Uniqlo S/S 2009 ad campaign, courtesy of Uniqlo

Uniqlo’s July sales falls 4.2 pct, hurt by weather (Reuters)
“Fast Retailing said on Tuesday same-store sales at its Uniqlo casual-clothing chain in Japan fell 4.2 percent in July, the first drop in nine months, hit by unseasonably rainy weather.”

One-Third of Russia’s Clothiers Are Going Bust, Exporters Say (Bloomberg)
“A third of Russia’s 42,000 clothing retailers will close by the end of this year after the economic crisis hurt local spending, according to the head of the European Fashion and Textile Export Council.”

Footwear firms demand action from Brazilian suppliers (Drapers)
“Footwear giants Clarks, Adidas, Nike and Timberland are demanding assurances from their leather suppliers in Brazil that their production is not destroying the Amazon rainforest.”

Lane Bryant Launches Plus-Sized Social Community (Media Post)
“Lane Bryant, the company that wrote the book on plus-sized clothing for women, is hoping that an online community can help reverse its shrinking sales trends.”

Autumn trends: Power craze (Independent)
“Big shoulders, boots and leather – the key autumn/winter trends are not for the shy and retiring. Susannah Frankel introduces eight looks that make an impact.”

Luxury-Goods Makers Brandish Green Credentials (WSJ)
“The bad economy and a fundamental shift in the market for luxury goods are forcing an industry that reveres names like Chanel and Versace to embrace a different icon: Mother Nature.” See video here.

If You Gave a Fashion Show and No One Came… (WSJ)
“Until a few years ago, the magazine editors and retailers who attended runway shows closely guarded access to photos until the clothes were ready to show up in stores. But these days, with members of the audience filming, photographing and tweeting from their seats, the format feels about as modern as Brylcreem”

Gilt Groupe Raising $40 Million At A Huge Valuation (The Business Insider)
“Gilt Groupe, a New York-based private-sale ecommerce company, has signed a term sheet with General Atlantic and Matrix to raise about $40 million at about a $400 million valuation.” For an update on the story please click here.

Luxury Retailers Test Waters in Hamptons (Observer)
“As Manhattanites pack up their cars and zoom east on Friday, July 3, they will find Hamptons streets rather spiffed up, despite dire economic predictions.”

BRC says consumer advocate must educate shoppers on rights (Drapers)
“The British Retail Consoritum (BRC) has warned that the creation of a “consumer advocate”, which could have power to take legal action against retailers, must be focused on improving consumers’ understanding of their rights.”

Dries Van Noten, courtesy of IHT

It’s day two of the BoF India Fashion Week and today we turn our attention to Sustainable Luxury, the theme of the most recent IHT Luxury Conference, held this year in India, home of age-old craftsmanship and artisanale traditions.

NEW DELHI, India — “What does an economic collapse and a terrorist attack have to do with sustainable luxury?” Everything, strategist and author Jem Bendell suggested as he addressed the attendees of the International Herald Tribune’s annual conference on Luxury held last week.

The event was re-scheduled from December of last year, due to the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. The topic for this year’s conference was Sustainable Luxury—a phrase whose meaning has expanded to include more than just corporate social responsibility (CSR). The global economic downturn has precipitated a major shift in both consumer behaviour and expectations, affecting the bottom line of many luxury brands and calling into question the sustainability of the sector itself.

As Suzy Menkes, Fashion Editor of the IHT, noted in her opening address, “these are tough, rough times in the luxury world… and those sensitive to the shifting mood doubt that the 15 years of expansive growth can return in the same heady, crazy way”.

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