The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Patriotic buying in turbulent economic times (FT)
"They say a crisis can unite the most unlikely of characters, so when a cantankerous tycoon and a leggy It-girl both lend their celebrity quotient to helping the economy, it shouldn't raise too many eyebrows."
Once Slave to Luxury, Japan Catches Thrift Bug (New York Times)
"Not long ago, many Japanese bought so many $100 melons and $1,000 handbags that this was the only country in the world where luxury products were considered mass market. Even through the economic stagnation of Japan's so-called lost decade, which began in the early 1990s, Japanese consumers sustained that reputation. But this recession has done something that earlier declines could not: turned the Japanese into Wal-Mart shoppers."
The usual rules no longer apply (FT)
"It happened in politics, when heavy-hitting names such as Hillary Clinton and John McCain lost to the relative newcomer Barack Obama. It happened in film, when mega-stars such as Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks proved less alluring to audiences than a bunch of Transformers. What, exactly? The realisation that the traditional predictors no longer applied."
UK designers say mass retail complements business (Reuters)
"London fashion designers say mass retailers do not necessarily undermine their business and can actually be of help, but acknowledge that they have awakened a desire among shoppers for frequent refreshing of stock."
Lunch with the FT: Mario Testino (FT)
William Leith interviews Mario Testino: "As a photographer you either take the picture for yourself or for the person you're photographing, or the magazine you're working for, or the company whose advertising you're trying to communicate. You either make the picture look like you, or you make the picture serve the purpose of that client by emulating them. If I'm working for Burberry, I'll try and make it look like a Burberry girl, a Burberry moment. If I'm working for Versace, I'll probably go in the opposite direction: I'll try to make it Versace."
From analysis of the global fashion and beauty industries to career and personal advice, BoF’s founder and CEO, Imran Amed, will be answering your questions on Sunday, February 18, 2024 during London Fashion Week.
The State of Fashion 2024 breaks down the 10 themes that will define the industry in the year ahead.
Imran Amed reviews the most important fashion stories of the year and shares his predictions on what this means for the industry in 2024.
After three days of inspiring talks, guests closed out BoF’s gathering for big thinkers with a black tie gala followed by an intimate performance from Rita Ora — guest starring Billy Porter.