Lanvin by But Sou Lai | Source: NY Times

The Inside Story of a Couture Dream in the Making (IHT)
“Few dare to focus on a blank page, even if it has a gilded trim, or to imagine that a cover could be made from gros grain, with the texture of a couture dress and no sign of a title — until you find the names embossed on the gilding: ‘Lanvin’ and ‘Alber Elbaz.’… ‘I didn’t want to make it a retrospective, the beginning of the end,’ says Mr. Elbaz, who is celebrating covertly his first decade at Lanvin.”

Lion Capital’s Lyndon Lea defends his performance (Telegraph)
“In recent months, however, Lion, a private equity firm famous for turning Jimmy Choo into an international luxury brand, has lost some of its glamour… Lea models Lion’s culture on the creative businesses it invests in, a different approach from most numbers-obsessed private equity firms, even if he does get some stick for the wild parties.”

Supergroup sales jump over Christmas (Reuters)
“SuperGroup, the company behind the Superdry fashion brand, posted a 22 percent rise in group sales over the key Christmas period as it overcame distribution issues which had dogged the firm in 2011.”

Valentino’s Creative Directors Prepare For Their Men’s Runway Debut (Style.com)
“Tomorrow in Florence, Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli debut their Fall ‘12 menswear collection as the invited guests of Pitti Uomo. The occasion marks the first runway show for the men’s collections, which the designers took over several season ago and have been quietly showing by appointment in their Place Vendome showroom—where it has been a quiet highlight of the Paris collections—ever since.”

Sole Man Blake Mycoskie (WSJ)
“Although he’s the founder of TOMS Shoes, the company that donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold, his name isn’t Tom. Social entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie named his for-profit company after his original charitable inspiration, ‘Shoes for a Better Tomorrow,’ which eventually became ‘Tomorrow’s Shoes,’ and then ‘TOMS.’

Lanvin Spoof Video | Source:

NEW YORK, United States — At BoF, we’ve been ranking the top fashion films of the season since 2009, when the genre was still just coming into existence. But even back then, set against the staggering rise of online video consumption and the growing importance of engaging young digital consumers, the medium’s tremendous potential was clear.

Fast-forward to the Autumn of 2011 and YouTube-friendly short videos are practically de rigueur for fashion brands, large and small. But interestingly, it’s not digital “Geniuses” like Burberry who have been creating the most compelling fashion films. Despite being labeled “Challenged” by a Digital IQ report recently released by LuxuryLab, we think the Prada Group is making some of the best digital films in the industry, working with top fashion image-maker Steven Meisel.

But this season, it was Lanvin’s viral sensation (also shot by Meisel), featuring Karen Elson and Raquel Zimmermann dancing awkwardly to “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” by Pitbull, that proved to be the game-changer that propelled fashion film decisively into the mainstream. The film struck a chord with a broad internet audience, earning over 100,000 YouTube views in the first three days online, providing the spark for a real-life dance competition at a buzzed about and well-attended Fashion’s Night Out event at the brand’s Madison Avenue boutique, and even spawning spoofs, the surest sign of of viral success.

Notably, it was stills from the Lanvin video that appeared in print advertising, flipping a well-established paradigm and highlighting fashion film’s trajectory towards the very centre of seasonal marketing initiatives.

And while we continued to see some absolutely stunning examples of films that look and feel like print campaigns or magazine editorial beautifully brought to life, it’s ‘digital first’ fashion videos, conceived from first principles with the online medium in mind, that broke the mold with humour, quirky charm or unconventional visual techniques which seemed to resonate most with online audiences.

What follows is BoF’s selection of the most powerful and interesting fashion films of the 2012 Spring-Summer season. As you sit back and enjoy the videos, let us know which ones you like best.

… Continue Reading

Burberry Mens A/W Show 2011 in Milan | Source: Oki-ni CultureShoq

Today, BoF exclusively brings you Savigny Partners’ blow-by-blow analysis of the rapidly shifting luxury fashion business model which is undergoing transformation due to underlying shifts in consumer values, technology and globalisation

LONDON, United Kingdom — Luxury fashion is a very exciting business which can generate substantial returns if you get the formula right. Not only is there the ability to charge up to ten times the cost of manufacturing a garment and the potential to build a global business; apparel can be the beginning of a page-turning blockbuster, accessories and leather goods are the next chapter, fragrances and eyewear licenses the well-oiled plot. The story can have a happy ending with the promise of many sequels to come.

Success stories in this field are mouth-watering: Burberry’s share price climbed from 175p in November 2008 to 1,116p at the beginning of this year as the brand went from strength to strength and reportedly attracted the attention of a number of acquirers. Lanvin has embarked on a stellar growth trajectory with plenty of potential yet to come. However, not all blockbusters have a happy ending. The latest crisis has claimed a number of victims: Christian Lacroix, Gianfranco Ferré, Yohji Yamamoto, Luella Bartley to name a few.

In this article we will examine how the traditional designer business model has come under threat and what key factors we believe are necessary to ensure the success of a luxury fashion label today. Finally we will take a look at what lies ahead for the luxury fashion sector.

… Continue Reading

Henri Bendel Holiday 2010 Catalogue | Source: Henri Bendel

US department stores gain Black Friday traffic (Reuters)
“U.S. shoppers spent 6.4 percent more this Black Friday weekend than last year and hit department stores and clothing shops, rather than focusing on discounters as they had done in recent years.”

Christmas shoppers stung by early price hike (Telegraph)
“An investigation has revealed Christmas shoppers are being stung by rises of up to 26 per cent on gifts such knitwear as retailers bring forward price increases linked to the soaring cost of cotton.”

H&M Says Lanvin Collection Performing Well (Bloomberg)
“[H&M] said a temporary collection from French designer Lanvin introduced this week has posted strong sales in countries including China and Russia. Customer reaction has been ‘extraordinary’ in China, Canada, the U.K., Italy and Russia.”

Needleman’s Newbie (WWD)
“The New York media world will finally begin to size up a new magazine war in town: Deborah Needleman’s WSJ. Magazine vs. Sally Singer’s T: The New York Times Style Magazine.”

The Making of Fashion’s Latest ‘It’ Girl (NY Times)
“She’s a hipster muse for Karl Lagerfeld; a regular on the pages of fashion and music magazines; and an inspiration for young bloggers…’She’s become the Kate Moss for this new generation.’”

Canal Street AF1, created to drive counterfeit awareness | Source: Kicks on fire

Copyrighting Fashion: Who Gains? (NY Times)
“Paradoxically, the payoff from free copying has been enormous.  The fashion cycle turns faster, and the industry gets richer – and creates new designs more frequently. So why on earth would anyone want to change that?”

Luxury brands wrest back China market, eye smaller cities (Reuters)
“Many piled into China over the last decade, pairing with re-sellers and joint venture partners, but with so much at stake, they are severing these ties and bringing their own considerable financial and marketing muscle as well as expertise to China.”

Lanvin to Make Clothes for H & M (NY Times)
“Lanvin, one of the oldest Paris fashion houses, announced today that it will do a collection this fall for H & M. People can have their first look at the collection on Nov. 2, in a film that will be shown on hm.com. The clothes will go on sale Nov. 23 in 200 H & M stores worldwide.”

Esprit to Double China Sales After Decline in European Revenue (Business Week)
“Esprit Holdings, the biggest Hong Kong-listed clothier, aims to at least double China sales in the next five years after reporting an 11 percent drop in full-year profit. The stock fell the most in three months.”

Should John Lewis revamp their fashion? (Telegraph)
“The department store has just announced a revamp – the word alone will send a shiver down the spines of its fans – with the aim of becoming genuinely fashionable. Why on earth does Britain’s Favourite Retailer need to get groovy?”