Saturday, April 19, 2014

Exclusive Kate Moss For Topshop Preview

Kate Moss has once again reprised her role of designer for Topshop  and here, for the first time, you can see her new collection in full.

Debuting in this month's issue of Vogue - in which Moss styles Freja Beha Erichsen in key pieces, including that fringed jacket - the hotly anticipated range comprises four style stories: Balearic dressing, pyjama dressing, cocktail hour and tailoring noir - all of which, naturally, exude Moss's own brand of effortless cool.

Moss first turned designer for the high-street store back in 2007, and her return is a welcome one, both with fans of the label and Topshop boss Philip Green alike. "I am personally thrilled that Kate wanted to come back to Topshop to work with us again. The first time around was such a lot of fun and she has been sorely missed," he said.

Kate Moss
"I have really missed being involved in the design process, and working with the team at Topshop," said Kate. "I am very excited to create a new collection that bears my name. Now more than ever, with London being at the forefront of fashion, as it feels like I'm back home working with Topshop."

The collection will be available online and in-store at Topshop, as well as Nordstrom, Nordstrom.com and Net-a-porter.com for the first time from April 30.

See every piece of the collection here.

A New Beckham Brand?

Brand Beckham could be expanding even further if rumours that David Beckham is to design a new ready-to-wear collection are true.

The former footballer is, according toWWD, reportedly in talks with Li & Fung - among several other possible investors - to create a casual line, which would see him follow in his wife's footsteps in becoming a fully fledged fashion designer.

David Beckham
The deal would further cement Beckham's growing fashion portfolio - he has previously designed collections for H&M and Adidas, as well as featuring in campaigns for Belstaff, Breitling for Bentley and Emporio Armani.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Why Helena Never Became A Brand

Helena Christensen never put her name to merchandise and spin-off collections in the way that some of her fellow supermodels did - but the Danish model doesn't regret that decision for a minute.

"I never did it, and I probably lost out on a lot of deals because of that, but it just didn't feel right," Christensen admitted during an interview to promote her latest collaboration with Triumph which is proof, if anything, that anything she touched would have turned to gold. "I always thought, 'OK, you've got what you need, you've saved up what you could, so now you can work on things that inspire you.'"

Helena Christensen
And in the same way, in this age of social media fame, Christensen is still happy to fly a little under the radar.

"I'm not ambitious in that regard at all," she told us of garnering followers and fans. "Whether it's modelling, photography, designing, whatever I'm doing, I like little intimate projects. Most of what I'm doing just now as a photographer is for little underground magazines - not something that everyone is going to see. When someone approaches me, and says, 'we have this great project, it will have millions of viewers,' I think, 'oh god, no! That sounds horrible!'"

A massive fan of lingerie - she has collected it for years - Christensen has learned that there's a lot more to lingerie than just looking sexy. Although that probably helps.

"I've really learned how different female body shapes are, and how many little details you need to consider when you're creating lingerie," she said. "How to enhance the parts of a woman's body that are beautiful, how to shape the parts that need to be shaped - and then how different we all are. I try not to create from just an aesthetic approach, but also consider comfort; the technical details are very important. It's the most feminine thing that you can put on your body, so it has to be right for a woman to feel good.

"The Boss In Style" - Bertelli on Miuccia Prada

Investment in English manufacture; a new technical school in Tuscany to offer 60 students specialist training programmes; sales of Church growing to €250 million from €68.6 million over the next five years; and a new 356,400sq ft headquarters designed by Guido Canali - judging by its plans for the next year, Prada could never be accused of resting on its laurels.

Also to look forward to are  in-store Marchesi pastry shops, after the famed Italian bakery joined the group's stable last month, a new-look London flagship in the latter half of 2015 and the first Miu Miu fragrance, also expected next year, which Patrizio Bertelli said yesterday displayed "a change" in pace of the growth of the label. "We don't hide that it's Miuccia designing it, it's not a look-alike taking a bow on the runway," he said during a meeting for investors and press yesterday. "But she has two separate work groups, from commercial to product and retail, and Miu Miu is the true competitor of Prada. The best fun is when Miu Miu competes with Prada."

Miuccia Prada
As buoyant as ever, despite announcing an annual profit growth of just 0.3 per cent yesterday, Bertelli confirmed that his wife Miuccia´s decision to step down as chairman to become joint-CEO in February was no surprise. "Holding the role of president was too time-consuming for [her]," he said. "She has always been co-CEO, it was just made official. She is my right hand in this function and she is the boss in style."

Insisting that he had never worked to be famous or rich but to enjoy the "intellectual freedom [which] distinguishes us", Bertelli said that - despite his reputation for being the moneyman - he is, like his wife, all about the product. "I dedicate 60 per cent of my time to product," he said. "That has not changed over the years - product is the starting point and finance comes after. I never want to lose sight of this and I strive to remain curious, if you take curiosity and imagination away, there's no use for people like me."

New York's Dressed To Kilt Show Cancelled

The annual Dressed to Kilt show - held in New York as part of Tartan Week - has been cancelled. The event is the fashion element of a week-long showcase of Scottish culture in the city, but this year it will not take place.

The event organiser cited illness as the reason for its cancellation, telling  The Scotsman that he had resolved a recent dispute over the Dressed to Kilt name, giving him control of the trademark again.

Dressed To Kilt
Some better news for Tartan Week organisers, however, is that Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, will attend the inaugural lecture at Glasgow Caledonian University's new New York campus.

The University announced last year that it planned to open a campus in the Big Apple - the first British University to do so - and the school's first town hall meeting will be held at its Wooster Street space.

See Freja's Zadig & Voltaire Collection

Freja Beha Erichsen has created a collection for Zadig & Voltaire, infused with her androgynous signature style.

Featuring key staples - including a vintage-inspired denim jacket, a leather bag and a sheer black T-shirt - the collection is in support of international charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), which has provided aid to war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases since 1971. Forty per cent of the profits from Erichsen's offering will go to the charity.

Freja Beha Erichsen
Previously a face of the brand, Erichsen has never before designed for the French label - although she did unveil a collection for denim brand Mother in September 2013. The Vogue cover girl follows fellow model Erin Wasson, who created a collection for Zadig & Voltaire in 2011.

Philip Green Takes Arcadia To India

Philip Green  will expand his Arcadia Group into India for the first time.

Dorothy Perkins is the first brand in his portfolio to be launched with Indian web retailer Jabong, as a part of Green's ambition to expand the group into new emerging markets.
 
Dorothy Perkins
Deals to bring Topshop and Miss Selfridge to the country - the retail market of which is worth £300 billion - are also being discussed, The Telegraph reports.