Three generations of Missoni by Bernardo Conti | Source: The Guardian

Sitting down with three generations of Missoni (LA Times)
“Last month, the Italian luxury label’s Missoni for Target collaboration was so hotly sought after that it caused the retailer’s website to crash. Last Sunday, three generations of Missonis gathered in Beverly Hills to accept the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award — the first fashion house to be honored as an entire family. Could it be that Missoni is on its way to becoming a household name?”

Bargain Hunters, Hold That Click (NY Times)
“Flash sale sites, only a few years old, are tremendously popular. American visits to them increased 68 percent in September compared with the same period a year ago, according to Experian Hitwise, an Internet tracking firm, and 314 percent from two years ago. Such sites enable customers, who are about to enter the busiest shopping period of the year, to score deals on elite brands. Still, one can, with surprising regularity, find some even better deals elsewhere.”

Luxury Handbags Ditch Logos for Exclusivity (Red Luxury)
The world’s top luxury accessories brands are learning that the key to maintaining the aura of exclusivity is to hide in plain sight. To reconcile volatile economies with the demand for greater status symbols, top labels like Chanel and Victoria Beckham are producing high quality bags that speak for themselves, without the use of logos… Without logos, products themselves accentuate a brand’s personality.”

A French Perfumer’s Seductive Sense (WSJ)
“‘Odor is a word, perfume is literature,’ Jean-Claude Ellena, the official in-house perfumer for Hermès since 2004 and possibly the most adventurous, unconventional nose in France. After four decades of working in Paris and New York with multinational companies, and creating more than 100 fragrances, including Van Cleef & Arpels’s First, Cartier’s Declaration, Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert, he is exactly where he wants to be: hidden away in a forest in Cabris.”

Head over heels with Lindsey Wixson (Telegraph)
“Still only 17, Wixson has an unusually accomplished cv, packed with shoots for magazines including Italian Vogue, British Vogue, V and Pop; and for the biggest campaigns, including Miu Miu, Galliano, Barney’s and Jill Stuart Beauty. Now in her fourth season as a catwalk model, she had a total of 44 runway shows during Spring/Summer 2011. Her first shoot, for Italian Vogue, when she was 15, was by Steven Meisel.”

Indochino Bespoke Suit | Source: Gear Patrol

Why Dressing Well Is Costing More (WSJ)
“The culprit is the rising price of fabric. Cotton prices climbed a record 91% in 2010, and the price of crossbred wool hit a 14-year high in October, up 50% over 15 months… But higher material costs are only part of the story: Increasing demand caused by rising affluence is another.”

New Experience Economy to Drive China Luxury in 2011 (Red Luxury)
“Consumer demand for luxury experiences generally lagged the demand for luxury goods, but the time line in China is much speedier. Luxury demand for experiences is expected to occur almost simultaneously with that of luxury goods.”

An Editor Goes to Barneys, but Not to Shop (On the Runway)
“Dennis Freedman, the former creative director of W, has a new job: creative director of Barneys New York. As part of the continuing changes made by Mark Lee, the retailer’s new chief executive, Mr. Freedman will be responsible for overall creative direction of the store.”

Fashion Blogger Snags next H&M Collaboration (Financial Times)
“After the much-publicised sell-out success of their pre-xmas collaboration with Lanvin, high street megalith H&M has announced their next partner: Elin Kling, a Swedish fashion blogger and stylist. The bloggers have moved from commentators to creators.”

Outsider Art Finds Its Place in Fashion (IHT)
“The Museum of Everything’s exhibition of artifacts from historic fun fairs, old amusement arcades and folk art using taxidermy to create surreal scenes of human domestic life is the backdrop of Missoni’s latest fashion campaign.”

Liz Claiborne | Source: Archive

Targeting Younger Buyers, Liz Claiborne Hits Snag (WSJ)
“In an effort to attract a younger audience, Mr. McComb decided to focus on the company’s contemporary brands with the most potential… But he made a series of strategic blunders… The decision to realign the company’s portfolio ‘was a disaster waiting to happen’.”

Fashion Tries on Zero Waste Design (NY Times)
“Zero-waste design strives to create clothing patterns that leave not so much as a scrap of fabric on the cutting room floor. This is not some wacky avant-garde exercise; it’s a way to eliminate millions of tons of garbage a year.”

The Rise of The Blogger (Footwear News)
“Industry players said blogs have gained clout and relevance because they can post information about a company or show its product much faster than traditional media… The blogs also serve as marketing tools that can go beyond conventional advertising.”

Fashion Gets a Deserved Night Out (WSJ)
“Though the evening is devoted to commerce, it is balanced with an artistic side. A glance at the event’s website, Fashionsnightout.com, which launches Monday, reveals that brands across the spectrum… are exploring the interplay between fashion and the arts.”

Missoni: a family always in fashion (Guardian)
The Missonis have survived the years intact, with no scandals, shootings or skeletons falling out of the cupboard. And they remain in control, having resisted buyouts… As Angela says: ‘… To my mother that was the most important achievement. Family harmony was always her goal.’”

Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland

Runway-ready rooms (Globe & Mail)
“Fashion houses have found a new creative outlet: Hotels. In Europe and the Mideast, designers from Armani to Missoni are delivering chic interiors, stylish experiences and nice bedspreads.”

Plus-size fashion market squeezed in recession (AP)
“The American waistline may be expanding, but plus-size shoppers are tightening their belts. People just aren’t buying plus-size clothing at the rate they used to. Apparel in general — being a discretionary purchase — is suffering because of the economy, but plus-size has been particularly hard hit.”

Fashion chain Esprit’s H2 profit down; eyes expansion (Reuters)
“Esprit, the world’s No.6 fashion retailer by market value, on Wednesday posted a 40 percent fall in second-half profit, as global economic woes took a bite out of its core European market. But the company said it would focus on expansion to tap potential growth as the economy recovers.”

Fashionably first (Times of India)
“While the Delhi and Mumbai fashion weeks have captured the collective imagination of the country with a dynamic mix of talented designers, top models and great creations, the honeymoon was short-lived as infighting split the fashion industry in half.”

Missoni S/S 09 ad campaign, courtesy of Missoni

Stars in their stripes: Missoni a fashion powerhouse (Independent)
“For 50 years, it has dressed the stylish in its striped and zig-zag knits. Missoni is a fashion powerhouse, a family business and, a new exhibition argues, an Italian national treasure.”

Fast Retailing Lives Up to Name With Global Gains (WSJ)
“Despite the economic gloom brought on by Japan’s shrinking domestic consumption, Fast Retailing Co. has had no trouble living up to its name: domestic same-store sales in May of its Uniqlo chain shot up 18.3%, extending on-year gains to seven consecutive months.”

From South Korea, Innovation in Menswear (New York Times)
“South Korea is shaping up as the next hotbed of innovative menswear, with three of its most prominent designers creating tailoring with a twist for an international audience just as Seoul itself is becoming something of a fashion center.”

Liberty to sell Sloane Street standalone (Drapers)
“Iconic department store Liberty has closed its standalone Liberty of London shop on Sloane Street 12 months after it opened, after receiving an offer for the lease.”

Glimmer of hope for fashion (Business World)
“After a ‘frosty’ start to the year – when there were fewer shows at the January Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 menswear fashion week – there are some positive signals emerging, according to Italy’s National Chamber of Fashion.”