“Made in Italy” no longer means what it used to, thanks to an increasing number of Chinese-run clothing factories opening up in a Tuscan town.
Italy’s textile industry has always been the best of the best, seemingly immune to fast fashion’s cheap manufacturing. But a new article by the BBC sheds a light on why that’s no longer the case.
To survive in this business, you’ve got to have more than talent. You’ve got to be shrewd, savvy, determined—and a crazy-hard worker.
So here’s our list of the 50 most influential people working in New York fashion right now. To compile the list, we used our own knowledge of the industry combined with advice from inside sources.
Let us know what you think: You’ll find the entire Fashionista 50 list below. Click on the person’s name to read a full bio. And if you really want to click through the whole slideshow, you can do so here.
The Fashionista 50 slideshow. Click through for a bio of each of our picks.
With the Tory Burch lawsuit behind him, Chris Burch is getting even more bullish on C.Wonder.
At a time when even the best of designers don’t seem safe at their labels (see: Nicolas Ghesquière‘s split from Balenciaga, speculation over Marc Jacobs‘s contract renewal with Louis Vuitton) you can rest easy that Riccardo Tisci isn’t going anywhere.
First, Chris Benz announced that he’d be sitting out the Fall 2013 shows. Soon after, Peter Som decided to forgo the traditional runway for one of KCD’s nifty digital fashion shows, following in the footsteps of See by Chloe and Pierre Balmain, amongst others.
Then last week’s Wall Street Journal article about designers forgoing New York Fashion Week hit the real nerve, highlighting several up-and-coming (as well as established) labels choosing not to stage runway shows or presentations.
Suddenly, it’s okay—even respectable in certain circumstances—not to show at Fashion Week.
Could Versace be going the way of other iconic family-owned Italian label Valentino which sold for $852 million last year?
According to WWD, an Italian paper reported that a Korean fund was in talks with Versace chairman Santo Versace to acquire his 30% stake in the company.
Now, Santo Versace has responded, calling the rumors completely false, the trade is reporting. But while Santo may not be selling his shares now, could outside investment be part of the company’s future?
Over the weekend there was a tragic garment factory fire in Bangladesh, which killed seven people. It’s the second deadly factory fire in the region in just two months, after another factory fire claimed the lives of over 110 people in November. Since then, there’s been a general call to action: Human rights groups have increased their demands for global reform, governments are considering putting tighter restrictions on overseas manufacturers, and retailers are rethinking how they approach manufacturing.
Bloomberg has taken a look into why Chanel is doing well while other luxury and accessories brands are experiencing dwindling sales. The reason–a luxury retail trend everyone’s beginning to notice–is simply exclusivity.
We always wonder who–if anyone–buys couture. Obviously, the industry is still alive and well, so someone does. But often, the handmade looks seem too over-the-top for even the most extravagant events. Not to mention couture’s exorbitant price tag.
Cathy Horyn was curious, too, so she went to Dior and Chanel to investigate this “fairly secretive” part of the industry. Most notably, she found that Raf Simons’ fall 2012 Dior couture collection (his first) was quite lucrative.
Some say the age of the personal style blogger is over.
Today, the girl needs more than an outfit, a boyfriend, and a camera. Bloggers need to think about production quality, editorial strategy, and affiliate programs to really gain a foothold on the web. They are more like editors, creating publications worthy of a million-person audience than a few thousand super-fans.
Yet it still comes down that camera. Nine times out of 10, the bloggers who move merchandise, who get people talking, who attract repeat advertisers, love to strike a pose.
So we say the personal style blogger isn’t going anywhere—-in fact, she’s more powerful than ever.
Which is not surprising, since Proenza Schouler is like, always, the look.
