8 Designers To Debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
@ 4:47 pm August 20, 2008Filed under: Op-Ed
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NEW YORK, Aug 20, 2008 / FW/ — Michael Angel, Charlotte Ronson, Andy & Debb, Thuy, Sergio Davila, Leifsdottir, Aurelio Costarella and Zheng Luo are already known in the fashion circle. In September, the fashion world will finally meet them with their debut in Bryant Park.
“We are very excited to welcome so many new talents to the most prominent fashion event of the season,” said Fern Mallis, Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion, producers of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
“We are anxious to observe how these energetic, enthusiastic and creative new ‘fashion engineers’ will inspire, influence and impact an industry hungry for new talent,” Mallis added.
Australian designer, Michael Angel, has been in the fashion industry for over 10 years, as a top stylist for many influential celebrities and campaigns. He has now transferred his hyper-color designs into fabric and created a collection that will truly astonish.
Charlotte Ronson has gained a notable reputation and an enviable fashion and celebrity following. With fourteen boutiques already in Japan, her much anticipated debut show in Bryant Park would reinforce her future expansion on the global fashion scene.
Andy & Debb, a famous Korean couple, produce their own collection and run a number of boutiques in major department stores in Korea. Their signature clean, fresh modern cuts are inspired by the artists’ designs in the many museums and galleries they frequent.
Thuy Diep, the Vietnamese born, New York designer inherited her talent and skills from her parents, who used to run a tailoring school and custom-made clothing shop. Thuy’s romantic, sophisticated style mixes together a casual chic reflective of “a woman of beauty and intellect with an artistic and forever youthful soul.”
Peruvian native, Sergio Davila, began developing and marketing a menswear line based on a vision for how he himself wanted to dress. His very first collection created a buzz on the West Coast and was immediately bought by many established retailers. Davila’s character, hard work and talent has helped secure him a mark on the Manhattan fashion scene.
Anthropologie’s new wholesale line, Leifdottir, is a pretty, artsy and quirky collection of clothes for a young, feminine customer. Top American editors have said, “Leifdottir attention to little details such as whimsical prints, vintage buttons and intricate embroidery have secured their reputation.”
Aurelio Costarella has turned a Western Australian based company into an internationally recognized luxury brand. Determined to keep evolving without losing his Perth City identity, his instinctive and sophisticated designs grow each season and are a testament to his success at achieving his goals.
Zheng Luo, a leading Chinese designer, owns Omnialuo Inc., is one of the most successful fashion companies in mainland China. Working with natural fabrics gives her collections an organic and eco-friendly flare. Zheng believes that “the perfection of human nature, no matter whether in the West or the East, is driven by the power of chasing beauty.”
Paper or Plastic? Neither, I use the Better Bag
@ 8:58 pm August 4, 2008Filed under: Op-Ed
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LOS ANGELES, Aug 4, 2008 / FW/ — ‘Paper or plastic?’ is a familiar question at the grocery store, but if the environmentalists have their way, this question will not even be asked at all. Here in L.A., the city council plans to ban plastic carryout bags in the city’s stores by 2010, unless the State of California imposes a 25-cent fee on those who request them.
Environmentally friendly or not, if the city ordinance passes, the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition is fighting efforts to regulate its products. The group filed a lawsuit last week challenging a Los Angeles County plan to reduce plastic bags about 30% by 2010.
Now, before the environmentalists and those who just want to save their jobs start slinging mud to each other, just remember that there are two sides to a story. In fact, this story has three sides as CSIPlastics Inc, a plastics recycler company throws its hat in the ring with the Better Bag, a plastic bag that is reusable and recyclable.
With a life cycle of two years, (four seasons in fashion terms), the Better Bag is good for the environment and for your pocketbook.
“Our company only sells the Better Bag wholesale, but the suggested retail price is between $1.99 to $2.99,” said Steve Silver, owner of CSIPlastics and designer of the Better Bag.
“The bag is affordable enough for majority of people to use it. And, with a useful life cycle of two years, the Better Bag is a great buy,” Silver added.
Made with recycled material and still fully recyclable, the Better Bag provides a truly green product for environmentally minded consumers.
London Fashion Week Spring 2009: Avant-Garde to Seriously Edgy
@ 12:40 pm August 2, 2008Filed under: Op-Ed, Runway Shows
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DALLAS, Aug 2, 2008 / FW/ — Watching the season’s finale of Doctor Who where David Tennant play the lead role, then reading at the London Telegraph later that the British actor is going to play Hamlet, the most famous role in Shakespeare made me think of where London Fashion Week is going.
Since the turn of the century, it was fashionable to ‘skip’ London when doing the international fashion circuit; but last season, London started to regain its importance as budding fashionistas leaned towards the city’s ‘edgy and individualistic type of dressing.’
As a fan of sci-fi and Shakespeare (those two are not mutually exclusive, you know), I can see the symmetry wherein London was so avant-garde that it bordered sci-fi in terms of fashion, and now it is moving towards a more serious tone, like Shakespeare.
But, don’t think that London is going to be boring, because, you see, Shakespeare is never boring. Thanks to the very popular 2004 film, ‘The Prince & Me’ starring Julia Stiles and Luke Mably, the young generation now knows that when it comes to Shakespeare they have to look beyond the obvious.
London designers in general have always found the perfect balance between high concept and the obvious when it comes to fashion. So, like Scottish David Tennant, who by the way was voted Scotland’s most stylish male in 2006 in the Scottish Style Awards, parking the Tardis to jump on stage as Hamlet actually makes a lot of sense.
Target Is Not As Chic & Trendy As You Think
@ 12:10 am January 29, 2008Filed under: Focal Point, Market Watch, Op-Ed
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DALLAS, Jan 29, 2008 / FW/ — For the retailer that made high-street fashion affordable by collaborating with high street fashion designers like Luella and Proenza Schouler, their ‘chicness’ stops there. It seems that the cheap-chic retailer deems CUSTOMER SERVICE unfashionable.
In an article by the New York Times, “Target Tells a Blogger to Go Away”, wherein the retailer told one of its customers Amy Jussel, who just happen to be the founder of ShapingYouth.org, a blog about the impact of marketing on children that ‘Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets,’ when Ms. Jussel complained about the retailer’s advertising campaign.
The ad in question depicts a woman splayed across a big target pattern — the retailer’s emblem — with the bull’s-eye at her crotch.
And though ‘blogging’ is not really the issue here, but a customer’s complaint, the reaction of Target’s Public Relations department ‘TARGETING’ (pun intended) the blog and the blogger, obviously, the blogosphere did not like this one bit.
Personally, as a customer and an informed consumer, I do not appreciate the PR Department’s response to Amy Jussel either. In the retail sector, Customer Service is a very important aspect.
At Target, when customers come in, they are told they are GUESTS. With this faux pas by the retailer’s PR Department, the company’s efforts to make customers think that Target is a friendly place to shop has come to naught.
And, the irony of it all… though Target told the blogosphere that it is irrelevant, the company’s careless treatment of customer complaint just made the millions of bloggers unite, thus creating a force that they have to contend with.
To borrow from an old saying, the blogosphere is a sleeping giant and Target rudely woke it up!