The Business of Fashion

Made in Italy | Time for accountability II

A few months back, I published an article about the Made in Italy label, following damaging findings aired in a provocative Italian documentary on the state of luxury manufacturing in Italy.

In the meantime, there has been growing interest in the concept of ethical luxury, but some of the biggest manufacturers continue to flout the rules and standards.

Just yesterday, a new reader of the BoF named Lauren, provided detailed commentary on our previous article Made in Italy | Time for accountablity regarding the egregious behaviour of major Luxury brands which she has observed first hand. Her observations merit further discussion and debate, and so I have included them here.

Rivy Ng and Jsen Wintle | Emerging menswear talents to watch

In our ongoing collaboration with JC Report, we recently contributed two articles about some promising emerging brands, and we wanted to make sure BoF readers could learn about these talented young designers too.

The first designer came to our attention when we spotted a friend sporting the coolest cardigan. When we asked who designed it we  expected to hear the names Ann Demeulemeester or Rick Owens -- but  instead came a name we had never hear before: Rivy Ng.   

Our article for JC Report discusses Rivy's international background and step-by-step approach to building his fashion label. This is definitely a label to watch for its discreet understated style and emphasis on quality. (Speaking of which, the New York Time has an interesting take on Bottega Veneta and discreet luxury, one of our favourite topics here on the Business of Fashion).

Milan Fashion Week | Commerce and creativity

While London is often the spark of new ideas and New York is confidently commercial, the Milan shows usually sit somewhere in between. They may not be the pushing the limits of fashion in terms of new ideas, but they specialise in striking the right balance between commerce and creativity.

Many buyers and editors complained of an uncharacteristically inconsistent offering from Milan's usually focused designers last week. But we think there was a lot to be impressed by in Milan, especially from the some of the heavyweight brands who show there.

Take Burberry, for example. Christopher Bailey is on a clear winning streak, softening his approach this season with the perfect autumnal mood for the urban birds who walked down his catwalk of  "optimistic melancholy." (The urban birds term was cleverly coined by Tim Blanks; Bailey loved it. We think its perfect).

Made in Italy: Time for accountability

The Made in Italy label is a source of pride for every Italian. You see, Italians have fashion in their blood and style in their DNA. It's not surprising that more than 4 million of them tuned in to watch the RAI3 documentary Schiavi del Lusso, or Slaves of Luxury, on Sunday evening which revealed a slimy world of underpaid immigrant labour, huge price mark-ups, and what was portrayed to be undue influence from American heavyweights like Anna Wintour.

This is not the first time that the industry has come under attack in recent months. The Dana Thomas book De-Luxe and the WWF Deeper Luxury  report have called into question the ethical and environmental practices of major luxury companies. While the first two have only seemed to generate a discussion within the luxury industry itself, RAI 3's televised approach seems to have struck a real chord with end consumers. Since the television show was aired on Sunday, many Italians have been up in arms and have stormed the RAI 3 website with comments of indignation and Italian bloggers have been propagating the dicussion.

Paris Fashion Week: 6267 - That dress!

Ever since Roberto Rimondi and Tommaso Aquilano of 6267 sent their S/S 2008 collection down the runway in Milan last week, everyone has been talking about that dress.

In her glowing review, Suzy Menkes said the big surprise of the show came "when the models turned to show a wide dress morph into a sinuous shape at the back. It sounds tricky, but the idea worked, offering one of the most intriguing contrasts of the season." Of the show's standout piece, Nicole Phelps of Style.com said that "Rimondi and Aquilano have an untapped avant-garde streak: Coming, the dress looked like a sculptural, full-blown trapeze; going, it revealed itself to be a body-skimming, provocative sheath." (Note: Unfortunately, no photo of that dress, but another one with similarly constrasting construction is pictured to the left)

Lucky for me, though I missed the show in Milan, I was invited to tea at Place du Marché St Honoré in Paris yesterday evening to take a closer look at the collection. I dragged Jason Campbell of the JC Report along with me -- and we were not disappointed and not alone.

Links of the week: Sexless Gucci, Gianni-less Versace, Thom and Brooks Brothers

The Times of London: G-Force
Frida Giannini, the last remaining designer of the trio that was selected to replace Tom Ford at Gucci, is an advocate for Gucci without the sex. According to The Times, the results speak for themselves with a 16% increase in sales to over £1.5b - the highest in the company's history.

The New York Times: The Murder on Ocean Drive
Gianni Versace, who was feted at a glamorous ballet last weekend in Milan, was murdered 10 years ago this month. Cathy Horyn gives us a behind-the-scenes take on that shocking week in Miami in 1997, showing a different side of Gianni's replacement, his sister Donnatella.

The Wall Street Journal: Brooks Brothers tries hip line: Will it suit?
As a collaboration with Thom Browne and Brooks Brothers launches in stores, the masses will for the first time have access to Mr. Browne's directional short-suit silhouette. The WSJ muses on the potential of the line, which while less expensive than his own astronomically-priced line, is still 30-40% more expensive that Brook Brothers normal price points.

Photoclip courtesy of the New York Times

Magnificent Milan

The semi-annual harvesting of the fruits of menswear designers from all over the world has just ended In Milan, and I have to say, it was a bumper crop.

I never planned use this blog as an editorial on fashion trends or styling, but the menswear looks that have come out of Milan this season are really strong, and give strong direction for mens fashion. For the first time in awhile, things look fresh, and that's got to be good for business.

I have selected a few of my favourite looks - these are the styles that I seriously dig - and I am no conceptualist. I think these are wearable commercial looks as well.

Best looks

From sharp tailoring  at Etro and Bottega Veneta, to long knits and layering at Burberry and Valentino, menswear was spot on this season, with a bit of colour or new silhouette to freshen the looks.

The ongoing trouser debate was truly challenged by J Lindeberg who went wide. I actually like the way this looks. Some disagreed though and the rock star skinny was still inny as we saw at Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana.

CK, J Lindeberg, Etro and Prada worked the knitwear long and fast, in both muted and colourful hues.

And to top it all off, the perfect trench from a triumphant Mr. Lindeberg, followed by the perfect high DB black tuxedo from Mr. Valentino

 

[photos: Marco Maceira from style.com]

Koko Rosso

Diesel subsidiary Staff International announced today its investment in the emerging label of much-lauded London-based Greek designer Sophia Kokosalaki. With only £350k in annual revenue, Kokosalaki's business is not huge, but Renzo Rosso, CEO of Diesel, has clearly seen potential in her work and has stepped up to help take the brand to the next level.

This is excellent news for Kokosalaki in what should be a banner year for the young designer whose debut collection for the House of Vionnet will bow in Paris this season. The much-vaunted comeback for Vionnet is expected to  be gracefully executed by Kokosalaki whose trademark draping dovetail's nicely with Vionnet's heritage and her famous bias-cut.

More young designers should look for partnerships like the one that Kokosalaki has concluded with Mr Rosso. Through Diesel's subsidiary, Staff International, which also works with other emerging brands like DSquared2 and Maison Martin Margiela , Kokosalaki has found not only the investment capital to grow her business, but more importantly, a skilled partner who can add value to the business through connections, experience and expertise. Furthermore, due to Mr. Rosso's experience with working with other young designers and his clear appreciation for creativity, Kokosalaki is likely to maintain the creative freedom and autonomy that she needs to continue to develop her  unique signature.

It will be interesting to see how successfully Kokosalaki will split her time and her creative energy between her eponymous collection and the Vionnet collection. Will she be able to carve out a unique identity and aesthetic for both collections? That remains to be seen.

Up until now, Kokosalaki, like many young designers, has relied on one-off consultancies and brand building activities. She did a small capsule collection for Nine West in the USA - you can learn more about it in this video.

[photo from Sophia Kokosalaki S/S 2007, from WWD]