[ Fashion goes live on lineOpens in new window ]

(AP)

"The fall-winter 2010-2011 preview presentations, the first shows of the new decade, got under way over the weekend with a new fashion passion: live online showcasing. Gone are the days when house bouncers, trained to spot potential copycats, blocked any unauthorized person who dared snap a picture during a show."

Defiant Armani rules out sale of empire (Financial Times)
"Giorgio Armani, the doyen of Italian fashion designers, has ruled out a sale of his global empire and has no plans to step back from day-to-day involvement. Mr Armani sought to quash speculation that he may sell the house to a bigger group, saying he had no need or desire to sell and would always have the final say in decisions."

Thinker, tailor, technophile (Financial Times)
"The potential of customers interacting with a brand online goes way beyond looking at an ad page in Vogue or Vanity Fair," says Robert Polet, CEO of Gucci Group. "The Gucci app had 340,000 downloads at the end of October, just a few weeks after it launched. That makes those people part of the Gucci world."

Fashion house Cavalli to boost accessories, expand (Reuters)
"Fashion house Roberto Cavalli is looking to boost its accessories segment and expand in South America and Asia Pacific this year, its chief executive said, adding there were signs of improvement in the luxury market."

Fashion Designers Respond To Haiti: Find Out Who Did What (Huffington Post)
"The fashion industry has joined forces to aid the victims of this natural disaster, in the form of monetary donations and contributing portions of sales."