Olivier Rousteing | Source: Balmain

Olivier Rousteing Named New Designer at Balmain (T Magazine)
“The new era at Paris’s sex-charged fashion house Balmain is beginning to take shape, with Olivier Rousteing being tapped as the label’s new designer. Rousteing, who joined Balmain in 2009 and is currently in charge of women’s wear.”

Savile Row tailors on dressing the royal groom (Telegraph)
“Last week, David Cameron briefly stole the limelight from Kate with his fashion indecision… At least it got everyone talking about men’s fashion, for once. Retail analysts estimated that the wedding will generate £620 million for the British economy: surely Savile Row should be getting a slice of that (wedding) cake?”

Fashion Companies Go Green, Cut Costs (Thread NY)
“It may be socially responsible for fashion companies to be eco-conscious, but many are finding that thinking in terms of sustainability also produces major cost savings.  Finding ways to cut costs internally has also become increasingly important for fashion companies as the cost of commodities like cotton rises and labor costs increase.”

Coach profit rises 18 percent, boosted by U.S., China (Market Watch)
“To spur growth for the company, Frankfort… also is expanding in stand-alone men’s shops and in the U.K. and other European markets. The company also plans to introduce mobile commerce in North America next week and continues its roll out in China, its fastest growing market.”

Q&A: Franca Sozzani (WWD)
“Vogue Italia editor in chief Franca Sozzani doesn’t shy away from controversy. Some might argue she courts it. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, and her blog on vogue.it has helped the site jump to more than one million unique users a month.”

Bryanboy | Illustration: Moises Quesada

Blogging from Manila to Milan (WSJ)
“Bryan Grey-Yambao, a 24-year-old Filipino based in Manila, began blogging from his parents’ home in Manila in 2004. He is one of the biggest names among a new, increasingly influential crop of fashion bloggers — with their own commercial contracts, front-row seats at fashion shows and multipage spreads in magazines.”

In Eco-Jeans, the Green Becomes Harder to Spot (New York Times)
“Two years ago, when going green was red-hot in the fashion industry, there were plenty of organic jeans to choose from. Today, none of the brands do. Which raises the question: Where has all the organic denim gone?”

Jiang Qiong Er, Shang Xia’s CEO & artistic director (Luxury Society)
“Beyond the industry’s collective marvel at the foresight of the firm to bolster its export of Hermès goods into China by inventing a domestic Chinese luxury brand to boot, there is much more that the Shang Xia brand is destined to achieve besides just filling the Hermès coffers. Shang Xia’s visionary co-founder, Jiang Qiong Er, explains why.”

Forecast 2011: Menswear’s e-commerce success story (Monocle)
“With sales having increased by 11.4 per cent over the first two weeks of November 2010 alone, e-commerce is one of the fastest growing sectors in retail. And, this year it’s the men’s market that will see the greatest change.”

eBay Takes a Page From the Glossies (New York Times)
“[Andrea] Linett began a new job this week as the creative director of eBay Fashion. One of her responsibilities is to enliven the experience of online shopping at a site that often feels more like a digital flea market.”

Boutiques.com | Source: Boutiques.com

Google Debuts Fashion Shopping Site (NY Times)
“In a deliberate collision between nerds and fashion mavens, Google has created a new e-commerce site that significantly improves how fashion is presented and sold online. The site, Boutiques.com… may also change how people shop for clothes.”

Where Do China’s Luxury Purchases End Up? (Forbes)
“While most agree that the newly affluent make some such purchases to demonstrate to others around them that they have ‘made it’, others view the same items as safer alternatives to hongbao (red envelopes stuffed with pay-off cash).”

Sustainable Luxury: New Opportunities for Growth (Guardian)
“This new consumer mindset poses an interesting challenge to luxury brands. While on the one hand, global luxury sales have rebounded nicely in 2010… this uptick does not necessarily translate into profitability over the long term.”

Saks expects lift as Wall Street spurs luxe spending (Reuters)
“Saks Inc. reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by well-heeled shoppers emboldened by this year’s Wall Street gains to go splurge, and the retailer forecast more sales growth for the upcoming holidays.”

Celebrity fashion blogger to launch a teen magazine (Independent)
“Fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson and former editor in chief of the now-defunct Sassy magazine Jane Pratt are teaming up to create a new teen magazine slated for next year.”

Liz Claiborne | Source: Archive

Targeting Younger Buyers, Liz Claiborne Hits Snag (WSJ)
“In an effort to attract a younger audience, Mr. McComb decided to focus on the company’s contemporary brands with the most potential… But he made a series of strategic blunders… The decision to realign the company’s portfolio ‘was a disaster waiting to happen’.”

Fashion Tries on Zero Waste Design (NY Times)
“Zero-waste design strives to create clothing patterns that leave not so much as a scrap of fabric on the cutting room floor. This is not some wacky avant-garde exercise; it’s a way to eliminate millions of tons of garbage a year.”

The Rise of The Blogger (Footwear News)
“Industry players said blogs have gained clout and relevance because they can post information about a company or show its product much faster than traditional media… The blogs also serve as marketing tools that can go beyond conventional advertising.”

Fashion Gets a Deserved Night Out (WSJ)
“Though the evening is devoted to commerce, it is balanced with an artistic side. A glance at the event’s website, Fashionsnightout.com, which launches Monday, reveals that brands across the spectrum… are exploring the interplay between fashion and the arts.”

Missoni: a family always in fashion (Guardian)
The Missonis have survived the years intact, with no scandals, shootings or skeletons falling out of the cupboard. And they remain in control, having resisted buyouts… As Angela says: ‘… To my mother that was the most important achievement. Family harmony was always her goal.’”

Jack Spade Clothing and Accessories on Gilt | Source: Gilt Groupe

Wanted: Guy Shoppers for Fashion Sites (WSJ)
“Online fashion shopping sites like Gilt Groupe and Rue La La have been a hit with women since launching over the last three years. A new push to get men to shop in these web boutiques is proving more difficult.”

Foreign luxury companies take note: Chinese consumers favour CSR (FT)
“A new study points to a more powerful tool: promoting corporate social responsibility. More than two-thirds of Chinese consumers said a luxury brand’s CSR would affect their decision to purchase decision.”

Luxe Spending Rises, but Apparel Lags (WWD)
“The country’s richest consumers will drive luxury spending up between 6 and 8 percent this year… but apparel is unlikely to benefit. Apparel spending by these consumers has recovered somewhat, but continues to slide.”

How Green Is My Sneaker? (WSJ)
“A group of roughly 100 well-known apparel brands and retailers have developed a software tool to help them measure the environmental impact of their apparel and footwear, from raw material to garbage dump.”

From Untouchable to Businesswoman (NY Times)
“Ms. Parmar’s moment of liberation came roughly 20 years ago, when the not-for-profit Sewa Project formed a unit in her village to help preserve endangered handicrafts and, equally, to provide the people who make them a form of alternative employment.”