| From Runway to Retail: Models Turn Designers |
| Runway regulars are increasingly becoming go-to designers. Headlined by Kate Moss, who now designs collections for Topshop and Longchamp, a flurry of new fashion and accessories projects between brands and models are entering the market, from Cindy Crawford, whose jewelry line for J.C. Penney Co. Inc. will hit 600 Penney’s stores this month, to Eva Herzigova, who unveiled her fashion line for the Etam-owned French fast-fashion chain 1.2.3. Brands say it’s an image-boosting and lucrative win-win for both parties. (In February, the month that marked the launch of the Kate Moss for Longchamp handbag line, for instance, sales at the French firm’s own stores spiked 25 percent.) See our Model Mania page for more on model hypehnates>> |
| March Retail Sales Up Strongly |
| Lifted by a combination of pent-up demand for new fashion, extremely weak year-ago comparisons, warm weather and an early Easter, retailers saw the largest monthly same-store sales increases of the decade. But whether March’s roar is a sign of resurgent consumer spending or simply a statistical anomaly will be easier to discern this month as retailing’s first quarter concludes. One of the factors boosting spending is an “uplifting effect” taking hold on the psyche of some consumers, possibly stirred by the creation of 162,000 jobs last month — the most in three years. The job picture for young adults in particular is showing signs of improving, prompting recession-fatigued Millennials and Gen-Xers to seek a “survival reward,” such as replacing a worn pair of pants or piece of furniture. However, the opposite effect is occuring in Japan, where teens and young adults are facing shrinking budgets for apparel and accessories. |
| Hugo Boss Sets Five-Year Plan |
| Product, product, product leads ceo Claus-Dietrich Lahrs’ mantra for success at Boss. Acting on this philosophy, the past year has seen the German powerhouse brand improve and enrich its quality and fashion content, and more strongly delineate the characters of its nine individual brands, while simultaneously scaling back the size, complexity and even distribution of its lines. In an exclusive interview, Lahrs gave WWD a first outline of the company’s strategy through 2015, including growing sales in the U.S. and in Europe and increasing the contribution of company-owned stores to reach a better balance with the company’s wholesale sales. The Internet is another big part of the strategy: On Tuesday, the company unveiled a revamped Web site and e-commerce in the U.S. |
| Kate Spade Twirl Scent to Bow in Fall |
| Kate Spade New York is taking another spin on the fragrance floor with a new women’s fragrance called Twirl, slated for a September launch. Another new beauty launch is in the men’s category: grooming brand Jack Black is introducing Performance Remedy, a line for avid athletes. In other beauty news, popular online retailer Zappos is going into the beauty biz, carrying a variety of brands such as Stila and Ahava. And young stars Emma Roberts and Leighton Meester dished to WWD Beauty Biz about their beauty routines in this month’s issue. |
| Saggy Pants Billboards Draw Ire and Debate |
| Over the past two weeks, a series of billboards has gone up in Brooklyn neighborhoods promoting an unusual fashion message: Guys, pull up your sagging pants. The advertisements are the work of New York State Sen. Eric Adams, who has launched a campaign to encourage young urban males to stop wearing their jeans and trousers so low that it shows off their underwear — an erstwhile streetwear trend that started amongst hip-hop fans in the Nineties and long ago expanded into the skater and suburban demographics. At the furthest pole from this trend were the buttoned-up, all-American fall collections showcased by Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica this week, which focused on meticulously tailored looks. |
| Crowdsourcing Catching on With Fashion Pack |
| Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call, according to Wired contributing editor Jeff Howe, who coined the term. As crowdsourcing continues to gain force, consumers aren’t just having their say about specific designs – companies are compensating them monetarily, with prizes, discounts or other recognition. Online companies like Threadless and Made.com have been enabling crowdsourced design of T-shirts and furniture, respectively. More traditional brands like Zero+Maria Cornejo and Risto have also been incorporating crowdsourcing into their designs: for example, the latter has a group of “Risto girls”, 50 to 60 women who give their input on designs and try on pieces. And DKNY is hoping to attract a very specific crowd – Yankees fans. The brand has inked a long-term, multifaceted sponsorship deal with the team, which will bring its city skyline logo to a billboard in Yankee Stadium, and feature various other programs highlighting the brand at the stadium. |
| Q&A: Thom Browne |
| The designer made his name with the most provocative men’s shows in New York but this summer, after years of consideration, he is relocating the runway to Paris. The designer talks about the change, working with new backer Cross, and his new collection of crystal stemware with Baccarat. |
| Calvin Klein Heads to China |
| After celebrations in cities such as Singapore, Los Angeles, Seoul and Rio de Janeiro, the Calvin Klein Inc. traveling show is about to hit the road again, this time to Shanghai. On April 16, CKI creative directors Francisco Costa, Italo Zucchelli and Kevin Carrigan, and president and chief executive officer Tom Murry will head to the Chinese metropolis to host an event in the city. CKI already has a strong retail presence in China. Today, there are 100 branded, freestanding stores in China; 13 of them are in Shanghai. Swedish designer Ann-Sofie Back also brought her collection to Shanghai this week for the city’s fashion week, which runs April 8-13. |
| Condé Nast Lures Carol Smith |
| The magazine world is always full of comings and goings, but this week marked an unusual number of high-profile media departures. Carol Smith, senior vice president and chief brand officer of Elle Group, is moving to Condé Nast to serve as vice president and publishing director of Bon Appetit and the Gourmet brand, a newly created position at the company. Stacy Morrison, the editor in chief of Redbook, is departing her post due to a family illness. She has been at the title since 2004. Two of Mary Berner’s biggest hires since taking the top job at Reader’s Digest Association — Alyce Alston and Eva Dillon are leaving the company. |
| Malcolm McLaren, Punk Impresario |
| Malcolm McLaren, who helped turn the Sex Pistols into a cultural force called punk, and with Vivienne Westwood, created a fashion movement to go along with it, died Thursday at age 64. To call McLaren’s career eclectic is an understatement. He was at various times — or at the same time — an entrepreneur, a music promoter, a retailer, a designer and a filmmaker, flitting from one thing to the next as quickly as his thoughts poured from his brain. But the idea for which McLaren would be most known would be punk. He managed Adam and the Ants, the New York Dolls, and cult new wave group Bow Wow Wow. In the mid-Seventies, he and Westwood operated a shop on King’s Road — Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die — which had replaced their earlier store on the same street, Let It Rock. “I got into clothes because of Malcolm,” Westwood admitted to WWD a decade later. See archival images of McLaren dating back to the Seventies>> |
WWD Week in Review: 4/9/2010
The top stories for the week ending April 9, 2010.