Drapers
8 August 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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***UPDATED***Contraction of the media and reduced pagination in fashion magazines make it increasingly difficult to gain traditional press coverage -
how can a website gain a higher profile editorially and how should this fit into the marketing mix? -
***UPDATED***Design can chew up money fast from previous experience, what should I do in the future to ensure my site design bill doesn't go through the roof?
I have a pretty extreme view on this – the last couple of site designs I have been involved in I have (a) asked customers (b) pulled together some best practice from other people (c) applied some logic and commercial judgement. Finally you need to build in as much flexibility as possible – you don’t want to be reliant on developers for changes all the time! -
67
Spring 10 -
A diverting new young fashion department
Having worked 12 to 14-hour shifts over the past three weeks, right now I don’t know whether deciding to open a new young fashion department is a good idea. After trialling various labels in the past year and monitoring sell-throughs, we have decided to open up the first floor of our Victorian building as a dedicated younger area. -
Alexon Group denies its concessions are at risk
Alexon Group chief executive Jane McNally has hit back at suggestions that the beleaguered womenswear group is facing further troubles. -
Ann Summers appoints marketing director
Ann Summers has hired Fiona Davis as marketing director to drive the lingerie retailer’s growth plans. -
B2B textile supply site launches
A website that will provide a business-to-business European marketplace for textiles manufacturers and suppliers has been launched by a Netherlands-based company. -
Banana Connection shifts its focus to menswear
Young fashion independent Banana Connection is converting two of its Heaven womenswear stores to its main Banana Connection menswear concept. -
Behave, London
When Londoners Geoff St James and Kip Jorgenson teamed up to start a business, the vision was to build an independent retail destination for cult denim, sourced from overseas. -
Brand Alley appoints former TK Maxx merchandiser as buying director
Discount etailer Brand Alley UK has appointed Caroline Withey as buying director. -
Charli
Jersey label Charli was born two years ago out of the Muswell Hill boutique of the same name in north London. -
Chester Barrie adds casual line
Men’s tailoring brand Chester by Chester Barrie is to launch its debut casualwear range for autumn 10. -
Chris Ronnie and Sir David Jones considered taking JJB private
Chris Ronnie, the former JJB Sports chief executive, who was sacked after being held responsible for the retailer’s demise, has claimed executive chairman Sir David Jones considered taking the business private. -
Chris Ronnie continues to wage war with Sir David Jones
Chris Ronnie has sustained his attack on JJB Sports chairman Sir David Jones in a bid to improve his tarnished reputation after being dismissed from the retailer. -
Clothing sales drop back in July
Clothing sales slowed in July, despite a strong response by customers to new autumn ranges. -
Coral Tones
Spring 10 -
Council hatches plan to support Essex indies
Indie retailers in Essex are being offered £20,000 worth of support to help bring shoppers back onto its high streets, after Braintree council secured a government grant to launch a Shop Local marketing campaign. -
Cristófoli
Spring 10 -
Crocs reports second quarter losses
Footwear retailer and manufacturer Crocs has reported a second quarter loss after a slump in wholesale sales and the impact of one-off charges. -
Daily Candy at FBC
Drapers’ attended the latest FBC meeting at the Swarovski Crystallized Lounge where DailyCandy London Editor, Malika Dalamal was interviewed by FBC Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, Alison Whelan. -
Darling
After wooing buyers at Pure London, the womenswear brand has more to offer going into its second year -
David Reiss and Andy Rogers
Reiss launches its first sub-brand this week, aimed at a younger, edgier customer. Founder David Reiss (pictured left) and brand director Andy Rogers share their vision for the premium chain’s global future -
Diavolina
Spring 10 -
Draping
Spring 10 -
Escada insolvency looms
German fashion house Escada has failed to get enough backing for a crucial part of its financial restructuring plans and said it will file for insolvency this week. -
Escada teeters on the brink
German fashion house Escada has said that it will file for insolvency later this week if a crucial part of its financial restructuring program is not successful. -
Faux-fur trims
While real fur was in abundance on the womenswear catwalks for autumn 09, the high street favours faux versions toned down to use as trims on longer-length tweed coats, as well as on cropped jackets. -
Fiona McGuinness
Spring 10 -
Floral Placements
Spring 10 -
Geometrics
Spring 10 -
Gieves & Hawkes racks up more losses
Upmarket men’s tailoring brand Gieves & Hawkes tipped further into the red over the year to December 28, 2008 as pre-tax losses widened to £1.3m against a loss of £4,000 the year before. Sales over the period were £17.2m, up from £16.9m the year before. The brand has nine standalone stores. -
Heidi Mottram
Spring 10 -
House of Fraser to focus on own label
House of Fraser has drafted in womenswear veteran Stephanie Chen to drive the store’s private-label strategy following a reshuffle of the operating board. -
How ethics bring the industry together
Hundreds of people each month come to the Ethical Fashion Forum events we run on sustainable sourcing for fashion professionals, from suppliers and manufacturers to brands and buyers. -
Industry adapts to changing trends
That Pure London, the contemporary womenswear show owned by Drapers publisher Emap, had a record spring event last weekend is testament to just how hard the fashion industry is working to beat the downturn. -
Kevin Stanford in loans investigation
Details of loans granted to a company owned by retail entrepreneur Kevin Stanford by collapsed Icelandic bank Kaupthing have been passed to criminal investigators in Iceland. -
Kurt Geiger EBITDA soars 21%
Premium footwear business Kurt Geiger reported that full-year EBITDA rose 21% to £12.1m, bucking the retail downturn. -
Latitude Femme
Spring 10 -
Lisa Stickley
Spring 10 -
Liz Claiborne posts Q2 losses and announces radical cost cuts
Fashion group Liz Claiborne has reported a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss. -
London and New York swap shops
Thirty multi-brand independents and mono-brand retailers from New York’s Lower East Side and London’s Newburgh Quarter off Carnaby Street are to trade places this month in an innovative transatlantic venture to attract new international brands to the UK and US. -
M&Co full year operating profits fall
Mackays stores, which trades as M&Co, has revealed that operating profits before amortisation and goodwill fell from £9.8m to £8.6m in the year to February 20. -
Many catalogue marketers are launching interactive catalogues that combine page turning technology with interactive animation and online video to make product information engaging and effective.
Does the panel think interactive catalogues are something that marketers should be considering in their marketing plans? -
Maternity line relaunched at Mothercare
Mothercare has relaunched its maternity range, focusing on fashion and comfort. M2b will debut in stores and online in September. The capsule collection includes daywear, eveningwear and lingerie. There will also be a denim collection with prices starting from £20. -
Menswear Accessories indicator, August 8, 2009
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. -
Menswear to be axed by Monsoon
Monsoon is phasing out menswear to make room for a strengthened womenswear offer. -
Möet in Stafford
Chosen by Stacey Booth, chief executive of womenswear brand Betty Barclay -
Nautical
Spring 10 -
New Look unveils Idol collection
New Look has unveiled its higher-priced rock-inspired Idol collection. -
New youthful direction for Gant’s Rugger line
Lifestyle brand Gant has repositioned its casual men’s line Rugger for spring 10 to give it a younger feel and broaden its appeal to a younger audience. -
Nica
Spring 10 -
Off the record, August 8, 2009
The inside track on the parties and gossip for the week. -
Optimistic mood at Pure London
Attendance at Pure London, the contemporary womenswear trade show, rose 9% year on year as it racked up a record number of visitors for a spring edition. -
Paco Gil
Spring 10 -
Patrick Cox
Spring 10 -
Paul Smith
Paul Smith owner of menswear indie Bakers Tailoring in Darlington, County Durham -
Pentland’s One True Saxon slashes prices
Men’s young fashion brand One True Saxon has cut wholesale prices by an average of 20% in a bid to compete with the high street and offer customers better margins. -
Profits at Cath Kidston soar
Profits at Cath Kidston grew to £4.6m in the year to March, up from £2.9m the year before. -
Pure London buyers shrug off downturn
The mood among visitors to the womenswear trade show last week was one of optimism for spring 10 -
Robert Stock
The Robert Graham owner talks to Ana Santi about naming shirts after the brand’s fans and his early days with Ralph Lauren -
Shhhhhhhh!
Which retail boss has become completely obsessed with his garden? His green fingered fixation sees this indie growing veg and worrying about being away for two long at trade shows? -
Should I be running those Google Ads on my site, many sites I have seen do - is it worth the effort/what do I get back?
If you’re looking to make some extra cash, then there is nothing wrong with it. It does however give the impression of an amateur set-up so it really depends on what type of site you have. You’re also unlikely to make that much in revenues unless you have quite a significant number of visitors. Anything less than 10,000 per month will not give you change from £1 -
Siena Xzane
Spring 10 -
Soft Tailoring
Spring 10 -
Texprint strips graduate of prize
Texprint has stripped the winner of one its annual graduate awards of her prize on the basis that her designs were not entirely original. -
The weekend newspaper round-up: August 8-9, 2009
The best of the fashion business headlines from the weekend’s papers… -
This week in history...
Allders targeted more mature customers with a raft of designer tie-ups, topless dresses caused a moral dilemma for retailers, and employers struggled to find jobs for demobilised service men. -
Timeless
Spring 10 -
Topman in talks to expand HMV range
Topman and selected fashion brands are understood to have been approached by entertainment retailer HMV to help it expand its clothing offer. -
VAT increase to cost retailers £90m
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has forecast that the return of VAT to 17.5% on January 1 will cost retailers £90m, as the Conservative party refused to rule out raising VAT further if they come to power. -
Warnaco reports Q2 losses but says outlook positive
Warnaco Group has reported an 8% fall in net revenues in the three months to July 4 but said that full-year sales will come in ahead of expectations. -
WDT boss to lead fast-fashion overhaul
Asbed Momdjian, founder of World Design & Trade (WDT), the company behind young fashion brands Firetrap, Fullcircle and Sonneti, has outlined plans to turn the group into a specialist fast-fashion branded supply house and slammed the traditional two-collection, multi-brand retailer route to market as “dead”. -
We’ll strive to ensure well-funded training
To preserve a strong, sustainable UK fashion and textile industry we need to make sure the appropriate training and education is in place, both for young people looking for a career in the industry and for those already employed who need to be better equipped with the skills required today and in the future. -
White Stuff appoints non-exec director
Lifestyle retailer White Stuff has appointed The Body Shop managing director Alastair Kerr as non executive director to advise the business on international strategy. -
Womenswear Lingerie indicator, August 8, 2009
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. -
Xtra Fine unveils debut capsule range
T-shirt brand Xtra Fine has launched its first capsule range for spring 10. The 13-piece collection features printed T-shirts, coloured polos and hoodies. Prices range from £12 to £24. For details, call 020 7929 4400.
