Drapers
Lauretta Roberts

Lauretta Roberts, WGSN.

Roadshow indies go the extra mile

27 May 2011
Team WGSN Boutique is nearing the end of its mini roadshow, at which we presented the trends we feel will be taking the high street by storm this autumn and our predictions for S/S 12.
Do some woolly thinking for autumn

20 May 2011
According to the latest weather forecasts, the UK is set for an extraordinary two-week heatwave starting this weekend, which should provide a welcome boost to spring sales, which have been patchy as nervous consumers rein in spending.
Creativity is vital in visual merchandising

6 May 2011
A lack of great visual merchandising skills is a common lament of major retailers.
There’s no escaping royal wedding fever

28 April 2011
Mention the royal wedding to a retailer and you’ll get a very mixed response.
Get a flying start on spring 12 trends

21 April 2011
It’s been a slow spring so far for a number of retailers as the effects of the Government’s deficit cutting begin to bite and it hasn’t helped that Easter, the traditional trigger of spring spending, is so late this year (the movement of the moon, it seems, is just as crucial to retail as that of the sun).
It can be possible to predict the future

15 April 2011
One of the biggest sources of inspiration for indie buyers is not necessarily the catwalks or celebrities, it’s their customer.
White-box thinking stacks up for indies

8 April 2011
Just as fashion embraces colour in a major way, retail space does the opposite. From Shanghai to SoHo, from the high end to the high street, white boxes are the shopfit of choice once again.
Coax your customers into trying new trends

1 April 2011
They say retail is detail and that’s no more true than in fashion retail, hence we’re bringing you all those final touches that will strengthen your A/W 11/12 buy and excite your customers.
Autumn details that apply to all categories

25 March 2011
In the past few weeks we’ve focused our attention on the key trends, colours and items to emerge from a very strong A/W 11/12 catwalk season.
Online is dictating the terms in fashion

18 March 2011
This catwalk season has been one of the most interesting for years - not only due to the strength of the trends we were served, but also because it proved once again how powerful a force digital media now is in fashion.
Outerwear will heat up your winter sales

11 March 2011
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.
Outerwear updates you won’t want to miss

4 March 2011
It’s always a good sign for retailers when designers show new desirable directions for outerwear in an autumn season.
A bespoke service to give indies the edge

18 February 2011
There are many challenges in buying for and running a multibrand boutique and the biggest it seems is the lack of time.
A clear view of trends without the scribbles

18 February 2011
The season is in full swing and processing the wealth of information and images is a challenge for buyers, to say the least.
Laura Gottlieb

22 August 2009
Vince’s vice president of international sales tells Lauretta Roberts why she couldn’t resist joining the premium lifestyle brand.
Andrew Robb

11 July 2009
Private members’ Sale website Cocosa was set up by the owners of Grazia, and delivers the sense of exclusiveness the magazine’s readers crave, says its managing director
Polistas

11 July 2009
Royal endorsements and links to an age-old sport have given this polo-inspired brand an instant heritage
Retail heavyweights hog the limelight

11 July 2009
Two of fashion retail’s biggest characters made headlines this week. George Davies’ new GIVe label for the 35-plus market looks likely to be stocked by House of Fraser for spring 10.
Portas can be the retail matchmaker

4 July 2009
Following the rallying call from the self-styled Queen of Shops, Mary Portas, in her BBC documentary on the state of the British high street last week, multiples and indies already seem to be embracing the idea of working together.
Fashion draws on its creative instincts

27 June 2009
In yet another coup for London Fashion Week, one of the most exciting British designers, Jonathan Saunders, has announced he will be joining the growing list of big names to return to the event.
Donna Ida, London

20 June 2009
With jeans filed on shelves according to fit, this boutique prides itself on being a library of women’s denim
Older women find a saviour in Davies

20 June 2009
In a week where we’re celebrating some of the nation’s brightest up-and-coming talent, with news of the latest crop of designers to secure Topshop and the British Fashion Council’s NewGen sponsorship for London Fashion Week (page 6) and a report on the best of the best of Graduate Fashion Week (page 58), it’s interesting to see one of our most experienced talents announce a comeback.
Shoppers are still stuck in Sale mode

13 June 2009
We’d better hope the sun returns this weekend as it will be the last chance many retailers get to shift large volumes of spring stock at full price.
LFW steals New York and Milan’s thunder

6 June 2009
Are you in the mood to celebrate? It may be too soon to ask just yet, with all the mixed messages about whether or not we have hit the bottom of this downturn, but there is great cause for the British fashion industry to feel in buoyant mood this week.
C See, Cobham

23 May 2009
Customers like what they see after the complete revamp of the womenswear indie’s brand mix and interior.
The bottom that everyone wants

23 May 2009
Have we hit the bottom yet? Some economists believe we have, which in a strange way is cause for optimism.
A coming of age for over-45s fashion

16 May 2009
OK, so the women on our cover this week are actresses, models, the wife of a president and a fashion editor, but we could just as well have gone onto the street and found eight stylish “civilians” to prove that women don’t stop loving fashion and looking good the day after their 45th birthday.
Sun provides bright outlook for fashion

9 May 2009
It’s coming to something when you find yourself looking at long-term UK weather forecasts in search of good news.
British given more reasons to stay in

2 May 2009
Strong numbers from etailer Asos and home-shopping group N Brown provide further evidence that the British consumer (and in the case of Asos a fair few international ones too) is increasingly gravitating towards shopping from the comfort of an arm/office chair.
Tamara Mellon

18 April 2009
The Jimmy Choo co-founder has trodden a quick route to success, making the brand one of the world’s most recognised, and is now offering to point emerging talent in the right direction
Why we deliver what our readers want

18 April 2009
The importance of keeping a laser-like focus on the customer at all times won’t be lost on any good retailer. And it doesn’t just apply to retailers, but to us here at Drapers too.
B&B should not lose sleep over new rival

4 April 2009
One can understand why the city of Barcelona would want to establish a rival streetwear show to Bread & Butter (B&B), which returns to its roots in Berlin from next season.
Bruno Sälzer

4 April 2009
After more than a decade working at the top of men’s fashion, Bruno Sälzer is nearly a year into his role as chief executive of womenswear brand Escada, and he’s feeling ambitious
Carmen Haid & Alice Kodell

4 April 2009
The owners of vintage fashion etailer Atelier-Mayer tell Lauretta Roberts how they were inspired by Haid's Austrian grandmother
Paying the ultimate price on rent day

28 March 2009
At the time of writing, retailers up and down the land are receiving their quarterly rent demands and, after a torrid trading quarter, many of them will be hard pushed to make the payment.
Jobs undervalued in Principles decision

14 March 2009
Business may be booming for receivers, but it’s not all plain sailing. Increasingly they will find themselves having to make some very difficult decisions, and questions will be raised over whether they have made the right one.
Hilary Riva steps down as ceo of British Fashion Council

12 March 2009
Hilary Riva is to step down as chief executive of the British Fashion Council (BFC) as part of a management restructure initiated by chairman Harold Tillman.
Betty Jackson

7 March 2009
Once considered a radical, the designer’s timeless pieces made her a member of British fashion royalty, but as a new footwear and accessories line shows, she can still challenge preconceptions
New dawn lifts the cloud over Mosaic

7 March 2009
Aurora, which means new dawn, is an apt name for the new business made up mostly, but not exclusively, of the former Baugur-backed Mosaic Fashions businesses.
Robert Bready

7 March 2009
The self-confessed former internet-phobe tells Lauretta Roberts how he became product and trading director at fashion etail giant Asos
LFW shows what makes Britain great

28 February 2009
It is a truth universally acknowledged that good clothes have healing powers.
Ursula Mascaró

28 February 2009
Although architecture almost lured her away from the Menorcan family business set up by her grandfather who made ballet pumps, it seems shoes are in the footwear designer’s blood
Put another weapon in your armoury

14 February 2009
With large swathes of the country incapacitated by snow over the past couple of weeks, the internet has proved to be a valuable source of retail therapy for those shoppers who couldn’t battle through the blizzards. Of course, whether your parcel could be delivered is another matter.
Baugur story could be in its final chapter

7 February 2009
It seems things are finally coming to a head at Icelandic investment group Baugur, after months of limbo.
Elie Tahari

31 January 2009
Designer and label owner Elie Tahari tells Lauretta Roberts about his journey to the New York catwalks via Israel and Manchester
Womenswear mood is lifted by colour

31 January 2009
Two reader polls running at Drapersonline.com reveal a challenging situation for buyers as the autumn 09 season gets into full swing. Almost 80% of respondents to the question “Are you cutting your budgets for autumn?” said yes, while in a separate poll, 76% of respondents said prices had gone up for autumn.
Cheap may not be a valuable virtue

24 January 2009
Brand values and value brands have been front of my mind for many this week. There has been much talk of the former in the business pages and how they become increasingly important during recession; customers, we are told, seek security in the brands they choose to spend money on in downturns.
Hold on tight for a bumpy ride to 2011

24 January 2009
The latest figures say retail sales will contract this year, so it will be vital for retailers to hang on to every customer and every pound they spend.
Lack of a big shock brings a little calm

17 January 2009
With total retail sales down 1.4% year-on-year, the British Retail Consortium said this week that December’s trading was “dreadful”. It’s not a statement to cheer us as we get into the swing of 2009 but then it won’t have come as a surprise, and clearly Christmas was more dreadful for some than others.
Road ahead is full of twists and turns

19 December 2008
Are you pleased to see the back of 2008, or are you facing 2009 with a sense of dread?
Sale frenzy alters the shopper psyche

12 December 2008
I take my hat off to the indies polled for this week’s Indicator survey, who remain resolute that they won’t go into Sale before Christmas.
Painful effects of a knee-jerk decision

8 December 2008
Maybe we will see huge queues at checkouts at Christmas after all. Not because there will be a much hoped for surge in shopping activity (although there is still time and I am ever the optimist) but because it takes an absolute age to buy anything these days.
Brutal behaviour in season of goodwill

28 November 2008
It seems inevitable already that this Christmas will be the worst the industry has collectively faced in decades.
When the safest bet is to take a gamble

24 November 2008
Is now the time to take a risk with your business? For many the answer would be no, at least if the comments made by the independent kidswear retailers in our weekly Indicator survey are anything to go by.
Less is more for women’s indies

13 November 2008
Now that’s interesting. Independents have gained market share in womenswear against the multiples. According to exclusive figures given to Drapers by retail research firm TNS Worldpanel, independents now command 7.5% of the womenswear market, up from 6.7% this time last year (see page 10 for details).
Primark is king in a tale of two retailers

7 November 2008
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. So goes the opening line of Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities. Someone quoted it to me last week to underline the point that in a recession there lies turmoil for some but great opportunity for others.
Westfield hopes to make a big impact

3 November 2008
I have been perplexed by some reports in the national press in recent days that have questioned the sanity of Westfield opening its £1.6 billion behemoth of a shopping mall in White City, west London, just as the UK teeters on the brink of a recession.
Arcadia cashes in on younger customers

28 October 2008
Young fashion chains Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge were star performers for Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, posting record sales and profits for the year. However, operating profit dropped 6.1% to £275.3 million for the year ended August 30.
Manolo Blahnik

24 October 2008
His footwear became a must-have for women after featuring in Sex and the City, but the designer seems mystified by his phenomenal success as he opens his shop-in-shop in Brown Thomas.
Only the strong will survive the turmoil

24 October 2008
It is a sign of the times when a drop in like-for-like sales is considered to be a solid performance but Arcadia Group’s 2.8% drop in the year to August 30 is just that.
Will Sir Philip Green rescue Baugur?

20 October 2008
They say a week is a long time in politics and in retail it is long enough for the face of the British high street to be changed almost entirely. But this monumental change does not look like it will come about quite as quickly as retail mogul Sir Philip Green would have liked.
Sarah Arnett

9 October 2008
Renowned for its colourful nature-inspired prints and elegant collection of dresses, the Brighton-based women’s ready-to-wear label is stepping up its efforts to secure some new stockists for spring 09.
Follow banks’ lead and work together

9 October 2008
In light of the increasingly alarming financial situation some inevitable tensions have arisen in the retail supply chain this week.
Prophets of doom perplexed by Asos

2 October 2008
You can’t really blame the British consumer for staying indoors and keeping the curtains shut – it’s starting to get scary out there.
Shaping the future faces of fashion

26 September 2008
As London Fashion Week closes for another year, students are embarking on courses that could launch the fashion stars of the future.
New colour trends may banish gloom

26 September 2008
Who’d have thought recession chic would be so bright? I can’t decide whether the technicolour optimism the designers have displayed on the catwalks of Milan, New York and London over the past two weeks is delightfully refreshing or somewhat inappropriate.
Tommy Hilfiger

22 September 2008
The man who has claimed Americana for his own tells Drapers how he has retained his popularity with fans of fashion all over the globe and how he intends to reclaim the exclusive appeal of his own-named brand.
Dita Von Teese

22 September 2008
The burlesque artiste has held off designing her own lingerie – until now. She tells Lauretta Roberts why she has chosen to work with Wonderbra.
Don't bite the hand that feeds fashion

18 September 2008
I should feel pleased – and indeed I am – that the big four fashion capitals have come to an agreement over fashion week datelines and the future of London’s event has been secured, albeit in a slightly curtailed five-day form, from September 2009.
Pink Soda

6 September 2008
A renewed thirst for product and plans for a standalone store prove the womenswear brand is bubbling with ideas.
Dollar signs flash a warning to the UK

6 September 2008
With New York Fashion Week about to get underway the industry’s eyes would have been turned to the US this week in any case, but with the pound sliding against the dollar the focus on matters Stateside will be even more intense.
Susie Crippen

5 September 2008
The brains behind J Brand jeans tells Lauretta Roberts how her love of dark denim contributed to the LA label’s success in a crowded market.
Faith left standing by pace of change

1 September 2008
It is somewhat poignant that as Drapers brings you its Spring 09 Footwear and Accessories Special, we are debating the future of one of the nation’s best known footwear players, Faith.
Indies are united in a common cause

27 August 2008
Arguably there should not be any such thing as ‘the typical womenswear independent’, since one of the biggest strengths of any independent fashion business should be its individuality.
Zara’s lead is not that much of a Gap

14 August 2008
Much noise has been made in the media this week about Spanish fast-fashion chain Zara overtaking US casualwear giant Gap as the world’s largest fashion retailer.
Gok Wan

9 August 2008
TV fashion’s man of the moment Gok Wan explains to Lauretta Roberts why he supports a master class for youngsters without a degree.
Give your brands a vote of confidence

7 August 2008
Bullish, bewildered, cautious, carefree – the mood among independent store buyers at contemporary womenswear (and from next season unisex) trade fair Pure was mixed this week.
A dose of colour can soothe the pain

26 July 2008
I would say better late than never, but it’s probably fair to say that the heatwave washing across the country at the moment has come too late to save the season.
Bruce Montgomery

19 July 2008
The Daks menswear design director came of age while working in Milan, but his love of British designlies at the heart of everything he produces and is a major element in the brand’s recent revival.
Styles to make men open their wallets

19 July 2008
They say menswear is the first market to drop off in a downturn, because clothes are the first thing men stop spending on when the pressure is on (they’re clearly not holding back on the gadgets if the frenzied rush to buy the 3G iPhone this week is anything to go by).
Westfield London set for lift-off

12 July 2008
Developer Westfield is confident its White City scheme will not just open on time, but will also prove to be a long-term success.
M&S’s Rose refuses to wither under fire

12 July 2008
So much for the hotly-anticipated shareholder revolt at the Marks & Spencer AGM on Wednesday this week.
Retail chiefs speak out for Sir Stuart Rose

8 July 2008
Arcadia boss Sir Philip Green and Tesco chief executive of clothing Terry Green have spoken out in support of Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose ahead of the Marks & Spencer AGM tomorrow, at which Rose is expected to face a shareholder revolt over his proposal to take the executive chairman role.
Tom Chapman

5 July 2008
Retailer, etailer, art dealer, manufacturer – the boss of Matches is a busy man, but he finds time to describe how he built an internationally renowned business.
Men a La Mode

5 July 2008
Ali Khan’s choice of clothing always drew admiring looks, so he set up a website selling his favourite brands.
Vince

28 June 2008
Celebrity customers such as Kate Moss have helped luxury casualwear brand Vince to quickly establish itself among high-end retailers.
Trilogy

28 June 2008
The King’s Road denim boutique has now added a Marylebone store to cater for its trend-led clientele.
Primark’s kids put spotlight on fashion

21 June 2008
If ever there was a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t, it’s that of Primark and the child labour story uncovered this week.
Getting 100% behind stars of the future

14 June 2008
Asos’s LTD 100 saw the etailer give a helping hand to London College of Fashion students while boosting its own fashion cred.
Confidence laid low by US credit virus

14 June 2008
“It’s much worse here than in the US,” one business analyst from across the pond told me this week when we were discussing consumer confidence.
Deadline extension for Specsavers Everywoman in Retail Awards

11 June 2008
The entry deadline has been extended for the inaugural Specsavers Everywoman in Retail Awards 2008 - nominations and entries must be made by 30 June.
By Caprice Lingerie

7 June 2008
Caprice Bourret, a very hands-on owner, puts the success of her brand down to fit, detailing and price points.
Give yourself some home page help

7 June 2008
A growth of 38% in the clothing and footwear market? We could only be talking about online, and indeed we are.
Yves Saint Laurent – An Obituary

3 June 2008
Genius and visionary are labels quite often liberally applied to fashion designers and very rarely warranted but in the case of Yves Saint Laurent, they scarcely seem to do him justice.
Kim Winser

1 June 2008
Despite not having a lunch break in two years, Aquascutum’s chief executive has summonedup the energy to rouse a sleeping giant and rally to the cause of women in retail.
Show must go on despite the forecast

1 June 2008
Scorching sun up north and a month’s rainfall in a day down south – this most recent bank holiday weekend was far from as settled as the last one and the bi-polarity of the weather only goes to illustrate just how challenging this season has been for both multiples and independents.
Show must go on despite the forecast

1 June 2008
Scorching sun up north and a month’s rainfall in a day down south – this most recent bank holiday weekend was far from as settled as the last one and the bi-polarity of the weather only goes to illustrate just how challenging this season has been for both multiples and independents.
Actions will speak louder than prayers

24 May 2008
At the time of writing it emerged that the Bank of England had just voted to keep interest rates at 5%; a disappointment for retailers, who were hoping for a further cut to boost flagging consumer confidence.
Ginger and Smart

19 May 2008
Australian sibling design duo Alexandra and Genevieve Smart talk to Lauretta Roberts about their plans to expand into the UK.
Sun fails to dispel the clouds of gloom

16 May 2008
I hope that wasn’t it. Summer, that is. After a lovely warm bank holiday weekend, which went some way to making up for the snow-capped Easter, followed by a week of sunshine, the weather has become cooler again and I for one am feeling nervous.
Life of Barneys director turned into a sitcom

10 May 2008
BBC2 is to produce a sitcom based on the life of Simon Doonan, creative director of US department store group Barneys.
Drapers Footwear Award winners named

9 May 2008
Schuh, The Natural Shoe Store and River Island were the top prize winners at the Drapers Footwear Awards 2008 held in London last night, each landing two trophies each.
Mascaro to open fifth London store

21 April 2008
Spanish footwear group Mascaro is to open is fifth London store on South Molton Street in London's West End this July.
Being cheap can also prove nasty

19 April 2008
Within the space of 30 minutes on Tuesday this week, Drapers learned that Icelandic investment giant Baugur had placed its loss-making value retailer MK One up for sale and that fellow value chain Ethel Austin had been placed into administration.
Why like-for-likes give me the blues

12 April 2008
Like-for-like comparisons – they’re a retail obsession, along with the weather. Unfortunately, given the volatile nature of the latter, they are almost rendered meaningless.
Kingston Uni wins Drapers College Portfolio Award

10 April 2008
Kingston University won the second annual Drapers College Portfolio Award, which was presented at the British Fashion Council Colleges Council open day in London this week.
Tough economic climate will be 'acid test', Green tells World Retail Congress

10 April 2008
'Too many people are driving down the price route in fashion retail,' Arcadia and Bhs boss Sir Philip Green told the World Retail Congress in Barcelona yesterday.
Jane Lewis

2 April 2008
The founder of womenswear brand Goat – most famous for its chunky cashmere knits – tells Drapers how she is developing her collection.
Drapers and BFC at Colleges Council Open Day

31 March 2008
Drapers is once again teaming up with the British Fashion Council to offer the best Portfolio Award at the BFC’s Colleges Council Open Day on April 8.
Lee Klabin

9 March 2008
Lee Klabin opened Blue Poppy Couture in 2006, initially specialising in made-to-measure corsets. Lauretta Roberts visited her boutique.
Non-stop Sales are low on excitement

8 March 2008
This week I attended a customer card-holder evening at a well-known department store in London with a fellow shopaholic. The store in question was offering a 15% discount on all purchases (with a few minor exceptions).
Sung-Joo Kim

1 March 2008
The boss of South Korean-based Sungjoo Group may be keeping tabs on newly acquired bag brand MCM, but her true passion could not be further from the flashy world of luxury labels.
Kipling

1 March 2008
Women’s accessories brand Kipling has cranked up its cool quotient with some new fashion-forward styles.
N Peal, London

12 February 2008
Its reopening resurrected 70 years of retail history, but this time there is a younger edge at cashmere retailer N Peal.
Opinion: Doom-mongers are threatening us all

5 February 2008
According to the latest poll running on Drapersonline.com, 81% of retailers report that their customers are “worried about the economy”.
Tracy Stone

18 January 2008
After just over a year in the job, Gant UK’s managing director is pushing the boundaries and sees big growth potential, particularly in womenswear, kidswear and accessories.
Department stores prove their worth

18 January 2008
This week Debenhams became the latest department store group to reveal that it too had enjoyed rather good trade over Christmas, despite the turmoil endured elsewhere. House of Fraser, John Lewis, Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols have all said the same.
Riccardo Bellini

7 January 2008
In his first year as managing director of Diesel UK, Riccardo Bellini has brought himself up to speed with the fast-moving British market.
Xmas binge leaves shoppers stuffed

3 January 2008
Binge then whinge has become the predictable pattern of shopper behaviour over the festive season in recent years. This year seems to have been no different, although after a late-breaking super-binge we can expect the ensuing whinge to be even more pronounced than usual.
Stores go on Sale in blink of an eye

3 January 2008
Retailers and the public conclude each year in the time-honoured tradition of staring each other down on Christmas trading to see who will blink first.
High street suffers festive Sale fever

18 December 2007
It has been interesting to read the opinions of independent retailers on the subject of pre-Christmas Sales in our Indicator survey. Three quarters of the men’s footwear indies we polled were against the idea of discounting before the big day, with one saying the potential loss of margin was “reckless”.
Etail should be on your Christmas list

18 December 2007
At the time of writing, Drapersonline.com’s visitors were pessimistic about the chances of recouping the season’s sales deficit by Christmas. Some 52% of those who took part in our online poll believed that three weeks away from the big day itself, it was too late to make up lost ground.
Milly

24 November 2007
An abundance of fresh product each month is helping sales soar for New York womenswear brand Milly.
Independents can still have their day

24 November 2007
Everyone is always telling fashion retailers, especially independents, that they need to differentiate themselves in order to thrive. But given that those who spoke this week at the Drapers Fashion Summit have actually done it themselves, it would seem like good advice to take on board.
Christmas may just delay the inevitable

17 November 2007
News that French Connection does not expect its profits to hit last year’s levels will induce a fit of jitters across a high street eagerly looking for signs that this Christmas will be a healthy one for trading.
Has the value backlash already started?

3 November 2007
So Primark has officially been crowned the king of value clothing by researcher Verdict, which predicts that the chain is about to overtake George at Asda as number one in the sector with an 18.4% market share. Value retail as a whole is now worth £8.3 billion a year and accounts for a quarter of the total clothing market.
Ecommerce: you either love it or hate it

27 October 2007
The team here at Drapers Towers has just come to the end of its annual tour of the shortlisted entrants for The Drapers Awards.
Diane von Furstenberg

23 October 2007
She may have taken on the world, but Diane von Furstenberg has finally fulfilled her dream of opening a store in London’s Mayfair. Lauretta Roberts pays a visit
Brace yourself: here comes Christmas

20 October 2007
I spotted my first Christmas wreath in the window of Next on London’s Regent Street last weekend, which coincided with the start of speculation in the City about the prospects for Christmas trading.
Will fashion’s silly season ever end?

13 October 2007
Ne’er cast a clout ’til May is out; no white after Labor Day (the first Monday in September in the US); and R in the month – toes enclosed.
Ethical issues are not black and white

6 October 2007
Just as the media builds up celebrities with the sole purpose of being able to knock them down again, so they seem to be taking great glee in bashing the fast fashion market, which they themselves helped to create.
David Mallon

25 September 2007
Streetwear svengali David Mallon is planning a new fashion retail concept that will shake up Manchester’s independent scene. Lauretta Roberts finds out more
Cut-price uniforms don't always add up

8 September 2007
After the worst summer since records began, the nation's children are now back at school wearing uniforms they could have bought with their lunch money. Or, according to anecdotal evidence that has reached the Drapers office, in the same uniform they wore last term.
120 years young and still going strong

25 August 2007
This month Drapers celebrates its 120th birthday and we decided there was no better way to mark the occasion than to offer a little gift to each and every one of our readers.
Asos adds premium brands ahead of website relaunch

18 August 2007
Etailer Asos.com is to revamp its website and up its fashion credentials by adding more premium branded product, including exclusive design tie-ups, for autumn 07.
Everyone can benefit from net gains

18 August 2007
Retailers who have had a tough time of late in the branded fashion market will have mixed feelings about the impending arrival of new etail sites to serve the sector. Will these make life even tougher for bricks-and-mortar retailers, or are they a potential new opportunity in this market? The answer is probably both.
Green fights back at media claims of 'sweatshop labour' at Arcadia

18 August 2007
Sir Philip Green has hit back at allegations that his Topshop chain uses sweatshops.
Cheap-as-chips fashion is here to stay

11 August 2007
Has the cheap clothing bubble finally burst? It has been a hot topic of debate in the media this week and has been driven by a report from research firm Verdict Consulting, which predicts that the downward pricing trend simply cannot continue.
Long-term Ashley confounds the City

4 August 2007
You have to wonder whether Mike Ashley's low profile thus far was not so much down to his brooding inwardness and publicity shyness, but the result of necessity. Perhaps the Sports Direct founder knew that if you wound him up sufficiently and put him in front of a camera, he was capable of antics that even the most hardened of City PRs couldn't patch up.
Credit to those who brave the storms

28 July 2007
It is somewhat ironic that while the product at this season's CPD womenswear show in Dusseldorf had moved on and was looking in its best shape for several seasons, many UK buyers couldn't get out to see it.
An industry inspired by people power

21 July 2007
What is the key to success for a fashion retail business? Product? Location? Exciting store environment? Season-appropriate weather conditions? Luck? The truth is that all of those things - and many more - play a part. But if you don't get one crucial ingredient right, the whole operation could fall apart faster than a T-shirt from... (I'll leave it up to readers to complete that sentence as they see fit). That crucial ingredient is people.
It takes different folks to rule the world

30 June 2007
There has been a very depressing debate over the past week in one of the comment threads on drapersblog.com. It centres on the issue of what independent retailers are doing to steady and even grow their businesses in the face of increased competition and increased rent and interest rates.
Pretty in Pinko

30 June 2007
Italian designer womenswear brand Pinko is mounting a fresh push in the UK with a second standalone store. Founder and president Pietro Negra tells Lauretta Roberts why his outlook is rosy
HoF tests its new shopfit in Hull

23 June 2007
House of Fraser has embarked on a £1.5 million refit of its Hammonds of Hull store, setting the scene for a refurbishment of the Baugur-owned group's 60-plus shops.
Stop trying to sell me jerseys in July

23 June 2007
The red signs have started to appear in fashion retailers' windows across the land, which can only mean one thing. Yes, it's Sale time again.
The show must go on for independents

16 June 2007
As I type, I imagine many of you will be testing out your most comfortable shoes, stocking up on blister plasters and doing a few gentle stretches to limber up your muscles for the twice-yearly trek around the exhibition halls of Europe. Yes, it's buying season again and it kicks off in traditional fashion with Pitti Uomo in Florence next week.
London's fashion businesses to benefit from £2m cash pot

9 June 2007
A fund of £2 million has been earmarked to keep fashion businesses thriving in the capital, as part of a three-year investment in small businesses.
Value clothes don't always come cheap

9 June 2007
'Cheap' as a marketing message is becoming an increasingly questionable tactic for a clothing retailer to rely on. Yes, a large number of consumers are driven by price and will queue round the block for the chance to, say, kit their kids out for a tenner (although given recent events on the British high street I am beginning to wonder if some consumers wouldn't just queue round the block for the chance to, um, queue round the block).
No black and white, just shades of grey

2 June 2007
Fashion has always had a strained relationship with the colour grey. We keep coming back for more, but when we do industry watchers are always quick to drag up stories of previous slumps in high street performance, which have been directly linked to the dominance of this most anonymous of shades.
Tough trading? Stick to what you know

26 May 2007
At the company's results announcement this week, Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose said there was no major fashion trend this season, which could potentially make things quite difficult. But judging by the robustness of the retailer's performance in spite of this (see page 3), M&S needn't worry too much.
We want fashion right here, right now

19 May 2007
Given that the weather fails to fall into neat seasons any more - we've gone from flip-flops to wellies in the past two weeks alone - it follows that fashion can't do that either. But it's not just the unpredictable climate that is forcing fashion retailers to speed up their game and refresh their offer on an almost weekly basis. Instead, it's the fact that we've bred a nation of 'new' junkies.
Baugur ready to take stock at Mosaic

12 May 2007
I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Baugur machine slowed down to take a breath, and to take stock of what it had bought in its almost frenzied shopping spree in the UK retail sector in recent years.
Was K-Day really worth all the hype?

5 May 2007
Most exciting event this week? K-Day, of course. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime spent waiting for the big day, Kate Moss's collection was unveiled at Topshop's flagship store on London's Oxford Street on Monday evening. The lady herself made a brief appearance in the shop window, much to the delight of the hundreds of fans and photographers who'd started to gather at noon that day.
Shoppers don't break sweat on ethics

28 April 2007
The true cost of value clothing has once again been called into question this week. According to a report in The Observer this weekend, Indian children, possibly as young as nine, are working for nothing on clothing that is sold for next to nothing on the UK high street.
Celeb style does not equal top design

21 April 2007
It does not appear that the imminent arrival of Kate Moss's collection for Topshop is filling the Americans with as much excitement as it is us Brits. Moss's line is set to be sold in upscale US department store Barneys and will serve as a test project for Sir Philip Green to see how the Topshop offer might go down Stateside.
Shoppers take a shine to spring sun

14 April 2007
Just three weeks ago I was stood shivering in my winter coat outside a footwear store, while the owner told me that snow in March was actually very helpful because it had helped him shift winter's left-over boots. I admired his optimism, but not as much as I was admiring the bejewelled sandals in the window.
Baugur superstore gives me deja-vu

31 March 2007
Whether or not Baugur’s new Souk concept makes it to the UK - and at this stage it’s difficult to see exactly what place it would take on a national high street already dominated by its fascias - the new superstore in Stockholm will no doubt give our retailers considerable pause for thought.
Want to be green? It's all in the bag

24 March 2007
I'm loath to use the word 'greenwash' to describe the wave of eco-friendly manifestos many fashion retailers have issued in recent months. It's a bit of a cynical term and suggests that there is not much substance behind these initiatives, and in some cases there isn't, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss them all as a cheap marketing ploy.
High street success is a piece of Kate

17 March 2007
Dissecting Kate Moss's wardrobe, copying it and serving it up at affordable prices for the masses has long been one of the key activities of high street fashion designers.
When global is too close to home

10 March 2007
The homogenisation of the high street has been the subject of debate and concern for several years now. Some might even argue that despite resistance from independent retailers and shoppers, the process is more or less complete. But is it?
Retailers reveal global ambitions

10 March 2007
Potentially huge new markets are giving UK and overseas fashion groups an appetite for growth
Hampson pledges to share green report

3 March 2007
John Lewis Partnership chairman Sir Stuart Hampson has said the retailer is willing to share the Sustainable Construction Framework it published last week with the rest of the industry.
Playing the private equity game

3 March 2007
Why do private equity investors always enter a room backwards? So they can keep their eye on the exit. So goes the joke that's been circulating the City for many years now. So it should not come as much of a surprise to learn that Permira and Apax are considering the sale of fashion chain New Look just three years after they bought it.
No sure shots amid moving targets

24 February 2007
The atmosphere at Moda in Birmingham this week painted a pretty accurate picture of the challenges faced by the mainstream independent market - particularly the womenswear sector.
London's events offer capital gains

17 February 2007
Grey, brown, dirty - we had weather to match the autumn 07 colour palette in London this week. But unlike the weather, there was plenty to get excited about in the collections seen at the two main events in the capital, Pure and London Fashion Week. And there were some splashes of colour to be found for those who wanted it.

DrapersLauretta Roberts

Drapers
Lauretta Roberts