With an art historical back ground, fashion designer Christian Lacroix has been invited by Musée de la Mode et du Textile to become a curator.

Christian Lacroix studied art history at the Ecole de Louvre before he focused on an international fashion career in haute couture. Lacroix went 200 years back in time and researched over 80,000 pieces to present a 200 year overview of the fashion industry.

The exhibition Christian Lacroix: Histoires de Mode runs until April 2008 and features dresses, capes coats, accessories covering several centuries of the greatest names of French fashion to less known labels.

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Whilst the UK’s shoe retailers may be feeling the consumer pinch, Nike, the sporting goods giant on Wednesday reported growth of 14 per cent to $4.3 billion, compared to $3.8 billion for the same period last year. The weak dollar increased revenue growth by 4 percentage points for the quarter. Mark Parker, Nike’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “Our second quarter was another great one, and it illustrates the ability of our portfolio to deliver consistent, profitable growth.” The Company reported worldwide futures orders for athletic footwear and apparel, scheduled for delivery from December 2007 through April 2008, totaling $6.5 billion, 13 percent higher than such orders reported for the same period last year. Changes in currency exchange rates increased reported orders growth by 3 percentage points.* By region, the U.S. increased 1 percent; Europe (which includes the Middle East and Africa) increased 19 percent; Asia Pacific grew 24 percent; and the Americas increased 21 percent.

Second quarter revenues for the European region grew 18 percent to $1.2 billion from $1.0 billion for the same period last year. Changes in currency exchange rates increased revenue growth by 10 percentage points. Footwear revenues were up 19 percent to $646.7 million. Revenues in the Americas region increased 19 percent to $313.6 million from $262.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Currency exchange rates contributed 5 percentage points to this growth rate. Footwear revenues were up 16 percent to $214.3 million, apparel revenues increased 31 percent to $73.2 million and equipment revenues grew 20 percent to $26.1 million.

Image: Nike logo

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Custo Dalmau, the designer and businessman behind the brand ‘Custo Barcelona’ was surprised with the announcement made by Mango regarding the possible addition of the name of the Catalan capital to its brand name. He added that it is an ‘opportunist’ idea from the Spanish fashion retailer. “I think they are copying a model that already exists and that was created by us”, said Dalmau. “Obviously we don’t have the property over the city’s name that is part of all the ones who lives in it”, but the idea is barely original taking into account that we bet for it more that ten years ago”, added the catalan designer.

According to what Mango’s president, Isak Adic, revealed last weekend in a forum to promote the Catalan capital in New York, his company is having conversations with the city council to turn the brand into ‘Mango Barcelona’.

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The plans of the retailer born in the Catalan capital include putting the word ‘Barcelona’ along with the name ‘Mango’ in small characters. If the negotiations go ahead, by next year the new name will appear printed in the millions of bags that are distributed in the company’s 1.800 stores all around the world.

“We are the ones who created the model,” said Custo to FashionUnited. “That is why I consider this is an opportunist idea from them” he said, considering that Barcelona is a ‘hot spot city. We were the ones that more than ten years ago bet on it”. He also hopes that if Mango’s idea goes ahead, it won’t lead to confusion amongst consumers.

Custo Barcelona, set up by the brothers Custo and David Dalmau in 1980, has 27 stores in Spain, United States, Paris, Rome and Milan. In the next months they will make an investment of 2 million dollars to launch a new store in Barcelona and seven in the United States. It is also the only Spanish brand that participated in New York Fashion Week.

Image: Custo

Fashion retailer C&A is supporting the holiday season with £ 1.6 million to various charitable organisations across Europe. The encouraging sales figures of the past years and positive response to its present collection, C&A’s management have its hope up for the Holiday season. The fashion retailer is donating a total of £1.6 million to numerous European charities. “It goes without saying that C&A is expecting – as is the rest of the retail sector – favourable sales figures, nonetheless in the run-up to the Holiday season business isn’t the only thing on our minds as company,” explained Andreas G. Seitz, member of the European Executive Board of C&A commenting on the background of the charitable campaign.

It is the wish of the company’s management that the donations primarily benefit family-oriented projects. The specific decision regarding the recipient of the donation will be decided directly on site at each of the 1,200 company stores. “This liaison takes place above all at our stores and that’s the reason the decision as to who gets the donations should also be made there,” continues Seitz.

C&A is a family-owned company and ranks among Europe’s largest fashion retailers with sales of approximately £3.78 billion across Europe. In the last fiscal year 2006 / 2007, C&A increased sales and shares in all markets while expanding its number of stores by 120. Last year, the fashion retailer supported charitable organisations in a similar manner to celebrate the opening of its 1000th store in Europe.

Image: C&A

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This summer sees Foot Locker collaborate with one of the UK’s most influential lifestyle magazines – RWD. Foot Locker has teamed up with RWD to distribute the leading style title in all of its stores nationwide from August 2008. With more sneaker and fashion exclusives than ever before, Foot Locker hopes to reaffirm its position as leaders of style innovation.

Full of the coolest looks and slickest styles, RWD shares Foot Locker’s desire to bring the trends to the trendsetters before anyone else. The partnership with Foot Locker sees RWD’s circulation increase from 30,000 to 80,000, securing the magazine’s position as the UK’s largest urban music and lifestyle title.

Natasja Jenning’s Assoc. Manager for Media Strategy at Foot Locker, is excited about the new partnership. “We are delighted to be pioneering this distribution deal with RWD. As a magazine that champions the best of street style, it has the perfect synergy with Foot Locker, which is at the forefront of sneaker originality and street style in the UK”.

Bringing sneaker aficionados the latest and greatest from the biggest names on the planet and with more exclusives than ever before, sneaker lovers can always get their hands on the latest in street style at Foot Locker stores across the country.

Gap Inc. goes beyond clothing, with its Baby Gap Home collection, its first foray into home goods. The assortment contains a collection of non-Gap-brand bedding, strollers, car searts, toys and other items and is –for now- only available online and at a few test stores. This is not the first time Gap chooses to sell non-Gap merchandise. In 2006, the San Francisco brand introduced Piperlime, an online shoe store offering an edited selection of contemporary shoes only some of which are manufactured by a Gap brand.

BabyGap Home features about 40 high-end baby brands such as MacLaren and BabyBjorn, with items exclusively created for Gap.

Gap Inc. operates more than 1,100 Gap stores nationwide and over 3,100 stores worldwide across all brands. It reported fiscal 2007 revenue of $15.8 billion

Photo: Gap website

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Whilst the movie of ‘Sex and the City’ turns out to be more of an 2hrs lenght advertisement space, brands still love to be associated with Carrie Bradshaw’s fashion sense. The release of Japanese pearl brand Mikimoto tell us that since the film’s release, news outlets have called Carrie’s Mikimoto necklace the signature accessory in the movie and a major fashion trend. Carrie Bradshaw played by Sarah Jessica Parker, wears a Mikimoto opera-length cultured pearl necklace to replace her signature nameplate necklace in the SatC film.

Renowned for developing a technique for the cultivation of pearls, Mikimoto is founded by Kokichi Mikimoto in 1893. Today, almost all pearls sold worldwide are cultured pearls, cultivated by the same technique that Kokichi Mikimoto invented. The family-run business remains the world leader in superior-quality Akoya and South Sea cultured pearls and the company is internationally respected for its product design, crafting techniques and strict quality control.

Carrie Bradshaw wears the pearl strand while announcing her engagement to Chris Noth a.k.a ‘Mr. Big’, and is prominently shown in the scene where, while seated at her computer pondering feelings about love, she twirls the strand around her fingertips. The 8-8.5mm Akoya cultured pearl necklace, 32-inches long, with the brand’s signature clasp in 18K gold retails for £6,760 and is available at Mikimoto stores and authorized retailers nationwide.

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This season’s Bread & Butter ‘New Order’ received a total of 89,168 visitors. Even though the organisers of the three day trade fair were very pleased with the results, the total number of visitors did not reach the one-hundred thousand, registering 2,5% less than last summer. Swedish group The Hives launched the event with a video installation of the infamous Bjorn Tagemose and Ray Cokes from MTV. 2000 people attended the event which, according to the director of the fair Kart Heinz Müller: “Is an event that we want to host every season. The night before the fair starts, we will throw a party at Luna Park.”

For this season, the whole Maria Cristina avenue was taken over by Pavilion 8 to register the number of visitors. A total of 893 exhibitors wanted to participate, which is 60 less than the last summer. The organisers are far from being concerned and want to reduce this number to 800. “We want to be more critical with brands and offer a great portfolio”, comments Müller. “The brands aren’t looking for a stand but a destination”, commented the fair’s director. For example Desigual joined a group of brands that put on a show along with Ed Hardy and G-Star, which presented a directional fashion show.

The Source was the new star of this season. Pavilions 6 and 7, dedicated to manufacturers of materials and accessories for famous brands, received 4938 visits. 50 exhibitors, 90% of whom are from Italy, presented three seasons at once with materials for 2010 and fashion shown in the finest detail for the following season. The organisers of New Order want to double the number of exhibitors in January. In this new area, one of the most interesting features of the event ‘The Panel’ was held in collaboration with well-known characters from the world of denim such as Elio Fiorucci, Francois Girbauld and Adriano Goldschmied. On the other side, Hall 6 of the pavilion hosted a presentation of ‘Martelli Vintage’ with vintage jeans of over a hundred years old.

Bread & Butter acquires an increasing number of foreign visitors in each season which reached 72% of the total from 101 different countries. This internationalisation underlines next year’s slogan “United Nations of Bread & Butter”. Bread & Butter will stay Barcelona. Agustí Cordón, director of the Fair said: “The impact of each edition of the fair, for hotels and restaurants, is 100 million Euros.” An amount the Spanish metropolitan can be very pleased with.

Image: Lunapark at Bread & Butter

Designers Christopher Kane, Erdem and Marios Schwab will receive British Fashion Council Fashion Forward sponsorship for the second consecutive season. Established two and a half years ago, the scheme provides financial support to the UK’s most talented designers who are in the early stages of developing their business and have already established a profile at London Fashion Week.

This season’s recipients, despite being relatively new business have already garnered a following of international influencers and are sold in directional stores and boutiques. Previous winners include Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll, Sinha-Stanic and Roksanda Illincic.

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In 2006, Christopher Kane launched his own label with his sister Tammy, collaborator and business partner, and has gone on to build his label into a major player in the high-fashion world. Erdem was launched in 2005 by Erdem Moralioglu and has since won plaudits for its signature look fusing sharp, forward tailoring with romanticism and bold graphic custom-designed silk prints. Marios Schwab has been credited with leading the body-conscious fashion movement with his figure hugging feminine dresses since his label launched in 2005.

Hilary Riva, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council commented: “Fashion Forward is a British Fashion Council support scheme which contributes to building a sustainable fashion industry in London, through providing funding to talented emerging designers at a time when it is often required the most. This season’s winners are already on the way to establishing international businesses and reputations, we provide them with the platform and access to knowledge required to develop their businesses into influential fashion brands.”

Image: Christopher Kane SS09

The Igedo Company and Ente Moda Italia (EMI) reached an agreement in Milan regarding a special ‘Made in Italy’ area at the next summer CPD. Taking place from 26 through 28 July 2009, high-grade Italian labels specialising in womenswear and menswear, as well as shoes and accessories, will be presented on up to 800 square metres at the fairgrounds. “Italian labels are and remain the non plus ultra in fashion. So we are even more delighted that EMI has recognised the value of the Düsseldorf fairgrounds in the German and North-European market,” stated Igedo Managing Director, Frank Hartmann. “EMI will begin this year with exhibitor acquisition, and will put together an exciting mix of high-quality Italian fashion labels.

The Italian area will be a valuable enrichment for CPD visitors.” “We are very pleased to be able to implement this special EMI project at the July CPD,” confirmed Antonio Gavazzeni, President of Ente Moda Italia. After the events in New York, Moscow and Sao Paolo, the participation in Düsseldorf with the clearly recognizable “Made in Italy” area is extremely important for the internationalisation and service of the Italian companies. “Germany is without a doubt one of the most important European markets for the ‘Made in Italy’ product. This is why we decided to present our fashion worldwide at one of the most significant fashion fairs for womenswear,” Gavazzeni continued. Ente Moda Italia was founded in 1983 as an initiative from Sistema Moda Italia and the Centro di Firenza, with the goal of promoting and distributing Italian fashion abroad, and to globally establish the seal of quality, ‘Made in Italy’.

To this end EMI organises participation in several of the major international events, such as CPM in Moscow or The Collective and Fashion Coterie in New York, for renowned Italian companies. The next Igedo Fashion Fairs Düsseldorf, with CPD, HMD and Global Fashion, takes place from 1 through 3 February 2009 at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds. The summer event, including Body Look, takes place from 26 through 28 July.

Image: Igedo

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