Shoppers in Shanghai | Source: ChinaLuxCultureBiz

Global Luxury Brands Abandon Chinese Partners (Business China)
“In addition to taking direct control of stores in China, luxury brands are hoping to boost profits by tailoring new product lines to the meet local consumer tastes, and moving their manufacturing bases to China or other Asian countries with low labor costs.”

The Four Species of Wealthy Consumers (WSJ)
“A doctoral student and two professors have been studying luxury goods and their “brand prominence”–how noticeable a brand or logo is on a product. They tried to figure out what types of consumers want.”

Wealthy Web 2.0: Social Media’s Richest Audiences (Signature 9)
“When it comes to social sites, where are the wealthy spending time? On Facebook and YouTube primarily, but also reading blogs, tweeting or on the professional network LinkedIn.”

Social media failure should be embraced not feared (Biz Report)
“Social media marketing is still in an experimentation phase, with success and failures. Marketers should embrace the failures, as well as the successes, in order to learn what drives the best results and to formulate future campaigns.”

Hats Off (Vogue.com)
“Jane Taylor is the millinery world’s latest star… Taylor’s timeless and flattering pieces fuse her love of classic shapes with innovative, new millinery techniques.”

Jack Spade Clothing and Accessories on Gilt | Source: Gilt Groupe

Wanted: Guy Shoppers for Fashion Sites (WSJ)
“Online fashion shopping sites like Gilt Groupe and Rue La La have been a hit with women since launching over the last three years. A new push to get men to shop in these web boutiques is proving more difficult.”

Foreign luxury companies take note: Chinese consumers favour CSR (FT)
“A new study points to a more powerful tool: promoting corporate social responsibility. More than two-thirds of Chinese consumers said a luxury brand’s CSR would affect their decision to purchase decision.”

Luxe Spending Rises, but Apparel Lags (WWD)
“The country’s richest consumers will drive luxury spending up between 6 and 8 percent this year… but apparel is unlikely to benefit. Apparel spending by these consumers has recovered somewhat, but continues to slide.”

How Green Is My Sneaker? (WSJ)
“A group of roughly 100 well-known apparel brands and retailers have developed a software tool to help them measure the environmental impact of their apparel and footwear, from raw material to garbage dump.”

From Untouchable to Businesswoman (NY Times)
“Ms. Parmar’s moment of liberation came roughly 20 years ago, when the not-for-profit Sewa Project formed a unit in her village to help preserve endangered handicrafts and, equally, to provide the people who make them a form of alternative employment.”

Detail, 50 Yuan Note | Source: Kekapana

China’s textile firms may face bankruptcy on yuan appreciation (Xinhuanet)
“Half of China’s textile firms may risk going bankrupt if the value of the Chinese currency yuan rises 5 percent against the U.S. dollar given the industry’s thin profit margins.”

French Court Kicks Google/LVMH Case Back To Appeals (WSJ)
“The French Supreme Court Tuesday referred a previous ruling against Internet search giant Google back to the Court of Appeal, effectively canceling an earlier decision in favour of French luxury goods company LVMH.”

Manolos, Manbags Set to Outdo `It’ Bags as Luxury Growth Driver (Bloomberg)
“The next ‘It’ bag may be a shoe. As some customers struggle to justify spending thousands of dollars on Hermes Kelly or Chanel 2.55 bags, shoes like Jimmy Choo gladiator sandals are set to become a faster-growing luxury.”

The Actual Cost of Digital Marketing (Fashion’s Collective)
“Working as a brand marketer in today’s oversaturated landscape of media is a more difficult job than ever. Determining where and how budget should be allocated is becoming more fragmented with the constantly growing number of platforms.”

Stella McCartney gives Team GB fashion fix (Guardian)
“If an elegantly cut and tastefully colour co-ordinated tracksuit makes for a better athlete, then Team GB’s Olympic campaign received a massive boost today after Stella McCartney was revealed as its creative director.”

Iconic floral prints, courtesy of Liberty

Liberty appoints advisers to review the business (Drapers)
“Liberty has confirmed it is set to appoint advisers to lead a review of the business, which could lead to a sale of the iconic London department store.”

LVMH, Chanel Force EU to Modify Draft Law on Internet Sales (Bloomberg)
“Luxury goods makers LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA and Chanel SA may win more control over how Web-based retailers sell their products after a last- minute lobbying campaign over a draft European Union regulation.”

Why your price is right (FT)
Vanessa Friedman explores the “Dutch Auction,”  leaving pricing to the people.

Winning Designs in China: Standing Out to Fit In (Huffington Post)
“The Chinese consumer is becoming increasingly modern and internationalized. However, while “egos” and ambitions are huge, the “new generation” is not becoming “individualistic” in the Western sense – i.e., the peoples never define themselves independent of society.”

China becomes world’s 2nd largest luxury market (People’s Daily Online)
“If you think China is still a developing country, this piece of news is going to surprise you. China has overtaken the US to become the world’s second largest luxury market.”

PARIS, France - Just a few weeks ago I met Qiu Hao in Shanghai I am thrilled to announce that tonight in Paris he has been awarded the Woolmark Prize, worth €100,000.

The award is is famous for anointing both Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent in 1954 and this year it has been resurrected by Australian Wool Innovation, which recently acquired the Woolmark brand. Said Mr Craig Welsh, CEO of AWI, “We see the Woolmark Prize as an opportunity to support the future of design and at the same time, showcase to the world Australian Merino wool at its best and most innovative.”

For those of you who missed it, please check out our feature on Qiu Hao and his fellow Shanghainese designer Helen Lee, and congratulations to Qiu. Well done.