Drapers
23 June 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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‘A lot of [student] designers come out thinking they’ll be a standalone label, but the high street has a lot to offer’
Fiona Lambert, brand director at Graduate Fashion Week sponsor George at Asda, on why multiples have plenty to offer those looking to break into the industry. -
‘One size will never fit all in womenswear’
Why oh why do some of the lovely ladies out there have a problem with the sizing of clothes? -
‘Reap the rewards of forward currency contracts’
International trading features high on the list of most fashion retailers. -
A day in the life - Agnieszka Mizerska
Womenswear brand Day Birger et Mikkelsen’s UK and Irish retail buyer enjoys the variety of her role. -
BFC announces Newgen winners
Designers Michael van der Ham, JW Anderson and Simone Rocha have been awarded Newgen catwalk sponsorship to show at London Fashion Week in September. -
BFC extends Barbara Grispini's role to drive London Showrooms
The British Fashion Council (BFC) plans to expand its promotion of London designers overseas following the appointment of Barbara Grispini to the “stronger” role of head of project and designer brand development consultant for London Showrooms. -
Bhs appoints M&S director Richard Price as managing director
Arcadia-owned Bhs has appointed Marks & Spencer menswear trading director Richard Price as managing director. -
Billabong attracts interest from potential buyers
Australian surfwear brand Billabong could be set to be bought after attracting interest from sportswear giant Nike, French luxury group PPR and private equity backer TPG Capital. -
Boux Avenue sets sights overseas
Lingerie retailer Boux Avenue chief executive and Dragons’ Den TV star Theo Paphitis has pushed the button on overseas expansion with plans to open up to 30 global stores by the end of next year. -
Bubble London
The trade show season kicked off this week with kidswear exhibition Bubble London, held at Islington’s Business Design Centre. -
Bubble London reports marginal rise in visitor numbers
Bubble London said that visitor numbers to its kidswear tradeshow have increased by 1.4%, compared to the same season last year. -
Bubble visitors up but reviews mixed
Buyers who attended kidswear show Bubble London this week said it was quiet compared with previous editions, despite organisers reporting a marginal rise in visitor numbers. -
Butterfly Twists targets overseas growth after Pentland nets stake
Pentland Group has made a “sizeable” investment in women’s folding ballet pump brand Butterfly Twists. -
Catwalk photographer picks up Lifetime Achievement Award
Catwalk photographer Chris Moore picked up this year’s Graduate Fashion Week Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by GFW president Jeff Banks. -
Chinese young fashion brand set for float
Chinese-based Fairy Fox plans to raise £13m by floating on AIM to fund expansion plans, according to The Sunday Times. -
Chloe Jones on striking Gold at GFW
Chloe Jones, winner of the Gold award at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week, talked to Drapers about her inspiration, the designers she looks up to and what her next move will be. -
Clarks workers strike over pay
Workers at footwear giant Clarks based in Somerset are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions. -
Clothing and footwear sales edge up in May
Clothing and footwear sales notched up 0.7% year-on-year for the month of May while clothing volumes fell 1%. -
Commercial thinking by Ben Sherman
Ben Sherman has announced the opening of its first east London store on Commercial Street. -
Crocs gets ‘aggressive’ in marketing push
Footwear brand Crocs, famed for its moulded rubber clogs, is embarking on an “aggressive” marketing push to raise consumer awareness of its full range of products. -
Crombie pledges to bring more of its manufacturing back to UK
Menswear brand Crombie is bolstering its support for domestic manufacturing by bringing production for key pieces back to the UK. -
Debenhams sales rise: A closer look
Department store has Debenhams announced a rise in sales with like-for-like sales up 3.1% for the 16 weeks to June 23 as the retailer benefitted from events including Easter, Mother’s Day and the Diamond Jubilee. Here Drapers takes a closer look at the retailer’s headline statistics. -
Designers impress at first London Collections: Men
The first three day showcase of London menswear took place over the weekend and kickstarted the beginning of the spring 13 buying season. -
Digital Edition: June 23 2012
Gold standard: The winning collections from Graduate Fashion Week. -
Dr Martens puts up £200m price tag as second round bids due
The owners of Dr Martens are reportedly looking for £200m for the footwear brand, which was put up for sale in February. -
EBay appoints Sainsbury's Lawler as UK head
EBay has hired Sainbury’s online boss Tanya Lawler to the newly-created role of UK trading. -
Euro 2012 drives sales growth for Adidas
German sportswear giant Adidas expects to achieve record sales of €1.6bn (£1.28bn) in its football category this year as a result of its involvement in the Euro 2012 championships. -
Fashion Index
View our fashion data pages to get a barometer of trade in the UK and worldwide. -
Fashion sales edge up at John Lewis
Fashion sales enjoyed mixed fortunes in the week to June 16 at John Lewis edging up by just 1%. -
Fashion Team Diary - London Collections: Men
Here’s my photo diary from the recent London Collection: Men shows, featuring snaps from some of the best shows I attended. -
Footwear maker JuJu brings production home
Footwear manufacturer JuJu is moving production of its sandals back to the UK from China, according to reports. -
Former Mothercare boss Gordon gets £5m pay-off
Former Mothercare chief executive Ben Gordon has received a £5m severance package. -
Fourmarketing to distribute Ohw?
Contemporary men’s footwear brand Ohw? has appointed Fourmarketing to handle its distribution from spring 13 as it looks to bolster its stockist base. -
GFW begins hunt for new venue
Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) organisers are understood to be eyeing up central London sites for future editions of the event as its current venue, London’s Earls Court, is set to be redeveloped. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Amy Holden, Birmingham
Fringing, leather and more fringing was the order of the day from Amy Holden. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Chloe Jones, Bath Spa - Winner
As well as winning the Womenswear Award, Chloe Jones also scooped the top prize of the George Gold Award for best overall collection, netting her £20,000 prize money as well as industry support and mentoring. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Claire Acton, University of Central Lancashire
A witty and colourful collection from Claire Acton saw surreal pop-art faces emblazoned across 1960s shifts, layered under sculpted or fringed capes that formed brightly coloured hair – the collection certainly raised smiles. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Emily Edge, Northumbria
As with a lot of menswear, the devil was in the detail with Emily Edge’s collection, a quality illustrated by her punchy use of colour and print. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - James Walker, UCA Epsom
Gold Award finalist James Walker had travel on his mind when designing his luggage-influenced collection. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Jousianne Propp, Manchester
As one of the joint winners of the Visionary Knitwear award, you could have been excused for thinking Jousianne Propp was in the wrong category, judging by the plastic leaves arranged as an exoskeleton. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Karen Jensen, Esmod, Berlin
Karen Jensen from Esmod University in Berlin won the accolade of Best International Collection. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Kelly Mayes, Birmingham
It was an experiment in texture and twists on classics from Birmingham’s Kelly Mayes. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Riona Horrox, Edinburgh
Brightly coloured flame prints licked the creations of this year’s Menswear Award winner Riona Horrox, whose graduate collection stood out from the other menswear offers. -
Graduate Fashion Week 2012 - Xiaoping Huang, University of Central Lancashire
Xiaoping Huang won the Zandra Rhodes Textile Award for her colourful and fun-filled show. -
High street sales grow in June, CBI reports
Sales across the high street continued to grow in June, although sales remained below the expected level for the time of year, according to the CBI. -
IMAGE GALLERY: Selfridges 'Britain Creates' windows
British designers Giles Deacon, Hussein Chalayan and Mary Katrantzou have teamed up with contemporary artists to create one-off works of art to celebrate the London 2012 festival. -
Indies hold out as summer Sales kick off
As department stores launch price-slashing early summer Sales, smaller independents have vowed to hold out until mid-July. -
J Crew boss meets with landlords as he looks for London stores
J Crew boss Mickey Drexler has flown over from the US to host a breakfast meeting with UK landlords and agents this morning as he plots store openings in London. -
James Eden slams ‘British’ retailers who manufacture overseas
The owner of Cooper & Stollbrand has criticised labels that market their products as ‘Made in Britain’, when they’re actually manufactured abroad. -
JJB Sports signs exclusive deal with Tekkers
Sports retailer JJB Sports has announced an exclusive retail partnership with football-focused streetwear brand Tekkers. -
Lacoste, Knightsbridge
Think Lacoste and you might picture a polo shirt with a crocodile motif on the left breast. -
London calling for menswear’s big names?
By the time you read this, Milan Men’s Fashion Week will be kicking off, with the menswear buyers and press having already taken in Pitti Uomo and the inaugural London Collections: Men (LCM). -
London Collections puts menswear ‘on the map’
Commercial looks impressed buyers at first London Collections: Men event, as BFC plans for next season. -
London Collections: Men - Agi & Sam
The autumn 12 collection was a belter from Agi & Sam, so it was fingers crossed the duo’s second collection with MAN would pick up where that left off. -
London Collections: Men - Best of the rest
In this damp English summer, it was perhaps ironic that Nicole Farhi’s collection celebrated summer by the sea. Inspired by Brighton’s promenade, it was modern and contemporary with smart tailored shorts, knitted T-shirts and boxy lightweight jackets. -
London Collections: Men - Christopher Raeburn
Master of the make do and mend, Christopher Raeburn continues to rework military fabrics, namely parachutes, into technical garments. -
London Collections: Men - Christopher Shannon
This was Christopher Shannon’s most colourful collection to date, with bursts of magenta pink, teal, bright red and purple alongside a scale of blues from cobalt to dusty pales. -
London Collections: Men - E Tautz
A military theme ran throughout E Tautz’s collection, with exotic colours inspired by British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger’s travels. -
London Collections: Men - Jonathan Saunders
High hopes were placed on multi-award winning Jonathan Saunders: his autumn 12 menswear collection shown in Milan was a highlight, and his debut in London was equally well received. -
London Collections: Men - Lou Dalton
Lou Dalton’s minimal collection had a lighter touch than her last spring showing. -
London Collections: Men - Martine Rose
It was streetwear classics that came from the future at Martine Rose, as sculptural new shapes, volumes and textures were mismatched and messed with in a way only she can make work. -
London Collections: Men - Matthew Miller
Sharp tailoring mixed with sports-inspired items created a concise collection of utilitarian menswear from a maturing Matthew Miller. -
London Collections: Men - Oliver Spencer
Painter Ben Nicholson and Russian modernism informed Oliver Spencer’s use of colour. -
London Collections: Men - Pringle of Scotland
Alistair Carr’s last collection for Pringle was a perfect reflection of where he leaves the brand, namely at the point where sharp modernity meets heritage. -
London Collections: Men - Richard Nicoll
This was a week of firsts, and none was more hotly anticipated than Richard Nicoll’s debut menswear show. -
London Collections: Men - Topman Design
Topman Design played with two different sides of early 1980s America: the tailored East Coast aesthetic mixed with the more rebellious and graphic West Coast. -
London Collections: Men - YMC
The mood of this collection was described by YMC as ‘carefree holiday dressing’ and that’s exactly what it was. -
M&S in £1.1m landlord row
Marks & Spencer is reportedly fighting the landlord of its Paddington head office for £1.1m for rent over-payment, according to The Sunday Telegraph. -
Making content count
Get it right and you’ll engage and inspire users without distracting them from making a purchase. -
Marks & Spencer claims to launch the world's most sustainable suit
Marks & Spencer has revealed what it has termed the “world’s most sustainable suit”, as part of the retailer’s Plan A ethical business strategy. -
Marni collaboration helps boost H&M profits
Swedish fashion retailer H&M has reported better than expected quarterly profits following strong demand for its spring collections. -
Matthew Miller
The menswear designer tells graeme moran how his London Collections: Men show went and what inspires him. -
Milan Men’s Fashion Week: Emporio Armani, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Marc Jacobs
The menswear catwalks in Milan continued to excite the crowds with tailoring in prints and bright rainbow shades popular options for designers yesterday. -
Milan Men’s Fashion Week: Giorgio Armani, Missoni and Diesel Black Gold
As Milan Men’s Fashion Week drew to a close yesterday relaxed tailoring took to the fore with designers opting for a smart casual look in sandy summertime shades. -
Mix of commercial and crazy is what makes GFW a class acts comment
It was good to see so many high-profile fashion industry chiefs at Graduate Fashion Week, demonstrating that the trade takes its new talent seriously these days – and rightly so. -
New kids’ site IndiaCoco vows to back UK brands
Former Mamas & Papas marketing director Claire Harper has launched an online kidswear store, which she says will champion British design. -
New Look confirms refinancing deal
Young fashion retailer New Look has confirmed that it has finalised an agreement to restructure its debt. -
Off the record, June 23 2012
Henry Holland got tropical, Jameela threw a tea party and Scottish fashion took the spotlight. -
Olsen sisters launch collection in UK
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s womenswear line StyleMint Collection is now available in the UK. -
On the radar - Adidas Originals x Opening Ceremony
To celebrate the upcoming Olympics and the imminent opening of its first London store, cult New York indie Opening Ceremony is launching a premium capsule collection in collaboration with sportswear brand Adidas. The range, for both men and women, consists of 70 clothing pieces and 20 footwear options and mixes swim and cycling styles with a streetwear twist.www.adidas.co.uk / www.openingceremony.us -
Paris Men’s Fashion Week: Mugler, Christopher Kane, Raf Simons and Balenciaga
Paris Men’s Fashion Week kicked off the next stop on the menswear calendar with designers showing off suiting in a range of summery shades. -
Pitti overseas buyers up 8%
The number of foreign buyers at menswear trade show Pitti Uomo rose 8% for its spring 13 edition. -
Poor weather forces retailers to launch Sales
Retailers are discounting more frequently and offering deeper discounts in the summer Sales because of recent poor trading. -
Puma seeks leather substitute to save environment
Sportswear brand Puma has said it will “one day” stop using leather in its footwear and football boots because it is so damaging to the environment, according to the company’s chief executive Jochen Zeitz. -
Q&A with Rory Longdon
The George Gold Award winner at GFW 2011 has designed a collection for the label and been snapped up by MaxMara -
Radley to open first pop-up
Premium handbag and accessories brand Radley will launch its first pop-up shop at Westfield Stratford City on Thursday (June 28). It will be opened by brand ambassador Laura Bailey. -
Sales agents Rogue and Bodega merge
Manchester-based sales agent Rogue Agency has merged with rival Bodega Distribution. -
Sales rise at Debenhams but margins are knocked
Department store group Debenhams has reported a strong rise in sales after making the most of red-letter periods such as Easter and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, however gross margin was affected by a shift in the sales mix because of wet weather. -
Sarah Burton recognised in Queen's birthday honours list
Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen has been awarded an OBE in Her Majesty’s birthday honours list for services to the British fashion industry. -
Scoop to introduce European gallery
Scoop International Fashion Show is poised to introduce a new European gallery at its next edition, with Belgium the first country to fall under the spotlight. -
Shop Direct names new chief executive
Shop Direct has appointed banker Alex Baldock as its new chief executive, replacing Mark Newton-Jones who leaves later in the year. -
Skillsmart gears up for Independents’ Day
The organisers of Independents’ Day have announced a wave of activity to support this year’s event. -
The story in Tweets: Yves Saint Laurent
Yesterday it was reported that Yves Saint Laurent’s creative director Hedi Slimane is to rename the brand Saint Laurent Paris for spring 13 but that he would still retain the YSL branding. Here Drapers takes a look at some of the reaction to the news on Twitter. -
This week’s hero - Richard Nicoll
Pointing the way to the most important products, people, stories and shows in fashion right now. -
Timberland appoints The North Face's Schmidt-Eisenhart to spearhead growth
Footwear and outdoor clothing brand Timberland has appointed Timo Schmidt-Eisenhart as vice president and general manager for Timberland Europe. -
Tory Burch to launch international ecommerce
Tory Burch is gearing up to launch international ecommerce as the US footwear and womenswear brand unveils a wave of digital activity. -
Trendwatch - Pastel Punks
London music festival Field Day unearthed the hot spring trend for pastel denims. -
UK footwear joins own label roster at John Lewis
John Lewis is launching its first collection of UK-manufactured footwear for autumn 12 as part of the department store chain’s push to champion British manufacturing. -
Ultimo among lingerie brands to exhibit at Pure Body
Lingerie brands including Ultimo, Chantal Thomas and Velda Lauder Corsetiere are among the names set to make their Pure London debut, as part of the womenswear tradeshow’s new Pure Body section. -
Walpole appoints Ben Hughes as chairman
Walpole, the luxury brands trade body that represents labels including Burberry, Mulberry and Jimmy Choo, has appointed Ben Hughes as chairman, replacing Sir David Bell who will retire after six years in the role. -
Weird Fish set for Debenhams surge
Ethical lifestyle brand Weird Fish is gearing up to almost double the number of Debenhams stores it is stocked in as part of plans to expand its bricks-and-mortar and online presence. -
What are you excited about seeing at the Berlin shows?
Industry insider’s share their thoughts. -
What’s in a name?
The news that Hedi Slimane is to rename the French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent as Saint Laurent Paris for spring 13 has been met with some understandable consternation by the fashion industry. -
Wheels & Dollbaby returns for autumn
Australian contemporary womenswear label Wheels & Dollbaby is returning to the UK wholesale market after a five-year hiatus. -
Women’s design boss Coffin quits All Saints
All Saints womenswear design director Hannah Coffin is leaving the retailer after eight years to set up her own label. -
Wonderbra owner up for sale
DB Apparel, the lingerie company behind brands Wonderbra, Playtex and Shock Absorber, has been put up for sale by its owners. -
Young Fashion Indicator, June 23 2012
Access Drapers’ unique source of sales information from young fashion retailers, revealing the best-selling brands, the hottest products and the latest issues to affect young fashion by clicking on the PDF. -
Yves Saint Laurent to be renamed Saint Laurent Paris
French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent is to be renamed Saint Laurent Paris as part of a raft of changes expected to be introduced over the next few months by the brand’s creative director Hedi Slimane. -
Zara owner snaps up flagship Oxford Street store
Inditex, the owner of Spanish fashion retailer Zara, has bought its UK flagship Zara store on London’s Oxford Street for £155m.
