Federico Marchetti | Source: Fastcodesign

Net prophet (AFR)
“In 2000, Federico Marchetti, who was born in a small town below Venice on Italy’s Adriatic coast… Launched an innovative e-commerce business that has made him an industry titan. The planning that led up to the launch and what has happened since surely distinguish Marchetti as the ultimate ‘zagger’.”

The Beating Heart of Fashion (WSJ)
“Even if you don’t follow fashion, a stylist has indirectly influenced what you have on right now, informing your sartorial ideas on everything from power dressing to pastel romance. Grand, whose clients range from high fashion to mass market, is at the top of the pyramid.”

Why Jonathan Saunders is the designer of the moment (Guardian)
“Saunders has been on the London fashion week scene for eight years but it’s only been in the last year that his label has really cranked up a gear. So what changed? ‘Creatively I feel more confident,’ he admits. ‘I come from a textiles background with quite a niche brand image, but through experience I’ve learned to expand. The collection now has more separates and is less dress focussed, so it feels like there’s more of what women actually want to wear.’”

Traditional, ancient accents at China Fashion Week (Reuters)
“Haute couture mixing traditional Chinese touches and styles from more than 1,000 years ago with Western designs opened China Fashion Week, as the world’s fastest-growing market for luxury products catches the eyes of more designers. Models showed off a wide range of long gowns in bright colours, some featuring traditional Chinese embroidery and replicas of attire from the Tang Dynasty, AD 618 to AD 907, from NE TIGER.”

Talley Prepares Museum Exhibition (On the Runway)
“‘Walls are being painted, all of the dresses are basically in place,’ said André Leon Talley, on the phone from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he was putting the finishing touches on the first exhibition in the André Leon Talley Gallery in the school’s new museum of art.”

The Men (and Women) Who Would Be Halston | Source: NY Times

The Men (and Women) Who Would Be Halston (NY Times)
“Now presided over by the chief executive Ben Malka — until recently the president of the solidly middlebrow brand BCBG — Halston is expected to announce a new creative director, Marie Mazelis (also late of BCBG), to lead it… It’s safe to say that expectations aren’t high, after a series of ill-fated corporate maneuvers that began even before Halston himself died of complications from AIDS in 1990.”

Azzaro’s New Start (Vogue UK)
“Azzaro has appointed Mathilde Castello Branco as its new creative director. The designer, who previously worked with Alber Elbaz at Lanvin, will unveil her first designs for the French label in January for pre-autumn/winter 2012-13… Branco takes over from Vanessa Seward, an assistant to house founder Loris Azzaro. In addition to Lanvin, the designer also worked atHermès under Martin Margiela.”

Brunello Cucinelli planning Milan listing (FT)
“The company, which is based in a hilltop hamlet in Umbria, sells cashmere sweaters and leather jackets for upwards of €1,000 ($1,420), mostly in Europe and North America, and has emerged as a leader in the luxury niche in the past decade. The move by Mr Cucinelli follows the successful listing of Italian luxury goods companies Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo on the stock exchange this year.”

A head for figures (FT)
“The idea of celebrities such as the Beckhams, the Olsen twins and Sarah Jessica Parker crossing professional boundaries to launch second careers as fashion designers has become a familiar one in the 21st century. But beyond these famous fashionistas, a surprising number of financial and legal specialists are also foregoing their former areas of expertise to enter the style arena.”

Katie Grand: the super-stylist (Telegraph)
“Katie Grand, the magazine editor and stylist -or super-stylist as she is now described, perhaps in reference to the many fashion superbrands for which she has helped create defining images – has the sort of non-stop life that sounds just too fabulous and utterly exhausting.”

INDUSTRIE Magazine Issue 02 | Source: INDUSTRIE

“Marc pulled on one of the coats, put his hand in the pocket and found a Louis Vuitton Murakami phone charm that I must have been carrying the last time I wore it. He gave me a funny look and said, “I’m actually wearing your clothes. This feels a bit weird”

Katie Grand on dressing Marc Jacobs in her personal archive of his designs as captured by Patrick Demarchelier for Issue 02 of INDUSTRIE Magazine, which was first introduced to the fashion industry by BoF earlier this year. Stay tuned to BoF for a very special exclusive preview of INDUSTRIE Issue 02 later this month.

L.L. Bean Brushed Lambswool Crew Fair Isle Sweater | Source: L.L. Bean

Is L.L. Bean Driving the Runway? (WSJ)
“So-called ‘new heritage’ brands, created by youthful designers and inspired by iconic outdoor apparel companies, are opening their doors with Gold Rush speed.”

Italian fashion houses see 2011 as key test for recovery (Reuters)
“The luxury industry will only see in 2011 whether a full recovery is under way… with one predicting global sales could double in the next 10 years helped by emerging countries.”

Luxury Spending Up, But Wealthy More Cautious (Media Post)
“Despite lingering concerns about the economy, a new report from American Express Business Insights says luxury sales are up, gaining 9% in the second quarter.”

Fashion houses to raise accessories offer (Reuters)
“Sales of high-end accessories, which are easier to wear and offer higher sales margins than clothes, have boomed during the downturn, helping fashion houses offset the falling demand for more costly luxury goods.”

What Katie Grand did next (Guardian)
“Yet Grand’s influence is so forcible, she can take anything, or anyone, and make them interesting to a different audience. ‘Sometimes I think it’s good to not be as highbrow… Often fashion is quite lofty. It’s good to use different people.’”

Beth Ditto magazine cover, courtesy of LOVE

LONDON, United Kingdom — With the economy in the doldrums and the raging debate about “how long this will last” in full throttle, we have been distracted from the creative heart that is the fashion industry.

Thank goodness for Katie Grand, Todd Lynn and Christopher Kane.

In a recent interview with Ponystep about the launch of LOVE magazine, Grand reveals herself to be true to her creative sensibilities, especially given the emotional depth with which she approaches her magazine projects. She’s candid about her widely-publicised departure from POP, a magazine she created more than eight years ago, billed as “the world’s first superglossy.”

Last year, in a move which was actively speculated upon in the press during the months prior, Grand announced her new magazine project with CondeNast. The timing of such a launch by the world’s most famous magazine publisher might seem questionable to some — in case you hadn’t heard, the economy is in freefall and ad spending has plummeted at major titles like Vogue.

But open up LOVE magazine and you will find pages and pages of ads that must make the editors of other fashion tomes downright red with envy. Creatively, Grand has organised the magazine by A to Z and, she says, scaled back the retouching to make things structurally and aesthetically different from her POP days.

The response to the LOVE magazine itself, predictably, has been mixed. There is a pretty unanimous view, however, that the photography is stunning, especially the Mert and Marcus shoot of Beth Ditto. But while some critics are hailing Grand’s choice of Ditto for the cover as a genius decision, others have called it hypocritical when compared to the other subjects in the rest of the magazine. Some have noted that NME, the music magazine, had already put Ditto on their cover 2 years ago, albeit with a very different outcome.

By the way, I know all of this despite the fact that I haven’t even been able to see LOVE for myself. There is extensive coverage of the launch in major British newspapers, trade magazines, fashion websites and blogs around the world. And the magazine was sold out in the shops I checked in between shows today in London.

Clearly, this is a magazine that has got people talking. Regardless of where people stand, it’s nice to hear some real debate on the creative output of the fashion business, in addition to the discussion about the current economic crisis. And, if two outstanding shows in London today are any indication, creativity might be the salve that helps get us through it.

Half-way through Todd Lynn’s show, Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet whispered to me that Lynn had “leaped”, in a way that saw his nascent talent soar. In his best collection to date, he showed a series of lean tailored looks with a modern edge, juxtaposed against a background of religious music and models who carried stylised rosaries-cum-jewelry.

A few hours later, Christopher Kane also impressed with a stunning show of lightness, iridescent colours, and geometric lines. That this focused collection comes from a 26 year-old, still only in his sixth season at London Fashion Week, never ceases to amaze. Kane continues to show he has a vision of his own.

For savvy buyers like Natalie Massenet who still actively attend the London shows, spotting and supporting this kind of creativity is paying off. The online retail segment is the last bastion of rapid growth in the fashion business, and when paired with creativity, its power is undeniable. Earlier this month, Christopher Kane’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection, ‘Pre-Historic,’ sold out completely on its first day on Net-a-Porter.

If that’s not an endorsement for creativity in a time of crisis, I don’t know what is.

Imran Amed is Editor of The Business of Fashion