Jun Takahashi | Source: Forbes

The Experimental Designer Who Will Replace Jil Sander At Uniqlo (Forbes)
“In some ways Takahashi is a surprising choice — he’s not exactly a household name outside of Japan, and his clothes veer toward the avant garde… But Takahashi is Japanese, and he has worked with big commercial companies before — he designs a running line for Nike. Furthermore, he’s one of the most innovative, interesting designers working today.”

PPR H1 beats forecasts thanks to luxury brands (Reuters)
“French retail and luxury group PPR SA delivered first-half sales and profits above forecasts on Friday, helped by strong growth of its luxury brands in major markets such as China. PPR’s luxury brands… produced combined sales growth of 24.4 percent in the second quarter, above expectations of 19 percent and first-quarter luxury growth of 22 percent.”

Hugo Boss confident as China, Americas sales soar (Reuters)
“German fashion house Hugo Boss sees a strong second half thanks to soaring demand for its suits from Asia and the Americas… Sales in the Americas were up 31 percent in the quarter, while the Asia/Pacific region saw sales soar 65 percent.”

Tommy Hilfiger Makes Asia Inroads (WSJ)
“In August, Hilfiger will be taking over the right to sell its own brand in China, where it was previously distributed through a licensing agreement. And it said today that it poached John Ermatinger, who until recently was the president of Gap Asia Pacific, for the newly appointed role of Asia Chief Executive for Tommy Hilfiger.”

Guangzhou: No Longer A Third-Rate Luxury Market? (Jing Daily)
“It may be very much a top-tier city, with an annual GDP of over 1 trillion yuan (US$152 billion)… Guangzhou can be a frustrating market for major luxury brands… Top brands have been slow to invest heavily in their Guangzhou operations, and for good reason: local luxury consumption lags far behind other key markets.”

Anthropologie on London's Regent Street | Source: Styleguide

Retailtainment: the future of shopping? (Independent)
“An extension of previous high-concept… These concept stores provide the kind of entertainment designed to make you – or at least your children – leave the premises grinning from ear-to-ear as you reel from your experiential day out. This is Retailtainment.”

In Nigeria, ‘Lace’ Market Reflects Rising Middle Class (WSJ)
“No longer reserved for the rich, lace today is on the backs of motorcycle-taxi passengers and nightclub goers, part of Africa’s growing middle class… The Nigerian lace industry also opens a window on broader change in Africa as a whole.”

Tommy Hilfiger to Invest in Michael Kors? (The Cut)
“Michael Kors is looking for a half-billion dollars to fund his brand’s global expansion by selling a 25 percent stake in his company… Tommy Hilfiger is reportedly one of the ‘high net worth’ individuals Morgan Stanley recruited, without much difficulty, to invest in the company.”

Italy’s Ferragamo shines in Milan debut (Reuters)
“Shares of Italian luxury shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo rose in their first day of trading on Wednesday, defying expectations for a muted debut. The Florence-based maker of shoes… trimmed debut gains to be up 6.17 percent at 9.555 euros.”

A Playful Ambition: An Interview Giles Deacon (Jessica Michault)
“For Deacon, who says he would love to someday work on a project with NASA, the most important thing is to always have fun while he is working. Inspired by his travels throughout the world and his love of nature Deacon is a bit of a free spirit.”

Z Zegna in Holt Renfrew's S/S 2011 Campaign | Source: Fashionising

For Holt’s, luxury regains its proper place (Globe and Mail)
“The full-price model is part of Mr. Derbyshire’s five-year business plan to strengthen Holt’s results following a period of stagnation caused by the economic slump… His efforts seem to be paying off: Privately held Holt’s enjoyed a record profit in 2010 – double that of its next best year, 2006.”

Tommy Hilfiger Changes his Stripes (WSJ)
“‘It’s my formula. It’s my vision,’ Mr. Hilfiger says. ‘But I wanted someone to come in who respects the vision but would want to maybe modernize it a bit.’ The hires are part of Mr. Hilfiger’s broader effort to refresh his 26-year-old label’s image in the U.S., particularly among luxury consumers.

Kurt Geiger sale to Jones Group (Guardian)
“‘We’ve had a brilliant ride with private equity but now we’d like to park the company for the long term and not look over our shoulders every three or four years. It’s been a great journey but we now want to think about the next 10 years.’”

Gucci Turns 90! (Dazed Digital)
“The glamorous Italian brand celebrates its 90th birthday this year in grand style as we show images from an exclusive editorial shot at the Palazzo Alberini in Rome and speak to creative director, Frida Giannini.”

A New Look at the Art of Prada (WSJ)
“Miuccia Prada the designer—she of the black nylon backpacks, whose Italian label is often called fashion’s most intellectual—keeps art and fashion separate. ‘Definitely fashion for me isn’t art… Art is a place for ideas without any other direct concerns. If I’m a good fashion designer, it’s because I sell.’”

Tommy Hilfiger | Source: Badische Zeitung

Tommy Hilfiger Dreams of Limitless Horizons (IHT)
“‘We are really living the American dream,’ Mr. Hilfiger said, ‘to be a successful brand in the States and in Europe and to steep ourselves in our heritage. But we do it with a sense of humor. We don’t take ourselves too seriously in fashion.’”

‘Cyber Monday’ Sales Show Strength (WSJ)
“Online retailers experienced a sales surge Monday, capping off a holiday shopping week in which more Americans than ever decided to skip the mall and buy on the Web. Early estimates indicated overall sales gains of about 20% from a year earlier for ‘Cyber Monday.’”

Saunders For Escada (Vogue UK)
“Jonathan Saunders has been enlisted by Escada to create a collection for its Escada Sport label. The Scottish designer will present the 20-piece offering as part of the label’s 2010 resort collection in London and Paris next June.”

Primark store sets new sales record (Independent)
“The discount fashion chain Primark achieved record takings of more than £820,000 at its flagship store in the West End of London on Saturday. The best one-day performance of any Primark shop in its 41-year history.”

Anna Sui’s new book (Telegraph)
“Sui’s anniversary book, featuring Christy Turlington, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, is a walk down memory lane for the boho-chic designer.”

Nordstrom Rack Union Square | Source: Stylist

Why Luxury Goods Are Scarce at Outlet Malls (Bloomberg)
“You don’t have nearly the quality you had in the recent past and you don’t have the degree of discounts…It’s hard to believe all of these players can operate 50 to 100 outlets successfully. There’s going to be a shakeout.”

Luxury sector in solid rebound (FT)
“As restocking effects are now over across most luxury product categories, third quarter sales trends at LVMH and the broader sector are more closely aligned with underlying consumer demand – a positive in the run-up to Christmas.”

UK high street faces more than 26,500 shop closures by 2015 (Telegraph)
“As the UK’s economy slowly crawls back to health, more than 26,500 retailers will be forced to close by 2015, according to research by BDO. The figure includes 15,400 fashion shops.”

Tommy Hilfiger debuts its own digital radio (Independent)
“The unique digital radio station will be broadcast seven days a week and 24 hours a day by a team of professional programmers, DJs and on-air disc jockeys from the Goom Radio studios in France and the US.”

Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman on luxury shopping (BBC)
“Whilst some of us are tightening are belts, some of us are buying expensive ones. It seems for some people the age of austerity is now well and truly over…Alexandra Shulman, editor in chief of British Vogue told the BBC why people spend money on luxury brands.”