CH by Carolina Herrera | Source: Carolina Herrera

Spain’s Puig Group succeeds by swimming against the stream (FT)
“Puig is an anomaly in the luxury market in a number of ways. It is the only Spanish luxury group. It is private and remains family-run.  And it is… a ‘hybrid’ of fashion and fragrance… Marc Puig, chairman and the third generation of the family to run a company founded in 1914, says ‘We don’t really follow the normal rules.’”

Middle market: Second-tier brands tap into straitened times (FT)
“The public’s shopping habits have not reverted to their previous ways – with lasting consequences for [the] ‘middle market’… But one nuance of the past three years is that the middle market has become a curiously compelling place for ultra-hip designers who would not have been seen dead there before.”

Moncler puts off IPO plans after Eurazeo deal (Reuters)
“Luxury clothing brand Moncler postponed plans for an IPO after investment company Eurazeo said it would acquire 45 percent of the company for 418 million euros. The announcement comes just a few days after Moncler got the go-ahead for its planned initial public offering.”

Buyers dictate this season’s look (FT)
“More demanding customers, generational shifts, new loyalty rules, an increasingly integrated offline and digital customer experience and the continued growth of China and other emerging markets is transforming the luxury industry.”

Todd Lynn: Tailor-made rock’n'roll (Independent)
“So what’s the logic of courting the preened masses… bearing in mind that Lynn was the man who once dressed goth-rocker Marilyn Manson in a coat made from Icelandic horse, replete with Flicka-esque manes… ‘I recently discovered my customer base is much broader than I thought.’”

Tory Burch Boutique in Seoul, Korea | Source: Tory Burch

Tory Burch’s Many Second Homes (WSJ)
“Business or pleasure? Both. As her empire grows globally, Tory Burch designs each shop differently, but all are inspired by her own home.”

Black, White and Plaid All Over (NY Times)
“This season has brought plaid of a more restrained stripe just for them: shadow plaids — that is, subtler patterns rendered in blacks, grays and whites. A kind of mash-up of vanguard and rear guard, of Antwerp and Edinburgh, they offer some of the dandyish charm of tartans while paying homage to the black mood that never goes out of fashion.”

Temperley Time (Vogue.co.uk)
“Temperley London is coming back to the capital for February’s London Fashion Week. Launched in 2000, the label went on to show in New York between 2005 and 2008 but returned to London to show the spring/summer 2009 collection.”

Todd Lynn – Dressing the Rock n Roll Elite (Clash Music)
“Todd Lynn has been dressing the rock ‘n’ roll elite for years. Legends of the music world seek creations by the masterful tailor. He has dressed the Stones, Marilyn Manson, Bono and Courtney Love.”

Fashion Triumph: Deflecting the Male Gaze (NY Times)
“Since April, Ms. Medine, 21, has been publishing photos of herself wearing these pieces on her blog, the Man Repeller, as well as shots of similarly challenging recent runway looks: fashions that, though promoted by designers and adored by women, most likely confuse — or worse, repulse — the average straight man.”

Celebrating Canadians in Fashion at the Canadian High Commission in London

LONDON, United Kingdom — On recent trips home to Canada, much to my dismay, I have struggled to find local fashion stories to share on BoF. Yes, Canada has a history of superstar models, and occasionally there is a retailer like Brian Hill of Aritzia or a young designer like Rad Hourani who captures my attention, but for the most part, getting a good Canadian fashion story has proven to be a challenge.

As it turns out, I was looking in the wrong place the whole time. I missed the quiet Canadian fashion revolution happening in my own backyard, right here in London.

On Wednesday evening, James R. Wright, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and his charming wife Donna Thomson, together with their daughter Natalie, hosted an intimate dinner at their home to celebrate the great success that London-based Canadians are having in the global fashion industry. It was only by bringing all of us together in one room that the full force of London’s Canadian fashion mafia could be truly comprehended.

Let’s take stock, shall we?

Michelle Obama in Erdem | Source: Grazia

Erdem Moralioglu of Montreal has quietly become one of the leading fashion forces on the London Fashion Week calendar, having famously dressed both Samantha Cameron, wife of the new British Prime Minister, and Sarah Brown, wife of the former British Prime Minister, just as their husbands were gearing up for an election campaign. And if that weren’t enough high-wattage political endorsement, Michelle Obama has worn Erdem too, along with countless young Hollywood starlets and fashion editors and buyers around the world. It’s no surprise then that Erdem was recently named as the first recipient of the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund.

Sarah Mower, who was also at last night’s dinner, once called Erdem the Christian Lacroix of London, due to his adept skills in embellishment and embroidery. From a brand perspective, I would say he might also be something like a modern day Oscar de la Renta, one of those rare designers who can simultaneously appeal to mature women and their daughters too, putting them in beautiful dresses, all with a recognisable brand signature. Perhaps this is what makes Erdem’s rising star so noteworthy: his is a business with the potential to have real staying power.

Faster by Mark Fast | Source: Mark Fast

But Erdem is not the sole Canadian making waves in London. After dinner, I chatted with Toronto’s Todd Lynn about the surprise appearance of Janet Jackson at his last show during LFW in February. It seems Ms. Jackson was so enamoured with the sleek modern Todd Lynn tailoring which she sported in her “Make Me” video, that she hopped on a plane to London especially to show her support from Mr. Lynn’s front row.

Mark Fast, a native Winnipegger, made his name in innovative knitwear, creating immediate media buzz upon graduating from Central St Martins. But it was his S/S 2010 runway show, featuring plus-sized models, that catapulted Mr. Fast onto the global fashion radar and attracted interest from outside the industry on CNN, the BBC and hundreds of websites, magazines, and newspapers around the world.

Jean Pierre Braganza A/W 2009 | Source: Elle.com

As for Jean-Pierre Braganza, another native Montrealer, his is a more of an insider success story. A long-time favourite of friend of BoF, Diane Pernet, Mr. Braganza’s designs first captured my attention on a business trip to New York last year. Walking into a meeting with my friend Michelle Sanders, a former accessories editor at American Vogue with impeccable taste, I was blown away by the graphic printed caftan that she wore with her characteristic chic panache. When she told me the design was by Jean-Pierre Braganza, I took note. Little did I know that he was part of the Canadian mafia too.

But there’s more than just designers in this group of influential Canucks. Fashion writers and editors including Bronwyn Cosgrave, Leith Clark of Lula Magazine (another surprise Canadian!), and Style.com’s Tim Blanks — who despite his Kiwi accent, travels on a Canadian passport — were also present. Tim’s presence was particularly welcome as so many of us had grown up watching him on CBC’s Fashion File. In the pre-Internet days, Tim’s intelligent fashion commentary, now a staple of Style.com, was our only conduit to the global fashion scene.

A few non-Canadians were also on hand to show their support, but they each had a Canadian connection. It was an honour to meet the legendary Joan Burstein, who had collaborated with the High Commissioner on a charity auction of fashion clothes a few months earlier; Sarah Mower, whose Style.com critiques helped to spark the upward trajectories of many of the designers in the room, and Laura Larbalestier, designer wear buyer from Canadian-owned Selfridges, the landmark London department store. There was even one Canadian guest all the way from Toronto, Nicholas Mellamphy, of The Room at HBC.

And finally, one new member of this tribe of London-based Canucks is Thomas Tait, who was recently featured on BoF, discussing plans for his career after Central Saint Martins.

As we stumbled out of the High Commissioner’s residence after midnight, well-fed and brimming with conversation and a rare bit of national pride, Erdem called out, “Do you guys want to grab a drink?” A few minutes later, we were tucked around a table at the David Collins’ designed Connaught Bar, exchanging fashion war stories. And nothing warmed my little Canadian heart more than to see Erdem passing on a few words of wisdom to Thomas on how to set up a business, the struggles he had from the start, and what it took to become successful, from one designer to another.

It was this exchange that perhaps offered some explanation as to how this quiet Canadian revolution has happened, with a group of creatives navigating the tough waters of the fashion business, shaping the future of London fashion, and helping each other learn the ropes.

It’s the Canadian way.

Imran Amed is Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion

–

Janet Jackson wearing Todd Lynn in “Make Me”

Beth Ditto magazine cover, courtesy of LOVE

LONDON, United Kingdom — With the economy in the doldrums and the raging debate about “how long this will last” in full throttle, we have been distracted from the creative heart that is the fashion industry.

Thank goodness for Katie Grand, Todd Lynn and Christopher Kane.

In a recent interview with Ponystep about the launch of LOVE magazine, Grand reveals herself to be true to her creative sensibilities, especially given the emotional depth with which she approaches her magazine projects. She’s candid about her widely-publicised departure from POP, a magazine she created more than eight years ago, billed as “the world’s first superglossy.”

Last year, in a move which was actively speculated upon in the press during the months prior, Grand announced her new magazine project with CondeNast. The timing of such a launch by the world’s most famous magazine publisher might seem questionable to some — in case you hadn’t heard, the economy is in freefall and ad spending has plummeted at major titles like Vogue.

But open up LOVE magazine and you will find pages and pages of ads that must make the editors of other fashion tomes downright red with envy. Creatively, Grand has organised the magazine by A to Z and, she says, scaled back the retouching to make things structurally and aesthetically different from her POP days.

The response to the LOVE magazine itself, predictably, has been mixed. There is a pretty unanimous view, however, that the photography is stunning, especially the Mert and Marcus shoot of Beth Ditto. But while some critics are hailing Grand’s choice of Ditto for the cover as a genius decision, others have called it hypocritical when compared to the other subjects in the rest of the magazine. Some have noted that NME, the music magazine, had already put Ditto on their cover 2 years ago, albeit with a very different outcome.

By the way, I know all of this despite the fact that I haven’t even been able to see LOVE for myself. There is extensive coverage of the launch in major British newspapers, trade magazines, fashion websites and blogs around the world. And the magazine was sold out in the shops I checked in between shows today in London.

Clearly, this is a magazine that has got people talking. Regardless of where people stand, it’s nice to hear some real debate on the creative output of the fashion business, in addition to the discussion about the current economic crisis. And, if two outstanding shows in London today are any indication, creativity might be the salve that helps get us through it.

Half-way through Todd Lynn’s show, Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet whispered to me that Lynn had “leaped”, in a way that saw his nascent talent soar. In his best collection to date, he showed a series of lean tailored looks with a modern edge, juxtaposed against a background of religious music and models who carried stylised rosaries-cum-jewelry.

A few hours later, Christopher Kane also impressed with a stunning show of lightness, iridescent colours, and geometric lines. That this focused collection comes from a 26 year-old, still only in his sixth season at London Fashion Week, never ceases to amaze. Kane continues to show he has a vision of his own.

For savvy buyers like Natalie Massenet who still actively attend the London shows, spotting and supporting this kind of creativity is paying off. The online retail segment is the last bastion of rapid growth in the fashion business, and when paired with creativity, its power is undeniable. Earlier this month, Christopher Kane’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection, ‘Pre-Historic,’ sold out completely on its first day on Net-a-Porter.

If that’s not an endorsement for creativity in a time of crisis, I don’t know what is.

Imran Amed is Editor of The Business of Fashion