Dior Homme: The Time I Had Some Time Alone (Dazed Digital)
“A world away from Slimane’s razor sharp aesthetic, the sense of ease and movement balanced with extreme rigor in the S/S11 collection betrays Van Assche’s growing confidence in his place at Dior Homme. Dazed spoke to Van Assche about the collection and his first foray into the digital realm – a film with photographer Willy Vanderperre.”

Fashion Rethinkers: Norma Kamali (JC Report)
“She uses Skype as a medium for customer service, the pieces from her most recent collection, which was shown in February, will hit her store in just a few weeks (compared to the normal delivery of a few months)… In other words, Kamali has never played by the rules, and for that we consider her a revolutionary thinker.”

Jimmy Choo the Man Back to Jimmy Choo the Label (The Cut)
“Choo has hired London-based investment bank and corporate advisory firm Daniel Stewart to look into his options, though sources are skeptical of his ability to get back in bed with the label that bears his name. WWD calls his breakup with Mellon ‘acrimonious,’ while an anonymous source ponders, ‘Would Mellon ever accept a Jimmy Choo owned by Mr. Jimmy Choo?’”

Mumbai has designs on the UAE (The National)
“As fashion week drew to a close in Mumbai, with ruffles, feathers and wings transforming the catwalk into a fairytale scene, business was brisk behind the smoke screens… among those making the biggest deals were buyers from the UAE and throughout the Middle East, participants said, with the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) summer and resort collections the main attraction.”

Shulman on the Middleton Effect (Telegraph)
“People are always on the lookout for new fashion icons, says Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman. At the moment there are few individuals who are in the news as much as Kate Middleton has been… the British fashion industry is benefiting from Kate’s public profile and associating herself with the home industury can only help it prosper.”

François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek

The new king of luxury (Fortune)
“Since taking the reins of one of the world’s biggest fashion empires, François-Henri Pinault has put his stamp on Gucci, YSL, and Puma. Now the luxury business is putting him to the test.”

Barneys Said to Weigh Debt Swap Amid Buying Interest (Bloomberg)
“Barneys New York is weighing a debt restructuring or bankruptcy filing that may wrest control from the Dubai government-owned firm …Hedge fund Perry Capital LLC, has been approached by Holt Renfrew, the Toronto-based department-store chain, about a joint offer for control of the 86-year-old luxury retailer, one of the people said.”

Escada needs to find buyer by early November-source (Reuters)
“Insolvent luxury fashion house Escada  has to find a buyer by early November because its financing will run out by December at the latest, a person close to the situation told Reuters.”

Samsonite Unit Seeks Chapter 11 (Wall Street Journal)
“The U.S. retail unit of luggage maker Samsonite Corp. has filed for bankruptcy-court protection with the goal of cutting its store count in half in a bid to boost earnings.”

Fashion Diary: Norma Kamali reinvents the runway (Los Angeles Times)
“Not only is the economy a challenge, so is the Internet. The speed with which photos of runway looks travel around the world is making the whole seasonal exercise of fashion weeks seem more and more ridiculous. So it’s no surprise that designers are rethinking how they can use the Internet to their advantage, including Norma Kamali, whose presentation titled “The Democratization of Fashion” will be held on Sept. 17 at the Soho Apple store.”