Browns' 40th Anniversary | Source: Browns

Browns celebrates 40 years in fashion (Telegraph)
“The John Galliano shirt wasn’t my first temptation at Browns, but has somehow come to represent what the shop stands for. Some four decades on, it has kept the flag flying for delightful conspicuous expenditure.”

Neiman boosted by sales revival (FT)
“Neiman Marcus, yesterday said its February store sales had improved, underlining the continuing revival of US luxury spending. The retailer said comparable sales rose 5.1 per cent in February from the same period the previous year.”

Women dominate mobile social networking scene (Biz Report)
“Over half (55%) of mobile social networkers were found to be women – not teens, who are more likely to use their devices to text. In fact, teenagers and college students combined account for less mobile social network traffic than their parents.”

Retailers are taking Liberty to heart (Independent)
“Target’s collaboration with the iconic London department store has resulted in the characteristic flower and paisley prints appearing on dresses, jumpsuits, swimsuits, bags, and even some home accessories, hitting US stores March 14.”

Fashion falls for Alice (The Toronto Star)
“Fashionable institutions are also falling down the rabbit hole in their rush to embrace the wonderment that is Alice. Paris’s Printemps and London’s Selfridges have dedicated entire display windows to fantastical scenes.”

SJP in Halston Heritage for SATC2 Movie Poster | Source: imdb

Sarah Jessica Parker partners with Halston (Times)
“Sarah Jessica Parker and Halston may be banking on fashion sequels: The storied designer label reportedly has hired the “Sex and the City” star in a creative role for its newly announced Halston Heritage collection.”

Burberry beats forecasts as luxury goods come back into fashion (Guardian)
“Recession or no recession, it seems luxury goods are on the shopping lists of the rich again, judging by a good performance from Burberry. The retailer said its total sales in the three months to 31 December had jumped 12% to £380m, better than analysts’ forecasts of an increase of around 3%.”

Zegna sees growth in 2010 (Plush)
“Milan, Italy: Leading global menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna sees a return to growth this year as it celebrates its 100th birthday, after closing 2009 with an 8 percent fall in turnover, its chief executive said.”

Texture Messaging (IHT)
“Creating fashion emotion in a digital age was the subtext of the Milan menswear season. Designers are streaming their shows and tweeting to their followers but more than anything else they are creating the desire for interactivity, mirroring touch-screen technology with sensory fabrics.”

Designers show one-offs at eco fashion show (Independent)
“Fashion designers including Thakoon, Bora Aksu, and Manish Arora have unveiled their unique creations that will be shown exclusively at EcoChic Geneva on January 21.”

LONDON, United Kingdom — After months of speculation and almost a year of going without a head designer, Halston announced in May that it had appointed Marios Schwab, the half-Austrian half-Greek Lond0n-based designer, as its new Creative Director.

Many in the industry breathed a sigh of relief. Amongst the various names that had been bandied around in the rumour mill, including Olivier Theyskens (apparently the strong choice of Anna Wintour), Schwab’s name was the one that seemed to create the most excitement amongst fashion insiders for his potential to develop commercially viable collections in the spirit of the brand’s DNA.

Making the final cut was no easy task. Amongst others, Schwab had to pass the muster of board members including Bonnie Takhar, Halston’s CEO, Harvey Weinstein, the notoriously demanding Hollywood heavyweight and investor in the Halston brand, and Tamara Mellon, Founder and President of Jimmy Choo. With a vested stake in the Halston brand, each of these big guns also knew that their decision would directly impact the bottom line at a critical time for the newly-relaunched label.

I caught up recently with Marios on a sunny day at London’s Shoreditch House to learn more about his decision to join Halston, his plans for balancing two labels, and his advice for young designers just starting out in the business of fashion.

… Continue Reading

Christian Lacroix Couture A/W 09, courtesy of Coutorture

Rethinking the rules at Paris couture shows (FT)
“Should couture go big or small? Subtle or over-the-top? These days, this particular niche of the fashion industry seems as volatile in its identity as the price of oil. When the rest of the world is busy doubting the rationale for your existence, a show is effectively a public argument for your worth. But how to make the case most effectively?”

Halston targets growth with heritage collection (Drapers)
“Luxury brand Halston is launching a lower-priced collection and is targeting European expansion.”

Kate Moss ‘to go into business with Sir Philip Green and Simon Cowell’ (Telegraph)
“Kate Moss is poised to go into business with Sir Philip Green and Simon Cowell, creating a billion pound global empire bringing fashion and entertainment together, it has been claimed.”

Critter-Friendly Grows Up (WSJ)
It used to be that synthetic shoes looked fake and cheaply made. But now, a growing number of manufacturers are launching stylish shoes marketed as vegan and animal-friendly for women who don’t want any animal products in their footwear.

Saks S/S 09 ad campaign, courtesy of Saks

Saks swings to a loss as demand falters (MarketWatch)
“Saks Inc. swung to a smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss Tuesday after the luxury retailer controlled inventory and expenses amid faltering demand for upscale goods.”

Halston Taps Marios Schwab as Creative Director (WWD)
“Ending one of the most speculated-about searches in recent months, Halston has tapped London-based designer Marios Schwab as its new creative director effective July.” (Subscription required)

Phillips-Van Heusen profit falls but beats Street (Reuters)
“Phillips-Van Heusen Corp, owner of the Calvin Klein brand, said on Tuesday that its quarterly net income fell, hurt by lower sales, but the results were better than Wall Street expected.”

Topshop unveils Kate Moss high summer collection (Drapers)
“Topshop has unveiled its high summer Kate Moss for Topshop collection which hits stores tomorrow.”

Models: Taking Business Into Their Own Hands (Forbes)
“While the supermodels of the ’80s–Linda, Naomi, Christy–were content with walking the runways and playing muse to the likes of Gianni Versace and Karl Lagerfeld, today’s top models have their eye on their own fashion design careers. Say goodbye to the supermodel and hello to today’s model/designer.”

Matteo Marzotto, courtesy of The Sartorialist

LONDON, United Kingdom — The recent news that Matteo Marzotto and Gianni Castiglioni have bought the Vionnet brand reminded me of the old saying about second marriages: a triumph of hope over experience. Arnaud de Lummen has already had a hand at reviving Vionnet, the classic couture brand, over the past few years, but has now moved on to other projects. (You can read all about it in BoF’s exclusive interview with de Lummen.)

In announcing the purchase of Vionnet, Marzotto said “I am convinced there is always room for projects that have at their core originality, energy and passion. With Vionnet I would like to bring back to life an idea of fashion that is contemporary without forgetting its history.” And, Marzotto is not the only one who thinks so.

… Continue Reading

Bonnie Takhar, courtesy of Halston

NEW YORK, United States — The trend for showing collections online, in lieu of runway shows, has been gathering steam in recent seasons. But, perhaps no initiative has been as ambitious as that of Halston, which debuted its own video presentation for Fall 2009 this past week.

Whereas brands like Marc Bouwer and Viktor & Rolf have previously shown online videos of looks going down the runway, Halston instead developed a bespoke, elaborate video presentation featuring Dree Hemingway, complete with signature music and a real fashion-meets-film concept.

Since the launch, Halston has successfully seeded the videos on fashion sites and blogs the world over, and the video has also been aired by major websites like Style.com. Of course, not everyone has responded positively — but that doesn’t happen on the runway either. And, it’s undeniable that the video has created an overwhelming interest in Halston, exemplified by a Google Trends search which shows highest levels of search volume ever on ‘Halston’ in January and February.

I sat down with Halston CEO Bonnie Takhar in the brand’s sleek SoHo showroom to see the new collection, discuss the goals and results of the video campaign thus far, as well as Halston’s plans for the future.

… Continue Reading

It’s been a long time since the days of disco, Studio54 and the iconic American fashion brand Halston. But, Net-a-Porter and the new team behind Halston are teaming up to use some very 21st century technology to  bring the brand back to life.

Next week, the newly-relaunched Halston will hold its first runway show at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. In a fashion first, two of the featured looks  will be available on Net-a-Porter the very next day for immediate delivery, less than 24 hours after the designs are revealed.

Historically, high-fashion collections are shown months before the clothes actually hit the shopfloor. This was fine in the days before the Internet and fast-fashion retailers, but in recent years, it’s only served to give time for others to knock-off the looks and get them to the market long before the real ones appear.

… Continue Reading