The crackdown on Bangladesh labour activists has cost the country’s garment industry around US$100m, its trade body says, as well as growing international concern regarding the treatment of garment workers.
Comparable store sales improved for UK supermarket group Asda in the fourth quarter, but parent company Walmart admits there is much work still to be done.
Textile chemicals specialist Archroma has launched a portable version of its Color Atlas system to offer more flexibility for designers.
Thread, which recycles plastic bottles in Haiti and Honduras to make performance fabric, has published an interactive version of its annual impact report outlining its achievements to date, including plans for new Timberland boots and bags made from its durable Ground to Good canvas.
Swedish fashion chain Lindex has revealed almost all of its denim range is now dyed using what it claims is the “cleanest” indigo dye on the market, as part of its bid for cleaner denim production.
Hannah Weiland took inspiration from some impressive women — from Mary, Queen of Scots to Louise Bourgeois — for her fall Shrimps collection. In fact, a photograph of Bourgeois wearing what Weiland described as “a black beanie and a big white faux-fur coat,” taken shortly before her death in 2010, directly inspired one of the looks, a black-and-white check coat with a fluffy, white faux-fur collar that was worn with a black beanie.
This arty, eccentric vibe permeated the collection. One cow-print faux-fur coat was worn with a calf-length tartan skirt and matching sneakers, with the model carrying a delicate, lattice-effect white handbag. And a black PVC smock dress was paired with a round-collared shirt, accessorized with heavy-soled, backless loafers that were covered in moss-colored faux fur, as if the model was planted in her own plot of Scottish earth.
But Weiland also wove in an element of the girlishness for which her label has become known. Among the ultrafeminine looks was a loose dress in pink organza, embroidered with Weiland’s sketches of outfits. And a collarless coat in peach faux-fur — worn with pearls — was fit for a princess rather than a strident queen.
It all added up to an appealing mix
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This was a crafty collection from Amanda Wakeley.
Imagining a woman oscillating between two cultures — French and Japanese — the designer worked the two contrasting codes through thoughtful fabric treatments and a rigorous attention to cut.
There was the ultimate blanket skirt, in which graphic motif was achieved by an arty weave of brushed wool. The same technique appeared on a pair of handsomely tailored, full-leg pants as well as what could be best described as a statement coat courtesy of its lofty lapels and opulent texture. Oftentimes Wakeley finished off her sophisticated looks with tasseled, satin belts, borrowed from the judo masters. Sheer chiffon blouses with puffed sleeves proved a suitable match for a generous mink gilet or double-faced masculine blazer.
Ultimately, “every piece is a statement piece,” she noted of her Far East-glam collection, which also included punched wool, geometric jacquards and embroidered mesh, spotted on soft and fluid evening dresses.
Although the styling here clearly telegraphed a deluxe message, taken apart many of the pieces would have also been compatible with a more laid-back, street-friendly style of dressing.
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City hopper Victoria Beckham put her native London in the spotlight with a collection inspired by the streetscape, the cool kids — and the mercurial weather. “These are my foggy grays,” she said, happily pointing to a clutch of models wearing pieces that included pleat-front wide-leg trousers, a long double-face cashmere coat and a sleeveless funnel-neck sweater – all in the shades of the typical London sky.
Beckham showed off her secondary line during a presentation inside one of the city’s landmarks – and teatime destinations – the Ritz hotel on Piccadilly. Her cozy show space overlooking Green Park was dotted with big bowls of truffles and trays of teacakes while a man with a silver salver circulated with finger sandwiches.
There was nothing old-school, however, about this fresh, street- and sports-inspired collection. It was one of Beckham’s most confident yet, filled with a mix of snappy dresses, slouchy trousers and laid-back toppers.
Among the highlights were the roomy trousers, which ranged from the pleated gray flannel versions to some sportier black track pants that came with dark beribboned jackets. There was a big range of dresses — a mainstay of this collection — some had twists of fabric at the front, while others had knots running down the
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Emerging designer Paula Knorr drew her fall inspiration from the notion that the bodies of female musicians, as artists, play a big part in the creation of their work.
Working mostly with metallic fabrics, softened with silk satins, velvet and sheer meshes, in a jeweled palette that ranged from amethyst, garnet, onyx and gold to deep blue, silver, copper and gold, Knorr played with shapes by extending side seams out beyond the body to create a draped effect.
Hard to say how her concept translated into her collection, but there were certainly some pieces in the mix that a flashy songstress might like to wear onstage, even if the overall effect fell short of the mark.
For instance, the below-the-knee copper dress that looked like a body had been vacuum-packed in it was subtly sexy (but might have been better without the raised shoulders), and could easily be imagined onstage or at a cocktail party. But other looks, like the gold top cut into a circle shape that came with a slinky blue maxiskirt looked a bit slapdash.
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Isa Arfen designer Serafina Sama focused on femininity and disguise, looking to Inge Morath’s images of Saul Steinberg’s masks and referencing Joan Riviere’s essay “Womanliness as Masquerade.”
“I was thinking about the idea of identity, disguise and the different masks and faces — both real and metaphorical — that we put on to project an image of ourselves,” said Sama. “I was fascinated by the personas that people cultivate through their clothing, hairstyle, makeup, posture, mannerisms — exaggerated femininity.”
Sama explored the feminine identity with a range of sophisticated dresses, outerwear and separates with bold details and embellishments — and a bit of whimsy. She cast a graphic diamond pattern onto an asymmetric, tiered ruffle dress, while a cotton and PVC coat came with a brown faux-fur collar and belt. It was layered over a black tulle dress with a dot print.
A white, ruched off-the-shoulder shirt was paired with olive green tapered trousers edged in broderie anglaise. Broderie anglaise also snaked along the waist of black ankle-length trousers, which were worn with a cropped blue felted-wool knit sweater.
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