Is Indian market ready for virtual fashion onslaught?

again,an interesting article from India

In the existing global financial turmoil, India has emerged as one of the most favoured destinations. Afterall, we have statistics to prove that by 2020, we will have the highest number of young spenders, even overtaking the likes of China, Russia and the Middle East. And cashing in on this hype are international brands.

In the past few years, noted international luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Moschino, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Boss Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Aigner, Estée Lauder, Esprit and Bottega Veneta have set shop in Mumbai.

Domestically, our fashion scene is on a roll. We have four, and still counting, fashion weeks in the year and Bollywood fashion is a big trendsetter. Fuelling this growth of the fashion industry is the hunger for international brands. But is our market really ready for this virtual fashion onslaught? Are these international brands really doing the kind of big business they are projecting?

According to Priya Chatwal, COO and Creative Director of TSG International Marketing Pvt Ltd who is behind getting brands like Jean Paul Gaultier, Alberta Ferrati, Moschino and Stella McCartney to India, Mumbaiites are very stylish. “They love to dress and love their clothes,” she says. She adds, “Style is a very important part of their personalities and this gives us a lot of hope and encouragement.”

Echoing Priya’s opinion is Harish Chandra, brand manager for Boss Hugo Boss India. He says, “Over the last few years there has been a great change in the overall spending attitude. People want to associate with high end brands and flaunt it irrespective of the kind of money they need to spend.”

Boss Hugo Boss opened its first store in Delhi in 2003 and soon followed with stores in Mumbai and Bangalore. So have sales in India lived up to the company’s expectations? Harish says the response has been above expectations and that they are positive they will do even better in the coming years.

Not everyone buys branded goods as a necessity, but as Priya says, because they want to enjoy luxury. “Of course, luxury brands are made for those who can afford it. But then again, there’s a growing income group in India. It’s a very important economy today and it’s growing very fast too. There’s always a new millionaire emerging every year. They again want to have that lifestyle and if they can afford it, why not,” she questions.

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Wall Street Journal: A must read for fashion, art?

The first edition(long ago) was faboulus !

The Wall Street Journal showcased its latest attempt to broaden its appeal beyond the business reader on Wednesday — introducing a new, glossy weekend magazine devoted to high fashion, preppy sports and luxury travel.

Called WSJ., the magazine hits the market during a prolonged and serious slump in the publishing business, which has struggled to keep advertisers who would rather spend their increasingly limited marketing budgets elsewhere, particularly the Web.

Wall Street Journal executives say they gave no thought to delaying the magazine, however, and instead point out that the magazine expands the newspaper’s advertising base. When it launches September 6, the magazine will have 51 advertisers, of which 19 are new to the newspaper’s franchise.

“This is a phenomenal response in a very, very challenging market,” said Michael Rooney, chief revenue officer at the Wall Street Journal.

Similar in feel to the Financial Times’ “How to Spend It,” the Wall Street Journal rolls out its version of a lifestyle magazine to a circulation of 960,000. It will be included in the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal in the United States and the Friday edition of the newspaper in Asia and Europe. WSJ. appears quarterly before becoming monthly in mid-2009.

Rooney said the magazine draws “the ultimate demographic,” describing a reader with an average household income of $265,000 and $2.9 million in assets, who took seven leisure trips last year and spent 16 days sailing.

A glossy 104 pages with advertisers such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton and British Airways, the initial issue is devoted to stories about rare mushrooms, fashion for dogs, folk art and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s workout routine.

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Marc Jacobs ,the next Yves Saint Laurent?A designer with bags of talent…

it´ s amazing to see that there are still true originals

On the eve of his new collection, the rehabilitation of the former enfant terrible of fashion is complete. Lionised by fashion editors and cherished by his customers, he is now widely praised as the new king of classic design

In 2001, Winona Ryder stole $5,560.40 worth of fashion from Saks Fifth Avenue, but was arrested when she left the tags on a blue Marc Jacobs bag. A year later, flattered when she wore one of his monochrome frocks in court, Jacobs invited Ryder to model for him. She accepted, of course, appearing in a campaign shot by Juergen Teller, snipping labels off cashmere sweaters. Responding to the stir the campaign caused, Jacobs sniggered: ‘It would be stupid for me to say I didn’t expect any reaction.’

‘What I love more than anything,’ he said recently, ‘is attention.’ He’ll be ecstatic today then, as excitement builds for his show in New York fashion week, which starts on Friday. His is the ticket to flash, the designer who revived Louis Vuitton, who drives the $5bn business, who embraces celebrity, blogging and hype, who, when he speaks, which he does, loudly and often, says things such as: ‘I do find myself entertaining.’

Professor Wendy Dagworthy, head of the school of fashion and textiles at the Royal College of Art, says he could be the next Yves Saint Laurent. ‘There’s that classic look to his designs. But he’s a real original and it’s these sorts of people who push the future of fashion. These are the people who are remembered.’ ‘Everyone wants to be at his show,’ says Lorraine Candy, Elle’s editor-in-chief, ‘because there’s always a sprinkle of stardust.’

With Sofia Coppola as a muse, Jacobs brings avant garde credibility to a centuries-old leather manufacturer. His designs for Louis Vuitton and his own solo label sell for almost £2bn a year, but he’s known as much for his sense of humour as his Tootsie-style clothes and clinking accessories. The success of his designs means that the details – the round collars and oversized buttons – have been copied extravagantly and clones of his handbags, which, with their heavy chains, branded plates and affectionate names, were central to the rise of the ‘it bag’, are available on market stalls worldwide. All of which he’s rather pleased with.

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Are designers green enough?

If you are conscious about the environment you might have a look at the article

Luxury fashion companies tout the eco-friendly look—but their business model is still unsustainable.

It has been said that a pretty face is a passport,” the British columnist Julie Burchill once wrote. “But it’s not. It’s a visa, and it runs out fast.” Burchill’s wisdom also applies to fashion, the trendiest of industries, which is currently being seduced by the trendiest of buzzwords: ­sustainability. The spring 2008 Louis Vuitton ad campaign, featuring wizened rocker Keith Richards and other celebrities, proudly declared its support for Al Gore’s Climate Project. This past Christmas, luxe retailer Barneys New York used the slogan “Have a Green Holiday” and promoted a fully recyclable Goyard canvas shopping bag. Ralph Lauren now sells organic-cotton home linens. (View slideshow.)

At first glance, these efforts seem quite noble. But Vuitton sells $5 billion worth of luxury handbags, scarves, sunglasses, and suitcases annually, reaping close to $2 billion in profit—yet its support of the Climate Project amounts to persuading its celebrity endorsers to donate their fees. The Goyard bag was more ostentatious than eco-conscious, retailing for $1,065 (plus $310 for a gold-painted recycling logo). And those ­organic-cotton sheets are made by a company that sells more than $1 billion a year through nonstop rollouts of new designs that render fashions outmoded within months.

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Getting a Handbag Refurbished

The Wallstreet Journal gives us an interesting insight

Fashion reporter Teri Agins answers readers’ questions
August 7, 2008

Q: When my designer handbags start to show wear, can I send them back to the manufacturers to have them repaired and to restore them like new? How much will it cost?

–M.K., Scarborough, N.Y.

A: A perk that comes with the purchase of a pricey status handbag is that most makers will fix broken straps and zippers, missing rivets and torn linings — often free of charge, if the fixes are simple. However, do expect to pay well into the hundreds of dollars for new linings, stain removal and reglazing. The obvious advantage of going back to the manufacturer — rather than the local shoe-repair shop — is that any stitching, buckles or other details you get will match.

Alamy

Companies like Louis Vuitton begin the repair process by making sure the bag is genuine.

You should return the bag in person at the designer’s boutique, or, in some cases, at the department store where you bought it. Bring your sales receipt to speed along the processing.

Makers such as Hermès, Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Coach will begin by authenticating that your bag is indeed genuine — and not a counterfeit — by checking for special code numbers or hidden insignias that were put inside the bags at production.

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