Adidas Y3 Spring/Summer 2010 | Source: Adidas

Adidas Net Profit Drops 65 percent (WSJ)
“Adidas reported a sharper-than-expected 65% fall in quarterly net profit Wednesday, but said it expects a rise in 2010 sales and earnings.”

H&M plans two-for-one stock split (Reuters)
“The world’s third largest fashion chain by sales said on Wednesday its board would propose the split at its annual shareholders’ meeting on April 29 and it would take effect between May 20 and June 18.”

Tesco launches recycled clothing collection (Guardian)
“The news that Tesco have collaborated with an ethical fashion label to create a line of recycled clothing for the Florence & Fred label may raise a few eyebrows.”

Christian Lacroix eyeing comeback (Independent)
“Lacroix’s ready-to-wear and haute couture might be things of the past… but the label will be branching out into stationery, sunglasses, and home decoration.”

Fashion is still a feminist issue (Times)
“Did Miuccia Prada really say after last week’s show in Milan that she was a former feminist? I lent in closer.  Yes, that’s what she’d said all right. ‘Feminism?’ she sighed, ‘it doesn’t really exist anymore does it?”

Alexa Chung for New Look Spring 2009 | Source: New Look

New Look joins list of companies scrapping IPOs (Independent)
“The fashion chain New Look yesterday became the third major company in as many days to scrap a planned stock market flotation, blaming the lack of appetite of potential investors.”

Superdry owner SuperGroup plans stock-market flotation (Guardian)
“SuperGroup, the fashion company behind the fast-growing Superdry label, is expected to unveil plans to press ahead with a stock-market flotation today, bucking last week’s trend, in which three big companies abandoned their plans to seek a listing.”

H&M Same-Store Sales Beat Forecasts (WSJ)
“Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB Monday reported a better-than-expected gain in same-store sales in January, marking the second consecutive monthly increase in sales.”

Fashion industry, struggling with size, realizes age is part of the problem (AP)
“The models auditioning for New York Fashion Week were undeniably thin. But it was only after the fashion industry started worrying about too-skinny models that casting agent James Scully began asking their age.”

The Future of Fashion: Cathy Horyn (Style.com)
“During our conversation… she talked about the critic’s evolving role, her sense that leggings are the enemy of innovation, and her belief that, in design, technique matters now more than ever.”

Hermès Timeless Silk Twill Ties | Source: Hermès

It’s a Man’s World (Newsweek)
“Just as some educators believe that single-sex classrooms are better for learning, some luxury brands are finding that single-sex boutiques boost the bottom line. While it’s not exactly a man’s world on Main Street, luxury brands are increasingly offering greater exclusivity in men-only shops.”

Versace Agrees on Job Cuts, Unveils Lower-Priced Women’s Line (Bloomberg)
“Gianni Versace has signed a preliminary agreement with unions on job cuts in Italy and introduced a lower-priced women’s wear collection as part of a plan to return to profitability in 2011.”

H&M fashions hopes of revival (FT)
“The results suggested H&M could be turning the corner after a series of disappointing sales figures last year… Karl-Johan Persson, H&M chief executive, said the economic outlook remained uncertain but predicted same-store sales would increase in 2010.”

Despite Economy, Neiman Marcus Stays Glamorous (Brand Channel)
“‘We have no intention of changing our business model or trading down,’ chief executive Burt Tansky told Wall Street analysts on a conference call last month. ‘It’s important to reiterate that we will continue to offer our customers the luxury and designer merchandise that they want to buy.’”

Juicy Couture’s Founders Step Back (Fashionista)
“Juicy Couture’s dynamic co-founders Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy are stepping down as creative directors.  There will soon be a new creative director—Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy will transition into creative consultant roles.”

Keeping Fast Fashion Fresh, and Profitable (IHT)
“It is not often that the Grand Palais… hosts a giant Ferris Wheel, a spinning swing, a shimmering mini Eiffel Tower, and a parade of scantily clad models showing lingerie on a catwalk resembling the Champs-Élysées. In the center of this adult amusement park stood Karl-Johan Persson, 34, in his new role as chief executive of H&M Hennes & Mauritz.”

Hermès and Gucci Press Equestrian Advantage (NY Times)
“The heart of the sponsorships is not commerce but the soul of the brands. Hermès has never deviated from its noble, officer-and-gentleman image. But this is a good time to reinforce that classy conception, at a moment when luxury has become associated with a period of extravagance and excess… Last weekend’s event may turn out for Gucci to be a Masters not just in jumping, but also in handling its heritage.”

John Galliano to start men’s wear line (Independent)
“Italian fashion giant Ittierre will license John Galliano’s first men’s wear range. While Galliano is responsible for the creative direction of French luxury fashion house Dior (in addition to his own label, John Galliano), this new line will be down-to-earth in comparison, with the designer eyeing a ‘contemporary-priced, ‘urban casual’ sportswear line.’”

Tough to let go for 70-something fashion designers (Reuters)
“The passing of the artistic torch is one of the most discussed subjects in the fashion world as it can make or break the survival of the brand — but no fashion house is willing to talk about it officially. Aside from Armani, the clock is ticking for a number of other fashion companies headed by 70-something designers including Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta in the United States and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel in France.”

A fashion icon, unwrapped (Chicago Tribune)
“Meeting Diane von Furstenberg, we weren’t sure what to expect. After all, this is a woman who married a prince, made millions, graced the cover of Newsweek at age 29 and hung out with Andy Warhol… Definite diva potential. Instead, DVF …was decidedly un-diva like. No big sunglasses. No handlers. No swish of the fur à la Meryl Streep in ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’”

Nick Knight: Techno King (IHT)
“What makes this glossy magazine photo session different is not just that it takes place in a London museum… It’s that there are thousands, maybe millions, of other viewers out there in cyberspace following the live stream, watching the hairdresser flicking Natalia’s Mohawk or sending tweets about her luminous beauty.”

Mariella Burani mulls strategic investor (Reuters)
“Debt-laden Mariella Burani Fashion Group is weighing taking on a strategic investor after it failed to close a debt restucturing accord ahead of a Monday deadline, the luxury goods company said.”

H&M: October sales drop but Jimmy Choo range is a success (Drapers)
“Total sales across the group grew 7% in October compared to the same month the previous year. The results came as H&M opened its doors to its latest designer collaboration, this time with Jimmy Choo which drew crowds across the country this weekend.”

Asos enjoys overseas sales boost (BBC)
“A big push into new international markets has boosted sales at online fashion retailer Asos. International sales grew by 112% in the six months to 30 September. Asos added 56 countries to its reach and now trades in 114 places.”

Iman: The model entrepreneur (CNN)
“One of the most recognized models of the 1970s and ’80s, Iman has used her entrepreneurial skills to great effect in the fashion industry, with her own cosmetics business and in her charitable fund-raising work.”

Escada Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: Escada

A fashion coup (NY Post)
“There is a new player in the international bidding war for a European luxury brand. The owner of Faconnable has emerged as one of the buyers likely to scoop German fashion house Escada out of bankruptcy.”

Luxury malls languish in booming Brazil (UPI)
“Dozens of new luxury malls remain nearly empty all over Brazil. Luxury boutiques would not release sales figures but analysts and sales staff said that few high-end retailers in Brazil are turning profits.”

Valentino pins right balance with new line (Reuters)
“Italy’s Valentino has pinned down the right balance for the fashion brand whose founder retired last year with its latest womenswear collection receiving “great response” from press and buyers, its CEO said.”

Japan, Foucault, Warhol And The Luxury Economy (Agenda Inc.)
“Helge Fluch… is working on an emerging philosophy of luxury which draws from Pierre Bourdieu, Baudrillard, Foucault, and other post-modern social theorists, and more contemporary references such as Currid’s ‘The Warhol Economy’ and Kapferer and Bastien’s ‘The Luxury Strategy’.”

H&M latest: now we can sell anyone new Jimmy Choos (Times)
“The list of big names teaming up with the Swedish chain grows longer. We meet the woman who keeps collaborations coming.”

Jimmy Choo for H&M Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: H&M

H&M Same-Store Sales Continue Falling In September (Dow Jones)
“Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB Thursday missed forecasts by posting a 8% drop in September comparable sales as it continued to suffer from consumers reining in spending during the economic slowdown.”

Luxury Fashion Brands Must Embrace Social Media (Forbes)
“Image is everything to luxury fashion companies. Preserving prestige is what sets brands such as Gucci and Hermès apart from Gap and H&M. But that same elitism is keeping certain luxury brands from engaging in social media, one of the most powerful forms of marketing at the moment.”

Sportswear Carries Urgency of the Moment (NY Times)
“This season a word that virtually disappeared from backstage sound bites was “emotion.” If a designer said something like “Fashion needs to have emotion,” you edged away. You want emotions? Just ask department store chiefs how they felt earlier this year after discounting their pricey inventories. Today people are shopping with their brains.”

Fashion Blues Turn Rosy (WSJ)
“The recession has by no means killed off all specialty stores, fashion designers or stylists. Many independent owners in the fashion sector are taking the opportunity to rethink and retool their companies to reflect today’s shoppers’ buying habits and needs.”

Acne Wants to Be Known for More Than Jeans (NY Times)
“Of all the interesting contemporary fashion labels coming out of Sweden — Filippa K, WESC, Nudie Jeans and Cheap Monday among them — Acne is alone in cultivating an image as something more than another jeans brand.”

Sonia Rykiel

H&M signs Sonia Rykiel (Drapers)
“Swedish clothing chain H&M has signed French fashion veteran Sonia Rykiel to design a range of lingerie and related accessories to be launched on December 5.”

Job Wanted — and Pay Would Be Nice (New York Times)
“Many of Britain’s most successful brands may be rich in creativity, but they are poor in revenue. So when a collection appears on the catwalk, often those remarkable clothes are created, at least in part, by unpaid interns.”

Fashion chain New Look models idea of flotation (Guardian)
“High street fashion chain New Look is expected to trigger a rush of flotations on the London Stock Exchange after it emerged the private equity-owned retailer has held talks over a possible £1.7bn listing before the end of the year.”

When artists meet designers (FT)
“When Zac Posen was asked why New York artist Rosson Crow was interested in collaborating on his recent spring/summer 2010 collection, the designer observed: ‘Throughout history fine artists have been funded by the greatest luxury brand of them all: Christianity.’ Why, he asked, in today’s more secular climate, should anyone be surprised they have simply moved on from a religious brand to fashion brands?”

The role of the muse in fashion (FT)
“What is a fashion muse? An amazing meteor that holds the eye and seduces for a second before vanishing? Or something more? Thanks to the cult of celebrity, we have become confused between names we know,such as Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and Yasmin Le Bon, and the real muses of the fashion pantheon. Behind every great creator there is a muse in the shadows, but they have never been given the attention they deserve.”

Jimmy Choo for H&M, courtesy of H&M

H&M August sales disappoint (FT)
“Hennes & Mauritz, the world’s third-biggest clothing retailer by sales, on Thursday announced a 4 per cent increase in third-quarter earnings but August sales were worse than expected.”

Eye on London: Fashion Week at a Turning Point (WSJ)
“A three-year, $6.9 million funding package from the London Development Agency has helped fund the British Fashion Council’s efforts to raise the city’s profile, which include a showroom in Paris and programs to support emerging designers. But the package runs out next year, and while the agency plans to put forward another proposal, some doubt that the funding will be as generous.”

Condé Nast Execs Expected to Cut Budgets by 25% (Ad Age)
“Condé Nast is inching closer to slashing costs at its magazines, as editors and publishers begin preparing their 2010 budgets following meetings with Chief Operating Officer John Bellando.”

Annie Leibovitz to design for Louis Vuitton (ELLE UK)
“Iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz and British artist Damien Hirst are just two guest designers creating their ultimate piece of Louis Vuitton luggage for charity.”

Time for luxury to engage (Brand-e.Biz)
“Luxury brands are facing something of a dilemma when it comes to social media. On the one hand, everyone else seems to be at it, and they certainly don’t want to miss out. On the other, they’re all about luxury – and that means maintaining a certain distance from the consumer.”

Annie Leibovitz, courtesty of Seattle Arts and Lectures

How Could This Happen to Annie Leibovitz? (New York Magazine)
Annie Leibovitz’s “debts now total a staggering $24 million, consolidated with one lender with whom she is engaged in a lawsuit and due in September.”

Murjanis seen recasting fashion assets in India (Economic Times)
“The Murjanis have decided to exit the luxury space and stay focused on the super-premium segment after bearing the brunt of the downturn. They exited Jimmy Choo and Bottega Venetta stores and ceded the rights of La Perla.”

No more easy living for Condé Nast (Guardian)
“The advertising downturn is forcing even the world’s most prestigious publisher to tighten its belt. James Robinson on the emergency strategies being taken at the home of Vogue, Tatler and GQ.”

Prada turns avant garde on its head (The Australian)
“Every once in a while, an art, photographic or multimedia exhibition rushes through the international media like a minor bushfire. More often than not, this is sparked by a) its “shocking” content, or b) its once-in-a-lifetime tour around the galleries of the globe. Less often it’s because it offers a real glimpse into the future, which is why an exhibition that opened in Seoul on the weekend, by an up-and-coming artist from Sweden, has drawn hundreds of journalists from across the world.”

H&M same-store sales -3 pct in July (Reuters)
“Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz reported on Monday a bigger-than-expected 3 percent drop in year-on-year sales at established stores in July.”