Jil Sander and Tadashi Yanai, courtesy of AFP

Jil Sander to join Uniqlo (Drapers)
Jil Sander is set to become a design consultant at Uniqlo, “which will see her take overall creative control of the value fashion chain’s womenswear and menswear ranges.”

Delhi gears up for two fashion ‘weeks’ (India PRwire)
“Term it excess in times of a global economic slump, but two parallel events – the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) and the Delhi Fashion Week (DFW) – are again set for a head-to-head clash for their autumn/winter editions later this week.”

The duck that laid the golden egg (IHT)
According to the International Herald Tribune, the Moncler down jacket has come down from the mountains and landed on the city streets and fashionable society.

CFDA Announces Nominees for 2009 Awards (CFDA)
Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriguez are among the nominees for the CFDA Awards.

Escada Losses Widen in Quarter (WWD)
“Tough times continue at Escada. Against a backdrop of ongoing restructuring and a weakened luxury market, Escada’s earnings and sales further tumbled in the first quarter…” (Subscription required)

Oscar glamour lives in tough economy

Oscars Evolve With Economy (WWD)
“With the worldwide economy in turmoil, glamour lives in the run-up to Hollywood’s annual Academy Awards extravaganza on Sunday night, but brands are finding ways to save a buck.” (Subscription required)

PPR sees fourth quarter sales slow (Drapers)
Although PPR, the French conglomerate that owns Gucci, saw revenues rise in 2008, its fourth quarter earnings slowed.

America’s Most Popular Stores (Forbes)
“Consumers may be spending less, but they’re having better shopping experiences.” 

Discount clothing tycoon tops Japan rich list (Forbes)
Tadashi Yanai, the founder of Uniqlo is Japan’s richest man.

Photo by Sean Wood, courtesy of MEKAS

TOKYO, Japan — 2008 turned out to be an incredibly successful year for Uniqlo — and Uniqlo alone. The Japanese media can no longer mention the mass retailer without using the word hitorigachi — meaning “sole winner” or “to reign supreme.”

In a toxic retail environment, where most major apparel chains experienced 10-15 percent declines in same-store sales for December, Uniqlo finished the year up 10.3 percent. This came on the heels of Uniqlo’s stellar November, with 32.2 percent comparable-store base growth and the largest recorded monthly sales in the brand’s history.

… Continue Reading

Will Fashion Shows Survive The Economy? (WSJ)
Runway shows are expensive ventures, and this upcoming Autumn ’09 collections, designers may consider cheaper alternatives for presenting their collections.

Uniqlo considers UK acquisitions (Drapers)
Uniqlo, the Japanese fast fashion chain, is looking for acquisitions in the US and the UK.

Beyonce [Hearts] Thierry (WWD)
“Thierry Mugler is is diving — or rather, dancing — back into fashion via an ambitious collaboration with Beyoncé Knowles.”

S.I. Newhouse on Anna Wintour Speculation: “Silliest Rumor I Ever Heard” (WSJ)
The recent reports of Carine Roitfeld replacing Anna Wintour at American Vogue are “silly” according to S.I. Newhouse.

Runway show, photo courtesy of the New York Times.