Tumblr Screenshots | Source: Google Images

NEW YORK, United States — According to comScore, microblogging platform Tumblr hit an “inflection point” sometime last June. Page views on Tumblr.com — which lets users create mixed-media blog posts with the kind of extreme simplicity and immediacy not found in traditional blogging platforms — began to surge. By October 2010, page views in the U.S. were up a staggering 1,540 percent from the year before. According to the New York-based company, Tumblr now has 47 million unique visitors per month, 2.7 billion page views per month, and over 9 million users, with approximately 30,000 new users joining the platform every day.

With numbers like these, it’s no wonder that Tumblr — which has been compared to Facebook and previously attracted just over $10 million from Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures (both key investors in Twitter) — was recently able to raise between $25 million and $30 million in additional financing, valuing the business at an estimated $135 million. Famed Silicon Valley VC firm Sequoia Capital was the lead investor. “I will say, it is nice to be well-received on the West Coast,” Tumblr’s president, John Maloney, told Business Insider.

Interestingly, Tumblr has been very well-received in the fashion community, as well, giving rise to a universe of fashion-related microblogs. “Over the past year, fashion has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the Tumblr community, with 20% of our top 1000 blogs related to fashion,” said Rich Tong, a co-founder of Weardrobe (sold to Like.com in 2009) and Tumblr’s new fashion director.

It’s not surprising then that Tumblr founder David Karp told TechCrunch last week that Tumblr wants to be “the best place in the world for the best creative communities,” with fashion at the core of this focused strategy.

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Angela Ahrendts | Source: WSJ Magazine

Earning Her Stripes (WSJ Magazine)
“From small-town roots in Indiana to the big time as head of Burberry, a $2 billion fashion empire and one of the most widely recognized brands in the world, Angela Ahrendts takes it all in her stride.”

The Next Wave (NY Times)
“It is not just six names who are making waves in New York, but an entire generation of designers who have the potential to transform what we think of as American fashion.”

Out of Africa, Into Asia (WSJ)
“When Edun designer Sharon Wauchob unveils her new vision for the label Saturday, most of the clothes on the runway—some featuring African touches like beads from Kenya—will be produced in China.”

Luxury goods firm predicts return for UK manufacturing (Telegraph)
“The trend for luxury brands to outsource manufacturing, usually to the Far East, while concentrating on burnishing their marketing message may be ending. Discerning buyers are increasingly looking beyond the glossy sales pitch and seeking provenance.”

The return of Roland Mouret (Telegraph)
“My partnership with Simon Fuller is unique, he has allowed me to develop a business whilst ensuring I always had enough space and resources to follow my intuition and establish the company.”

NEW YORK, United States — Over the past ten years, the eco-fashion movement has been gathering steam. Following the lead of pioneering brands like Stella McCartney and NOIR, which were founded on the basis of ethical principles near the turn of the millennium, there are now entire fashion exhibitions, forums and blogs all focused on so-called sustainable fashion.

Ethical fashion is also high on the agenda of the major luxury goods groups. In April 2009, having already partnered with Stella McCartney to launch her eponymous label, PPR announced its support of HOME, an environmental call-to-action by filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand. François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer, said at the time that PPR’s support aimed to use “images and commentary to make us understand that each of us has a responsibility towards the planet, and that we can each act in our own way.”

A month earlier, Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, told investors at the luxury group’s annual shareholders meeting in Paris of his plan to take a 49 percent stake in Edun, the sustainable clothing label founded by Bono and Ali Hewson. “LVMH shares the vision and ethical values of Edun, a pioneer in ethical apparel, and its founders,” he said later. “LVMH is committed to advancing both the social and environmental aspects of sustainable development, which plays an intrinsic role in the development of our brands.”

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The newly opened Beirut Souks Mall | Source: Solidere.com

India, Brazil on hold, luxury targets Middle East (Economic Times)
“Luxury groups discouraged by thickets of red tape and taxes are putting on ice ambitions to expand into India and Brazil and focusing instead on the Middle East, their No.2 priority after fast-growing China.”

Auction of Fashion House Gianfranco Ferré to Begin (WSJ)
“The auction of bankrupt Italian fashion house Gianfranco Ferré SpA kicks off Wednesday with a call for potential buyers to express their interest. Ferré is the first major label felled by the economic crisis to come out the other end of restructuring.”

Edun Relaunches at Barney’s (Huffington Post)
“Edun wasn’t broken. It didn’t need a rescue. But it did need a revival, and it seems the expertise in efficiencies from the LVMH-tinged new guard, combined with the sheer optimism… might just make Edun an industry leader.”

Gucci Group May Sue Cadbury (WWD)
“Gucci Group is seeking legal advice after watching the latest TV advertisement for the Cadbury Flake chocolate bar… The ad is similar to the hologram image of Kate Moss that appeared in Alexander McQueen’s fall 2006 runway show.”

A Tender Tome of Art and Heart (IHT)
“A pair of white-gloved hands opens the mini-trunk and lifts, with the utmost tenderness, an object swaddled inside. What is this hidden treasure about to be revealed?”

The Mad Hatters spread, Harrods magazine, April 2010 | Source: Harrods

Harrods’ new owners announce upgrade plans (Telegraph)
“Qatar Holding is expected to back an expansion programme into new areas ­including China.  Harrods could become a global franchise as new owner… announces plans to ‘upgrade’ the luxury retailer.”

BCBG opens in London (Elle.com)
“BCBG Max Azria is the latest U.S. label to open its doors in the UK. Following October’s launch of Anthropologie and the imminent arrival of J. Crew on Net a Porter, BCBG opened on London’s Kings Road over the weekend.”

Baroque and roll: Fashion houses go back to their roots (Independent)
“In demanding economic times, the major fashion houses are going back to their roots for inspiration – so it’s no wonder that Donatella Versace is focusing on high glamour, rainbow colour and ultra-sexy silhouettes.”

Now Showing | Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston (T Magazine)
“… what the director, Whitney Sudler-Smith, presented on Friday at its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival was an affectionate, often kid-glove portrait — or make that ultrasuede-glove portrait — of the fashion legend.”

Mrs. Bono on how fashion can save the world (Times Online)
“Ali Hewson is determined to shrug off the sackcloth image of ethical fashion. What exactly does ethical mean? … I’m hoping that by following Hewson round in Uganda, I may find out — and discover whether it can really be good business.”