Chloe Raises the Roof at the Tuileries Tent in Paris | Photo: BoF

LONDON, United Kingdom — It was a fashion season of extreme weather. After the New York Fashion Week schedule was upended, first by an earthquake and then by the State of Emergency declaration that came courtesy of Hurricane Irene, an unprecedented heat wave in Paris threw buyers, editors and bloggers into a wardrobe tailspin.

The American editors were worst off, having packed for the European shows two weeks before Paris with no prior notice of the heat wave that was to come. After a few days of shows in impossibly hot venues, some of them resorted to ripping the sleeves off their outfits or just wearing their ‘airplane clothes.’

Brands tried to ease the pain. Fans were distributed at shows alongside champagne and much to everyone’s relief, Chloe arranged for the roof of the Tuileries tent to be removed for their show, letting in the sun and much welcome breeze. Meanwhile Net-a-Porter, always on top of a new market opportunity, delivered heat wave friendly clothes to editors caught without weather-appropriate attire.

But of course the real action was on the runway and in conversations between BoF and the good and the great of the global fashion tribe at a season filled with its fair share of events and parties.

Without further ado, it’s time to look back at Spring/Summer 2012, the season that was.

1. FASHION’S ENDLESS PLAYGROUND

Louis Vuitton Carrousel | Photo: BoF

At the opening of Marc Jacobs’ stunning show for Louis Vuitton on the last day of Paris Fashion Week, a large circular curtain was lifted to unveil models in dresses as light as feathers, perched coquettishly on white horses that sat atop a highly stylised carrousel. Those assembled gasped with audible pleasure and then erupted into spontaneous applause. But more than a visual delight alone, Mr. Jacobs’ magical set was a clear metaphor for an industry in constant motion, with its endless cycle of fashion shows, not to mention the musical chairs of creative directors moving from house to house.

This was the defining moment of the Spring/Summer 2012 collections, a season during which rumours continued to engulf Mr. Jacobs and other designers at the helm of major fashion houses, including Stefano Pilati, who seems safe — for now.

For others, the news was not so good. Immediately following the Vionnet show, it was announced that Rodolfo Paglialunga had been replaced. And just before Paris Fashion Week, Ungaro announced that the house and Giles Deacon had mutually agreed to part ways. Deacon was Ungaro’s fifth creative director in as many years and The Wall Street Journal reported at the end of September that Ungaro chief executive Jeffry Aronsson believes that “in-house talent can mine Ungaro’s heritage—bright colours, silk prints and sexy draped dresses—better than a high-profile designer from outside.”

But while some brands were severing ties with their creative directors, others were debuting new ones. Olivier Rousteing took the bow at the end of the Balmain show. There were also debuts from former Pringle designer Claire Waight Keller at Chloe and Manish Arora at Paco Rabanne — and, of course, the torrent of industry speculation about Galliano’s soon-to-be-announced replacement at Christian Dior.

2. BUZZ, EDGE AND SPORT COUTURE IN NEW YORK

Altuzarra prints and backpack detail | Photo: BoF

But fashion month begins in New York, which boasts more than 250 shows in a span of eight days, making it by far the busiest and buzziest fashion week of all. As one editor put it to me, “In New York we are great at picking up the leaves and throwing them up in the air and saying, ’It’s Fashion Week!’”

The unofficial kick-off for the Spring/Summer collections happens a couple of days into NY fashion week, with Fashion’s Night Out. Spearheaded by American Vogue, with individual events in almost every retail establishment across the city, it is a format that has been exported around the world. But though it has become a global phenomenon, the return on investment for brands and retailers remains in question. Most designers and retailers said it simply wasn’t worth the expenditure of time and resources, especially at one of the busiest moments in the fashion calendar. Barneys effectively sat this round out, eschewing the kind of elaborate in-store entertainment favoured by other retailers and issuing a statement that they were refocusing all efforts “on the shopping experience” and would donate ten percent of their Fashion’s Night Out sales to a fund for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

And with that, the New York shows were on and we entered a weekend of vibrant prints, inspired by places all around the world. It was a colourful vibe that New York designers seemed to have caught from London. But they gave it their own unique, New York spin with mesh fabrics and athletic details, making “sport couture” the buzzword on the lips of editors and buyers everywhere, from Joseph Altuzarra and Rag & Bone, to Alexander Wang, who has made athletic-inspired fashion part of his brand’s identity.

The week’s highlights came from power design duos Proenza Schouler and Rodarte, whose shows are now, deservedly, two of the most anticipated shows of New York Fashion Week. And both Jason Wu and Prabal Gurung took edgy steps forward from the red carpet and ladylike fare of their previous collections. These are some of the names amongst a healthy crop of promising young designers working in New York at the moment, pushing the boundaries of American fashion.

3. LONDON’S SHINING MOMENT

Giles Deacon swan hat, by Stephen Jones | Photo: BoF

It’s a shame that conflict over the global fashion calendar is putting London Fashion Week under threat just as the event really seems to be hitting its stride. This season, fashion stars in London shone brighter than ever, benefitting from the pulsating creativity of designers and digital print artists, who are largely based in the East London neighbourhoods of Hackney, Shoreditch and Dalston.

Of course, previous generations of young London designers were also praised for their creativity, but they were never able to translate this into commercial success. Garments were of poor quality and deliveries were often late. But that seems to be changing now. Indeed, Natalie Massenet, founder of Net-a-Porter told the Financial Times that “if people have been paying attention, they will see there is a new crop of extraordinary talent, which is young and dynamic and have learnt commercialism is not a dirty word.”

Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo told Suzy Menkes that although she was primarily in town to see Burberry and Tom Ford, it was the young talents who really excited her. “My camera is going and my notepad’s flying,” she said. “Between the prints and the quality, I am blown away.”

Not really ‘emerging’ designers anymore, Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto, Jonathan Saunders, Giles Deacon and Erdem Moralioglu all put on very strong shows. Mary Katrantzou and Michael van der Ham both pushed their signature techniques forward. And the two new names in London that everyone was watching were JW Anderson (who put on both mens and womens shows within a span of five days) and Thomas Tait, a name familiar to long time readers of BoF. Cathy Horyn of The New York Times said Tait’s clothes were “imaginative and inspiring” — high praise from one of fashion’s most respected critics.

But will London’s recent successes be hijacked by the current scheduling complications? And if a sensible resolution isn’t found, will editors really choose to see independent designers in London over major advertisers in Milan? Watch this space.

4. THE RISE OF FASHION DIPLOMACY

Tods Light Installation at Italian Ambassador's residence in Paris | Photo: BoF

With all the bickering and back-and-forth between the fashion capitals, it somehow seems appropriate that national ambassadors, much better versed in the ins and outs of international diplomacy, are using their muscle to support young designers, senior editors, and famous national brands.

In Paris, the Italian ambassador invited the fashion glitterati to a special event for Tod’s, at which Chairman Diego Della Valle was present, to celebrate the launch of the brand’s Signature collection. Sir Peter Westmacott, the British ambassador to France, along with the prime minister’s wife Samantha Cameron, continued to show their support for London-based designers — Nicholas Kirkwood, Erdem Moralioglu, Roland Mouret, Antonio Berardi, Jonathan Saunders and Katie Hillier, to name a few — with a lavish event at the ambassador’s residence. And, Glenda Bailey was hosted by the American ambassador to France for a celebration of her book commemorating her ten year tenure at Harpers Bazaar USA.

5. MOUZAT AND MENKES GO VIRAL

Mark Holgate and Anna Wintour of American Vogue at Burberry Spring/Summer 2012 show | Photo: BoF

Fashion editors from two important newspapers flexed their editorial muscle this season, creating ripples throughout the fashion industry.

The season’s first viral moment came courtesy of Virginie Mouzat, fashion editor of Le Figaro, one of France’s most respected daily newspapers. Though her name is not widely known outside elite fashion circles, Mouzat’s scathing critique of Tom Ford’s private London presentation had everyone talking, even if only a select few were there to witness what Mouzat described as “a nightmare.”

When an English translation of Mouzat’s article was emailed from the American Vogue office in Paris to its senior editors in London and New York, it wasn’t long before the email was circulating throughout the global Conde Nast empire and, indeed, throughout the industry. Incredible chains of emails — from one front row name to the next, from one senior magazine editor to another, from one global brand executive to his colleagues — was a lesson in how closely tied this industry really is. Ms. Mouzat had clearly struck a chord amongst the fashion establishment, for whom email, not Twitter, is still the most powerful viral tool.

Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of the IHT, set off her own viral frenzy, this time on Twitter, with the assistance of her colleague Jessica Michault. In her review of Raf Simons’ collection for Jil Sander in Milan, Ms. Menkes suggested that Mr. Simons was in talks to take over from Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent. When Michault tweeted the breaking news, which coincided with the Aquilano Rimondi show in Milan, attendees were reportedly glued to their iPhones and Blackberries, while debate quickly broke out across the social web about whether Suzy Menkes was actually saying Simons was going to YSL.

The next day, Yves Saint Laurent quelled the rumours in an official statement, which while firm, still seems to leave open the possibility that Mr. Simons, or someone else, could indeed design for YSLin the not-too-distant future. Will Suzy Menkes still be proven right? Time will tell.

6. PRE-TAIL GAINS MOMENTUM, BUT FACES OPERATIONAL ROADBLOCKS

Edgy Glamour at Jason Wu Spring/Summer 2012 | Photo: BoF

When Aslaug Magnusdottir and Lauren Santo Domingo launched their “pre-tail” start-up Moda Operandi (MO) last season, they must have known that the model would generate copycats, just as Gilt Groupe (itself inspired by Vente Privee) and Groupon were copied by hundreds of other similar businesses.

But as it turns out, Moda Operandi’s fast followers have not been other startups. Rather, it’s major media and retail brands who got into the pre-ordering game this season. Online industry bible Style.com debuted an “Instant Get” program for one-off products from six New York-based designers and venerable New York luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman partnered with Jason Wu to offer pre-orders on selected items from his Spring/Summer 2012 collection. Sister company Neiman Marcus posted an exclusive pre-ordering opportunity for Donna Karan’s Spring 2012 collection, along with an interview between fashion director Ken Downing and Ms. Karan herself.

But fresh with a $10 million capital injection from New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm, the MO team had big plans of their own, announcing a partnership with Vogue.com just in time for fashion week, which directly linked the latest runway images to MO’s pre-order platform.

“We’ve experienced a steady rate of growth since our launch in February,” said Ms. Magnusdottir at the end of New York Fashion Week, “but the collaboration with Vogue has accelerated the rate of growth of both member acquisition and sales.” Indeed, Magnusdottir said that membership is expected to grow from 15,000 just after launch, a customer base built primarily on the personal networks of the founders, to an expected 100,000 members by the end of the year, driven by affiliations with Vogue.com and GOOP, the online media brand of Gwyneth Paltrow.

But despite the clear momentum, the model still faces a major roadblock that is out of the control of pre-tail players like MO: inefficiency in the fashion supply chain. As it stands, consumers still have to wait four to five months to receive most pre-ordered products. If pre-ordering is really going to provide instant gratification to consumers who are interested in buying from the runway, brands and retailers will ultimately need to deliver products more quickly than this. Burberry delivers its pre-ordered products within eight weeks, and Style.com’s ‘Instant Get’ products were due to be available within a few days of the 31 October launch.

Indeed, the broad success of the pre-ordering model rests on the ability of designers to compress delivery lead times. In response to this suggestion, Ms. Magnusdottir said she expected that supply chains would eventually be compressed over time, enabling MO to better match demand with product delivery.

Based on this season’s pre-commerce momentum, it can’t be long before other major fashion e-commerce players such as Net-a-Porter and Shopbop get in on the pre-ordering game. If the industry manages to sort out its supply chain issues, better aligning the operations and media cycles by delivering goods closer to the peak of consumer interest, could pre-commerce eventually just become plain old e-commerce?

Imran Amed is founder and editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion

L-R Ohne Titel, Rodarte, Vera Wang | Source: Style.com

The Volume Stays Up (NY Times)
“There seems to be no escape from the orgy of prints and color consuming the runways. It continued on Tuesday at Rodarte and Vera Wang, with runny floral patterns. It struck on Monday with ice-cream pastels at Preen, tribal prints at Donna Karan and blazing red at Ohne Titel… But if you look at many of the prints that have appeared this week, and the way they were handled, you don’t find that human dimension of wit and vulnerability. They don’t make you smile.”

Style as Seen Through Rose-Colored iPhone App (WSJ)
“Fashion enthusiasts—an image-obsessed group—are enamored with how Instagram turns a low-quality image into a moody composition. At the tents in New York this week, editors, bloggers and publicity people are donning Instagram’s digital rose-colored glasses and uploading images by the thousands, to the chagrin of some professional photographers.”

PPR confirms eyeing Brioni (Reuters)
“French retail and luxury group PPR confirmed it was in talks to acquire family-owned Italian tailor Brioni and added there was a risk the recent drying up of the debt market could affect the disposal of its mail order business Redcats… The deal this summer carried a price tag of about 350 million euros ($480 million)… If it went ahead, the acquisition would allow PPR to make progress on its pledge to strengthen its position in the luxury market and get out of retail.”

Rising cost of clothes could signal end to ‘cheap chic’ (Guardian)
“The days of “cheap chic” and throwaway fashion could be numbered, because the cost of clothes is rising at its fastest rate for nearly 15 years. The “fast fashion” trend, where T-shirts sell for £2 and jeans are priced at less than a fiver in supermarkets, is being battered by big increases in the cost of cotton, labour and transport.”

A Duo Clashes for Fashion (WSJ)
“Messrs. Hernandez and McCollough, both 33 years old, are considered leaders of a new school of designers in their 20s and 30s representing the next generation of big American fashion designers. This new breed is known for its willingness to experiment with fabrics and its ability to reinterpret classic designs for a contemporary audience.”

Canton Road, Hong Kong | Source: Asian Central

Hong Kong is firmly at the heart of China’s new cultural revolution (Guardian)
“The richer China has become, the more they visit Hong Kong to shop. ‘Luxury brands are forecasting year-on-year growth of 35%,’ says Helen Willerton, former managing director of Chloé Asia Pacific. ‘Mainlanders fly in for a few days, save money on accommodation by staying in three-star hotels, and spend on high-end retail – watches, jewellery and fashion.’”

Gap weaves fabric of L.A. into 1969 jeans campaign (LA Times)
“To bring its 1969 Premium Jeans line closer to the heart of the designer denim industry, the apparel giant last year opened a creative design office in a gritty section of downtown L.A. near the fashion district. Now Gap is putting its L.A. vibe at the core of a global marketing campaign.”

European vs American luxury: is there a difference? (FT)
“Proenza often seems more design-led than many of its NY fashion week peers… which are more rooted in the American sports wear tradition of combining super-luxurious materials with super-uncomplicated shapes. This is one of the reasons VFG bought them it the first place; its work does not, in fact, scream ‘American!’ It sort of whispers ‘cool chic.’”

Chloé’s Former Chairman Is Taking Over at St. John (The Cut)
“Ralph Toledano, who was the CEO and chairman of Chloé for eleven years before stepping down last August, is said to be the new chairman of St. John, reports WWD.”

Milk Meets Nicola Formichetti (Milk Blog)
“The digital approach is very important, it’s the future. But we should not forget about our reality, the physical world. We always need to embrace new things, but never be dependent on them.”

PPR eyes Brioni (Reuters)
“French luxury goods and retail group PPR is considering buying family-owned Italian tailor Brioni for about 350 million euros ($508.4 million)… The deal, if it goes ahead, would allow PPR to make further progress on its pledge to get out of retail and make luxury and sports brands its central focus.”

A Proenza Schouler Deal Is Near (On the Runway)
“A European private-equity firm is expected to sell its shares in the design house Proenza Schouler to a group of New York investors led by John Howard, the chief executive of Irving Place Capital, and Andrew Rosen, a seasoned garment industry executive behind Theory and Helmut Lang.”

Forever 21 ups the fashion stakes (FT)
“With the arrival of US retailer Forever 21 on London’s Oxford Street. Renowned for its constantly changing styles and rock-bottom prices, its continued expansion could herald a battle with its rivals, who are already feeling the pinch from cash-strapped shoppers and rising input costs.”

H&M links up with Beckham on new underwear range (Reuters)
“Budget fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz  is to partner with soccer star David Beckham to sell his new range of underwear… H&M, the world’s number two clothes retailer, has often linked itself with famous names to attract customers, including Madonna and Stella McCartney. The partnership with Beckham will be a long-term alliance, the group said.”

Crystals: All that glitters (Independent)
“There’s one name behind all the glitz: Swarovski. Founded more than a century ago, the brand is still family-run and the breadth of its reach and influence continues to grow…The driving force behind all of this is Nadja Swarovski, 41, who has transformed the brand’s reputation and reach through collaborations and commissions.”

L: Proenza Schouler PS1. R: Target Mossimo® Messenger | Source: purseblog.com

LONDON, United Kingdom — When reports first surfaced in March about the striking similarities between Proenza Schouler’s PS1 bag and Target’s Mossimo Messenger, the discomfort within the fashion industry was palpable. What was particularly troubling was that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the design duo behind Proenza Schouler, had a longstanding relationship with Target.

Indeed, in 2007 the designers debuted their capsule collection for Target, part of which they agreed to re-issue for the 2011 spring season. So to make matters worse, when the Target story broke, the alleged knock-off was sitting alongside the re-issued Proenza Schouler for Target pieces, lending a quasi-legitimacy to the offending Mossimo Messenger bag.

Speaking with BoF, Proenza Schouler chief executive Shirley Cook said the impact was deeply felt. “Our relationship [with Target] was based on trust, so of course the [revelation] was particularly upsetting,” she said. “We were attracted to working with Target because we really respect it as an upstanding company, so seeing our product knocked-off in store cut close to home.”

Copying is endemic in the fashion industry. But the effects are particularly acute for emerging designers for whom every sale counts. “The damage actioned by knock-offs is twofold,” noted Gary Assim, partner and intellectual property specialist at London law firm Shoosmiths. “Firstly it robs the designer of the proceeds from the sale of his or her product, which will often have been the result of a considerable research and development investment,” he said. “In addition, it denies the designer the rightful recognition as the original creator.”

While Ms. Cook declined to disclose whether the company is taking legal action against Target, she emphasised that Proenza Schouler is serious about protecting its intellectual property: “For sure, this is something which is very important to us. We are fortunate to have had very knowledgeable people around us from the start, so we are very aware of our rights.”

But how can emerging designers protect and better capitalise on their creative IP? “Intellectual property law offers a raft of rights to fashion designers,” continued Mr Assim. “Some of these will arise automatically, such as copyright, while others require registration, such as trademarks.”

Like the rest of Europe, the UK affords protection to three-dimensional fashion creations through a relatively straightforward design rights system. In practice, designers register a design right for particularly iconic, carry-over pieces that meet the dual requirements of novelty and distinctiveness, while relying on an automatic unregistered design right for other pieces that display the statutory level of originality.

But taking legal action on the basis of alleged infringement can be an onerous process. In the case of an unregistered design, the right holder must present a clean chain of evidence which is not always easy to establish. Moreover, the financial burden is considerable. If the cost of applying for an injunction — typically between £30,000 and £50,000 — is not enough to dissuade an emerging designer from taking action, the unpredictability of the damages system might very well seal the deal. For instance, under UK law an unsuccessful claimant can be held liable for two-thirds of the defendant’s legal fees, meaning that an unfavourable ruling could be a crushing financial blow for a fledgling brand.

In the US, the design patent system has high application costs, long procedural timeframes and an unusually high standard of invention, which means that fashion designers are left unprotected and vulnerable against increasingly bold copyists.

In recent years, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has been campaigning to redress this imbalance and has lent its vocal support to the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act (IDPPPA), a bill that seeks to introduce design protections similar to those which exist in the EU.

Susan Scafidi, professor at Fordham Law School and director of the Fashion Law Institute, emphasised that the IDPPPA, in particular, offers “important protection to fashion designers who struggle to realise return on their creative investments, particularly emerging and independent designers.”

Mr. Hernandez and Mr. McCollough of Proenza Schouler were the latest designers to take to Capitol Hill, arguing that designers should not have to compete with copies of their own work. The industry is watching the proposed legislation with baited breath. But for the time being, the situation in the US is fraught with difficulties, particularly for emerging designers.

“The reality is that taking someone to court is not so easy and super expensive for many new designers,” said Ms. Cook. “If players like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have their hands full protecting their IP then what chance does a young designer have?”

Perhaps the answer is to be found in how emerging designers leverage their intellectual property rights. Entering into brand category extensions and licensing deals provides an ideal long-term platform for additional revenue streams, often at advantageous margins. But these activities typically require high levels of capital expenditure and management oversight.

By contrast, collaborations with mass retailers like Target and H&M give younger brands a unique model with which to easily reap the benefits of their IP, while establishing a contractual relationship with the retailers, which gives designers an easier recourse against retailers in the event of design infringement. Of course, the potential financial upside of these collaborations is also a big draw. To wit, the original Proenza Schouler for Target collaboration reportedly generated $20 million in retail sales within a two-month window, according to Ms. Cook.

But this only shows the importance of recognising creative IP rights as financial assets. “The problem is that generally, there is not enough awareness about intellectual property in the fashion industry and designers will typically become interested in their IP rights only once things go wrong, or perhaps when an investor comes in,” said Tahir Basheer, whose legal practice at London law firm Sheridans focuses on the management, exploitation and protection of intellectual properties across media, entertainment and fashion.

“IP rights are not just about protection against copying,” continued Mr Basheer. “Instead they may be viewed as performing a more subtle function, identifying the creator of content. By adopting an approach more akin to that taken within the media and entertainment industries, fashion brands can reach that next level of sophistication whereby they are strategically managing their IP rights distinctly from their commercial operations.”

“This type of set-up is completely commonplace among [more established] fashion brands,” said Hugh Devlin, a consultant at London solicitors Withers and an advisor to the luxury sector. “Nowadays, it would be foolish for anyone to still have their IP and trading company in the same vehicle, because of course things can go wrong with a trading company.”

Essentially, this mechanism allows the owners of a fashion company to hedge themselves against commercial risk while protecting their firms’ creative IP, ensuring the future strength of their brand identity. In this respect, by appreciating intellectual property rights as stand alone financial assets, the company can better safeguard its primary source of competitive advantage.

Often details of this type of arrangement are disclosed once a company decides to seek external sources of financing — whether through an IPO, a strategic partner or an institutional investor. “Increasingly, investors will insist that the separation be in place,” said Mr Devlin, noting that “of course, investors are hoping they will end up with a stake in the IP vehicle, while designers will be wanting to hold on to that and license it in perpetuity to the trading company.”

It’s time that emerging brands recognise the economic benefits provided by intellectual property law. Indeed, correctly administering intellectual property rights from the very early stages of structuring a business is one of the most effective ways to ensure they are adequately protected and financially exploited down the road.

Ceci Guicciardi is a consultant and writer focused on the interplay between brand, commerce and IP protection in the luxury fashion industry.

John Galliano | Source: The Creator Blog

PARIS, France – The process of writing this season’s wrap-up left a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth. Looking back, several of the most salient themes from this round of fashion weeks involve unsavoury behaviour, gossip and highly unprofessional comments from some of the industry’s most important figures.

Whether it was John Galliano’s inexcusable anti-Semitic rant captured on video for the whole world to watch, the scrum of increasingly aggressive street style photographers hunting editors down like game before the shows, or the distasteful comments made by Patrick Thomas, chief executive of Hermès, regarding the stake built up in its business by LVMH, it seemed everywhere you looked this fashion week members of the industry were behaving badly.

With all the whispering, gossiping and backbiting going on, it’s surprising that anyone even noticed the clothes. So, let’s start with the clothes then!

1. OUTERWEAR EVERYWHERE AND A FEW FASHION PRINTS

Click here to view the embedded video.

Outerwear was everywhere this season, reflecting a growing understanding amongst designers that coats, jackets, parkas and ponchos get lots of wear and are the first statement of individual style, and therefore deliver a big bang for the consumer buck. Joseph Altuzarra, Alexander Wang, and Burberry’s Christopher Bailey were amongst the designers at the vanguard of this outerwear moment.

Thakoon showed one of the best collections of the season in a gilded hall at New York’s Plaza Hotel, with stunning contrasts of mismatched prints inspired by Masai tribes. It felt like we were in Paris, which I guess was the point as the collection also looked to French aristocracy for visual cues. The offsite location stood out from the increasingly chaotic spaces at Lincoln Center and Milk Studios. Ambience and atmosphere count for a lot when you’re trying to create a mood and put on a real show. Bravo Mr. Panichgul.

Rodarte and Proenza Schouler also delivered stellar collections, demonstrating the continued evolution of their own special design signatures. Proenza Schouler’s Navajo knits and prints were a knock-out, while Rodarte showed their second consecutive highly creative collection which one could actually envision hanging on a retail rail – and selling.

Although there were some great fashion moments in London, overall, the week was not as strong as usual. One notable exception was Mary Katrantzou, whose signature digital prints delivered massive runway impact in a tightly focused collection that for the first time expanded to new categories like knitwear, a smart way to expand her offering beyond dresses.

Jonathan Saunders’ collection of colour-blocking (and the surprise introduction of menswear!) proved he is definitely now back on firm footing in London after a hiccup during the seasons he spent in New York. And, Giles Deacon put out a focused fetishist collection that showed his more serious, sombre side. Indeed, for many an editor, his was the best show of London Fashion Week, and that hasn’t been something we’ve heard for awhile.

Ann Demeulemeester’s show in Paris was a beautiful vision of primal female warriors. Lanvin was gorgeous, as usual. Céline showed off the on-going evolution of Phoebe Philo’s “new minimalism,” with a more graphic and colourful show. And Rick Owens brought a kind of couture quality to his singular dark aesthetic of carefully constructed clothes.

2. THINK BEFORE WE TWEET

Derek Blasberg Tweet | Source: Twitter

It seemed like just another fashion month, and then, with the high-profile meltdown of John Galliano, everything changed in a matter of hours. Soon, the fashion gossip mill was in a frenzy, turbocharged by Twitter which made the whole situation more ugly as the days went by and speculation about Galliano’s successor intensified after he was first suspended, and ultimately dismissed by LVMH.

A tweet by Derek Blasberg from backstage at the Katy Perry concert in Paris, citing an anonymous source which ‘confirmed’ the widespread rumour that Riccardo Tisci would be named Galliano’s successor set off further speculation on websites and blogs, who sometimes took Mr. Blasberg’s comments as though they had come straight from an official Dior press release. I found at least one website that took the Tisci rumour and reported it as fact, without any mention of the source at all.

But Mr. Galliano wasn’t alone. Rumours about the futures of Stefano Pilati, Hannah McGibbon, and Christophe Decarnin dogged designers and lit up the internet throughout Paris Fashion Week, creating a virtual feeding frenzy of immense proportions. We were an industry feeding on ourselves.

So dear fellow members of the fashion Twitterati, let’s think before we tweet. Careers and businesses can be impacted by what may seem like an innocent bit of speculation on Twitter, but can quickly turn into boldfaced headlines on major fashion websites, a hugely destabilising force at the most critical moments during the fashion calendar. We are all still learning how to use this powerful tool responsibly.

3. STREETSTYLE PAPARAZZI

Click here to view the embedded video.

Over the past few seasons, the number of photographers outside the shows has ballooned as interest in street style photography (and street style stardom) has soared. It’s been an amazing phenomenon to observe as many previously behind-the-scenes women such as Yasmin Sewell, Caroline Issa and Taylor Tomasi now provide inspiration to hundreds of thousands of fashion lovers around the world, appearing in outfits that are often more interesting than what is on the runway.

But the rapid rise of street photography also has a darker side. The ‘bloggers walk’ in the Jardin des Tuileries, site of many major Paris shows, is now completely out of control. Indeed, it’s become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between the aggressive paparazzi who stalk Hollywood celebrities outside bars and clubs and a few of the bad apples amongst the hordes of photographers that accost editors as they come in and out of shows.

Several street style bloggers told me confidentially that the competition is extremely fierce for getting the best photographs, which can then be sold on to global editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar each for as little as $200, but up to $1000 or more.

Word to the wise: if you build a relationship with the women you’d like to photograph, and treat them with a bit of respect, you’ll be much more likely to get a great shot where they look their best and aren’t running to avoid you. Chasing them around, getting in their way, and coaxing them to come out of their cars is a sure fire way of alienating the objects of your fancy.

The best streetstyle photographers are streetsmart and dashing figures who build passionate online followings for these fashion personalities through the power of their photos. They compose beautiful shots that are flattering to their subjects and still interesting enough to spark a conversation, reflected in the hundreds and hundreds of people who chime in to say what they think. And most of all, they are gentlemen (or gentlewomen.)

4. CONSUMER PARTICIPATION

New York Fashion Week | Source: Fabsugar

While there has been a general trend towards smaller shows and presentations, PR professionals tell me they have been dealing with unprecedented demand for seats, making allocations more and more difficult. At Céline, many senior editors from the UK were forced to stand and more than one front-row blogger complained to me about not having access to Givenchy or YSL.

But alongside the growing number of requests from traditional media, major retail outlets, boutiques, online retailers, bloggers, and social media managers, more and more consumers are no longer content to simply watch the livestream at home. They too want to attend the shows in person and be part of the action, a trend which was most apparent in New York.

For several seasons, American Express has been inviting its cardmembers to attend shows in its Skybox at the tents, but these attendees have been somewhat removed from view: observing as opposed to participating in the show environment.

In contrast, at the Jason Wu show, I was seated next to a section allocated to Nordstrom, which had chosen to give away most of its seats to top clients who had flown in specially for the event from across the country. Indeed, department store buyers told me the pressure to find seats for top consumers is “enormous.” If a woman spends more than $1m in a store, she has come to expect VIP treatment.

The enthusiastic ladies at the Jason Wu show asked me questions about what I did and were eager to learn about the fashion personalities in the front row. It was a refreshing conversation with people who were truly curious about fashion as a culture. That the clothes on the runway weren’t available to buy for several months was apparently not a concern.

5. IMMEDIACY VS. EXCLUSIVITY

Moda Operandi screenshot | Source: Moda Operandi

Other businesses were attempting to satisfy growing consumer interest in fashion week through pre-orders. Burberry and Proenza Schouler have been offering direct buying from the runway for a few seasons now. But this time around, there was a lot of buzz about Moda Operandi, the new fashion e-commerce business founded by Lauren Santo Domingo and my friend and former McKinsey colleague Aslaug Magnusdottir.

Their offering of high-profile flash sales of the latest runway collections from some of the industry’s most celebrated designers certainly had people talking. Having coined the term “pretail,” the Moda Operandi founders have also cleverly suggested that the insights gleaned from their sales will help brands to merchandise their stores and work with other wholesalers, knowing what styles are most popular based on real consumer data. And, because they take a 50 percent deposit on all purchases in advance, the business operates with a positive cash flow model similar to the one that made Michael Dell’s company famously successful. In the approximately 6 months between payment and delivery, Moda Operandi can use the deposits paid by consumers to finance the working capital costs of running its business, and also giving a much-needed deposit to designers, who can also benefit from upfront cashflow to finance production.

But relying on this kind of financial model also creates other restrictions. When a consumer pays for things on Moda Operandi, they can never get their cash back. According to the terms and conditions, returns are only possible for apparel and footwear products, and even then, only for store credit. Everything else is not returnable. Some women I spoke to weren’t deterred by this, and had already excitedly logged on to the website to shop, but others were bothered by having to take all the financial risk to buy clothes on Moda Operandi. Why not wait, they asked, for the clothes to arrive in store if they would have to wait 6 months for delivery anyway?

Meanwhile Tom Ford, in his usual contrarian approach, has defied the trend towards fashion immediacy and severely limited access to his collections, going so far as to having journalists sworn to secrecy and sign non-disclosure agreements about his presentation in London. Is Mr. Ford taking fashion a bit too seriously? Or, has he found a brilliant way to drum up even more interest in his clothes as they hit stores in a few months time by orchestrating a fashion media crescendo at the same time. Only time will tell.

One other website of note this season is my-wardrobe.com which has just had its first major facelift under former Grazia editor Fiona Mcintosh who joined as creative director in February. Naturally, there are flourishes of Grazia in the yellow highlighted design and snappy copy, a smart way to deliver on the company’s new everyday luxury strategy, fueled by a recent £6m investment injection from Balderton Capital.

Grazia of course is one of the most powerful sales tools for women’s fashion of the moment. Designers frequently tell me that if their designs are featured in Grazia, they sell out everywhere. As a weekly magazine featuring things that are in store now, I’ve always wondered why Bauer Media has not created an online version of its magazine to at least earn affiliate revenue for all the products it manages to sell, if not set up a full-fledged e-commerce site. It seems like a very big missed opportunity that my-wardrobe.com is now going after.

6. JUST NATALIE

Natalie Massenet and Jeremy Langmead | Source: Net a Porter

In an industry that has been named and shamed this season, there is at least one individual that is setting a good example.

Since our Fashion Pioneers interview last summer, Natalie Massenet has continued her ascent to the top of fashion’s tech elite, not by acting like a grand poobah but by focusing on building her business. Whereas so many in our industry can get complacent or become tyrants (or both!) once they are firmly ensconced in the front row, Natalie is the kind of leader who cancels a trip to New York Fashion Week to hunker down with the Mr Porter team in the days leading up to its widely anticipated launch.

The results show in her team. When they are in public, they show a stylish united front and in private they don’t backbite about each other. At work, they are professional and responsive, and show up when they say they will. If they are going to be late, they send an apology. They say thank you, and they care about the details too.

Net-a-Porter’s success is often attributed to its high quality content. But as the company builds new businesses, it is the seamless back-end operations which pick, pack and ship hundreds of thousands of fashion products and deliver them to 170 countries around the world that make a big difference. This has enabled the company to quickly launch two new businesses – The Outnet and Mr Porter –  in less than 24 months.

The lynchpin for all of this is the positive role model and force for innovation that Natalie represents in our industry. It’s no wonder that to many in the industry, she is now just ‘Natalie’ and that she has become a positive face for the fashion business to the rest of the business community and the wider world at a time when the industry has been tainted. Hers is an example we can all follow.

Imran Amed is founder and editor of The Business of Fashion

Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez | Source: Fashionista

Chloe Sevigny interviews Proenza Schouler (Interview Magazine)
“It has been nearly nine years since Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez-both 23 and fresh out of design school… Their almost instantaneous rise through the realms of the fashion world as Proenza Schouler-seemingly so unscripted that they hardly had a business model when they began-is the stuff of lightning New York success stories.”

Prada autumn/winter 2011 at Milan Fashion Week (Telegraph)
“In a sublime statement about contemporary dressing, Ms Prada referenced the 1920s and 1960s – two of her favourite decades – dropped the waist to the hipline, mixed colours like Rothko, and invented a ‘trompe l’oeil’ sock-boot that was a fusion of sock and spat.”

Custom Tailors Enjoying a Boom (WSJ)
“‘People have come to realize that the expensive designer suit they are used to buying is made to fit a thousand other people,’ says Rome-based tailor Luigi Gallo, who has been in the trade for more than 30 years. ‘In addition, they’re paying a huge price for that logo sewed into the jacket.’”

Bulgari MBA is the first of a new generation (City AM)
“It makes perfect sense for luxury goods businesses to get involved with business schools. While many Western businesses have suffered since the downturn, luxury businesses, with their growing market in Asia, have proved resilient. The brands too know that they can no longer rely on domestic markets, but need serious business nous if they want to expand into these newly wealthy regions.”

Pierre Rougier: The Man Behind the Curtain (WSJ)
“His name may be unfamiliar, but his clients’, including Yves Saint Laurent, Versace and Jil Sander, are not…. As founder of PR Consulting, the New York–based public-relations agency that manages the image and press coverage of a stable of exclusive brands… his job is to keep the Americans, whose critical opinions drive international buying trends, in line.”

“Blogs posting things about us, going viral, spreading throughout the internet… it has an extraordinary impact on the business.”

Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough, speaking to BoF Founder Imran Amed at the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference at New York Fashion Week during a wide-ranging conversation about the power and influence of social media on their budding business

Webisode sneak peek of Thakoon Pre-Fall 2011

NEW YORK, United States — The landscape of fashion communication and commerce continues to change radically, and not just for big brand innovators like Burberry and Louis Vuitton. For a whole generation of formerly “emerging” designers — including Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and Thakoon Panichgul — digital innovation is now a central part of their strategies for taking their businesses to the next level.

On Thursday at the Independent Fashion Bloggers conference — part of Social Media Week here in New York — I interviewed Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, who told a rapt audience of more than 200 fashion bloggers how social media is dramatically changing the way they think about the way they work, the way they sell and the way they communicate with consumers, driving sales and interest in their brand amongst a younger, tech-savvy consumer.

Following a return to form at his A/W 2011 show on Saturday, the ever energetic Alexander Wang is opening his first flagship store here in New York this week, but is also making substantial investments in his online presence, with a revamped website and online store to open later this year. “We see digital as fundamental to our development as a brand, and one of the most powerful ways for us to connect with our customers,” said Dennis Wang, the designer’s brother and CPO.

Big digital moves are also being made by Thakoon Panichgul, the Thai-American designer who became a household name to consumers around the world when Michelle Obama wore a floral print dress he designed on the evening Barack Obama accepted the 2008 Democratic Nomination, and as one of the stars of The September Issue, the popular film chronicling Anna Wintour’s reign as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue.

Today, Panichgul confidently explains to BoF how the brand new Thakoon.com will bring his brand straight to consumers, bypassing those once uber-powerful magazines with direct communication initiatives like the brand new Thakoon Studio Diary blog, a consolidated social media landing page, and video webisodes showing life behind-the-scenes at Thakoon.

BoF: At our BoF Breakfast Club meeting late last year, you expressed some frustration at the state of digital in fashion. Is that why you are now taking matters into your own hands and leading the charge?

Thakoon: Yes, in part. I want us to speak a little louder and have more control of what we are saying in the digital world, as opposed just having an audience that justs chats about the brand. I think the frustration also came out of a little lack of understanding on my part; but now that I’m really in it and understand it, I’m totally excited by it and enjoy taking part in the community.

BoF: The initiatives planned for Thakoon.com include big investments in content, commerce and community initiatives. How will the new Thakoon.com help drive the business?

Thakoon: Thakoon.com will allow us to communicate our message to a global audience.  For us it is more about branding and letting our customer know who we are as opposed to showcasing product.  We want to allow visitors to make a personal connection with the brand.  There is so much character behind a brand that gets lost in translation when going through the traditional channels of designer to retailer to consumer.  There is value in this character…it is our DNA.  We want to show our customer what we find so special about our brand.

BoF: How will you measure success?

We will measure our success by how well we stimulate and engage our consumer with our content.  Our main objective is to increase brand awareness, so this increased awareness will be a true measure of the success of the initiative.

BoF: You will be revealing a series of video ‘webisodes’ on your new website beginning today showing what happens behind the scenes in your studio. But some people say that having cameras around all the time leads people to feel like they have to ‘perform’. How do you keep things real, knowing that you are constantly being watched?

Thakoon: We are in such rapid growth mode, so there is so much happening all the time that I’m focused on the job in front of me that I don’t even notice the camera. Also the camera is super tiny and the filming is very casual so that makes it easier. We don’t have a boom and a crew with lights so there’s no performance necessary. The way we are documenting is much more intimate, spontaneous.

BoF: Will viewers be able to participate or is this purely a voyeuristic experience?

Thakoon: I think it will evolve naturally, like anything. It’s totally new for us that we will figure out what is interesting and what’s not over time. But I believe in the organic process, doing things as it comes because it has to be genuine. So anything that we do voyeuristically or if we ask for audience participation, all of that will come if it makes sense.

BoF: Your e-commerce site is due to launch in the summer. Is the entire Thakoon product range available to buy online?

Thakoon: For now, we will not make the entire range available. Our philosophy has always been slow and steady. We want to start slowly, offering a selection of what we feel are key pieces.

BoF: The new Thakoon.com is being billed as the “first stage of the company’s new media initiative.” What’s to come?

Thakoon: I think of it as a new platform where we can really play. Obviously it would be exciting to do ad campaigns, but in time. For now, this new platform really gives us so many opportunities, because you have control, you have a voice, you have a great audience. It’s a new way of marketing, which is totally exciting. The sky’s the limit.

Thakoon.com launches today with a livestream of Thakoon’s A/W 2011 show at 6pm EST.

BoF Breakfast Club at Norwood Club | Photo: Drew Innis

NEW YORK, United States — When I first met Rachel Shechtman at a Harvard Business School luxury goods conference back in 2007, we quickly learned that we had much in common. Since then, we have made a point of meeting for breakfast to catch-up and discuss the state of the industry whenever work brings me to New York City.

It got us to thinking. With the non-stop madness of the fashion business, many of us don’t make the time or have the energy to sit back, think about and discuss the changes which are happening all around us. More than ever, we need to have honest discussions about the brave new world of fashion.  There is much we can learn from each other. Why not open our breakfast catch-up sessions to like-minded peers and colleagues from the industry? And thus, the BoF Breakfast Club was born.

Last Thursday in New York, designers and CEOs of established and emerging fashion businesses — Shirley Cook of Proenza Schouler, Maria Borromeo and Thakoon Panichgul of Thakoon, Charles Nolan, Bonnie Takhar of Halston, Waris Ahulwalia, Brian Murphy of Loeffler Randall, Courtney and Phillip Crangi, Elana Posner of Peter Som, Michael Angel, Susan Posen of Zac Posen and others — gathered for an intimate, off-the-record conversation on the future of fashion at the Norwood Club.

The wide-ranging discussion delved into the broken fashion cycle and new business models like subscription retailing and pre-sale trunk show sites, before moving onto the growing need for digital competencies in the world of instant fashion communication. We are grateful for all of those who took the time to join us and contribute to our salon style conversation — by all accounts, it was well worth the time invested which bodes well for more BoF Breakfast Clubs of the future.

Thank you to Rachel Shechtman of Cube Ventures for hosting the event and to Drew Innis for his photography which accurately captured the relaxed mood and open spirit of the first BoF Breakfast Club