Givenchy Couture by Riccardo Tisci, Autumn/Winter 2011-12 | Source: Givenchy

Givenchy: Pure is Beautiful (IHT)
“Mr. Tisci’s vision of asking the impossible from his ateliers is part of the story. But the main thread of his collection is the link to those few, rare customers who are searching for the exceptional. And that suddenly seems like 21st century haute couture.”

Burberry faces shareholder revolt over ‘excessive’ executive pay (Guardian)
“Burberry faces a revolt over executive pay after a lobby group urged its members to vote against the luxury fashion house’s remuneration plans… Pirc, which advises pension funds and asset managers, described rewards for executives as ‘excessive’.”

The New Value of Being ‘Made In Britain…’? (Popsop)
“…The luxury sector as a whole—does indeed seem to be bucking the retail trend… In 2006, British brand Burberry was pilloried for moving its production to China… The brand is increasingly using its British’ness as currency around the world while increasingly looking to the Far East for sales.”

Giorgio Armani dedicates new collection to Japan’s Tsunami Victims (Guardian)
“Giorgio Armani has been attempting to get couture to look outside its rarefied environment by dedicating his Privé couture collection to recovery efforts in Japan… Fashion brands will often make a nod to charity, but Armani’s theming of the entire couture collection around a single cause is a highly unusual move.”

Rei Kawabuko, Artist & Visionary (Fashionably Marketing)
“Through a diverse portfolio of work, spanning just short of four decades, Kawakubo has positioned herself not only as one of the top three Japanese designers of our time, situated right up there with Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto,  but also a true artist and visionary.”

Riccardo Tisci photographed by Steven Klein | Source: Interview Magazine

Riccardo Tisci By Donatella Versace (Interview)
“Like any competitive industry, fashion understands the market need for a constant infusion of fresh blood and untapped talent. But among the crop of sartorial prodigies to have emerged in recent years, none has ascended from young upstart to master of the universe as rapidly as 36-year-old Italian designer Riccardo Tisci.”

Social Media: The Second Generation (WWD)
“Forget those who ‘like’ you. Go after the ones who don’t. That’s the new strategy emerging in the ever-evolving world of social media…. Now the future of digital marketing isn’t about bulking up a firm’s own branded dot.com… it’s about getting their content onto someone else’s to reach more consumers.”

PPR’s grosse acquisition (FT Alphaville)
“There’s ripple of excitement in the luxury goods sector… following reports that Gucci and Puma-owner PPR is on the prowl. Having seen arch rival LVMH swoop for Bulgari, PPR is in talks to make une grosse acquisition in the luxury goods sector.”

How India’s Super-Rich Spend Their Money (WSJ India Realtime)
“Meanwhile, the inheritors prefer to do their shopping for clothes and luxury items abroad. ‘The same international brands in India don’t have the same range, so I pick them up when I travel overseas… Also, apparel, especially international, better to buy them abroad. The range, the cut, the finish, is better there, even the price.’”

Putting Fairy Tales and Fashion in Play (IHT)
“As a fund-raiser for her Naked Heart Foundation, which builds playgrounds in Russia, the supermodel Natalia Vodianova invited 40 designers to create dresses on a fairy-tale theme.”

Christian Siriano for Send The Trend | Source: Send The Trend

Because, Obviously, Everyone Needs a Stylist (WSJ)
“Now, a crop of new e-commerce sites are trying to cash in on regular consumers’ desires for a Hollywood-type stylist experience of their own. The sites combine the Internet’s powers of customization with the cachet of stylists to attempt to match of-the-moment products to shoppers’ personal preferences.”

Fashion hunts for talent in new growth phase (Reuters)
“The fashion industry is entering a new growth cycle with a bigger focus on customers’ price, quality and style expectations than in the mid-2000s, prompting brands to renew their design teams… ‘It is when business is good that fashion brands can take important decisions and change designers, not when times are difficult.’”

Indian Fashion Portal Gets $16 Million Funding (WSJ)
“Exclusively.in’s business idea is to make Indian designer wear accessible through an online membership-based portal, and conduct daily sales that price these items at off-the-rack discount prices… With this round of funding, the company will expand to the U.K., Canada and even head to the shores of India this summer.”

Hermès’s Anti-Takeover Plan Is Safe (The Cut)
“The French court assigned to rule over ADAM’s case postponed the hearing until after the shareholder meeting, effectively (and passive-aggressively) dismissing their appeal. Colette Neuville, ADAM’s president, said they’re dropping it: ‘There is not much point in pursuing the issue.’”

Reflections on the Spirit: An interview with Riccardo Tisci (Jessica Michault)
“To understand what makes Riccardo Tisci tick there are only two things you need to know. He is deeply religious and his family means everything to him. These are the twin pillars on which the 36 year old designer has built a solid creative foundation.”

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

Givenchy Haute Couture Fall 2010 | Source: Style.com

Skeletons, Family and Religion (IHT)
“There was little of the sharp tailoring associated with Givenchy, where Mr. Tisci has been the creative director for five years… In an interview, the designer explained his vision.”

Perrone Quits as CEO of Italian Suitmaker Brioni (Bloomberg)
“Perrone, the 40-year-old grandson of Brioni co-founder Gaetano Savini, was appointed sole CEO in July last year, replacing a governing committee, of which he was part. The move was partly to accelerate decision-making, he said at the time.”

IT Holding Administrators Extend Bid Deadline for Ferré (Bloomberg)
“Administrators for IT Holding, the Italian fashion company being reorganized under government- backed bankruptcy protection, extended the deadline for binding offers for the Gianfranco Ferré label.”

Apple’s Appvertising Takes Off (Brand Channel)
“To make iAd advertising as effective as possible, Apple is looking to mesh interaction with emotion… Apple is reportedly ‘studying the buying habits’ of 150 million iTune users so it can target its mobile ads.”

Slow fashion: forever yours (Guardian)
“The concept of fast fashion – the hunger for a cheap Saturday night top that gets bought, worn once or twice and swiftly dumped – is fast fading. In its place we have slow fashion, the pre-eminence of terminally stylish designs with lasting appeal.”

Marc Jacobs | Source: FT

A New Marc Jacobs? (FT)
“‘I can’t do everything, and I’m not good at everything… I feel like what I do creates some sort of direction for the company, and that’s good, and then I can leave it to other people to interpret.’”

Why Givenchy is more desirable than ever (NZ Herald)
“Givenchy struggled to reinvent itself for over a decade, but today – with Riccardo Tisci at the helm – the designer label is experiencing its finest moment in years.”

Coach sues city of Chicago over counterfeit bags (Reuters)
“Coach Inc, the maker of leather handbags and other goods, sued the city of Chicago this week for allowing the sale of counterfeit goods at the New Maxwell Street Market, about two miles southwest of the downtown Loop.”

Resurgent female shoppers swing Ann Taylor to profit (Market Watch)
“Women’s clothing retailer Ann Taylor Stores Corp. on Friday swung to a first-quarter profit, helped by resurgent demand for women’s clothing and an updated merchandise assortment that spurred shoppers to pay full price.”

Civil Rights | Brand New Dandies (T Magazine)
“This week marks the debut of Social Primer for Brooks Brothers, a collection of bowties created in collaboration with the ultimate WASP-y men’s store and K. Cooper Ray, the dapper Southern-born men’s-wear blogger.”

Rue La La Out of the Box | Source: Rue La La

Software Maker Buying Web Fashion Discounter (NY Times)
“GSI Commerce, which manages the Web sites for major retailers like ToysRUs.com and Zales, announced on Tuesday that it was buying Rue La La, a Boston start-up, in a deal valued at $350 million.”

Giorgio Armani organizing staff as successors (Reuters)
“Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, still frail after a bout of hepatitis, hinted on Tuesday of succession plans for his vast clothes empire after his retirement and joked about his appearance.”

Tommy Hilfiger European retail sales soar (Drapers)
“Tommy Hilfiger has revealed that global sales increased by 3.5% to EUR772m (£697.9m) in the six months to September 30. In Europe retail sales rose 24.4% with like-for-likes up 2.5%. However, European growth was offset by a slowdown in wholesale sales resulting in an overall sales decrease in Europe of 6.4%.”

TPG makes £500m profit from Debenhams exit (Drapers)
“Debenhams’ shareholder TPG, the American private equity group which took the department store private, has sold its remaining shares in the retailer, for a cool £500m profit.”

Hinterview: Riccardo Tisci (Hint)
“Givenchy designer Riccard Tisci is so Italian. Tall, dark and an aficionado of everything from music to art, he also talks a kilometer a minute…within minutes he had covered rave-hopping in Rio, trouble in paradise, his first fragrance and moving to New York—and being young enough to do it all over again.”