Peter Marino | Source: Peter Marino Architect

The fashion industry depends heavily on a wide variety of creatives apart from just fashion designers. In our new series, The Creative Class, BoF highlights success stories, insights and advice from the most talented creatives working in fashion today.

NEW YORK, United States — “Dude, it’s ninety-five percent hard work!” the black leather-clad Peter Marino told BoF on his rise to the position of luxury fashion’s most influential architect. And work hard he has. Since founding his own architecture firm in New York in 1978, Mr. Marino has designed many of the world’s most forward-thinking retail temples, redefined the luxury flagship experience and established a decades-long tenure as the “go-to guy” for powerhouse firms like Chanel and LVMH.

“My first commissions were from Andy Warhol, Yves Saint Laurent and the Agnelli family,” said Mr. Marino. “Then the fashion world took notice. I started doing retail in the 80’s when Fred Pressman hired me to revitalise Barneys, which was then a sleepy men’s store. We introduced a really novel concept — no one had ever seen anything like it before.”

It was while working for Barneys that Mr. Marino met many of the world’s leading fashion designers: Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Azzedine Alaïa, Miuccia Prada. “I worked with every single one of those designers to bring their boutiques into Barneys, which was tough, because we wanted a very cool and hip look for Barneys, yet I had to keep the designers happy,” he said. “Somehow, I was able to do that, so I got into it as a career.”

But developing retail concepts that translate the codes of the world’s leading fashion brands into three-dimensional space, while creating novel and engaging consumer experiences, is no easy feat. “My real charge from all of the brands and why they keep coming back, is that each time we do a new store, everybody feels like ’that’s the way the brand should look and it hasn’t always looked that way,’” explained Mr. Marino.

Sometimes this means working closely with the brand’s creative director, which is especially important when a fashion house is undergoing a major revamp, as with Céline, for which Mr. Marino is designing new Paris and New York boutiques. “Phoebe Philo really wants to be involved in the stores, reflecting her direction and interpretation of the brand,” said Mr. Marino.

But unlike many architects, Marino doesn’t start with pen and paper. “I’m a colours and materials kind of guy,” he said, describing his creative process. “I start with colours, paint, fabrics, wools, metal, steel and put them on a table and feel if it’s the brand,” he continued. “This is very different from going ‘Oh, I think I’ll make a two-storey space. Hey dude, you’re given the store! One out of ten, I get to do the whole building, but nine times out of ten you’re given an existing building, so you have a lot of internal architecture and certainly a lot of façade architecture [to contend with].”

Marino must also take into account some fundamental economic realities. “[Unlike a fashion collection] architecture is there for six to seven years,” he explained. “For all of the boutiques that I do, it’s the single largest cash investment these corporations make in anything — it’s hundreds of millions of dollars. They absolutely don’t want something that is going to be out of date three, four, even five years down the line.”

In the face of this challenge, Marino has a rather scientific approach. “We push the branding, let’s say, as a factor between ten and thirty percent, so I’m actually trying new things in every store and keeping the rest [constant] so you feel at home and so there is a continuum,” he said. “This is crucial for these corporations financially, which is why I say a continuum: change the new stores, but by the time you get to the end of the seven year period, which is how most of these stores are financed, then you’re ready to begin again, but none of them ever look out of date,” he explained. “That’s my formula.”

But perhaps what makes Marino most valuable to the fashion industry is the way he is so sharply attuned to the practical needs of retail. “Some companies might over intellectualise the process,” he said. “Shopping is shopping. I try to make goods very, very, very accessible. I’m not John Pawson who puts two bags on a wall sixty feet long because I think that’s just torture,” he continued. “If you’re there in the store, the idea is to see the merchandise, touch the merchandise and hopefully get some kind of emotional response out of it.”

Indeed, uniting emotion and shopping is something Mr. Marino does uniquely well. The London ‘Maison’ he designed for Louis Vuitton, which opened last year on Bond Street, is an ambitious examples of experiential retail, integrating work by artists like Takashi Murakami, Gilbert & George and Andrei Molodkin into the shopping environment, something Mr. Marino is famous for doing. “It’s really good bringing artists in early, because you create the space around their art and you work together with them,” said Mr. Marino. “The reason they’re artists is because they don’t see things they way you and I do. They have unique visions and it’s just fantastic. Some of the commissions that I’ve been allowed to do have really synced with my architecture.”

And while Marino has so far eschewed digital interfaces inside his stores, he has embraced new technologies to turn the façades of his flagships into cutting-edge works of art. “I think computers remove emotion,” he said. “But modern technology on façades is totally legitimate and we always push it.” Indeed, as part of his commision for Chanel’s Tokyo Ginza tower, Marino spent eighteen months developing a new kind of “triple polarised” glass which allowed him to turn the building’s exterior into a TV screen, while allowing those on the inside to see out. “We are [using new technologies] with Vuitton and we are doing a new Dior store in Seoul, which will have a beautiful lighting affect on the exterior,” he said. “And for Chanel we are doing a store in China which has a new computerised way of doing neon. It literally feels like a work of art.”

Unsurprisingly, Marino is responsible for many of the most impressive luxury flagships popping up across Asia. Last Week, Louis Vuitton chief executive Yves Carcelle hosted an opening party for the ‘Island Maison’ Marino designed for the brand at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino in Singapore. “It’s a vacation spot for millions of Chinese. It’s an occasion spot [sic] where you go for a week, you go to the casino, the amusement park, hopefully you go to the shopping center,” said Marino. “But [Vuitton] didn’t want to just be in the shopping centre like every other brand,” he explained. “The LV island is a real experiment in retail. It’s an object sitting in the water. You take a little wooden path 100 feet to the store, or there is a tunnel with a moving walkway; a little history of the company flashes by you, which is great fun, and then you come up,” said Marino, explaining the choreography of the consumer experience. “Because Vuitton, with their luxury luggage collection, owns the world of travel, it’s very much reminiscent of a luxury liner.”

With Chinese luxury consumption projected to account for 20 percent of global luxury sales by 2015, it’s no surprise that Marino is increasingly active in the country. “The stores there are anywhere form twenty to eighty percent larger than they are in the West, either due to optimism or the Chinese growth rate,” he said. “But I worry a little bit, because really big is hard to keep [it] luxurious,” he added. “I keep fighting against a lack of intimacy and a lack of surprise.”

Indeed, the demand for fashion is so high in today’s China that not all brands see the need to innovate architecturally. “They just make a box and stick it up and they are successful,” said Marino. “Here in the West, there is so much competition you have to raise the bar.” But in rapidly growing markets like China, flagships also serve to educate consumers. “They convey the brand’s origins, heritage and story,” he continued. “In every market survey that I’ve read or witnessed, [Chinese consumers] are very interested in this.”

For Marino, communicating authenticity is key. “One of the things that I do in China, specifically, is try to accentuate the origins of the company,” he said. “So with Loewe, the oldest Spanish luxury brand, we give it a bit more Spanishness,” he continued. “In this case, we would use an artist like Cristina Iglesias — we want Spanish artists there, because we want to get the message across that this is a Spanish luxury goods company.”

“For Chanel and Dior, I’m also very much promoting that they are French luxury brands,” he underscored. “This means a lot to the Chinese. When they go shopping, they want the legitimate experience of the brand.” Which is precisely what Mr. Marino is so very good at conjuring.

This piece was written by managing editor Vikram Alexei Kansara, with research from contributing editor Timothy Coghlan

Beyoncé photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth | Source: IHT

For Her New Look, Beyoncé Goes Under the Radar (IHT)
“The difference, this time, is in her choice of designers. Instead of sticking to major fashion houses like Versace, Gucci, Prada or Chanel, the singer has thrown the spotlight on a number of up-and-coming designers whose names are likely to be unfamiliar to all but the most diehard fashion followers.”

Luxury group Hermes raises 2011 sales forecast (Reuters)
“Hermes raised its full-year revenue forecast on Tuesday as growing demand for its silk scarves, fashion accessories and leather bags showed no sign of slowing despite a foggy economic outlook… After what it described as a “better-than-expected performance” in the second quarter.”

Do star designers really exist? (FT)
“… In fashion you are only as good as your last collection, no matter how famous you are. We need to remember this is a product-based industry, and in the end, it’s the products that matter… This is fashion. It’s not rocket science, and it’s not Hollywood either.”

Fashion Titles Chart Modest Gains for September Issues (Ad Week)
“If fashion monthlies binged on ad pages in 2007, only to go on a crash diet, moderation could be the watchword of 2011. That’s the sense from the titles as they close their all-important September issues, where advertisers spend big to showcase their fall fashions, and give an indication of their appetite for spending going forward.”

Phoebe Philo: The British fashion designer who’s leading the pack (Independent)
“…Celine, the French fashion label she took over in 2008 in a blaze of publicity, and transformed into a global phenomenon almost overnight… just a little over two years after Philo’s arrival, the Celine look is already instantly identifiable.”

John Galliano | Source: fotografuojam

John Galliano on Dior, Fashion and Style (WWD)
“Over the next hour he engages in ebullient conversation that is both thoughtful and as entertaining… In addition to addressing [the beautifully redone store], he will discuss his own creative process, anoint a mysterious Brit designer a rising star and argue quite convincingly that the best birthday parties happen in London.”

Phoebe Philo wins Designer of the Year (Telegraph)
“Phoebe Philo, who has been hailed as the ‘Queen of the New Minimalism’, won the Designer of the Year 2010 title at the British Fashion Awards… [for Céline the] brand she has turned into one of the world’s most sought-after luxury labels, since her appointment two years ago.”

Fashion and You raises $8 mn from Sequoia (Economic Times)
“Online apparel retailer Fashion and You has raised $8 million from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital… Fashion and You is a members-only website that retails international brands, Indian designer wear and handicrafts.”

Seven Lessons Learned at Our “How I’m Making It” Panel (Fashionista)
“Last night was Fashionista’s first ever panel discussion! Bringing our ‘How I’m Making It’ feature to life was so much fun and incredibly informative… If last night proved anything, it was that this business ain’t easy.”

The Rise of Holiday Me-tailers (WSJ)
“Social-networking also has helped break down inhibitions … We are so used to customizing the world around us… and technology has powered that… ‘In this day and age, I find everybody needs to be a little different.’”

The New Creative Establishment | Source: INDUSTRIE Magazine

LONDON, United Kingdom — Today, The Business of Fashion brings you an exclusive preview of The New Creative Establishment, a list of the 50 most influential and inspirational creatives working in fashion today, developed by our friends at INDUSTRIE magazine for their second issue which comes out later this month and was inspired by a much-watched list with a similar name published by Vanity Fair called ‘The New Establishment’.

Ever since the widely-read debut issue of INDUSTRIE hit the stands last May, editors Jens Grede and Erik Torstensson have been carefully creating their list which they say is a “celebration of creativity in fashion.” After the first draft of the list was developed, they sought feedback from fashion insiders and peers, and re-iterated the list several times. The emphasis is on the word ‘new’ as there are obviously some very important longtime names who continue to wield great influence who are not on the list. In the end, “those listed were selected not only for their creative faculties/creative contribution to fashion today but also because of the wider impact their work has had on fashion business, the social and other creative industries.”

So, without further ado, here is The New Creative Establishment from INDUSTRIE magazine. What are your thoughts and opinions? Who deserves to be on the list? Is anyone missing? And what do you think of fashion power lists in general?

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01. MERT ALAS AND MARCUS PIGGOT | Photographers

Mert and Marcus | Source: American Vogue

It’s the nature of the industry that only the very best photographers get to shoot for the most influential magazines and most important campaigns. But when it comes to working at the highest end of the business, none can match the sheer scale of Mert and Marcus’s output right now. Interview, Vogue, Love, W, Gucci, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Bulgari, Armani, Miu Miu, CK Jeans, Chanel, Valentino… And because of the extent of their influence within the industry, they can make or break the creatives they choose to work with: the models, the stylists, the hair and make-up – even the designers. Alas owns a majority stake in the company of Turkish designer Hakaan, whose recent collection at Paris Fashion Week after scooping up the ANDAM award, saw Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova on the front row and Daria, Natalia, Mariacarla, Sasha and Anja on the runway. All proof of the magic touch wielded by this duo, the latest names to secure a place within fashion photography’s all-time elite.

Further reading: The New Yorker
Web: www.mertandmarcus.com

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02. PHOEBE PHILO | Creative Director of Céline

Phoebe Philo by David Sims | Source: French Vogue

After working wonders at Chloé, Phoebe Philo’s arrival at Céline two years ago heralded the most significant revamp of a label since Tom Ford at Gucci. After several years in the wilderness post-Kors, Céline was finally back on track as Philo forged a new aesthetic for contemporary women, quietly and cleverly trimming back while the rest of the industry was blowing up big.

Meanwhile her mood books give us a tantalising glimpse of her creative process, and her ad campaigns take the radical step of dispensing with models and celebs to close up on the clothes. Most importantly of all, she has been namechecked by Kanye West in ‘Dark Fantasy’ — surely there can be no greater marker of one’s cultural relevance, and proof positive that she’s even mightier than the house she’s heading.

Further reading: The Financial Times
Web: www.celine.com

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03. NICOLAS GHESQIERE | Creative Director of Balenciaga

Nicolas Ghesquiere by Thibault Montamat | Source: W Magazine

Not exactly news, we know. But season after season his collections remain among the most creative and surprising of any Paris house, continuing to push the boundaries of modernism and making clever look sexy. After 13 years of brilliance this consistent, anyone else would be getting boring by now. What’s his secret?

Further reading: Interview Magazine
Web: www.balenciaga.com

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04. CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS | Fashion School

Central St Martins at Kings Cross in 2011 | Source: Central St Martins

Just look at who went there (even if not all of them made it to graduation): Stella McCartney, Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Hamish Bowles, John Galliano, Phoebe Philo, Katie Grand, Christopher Kane, Riccardo Tisci, Gareth Pugh, Giles Deacon… London’s Central St Martins School of Art and Design is the educational establishment the industry turns to for new talent and fresh ideas. Truly fashion’s greatest powerhouse.

Further reading: The Observer
Web: www.csm.arts.ac.uk

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05. MIUCCIA PRADA | Designer of Prada

Miuccia Prada | Photo: Guido Harari

For the unparalleled way she manages to balance creativity and commerciality. For being so recognisably Prada regardless of whether she’s pushing flowery romanticism, strict minimalism or rainbow-coloured optimism.

For the Prada Foundation. For her commitment to radical architecture. For being so clever and grown-up while taking way more risks than the youngsters. For making herself synonymous with fashion in mainstream culture thanks to being the first choice of fashion editors: would anyone have believed The Devil Wears Gucci?

Further reading: Wall Street Journal
Web: Prada.com

Phoebe Philo | Photo: David Sims for Vogue Paris

Lunch with the FT: Phoebe Philo (FT)
“Everyone was looking at me, and competition is fiercer because of what happened with the economy, but I also felt: it’s really not relevant to me what Céline has been or where it has been. It will be whatever I make it for the time I’m there.”

Luxury fashion enjoys a rebound, takes no risks (Reuters)
“While buyers are slowly returning to the shops in Western Europe and the United States, designers seem to have received the same instructions to create outfits, bags and shoes that are both sellable and clearly recognizable among fashionistas.”

Luxury brands must push ecommerce harder this holiday season (Luxury Daily)
“Luxury brands must use the reach and convenience afforded by online shopping to offset consumer restraint in the face of a still-tepid economy this holiday season.”

American Apparel appeases lender with key management hiring (Retail Week)
“Beleaguered US fashion chain American Apparel has hired Blockbuster executive Tom Casey as acting president, in line with a pledge to lender Lion Capital to secure key management talent.”

London sheep kick off the Campaign for Wool (Telegraph)
“Events are being staged in honour of The Campaign for Wool, a five-year project… to educate consumers about the benefits of wool, and promote wool-predominant products to help support and grow the wool industry.”

Stella McCartney Spring 2011 Look Book | Source: Stella McCartney

Women Designers and the Quiet Revolution (Guardian Weekend)
“From Phoebe Philo at Céline to Stella McCartney to Hannah MacGibbon at Chloé, women designers are at the forefront of fashion right now… When women design clothes for women, they do it differently. For women, clothes are not just seen, they are felt from the inside.”

Luxury stores caught out by surge in demand (FT)
“[Louis Vuitton] is not the only luxury goods company to have been caught unawares by the strength of demand after last year’s slump. Chanel has pushed up the price of its classic quilted leather bags by 20%… while Salvatore Ferragamo says sales have risen by 20% since June.”

Optimistic Feelings as Rich Buyers Return (Reuters)
“Optimism is in the air at fashion houses Christian Dior and Lanvin… Consumption is back in Europe… and the market has picked up again in Russia. There was a time when our affluent clients did not want to spend, but now it is over.”

Luxury brands must allocate more budget to online advertising (Luxury Daily)
“Luxury brands must invest much more heavily in online advertising or find themselves out of touch with the young consumers who might be their biggest clients in the coming decades.”

Call It a Victory for Maturity (NY Times)
“It’s worth keeping in mind that Azzedine Alaïa and Karl Lagerfeld are doing some of their best work past age 70… Indeed, maturity in fashion, as Hussein Chalayan suggested, ‘is knowing exactly what you need and doing it really well.’”

Alexander McQueen A/W 2010 | Source: alexandermcqueen.com

LONDON, United Kingdom — The passing of Alexander McQueen and the future of his namesake brand provided the defining background narrative of the Autumn/Winter 2010 collections. Everywhere a fashionista went, in every conversation, at every show, party and presentation, the ghost of Alexander McQueen seemed to linger as the industry struggled to come to terms with its most sudden loss of creative genius since Gianni Versace was gunned down in Miami in 1997.

But the shows had to go on. And, in a fitting tribute to Mr. McQueen’s futuristic fashion vision from last September, more brands than ever before experimented with live-streaming, digital innovations and new e-commerce models. And, while not all of the experiments were entirely successful, it was a great step forward nonetheless.

In our seasonal tradition, we give you a guide to the ins and outs, ups and downs, and random curveballs that kept fashion’s movers and shakers talking during Autumn/Winter 2010, the season that was.

1. THE MASTERY OF McQUEEN

Alexander McQueen digital tribute at On|Off, London | Source: The Business of Fashion

Right at the beginning of New York Fashion Week, as news of Alexander McQueen’s death spread on Twitter and Facebook, spontaneous memorials sprouted up in front of his stores on the fashionable boulevards of New York and London and industry observers speculated openly whether the McQueen business could survive without him. Then, catching everyone by surprise, Gucci Group announced in Paris that the McQueen brand would indeed live on.

Alexander McQueen CEO Jonathan Akeroyd told The Business of Fashion “There is a lot of emotion here and also we are all trying hard to push on and keep things going as usual. I am sure that the next year or so we will have a lot of challenges but at the same time I am convinced Lee left so much for us to build on, which means we can keep growing as a brand.”

“But who could possibly take over?” asked many a fashion insider. Some gossiped that Sarah Burton, Mr McQueen’s long-time assistant, was out of the running as she had already tendered her resignation. Others speculatively bandied about the names of Gareth Pugh and Olivier Theyskens while Gucci Group remained respectfully silent on the issue of succession.

As the Paris shows came to a close however, the focus appropriately shifted back to Mr. McQueen’s work. His final oeuvre, Angels and Demons, was shown to small groups of 15-20 people at a time in the gilded offices of PPR. So moving were the intimate and dignified presentations, that viewers left the room silently, respectfully, and sometimes in tears. It was a great honour to have seen the eerily-beautiful, final McQueen collection first-hand, reminding me once again of the depth of McQueen’s talent and his ability to move us.  He will be sorely missed. He already is.

2. MARKETWATCH: BRAZIL AND KOREA
Forget about China and India. Two other foreign markets dominated the fashion conversation this season.

In New York, a series of events were held under the banner Concept Korea, conceived by the powerful Samsung Fashion Division, Korean partner to scores of international fashion brands. From an event celebrating a fashion film by Nick Knight for Korean designer Kuho to an exhibition of designs from seven leading Korean fashion designers and a performance by Korean pop star RAIN, the Korean fashion industry did its utmost to demonstrate its growing influence.

Brazil, on the other hand, had a more stealthy — and thus, more powerful — presence during this fashion week season. The growth opportunities for fashion brands offered by Brazil, which had previously been in the shadow of its BRIC counterparts Russia, India and China, are in the laser focus of many a luxury goods executive. The topic of Brazil came up in conversation after conversation, over and over again.

We’re keeping our BoF eyes firmly fixated on Sao Paulo Fashion Week, Fashion Rio and Brazilian designers like Alexandre Herchcovich, Osklen, and Carlos Miele.

3. NEW YORK’S LOCATIONAL DIVIDE

Patrik Ervell Presentation at Milk Studios | Source: BoF

As fashionistas bade farewell to the Bryant Park Tents that have dominated the New York fashion scene for over ten years by doing what they do best — throwing a big party — Milk Studios solidified its status as the city’s unofficial new fashion week hub, with more than twenty shows and presentations, including Patrik Ervell, Band of Outsiders, and Joseph Altuzarra, some of the city’s hottest designers.  One little hitch to report on, however: we agree with Style.com’s prolific blogger and tweeter, Derek Blasberg who tweeted in frustration that Milk Studios needs to “organize some cell reception.” Once that issue is resolved, it could be the perfect fashion show venue, hands down.

As for the official fashion week site, the shows will move from Bryant Park to Lincoln Center at Columbus Circle next season, offering the IMG-sponsored event an opportunity to refresh its format and approach. No doubt, the biggest challenge will be attracting all those downtown-loving fashionistas all the way to the new far-flung uptown location.

4. BLOGGERS ENTER THE FASHION MAINSTREAM

Evolving Influence Conference | Source: Independent Fashion Bloggers

Jennine Tamm’s second Independent Fashion Bloggers conference in New York was a huge success. Not only was it oversubscribed two times over, the conference received prominent coverage from the mainstream media, including Women’s Wear Daily and New York Magazine. Most importantly, the IFB conference cemented the notion of a blogging fraternity, attracting participants from all over the world to participate in a discussion about the state of fashion blogging.

BoF was graciously invited to participate in a vibrant and interesting debate on the ethics of fashion blogging, but the final panel — featuring Bryanboy, Fashionista, Susie Bubble, Streetpeeper and of course, Tavi Gevinson, whose erudite commentary, peppered with genuine fashion geekiness, charmed everyone in the room — was undoubtedly the highlight of the day.

So now that bloggers have entered the mainstream, where do things go from here? We predict that those who are seduced by their newfound fame or use it simply as a way of getting free products and attending fashion events, will flounder and disappear. On the other hand, those who stay true to themselves, develop truly original content and take the opportunity to prove what they can do, will thrive over the longer-term.

As Tavi herself said recently on StyleRookie, “The same way teenagers can start a Flickr account and be noticed by a magazine, or a band can start a MySpace and be picked up by a label, blogs will act as jumping-off platforms for people that want to work in the industry.”

5. LIVE-STREAMING IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE REAL THING

Miu Miu livestream screenshot | Source: Dazed Digital

This was the season that live-streaming gained critical mass in the fashion business.

We agree with friend-of-BoF Thakoon Panichgul who told WWD “From seeing McQueen live stream last season, and then all of a sudden this season, 20 designers did it. It’s almost like everyone is already doing it and it feels kind of old already. It might become one of those things, like you need to do a look book, you need to live stream.” Such a smart boy, that Thakoon.

That being said, just as watching a basketball game or live concert on television doesn’t replicate the real thing, watching a livestream show, no matter how good it is, doesn’t replace the actual experience of attending a fashion show. So, while streaming fashion shows may be a great way to let consumers into the fashion show experience and a good back-up plan for buyers and editors who are otherwise occupied, methinks industry folk would still prefer to attend shows in person.

6. SALES DIRECT FROM THE RUNWAY

PS11 | Source: Proenza Schouler

The smartest brands didn’t stop at live-streaming alone. Proenza Schouler and Burberry gave real commercial meaning to the live, consumer-friendly shows, enabling fans to buy key runway items immediately after the show for a limited period of time, taking advantage of the post-show consumer frenzy of desire. The runway orders also offer a veritable crystal ball into future demand for the same products in-season.

In the case of Proenza Schouler, the key item in question was the PS11 bag, runway cousin to the classic PS1 bag, which has quickly become a modern American classic. Indeed, much to the jealous squeals of some fashionista bloggers we know, Lauren Santo-Domingo carried a different coloured Ps1 ever single day of New York Fashion Week. Yet another proof of the surge in Proenza Schouler’s reputation as a breakout fashion accessories business.

7. PHOEBE’S PHENOMENON AND RICK’S RULES

Celine A/W 2010 | Source: Jak and Jil

While many runways were replete with a dark palette of folded leather and draped jersey, an aesthetic movement pioneered by Rick Owens, an undeniable wave of minimalism crept onto the catwalks this season, following in the footsteps of the first highly-influential runway collection by Phoebe Philo for Céline, shown in Paris last October.

Judging by reviews from Suzy Menkes, Sarah Mower, and countless other critics who fell under Phoebe’s spell again this time around, Ms. Philo’s latest show was a raging success. And, while Cathy Horyn raised the spectre of the Martin Margiela’s influence on the new Céline, this didn’t seem to matter to the countless influential editors and buyers who were proudly wearing their Céline camel jackets and blazers around fashion week like the unofficial uniform of the cool fashion crowd.

The real sign of Philo’s influence, however, was on the runways of countless other designers who seemed to fall into line, wholeheartedly endorsing the new minimalism. From Reed Krakoff’s debut collection in New York to former design partner Stella McCartney’s collection at the Palais Garnier in Paris, unembellished clothes in modern, minimalist cuts flooded the catwalks.

But demonstrating yet again that he creates his own rules, one notable exception to the wholesale removal of embellishment was Mr. Rick Owens, whose signature silhouettes came down the runway in all sorts of new colours, baubles, fur and horn-appliqués, adding a fresh new energy to his now widely-copied aesthetic.

Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion

Phoebe Philo by Solve Sundsbo | Source: NY Times

Phoebe Philo’s Third Act (T Magazine)
“A designer’s debut at a new label is always exciting, especially if it is backed by a luxury colossus, as Céline is by LVMH. But this particular designer is the fashion superstar who made Chloé one of the hottest labels of the early 2000s.”

Bottega Veneta Grows Up (WSJ)
“As Bottega pursues its strategy to grow from a niche player into a global brand, it has been conducting a major overhaul to its business, starting from the production line. As part of that, it now decides well before its catwalks what—and how much—to manufacture and send to stores.”

Liberty considers freehold sale of iconic flagship store (Retail Week)
“Liberty has confirmed that investors are circling the luxury department store’s iconic Tudor-style building to lease it back to the company.”

Vogue App Turns Ads Into Shopping Links (WSJ)
“Vogue readers with iPhones are getting another toy to play with this month. The magazine is launching an application that looks like a fun shopping and styling tool but is actually a savvy way to connect the magazine and its advertisers directly with readers’ wallets.”

Milan Goes in All Directions (NY Times)
“The problem is Ms. Prada doesn’t know what to do with these older forms other than offer them… By contrast, the clothes for Fendi looked modern and relaxed.”

Reiss Autumn/Winter '09 | Source: Reiss

When a Bottom Line Isn’t Just About Profit (New York Times)
“As the fashion industry struggles with a global economic downturn and a rapidly changing consumer landscape, qualities that are at the heart of family and owner/founder businesses, like a consistent vision and a long-term approach, seem to be helping those companies ride out the storm.”

Fashion house Celine says 2009 year of transition (Reuters)
“French fashion house Celine, owned by luxury goods group LVMH, has been holding off opening new stores this year and hopes collections from creative director Phoebe Philo will underpin sales from 2010.”

Jimmy Choo and Inter Parfums Sign a Fragrance License Agreement (Yahoo)
“Inter Parfums, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Inter Parfums SA, and Jimmy Choo have signed a 12-year worldwide license agreement commencing on January 1, 2010 for the creation, development and distribution of fragrances under the Jimmy Choo brand.”

Paper Scrapes By In Style (Forbes)
“New York City’s Midtown skyscrapers host some of the biggest names in American media: Hearst, Condé Nast, Time Inc., The New York Times, CBS and News Corp. A dozen blocks south in the Koreatown neighborhood are the offices of Paper, a magazine that endures apart from the mainstream.”

Paris match: Giles Deacon’s tough glamour (Independent)
“British designer Giles Deacon’s brand of tough glamour made him a star of the London catwalks. This week he’s going to show the French capital what he’s made of, he tells Susannah Frankel.”