Bottega Veneta Store China | Source: Be the Boss

Chinese are up to speed with life in the fast lane (LA Times)
“Companies obsessed with China a few years back for its flagrant counterfeiting now see it as their most promising customer, especially at a time when so many other nations are scrimping. Gucci’s sales in China in the first half of 2011 were up 39%;Bottega Veneta’s more than 80%. Prada plans to open 50 shops over the next three years.”

Russians boost sales at Selfridges (FT)
“Spending by Russians reached record levels at Selfridges, the London department store owned by Galen Weston, in the run-up to the Russian Orthodox church’s official Christmas day, celebrated on Saturday, January 7.”

The consignment business booms with second-hand luxury (The National)
“While most retailers have yet to recover from the recession, used luxury handbag businesses are thriving. Reema Al Khomeiri, founder of Toujours Chic, launched her second-hand purse business in 2009 – in the midst of the global downturn – but she isn’t complaining. Almost three years later, her venture has flourished, with hundreds of loyal customers. ‘The recession has definitely whipped us into being disciplined and responsible buyers,’ she adds.”

Fashion Bookmarking Site Wantworthy Raises $860K (BetaBeat)
“Good things come to those who wait, a few months at least. Wantworthy, the fashion bookmarking site that graduated from TechStars New York’s second class in October, has raised at least $859,998 towards a $999,999 equity round, according to the company’s Form D filing with the SEC.”

Rise: Narelle Dore (Dazed Digital)
“Just after finishing her studies in Fashion and Textiles in Australia, moved to Belgium to intern at Beirendonck and to study at the Antwerp Academy. Now with her own label set up and a blog project that features other designers and even chefs, she will be presenting her new collection and pieces in woollen macrame, especially made for Amsterdam Fashion Week, at the end of the month.”

Hobbs Designer Womens Clothing | Source: Hobbs

Equity turns fashionable (Fashion United)
“Investing in something more than a covetable wardrobe is turning to be a trend that arrived to stay. Even more equity and investment firms are looking for opportunities to enter the fashion business, which is proving to be resilient to crisis and financial turmoils.”

Coach to Move Production From China (WSJ)
“Leather-goods maker Coach plans to gradually move some production out of China, where labor costs are rising, and into lower-cost countries, such as India and Vietnam. At the same time, China is proving a boon to Coach’s sales… comparable-store sales grew by double digits in China.’”

How long will Burberry’s success last? (CPP Luxury)
“The ‘democratic luxury” positioning, although it may have a very possitive message during the current recession, it remains to be seen how the consumers will regard it once most of the international market will have recovered from the recession.”

Selfridges: Bright Young Things (Dazed Digital)
“The windows of Selfridges will feature some of the biggest upcoming stars in British fashion and art… 25 young designers and artists [will] create their own displays and showcase their work to millions. They will also design limited edition pieces.”

Vivienne Westwood’s jewellery extravaganza (Telegraph)
“Dame Vivienne Westwood, the high-priestess of punk, will mark the opening of London Fashion Week next month, with an extravagant launch of her precious jewellery at the Wallace Collection.”

H&M Autumn/Winter 2010 Looks | Source: Style Pantry

Profiling the Value Retailers (WWD)
“Stores, like people, have personalities. Whether that personality determines the customer, or the customer the personality, is one of those chicken versus egg questions that’s a matter of perennial debate (well, at least among retail nerds).”

Selfridges and Dolce & Gabbana in ‘giant falling out’ (Telegraph)
“From next spring, the chain’s department stores will not offer the premium label or its D&G line. There were claims the retailer and the designer parted on bad terms after Selfridges proposed a change to the lines’ in-store positions.”

Men’s Suits Under $500: The New Magic Price Point (WWD)
“There’s a new sweet spot in the men’s suit market. With their popularity bolstered by the lingering recession, branded and private label offerings hovering in the $500 retail range are continuing to gain traction.”

Gap profit beats as sales edge up (Reuters)
“Yet, despite improvements in many lines of business, same-store sales at Gap’s namesake stores in North America, which account for about a quarter of overall sales, continued to slip, falling 4 percent.”

A Paris House and a Playful Street Link (NY Times)
“We’ll see more sites that essentially serve as a bridge between street style and e-commerce… customers want styling tips — and buyers are picking up ideas from visual blogs and user-generated sites that help them present trends.”

Tommy Hilfiger Summer 2010 | Source: Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger Replants His American Flag (NY Times)
“Once a preppy kingpin and then a megabrand designer of urban streetwear, with over $1.9 billion in sales… at his peak, Mr. Hilfiger, in the 1990s, was very cool. But then, about 10 years ago, he just wasn’t…When did Tommy Hilfiger become cool again?”

H&M Examining Latin America, Australia for Openings (Bloomberg)
“Hennes & Mauritz, Europe’s second- largest clothing retailer, is looking at opening its first store in the southern hemisphere to tap emerging-market growth and catch up with larger rival Inditex.”

Prada Coerced Japanese Staff to Buy Goods? (Daily Finance)
“Prada’s lawyers and executives return to court to respond not only to accusations of gender-based discrimination and abuse of employees, but also to charges that it forced employees to buy Prada bags and other items in order to mask its falling sales.”

Touch-screen Selfridges window displays (Telegraph)
“Selfridges has unveiled two touch-screen window displays which will allow shoppers to ‘try on’ virtual 3D watches without even entering the store.”

Fashion and philosophy (FT)
“Should fashion be more meaningful? Every few decades the question gets asked, and as we move into the 21st century’s teen years, it has rolled around again, thanks to a pair of surprising collaborations.”

Tom Ford's Ultra-Luxe Alligator Luggage | Source: Luxist

As Sales Vanish, Skins Stay on Alligators (NY Times)
“If alligator is still popular but is simply unaffordable… why are thousands of the reptiles sitting unwanted in Louisiana? And why have prices for the raw product dropped so low? He says Hermès is hoarding the skins, forcing other fashion houses to pay dearly and leaving the farmers with few other options.”

US shoppers discount driven on Black Friday (Drapers)
“US retail sales on Black Friday, the post Thanksgiving shopping day in the States, were marginally ahead of 2008, but shoppers were out looking for bargains and did not spend on full price goods or luxury items.”

Selfridges heads for £100m profit in centenary year (Drapers)
“A strong start to Christmas trading has been the icing on the cake for department store group Selfridges, which said its profits would bust the £100 million market in this, its 100th year of trading.”

Zac Posen to design Target line (New York Magazine)
“Posen has a new strategy to reach an even wider consumer base than he might with the $78 T-shirts from his lower-priced “urban hipster” Z Spoke line: a Target collection, yet another increasingly common business strategy for young (and old) designers in these times.”

Comité Colbert Adds Five New Members (FWD)
“The Comité Colbert has added five new members, the first time France’s leading luxury industry group has added so many brands at once. Notable from the world of fashion, the Comité Colbert rolled out red carpet to Pierre Hardy, the most acclaimed French shoemaker of his generation.”