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.”

Burberry Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Burberry

Burberry to buy out Chinese franchises (FT)
“[Burberry] said it would buy out its Chinese franchises in a £70m deal that will see it take direct control of its 50 stores on the mainland. The deal came in the same week China reported 10.3 per cent growth in the past quarter.”

Hello Tommy (Vogue.com)
“Tommy Hilfiger is adding a new lifestyle label to its repertoire, entitled Tommy. Aimed at twentysomething men and women, the line will move away from the preppy styles for which the brand has become known, instead focussing on handmade and distinctive details.”

Superdry fashion label boosts profit at SuperGroup (Independent)
“The fashion retailer SuperGroup has tripled its annual profits and vowed to step up international expansion. The owner of the Superdry brand said it would open 20 stores in the UK this year and 38 overseas.”

H&M Revenue Growth Weakens (Bloomberg)
“Europe’s second-largest clothing retailer, said revenue growth weakened in the final week of June, causing same-store sales for the month to miss analysts’ estimates.”

New stars and welcome returns for London Fashion Week (Telegraph)
“The Swedish design powerhouse, Acne, and the NewGen hot talents, Holly Fulton, David Koma and Michael Van Der Ham, will all make their catwalk debuts at London Fashion Week in September… [Giles Deacon] will also return to the LFW scene.”

Tommy Hilfiger Summer 2010 | Source: Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger Announces the Opening Champs Elysees Store (PR Newswire)
“The Champs Elysees store will serve as a true flagship for our brand in France and will further anchor our significant retail presence in Europe… It is an important milestone in our continued efforts to establish anchor stores in every major city around the world.”

Balderton invests $9m in My-wardrobe (FT)
“My-wardrobe is also looking to expand its appeal to customers outside of the UK, with a focus on France and Germany. Until now, the French market has been concentrated on online sales of discounted high-end clothes and accessories.”

The grown-up model comes of age (FT)
“Using older models in 2010 is less about the wow factor and more about reclaiming a generation. ‘Brands used to be obsessed with youth. Now they are realising that people in their forties are the customers and they’re addressing that.’”

Mittelmoda fashion awards in Italy (Telegraph)
“A fashion graduate from the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, and two MA graduates from London’s Royal College of Art, are among the prize-winners in the annual Mittelmoda.”

Dior Blooms Brightly (IHT)
“Backstage at Christian Dior, a simple pair of glasses transformed the show Monday into an extraordinary 3-D screen vision of women as flowers. Petals lapped their hips, colors were a hothouse explosion of vivid shades and skirts were shaped like the parrot tulips.”

Giles Deacon confirmed as Creative Director of Ungaro (Vogue.com)
“The new appointment is bound to bring a close to an unsettled atmosphere at the French house that has reigned since Emanuel Ungaro himself retired in 2004.” (RSS and email subscribers: watch exclusive BoF interview here)

Phillips-Van Heusen beats, but Tommy weighs in Q2 (Reuters)
“Analysts had been expecting a bigger boost from Tommy Hilfiger, the preppy apparel brand recently acquired by the clothing maker, but the company cited weaker seasonal business trends in that unit for the second quarter.”

Prada Q1 revenue up on strong retail sales (Reuters)
“Italian fashion house Prada posted a 26 percent rise in first-quarter consolidated revenue on Monday, boosted by strong sales in all main markets, including Europe.”

Reassessing the ’70s: A Brave New Wave (IHT)
“It has been dismissed by opinion makers as ‘the decade that taste forgot’ — the era of bell-bottom pants, glam rock glitter, clammy polyester, shrunken sweaters and a palette of orange, brown and avocado. Yet suddenly ’70s style is being re-assessed.”

The world’s gone Gaga (Times Online)
“As the Gaga juggernaut sweeps back into town this week for a second stab at her British tour, we thought it was time to take stock of the great lady’s fashion effect.”

Tommy Hilfiger Summer 2010 | Source: Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger Replants His American Flag (NY Times)
“Once a preppy kingpin and then a megabrand designer of urban streetwear, with over $1.9 billion in sales… at his peak, Mr. Hilfiger, in the 1990s, was very cool. But then, about 10 years ago, he just wasn’t…When did Tommy Hilfiger become cool again?”

H&M Examining Latin America, Australia for Openings (Bloomberg)
“Hennes & Mauritz, Europe’s second- largest clothing retailer, is looking at opening its first store in the southern hemisphere to tap emerging-market growth and catch up with larger rival Inditex.”

Prada Coerced Japanese Staff to Buy Goods? (Daily Finance)
“Prada’s lawyers and executives return to court to respond not only to accusations of gender-based discrimination and abuse of employees, but also to charges that it forced employees to buy Prada bags and other items in order to mask its falling sales.”

Touch-screen Selfridges window displays (Telegraph)
“Selfridges has unveiled two touch-screen window displays which will allow shoppers to ‘try on’ virtual 3D watches without even entering the store.”

Fashion and philosophy (FT)
“Should fashion be more meaningful? Every few decades the question gets asked, and as we move into the 21st century’s teen years, it has rolled around again, thanks to a pair of surprising collaborations.”

Net-a-Porter features Utility Chic | Source: Net-a-Porter

Net-a-Porter is being acquired for up to £350m by Richemont (Telegraph)
“The deal, expected to be completed this week, will see founder Natalie Massenet, a former fashion journalist, become at least £50m richer as Richemont acquires the remaining 70pc of the company it doesn’t already own.”

Phillips-Van Heusen Acquires Hilfiger for $3 Billion (NY Times)
“Phillips-Van Heusen, the clothing conglomerate that owns Calvin Klein, announced Monday that it would buy Tommy Hilfiger, once a leading purveyor of colorful preppy clothing, for about 2.2 billion euros, or $3 billion.”

Prada accused of maltreatment (Japan Times)
“A senior manager at Prada Japan has filed a legal complaint against the Italian fashion label, accusing the company of harassment and discrimination based on appearance and alleging it maltreated other employees in the past.”

Liberty back in fashion as store weighs up bid approaches (FT)
“Liberty, the listed upmarket London retailer, is in take-over talks with Marco Capello, the former managing director of Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity , in a deal that could value the group at about £40m.”

Gen Y Will End Luxury Drought — In ’20 (Media Post)
“The last two years have permanently altered America’s relationship with the luxe life, says Pamela Danziger… While Gen Y definitely has champagne tastes, they won’t be able to back it up with real bucks for another decade or so.”