Gap store in China | Source: Juncture Mag

Gap plans store closures in US, while opening new locations in China (Washington Post)
“The struggling retailer, which runs the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic chains, detailed plans on Thursday to close 189 locations, or 21 percent of its namesake Gap stores in the U.S., by the end of 2013. At the same time, the largest U.S. clothing chain said it plans to triple the number of Gap stores in China from about 15 by the end of the year to roughly 45 by the end of next year.”

eBay’s New Retail Platform Is Mostly Free, So What’s the Catch? (All Things Digital)
“The platform, called X.commerce, was unveiled yesterday at the company’s developer conference in San Francisco and is designed to help any size retailer, ranging from family-owned stores to Toys “R” Us, keep up to date as shopping goes online and mobile.”

Female Founders Of Snapette Not Your Typical Geek Entrepreneurs (Forbes)
“The founders of Snapette are not your prototypical start-up entrepreneurs. At least in the minds of some Silicon Valley venture capitalists… While there are many shopping and style websites, Snapette is different because it focuses on actual products in the real world connected to location.”

Prada and Schiaparelli at the Met (On the Runway)
“Elsa Schiaparelli may share a birthday with Karl Lagerfeld (Sept. 10), but Miuccia Prada is unquestionably her sister in soul. Putting these two nimble minds together makes sense, and not simply because both are educated Italian women who enjoy a good fashion joke. The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that the spring 2012 exhibit at the Costume Institute will be ‘Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion.’ It will open May 10 and run through Aug. 19, with the gala on May 7.”

The woman who built a wardrobe with doors all over the world (Guardian)
“While the British high street struggles in the face of the economic downturn, My-wardrobe saw 68% sales growth in the first half of this year. Sales doubled in the 12 months to May after Curran introduced more upmarket brands such as Missoni and Phillip Lim. More than 900,000 shoppers visit the site each month to view collections from 180 designers, spending an average of £260.”

Mr Porter Screenshot | Source: Mr Porter

NEW YORK, United States — What began as a trickle is now starting to look more like a mass exodus. Jeremy Langmead, formerly of Esquire, is now at Mr. Porter. Andrea Linett, formerly of Lucky magazine, is now at eBay. Dennis Freedman, formerly of W, is now at Barneys. Fiona McIntosh, formerly of Grazia, is now at My Wardrobe. And the list goes on. It seems that there are almost weekly reports announcing that yet another magazine veteran has fled a traditional publishing company to take up a position at a brand or retailer. Recently, it was British Vogue that was in the headlines, when creative director Robin Derrick and fashion director Kate Phelan both announced within days of each other that they were leaving the magazine. Phelan is set to become creative director of Topshop, while Derrick’s plans have yet to be revealed.

By now, it’s a well-known fact that times are tough for traditional, ad-supported editorial outlets. For example, from 2007 through 2009, Condé Nast — publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair and others — saw about $500 million in revenue disappear, a decline from which it has yet to recover. In fact, Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townshend recently admitted to the Wall Street Journal, “My eyes are wide open. I don’t consider [the traditional ad-revenue model] to be a perennially sustainable stream of revenue.”

While the Great Recession cut traditional advertising spending dramatically, the internet has also given brands and retailers a cost-effective Clway to circumvent publishers and engage consumers directly with their own editorial content. Back in January, David Carr nailed the implications of this trend in a piece entitled “Publishing, Without Publishers.”

But while there’s been a great deal of discussion about the death of old business models, and the emergence of new ones, there has been relatively little said about the impact of this evolution on the actual content itself. In what ways — positively or negatively — will the rise of content created by brands and retailers transform what we call editorial?

… Continue Reading

Brooks Brothers: Made in America | Source: Brooks Brothers

Made in America: A hook for wealthy shoppers (Ottawa Citizen)
“The Made-in-America label has undergone a deluxe makeover. Everyone from Brooks Brothers to the Olsen twins is using it to hawk luxury goods… ‘There is a customer that appreciates that the product is made in the United States and is willing to pay for the difference.’”

My-wardrobe boosts foreign dress effort (FT)
“‘The past 12 months and first quarter of 2011 has been a pivotal time for my-wardrobe.com. Not only have we seen phenomenal growth in the UK market, but we have already seen a significant rise in sales across Europe as we lay the foundations for our international expansion.’”

Luxury brands and Social Media (North Jersey)
“Having 4 million Facebook fans or more doesn’t amount to much unless the online interactions also boost the bottom line. ‘Ultimately, this is about social commerce… Social networking is nice, but social commerce is much better, and that’s where we need to get to.’”

LVMH denies attempts to destabilize Hermès (Reuters)
“Puech dismissed efforts by LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault to strike a conciliatory tone regarding the Hermès approach. ‘After six months, we are the target of incessant attacks of the kind we’ve never seen in 174 years, even though LVMH says its approach to us is friendly… With friends like these, who needs enemies?’”

The Mexican fans Ralph Lauren could do without (Guardian)
“Sometimes, the market gets away from the marketers… For the Mexican children who see narcos as role models, the Polo look becomes something to imitate, and knock-off versions are readily available and widely worn. This is the sort of success a label would happily do without.”

Tommy Hilfiger Summer 2010 | Source: Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger Announces the Opening Champs Elysees Store (PR Newswire)
“The Champs Elysees store will serve as a true flagship for our brand in France and will further anchor our significant retail presence in Europe… It is an important milestone in our continued efforts to establish anchor stores in every major city around the world.”

Balderton invests $9m in My-wardrobe (FT)
“My-wardrobe is also looking to expand its appeal to customers outside of the UK, with a focus on France and Germany. Until now, the French market has been concentrated on online sales of discounted high-end clothes and accessories.”

The grown-up model comes of age (FT)
“Using older models in 2010 is less about the wow factor and more about reclaiming a generation. ‘Brands used to be obsessed with youth. Now they are realising that people in their forties are the customers and they’re addressing that.’”

Mittelmoda fashion awards in Italy (Telegraph)
“A fashion graduate from the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, and two MA graduates from London’s Royal College of Art, are among the prize-winners in the annual Mittelmoda.”

Dior Blooms Brightly (IHT)
“Backstage at Christian Dior, a simple pair of glasses transformed the show Monday into an extraordinary 3-D screen vision of women as flowers. Petals lapped their hips, colors were a hothouse explosion of vivid shades and skirts were shaped like the parrot tulips.”