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.”

Reiss Autumn/Winter '09 | Source: Reiss

When a Bottom Line Isn’t Just About Profit (New York Times)
“As the fashion industry struggles with a global economic downturn and a rapidly changing consumer landscape, qualities that are at the heart of family and owner/founder businesses, like a consistent vision and a long-term approach, seem to be helping those companies ride out the storm.”

Fashion house Celine says 2009 year of transition (Reuters)
“French fashion house Celine, owned by luxury goods group LVMH, has been holding off opening new stores this year and hopes collections from creative director Phoebe Philo will underpin sales from 2010.”

Jimmy Choo and Inter Parfums Sign a Fragrance License Agreement (Yahoo)
“Inter Parfums, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Inter Parfums SA, and Jimmy Choo have signed a 12-year worldwide license agreement commencing on January 1, 2010 for the creation, development and distribution of fragrances under the Jimmy Choo brand.”

Paper Scrapes By In Style (Forbes)
“New York City’s Midtown skyscrapers host some of the biggest names in American media: Hearst, Condé Nast, Time Inc., The New York Times, CBS and News Corp. A dozen blocks south in the Koreatown neighborhood are the offices of Paper, a magazine that endures apart from the mainstream.”

Paris match: Giles Deacon’s tough glamour (Independent)
“British designer Giles Deacon’s brand of tough glamour made him a star of the London catwalks. This week he’s going to show the French capital what he’s made of, he tells Susannah Frankel.”

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

Jimmy Choo to Design for H&M (WSJ)
“Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB on Wednesday unveiled the name of its next designer collection team-up: British accessory brand Jimmy Choo.”

Burberry Chief Says Luxury Demand Is ‘Stabilizing’ (Bloomberg)
“Burberry Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Angela Ahrendts said luxury demand is leveling out as the market slowdown nears its first anniversary.”

Tod’s CEO sees some growth in 2009 (Reuters)
“Italian luxury shoe and bag maker Tod’s should see growth in 2009 despite the global economic downturn, its chairman and chief executive said on Tuesday.”

Pitti Uomo: Resilient mood on Day Two (Drapers)
“Exhibitors remained in a resilient mood at Pitti Uomo despite a quiet opening day and a general absence of UK buyers.”

Gucci Spring/Summer '09 ad campaign

Murjani to divest Gucci stores in India (Economic Times)
In an effort to recoup investments he’s made in the luxury sector, Mohan Murjani plans to divest the operations of Gucci in India.

Luxury goods succumb to the cycle (FT)
Despite some views to the contrary, the luxury industry is proving to be prone to cyclical ups and downs.

Malaysian shoe guru Jimmy Choo plans teaching academies (Yahoo)
“Malaysian-born luxury shoemaker Jimmy Choo is planning a network of “Couture Shoe Academies” worldwide, with the first to open in his home country.”

A New Home for New York Fashion Week (New York Times)
After this month’s New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park, the event will move to the Lincoln Center for Spring/Summer 2010.

Macy’s to Centralize and Cut 7,000 Jobs (WWD)
As another sign that the retail landscape in New York is abysmal, Macy’s cuts 4% of their workforce or 7,000 jobs. (Subscription required)

LONDON, United Kingdom – Yesterday evening’s British Fashion Awards ceremony was a wonderful occasion to celebrate the best in British Fashion Talent. There was a very impressive list of awards categories and an even more impressive list of winners, but I couldn’t fight this nagging feeling that something was missing.

Then, I realised that there was not even one award to acknowledge the various talented business people who also make their own kind of fashion magic, and are an essential part of the British fashion eco-system.

… Continue Reading