Times: The Murder on Ocean Drive
Gianni Versace, who was feted at a glamorous ballet last weekend in Milan, was murdered 10 years ago this month. Cathy Horyn gives us a behind-the-scenes take on that shocking week in Miami in 1997, showing a different side of Gianni’s replacement, his sister Donnatella.

The Wall Street Journal: Brooks Brothers tries hip line: Will it suit?
As a collaboration with Thom Browne and Brooks Brothers launches in stores, the masses will for the first time have access to Mr. Browne’s directional short-suit silhouette. The WSJ muses on the potential of the line, which while less expensive than his own astronomically-priced line, is still 30-40% more expensive that Brook Brothers normal price points.

Photoclip courtesy of the New York Times

It seems every few weeks I come across some interesting quotes from or video clips of Cathy Horyn of the New York Times. As one of the first major fashion critics to pen a regular blog, it’s not surprising that she believes in the importance of blogging to the fashion industry. Regular readers know that this is a recurring topic on the BoF, especially after what I heard from some industry people at the Harvard Business School Retail and Luxury Conference earlier this year.

This is a video I came across where Julie Fredrickson of Coutorture attempts to interview Ms. Horyn on the topic of Web 2.0 and fashion. I use the word "attempts" intentionally. As you will see, by the end of the interview, Cathy’s journalistic instincts come out and she can’t resist turning the tables on Julie and ends up asking about her experience in (not) gaining access to shows at New York Fashion Week. The video pre-dates the launch of Cathy’s blog at the New York Times, On the Runway, but many of its key messages still ring true. 

On my last trip to New York, I finally managed to see the new Tom Ford flagship store in person. After all of the hubbub about its "Hermes and Oprah" similarities, I wanted to judge for myself. Was Cathy Horyn right in criticising the high price-points as being out of reach even for the most discerning male customers? Was Horacio Silva on the mark for panning the store for its overly-exclusive environment?

I’m afraid the answer is yes. In spades.

For all of the talk about the luxurious feel of the store, I have to say it all felt quite ordinary to me. That is to say, it didn’t feel different from most of the other masses of luxury stores that are out there. The grey colour palette and silver store fittings reminded me a bit of the old Gucci store formats (that are now being phased out). Sure, the furniture and materials, based on Ford’s London home, were sumptuous and very tasteful. However, the store lacked that special something that makes truly unique retail formats stand out. When you walk into a Chanel store – any Chanel store -  you feel like you have truly entered the world of Chanel and all that it stands for. When you walk into Abercrombie & Fitch, there is a certain electricity in how the product and store environment go hand-in-hand to speak about the brand. 

This, the Tom Ford store did not have. Not yet, at least. For now, customers need to get through glass cabinets that hold many of the clothes more like museum pieces, than sumptuous articles of clothing. How is a customer going to feel the need to buy a beautiful cashmere sweater if he can’t even touch it before asking someone’s permission? This is akin to taking a child to a petting zoo and saying, "no petting allowed, unless you ask me first. "

The most disappointing thing for me is that Mr. Ford has completely misjudged the consumer he is going after. After having nailed it at Gucci, he has completely missed the mark here. Ford has insulted the intelligence of the customer by assuming he will pay the steep prices just because of all the frills. Frills or no frills, most luxury customers are very discerning about the product, and by making it so hard to form a judgment, the customer is forced to judge based on the store itself, not the product. The Gucci formula of glamour and sex won’t work when you are asking a man to spend $5000+ on a suit. It’s no wonder the store was completely empty.

My expections for this store were very high, even with the unfavourable media coverage that I had seen in advance. Mostly, this is because Tom Ford has been selling the idea of his eponymous brand to us for the past year and half.  It is also because I respect the man a great deal for his creativity, business acumen and personal style. So, you can say I felt rather disappointed than critical.

Many industry observers have been waiting with baited breath to see what he would come up with. Maybe this is another lesson learned for Mr. Ford, the erstwhile master of PR and spin. Be careful what you say (and how long you say it for, and how often you say it) about a big project in advance of its launch. You might just be setting yourself up for a different kind of high-profile PR than you had expected: the negative kind. Perhaps it would have been better for Mr. Ford to take a listen from the Internet world and go beta first, testing out the concept and honing it carefully before making the big splash.

© 2007 Copyright Imran Amed – The Business of Fashion.