del.icio.us fashion links for October 9, 2008

Friday, October 10, 2008 3:00

Posted in category del.icio.us

del.icio.us fashion links for October 9, 2008:

Narciso Rodriguez gets boost by Liz Claiborne: Update - Parting Ways
NEW YORK — Liz and Narciso are getting a divorce.
In a joint statement made today, Narciso Rodriguez and Liz Claiborne Inc. said they are ending their 18-month-old partnership.

Rodriguez will regain full ownership of his business and inherent trademarks. Essentially, the termination of the deal with Claiborne will give the much-respected designer, who launched his collection in 1997 in a partnership with Aeffe SpA, complete independence for the first time.

While the tie-up with Claiborne was much trumpeted by both parties when it was unveiled in May 2007, giving the giant vendor the cachet of a major designer in its stable and Rodriguez the backing he needed to grow his brand, in the end the relationship just didn’t work.

“LCI and I had hoped there would be more synergies between our companies,” Rodriguez admitted to WWD. “We did not find enough common grounds and jointly have concluded that the Narciso Rodriguez brand could be developed more effectively outside of this partnership - Tags: none
CityNews: Local Dress Maker Feels The Pinch Of Hard Times
Tizz Guisti has been designing, cutting, sewing and selling lovely evening dresses at the same location on Queen Street East in Leslieville for the past five years.
Just a little over a half year ago, he was so busy he had to turn away customers who wanted custom made dresses. Today, he's struggling to make ends meet after an economic downswing that's taken a huge chunk out of his pockets. - Tags: none
Luxury Stores Brace for Slowdown - WSJ.com
The luxury-goods industry is bracing for fallout from the global financial crisis.
Some companies, including jewelers' Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari SpA, are considering a brake on future store openings to reduce costs ahead of a likely sluggish holiday season. French fashion house Dior SA may close some boutiques in smaller U.S. cities. - Tags: none
LVMH takes 45 pct stake in Russian perfume retailer | Industries | Consumer Goods & Retail | Reuters
PARIS, Oct 3 (Reuters) - French luxury group LVMH (LVMH.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is expanding its presence in Russia by taking a 45 percent stake in perfume retailer Ile de Beaute with an option to become majority owner later, it said on Friday. - Tags: none
WWF study shows luxury companies not yet socially responsible | ABS-CBN News Online Beta
Whether it be a million dollar sports car, a rare sparkling gem, or a European vacation, luxury can still be afforded by the elite.
In 2007, the luxury industry was estimated to be a $150-billion dollar business. Today, research shows, a growing demand for luxury items has left it virtually untouched by the global financial slide. - Tags: none
The Business of Fashion: Valentino | The saga continues
By now, most everyone in the fashion universe has heard that Alessandra Facchinetti has been ceremoniously removed from her post as Creative Director of Valentino. Some fashion critics, Suzy Menkes included, have spoken against the designer's dismissal, pointing to early successes in her first outings over the past couple of seasons, where she availed herself of Valentino's formidable atelier.
But the story doesn't end there. A report in WWD said that Facchinetti's ousting was not due to poor collections, but rather to a difficult and long creative process, and an inability to build a cohesive team around her. And, perhaps therein lies the point. Designers are no longer able to operate in a vacuum, in studios which are isolated from the business at hand - Tags: none