African investment, Gap quells fears, Abercombie boost, Philanthropic fashion, Working woman

| Daily Digest

Ituen Basi, Summer 2013, Lagos Fashion & Design Week | Source: NY Times

Fashion Weighs a Deeper Investment in Africa (IHT) “Designers from Vivienne Westwood to Jean Paul Gaultier have long drawn on the vibrancy of African culture in their clothing lines. But now the industry is taking a tentative look at whether it makes sense to put down larger stakes as the African economy begins to take its place alongside the world’s other promising emerging markets.” Gap raises full year profit view,

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BoF Exclusive | Behind the Tweets: Learning from the Best of the Fashion Twitterati

BoF Exclusive | Intelligence

NEW YORK, United States — To tweet, or not to tweet. That has been the question on many fashion business minds over the past year. Not every brand needs a Twitter account, but if a brand does decide to stake out a presence on Twitter, they should do so with a clear plan in mind and a voice that is consistent with the brand, while also opening up a new point of view. Most of all, Twitter should be a tool for engagement with a

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Asian-Americans gain ground, Homeware extensions, Posh’s fashion ambition, Life with Donna, Betsy’s new owner?

| Daily Digest

Jason Wu, Richard Chai and Alexander Wang | Source: Mochi

Asian-Americans Climb Fashion Industry Ladder (NY Times) “It was the first time that all three prizes given by the [CFDA] were awarded to designers who are Asian-American. That same night, the fashion council announced three scholarships, each for $25,000, won by student designers of Asian heritage.” Fashion brands are turning to the lucrative homewares market (Independent) “The trendy Swedish denim company Acne

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Remembering Dumas, Vuitton tops ranking, At the Met Ball, Up close with Stefano Pilati, Jason Wu collector

| Daily Digest

Carré Hermès | Source: Hermès

Jean-Louis Dumas, Chief of Hermès, Dies at 72 (NY Times) “Jean-Louis Dumas, who revived the flagging fortunes of Hermès in the late 1970s and in his nearly 30 years as the company’s chief executive transformed it into one of the world’s most successful luxury brands, died Saturday at his home in Paris.” Louis Vuitton Tops Hermes, Gucci as Most Valuable Luxury Brand (Bloomberg) “Louis Vuitton, the French fashion

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Fashion and Fur | How to foster an intelligent debate

| Uncategorized

LONDON, United Kingdom - For many of fashion's iconic characters, from Vogue's Anna Wintour to the prolific designer Karl Lagerfeld, who designs for Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous label, fashion and fur go hand in hand. Just last week, Lagerfeld vigorously defended the use of fur to the BBC saying that "in a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish." Of course, there are plenty of people who would disagree with this point of view - the folks at PETA, for one.  A PETA spokesperson told London's Daily Telegraph that Lagerfeld is "a fashion dinosaur who is as out of step as his furs are out of style. The vast…

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