News has been trickling in all week about confusion around the strategic direction being taken by Barneys and today, the New York Times is reporting that its highly respected CEO Howard Socol will resign next week. This is an abrupt change of tone in the buzz around Barneys, which is arguably the most influential and forward thinking luxury and fashion department store chain in America today.
Bergdorf Goodman, of course is a venerable store in its own right, but it only has one location... Read Full Story
Guy Hipwell, the stylist-cum-entrepreneur behind Fashion156, is carving out a space as one of the UK's pioneers of fashion on the Internet. Yesterday, Guy teamed up with two of his contributors, Susie Bubble (interviewed on the BoF back in November) and Elliot James Sainsbury, to share their fashion Internet experiences at the Apple Store in London. The event coincided with the launch of Fashion156's latest issue, appropriately titled, "The Fashion on the Internet Issue."
My biggest... Read Full Story
Pimp your Google homepage (CNet) iGoogle, the popular service from the Internet behomoth, has partnered
with Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch and Dolce & Gabbana to provide
designer skins for users to personalise their iGoogle pages.
Adidas wins $305m in copyright case (WWD)
Following our revelations about Steve Madden's blatant copying, Adidas
is awarded $305m in the largest award ever in a trademark case against
Payless.
Valerie talks to Vanessa (Financial Times)
Vanessa Friedman... Read Full Story
When a designer with an international, cult following of fashion insiders shifts his headquarters to Brussels, could it mean that the Belgian city better known for its frites, waffles and EU bureaucracy will be the next fashion hotspot? I sat down with Brussels' new transplant, David Szeto, in his huge 2 story space (see above) to learn the reasons behind his move from Paris, Szeto's long-standing home base.
Antwerp,
of course, is the reigning champion of Belgian fashion, having... Read Full Story
Yesterday I met with James Killough, an innovative London-based film maker, who happens to have a film in pre-production that may end up being one of the first real films about the fashion industry -- or so everybody tells me.
More to the point, James also talked to me about the potentially powerful combination of the Internet, video and the luxury industry and cited an innovative video project directed by Olivier Dahan, the renowned French film-maker, who collaborated with Cartier on a... Read Full Story
At what point does referencing and inspiration turn into blatant copying? It's a question that is increasingly on the minds of designers -- particularly young designers and small brands -- who don't have the legal muscle (read: cold hard cash) and time to defend the integrity of their designs.
In other creative disciplines like music, writing and visual art, it is much easier to defend copying. In fashion, referencing, inspiration, and trends form the backbone of our
industry (just check... Read Full Story
1. NY Times T Magazine: With thought-provoking editorial,
sharp images and full page advertisements, this is the place to find the
experience that most closely captures that of reading a great offline
magazine. But, it doesn't end there. T also kicks things into a whole new gear with
seamlessly-integrated video and a daily blog, “The Moment”, resulting in a true
multi-media experience. We think this one is a winner, and by the sounds of it,
the advertisers are loving it too.
2. Net-a... Read Full Story
News flashes have been coming in today from investment analysts covering PPR, which reported its 1Q08 results earlier today. The news is not good for the Gucci brand, but Bottega Veneta has managed to beat market expectations, even in this downbeat economic environment.
Gucci sales only increased by 2.4% to €513m, versus market expectations in the neighbourhood of 7% growth. As a result, some analysts are considering posting downgrades to their ratings on the PPR stock. Given it's self... Read Full Story
News flashes have been coming in today from investment analysts covering PPR, which reported its 1Q08 results earlier today. The news is not good for the Gucci brand, but Bottega Veneta has managed to beat market expectations, even in this downbeat economic environment.
Gucci sales only increased by 2.4% to €513m, versus market expectations in the neighbourhood of 7% growth. As a result, some analysts are considering posting downgrades to their ratings on the PPR stock. Given it's self... Read Full Story
It's turning out to be fashion magazine week on the Business of Fashion.
A couple of months ago, Dominic Sohn, a newly appointed Fashion Editor at Vogue Korea, contacted me to get some thoughts on the revolving doors for designers at major fashion houses. This was before Lars Nilsson was turfed from Gianfranco Ferre (just days before his first runway show) only to be replaced by Tomasso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi of 6267 and before Paulo Melim Andersson was sent packing after... Read Full Story
