Mary Katrantzou Autumn/Winter 2011 | Source: Style.com

‘English,’ With Irony (IHT)
“Yet although there have been the usual glancing references to tweed, cable knits, plaids and country clothes, the real story lies with a young, techno-savvy generation. The prints that grow more sophisticated each season are light-years from the classic patterns of roses ’round the door. But they are only a click away from a student with a smartphone and digital skills.”

Olivier Zahm’s Purple World (WWD)
“So how does he do that without becoming a tool? Purple Fashion just breaks even — before it pays its staff and such mundane matters as the lighting and heating bills. It’s no InStyle or Vogue in the money machine department, that’s for sure. Yet Zahm is, in his way, as feted and courted as any editor in chief of a major, and more profitable, fashion title.”

And Poof! A New Clothing Label (NY Times)
“‘I thought about doing an archive revival mini-capsule collection,’ explained Ms. Kennedy, but she eventually chose new pieces by 10 alumni designers that she felt were both saleable and representative of Fashion East’s history… Lulu & Co. is stocked by Collette in Paris and Harvey Nichols in London, and Ms. Kennedy says she now looks forward to growing the line in coming seasons.”

Macy’s Net Jumps 50%, Beats Analysts’ Estimates (Bloomberg)
“Macy’s, the second-biggest U.S. department-store chain, reported earnings that beat analysts’ estimates after keeping a lid on costs and selling exclusive holiday gifts from celebrity lines… Sales exceeded Macy’s expectations in every region as well as at the Bloomingdale’s chain. Online revenue jumped 29 percent.”

McQueen continues to cast spell (Independent)
“Alexander McQueen, who died a week before last year’s London Fashion Week, was remembered at a launch event for the forthcoming retrospective of the designer’s work at New York’s Metropolitan Museum. Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the ubiquitous Samantha Cameron gathered with press at the Ritz hotel.”

Tumblr Screenshots | Source: Google Images

NEW YORK, United States — According to comScore, microblogging platform Tumblr hit an “inflection point” sometime last June. Page views on Tumblr.com — which lets users create mixed-media blog posts with the kind of extreme simplicity and immediacy not found in traditional blogging platforms — began to surge. By October 2010, page views in the U.S. were up a staggering 1,540 percent from the year before. According to the New York-based company, Tumblr now has 47 million unique visitors per month, 2.7 billion page views per month, and over 9 million users, with approximately 30,000 new users joining the platform every day.

With numbers like these, it’s no wonder that Tumblr — which has been compared to Facebook and previously attracted just over $10 million from Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures (both key investors in Twitter) — was recently able to raise between $25 million and $30 million in additional financing, valuing the business at an estimated $135 million. Famed Silicon Valley VC firm Sequoia Capital was the lead investor. “I will say, it is nice to be well-received on the West Coast,” Tumblr’s president, John Maloney, told Business Insider.

Interestingly, Tumblr has been very well-received in the fashion community, as well, giving rise to a universe of fashion-related microblogs. “Over the past year, fashion has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the Tumblr community, with 20% of our top 1000 blogs related to fashion,” said Rich Tong, a co-founder of Weardrobe (sold to Like.com in 2009) and Tumblr’s new fashion director.

It’s not surprising then that Tumblr founder David Karp told TechCrunch last week that Tumblr wants to be “the best place in the world for the best creative communities,” with fashion at the core of this focused strategy.

… Continue Reading

Olivier Zahm Self-Portrait | Source: purple DIARY

For Fashion’s Bad Boy, No Secrets (NY Times)
“[With Purple] and often salacious photographic blog, purple-diary.com, Mr. Zahm, a former art critic, has become a demi-celebrity in the fashion world. He likens himself to Andy Warhol, who managed a similar feat with Interview.”

Discount luxury e-tailer BrandAlley to launch a crowdsourced platform (Independent)
“Discount luxury e-tailer BrandAlley is launching a new virtual platform… Taking a cue from the rising trend of crowdsourcing, Le Lab will allow BrandAlley Web users to vote on and decide which designs make it into production.”

Master of the Brand: Bernard Arnault (Forbes)
“Though LVMH quickly denied it would try to take control of the 173-year-old Hermès, the stage is clearly set. It may be a long drama: Three-quarters of the company is still in the hands of 200 Hermès family members. Winning them over could take decades.”

Adidas raises earnings guidance for 2011 (FT)
“Adidas, Europe’s biggest sports goods maker, gave its first indications of how economic recovery will extend into next year, saying it expects earnings growth of up to 15 percent in 2011 after raising its guidance on 2010 earnings for the third time.”

Window Dressing Warriors (NY Times)
“David Hoey [and] Linda Fargo, have dressed windows for 14 years… During that period, they have earned Bergdorf a reputation for decadent, intellectual art pieces that tickle both street crowds and museum snobs alike.”

Olivier Zahm by Terry Richardson | Source: purple DIARY

The Future Of Fashion: Olivier Zahm (Style.com)
“The French editor and founder of the twice-yearly independent publication Purple Fashion has many other passions… but in an increasingly conformist world, Zahm offers an original, entertaining, and astute voice.”

Abercrombie Will Keep Discounting (WSJ)
“Abercrombie & Fitch said… it will continue its uncharacteristically high levels of discounting through the spring in order to boost store sales… it is willing to sacrifice margins if necessary to improve sales.”

Burberry accuses TJX of selling counterfeit goods (Reuters)
“Burberry Group… has sued TJX, accusing the operator of the off-price TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores of selling counterfeit goods.”

Céline starts from clean slate (Wealth Bulletin)
“After struggling for years to forge an identity, the label is finding influential retailers including Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman are clamoring to carry its collection, even as they cut back their portfolios to focus on best sellers.”

Paris: A Rounder Season (NY Times)
“Louis Vuitton seemed to provide the perfect bookend to the Milan-Paris ready-to-wear season… Between Miuccia Prada in Milan and Marc Jacobs at Vuitton we saw the return of the lush, full-hipped woman, her breasts served up like ripe fruit.”