Drapers
11 March 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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Burberry tackles skills gap with apprenticeship scheme
Luxury British brand Burberry has launched an apprenticeship scheme to train up new staff in grass-roots manufacturing skills after it was forced to go on a recruitment drive overseas. -
A look we love
Modern vintage was a key theme in footwear noted by our style spotters in New York. -
Accessories Menswear Indicator, March 11 2011
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from accessories retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect menswear by clicking on the PDF. -
Adidas trials woman-only store format
Adidas is trialling a new women-only store format, which could be rolled out worldwide if succesful. -
All Saints boss claims Kaupthing used British savers' cash to prop up shares
Kevin Stanford, the chairman of young fashion chain All Saints and co-founder of womenswear business Karen Millen, has claimed that collapsed Icelandic bank Kaupthing used cash from British deposits to artificially inflate its own share price. -
Anti-dumping duties scrapped but EC warns of "swift action" if needed
The European Commission has confirmed anti-dumping duties on leather footwear from China and Vietnam will be scrapped on April 1, but it warned that it would monitor imports for a year and take “swift appropriate action” if needed. -
Basler to up ‘sex appeal’ and bring in red-carpet glamour
Brian Rennie, the former Ultimo and Escada designer who this week became creative director of mainstream womenswear giant Basler, has vowed to “up the brand’s sex appeal” and introduce a range of red-carpet dresses. -
Benetton profits dip
Benetton, the Italian-based fashion label, said profits for the full-year to December 31, 2010 was down on 2009 figures, largely due to rising raw material costs. -
Bird prints
Designers were taking the trend for tweeting seriously this season. -
Bordeaux
Rich, wine-flavoured Bordeaux tones were another strong colour direction to emerge from London. -
Brands relocate in Japan amid nuclear fallout fears
Swedish young fashion retailer H&M and French luxury group PPR have temporarily relocated from their offices in Tokyo as the threat of radioactive fallout looks increasingly likely. -
Capsule trend: Casual youth
Preppy classics are updated with reworked varsity graphics and a contemporary approach to silhouette and fabrication. -
Catwalk brights bode well for premium chains
Premium high street retailers are confident that the bright colours, statement outerwear, trouser shapes and long-length silhouettes will translate to strong sales this autumn, as the international catwalks drew to a close in Paris this week. -
Chevignon returning to UK after 17 years
French men’s casualwear brand Chevignon is relaunching in the UK for autumn 11 after a 17-year absence. -
Coach drives into UK market
Luxury US accessories brand Coach is to open its first UK store on Friday in west London’s Westfield shopping centre. -
Coneys sees profits soar after takeover
Profits at contemporary indie Coneys in Boston, Lincolnshire, have spiralled in the past year after the department store was taken over by the owner of fellow Midlands indie Gere. -
Debenhams drives first half margins and profits
Debenhams’ commitment to driving its own-label ranges and managing markdown in its first half helped it to offset some of the cost pressures endemic in the clothing sector and increase margins, the department store said. -
Dolce & Gabbana
A 1980s-inspired boy-meets-girl aesthetic was seen at Dolce & Gabbana. -
Emma Churchill
Product director, Kookaï -
Fabric & Print Morphing
Subtle fabric or print morphing is almost becoming the new ombré or dégradé. -
Fashion is the goal for Admiral licensees
Sportswear brand Admiral will launch a collection of casual sports-inspired fashion for spring 11 after the brand was sold to a new firm led by a group of senior sportswear executives. -
First Sebago store drops anchor in Bath
Nautical footwear brand Sebago has opened its first, wholly owned UK standalone on Union Street in Bath and is planning to open another four over the next five years. -
French connection boss hits out at upward only rent reviews
French Connection chief executive Stephen Marks has hit out at upward only rent reviews, asking the government to review the law. -
French Connection launches iPhone app
French Connection has launched an iPhone app that provides a rich social media experience for its users. -
French Connection UK retail arm slips in to the red
French Connection has notched up a full-year loss at its UK and European retail division and warned that margins are under pressure from rising input costs. -
Gap to close stores and become more trend-led
Casualwear giant Gap is to close 200 of its 900 US stores by 2013, and has admitted it has not invested heavily enough into attracting ethnic minority customers in the US. -
Gola gets more than a dash of colour
Sports footwear brand Gola Classics will launch its spring ad campaign at the end of this month promoting its brightly coloured styles. -
Golden Boot keeps brands in the frame
Kent footwear indie The Golden Boot’s scheme in which brands fund their own window display for one month will continue in 2011. -
Gucci signs joint venture to directly open stores in UAE
Gucci, the brand owned by french luxury goods group PPR, is to enter the United Arab Emirates after signing a joint venture with Middle Eastern luxury retailer Al Tayer Insignia. -
IMAGE GALLERY: River Island to revive Chelsea Girl brand
Chelsea Girl, the iconic 1970’s fast fashion retailer that later became River Island, is to be revived as a branded capsule collection within River Island stores. -
Irish indies cheered after election result
Irish indies are feeling more buoyant about future trade after the outcome of the country’s general election, which was held on February 25. -
Is Asos’s Finder a keeper?
Etailer’s new site categorises trends and user-generated looks and then links them to retailers’ product. -
Janet Wardley
Harvey Nichols’ head of visual display tells Marie Davies what goes into creating some of retail’s most eye-catching windows -
JD Sports Fashion and JJB Sports deal is off
Sale talks between JD Sports Fashion and JJB Sports have broken down after JJB failed to reveal key information about the business. -
JJB asks shareholders for a further £65m
JJB Sports is asking its shareholders for an additional £65m to support its survival plans. -
JJB Sports unveils £65m business plan
JJB Sports said like-for-like sales slumped 13.5% in the period between January 24 and March 13 as the sportswear retailer published its revised business plan and proposed financial arrangements. -
Key Items & Colours
Spots, Tunic and pant combos, cognac and winter pinks. -
Levi's appoints head of women's merchandising and design
Denim giant Levi’s as appointed Laurie Etheridge as global head of women’s merchandising and design. -
Lingerie Womenswear Indicator, March 11 2011
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from lingerie retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect womenswear by clicking on the PDF. -
LVMH potential buyer for Jimmy Choo
French luxury goods group LVMH is among the bidders for luxury footwear and accessories business Jimmy Choo, according to reports. -
Matalan launches review after kids padded bra expose
Value chain Matalan has launched a review after it was found to be selling padded bras for children as young as eight. -
Mathew Dixon
Director, Hudson Walker International. -
MaxMara
There was a Scottish Highlands influence at MaxMara for autumn 11 -
Michele Norsa
To understand why Salvatore Ferragamo is winning over a lucrative new customer base, one only needs to look to its history of innovation, explains its chief executive. -
Milan Boutiques
WGSN offers its selection of the best new boutiques in the Italian fashion capital. -
Milan Fashion Week
A wealth of trends graced the Milanese catwalks but it was Christopher Kane at Versus and Prada that stole the show -
Mulberry to beat profit expectations
Luxury brand and retailer Mulberry has said sales and profit for the year to March 31 will exceed market expectations. -
N Brown to launch 50-plus womenswear brand Fabrici
Home shopping group N Brown is to launch a womenswear brand Fabrici to target internet-savvy 50-plus women. -
New Look to feature in Channel 4 show
Fast fashion chain New Look is to appear in the first product placement and advertiser-funded programme (AFP) on Channel 4. -
Next drops womenswear prices by 7%, claims Credit Suisse
Next has dropped the price of its current season womenswear by 7%, according to broker Credit Suisse, flying in the face of many retailers’ decision to up prices in line with cost price inflation. -
Nike's spring orders set to boost poor profits
Sportswear giant Nike said it was set to have a strong spring 11 season with an increase in orders despite revenues sliding across Western Europe in its third quarter. -
Off the Record, March 11 2011
The inside track on the parties and gossip for the week. -
orlakiely.com
Orla Kiely is a unique and exciting designer. Brand devotees, whether they are buying a notebook or one of her trademark bags, are buying a little piece of Orla herself. -
Outerwear will heat up your winter sales
Having further analysed the international catwalks this week, we can say for sure that A/W 11/12 is definitely a big season for outerwear and colour, which is very good news as it will encourage customers to update their wardrobes. -
Paris Fashion Week: Louis Vuitton
Marc Jacobs triumphed yesterday with the week’s stand out production as kinky bell boys and demure handcuffed ladies ascended onto the Louis Vuitton catwalk in vintage elevators. -
Pringle creative director resigns
Pringle of Scotland’s creative director Clare Waight Keller has resigned after five years at the brand. -
Puma promotes Koch to chief executive
German sportswear brand Puma has promoted Franz Koch to chief executive officer as Jochen Zeitz steps aside after 18 years in the position. -
Reiss to launch in Bloomingdales
Premium retailer Reiss is to launch a new range to mark its 40th anniversary and has signed a deal to open in US department store chain Bloomingdales. -
Retailers mull half day for royal wedding
Marks & Spencer and John Lewis will stay closed on the morning of the royal wedding, Friday April 29, and other retailers are considering whether to follow suit. -
Rhowen Yoki
Owner of young fashion indie Fusion, which has four stores in Cornwall Brands include G-Star, Gio-Goi, Levi’s, Motel, Saint Tropez -
Roland Mouret, London
Stock may be thin on the ground in the designer’s first standalone store but the surroundings and visual merchandising provide plenty to catch the eye. -
Sainsbury's appoints Geraldine Higgins head of buying for womenswear
Sainsbury’s has appointed former Matalan and Miss Etam buyer Geraldine Higgins to be its head of buying for womenswear. -
Saks to pull John Galliano menswear collection
Luxury US department store Saks is understood to have pulled disgraced British designer John Galliano’s eponymous menswear collection from its New York store, following his spectacular fall from grace. -
Salvatore Ferragamo
Power dressing, with sharp suiting in 1940s mobster-style pinstripes -
Shhhhhhh!
Which UK retail director informed Drapers that his Libyan franchise stores hadn’t “performed so well” in February? -
Show your passion to help save our industry
“Forty years in the industry. I moan about it, but I love it.” “He’d spend his last pound on a yard of organza.” -
Sir Philip Green: I will try to bring manufacturing back to UK
UPDATED: Sir Philip Green has come out in support of a return to British manufacturing, stating the time is right to examine opportunities to re-open UK factories and that Arcadia will try to bring more production to British shores. -
Soaring price of synthetics adds to cotton crunch pain
Increased demand for synthetic fabrics triggers 10% price rise, while power cuts slow Chinese factories. -
Something Else
The womenswear brand is set to conquer the UK with its directional styles that come without designer price tags. -
Stock prices tumble and Japan Fashion Week cancelled as quake takes toll
Stock prices have continued to tumble both in Japan and in London in the wake of last week’s earthquake and tsunami as retailers and brands have pledged their support to affected businesses and people. -
Templeman, McPhail: 'No double dip for UK economy'
Debenhams chief executive Rob Templeman and New Look boss Carl McPhail have said that the UK is not facing a double dip recession. -
The 1930s
It was all about the 1940s on the New York runways, but in London designers signalled the 1930s as the era to reference. -
The Hoxton Boutique
Chosen by Hannah Webster, marketing manager at women’s young fashion brand 18 and East. -
Try to win the game of ‘guess the trends’
With the frantic buying season coming to a close, I am busy reviewing the orders that I’m placing to check I am happy with the collections I’ve chosen for next season. -
UK manufacturers queue up to join our SOS campaign
Letters from UK manufacturers to join Drapers’ SOS campaign. -
Van Dal TV ads target younger shoppers
Women’s mainstream footwear brand Van Dal is to launch its first TV ad campaign in a bid to shake off perceptions that its product is “old fashioned” and target a younger demographic. -
Versus
The boned structure of corsets was exposed in a predominantly black collection scattered with glitter-effect finishes in purple and green. -
VF Corporation announces five year growth plans
US-based VF Corporation, the parent company of brands such as Lee, Wrangler, Seven for all Mankind, The North Face and Vans, has vowed to increase revenues by $5bn (£3.1bn) over the next five years and focus on expansion in international markets. -
Vivienne Westwood duo in kids’ launch
Former Vivienne Westwood designer James New and pattern cutter Jessica Richard are to launch a babywear and kidswear brand, to be manufactured exclusively in the UK. -
WGSN Boutique User Tip
My WGSN helps you organise your inspirational imagery so you can record the colours, trends and items that are most important to you -
Womenswear boss departs Paul Smith
Sandra Hill, creative director of womenswear at Paul Smith and one of the premium lifestyle brand’s driving forces, has left after 16 years at the helm, it has emerged. -
You can bank on an uncertain Easter
Does a late Easter with extra bank holidays mean good news for trade?
