First Spring directed by Yang Fudong | Source: Prada

Cinema à la Prada (WSJ)
“With the Internet and digital technology, industry executives say short online videos have become an essential part of the fashion marketing tool box, offering customers a new way to interact with a brand and show clothing in motion.”

Web-only luxury retailers fared well during the recession (Internet Retailer)
“Luxury goods retailers that sell exclusively online increased their sales by 87% last year compared with 2008, even as overall luxury sales declined 20%.”

Hugo Boss to Keep Ohio Factory Open (WSJ)
“Hugo Boss reversed a decision to shut down a factory in Ohio, succumbing to an aggressive union-led campaign against the German fashion house and its private-equity owners.”

Anna Wintour on the Web, Vogue’s Future, and the iPad (WSJ)
“She was formally inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame during the National Magazine Awards, held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.”

Helmut Lang: From catwalk to gallery (Independent)
“He is, for many, the last of the great couturiers. With his chic white dresses and sleek trouser suits, Helmut Lang’s meticulous designs defined 1990s minimalism.”

Loewe Spring/Summer 2010 | Source: Loewe

Luxury goods brand LVMH sees sales soar (Guardian)
“A surge in demand for expensive jewellery, fashion goods, perfume and champagne has sent sales soaring at luxury goods firm LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. LVMH saw revenues jump by 11% in the first three months of this year to €4.472bn.”

Talbots Politely Shows Granny the Door (WSJ)
“To solidify its comeback and boost sales, Talbots must complete a merchandise and image overhaul aimed at attracting younger customers. And that’s a tall order for a brand that many women think of as perfect for their grandmothers.”

Morning Markets: FTSE muted as Dow hits 19-month high (Investment Week)
“Retailers were in the spotlight after the British Retail Consortium said UK sales in March rose at their fastest rate in almost four years thanks to the earlier timing of Easter. Total retail sales rose 6.6%, against 0.6% growth in March 2009.”

Hugo Boss Forecasts Higher Operating Profit, Sales This Year (Business Week)
“Hugo Boss AG, Germany’s largest clothing maker, expects ‘single-digit’ sales growth this year on rising demand for suits in North America and Asia. Operating profit this year will rise at a faster pace than sales, which should also advance in 2011.”

A Fashion App That Talks Back (WSJ)
“‘Ask a Stylist,’ a New Fashion iPhone App, Puts Style Experts On Call for Fashion Emergencies…The app, which claims to be the first to link up people in real time, is among the latest fashion tools to enter the crowded marketplace of 185,000 iPhone apps.”

Erdem Autumn/Winter 2010 Digital Print Detail | Source: Style.com

Prints for the Cyberage (IHT)
“Printed matter has undergone a digital revolution, as the new millennium has witnessed a dramatic change in the way that a pattern is developed to follow the shape of the body and to overlay actual images with virtual versions.”

Takashimaya’s Net Slumps 34 percent (WSJ)
“Takashimaya Co. said.. that revenue and profit for the year ended Feb. 28 showed steep declines as consumer worries about income and employment hurt the Japanese department store operator’s sales.”

Jil Sander Launches New Line (Elle.com)
“Fashion house Jil Sander has announced that it will be launching a brand new, lower priced line… designed by Raf Simons after all – the line will be less expensive than its catwalk counterpart.”

From Paris to Patna:Net takes high-fashion to small town India (Economic Times)
“The sweeping spread of cyberspace has made it an ideal channel for coveted brands like Versace, Gucci and DKNY to reach out to the nooks and crannies of India, the country often touted as the next big retail destination.”

A fashion duo dresses up a wine label (FT)
“It was recently announced that Basso & Brooke, British designers known for their use of fabric decorated with pornographic prints, had been appointed ‘designers in residence’ to Turning Leaf, E&J Gallo’s traditional wine brand.”

Boss Black by Peter Lindbergh | Source: Hugo Boss

Permira to keep Hugo Boss, ProSieben for years (Reuters)
“Permira doesn’t plan to exit from media company ProSiebenSat.1 and fashion label Hugo Boss for a couple of years, the German head of the private equity company told Reuters.”

Chanel wins counterfeit case but is forced to pay damages (Telegraph)
“A seamstress who took Chanel to court for stealing her small firm’s crochet pattern has lost her counterfeit case but the famous fashion house was ordered to pay 400,000 euros for breach of contract.”

Do These Vuitton Ads Stretch Too Far? (Business Week)
“Instead of sexy models flaunting handbags and lots of skin, Louis Vuitton’s current ad campaign features Vermeer-inspired images of demure young women hand-finishing purses and wallets at a workshop table… There’s just one tiny detail missing. Hardly any Vuitton bags or wallets are handmade.”

Luxury shoppers still spending, but shelling out less (Los Angeles Times)
“The recession’s end hasn’t reached Rodeo Drive, where salesclerks can at times outnumber customers. But many stores are better prepared than last year, with leaner inventories and lower-priced goods.”

Retailers expect steady Christmas trading (Drapers)
“Every retailer surveyed in the British Retail Consortium’s Christmas Trading Snapshot Survey agreed that this year’s Christmas trading period would be at least as good as 2008.”

Hugo by Hugo Boss Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss European sales fall 13 percent (Drapers)
“Total European sales at Hugo Boss fell 13% to €852m (£766m) over the first nine months of 2009 as the brand and retailer was hit by a turbulent northern European and Spanish trading climate.”

M&S and Next fight back while Primark shines (Reuters)
“Updates from three of Britain’s biggest clothing retailers should shed a little more light next week on whether consumers are starting to spend more freely ahead of the key Christmas trading period.”

Lulu Guiness signs investor to fund Asian expansion (Drapers)
“Lulu Guiness has sold a 15% stake in the luxury handbags and accessories label to Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group to further expansion in Asia.”

Prada shortens temporary layoffs as orders rise (Reuters)
“Italian fashion house Prada is shortening temporary suspensions for some workers by three weeks after orders for its spring/summer 2010 clothes exceeded expectations by 10 percent.”

The Fashion Fund (Vogue)
“Vogue and the British Fashion Council have launched a new £200,000 fund today to support Britain’s young design talent both financially and with expert business advice.”