In the most recent fourth-quarter filings from US apparel and footwear brands and retailers, Carter’s booked a record quarter, VF Corporation revealed a fall in both sales and earnings for the fourth quarter, while Kate Spade says it is exploring its options as it revealed higher sales and earnings. Meanwhile, Walmart booked lower earnings on the back of lower international sales and investment in its store and online proposition, and Macy’s saw both earnings and sales fall.
Fashion retailer BCBG Max Azria Group is keeping tight-lipped over rumours it is making preparations to file for bankruptcy as soon as next week.
US apparel giant VF Corp, owner of The North Face and Timberland brands, has unveiled its first-ever Forest Derived Materials Policy, which sets formal guidelines for the company’s purchasing preferences and use of sustainable forest materials and products.
The ideas for her fall collection crystallized during the final month of Julie Paskal’s pregnancy, which she spent pacing the streets of Tel Aviv, observing the way the city’s architecture interacts with the environment, while experiencing her own internal movement.
The resulting contemporary silhouettes, with their innovative A-line constructions inspired by Bauhaus forms, felt at once feminine and high-tech, comforting and clean.
Fit-and-flair dresses with elasticated puff sleeves sprouted rows of flower appliqués made of reflective raincoat fabrics at the waist, while tone-on-tone blooms peppered the skirt of a black floral dress in technical satin, creating a 3-D camouflage effect.
A lilac cashmere-blend coat in a laser-cut pattern with rows of knots at the waist was lovely, as were the opening white-lace silhouettes combining sporty cuts with a snowy lightness. On a more playful note, a cloudy dress in black memory fabric with cutouts at the shoulder changed volume with the tug of a drawstring.
Conceived under Tel Aviv’s rays, this consistent evolution in the brand’s aesthetic didn’t feel particularly wintry, but with cross-seasonal performance fabrics the new black, it’s a timely direction. As demonstrated in the line’s outerwear — from a minimalist white coat with crossover lapels made from lace covered in sheer vinyl to puffer
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.Read More…
Fans of singer Selena Gomez can snap up a replica of the Karl Lagerfeld outfit she wore on her “Revival” world tour last year — courtesy of the master himself.
Although the original creation was embroidered with 12,000 pearls and took 200 hours to make at the Paris atelier of Lagerfeld’s namesake brand, he has designed a more accessible version for his fall collection: a black spaghetti strap jumpsuit with a sheer black negligee-style gown worn on top.
Lagerfeld is a master at blending fashion and pop culture, and this season’s lineup featured plenty of self-referential touches. A capsule line of four white shirts, each available in a limited edition of 40, featured high collars and wide cuffs inspired by the shirts he has custom-made for himself by Hilditch & Key.
Alongside his signature monochrome looks, Lagerfeld explored a military theme with items such as a khaki-ribbed cardigan with gold buttons and a fitted navy jacket with embroidered medals on the chest — one bearing the name “Karl,” the other the number 7, after the address of his 7L bookshop in Paris.
The brand is also beefing up its accessories collection in order to feed its growing network of freestanding stores, which now stands
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.Read More…
Victoria Feldman and Tomas Berzins hit their stride in this concise collection, cleverly balancing the brand’s signature male/female dichotomy, along with the commercial and the creative.
Asymmetry was one approach, such as on a two-button wool coat with an open shoulder, and a voluminous checked skirt combining short and long layers that the wearer can turn at will.
The oversize shirts in classic men’s stripes and tartans with customizable ties were great. The black leathers and jacquard knits in tongue-in-cheek tattoo motifs like sharks and birds were less compelling, though they didn’t distract from the overall soigné attitude.
Completing the silhouettes was the brand’s first footwear line designed in collaboration with Elina Dobele, and based on suede and leather booties with chunky slanted heels that come in open and closed versions.
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.Read More…
Aalto, the Paris-based label known for drawing inspiration from Finland’s teen scene, exuded a more grown-up feel for fall, which dovetailed smoothly from its pre-fall line chockablock with masculine-inspired tailoring.
For both seasons, Tuomas Merikoski opted for a “Paradise Lost” theme — a nod to 17th-century English poet John Milton — fashioning pieces for “the next generation of great explorers and resilient women” with a nod to futuristic films such as “Blade Runner” and “Gattaca.”
Sartorial elements came with interesting twists — like the black-and-white pinstripe pants suit sported with a red fur wrap around the waist or the multipaneled jacket overlaying tailored yet patched trousers.
The collection’s mash-up of old and new was meant to create a quasi-chaotic aesthetic, which sometimes bewildered. Sporty details, such as dangling suspenders or belted pant legs, came off more as distractions than embellishments.
This collection was more for dressing up than down, with the fur V-neck dress in brown, black and red a standout piece.
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.Read More…
Kunihiko Morinaga’s fall collection was no less experimental than his previous high-tech offerings, but this time his subject matter focused more on form than function. In his first looks, the Anrealage designer worked with Japanese sculptor Kohei Nawa to carve fused rolls of 300 meters of pale blue denim into two shift dresses, one shaped to look like waves, the other resembling the gnarled openwork roots of a tree.
The fabric residues formed a pale blue moss-like carpet underfoot, accentuating the organic theme that was an undercurrent in the rest of the collection, which was permeated with circular motifs designed to evoke the annual rings of trees. Most apparent on the final look, a skater dress molded from 99 layers of gray felted wool and carved into shape, a theme that recurred in a multitude of manifestations.
As a circular motif, it was found on crocheted knitwear and a pattern on jacquards and laser-bleached fabrics. It worked well on an outsized coat with a Fifties silhouette and on a pair of wide pants, among the less conceptual items in the collection. The theme continued with the rolls of fabric, denim selvage, zips, ribbons and buttoned hems that Morinaga wound round and round the body
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.Read More…
ANIMAL PRINTS: H&M has tapped illustrator Katie Scott on a capsule range for the brand’s children’s wear offering that will launch in March.
A London-based illustrator, Scott has worked on wallpaper prints, book covers and posters for a number of brands and companies including Urban Outfitters Inc., Nike Inc., Converse and House of Hackney. A graduate of the University of Brighton, her artistic work is referenced from botanical and medical subjects.
The 14-piece capsule range for H&M Kids consists of T-shirts, a sweater, sweatshirts, shorts, a bomber jacket, leggings, a jumpsuit and an embroidered dress — all donned in Scott’s illustrative prints of animals, insects and sea life.
The collection is priced from 7.99 pounds, or $9.94 for a T-shirt, to 19.99 pounds, or $24.88. It will be sold in-store and online from March 23.
“We wanted to create this collaboration with Katie Scott because she has a unique ability to illustrate animals in a scientific and yet modern way,” said a spokeswoman for H&M. “We are proud to present the very first collection of clothes with Katie Scott illustrations. It is an exciting collaboration with an amazing illustrator.”
Earlier this month, the company announced that in addition to apparel collections for men and women, H&M will expand Conscious
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
Read More…
“In two or three years, I want the majority of my other designer friends to be right behind this.”
Prabal Gurung, talking Monday night from the launch party for his line with Lane Bryant and Ashley Graham, called for his fellow designers — American and European — to join him in embracing curvy women.
“I think Jonathan Simkhai is right behind you,” Graham said. “I’m going to whisper in his ear and tell him to put me in his show next season.”
Gurung sent models of all sizes down his runway this past New York Fashion Week, and is further promoting the inclusion of plus-sized women in fashion through his Lane Bryant line.
“I thought it was important that we as designers saw this world — the majority of American women,” he said, of working with the specialty retailer. “And really spoke to them. Their essence and intelligence validates my existence, and I wanted to return that.”
He met Graham two seasons ago when she sat front-row at his show, and she was soon after cast in the Lane Bryant campaign.
“When we met at the shoot, I wish that everyone could have…it’s rare you meet someone like her,” he said of the
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
Read More…