Spain's Puig Group succeeds by swimming against the stream (FT)
"Puig is an anomaly in the luxury market in a number of ways. It is the only Spanish luxury group. It is private and remains family-run.  And it is... a 'hybrid' of fashion and fragrance... Marc Puig, chairman and the third generation of the family to run a company founded in 1914, says 'We don't really follow the normal rules.'"

Middle market: Second-tier brands tap into straitened times (FT)
"The public's shopping habits have not reverted to their previous ways – with lasting consequences for [the] 'middle market'... But one nuance of the past three years is that the middle market has become a curiously compelling place for ultra-hip designers who would not have been seen dead there before."

Moncler puts off IPO plans after Eurazeo deal (Reuters)
"Luxury clothing brand Moncler postponed plans for an IPO after investment company Eurazeo said it would acquire 45 percent of the company for 418 million euros. The announcement comes just a few days after Moncler got the go-ahead for its planned initial public offering."

Buyers dictate this season's look (FT)
"More demanding customers, generational shifts, new loyalty rules, an increasingly integrated offline and digital customer experience and the continued growth of China and other emerging markets is transforming the luxury industry."

Todd Lynn: Tailor-made rock'n'roll (Independent)
"So what's the logic of courting the preened masses... bearing in mind that Lynn was the man who once dressed goth-rocker Marilyn Manson in a coat made from Icelandic horse, replete with Flicka-esque manes... 'I recently discovered my customer base is much broader than I thought.'"