Stella McCartney’s Fashion Message (On the Runway)
“Stella McCartney appears in a new video by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, released today. It’s worth watching. The subject is animal suffering in the leather industry and the risks to human health and the environment from tanneries.”

At Fashion Week, a Peek at a New Tactic for Marketers (NY Times)
“Made Fashion Week’s mobile app… has been designed to listen for specific sound waves that will be played over the speakers during runway shows throughout the week. The app will then automatically pull up a photograph of the outfit — taken by a photographer on the scene — as well as the designer’s name, biography and contact information.”

Models form rights group ahead of New York Fashion Week (Reuters)
“Fashion models in the United States launched a rights group on Monday ahead of New York Fashion Week to seek workplace standards including backstage privacy to stop unauthorized nude photos and a program to provide confidential advice on dealing with sexual harassment.”

Startup of the Week: Lux Fix (Wired)
“Lux Fix is an e-commerce site that works with designers to offer super-curated luxury fashion with members-only discounts… We are the only site which is able to provide its customers with current season offers from top luxury fashion brands; this is possible because we provide marketing and sales generation for our designer partners’ brands and websites.”

French Vogue embraces the digital age with website relaunch (Guardian)
“Vogue magazine has stayed at the pinnacle of fashion. From launching the careers of designers to creating trends and showcasing the latest in culture, Vogue has always been seen as the taste maker in an industry dedicated to the creation of taste makers… Today sees a new website launch from French Vogue.”

Thinking, and Literally Looking, Very Big (IHT)
“Of all the performer’s covers, this Visionaire production, with its photograph of a slinky, shimmering mermaid Gaga with a tar-covered fish tail, has to be the most flamboyant. The magazine is two meters high and 1.5 meters wide, or 6 feet high and 4.8 feet wide.”

Luxury conquers its CSR fear (FT)
“An interesting policy shift is creeping through the luxury industry: after long being terrified of talking about environmental/corporate social responsibility initiatives except in the most covert whispers, a number of voices are now slowly being raised.”

Saks Beefs Up Online Content (WWD)
“Saks Fifth Avenue is making a major push to get closer to its customers. The upscale retailer today unveils its redesigned Saks POV Web site, featuring richer editorial content, such as designer profiles, coverage of brands carried at the store and lifestyle pieces highlighting the coolest restaurants, exhibits and cultural events.”

Stella McCartney to show at London Fashion Week for the first time (Telegraph)
“For the first time ever, Stella McCartney is to show the latest collection from her eponymous label at London Fashion Week… The Saturday night “special fashion presentation” on February 18 next year will, her office emphasised, be to showcase a “one-off” Stella McCartney collection.”

Abraham Moon: the name on everyone’s lips – and labels (Telegraph)
“Over the past few years everyone from Ralph Lauren to Dolce & Gabbana has descended on the place… The thing that draws them is a 174-year-old woollen mill in a sprawl of sooty Victorian stone buildings either side of the Netherfield Road. There etched on to a black vitreous panel by the entrance are the words Abm Moon & Sons Ltd.”

London Fashion Week, Somerset House | Source: Zimbio

Battle of the catwalks as Milan clashes fashion week with London (Telegraph)
“Milan has announced that its fashion week next September will overlap those of New York and London, meaning that if no solution can be found, department store buyers and fashion magazine editors would be forced to choose one city over another.”

Burberry slumps on fears of end to Asian boom (Guardian)
“Shares in the British superbrand Burberry took a fresh pummelling as investors worried that the sun was setting on the luxury goods sales boom in Asia. Nearly £2bn has been wiped off Burberry’s market value in the past three months on fears that the Chinese economy has started to splutter.”

Stella McCartney Keeps It in Perspective (NY Times)
“Ms. McCartney also does not have that designer problem of reducing a woman’s life to one or two moments: work, a fancy party. She also makes outfits that strongly hint of home, like a piped pajama shirt worn with a matching foulard-dot pantsuit, or a loose sweater or easy all-in-one to wear to a casual dinner. And they are done with a slightly wacky sense of humor that one assumes reflects her own life and those of the people on her staff.”

H&M Targets Expansion in Asia (Bloomberg)
“Hennes & Mauritz, Europe’s second- largest clothing retailer, plans to step up the expansion of its new brands in Asia, anticipating that Chinese consumers will favor more-expensive labels such as Monki and COS… H&M is adding stores in China more rapidly than anywhere else, turning to the world’s fastest-growing major economy to help reverse falling profit.”

Christian Louboutin retrospective to open in London (Telegraph)
“Launching at the end of March 2012, London’s Design Museum will host an exhibition detailing the story of the shoe designer’s rise to the top of the glamorous footwear game, from his launch in 1991 to the present day, when he dresses the feet of everyone from Victoria Beckham to Lady Gaga.”

Louis Vuitton Facebook Page | Source: Facebook

Why Some Of The World’s Biggest Brands Still Don’t Get Facebook (Forbes)
“Just because a brand has big marketing prowess or is known globally doesn’t necessarily mean it’s active or even gets social media–namely Facebook, that is.”

Luxury Brands Hobbled By Poor Management (Jing Daily)
“As major luxury brands continue their march into China’s second- and third-tier cities in an attempt to tap increasing spending power, many companies are finding their progress in these markets stymied by a management ‘talent shortage.’”

Stella McCartney’s Russian return a boutique affair (Reuters)
“The comeback, via a partnership with TSUM, was more subdued than the grand opening of McCartney’s own store in 2007, which closed after only 18 months when the financial crisis halted Russia’s seemingly insatiable demand for expensive clothes.”

Top brands reconsider India strategy (Fashion United)
“Some top international fashion and lifestyle brands which exited the Indian market during the economic downturn are returning to India, albeit with revised business strategies, more suited to the Indian environment.”

One-on-one with fashion designer Thakoon Panichgul (Globe and Mail)
“The fashion arena is verging on overload when it comes to ambitious young designers with a point of view and a passion to succeed. But every once in a while, one does manage to break through the din of excess and not only get noticed by those who matter, but woo the world with a sartorial sensibility that’s both arresting and right for the times.”

Carine Roitfeld at Paris Fashion Week | Photo: Tommy Ton

Carine Roitfeld Resigns from French Vogue (Vogue.co.uk)
“French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld has resigned after ten years of service. She will leave the magazine at the end of January. Roitfeld has decided to concentrate on personal projects.”

Bonobos, a Web Retailer, Raises $18.5 Million (NY Times)
“On Thursday morning, Bonobos announced it had raised $18.5 million in a financing round, led by the venture capital firms Lightspeed Venture Partners and Accel Partners. Bonobos has 25 employees and a full menu of menswear, including fitted oxford dress shirts, wool cashmere suits and boat shoes.”

Luxury spending higher than pre-recession levels (Luxury Daily)
“Luxury retail spending has eclipsed pre-recession levels as affluent consumers continue to regain confidence, according to a study from American Express Business Insights.”

Stella McCartney launches iPad app (New Media Age)
“The free app, available from the Apple App Store today, features latest news on the brand, latest collections and video interviews. ”

A Few Boring Ways to Spend $300,000 (NY Times)
“Pocketing $300,000 from the CFDA/Vogue Fund in mid-November, Billy Reid did not consider (a) having a Paris runway show; (b) spitting out some dresses for the Oscars; or (3) inviting his friends over for beer and shrimp.”

Self-Portrait, Nashville, 2005 | Photo: Mary McCartney

LONDON, United Kingdom — This evening at the Michael Hoppen Gallery is the private view of images from Mary McCartney’s first book, From Where I Stand, documenting her more than fifteen years of work as a photographer. Mary seems to have always had the natural instinct to observe and document the people around her, shying away from the spotlight that has shone on her family ever since her father, Sir Paul McCartney, became one of the most popular musicians of all time.

Over time, Mary also began to photograph advertising campaigns for her younger sister, Stella McCartney, which brought Mary closer to the fashion industry and inevitably led to some enviable behind-the-scenes moments, where Mary of course always had her camera at the ready, capturing many living fashion icons on film, including Kate Moss, Daphne Guinness and Bjork.

“I wanted to pick shots that stand alone,” says McCartney of the images she selected for the book. “I like the photographs of other people that inspired me to be a photographer that make me think: Who was that person? Where was this picture taken? What was the feel behind it? What the emotion behind it? Those are the things that intrigue me and drive me as a photographer.”

In advance of tonight’s event, I met with Mary over breakfast to get learn more about the images from her book linked to the fashion industry, each of which seems to have it’s own special story, which we can share exclusively with BoF readers today.

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney, Long Island, 1995 | Photo: Mary McCartney

“We chose this as the cover image because it’s quite arresting. It was a personal moment for Stella and I after a night out b0wling in America. I like that you can see her little bowling socks. Having been on the other side of paparazzi before, this was just a fun way of commenting on it.”

Kate Moss

Kate Moss, Worcestershire, 2003 | Photo: Mary McCartney

“Kate Moss is a strong character. She’s a commanding presence in front of the camera. She has so many different facets to her character. She’s girly, she’s naughty, she’s funky, she’s clever. Is she going to be impish and childish or sexy and sultry? I think that’s why she’s iconic, because people are intrigued by her. For me she’s the dream subject because you want to know more about her. You want to know what she thinks about things and what she is like.”

Kate Moss, London, 2004 | Photo: Mary McCartney

“This was for a campaign for Stella. The point of it is not to know whether Kate is zipping or unzipping. Who was she with? Who’s observing her? Is she on her own? She’s barefoot and not completely perfect. Her feet are a little bit dirty. It’s really simple..there’s no accessorising or anything…it’s just three things: the tapestry, the chair and the dress, and then it’s all about her. Kate can create that atmosphere around her.”

Bjork

Björk, Royal Albert Hall, London, 2003 | Photo: Mary McCartney

“I was doing the backstage photography at the first Fashion Rocks at The Royal Albert Hall in 2003. It was mayhem…designers, models, musicians. Usually you have one event going on, but there they had several events all at the same time. The place was just rammed with hair and makeup and clothes. But within all of the chaos there was this moment which was quite quiet. They were individually sticking crystals onto Björk’s face and it had to be quite slowly, properly applied because each one was stuck on individually. I kept coming back to see them applying more and more…”

Daphne Guinness

Daphne Guinness, London, 2009 | Photo: Mary McCartney

“I have shot her a couple of times, and think she’s stunning and has quite a unique style. This shot was for a magazine…I wanted something that had depth to it and windows at the end. The reason we chose this for the book is because it shows a different side of her. It’s got a softer quality to it and she is looking off camera. She can come across as quite angular and quite serious, but this shows a bit of her romantic side.”

Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion

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.’”

Detail, 50 Yuan Note | Source: Kekapana

China’s textile firms may face bankruptcy on yuan appreciation (Xinhuanet)
“Half of China’s textile firms may risk going bankrupt if the value of the Chinese currency yuan rises 5 percent against the U.S. dollar given the industry’s thin profit margins.”

French Court Kicks Google/LVMH Case Back To Appeals (WSJ)
“The French Supreme Court Tuesday referred a previous ruling against Internet search giant Google back to the Court of Appeal, effectively canceling an earlier decision in favour of French luxury goods company LVMH.”

Manolos, Manbags Set to Outdo `It’ Bags as Luxury Growth Driver (Bloomberg)
“The next ‘It’ bag may be a shoe. As some customers struggle to justify spending thousands of dollars on Hermes Kelly or Chanel 2.55 bags, shoes like Jimmy Choo gladiator sandals are set to become a faster-growing luxury.”

The Actual Cost of Digital Marketing (Fashion’s Collective)
“Working as a brand marketer in today’s oversaturated landscape of media is a more difficult job than ever. Determining where and how budget should be allocated is becoming more fragmented with the constantly growing number of platforms.”

Stella McCartney gives Team GB fashion fix (Guardian)
“If an elegantly cut and tastefully colour co-ordinated tracksuit makes for a better athlete, then Team GB’s Olympic campaign received a massive boost today after Stella McCartney was revealed as its creative director.”

NEW YORK, United States — Over the past ten years, the eco-fashion movement has been gathering steam. Following the lead of pioneering brands like Stella McCartney and NOIR, which were founded on the basis of ethical principles near the turn of the millennium, there are now entire fashion exhibitions, forums and blogs all focused on so-called sustainable fashion.

Ethical fashion is also high on the agenda of the major luxury goods groups. In April 2009, having already partnered with Stella McCartney to launch her eponymous label, PPR announced its support of HOME, an environmental call-to-action by filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand. François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer, said at the time that PPR’s support aimed to use “images and commentary to make us understand that each of us has a responsibility towards the planet, and that we can each act in our own way.”

A month earlier, Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, told investors at the luxury group’s annual shareholders meeting in Paris of his plan to take a 49 percent stake in Edun, the sustainable clothing label founded by Bono and Ali Hewson. “LVMH shares the vision and ethical values of Edun, a pioneer in ethical apparel, and its founders,” he said later. “LVMH is committed to advancing both the social and environmental aspects of sustainable development, which plays an intrinsic role in the development of our brands.”

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GREEN

In the food industry, we have witnessed the rise of certifications like “organic” and “fair trade” and their widespread adoption by affluent consumers. But what exactly do words like “sustainable,” “eco,” “ethical,” and “green” mean in a fashion context?

Earlier this year, in an insightful piece for the Financial Times, Vanessa Friedman identified a complete lack of consensus within the industry: “Having spent two days in Copenhagen immersed in the concept, having thought about it over the weeks since then, and having canvassed a wide variety of fashion figures, I can honestly answer … no one knows,” she wrote.

Ms. Friedman was in Copenhagen to attend a sustainable fashion conference which coincided with the UN climate change conference and spoke to a number of leading industry figures like Gucci’s Frida Giannini, Oscar de la Renta and Dries van Noten, a perfect focus group, you would think. Yet each of them had a different response to her question: “How would you define sustainable fashion?” Some emphasized a commitment to traditional techniques, others pointed to locally sourced materials, while still others mentioned the importance of reducing carbon footprint.

Industry-observing bloggers don’t fare much better in providing a cohesive answer. On the blog which accompanies sustainable fashion initiative The Uniform Project, co-founder Eliza Starbuck (who has since parted ways with the project to start her own line) wrote an especially thorough post which tried to clear up the confusion.

In the post, Ms. Starbuck distinguished between “heirloom sustainability” — the school that basically says nothing is more sustainable than a high-end designer item, say an Hermès belt, that is passed on for generations — and what could be dubbed “artisanal sustainability,” which is defined by handmade production and a low carbon footprint, the sartorial equivalent of the locavore movement among foodies.

In the end, however, Starbuck concludes that “there is still no ‘sustain-a-standard’ yardstick” that will cover all bases. After all, what are we sustaining? The environment? Traditions? Labourers? Change the parameters and the definition of sustainable fashion changes dramatically.

Commenting on the issue for this article, Christian Kemp-Griffin, chief mission officer at Edun, agreed that there is no single, definitive answer to what is ultimately a very complex question and that the best companies can do is strive for ethical progress and accountability, not ethical perfection.

Summing up Edun’s credo, he explained: “Ethical companies make thoughtful decisions and sell product thinking about the people who make the clothes — wages, human rights, health and safety — and the planet — energy use, biodiversity, organic — which boils the definition of sustainable, ethical clothes down to: product that benefits people and the planet.”

But rather than looking for a single formula, perhaps what is most important is that ethical and sustainable fashion brands are clear on what they are promising. As long as brands stay true to this commitment, they uphold the ethical values that are most important to them and their consumers. The more transparency brands can offer in their sourcing, manufacturing, and design processes, the more consumers can judge for themselves whether the promises being made are really being fulfilled.

In high-fashion, Stella McCartney is, without a doubt, the brand most closely associated with a commitment to the environment. The label’s famously vegetarian, farm-raised founder and designer very openly made planet-friendly practices a foundation of her company right from the start. Part of what makes her proposition so compelling is that her firm stance against cruelty to animals lies at the heart of everything her company stands for.

But is it 100% ethical, in the broadest sense of the definition? Probably not. Does this matter to her fans and customers? Probably not. What’s most important to them is that they know what she is promising and what they are getting when they buy a Stella McCartney product.

DOES SUSTAINABILITY SELL?

Definitions and good intentions aside, fashion is a business built on desirability — people buy fashion because they covet what it looks like and represents. So an equally interesting question is whether “Made Ethically” has the same effect as “Made in Italy.” In other words, is sustainability a positive differentiator in the eyes of fickle and demanding fashion consumers?

Stella McCartney became known as a chic designer label that’s convincingly green, not as a green designer label that is convincingly chic. Speaking to The Business of Fashion, McCartney was clear about her priorities: “Obviously, I don’t use any animals which has a huge impact on the planet. But my first job is to make desirable, luxurious, beautiful clothing for women to want to buy. Then I ask myself: can I do this in a more environmental way without sacrificing design? If I can, then there is no reason not to. I think that women buy my product because they like how it looks, feels, fits and being sustainable is an added extra bonus.”

This emphasis on desirability and design may come as no surprise from a graduate of London fashion college Central St. Martins. But interestingly Ali Hewson, who founded Edun primarily as a means to do good, sees it no differently. She told BoF: “In the fashion business desirability is sustainability! This point has taught us over the years that we must produce quality clothes. Fit must be right, design details correct.”

Julie Gilhart, influential fashion director at Barneys New York, and an early proponent of sustainable fashion, sums it up bluntly: “Consumers respond to good design. Design and desirability must come first.” When deciding whether to spend on fashion, the consumer looks, above all, for good design. Ecological or ethical considerations are still very much secondary.

To illustrate the point, Gilhart recounts an empirical lesson: “At Barneys, when we explicitly labeled Stella McCartney’s organic line with the word ‘organic’ its perceived value actually went down in the eyes of the consumer, even though it was actually more expensive to produce.”

There’s little doubt that environmental awareness amongst fashion consumers is rising and that greater transparency will become important for more and more brands. But in fashion, sustainability cannot drive sales without desirability.

Indeed, the brands that will resonate most with increasingly aware, but ever-demanding consumers will be the ones who integrate sustainable principles into their operations without making “being green” their defining principle.

Suleman Anaya is a contributing editor at The Business of Fashion

Hublot Platinum Watch Detail | Source: Hublot

LVMH Must Watch It (WSJ)
“LVMH should do more to fill out its lack of presence in the ‘hard’ luxury segments of jewelry and high-end watches. High operating leverage at jewelers and watch makers, especially smaller outfits, has left them economically vulnerable and a potential hunting ground to scale up LVMH’s business.”

Giambattista Valli to Sew His Own Clothes (WSJ)
“Mr. Valli said that, starting today, he ‘ceases any contractual deal with Mariella Burani Fashion Group,’… [the group] is in bankruptcy proceedings which were announced last week during Milan fashion week. Mr. Valli had just signed on with the firm last year.”

Reaching Affluents on Social Nets (e-Marketer)
“Most wealthy Internet users in the US are optimistic about the economy going forward… that should make them attractive to retailers, which are increasingly turning to social networks to attract customers.”

McCartney minimalism reflects new austerity (Independent)
“Stella McCartney opened the proceedings at the Paris collections yesterday with a show that went to prove that the return of minimalism to the international catwalks is the story of the autumn/winter 2010 season.”

Red Carpet Fading Away (IHT)
“Sometimes a fashion moment is defined as much by what is not on the runway as by the catwalk favorites. And with only one more day of autumn/winter 2010 in Paris before the season’s close, dressy evening clothes are fading from the limelight.”