Online Browsing Is the New Impulse Buy. More and more Millennial women are spending countless hours painstakingly researching their next purchase. When Julia, 27, fell in love with a bell-sleeve blouse on the runway last fall, she knew she had to have something like it. Unwilling to wait the six months until it hit stores and unsure whether she would even be able to afford it, Julia — a fashion merchandiser and longtime fashion enthusiast — began a familiar, complex and methodical process.
Her search began on Google, then ShopStyle. She trolled social media feeds, checked the sites of her favorite retailers, and browsed various blogs; she also searched eBay and Etsy in pursuit of a vintage version. For casual and avid shoppers alike, this is probably a familiar story. This behavior is well-documented in the travel, tech and appliance industries where it has had a significant impact. 54% of people used the internet to compare choices before making a clothing or footwear purchase.
Maybe it's on sale somewhere else? ' Why Fashion Is A Feminist Issue. Photographed by Victoria Adamson We’ve lost control of fashion. From the mistreated garment workers who make our clothes to the models who help sell them, the medium that once gave women voices when they had none is now a morally bankrupt money machine. At one end of the chain it perpetuates misery and mass environmental damage and at the other it encourages us to spend our disposable income on clothes that we will in turn dispose of. Fashion Revolution is attempting to draw attention to this global problem this week (which coincidentally or not coincides with H&M’s Recycling Week) and a key point that came out of their Fashion Question Time in Parliament on Monday was this: fashion is a feminist issue.
Garment workers are suffering for what is largely a female addiction. And 80% of garment workers are women. These women have no collective bargaining power. But how, as well-educated, liberal western women (and yes, men too, but mainly women), have we ended up here? Plus-Size Models Proudly Wear Lingerie for 'Plus is Equal' Movement. Fashion makes an exhibition of itself to pull in the public | Fashion. At this month’s London fashion week, the brightest and the best of British designers have made room for visitors from all over the world.
Mega-brands continue to flock to the capital for its cool factor. Versus, the younger line of Versace, brought a typical splash of glamour showing the spring/summer 2016 collection. Louis Vuitton, the storied Parisian fashion house, has made a more permanent move. This weekend has seen the brand launch a free exhibition in central London, with the aim of bringing the environment of a fashion show to the public. It is open to visitors from tomorrow for a month’s run, after a lavish private view for the fashion crowd . Called Series 3 and housed in a disused building on the Strand, this exhibition is an ambitious project. Devlin, who has worked with Ghesquière on sets since he started at the house, is a good choice to create the kind of experiential exhibition the public now expect. Mulberry director Roger Mather sells shares on way to exit | Business News | News | The Independent. The outgoing finance director at Mulberry, Roger Mather, has sold a chunk of shares in the luxury handbag maker, calling into question his faith in its tentative recovery.
Mr Mather, who announced his decision to step down from the post earlier this month, sold off 33,000 shares for a total of £296,558 in two transactions earlier this week. He still holds around 100,000 shares and options under the company’s long-term incentive plan. Known for its leather handbags, including the £1,100 Alexa, Mulberry has been trying to restore its reputation for affordable luxury after an ill-fated push upmarket triggered multiple profit warnings. Mr Mather’s departure is the latest in a string of top-level management changes at the label amid attempts to revive the brand. Its chief executive, Bruno Guillon, left and in April the company brought in Thierry Andretta, formerly of LVMH and Gucci, to oversee the turnaround. The share price fell 4p to 896p. Fashion's luxury brands are trying their luck in smaller British cities in a bid to boost sales - Business Analysis & Features - Business.
Apple embraces its future as a very expensive luxury brand. Apple products were always high end, but now they're shooting for being downright rich. This week, Apple made itself more appealing to people with money to burn. It debuted a new Apple Watch collection from designer brand Hermes, an Apple TV app from high-end fashion site Gilt — where some outfits cost more than $1,000 each — and rose gold iPhones.
The mass-appeal, cheaper iPhone 5C was quietly shelved. Apple was putting on the ritz. Given its heavy focus on design, this isn't surprising. Apple has always behaved more like a fashion house than a computer manufacturer. "[It's] a continuing strategy by which Apple positions themselves as a company that appreciates the same level of quality that is often times associated with luxury brands," said Gartner analyst Brian Blau. But in recent months, Apple has taken its luxury cachet to new heights, spurning more affordable tech for ultra-high-end accessories.
Image: Ryan Emberley, Invision/Associated Press Image: Eric Risberg/Associated Press. Alta Moda’s Luxurious Fashion Show - The New Yorker. Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;Four nights will quickly dream away the time. Stefano Gabbana, the fashion designer, leaned on the railing of his yacht, the Regina d’Italia, and smiled. His neighbors in the Portofino marina were enjoying an early-evening aperitivo on the deck of the Ester III—an enormous vessel, with a helipad on top and a transparent-frame swimming pool on the lower deck, that had drawn admiring stares from pedestrians on the quay all afternoon.
The neighbors waved; he waved back. “A client,” he said, with the air of confiding an obvious secret. It was a Wednesday evening in July, the week after most French and Italian haute-couture houses had defied a heat wave in Paris to show their latest collections. The client on the neighboring yacht, a Russian woman who was relaxing with her family in the fading light, had sailed into Portofino to see the results of Alta Moda’s work. “These people live in another world,” Gabbana observed. What masque? Behind the curve, the closed world of haute couture calls in the geeks | Fashion. Designers will unveil their collections for spring 2016 on the catwalks of New York this week, followed by London, Milan and then Paris, where the twice-yearly fashion circus concludes in a month’s time.
The intense schedule of presentations, many costing well into seven figures, has been established for decades. It has traditionally been a closed shop; an exclusive, invitation-only cabaret for the style cognoscenti. But things are changing, and some industry insiders are now predicting the demise of this exhausting and indulgent showcase of designer theatrics as its relevance in an era of fashion democracy, instant gratification and tech innovation is questioned. The fashion formula has, frankly, become tired, and the industry is starting to lag behind others in its lack of creative vision. However, this week in Manhattan, the Paris-based atelier Givenchy will be shaking things up a little.
“The first myth to dispel is that the fashion industry is ahead of the curve,” says Sanderson. Super furry Gucci loafers: why these daft shoes are autumn’s defining item | Fashion. You will have noticed that the fashion industry has started its new term. The glossy mags are spewing out trend reports left and right, and there are apparently 158 ways to wear a coat and about 732 must-haves this season. We’ve chipped in with our own rather excellent synopsis, too. But what if you’re not so fussed about Tenenbaum chic and the nuance of the 80s revival? What if you take the CEO approach to your wardrobe and just want to bark: “autumn fashion: what is it?” Important caveat: you won’t be actually wearing a pair. The Gucci furry loafer is undoubtedly the fashion totem of Autumn 2015.
It isn’t the first time high fashion has made a case for the furry inner sole. Why, then, does high fashion hanker for slipper-like shoes that are the polar opposite of glamorous high heels? So what does this mean for real wardrobes built by Zara, M&S and Whistles? Givenchy NYFW Public Fashion Show. Photo: REX Shutterstock. Today at 10 a.m. EST, fashion diehards were frantically refreshing their browsers (some opting to use multiple computers, even). Why? In a surprising, democratizing move for the fashion set, Givenchy gave away 820 tickets to the public for its Spring 2016 show, being held in New York instead of Paris this season to celebrate the opening of the brand’s new NYC flagship. "Bringing the Givenchy collection to Manhattan with what will be a blockbuster show — that will be nothing short of a spectacular and a spectacle, proves Riccardo is not only one of the greatest talents of his generation: He is a showman!”
It’s a big, bold example of making fashion accessible to all. As for Givenchy’s public giveaway this morning, hopeful attendees filled out a registration form — but that doesn’t guarantee admission. The fierce desire to score tickets was palpable on Twitter. ”It's unconventional, yes, as shows have a history of being extremely exclusive. 2014/15 EcoChic Design Award Finalists Give Recycled Textiles a Luxury Twist. Upcycled top and skirt by Noëlla Tapasu Koy (France) Ecouterre is an official media sponsor of the 2014/15 EcoChic Design Award Impressing the creative team of Shanghai Tang, China's leading curator of modern Chinese chic, would be a daunting feat for anyone.
For the 10 finalists of the 2014/15 EcoChic Design Award, the stakes run even higher. Not only do they have to flex their design cunning, but they also have to combine it with an affinity with textile waste. Supermodel and competition ambassador Bonnie Chen cuts a fine figure in the photoshoot, which features garments constructed from repurposed textiles such as discarded clothing, end-of-roll samples, industrial surplus, and a castoff Swiss Army blanket or two.
As captured by photographer Tim Wong, the inventiveness of these pieces is palpable. P.S.: Don’t forget to make a note in your calendar; you can catch a live screening of the show at www.notjustalabel.com. + EcoChic Design Award + Redress. Timberland, Pharrell Create Bee-Inspired Boots With Organic Cotton, Recycled Plastic Bottles. Shoe enthusiasts have something to buzz about. Timberland has teamed up with music mogul Pharrell Williams to create a pair of boots inspired by nature—bees, to be exact. Composed of Bionic Canvas—a product derived by Bionic Yarn, Williams’s eco-textile firm, from a blend of organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles—the six-inch kicks feature photorealistic honeycomb cells on one iteration and blades of grass on the other. The limited edition has at least one celebrity fan: queen of the “Beyhive” herself, Beyoncé. The singer wears the boots in “Feeling Myself,” her latest music video with Nicki Minaj. + Timberland x Bee Line. Luxury fashion embraces 'ethical values' and 'sustainability'
Few things can bring on dismissive eye-rolling in a sophisticated consumer like a luxury-goods giant talking about social responsibility and sustainable production. Inevitably, suspicions of ‘greenwashing’ and token gestures are quick to surface. Yet something of substance does seem to be happening. At one end of the spectrum, luxury powerhouses such as the Kering group, LVMH, Burberry and Hermès are beginning to integrate sustainability strategies into the mechanics of their businesses; and at the other, a clutch of innovative brands is emerging that has successfully fused ethical values with smart design. As our demands for transparency increase, sustainability – what used to be seen as a dry, technical issue involving complex studies of biodiversity and supply chains – is even becoming sexy.
That investment purchase could now be a positive acquisition that safeguards the environment rather than destroys it. Daveu knows there are no quick fixes. As luxury goes digital, 'diffusion' brands become obsolete. The diffusion brand, as it has existed for the past few decades, feels ancient in the modern fashion industry. In fashion, the term “diffusion brand” means a secondary line by a well-known designer. (Think Marc by Marc Jacobs, CK by Calvin Klein.) They are intended to reach a younger, aspirational demographic with lower price points and edgier items — all while generating extra revenue. Diffusion brands had their heyday in the 1990s and early 2000s, but since then, the industry has changed. Today’s consumers are shopping and researching across brick-and-mortar, online and mobile channels, and legacy fashion houses have been slow to realign their resources accordingly.
Advertisement “Omnichannel is taking up a lot of focus for these brands that aren’t digitally native, and that’s a lot of time, energy and organizational change,” said Ruth Bernstein, founder of creative agency Yard. It’s not just that retailers are facing a sink-or-swim situation among new channels. Ralph Lauren's Biometric-Sensing "PoloTech" Shirt Now on Sale. Ralph Lauren tested out its new smart workout shirt at the 2014 U.S. Open on ball boys and now they are releasing the PoloTech shirt to the public. Combining smart electronic textiles, a Bluetooth device and a custom iPhone app, the PoloTech shirt offers instant feedback on your vitals during your workout and even adapts your workout based on your vitals. The snug men’s workout shirt isn’t for everyone though – this luxury item costs almost as much as an Apple Watch and needs to be washed every time you wear it.
Ralph Lauren worked closely with Montreal-based wearable technology brand, OMSignal to develop their PoloTech smart shirt. The biometric sensing shirt features silver fibers woven into the shirt that work in conjunction with an black box attached to the shirt. The detachable black box includes an accelerometer and gyroscope, which transmits data about the wearer’s heart rate, breathing depth, energy output, and even stress levels. + PoloTech Shirt $295 + Ralph Lauren. Jimmy Choo sales step up as luxury shoe-maker outpaces wider industry. $1 Million Worth of Fake Designer Handbags Seized in Miami. U.S. customs authorities thwarted the shipment of over $1 million worth of counterfeit bags going through the Miami Seaport today, WWD reports. The haul of goods was made up 2,300 fake bags, most of which were counterfeit Gucci and Louis Vuitton items. The shipment, which was arriving from China, held 1,200 Gucci knock-offs and 1,195 Louis Vuittons.
The bags were hidden among 825 cartons containing other clothing items, including trousers, shoes, and handbags, that were not in breach of the law. "This seizure is a perfect example of our CBP officers and import specialists’ commitment to preventing counterfeit goods from entering the commerce of the United States," acting Miami Seaport director Kenneth Haefner said, according to WWD. The $1 million dollar figure, which represents the total if the bags were being sold at retail prices, may be the biggest in Miami this year, however it doesn't hold a candle to some of the larger busts of recent history. Brioni - Spring/Summer 2016 Menswear - Milan.
Untitled. The Row - Pre - Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear - NYFW. Rag & Bone - Pre - Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear - NYFW. Zimmermann - Pre - Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear - NYFW. Luxury brands still reluctant to embrace e-commerce｜WCT. Accessible luxury: Brands may be devaluing 'luxury' – but they’re making a mint - Features - Fashion - The Independent. What China's currency devaluation means for luxury fashion brands. Why Has Apple Been Poaching Fashion Execs? | Fashion-Tech | BoF.