Burberry to buy out Chinese franchises (FT)
“[Burberry] said it would buy out its Chinese franchises in a £70m deal that will see it take direct control of its 50 stores on the mainland. The deal came in the same week China reported 10.3 per cent growth in the past quarter.”
Hello Tommy (Vogue.com)
“Tommy Hilfiger is adding [...]
The hot spot for cool customers: Swedish label Acne (Independent)
“Swedish denim label Acne – it stands for Ambition to Create Novel Expressions – is the latest coup de foudre of the fashion world… And it’s opening its largest store in London this week.”
New Beirut Mall Aims to Be Luxury Oasis (WWD)
“Beirut is embarking on a [...]
Bonjour Couture (Vogue.com)
“Just as Haute Couture Fashion Week begins the high fashion market has posted some very positive sales news. Top Parisian labels, including Chanel, Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, have revealed a marked increase in both sales and demand.”
Cosmetics from Burberry and Topshop (FT)
“Fashion brands are often able to make that transition from clothes [...]
Designers Pitch Brand New York (WSJ)
“Young labels like the Row, Jason Wu, Nellie Partow, Waris Ahluwalia and Prabal Gurung are trumpeting their New York roots on apparel and labels in an effort to create a sartorial version of the locavore movement.”
Burberry launches interactive ad campaign (Retail Week)
“Burberry has developed an interactive digital advertising campaign for [...]
MILAN, Italy — This season, BoF dipped its toes a bit deeper into the waters of the Italian men’s fashion scene, starting with Pitti Uomo and moving on to fashion week in Milan. And, as the fashion circus moves on to Paris tomorrow, my fashion fantasies are still lingering on the outstanding presentation by Raf [...]
MILAN, Italy — On Saturday, 19 June at 3pm Milan time, 2pm London time and 9am New York time, The Business of Fashion is pleased to bring you the livestream of the Burberry S/S 2011 menswear collection. BoF is one of the selected sites from around the world — and one of only a few [...]
Ralph Lauren to Sell Portion of Polo Shares (WSJ)
“Ralph Lauren, chairman and chief executive of Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., is selling approximately a quarter of his holdings in the company he founded, a move that could raise up to $955 million at Monday’s closing price.”
Rykiel Targets America (Vogue)
“French fashion label Sonia Rykiel has announced plans [...]
Ah, sport fragrances — (almost) universally hated by PerfumeFanatics© and apparently adored by, and selling like hotcakes to, the rest of society. For perfumers, being asked to formulate a sport fragrance for the mainstream market must be like Martha Argerich being asked to play the C major scale (right hand only) — easy work! And with sport perfumes, the ease smells; these fragrances are, for the most part, interchangeable and have no interesting facets (only the bottles and designer names are unique). This spring, Burberry and Gucci are but two companies involved in major sport fragrance launches.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s chief creative officer, said: “I wanted it (Burberry Sport for Men) to feel like there was movement in the scent. I kept saying I wanted it zingy; I wanted to feel alive; I wanted to feel like it’s jumping.” 1 Burberry Sport for Men was developed by perfumers Sonia Constant, Nathalie Gracia-Cetto and Antoine Maisondieu and contains notes of “frosted ginger,” grapefruit, wheatgrass, marine notes, juniper berry, red ginger, white musks, cedar, woods and “dry amber.”
Burberry Sport for Men starts off soapy, sweet and gingery, with a clean grapefruit note. The gingers in Burberry Sport are more spicy-candied (think preserved ginger or strong ginger ale) than fresh and rooty. There is also a light and indistinct floral character in the soapy opening. As the scent goes into its mid-phase of development it becomes a bit “astringent” (bracing and “cool” but not strident); the dry-down returns to the sweetness of the opening notes with hints of pale wood, light musk and soft ambergris. Though Burberry Sport follows the sport scent trajectory, it’s mellower than most sport fragrances on the market…
Burberry profit tops forecast, steps up expansion (Reuters)
“Luxury goods group Burberry beat forecasts with a 23 percent rise in annual profit, boosted by sales of coats and leather goods, and said it was stepping up its expansion despite a tough economic backdrop.”
Louis Vuitton lands in London (Guardian)
“Welcome to the new Bond Street palace of Louis [...]
Armani Unveils Hotel in Dubai (WWD)
“His first hotel in the world… occupies eight floors of the soaring Burj Khalifa here, a dramatic tower into the sky that is the world’s tallest building. The 160-room hotel, for which almost no expense has been spared, boasts eight restaurants, a spa and three retail outlets.”
Burberry forges ahead with [...]
Coach Doubles Dividend as Earnings Top Estimates (BusinessWeek)
“Coach Inc., the largest U.S. maker of luxury leather handbags, doubled its dividend and announced an expansion in Europe … The company said it planned to open at least 14 stores in France … with Printemps, the French department-store chain. Coach has also agreed in principle to create a [...]
Can an Outsider Cash In? (WSJ)
“Scott Sternberg, a former Hollywood talent agent, is pushing to turn his small, successful label into a fashion empire. Formerly with Creative Artists Agency, Mr. Sternberg quit his job seven years ago to launch the label Band of Outsiders, spawning a boom in skinny ties and riding the surge in [...]
A Collector of Scoops Steps Down (NY Times)
“As the editorial director of WWD [and W]…Mr. McCarthy always considered his publications to be the singular powerhouse for scoops, whether a designer was changing jobs or a retailer was headed for bankruptcy. In fact, his reign was so great that it was called ‘the McCarthy era.’”
Burberry & [...]
Christopher Bailey launches new fragrance collection: Burberry SPORT.
Burberry represents a tradition of prestige and performance heritage. On the heels of the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, the timing couldn’t be more appropriate to launch the newest fragrance collection by Burberry, Burberry SPORT for Men and Women – hitting stores in mid-March 2010.
Burberry SPORT, the newest [...]
The Future Of Fashion: Olivier Zahm (Style.com)
“The French editor and founder of the twice-yearly independent publication Purple Fashion has many other passions… but in an increasingly conformist world, Zahm offers an original, entertaining, and astute voice.”
Abercrombie Will Keep Discounting (WSJ)
“Abercrombie & Fitch said… it will continue its uncharacteristically high levels of discounting through the spring [...]
Burberry will launch the 2010 versions of Burberry Summer in April.
Burberry Summer For Men 2010 (shown) ~ A woody aquatic citrus with notes of yuzu leaves, mandarin, mint, juniper berry, thyme…
LONDON, United Kingdom — It was billed as the world’s first truly global fashion show, taking place on the penultimate day of London Fashion Week, beamed live in 3D to five global cities, and streamed to the rest of the world via 73 websites, including Vogue, Grazia and CNN, which all picked up the video [...]
The shearling jackets were so ample, fluffy and round, the trousers and narrow skirts so spindly that at times on Tuesday the Burberry show resembled a lane of dandelions gone to seed. To be sure, Christopher Bailey’s outerwear for the British label was especially strong, with those romantic flight jackets spreading or curling at the collar and the pomp of officer coats.
A promo for the new Burberry Sport fragrance.
Alexander McQueen label will survive (Times)
“Alexander McQueen’s fashion label will live on despite the designer’s apparent suicide last week, it was announced this morning.”
PPR full year net profit increases 7 percent (AP)
“Retail-to-luxury group PPR SA reported a 7 percent increase in 2009 profits Thursday and said it is launching a sales offensive to boost revenues [...]
Pringle thrown an £18m as it moves to recapture the luxury market (Guardian)
“The wealthy foreign owners of Pringle of Scotland have pumped another £18m into the loss-making brand’s continuing attempt to become a Burberry-style luxury label… accounts show the company has received injections of £10m and £8m from its owners, Hong Kong textile dynasty the [...]
Sarah Jessica Parker partners with Halston (Times)
“Sarah Jessica Parker and Halston may be banking on fashion sequels: The storied designer label reportedly has hired the “Sex and the City” star in a creative role for its newly announced Halston Heritage collection.”
Burberry beats forecasts as luxury goods come back into fashion (Guardian)
“Recession or no recession, it [...]
Burberry will launch Burberry Sport fragrances for women and men in February (look for a prestige makeup line to follow in July). The new scents “are meant to pack a high-octane punch”…
British Fashion Awards 2009 – The Winners (Independent)
“British fashion’s leading lights were rubbing shoulder pads last night at the prestigious annual awards which celebrate home-grown design talent and business success and are voted for by industry leaders, designers and retailers.”
Neiman Marcus sees weak luxury demand (FT)
“Neiman Marcus, the US luxury retailer, said on Wednesday it [...]
LONDON, United Kingdom — In recent weeks, two major luxury fashion brands have taken the plunge and launched social networks built around their brands and products. It’s not a new idea by any means, and indeed I wrote a piece on this very idea for the Financial Times almost two years ago. But, that doesn’t [...]