Uniqlo New York | Source: Covenants

Fast Retailing sets sights on US expansion (FT)
“Fast Retailing is poised to expand aggressively in the US, where it is opening its largest Uniqlo store on Friday, as part of its plan to globalise operations rapidly and reduce dependence on its home market… Fast Retailing, which made its name selling high quality, affordable, casual clothes, is accelerating its overseas build-up, with plans to open 200 to 300 stores globally each year for the next several years.”

Nike eyes $4 billion in China sales by 2015 (Reuters)
“Sports apparel maker Nike Inc has set a target of boosting its annual sales in China to $4 billion by 2015… The sportswear company had sales in China of about $2.1 billion last year, according to a market research firm cited by the Journal. In its fiscal first quarter ended Aug. 31, Nike reported China sales of $528 million.”

Is China’s elite looking for more ‘exclusive’ luxury? (Red Luxury)
“The upper echelons of society are getting a little more exclusive. Even in these demure economic times, luxury consumers need more than money to set themselves apart: patience and good taste are now more important in determining what’s haute and what’s not… The new frenzy of buying what is not just expensive but highly exclusive is being called hyperluxury…Much of Europe’s hyperluxury sector is being devoured by China, one of the fastest-growing emerging markets.”

Liz Claiborne to sell several brands, change name (Forbes)
“Financially struggling Liz Claiborne Inc. said Wednesday that it is selling its namesake brand and several others to concentrate on its Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and kate spade fashion plates… Liz Claiborne is the latest company to adjust its business as the U.S. consumer market bifurcates into the high and low ends, essentially squeezing out the middle.”

Jean Paul Gaultier: From the catwalk to the big screen (Independent)
“It is 40 years now since Gaultier was talent-spotted by Pierre Cardin. The young would-be designer from the provinces (he was born in Arcueil) has come a very long way… Khelfa’s film is one of an increasing number of documentaries and dramatic features set in the fashion world. Whether Valentino: The Last Emperor or The Devil Wears Prada, Gaultier has watched most of them. However, he has mixed feelings about the way the camera has captured his professional world.”

Wonder Girls for Chloé | Source: Luxuo

In China, Women Begin Splurging (WSJ)
“‘Many people are inclined to believe that gentlemen are generously purchasing luxury gifts for women in China, but our observation is that the great majority [of the buyers] are women who have achieved great success in their business and are now rewarding themselves with the finer things in life.’”

GQ, Gilt Groupe Team Up on E-Commerce Site (Ad Week)
“Gilt Groupe’s Park & Bond, an upcoming online retail spin-off for men, will host a GQ online store that will feature items picked by the magazine’s editors. Starting with the September issue, the picks will be marked in the magazine as well as on GQ.com, which will send shoppers to the e-commerce site.”

Resort isn’t a season for fashion to take a break (AP)
“The resort season is not a time for fashion to take a vacation. Resort collections, which hit stores during the all-important Christmas holiday shopping season, are a growing part of designer businesses as consumers move toward styles they can wear year-round.”

City speculates on Abercrombie bid for SuperGroup (Retail Week)
“US retailer Abercrombie & Fitch may be interested in acquiring trendy fashion retailer SuperGroup, City speculators believe… Shares in SuperGroup, which floated last year and subsequently rocketed, have fallen lately on fears of a sales slowdown.”

Jean Paul Gaultier lands in Montreal (Montreal Gazette)
“The object of the show… is to allow the public an up-close view of haute couture, which only those invited to the shows in Paris or the very few clients of haute couture in the world can see.”

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2011 Handbags | Source: Louis Vuitton

Luxury goods set for another record year (Reuters)
“The outlook for the luxury goods market has improved significantly in recent months, boosted by a stronger-than-expected rebound in the United States and Europe and surging demand in China, consultancy Bain & Co said.”

Why those in the know are no longer in with the It Bag (Independent)
“The It Bag is dead! Long live the It Bag!… And that is the new direction for fashion in times of tightened belts and shallow pockets: the unobtrusive item recognised by a privileged few and, therefore, with a much longer fashionable lifespan.”

Hermès Sells Stake in Gaultier’s Fashion House (IHT)
“‘I am delighted with this move for a house that is dear to our heart,’ Patrick Thomas, the Hermès chief executive, said in a statement. ‘I am convinced that the alliance between Jean Paul Gaultier and the Puig family will take the house to new highs.’”

Hong Kong Feminists Bristle at Prada IPO (WWD)
“Prada’s upcoming IPO in Hong Kong is upsetting feminists in the city… The feminist organization has posted two letters on its Web site; one in Chinese addressed to Prada chief executive officer Patrizio Bertelli, and another in English addressed to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.”

Liu Wen: Face of the future (Telegraph)
“At 24 Liu Wen is China’s biggest fashion star, a global ambassador for Estée Lauder, and in the vanguard of an Asian invasion of catwalks in Europe and America… In September 2009 Liu broke with the stereotype and became the first Chinese girl to model for the raunchy Victoria’s Secret show in New York.”

Mugler's pre-show and backstage live stream | Source: WWD

Mugler’s Digital World (WWD)
“‘My job was to resurrect the brand, and to pump it up and bring it to the new decade… I had this amazing history and archive but there was nothing for me to work with to make it contemporary. For me, it was taking those amazing historical ideas and transforming them digitally. I design digitally, I communicate digitally, and I live digitally, and I wanted to incorporate that into the brand.’”

Julie Gilhart on Sustainability, Philanthropy, and Life after Barneys (Thread NY)
“Julie Gilhart has been flying fairly under the radar since her dismissal as Barneys’ fashion director in November (aside from touting favorite socially-conscious causes via Twitter), but Friday she appeared at Afingo’s Fashion Forum at FIT to discuss sustainability and philanthropy, and revealed a bit about her personal priorities and plans in the process.”

Spain’s Puig is front-runner for Jean Paul Gaultier (Reuters)
“Spanish perfume maker Puig is the front-runner to buy control of fashion brand Jean Paul Gaultier after China’s Li & Fung walked away but Interparfums is still in the race, fashion and banking sources said… Jean Paul Gaultier, which is still lossmaking, made revenues of 26 million euros in 2010.”

Carine Roitfeld, Chanel Stylist (WWD)
“Carine Roitfeld, a guest editor and stylist at Barneys New York this fall, has also been tapped by none other than Karl Lagerfeld. The designer just wrapped up shooting Chanel’s fall-winter campaign in Paris with… the former Vogue Paris editor in chief, as stylist.”

Ten minutes with Carven designer Guillaume Henry (Telegraph)
“If you have not heard of Guillaume Henry or Carven – it won’t be that way for long. The ex- Givenchy and Paule Ka designer moved to the storied French house two years ago to breathe new life into the brand, and has since been causing quite a stir.”

Laura and Kate Mulleavy | Source: Displaced Bones

Rodarte Steps Up to a Widening World (IHT)
“Over the past year the fashion brand, created in 2005 by the sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, made headlines not only for its distinctive ready-to-wear collections but also for its first foray into costume design… [Now] they have announced that they have been invited by Pitti W, the womenswear portion of Pitti Immagine, to be its special guests at its June capsule collection in Florence.”

Designers Focus On Trunk Shows; See Boost to Bottom Line (Thread NY)
“While it may seem old fashioned in the midst of the e-commerce boom (trunk shows, after all, were first popularized by Bill Blass following World War II), many designers are finding that nothing beats face-to-face time with their customers. And to rack up sales, many of them are spending months on the road with their most recent collection… $4,000 dresses don’t just sell themselves.”

Less Appetite for Luxury (NY Times)
“‘I realize how much I have wasted… This whole incident has changed people’s outlook’… Now, analysts say, the triple disaster has jolted the Japanese into a new reality, sapping the materialist, feel-good spirit and replacing it with a focus on helping others and a mood of back to basics.”

Prada soars ahead of Hong Kong listing (FT)
“Prada, the Italian fashion group, reported a surge in operating profit in 2010 ahead of an expected stock market listing in Hong Kong as early as May… Prada’s figures come amid a sharp rise in luxury goods sales among the largest European groups as consumers from China, but also the US, Europe and the Middle East snap up expensive handbags and shoes.”

Getting Ready for Jean Paul Gaultier (WWD)
“A talking facsimile of Jean Paul Gaultier will greet visitors to the exhibit of his designs making their debut June 17 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal… ‘This is not just a fashion show. You’re going to see at work a brain that uses the medium of fashion to influence pop culture and to reflect pop culture, and the technology that is going to be part of this is fascinating.’”