Merchant prince, Clothes without frivolity, Spartoo’s growth, Coco’s story, Quiet entrepreneurship

| Daily Digest 24 October, 2011

Mickey Drexler | Source: W Magazine

Lunch with the FT: Mickey Drexler (FT) “My lunch with Millard S. Drexler, the 67-year-old chief executive of J. Crew, the American clothing brand made world famous by its First Client Michelle Obama, turns out not to be a lunch. Or to be more specific: not just a lunch. It’s lunch, followed by a short walk, a couple of emails and two phone conversations… Typically I find that chief executives of $1.7bn companies such as

African fashion influence, Brands look back, E-commerce innovation, European M&A, Mickey the Merchant Prince

| Daily Digest 14 June, 2010

Lanvin Autumn/Winter 2010 Detail | Source: Style.com

Africa’s influence in the fashion industry (FT) “A long way from the World Cup epicentres of Johannesburg and Durban, catwalkers in New York and Paris are already marching to an African beat… chiming with the prevailing mood makes economic as well as sartorial sense.” Will Last Century’s Styles Open Today’s Wallets? (NY Times) “Brands are combing their archives in the hope that old clothing styles with a

Mulberry blooms, Mickey Drexler’s jewel, Bored with frugality, LVMH cautious, Valuing Facebook fans

| Daily Digest 16 April, 2010

Mulberry Spring/Summer 2010 featuring the Alexa bag | Source: Mulberry

How Mulberry bagged success in the battle for affordable luxury (Guardian) “Many women spending nearly £1,000 on a handbag may salve their conscience by telling themselves it is an investment. But is it? ‘I am rather keen on the idea,’ chuckles Godfrey Davis, the chief executive of the fast-growing luxury brand Mulberry.” Mickey Drexler Has Yet Another Reason to Be Giving High Fives (Vanity Fair) “The