UGG's Women's Classic Short Sparkles | Source: UGG

The story of Ugg (Telegraph)
“Clumpy or comfortable, hideous or heaven-sent, few shoe styles have proved as divisive as Uggs. The boots – originating from Australia – have outlasted all forecasts of their demise, and rocketed to ubiquity as one of the footwear industry’s biggest success stories of the past decade.”

Offer Submitted on Gianfranco Ferré (Fashionologie)
“Gianfranco Ferré might have another savior on the horizon. A Milan-based source revealed that Paris Group, a Dubai-based fashion distributor and franchisee in the Middle East, has submitted an offer for the bankrupt brand.”

CFDA: Handle With Care (Vogue UK)
“Diane Von Furstenberg has issued new guidelines on behalf of the CFDA… The recommendations stipulate that healthy meals and snacks should be provided backstage for models – and that no designer should hire models under the age of 16 in a catwalk show.”

New Technology Measures Emotional Responses to Web Videos (Mashable)
“Affectiva, a commercial rendering of MIT’s FaceSense technology, was originally dreamt up to help… better understand emotion. The founders now see the potential of opening their emotion measurement technology for market research, product testing and development, clinical use and other academic purposes.”

Jewelry: Unzip the Bling (IHT)
“A tour of the Place Vendôme on ‘Jewelry day’ last week showed that there were two contrasting themes that echo the wider world: technology and nature. For high jewelry, made almost entirely by hand, technology is still part of the process, as computers are used to develop images and calculate geometric patterns.”

Hussein Chalayan, Design Museum Exhibit | Source: Innovation Matters

Hussein Chalayan Buys Brand Back from Puma (Mediabistro)
“Chalayan has bought his brand back from Puma parent company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR). The French conglomerate acquired a majority stake in the designer’s London-based fashion business in March 2008.”

Designer Abboud Gains Limited Use of Name (WSJ)
“A federal district court in New York ruled that menswear designer Joseph Abboud, who sold his trademark and later left the company that owns it, can use his name to promote his new line of clothing with certain restrictions.”

Luxury Brands Embrace Social Media (Destination CRM)
“Coming out of the recession, these high-end retailers are embracing change…’The New Luxury Paradigm.’ Perhaps the most significant change is the increased adoption of social media, marked by an imperative to connect with consumers on a personal level.”

Luxury retailers find new ways to woo the well-heeled (Globe and Mail)
“The Hermès store on Toronto’s famed mink mile did something in December it had never done before: It brought in an engraver to personalize fragrance bottles with a customer’s initials, flowers or hearts.”

Jimmy Choo to collaborate with Ugg (Telegraph)
“The ‘Choo-Choo train’ is chugging on. Now, the shoemakers to the stars are collaborating with Ugg Australia on a limited edition collection of women’s sheepskin footwear.”