Image courtesy of Rad Hourani

MONTRÉAL, Canada – It’s been a year since BoF last spoke with stylist-turned-designer Rad Hourani. Since then, his collection has been taken on by fashion-forward boutiques Joyce and IT in China, Cache in Bulgaria, Seven Boutique in New York, and Canada’s Holt Renfrew and Reborn.

All the while Hourani has continued to use photography and film to express his razor-focused personal aesthetic, built around the colour black. This captured the attention of Hywel Davies, a contributor to London-based SHOWStudio, a collaborative online fashion community that fuses fashion with interactive online projects, film and live performance — a perfect fit for Rad’s craft.

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Saks Signature Bag

Saks Upends Luxury Market With Strategy to Slash Prices (WSJ)
Saks’ deep discounting before the holiday season will have a long-term effect on the consumer psychology.

Fashion Walks a Fine Line (WSJ)
During New York Fashion week, you’ll see dour and spunky on the runways, the magic blend that will court customers.

Retailers feel credit squeeze in India (FT)
“India’s biggest discount retailer said that hundreds of its stores had been attacked at the weekend after it failed to pay its security guards, in a sign of the potential socio-economic implications of the credit crisis hitting the sector.”

Shows must go on (The National)
In New York, despite the series of upheavals in the industry just before fashion week, “shows must go on.”

Daniel Silver and Steven Cox of Duckie Brown; Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava; Andrew Buckler; Sophie Buhai, courtesy of the New York Times

The Make or Break Season (New York Times)
“The age of the young designer, however, may be coming to an end.”

Zara’s Inditex latest to join the stampede to open India stores (The Spectator)
Zara, the Spanish fast fashion chain, will open in India.

Monique Lhuillier’s New Lower-Priced Gowns (WSJ)
Responding to the requests of retailers, Monique Lhuillier will now offer evening gowns that will retail around $2,500.

Lauder to Cut Jobs, Restructure (WWD)
“The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. plans to reduce its payroll by 2,000 employees – 6 percent of the workforce.” (Subscription required)

Scene on Madison Avenue, courtesy of the New York Times

On Madison Avenue, Shops Pack Their Hand-Tooled Bags (New York Times)
“New York’s most elegant shopping corridor, the Gold Coast of Madison Avenue, from 57th Street to 72nd Street, is pockmarked with vacancies as retailers flee sky-high rents.”

Mango’s sales rise 8% (Drapers)
Beating the downward retail trend, Mango’s sales rise 8 percent.

Industry Reacts to Lincoln Center Move (WWD)
Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park is New York Fashion Week’s new location, and not all industry players are happy. (Subscription required)

Berlin Fashion Week | Very ‘Project Runway’ (The Moment)
“Instead of distilling a powerful German aesthetic and developing the public relations and commercial infrastructure necessary for real success, people are more focused on blowing Champagne kisses and indulging their caviar dreams.”

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Gucci Spring/Summer '09 ad campaign

Murjani to divest Gucci stores in India (Economic Times)
In an effort to recoup investments he’s made in the luxury sector, Mohan Murjani plans to divest the operations of Gucci in India.

Luxury goods succumb to the cycle (FT)
Despite some views to the contrary, the luxury industry is proving to be prone to cyclical ups and downs.

Malaysian shoe guru Jimmy Choo plans teaching academies (Yahoo)
“Malaysian-born luxury shoemaker Jimmy Choo is planning a network of “Couture Shoe Academies” worldwide, with the first to open in his home country.”

A New Home for New York Fashion Week (New York Times)
After this month’s New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park, the event will move to the Lincoln Center for Spring/Summer 2010.

Macy’s to Centralize and Cut 7,000 Jobs (WWD)
As another sign that the retail landscape in New York is abysmal, Macy’s cuts 4% of their workforce or 7,000 jobs. (Subscription required)