Primark Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Via Woman

The future of cheap chic (Guardian)
“It was a sign of the times: fashion so cheap it became ‘disposable’… But the days of the £4 jeans and £2 T-shirt could be numbered, with analysts and retailers now warning that the era of constantly reducing prices is coming to an end.”

Celebrity Fashion Lines (Forbes)
“Celebrity clothing brands are particularly volatile, because their success is closely tied to one person whose popularity can fluctuate violently.  There’s a lot of coming and going, because as their popularity wanes it affects everything else.”

What Rich Consumers Want: R-E-S-P-E-C-T (WSJ)
“Wealthy consumers don’t want flash and sizzle, they want authenticity, low-key practicality and craftsmanship… No one wants to be pay to be noticed anymore. They want stealth wealth and comfortable shoes. Or do they?”

Prada H1 profits nearly quadruple (AFP)
“Italian fashion company Prada said Friday its net profit nearly quadrupled in the first half of 2010 thanks to strong demand for luxury goods in Asia and sales at Prada-run stores.”

Fashion figures turn out for Alexander McQueen memorial service (Independent)
“Family and friends took a break from London Fashion Week for the ceremony, which was a ‘who’s who’ of the industry… Lee Alexander McQueen earned himself a reputation as the ‘enfant terrible’ of British fashion.”

Industrial sewing machine, detail | Source: Act Now

Britain’s appetite for fast fashion is pushing workers into starvation (Guardian)
“Ethical trade has to be to ensure that workers are being paid a living wage… [including] food for her family and cover housing, education and health needs – Asian garment workers are currently being paid about half of what they need to do this.”

Fashion chains H&M and Zara launch online operations (Guardian)
“Several retailers have warned that consumer confidence is waning as people worry about their jobs… Online fashion sales, however, are proving remarkably resilient. Zara and H&M are two more in a long line of fashion stores that have moved into the online retail market.”

Fashion provides opportunities everywhere (Times of India)
“Designers from small towns as well as big cities have bright prospects… The future of the Indian fashion industry is very bright. Our designers have to stick to their basics and class and style in their work.”

A Garment District Perennial (WSJ)
“Although M&S flowers have graced J.Crew shoes, Teen Vogue photo shoots and Marchesa gowns (including the crimson dress actress Anne Hathaway wore to the 2008 Academy Awards), the company has struggled to stay in business amid competition from overseas.”

A Return to Basics, One Stitch at a Time (IHT)
“When Sara Checcucci opened her atelier in Galluzzo… she was astonished by the number of young people who would stop to gaze at her through the window as she worked. Later some of them came in and asked her to teach them her skills.”

Introducing the Gap’s new 1969 Denim

VANCOUVER, Canada — Those of you in North America over the past week can’t have missed the media bombardment from the Gap, the ailing San Francisco-based mass fashion retailer, as it announced the launch of its new 1969 premium denim range, with six new fits for women and seven new fits for men.

Huge full-page ads featuring Anja Rubik appeared in the Thursday Styles section of the New York Times, radio spots with voiceovers from Patrick Robinson, the Gap’s head designer, touted the launch of the “best premium jeans in America,” and a Facebook page was launched with even more links to a Twitter page, a Youtube page (see the video from the Gap explaining the new fits above) and even an iPhone application.

The Gap’s new denim was simply everywhere you looked.

… Continue Reading

Photo by Sean Wood, courtesy of MEKAS

TOKYO, Japan — 2008 turned out to be an incredibly successful year for Uniqlo — and Uniqlo alone. The Japanese media can no longer mention the mass retailer without using the word hitorigachi — meaning “sole winner” or “to reign supreme.”

In a toxic retail environment, where most major apparel chains experienced 10-15 percent declines in same-store sales for December, Uniqlo finished the year up 10.3 percent. This came on the heels of Uniqlo’s stellar November, with 32.2 percent comparable-store base growth and the largest recorded monthly sales in the brand’s history.

… Continue Reading