L-R Céline, Hermès, Haider Ackermann S/S 2012 | Source: Style.com

On Paris Catwalks, Emotion Recollected in Tranquility (IHT)
“The post-power woman — purposeful but never aggressive — dug to the depths of women’s desires at Céline on Sunday. You could tell that the designer Phoebe Philo had put much of herself in the spring/summer 2012 collection because she was shaking with emotion backstage. ‘Strength and womanhood, effortless and beautiful,’ Ms. Philo said to sum up a collection that took her forward from her previous style, but only as a streamlined car purring ahead on the same route.”

Mall Kids Take Paris (NY Times)
“Only in the spontaneous, high-energy environment of Opening Ceremony, the retail temple dedicated to of-this-moment street style that started on Howard Street in New York nearly a decade ago, does it make any kind of sense that a pair of self-proclaimed mall kids from the suburbs of Los Angeles would wind up at the design helm of a Parisian fashion house.”

Hermès says buying power of luxury clients unchanged (Reuters)
“French luxury goods maker Hermès sees no sign yet of affluent buyers tightening their purse strings in spite of a somber global economic outlook… Hermès, known for its 10,000-euro Kelly handbags, joins the chorus of luxury brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and Lanvin that said recently trading remained buoyant even if consumer confidence was down.”

Fung Brands buys Belgian bags (FT)
“Fung Brands Limited, the private luxury investment arm of Fung Capital Europe, has bought Delvaux, the Belgium equivalent of Hermes. This follows Fung Brands April purchase of Robert Clergerie, the famous French shoe maker that had almost faded from view.”

Mario Testino at 30 Years (NY Times)
“In 30 years of fashion photography, he has captured in images the hectic glamour of beach life in Rio de Janeiro or the disciplined enthusiasm of the Horse Guards for the royal wedding last April. For that historic occasion, he was not only behind the lens to create an iconic image of a cuddly “Wills and Kate” before the event, but was also highlighted on camera at Westminster Abbey for his fame as a household name.”

Carol Lim and Humberto Leon | Source: Lane Crawford

Opening Ceremony Founders to Lead Kenzo (Elle)
“LVMH has tapped the retail dynamos behind Opening Ceremony as Kenzo’s new creative directors… Lim and Leon succeed Antonio Marras, who designed for Kenzo from 2004 until the recent menswear collection… Leon and Lim will continue to lead Opening Ceremony while working to reenergise Kenzo’s brand image.”

At Versailles, Rock ‘n’ Rococo (IHT)
“Who would have thought that modern designers could feel right at home amid the curlicues, gilding, Watteau paintings and water fountains of Versailles?… But as in music, so in fashion: modernity is in the mix. And a little of the courtly grandeur of Versailles goes a long way.”

Camilla Al Fayed buys Issa (Telegraph)
“The daughter of ex Harrods owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, purchased a 51 per cent stake in the label… Al Fayed’s title will be chairwoman and she will oversee the commercial expansion of the brand, while Helayel (who continues to hold a 49 per cent stake), will remain as creative director.”

Social Shopping Gets Personal (Forbes)
“Lucky magazine, Conde Nast’s publication dedicated to shopping and style, teamed up with ThisNext.com to create a social shopping platform on a co-branded site… Lucky readers aren’t the only ones who will be crafting personal shopping guides. Lucky editors and brand partners will also be pushing their picks.”

Rykiel for sale? (Vogue)
“Sonia Rykiel may soon be selling a minority stake in a bid to speed up its expansion… Rykiel has already approached Edmond de Rothschild Corporate Finance chairman Laurence Danon to help her look into options for the family-owned business.”

The Bay’s Bonnie Brooks’ lifelong ‘quest to be the best’ (Globe and Mail)
“Ms. Brooks is used to thinking big.  [At Lane Crawford], she used some of the same tactics that she’s applying at the Bay to turn it around: introducing an array of with-it brands, ditching old ones and putting a spotlight on high-margin shoes and handbags.“

How luxury brands can tap the blogosphere’s growing influence (Luxury Daily)
“Consumers trust blogs more compared to traditional media than they did five years ago. Brands should actively look for ways to generate positive press by developing relationships with prominent industry bloggers.”

Hermès needs to style media defense to unsaddle LVMH (Reuters)
“Winning the media war against luxury giant LVMH which began in earnest this week is likely Hermès’ only realistic chance of shaking off its unwelcome new shareholder.”

Adidas Aims to Increase Sales 50% to 17 Billion Euros by 2015 (Bloomberg)
“Adidas… aims to increase sales as much as 50 percent by 2015, CEO Herbert Hainer said. Revenue will rise to 17 billion euros ($23.7 billion) by the target date, increasing annually by an average of 15 percent.”

Kenzo celebrates 40 years (Telegraph)
“When Takada, the irrepressible, Japanese designer set up shop in Paris’s rue Vivienne, in 1970, he was part of a seemingly never-ending festival of fashion creativity that embodied youth, modernity, fun and freedom.”

Kenzo S/S 09 Ad campaign by Mario Sorrenti

Kenzo fashions its global comeback (Business24-7)
“Heading into the hot seat during a global downturn isn’t always easy, but if there are any stylised butterflies in James Greenfield’s stomach as he spearheads a revival of Kenzo, he isn’t letting it show.”

11.8 million worldwide job losses in textile & garment sector (Fibre2Fashion)
“The impact of the economic crisis on the textile, garment, leather and footwear sectors has been dramatic. Since June 2008, over 8,200 factories have closed and an estimated 11.5 million workers have lost their jobs.”

Nordstrom March same-store sales down 13.5% (WSJ)
“Nordstrom Inc. on Thursday said March sales at stores open at least one year fell 13.5%.”

Takashimaya Full-Year Net Profit Drops 37% (WWD)
“It was a tough year for Japanese department store operator Takashimaya Co., which saw declining profits and sales for its fiscal year ended Feb. 28, 2009.” (Subscription required)