Donatella Versace | Source: Versace

Donatella Versace is teaching a new generation how to thrive (Independent)
“Once a party animal, now the head of a fashion empire, Donatella Versace has lived through both good times and bad. Now she’s teaching a new generation of designers how to thrive.”

Betsey Johnson Faces a Makeover (WSJ)
“Steven Madden could likely help the $200 million Betsey Johnson label expand, allowing it ‘to put money into the organization, product development, marketing and corporate growth.’”

Young Chinese mortgaging their futures for luxury brands (Global Times)
“Young Chinese have been sold a distinct vision of what it is to be modern, and it’s all about the brands and the gadgets. But the Chinese economy isn’t yet capable of providing the income necessary for most urban youth to live a life of full-blown consumerism.”

New Facebook message platform a game-changer for luxury brands (Luxury Daily)
“Facebook’s new message platform breaks down the wall between email and social media with the potential to reap significant rewards for luxury marketers who can master the ecosystem.”

The Eye Behind Fashion’s Innovative Showcases (NY Times)
“The hordes of shoppers lining up for the Uniqlo’s+J collection in SoHo last month probably didn’t notice the store: the futuristic clean lines, steel railings, opaque glass stairs. And that’s the way Masamichi Katayama, the cult designer behind this mass-market fashion temple, likes it.”

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2011 RTW Runway | Source: Style.com

Spring, Fashion’s Operatic Season (NY Times)
“The season was the powerful game changer that retailers and editors have been hoping for — if only to give customers a new reason to shop. The longer skirt lengths and more forgiving jacket cuts with looser shoulders.. are easier to wear, and sell.”

How Facebook Can Become Bigger Than Google (Tech Crunch)
“Facebook’s alleged revenue has grown from $275 million in 2008 to $635 million in 2009 to a rumored $2 billion this year… Facebook is allegedly already earning double the revenues Google reported when it filed to go public.”

Mulberry rises 17 percent as consumers snap up its luxury handbags (Guardian)
“Consumers may be worried about spending cuts and the gloomy economic outlook, but that has not stopped them splashing out on Mulberry’s trademark leather handbags. The company said sales over the past ten weeks [are] up 57% in its UK shops.”

Gap Rebrands Itself Into Oblivion (Brand Channel)
“After dominating the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gap has dropped its iconic logo in favor of something that looks like it cost $17 from an old Microsoft Word clipart gallery.”

The 8 Most Influential Chinese Designers (Red Luxury)
“China is booming and so is its high street. Chinese designers are vying for a place in China’s evolving fashion landscape. Some are winning international awards in the process. Here are eight of the most influential designers in China.”

London Fashion Week tent at Somerset House | Source: FashionSpot

British fashion industry now worth nearly £21bn a year (Guardian)
“The research highlights not only the direct impact of the fashion industry, including wholesale, retail and manufacturing, on the economy but also its effect on other industries including financial services and tourism.”

From Runway to Retail (WSJ)
“After a New York Fashion Week of dramatic and extreme, if gorgeous, clothes strutting down the runways, now the outfits must become shirts, skirts and pants women will actually wear.”

Dazed & Confused’s Digital Relaunch (PSFK)
“With their new site, which went live on the seventh of September, after a period of hiatus with nothing but a countdown visible, they’ve cemented their position as one of the most advanced and forward thinking British publications.”

Facebook ‘Places’ Campaigns Debut With Betsey Johnson (ClickZ)
“A Betsey Johnson store in California and a novelties e-tailer will each launch Facebook Places campaigns… The location-based efforts represent the first-ever Places initiatives.”

Does Fashion Make Good Theater? (NY Times)
“From a layman’s perspective, the jostling melee of entry, seating and the all-important photo-taking constitutes the liveliest part of the show. It’s a comedy of manners to rival anything on a Broadway stage.”

Tom Ford by Terry Richardson | Source: Tom Ford

Glamorously, Tom Ford Is Back (NY Times)
“Explaining why he didn’t allow pictures, Mr. Ford said that fashion had become overexposed in recent years… ‘I want fashion to be fun again… You couldn’t wait to get the clothes and put them on, and I think we’ve lost that.’”

Luxury-Goods Firms Turn Up Volume on Value (WSJ)
“Luxury-goods retailers are coming to grips with the reality that ‘aspirational’ shoppers, who blew open the high-end market by stretching their budgets during the boom, aren’t coming back any time soon.”

Turning Playgrounds into Runways (Bloomberg)
“Dressing their kids in designer gear is a guilt-free way for fashion-focused parents to indulge their own penchant for following trends… It makes them feel good.”

Facebook adds ‘social context’ ad metrics (Biz Report)
“Facebook advertisers are being given more insight into the effectiveness of their campaigns. The social network has introduced new metrics focusing on the ‘social context’ of ads.”

New York Fashion Week | The Céline Factor (T Magazine)
“How much of the Céline designer Phoebe Philo’s tailored conceptualism, her hand with stripped-back superhot sportswear, would find its way into American clothes remained to be seen.”

Diesel Advert | Source: Diesel

Diesel banned from using ‘offensive’ ads (Reuters)
“Fashion label Diesel has been banned from using two adverts showing young women which a standards watchdog said were likely to cause serious offence.”

Global brands widening product portfolio in kids segment (Economic Times)
“Kids are getting spoilt more than ever before with busy parents trying to make up for lack of time and presence through luxury goodies, triggering a march of global kid’s fashion brands… into the country.“

Fashionable Shorts | These Movies Have Credits (T Magazine)
“In a time when the iPad has eclipsed the September issue, and editorial channels are growing while advertising page numbers are shrinking, luxury labels have to promote their collections somehow. The result? A fashion film movement, in full swing.”

Alexandra Shulman awarded Honorary degree by UCA (Telegraph)
“British Vogue’s Alexandra Shulman, was yesterday awarded a Master of Arts by The University for the Creative Arts. The MA acknowledges Shulman’s outstanding contribution to the fashion industry.”

Teens losing interest in Facebook (Biz Report)
“Of late there has been much speculation that Facebook is becoming a bit passé. New research from online gaming site Roiworld claims to illustrate clear signs of ‘Facebook Fatigue’ among teens.”