Well, rumour has it that the next H&M collaboration is going to be with Lanvin. Although it is not confirmed, I was having dinner with some fashion insiders last night (Lisa Tant and Imran Amed) and they both seemed to think Lanvin was the one, although it won’t be officially announced until September 9th. H&M deserve mega-credit for their teaser videos, launched two days ago on Youtube. First of all, they are amazing to watch. Secondly, they get us thinking… who could it be? Before Lanvin, rumours were flying around about Bottega Veneta and Carolina Herrera, amongst others. I’ve posted two of the videos here, check them out. Apparently the quotes sound very “Alber Elbaz”, although I am sure it could be someone else as well.

I had a discussion with my students today about H&M’s designer collaborations, and we all seemed to agree that H&M had far more credibility than other “collaborative” fast fashion brands, because they work primarily with great fashion designers, rather than celebrities (Madonna and Kylie Minogue being the two exceptions.) The only other brand that I can think of who has managed this is Target, who have also done some great collaborations, and more recently, gained increased exposure because by selling their product through Gilt Groupe and in Colette.

A Kate Moss for Topshop dress, which does not look very "Kate Moss" and which is quite overpriced at approx. $250.

Which brings me to think, are we beginning to see the end of the celebrity collaborations? (Please God say it’s true!) Kate Moss has ended her relationship with Topshop this week, apparently on bad terms, and I am guessing it is because the clothes were never that interesting in the first place. They were being greedy rolling out 6 collections a year, and charging high prices, for something that wasn’t even properly designed by her. Luxury brands have been distancing themselves from celebrity collaborations (I hope we won’t need to see any more Kanye + Louis Vuitton crap), and I think the consumer is getting sick of it. Now that designers like Alber Elbaz and Phoebe Philo are practically household names, why do we need a celebrity to give kudos to a fashion brand, when a top designer can do the same thing?

Anyway, back to H&M. What are your thoughts? I’d love it to be Lanvin, but only if I manage to get my hands on it without having to wait in line. I was a bit scared that it might be Tomas Maier from Bottega Veneta, simply because I want the brand to remain secret (well, it is obviously not a secret, but it clearly doesn’t have much exposure) because I haven’t managed to buy anything from them yet. Until I can own some Bottega Veneta, I don’t want it going mainstream. It is sort of like the way you feel about bands when you are a teenager, you never want anyone else to know about your favourite bands, because then they are uncool. On the other hand, it is not likely I’ll become a Bottega Veneta customer anytime soon, because their clothing is VERY expensive, and is not available anywhere in Canada. Regardless of who the H&M designer is, there is no doubt it is going to be exciting!

P.S. One of the things that was brought up last night while we were gushing about the greatness of Bottega Veneta, was the fact that their collections are not at all branded. Imran explained that as a result of this, the brand was something you buy “for you.” And what a lovely way to think about a luxury brand. It is not about flashing labels and monograms, buying luxury should be always for yourself, not the people who are going to recognize the logo.

**** UPDATE ****

It has been confirmed, the collaboration with Lanvin will come out in stores on November 23rd. Here is a quote from Alber Elbaz.

“H&M approached us to collaborate, and see if we could translate the dream we created at Lanvin to a wider audience, not just a dress for less. I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public. This has been an exceptional exercise, where two companies at opposite poles can work together because we share the same philosophy of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world.”

The latest model-designed collection is coming from French fast fashion retailer Morgan. They have collaborated with British model Daisy Lowe to create a capsule clothing collection which will be available in France and online. I almost fall asleep at the thought of another model-daughter-of a-sort-of-famous-couple collaborating with another desperate-to-get-some-attention-cheap-fashion-brand.

The clothing appears to be nothing special at all, and the Daisy, who is usually quite cool, looks like a drag queen in some of the photos. A failure all round, I’d say. And it is boring even before it hits the stores. Can we all please stop buying into this crap? Brands will only continue to launch celebrity collaborations if there is a market for it. If no one buys it, we will be free of this rubbish. Can’t we all just buy fashion brands that are designed by fashion designers? Or is that too much to ask?

All images from the Huffington Post.

Primark jewelry: super cheap, very fun, and you don;t have to worry if it gets ruined at the beach.

I was approached a few weeks ago by a company asking me to write a guest post on their handbag blog. The company, Handbag Heaven, sells inexpensive handbags. My initial thoughts were, no thanks, I only like luxury bags. But then I had a look through their site, and I realized, not everything I have in my wardrobe is luxury, and not everything I aspire to have is luxury. Firstly, I can’t afford to buy all my clothes and accessories from a luxury brand. Secondly, I am very careful with my expensive and favorite pieces of clothing, and sometimes it is nice to have something that you don’t have to worry about losing or ruining. Also, when I am not sure about a new item or trend, and I prefer to try the fast fashion version before I decide whether I want to invest big bucks to buy a designer version.

So I got thinking about the pieces in my wardrobe that are designer, and the pieces that aren’t. And I realized there was a trend going on… I tend to splash out on products like shoes, every day handbags, skin products, coats, and classic clothing items, and rarely spend money on items like evening bags and jeans. So I have compiled a list of the clothing and accessory items that I think aren’t worth spending your hard earned cash on. Save it for your dream shoes and a great winter coat instead.

Eliza clutch bag.

Fun handbags: My most-used handbags are classic ones, usually bought from luxury brands because I want them to last a long time. But sometimes I want something fun to hold my phone, keys, and credit card when I go out.  Because this is a bag that usually only gets taken out three or four times a year at most (I have ten versions of this “fun” evening bag, some vintage, some new) it is not worth investing in an expensive piece.

Handbag Heaven sent me this Eliza clutch bag (image above) as a gift, and it is a perfect “fun evening bag.” The unique colour means it probably won’t get much wear, but it is a great piece that works with my black wardrobe. And it is big. Not BIG, but big enough so you can comfortably fit your smartphone, keys, small wallet, and a few other bits. Most of my vintage clutch bags are too small to fit my Blackberry. Handbag Heaven has given me a second version of the Eliza clutch, which is my first ever GIVEAWAY. Click here to find out how to win the bag!

Uniqlo jeans. Please open a store in Vancouver. Please!

Jeans. There are probably a lot of people who disagree with me on this, but I don’t see the point in spending a lot of money on jeans, when there are TONS of brands who do great jeans for less than $100 (and I don’t really think this was the case 8-10 years ago, when all the designer denim brands started hitting the market.)  The most I’ll spend is around $100 on a pair of Lee jeans, but other than that, I go to Uniqlo, who do amazing jeans, with a great fit, for less than $50 a pair. Gap and Topshop are also good options.

Club Monaco jewelry: looks good, and it won;t break the bank.

Summer Jewelry. I have mentioned this before in my Travel Tips, but I really don’t like traveling with expensive jewelry. It makes me nervous. Once I was going through security and the woman made me take off my giant Hermès Chaîne d’Ancre necklace. She was giving me the “no, no, no” look. I nearly had a heart attack, as I clearly was not leaving my Hermès necklace in Oslo. I explained to her that the necklace was for sale IN GENEVA AIRPORT, so therefore could not be a security threat. She went off to speak to her boss, which made me extremely nervous because the necklace left my sight, but I eventually got it back. The nuisance of having to rebook a flight from Oslo, or get to Sweden and fly from there, with my necklace, was enough to make me decide that when I travel, the expensive jewelry stays in the safe. So, when I want accessorize for the beach or hot holidays, I buy cheap jewelry that I don’t have to worry about.

New Look wood wedges, for walking from hotel room to beach.

Summer Shoes. I like to wear wedges when I go to pool/beach/park summer events and I don’t like to wreck expensive shoes. Espadrilles and wood or cork sandals are not worth spending a lot of money on. Sandals have little material on them, so it is not the end of the world if they aren’t made of leather. Save your shoe dollars for amazing winter boots.

Old Navy workout pants. Only 20 bucks!

Workout Gear. Aside from a good pair of running shoes, I can’t bring myself to spend money on workout clothes.  You can get a whole workout outfit from Old Navy for less than a $100. Why spend $400 on a track jacket then?

Read my guest post on Handbag Heaven here.

The A&F Quarterly is releasing its first issue in 7 years this month. Abercrombie & Fitch’s soft porn “catalogue”, shot by Bruce Weber, has caused a lot of controversy in the past. Basically, they are a clothing brand but the models are mostly naked. I guess I wouldn’t be that impressed if I was a mother and my 12 year old daughter was looking at those images, but at least they aren’t dreadfully tacky. However, it is just a blatant attempt at generating some media exposure, by using the old sex = money equation. Abercrombie isn’t doing too well at the moment, so a catalogue full of naked jocks might help rev up the sales. It is annoying, although I guess I am only helping them by writing this post in the first place.

Read my Sex = Money post about Bruce Weber.

All images from Fashionista. See the rest of their A&F Quarterly sneak preview here.

The American Apparel floral stretch lace bra. I own 5. It's only a matter of time before they fall apart.

I am trying to promise myself I will never shop at American Apparel again. I know that will be hard, because I am addicted to some of their stuff, but I am SICK to death of their crappy quality and even worse customer service. Every time I have to exchange an item of clothing there, because it is faulty, I get scared. Because I know it will be a battle with the (often) rude sales staff to get a replacement product. It has happened THREE times. The third time is the last.

The first time it was in the Downtown Vancouver store, and the manager was possibly the rudest, most ignorant person I have ever met in my entire life. I had to battle with him for half an hour to exchange my shirt (which, after one wear, had stretched to gargantuan proportions, and it was not meant to be oversized.) The idiotic manager had the nerve to suggest to me that I had put it into the dryer, which is “not allowed.” He clearly does not know the basics of laundry, because if you put something into the dryer, IT SHRINKS, not stretches. The second time it was in London, and the sales girl didn’t want to exchange a lace bra because I had cut off the tags. Sorry that I don’t want big white labels on my black lace bra. And the third time was Tuesday… (actually, Tuesday was the fourth time. I did return a faulty garment to the store on 4th avenue once, and the girl happily exchanged it, although the problem here is the fact that I have had to return four items to American Apparel for being faulty, out of about 40 pieces I own. That is not a good percentage)

The American Apparel floral stretch lace panty. Sob! What a mistake buying 12 of them!

On Tuesday I had to return a pair of lace panties that had fallen apart at the seam. I stupidly bought about 15 pieces from their lace lingerie line at once, because I loved them so much, and have had to echange three of them so far. I explained that they were faulty, and wanted to exchange them. She said they didn’t exchange underwear. I told her it was faulty, and it is their responsibility to give me a new one. She asked for the receipt. I told her I didn’t have one (I don’t keep lingerie receipts, since you can’t exchange them.) This argument went on for about 20 minutes, in which I had to go out to refill the metre on my car twice. She even called her manager, who wanted to know the DATE I had bought them (as if I remembered. ) I then had to call the Montreal head office (from my cell phone), be transfered twice, and the someone finally arranged for me to get a new pair of panties. All this hassle and stress, to replace a faulty piece of merchandise.

I am sick of their crappy quality and  I am sick of their non-existent customer service. Actually, I can almost deal with the crappy quality, because I love the shapes so much, but I have to be secure in the knowledge that the company will take responsibility for this and actually exchange a faulty product. Without hassle.

A pile of my American Apparel underwear. That's not including all the clothing I own.

Sorry American Apparel, but you are losing a good customer. I write about how much I love you ALL THE TIME. I support your dress codes and your policies. And I own 3 dresses, 5 pairs of shorts, 2 skirts, 5 t-shirts, a giant pile of underwear, and more. I deserve better than this.

Has anyone else had similar problems with them?

(If my readers are wondering why the hell I own so much underwear from them, it is because they do the best basic, everyday underwear. You can’t wear LaPerla to the gym, now can you?)

- – - – UPDATE – - – -

American Apparel have VERY quickly responded to this post with an apology and a promise to address the issue in the retail stores and the factory. I am glad, I don’t want the break up to be permanent, but I never want to deal with their crappy customer service again. Let’s see what happens.

This comes up when I google "business casual." Possibly the worst words in the fashion language (along with Crocs and Uggs.)

I have a problem with dress codes (and I am probably shooting myself in the foot by writing this in case my employers are reading) but I have a part time job that has a business casual dress code. The words business casual send shivers down my spine. And unfortunately, the dress code involves a long list of do’s and don’ts’. I have broken the dress code several times, and no one has said anything, but I think the purpose of it is so that they have leverage if someone dresses like a freak.

For example, one of the dress code rules states “No leggings.” Well, I have worn leggings several times to work, but always under a dress or skirt. I think what they mean is “No leggings as pants” (and this is an essential rule in Vancouver where everyone seems to be under the impression that leggings are pants. They are not.) So if someone comes in wearing leggings as pants, then they can ask her/him (I think the words is “meggings” if it is a guy) to dress more appropriately. So even though I hate the concept of the dress code, I can see, particularly since we are in Vancouver, that it is good to have some regulations that you can throw at someone should they decide that leggings and a baseball cap are appropriate work attire. (This is only appropriate attire if you are at the gym, on the way to the gym, or work in a gym. Other than that, it is NEVER appropriate.)

And I respect that a company should be allowed to have a dress code, providing it is clear and applies to everyone. S0 I don’t know why everyone is getting in such a huff about the American Apparel dress code. If they want young, skinny, natural beauties working in their store, then that is up to them. Personally, I find the American Apparel staff usually pretty annoying, since they tend to be busy chatting rather than helping me. I spend at least $500 a year there, and I’d like to request the staff spend more time “serving” than mincing around the shop in hot pants. Anyway….

An American Apparel ad. The model is not anorexically thin, she's not photoshopped, not a fake boob in site, and she's not wearing makeup. Shouldn't we be PRAISING this type of fashion imagery?

I think a company should be allowed to decide what they want their staff to look like, as long as they can prove it is an important part of their image. No one goes around criticizing Vogue for not having any obese, unattractive, unfashionable women on staff, do they? And, on further investigation into the American Apparel dress code (thanks to The Cut, who posted it on their blog), I think there are some very valid points on it…let’s have a look.

Women’s dress code:
a) Makeup is to be kept to a minimal- please take this very seriously. Liquid eyeliner, pencil eyeliner and eyeshadow are advised against; mascara must look very natural (ie. should not be clumpy or a color that does not compliment your skin and haircolor). Blush must not be overdone- should not have glitter or sparkles. Liquid foundation is prohibited (undereye concealer is understandable if it looks natural- ie. not clumpy or caked on, must match your skin tone). Please do not use a shiny gloss on your lips; any lipcolor must be subtle.

I guess this is their way of saying “If you can’t look good au naturel” you can’t work here. That alienates a lot of people, and I am sure this is their intent.

Dyeing eyebrows? There are cases where it SHOULD be done. And this is a good reason to stick to your natural hair colour.

b) Eyebrows must not be overplucked. Full eyebrows are very much encouraged. Please do not dye your eyebrows a different color.

Who the hell dyes their eyebrows a different colour?? Is this referring to blue/green/pink eybrows? Or bad dye jobs to try and match your fake blond hair. Both should be banned outright, not just at American Apparel stores.

c) We encourage long, healthy, natural hair, so please be advised of the following:
-Hair must be kept your natural color.
-Blow-drying hair excessively could cause heat damage, so this is advised against.
-”Bangs” or “fringe” are advised against. It is not part of the direction we’re moving in.

I’ll have to disagree somewhat here, since short hair on girls can often look quite cool. But healthy is good, and bangs are not.

Another good-looking, un-photoshooped, American Apparel girl. This girl looks amazing!

For the men:
a) Hair should look natural. Excessive product to the extent of creating stiffness and an unnatural or greasy appearance to your hair is advised against.

Greasy hair = gross. We don’t need a dress code to tell us that.

b) Eyebrows should be natural. Please do not dye your eyebrows a different color or overpluck them.

It is acceptable for a discreet clean up of the brows on a man, but overplucked? No! See my comments above on “dyeing your eyebrows a different colour.”

c) Males should not wear makeup.

A rule that should be followed by all men, gay or straight. Makeup is not cool on a guy.

This guy can't work at American Apparel. He has terrible "contemporary" facial hair, a disgusting gauge earring, and I am not even going to comment on the monstrosity on his neck.

d) Facial hair needs to be kept clean and well groomed. Any mustache or goatee of a contemporary style are advised against.

Well, my husband has a beard, but he sports that Scandinavian viking look, and it looks pretty cool. However, mustaches are dodgy territory. Terry Richardson’s one is cool (it is not “contemporary”), but most are not. I agree that goatees should be “advised against.” All men should be “advised against” goatees.

e) No gauges allowed whatsoever.

Hallelujah! Those thing are disgusting.

The Cut also explained that “employees must obey the rules, which include a ban on … Uggs, Vans, Chucks, moccasins, dirty Keds … ”

Some readers will know my opinion on Uggs, but I’d like to take this moment to reiterate that banning Uggs from the earth can only be a good thing.

Here’s another great quote about Dov Charney, American Apparel’s CEO, defending the company’s dress code, from The Cut “he suggested we dress up like Kiss and try applying for retail jobs and see how far we get in the hiring process.” Point taken. Personally, I’d love to go to a clothing store where all the staff were dressed like Kiss, but I don’t think they’d be very effective wearing those crazy platforms, and the studs might snag the clothes.

Kiss outfits: a good retail uniform?

As a little experiment of investigative journalism, I am toying with the idea of sending my photo through to American Apparel to try and get a job. I have heard that they ask for a photo before they even look at your resume…could I be an American Apparel girl? It would be fun to try. Watch this space.

I watched this very interesting TED talk last week, it is Johanna Blakley talking about “copyright law’s grip on film, music and software barely touches the fashion industry … and (how) fashion benefits in both innovation and sales.” The video is 15 minutes long, but defintiely worth watching, and it also raises some intersting points about copyright protection in the fashion industry.

The video looks at how the fashion industry had fewer regulations than other creative industries, and how fashion ideas are very difficult to protect. The first example she discusses is that of Miuccia Prada, when out shopping, buys a vintage Balenciaga jacket, in order to copy the idea and put it into her own collection. My readers in the fashion industry will be aware of this type of activity, it is called research. Essentially, part of the process of finding ideas for a collection is to take other designer’s clothing, and translate it for your own collection. As the TED talk points out, in some industries this might be considered copyright infringement. In the case of fashion, it is just how we get our ideas.

Left, Steve Madden shoe, right, Balenciaga shoe.

Is this wrong? Sometimes, yes. It is wrong when Steve Madden takes Balenciaga’s shoe design,  makes a few minor changes to it, and sells it as his own. It is wrong when Topshop copies Chloé’s dress design (and they had to destroy over a 1000 dresses when Chloé protested over the design.) But top designers don’t do that, they are much smarter and much more imaginative. And they don’t want to copy other designer’s work, they just want to be inspired by it.

Left, See by Chloé dress, right, Topshop dress.

The design research process involves many sources of inspiration, including travel abroad, books, artwork, and culture. Designers also buy clothing for inspiration, which can include very vintage pieces, old costumes, traditional dress found on their trips around the world, and other pieces of old clothing. Sometimes they take inspiration from other designer’s work, usually old work, but sometimes newer work, although it is almost never direct copies of recent designer’s work. I am sure Miuccia would take the aforementioned vintage Balenciaga jacket, and transform it into her own design, making serious modifications ot the original piece.

When I was at Sonia Rykiel, we used to have a guy, (who had the best job in the entire world) whose role it was to travel to flea markets around the world, and buy items of clothing and accessories that he felt we could use as inspiration for our collections. (Don’t ask me how to get into this line of work, if I knew, that is what I would be doing.) One season he brought us a whole bunch of bags, which I assumed were all vintage pieces. At the end of the season, we got rid of the ones that hadn’t been used, so I was allowed to take two home.

A few weeks later, I discovered that one of the bags was sold in a Paris shop, located quite close to our design studios. I also realized that the bag was a design from a new brand, and was being sold as part of the current season. Soon after, I noticed that the second bag was also from a young designer’s current collection. Basically, the items we were using for ideas for our future collection were not only old vintage pieces, but also the work of unknown young designers trying to break into the industry.

At the time, it came as a surprise to me. Then I learnt that this was commonplace in the industry. The young designers were coming up with great ideas, and we were considering stealing them. Those two particular bags never influenced our collections, although I am sure that we had at some point copied other designer’s work.

Left, Marc by Marc Jacobs, right, Wallis.

There are few laws that really protect garment designs, but the ones that exist are set up to protect large companies, and rarely small designers. When Steve Madden copied Alexander McQueen’s boot, they sued him. But when a small designer gets copied by a larger brand, there isn’t much that they can do. Big brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have to deal with thousands of counterfeits, therefore they need to rely on the strength of their brands and the quality of their product, to convince customers that the cheap knockoff at a fraction of the price is not worth buying. But small companies, who don’t have powerful brand identities and legal teams, struggle to protect their designs and brand identities.

Left, Alexander McQueen, right, Steve Madden.

What can we do about this? Nothing really. It is the reality of the industry, which is cut throat for nearly everyone in it. Not all big brands copy from young designers, but many do. Fast fashion brands often steal ideas from designer brands, and they are rarely caught out, because copyright laws make it very difficult for designers to protect their ideas.

Sucks, doesn’t it? If you are a small brand, and patenting, trademarking, and even registering design ideas is too expensive for you, there are a few ways you can protect yourself. Keep records of everything you do. If your design is copied, you can use items like press clippings, documents from factories/printers/photographers, etc… as evidence that you designed the idea before the other company. The old fashioned way of sending yourself a copy of all your designs, before they go out into the public domain, can also help. A postdated, stamped, sealed envelope can be used as evidence in court, just make sure not to open the envelope!

Read other Fashion 101 posts:

Fashion 101: How Magazines Cover Trends

Fashion 101: Where do Fashion Trends Come From?

Fashion 101: Designers with Two Jobs

Fashion 101: How Haute Couture Works

Fashion 101: Magazines and their Advertisers

Image sources:
Alexander McQueen and Steve Madden shoe.
Chloé and Topshop yellow dresses.
Steve Madden and Balenciaga lego shoes.
Marc by Marc Jacobs and Wallis floral dresses.

If you want to see more, Fashionista’s Adventures in Copyrights posts a lot of the high street copies.

Agyness Deyn (left) and her sister, wearing the Uniqlo t-shirts. Notice Aggy is standing in a weird, crooked pose, and sporting a very ugly haircut.

I am not a fan of Agyness Deyn, I don’t think she is pretty, and most of the photos I’ve seen of her look the same. She’s got an ugly haircut, she’s standing in a weird, crooked way, and her mouth is hanging open. So I was pretty relieved when she eventually fell out of favour…

But I read today that according to Modelinia, Aggy’s sister has launched a line of t-shirts for Uniqlo. Who is her sister? Is she an artist, or fashion designer? Well, she has been “creating” t-shirts with her best friend for some time…although I don’t think that gives her the credibility to be a designer for Uniqlo. As sick as I am of the I’m-a-relative-of-a-famous-person phenomenon, the thing that disgusts me the most here, is that it is Uniqlo, one of my favourite fast fashion brands, engaging the sister of a past-her-sell-by-date model to design ugly t-shirts. It’s bad enough that Agyness Deyn has helped propel Henry Holland to fashion fame (hopefully he too is falling out of favour) but now we have to deal with her sister as well. Did Jil Sander have any say in this? I hope not.

Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's SEX store on London's Kings Road.

There’s been so many interesting fashion stories in the news recently that I haven’t had enough time to cover, so I am doing a very quick summary on some of my thoughts on recent headlines.

Malcolm McLaren in the 70s.

• LVMH owns Louis Vuitton, Céline, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Fendi, DeBeers, TAG Heuer, and more.
• PPR owns Gucci Group which owns Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, and more.
• Richemont owns Alaia, Chloé, Piaget, Cartier, Alfred Dunhill, Net A Porter, and more.

Natalie Massenet, founder and CEO of Net A Porter.

So what happens when one of the big luxury conglomerates takes hold of the most successful online luxury retailer in the world? Well, I am sensing that LVMH and Gucci Group might be a bit worried…Neither has managed to successfully sell their products online, and now Net A Porter is owned by one of their competitors. LVMH has launched NOWNESS, described as ” an editorial website that offers an exciting new way to experience luxury lifestyle online.” Sounds a bit vague, yes? I haven’t had the chance to properly explore NOWNESS, but I do know that it is not the next Net A Porter. LVMH and Gucci Group are going to have to come up with a better concept to successfully sell their products online, now that Richemont owns Net A Porter. I’m still shocked at how slow some of the major luxury brands have been to warm up to online retailing.

Anyway, well done to Natalie Massenet, the founder of Net A Porter, for banking 50 million on a business that was “never going to succeed, because people don’t buy luxury online.”

Uniqlo campaign.

And finally, here’s something very exciting for North America, Uniqlo has just signed for a giant retail space in New York City, in which they will pay over 300 million dollars in rent for the next fifteen years.

“What’s set to be Uniqlo’s biggest store in the world, with a whopping 90,000 square feet of space in total between 52nd and 53rd streets, is a clear statement of intent. Fast Retailing (the company that own Uniqlo) president and chief executive officer Tadashi Yanai–Japan’s richest man, according to Forbes–is determined that the Uniqlo name will become as ubiquitous elsewhere as it is in Japan.”
-Wall Street Journal

Let us all hope and pray that this will be the beginning of a massive North American expansion of Uniqlo, including shops here in Vancouver. They are the best for basics, they do what Gap does, but way better and a bit cheaper. And they have Jil Sander designing collections for them. Yay!

Image sources:
Malcolm McLaren image.
SEX boutique on Kings Road.
Natalie Massenet.
Uniqlo image.

I’m a bit late to comment on this, but I still can’t believe that an American Apparel rummage sale broke out into a riot in London two weeks ago. Apparently several police officers were injured and a few people were arrested at the sale. I don’t quite understand how this could have happened, American Apparel isn’t that cheap, but surely it’s cheap enough that it doesn’t deserve a riot when the products are discounted. Although its not the first time something like this has happened, I recall when 3000 customers forced open the doors of the Primark store at Marble Arch at its grand opening in 2007. All this for cheap t-shirts and socks? The video is pretty shocking.

But this phenomenon certainly isn’t limited to the fast fashion retailers, The Cut reported that a fight broke out when a pregnant woman attempted to cut into the line for an Hermes sale. I do remember my friend Aimee telling me that she skipped the queue at an Yves Saint Laurent sample sale when she was heavily pregnant. I guess I am going to be a hypocrite and say that I would hate to see that happen if I had been waiting a long time in line, but on the other hand, if I’m ever pregnant, I’ll totally use it to skip line ups. Especially for Hermes.