French Connection Spring/Summer 2010 Ads | Source: French Connection

For French Connection, a U-Turn, Nicole Farhi Brand Sold (WSJ)
“The British French Connection, known for its sassy and borderline-profane marketing, plans to close most of its U.S. stores and sell its Nicole Farhi brand, serving up a cautionary tale for Zeitgeist-chasing fashion retailers that fail to adjust to a rapidly changing market.”

House Of Fraser Set To Expand As Sales Jump 10% (WSJ)
“U.K. and Ireland department-store chain House of Fraser said sales have jumped over 10% since its Jan. 31 year-end as it confirmed new debt covenants that will allow the group to expand its own-brand lines and online sales.”

MCM’s Eastern Makeover (WSJ)
“Now MCM, rechristened Mode Creation Munich, is attempting a resurrection. At its helm is Sung Joo Kim, an outspoken Korean businesswoman who earned her fortune licensing European luxury lines in Asia—and who is now trying to make her country, a big consumer of luxury brand names, into a creative fashion force.”

John Galliano takes a seat for Fashion Fringe (Telegraph)
“John Galliano, the global fashion star and creative director of Christian Dior in Paris, will take over from the Italian designer, Donatella Versace, as the honorary chairman of the annual Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden talent quest – and he wants to find fashion rebels just like himself.”

Brand Recognition Is the Issue (IHT)
“What is the final assessment on the 321 collections shown over the last month in London, Milan, New York and Paris?… Brand recognition is the vital issue, especially now that collections go global and viral before buyers have even had a chance to get to the showroom and make a choice.”

Hedi Slimane | Source: Limite

The Future Of Fashion, Part Three: Hedi Slimane (Style.com)
“[Slimane] has been both an insider (as, among other things, the highly influential designer of Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007) and an outsider… Here, he discusses today’s ‘costly and overwhelming fashion avalanche’.”

House of Fraser eyes Middle East expansion (FT)
“House of Fraser is set to announce plans to expand into the Middle East, as the department store chain aims to expand its customer base by taking advantage of demand for designer brands in the region.”

Designers embrace power of fashion’s blogging crowd (Reuters)
“Designers are embracing a growing crowd of internet-savvy fashion followers taking catwalk glamour beyond the coveted front row, with many young creators welcoming a trend they say brings them closer to consumers.”

Carolina Herrera opens new store in London (Telegraph)
“‘This is our fourth CH boutique,’ explains Herrera of the brand’s first London shop, ‘and we have another 18 opening around the world this year. We’re going global.’”

Gucci to launch heritage ad campaign (Drapers)
“The advertisements play on the brand’s heritage with images of workers in Gucci’s Florentine factory in the 1950s. The pictures, taken from Gucci’s archive, emphasise the history of the brand.”

Saks Fifth Avenue | Source: Luxist

BlackRock bets on Saks (New York Post)
“BlackRock raised its stake in Saks to 12.7 percent, bolstering the investment fund’s profile among financial and retail heavyweights with a big bet on the luxury chain. The giant money-management firm said it bought 20.3 million shares in the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue ‘in the ordinary course of business.’”

House of Fraser celebrates Christmas cheer (Times)
“Surging sales of own-label brands helped House of Fraser, the UK’s third-biggest department store group, to a strong Christmas. Like-for-like sales rose 7.1 per cent in the eight weeks to January 2 — more than making up for a 1.5 per cent fall during the same period last year.”

Inspired, or fashion theft? (Independent)
“While stores have long looked to the catwalk for inspiration – top designer’s collections barely make it down the runways of London and Paris before lookalikes appear on the rails of mainstream stores – such widespread copying of high-street rivals is a relatively recent phenomenon.”

Luxury Retailers, Meet the New Money (Motley Fool)
“There’s something of a bait-and-switch going on. In effect, these companies are transforming the notion of product exclusivity, which had been established largely through high price, to a model in which exclusivity is created by the appeal of finding that cheap treasure.“

Top designers to highlight biodiversity loss at UN fashion show (Independent)
“Top designers including Diane von Furstenberg and John Rocha will hold a catwalk at the European headquarters of the United Nations on January 21 to appeal against the loss of biodiversity.”