US clothing retailer Liz Claiborne, maker of brands such as Juicy Couture, is to increase its China sourcing to up to 80 pct by 2010, following the lifting of quotas on Chinese apparel imports in 2008, the South China Morning Post reported. The company’s senior vice president Robert Zane was cited as saying that China now accounts for 25 pct of Liz Claiborne’s global sourcing of apparel and accessories, which is worth more than two bln usd annually.

Speaking at an apparel forum in Hong Kong, Zane was cited as saying that he expects to see massive consolidation in the global clothing trade and that his firm expects to reduce sourcing from 340 factories in 40 countries to 125 factories in 15 countries.

Liz Claiborne will increasingly source from large factories, each employing tens of thousands of workers while offering supply chain services besides manufacturing garments, according to the report. One such supplier is Hong Kong-listed Luen Thai Holding, which has extensive manufacturing and supply chain facilities in Guangdong province, the paper said. Following the end of the global textile quota system on Jan 1 last year, China’s share of the US textile and apparel market jumped to 27.7 pct from 20.3 pct in 2004.

29 March 2006

Icelandic retailer Baugur has squashed rumours that it might retract its bid for the House of Fraser department store chain. Nevertheless, the chain’s shares still slipped 3.4 percent as a result of the conjecture. “This is just a scurrilous rumour,” said a spokesman for Baugur. “It is completely false. Due diligence is progressing on schedule.”

In other news, the acquisitive Icelandic concern stepped up its presence in the UK fashion market with the merger of its Mosaic Fashions with Rubicon Retail. In a deal valued at £250 million, the two groups partly owned by Baugur wil merge to create one of the UK’s biggest fashion chains, with 1,700 stores in 27 countries. Mosaic owns brands like Oasis and Karen Millen, while Rubicon controls high street chains like Principles and Warehouse. Derek Lovelock, chief executive of Mosaic said his strategy was “to build a profitable, multi-branded fashion group.” The new, combined group will intensify international expansion with further moves into Europe, Asia and the US, Lovelock said.

Mosaic is the fourth biggest retailer in the UK, with sales of £891 million in the year ended January 2006. It ranks just behind New Look. Arcadia and Marks and Spencer are the number one and two fashion groups in the UK. Last year, Arcadia – which owns TopShop and Dorothy Perkins among others – generated sales of £1.77 billion. The majority stake in Rubicon is owned by chief executive Donald McCarthy, finance director Stefan Cassar and chief operating officer of the shoe business John Egan. They are said to be receiving a 20 percent stake in Mosaic and cash. Meanwhile, Rubicon was acquired by the Shoe Studio Group in 2005. Shoe Studio is partly owned by Baugur and Kaupthing.

Hennes & Mauritz have enlisted the services of MarkMonitor, the leader in online corporate identity protection to help identify and eliminate online counterfeit and gray market sales of its fashion lines on illegal Internet auction listings.

A key component of MarkMonitor’s integrated identity protection suite of solutions, Auction Monitoring addresses concerns over loss of revenue and brand erosion due to unauthorized product sales and illegal merchandising via Internet auction sites. H&M’s adoption of MarkMonitor’s solution significantly strengthens its capability to combat online counterfeit and gray market diversion in the highly competitive, global fashion industry.

H&M is currently operating in 22 countries, and, with more than a thousand stores, H&M’s brand name is synonymous with popular and affordable fashion. As a leader in the fashion industry to manage the growing threat of counterfeit and gray market goods, H&M sought a solution that would enable the company to gain global visibility into illegal online activities and facilitate rapid reporting of fraudsters’ identities worldwide.

“We suspected that our products were being sold illegally online and have not had the tools to track down and identify the perpetrators until we used Auction Monitoring,” said Bjorn Norberg, General Counsel at H&M. “With MarkMonitor’s solution, we can automate and more efficiently uncover the profile of those responsible and take immediate action to shut down their illegal auction listings. MarkMonitor will help us to better utilize internal resources by effectively scaling a previously time-consuming process, enhance the overall security of the company with in-depth monitoring of online fraud activities, and minimize revenue losses from counterfeit and gray market goods, so we can continue to provide quality fashion at the affordable prices that we are known for.”

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Italian fine jewellery house Buccellati is opening a store in London before the holiday season starts. The family-owned business is also opening a store in Aspen , Colorado and is reopening its renovated stores in Beverly Hills and New York . The new stores have been designed in the house’s signature Italian Renaissance style, but with modern finishings. The boutiques are also intended as locations for social events.

Despite increased retail accessibility, the company insists that is remains exclusive by limiting distribution. “Buccellati isn’t for everybody,” the firm’s president, Andrea Buccellati, told WWD in an interview. “Our clients are looking for luxury and exclusivity. They want to be part of an inner circle. We’re looking to make the Buccellati experience more tailor-made.” Many luxury goods companies are looking to broaden their customer base while maintaining their exclusivity. While expanding its retail presence, Buccellati is placing the emphasis on a more personal rapport with its customers. “We want to be able to have a direct connection (with the consumer),” Buccellati said. “We can sketch pieces together for a customer, or a customer can bring in a stone and we can set it in the Buccellati way.”

Buccellati was established in 1919 and later became known for its engraved brushed gold and platinum jewellery adorned with precious stones, which were designed by Andrea Buccellati and his father. The house only makes 3,000 to 4,000 pieces per year. Prices range from $1,000 to millions of dollars for custom-made pieces. The company launched a watch collection six years ago, with prices averaging at $15,000. Also included in the offering is sterling silver hollowware, which accounts for 30 percent of the business.

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Canadian denim label Buffalo David Bitton is opening a stand-alone store in London . After a successful trial with a temporary London store this summer, the company has chosen to commit to the UK market. The first store is slated to open on Kensington High Street in London , with further stores to follow in Brighton , Croydon, Kingston-upon-Thames and Kent in May. There are also plans for stores in Manchester , Birmingham and Liverpool . Eventually, Buffalo David Bitton intends to open 35 stores in the UK and Ireland over the next two years and is investing more than £15 million in the expansion.

“There is a vast gap in the market here for quirky product, and the female ranges are extremely strong,” Jennifer Lacoste, president of Lacoste Enterprises Group – Buffalo David Bitton’s retail partner – told WWD. “The customer base is very broad and it seems to have stretched from 18-year-olds to 60-year-olds. People love the fact that the clothing is different.” The 4,400 square foot Kensington High Street store will offer David Bitton’s women’s and men’s jeans and fashion collection, which includes embellished jeans and hot pants, and denim clam diggers. Prices range from approximately £30 for a cotton top to £180 for a pair of embellished jeans. Lacoste said that they had chosen High Street Kensington above Oxford Street or Regent Street because it was more personal. “We wanted the store to have a superb ambience.”

Lacoste owns and operates all of the brand’s UK and Irish stores. The company is also planning to expand into Europe . “In the next four or five years, we hope to open in the principal cities in Europe ,” Lacoste said. In addition, Lacoste intends to promote Buffalo David Bitton with editorial and television promotions and collaborations with celebrities.

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Dozens of retailers are secretly and unofficially discounting prices in the run up to Christmas by emailing thousands of discount vouchers to potential customers, without advertising them as ‘sales’. The marketing ploy has been used from stores ranging from Selfridges to the shops on Carnaby street, with discounts being mailed to a limited number of people, as a ‘secret’ discount. Stores such as Habitat, Gap and Miss Selfridge distributed coupons inviting shoppers to take advantage of discounts of between 20 and 40 per cent in the run-up to Christmas.

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Running similar promotions are Next, Oasis, Japanese store Muji, Dorothy Perkins and Kurt Geiger, The number of promotions will add to fears that the festive season could be one of the worst on record for the nation’s shopkeepers. In similar vain, brands such as Christian Louboutin, Burberry and Mulberry are Kevin Hawkins, director-general of the BRC, confirmed that many stores are already slashing prices as the festive season begins. ‘There’s more discounting than last year going on at this stage. One of the problems has been the clothing sector, because it’s been so mild,’ he said. ‘This is my 17th or 18th Christmas in retail and I don’t remember one that was easy – and the last few years have all been challenging in one way or another.’ The BRC is expected to say this week that sales edged up only slightly in November, echoing a downbeat survey of the retail sector from the CBI.

The British Fashion Council on Tuesday announced the winners of its Fashion Forward initiative. Roksanda Illincik, Richard Nicholl and Jens Laugesen are the designers set to receive the award enabling them to show their collections on the London catwalks during February’s Autumn/Winter 08  fashion week. The BFC Fashion Forward initiative was first introduced at London Fashion Week September 2006, supporting designers who have previously received New Generation funding or are at a similar stage of business development. Whilst the BFC aspires to consider all applications, it is unlikely that companies whose turnover is less than £100,000 or greater than £1,000,000 get short listed.

Selected applicants are interviewed by a selection panel consisting of the BFC, a representative from Westfield London plus fashion journalists and buyers. Westfield London is the inaugural sponsor of BFC Fashion Forward and has committed to four seasons of sponsorship. Westfield London, located just 3 miles from Oxford Street is set to become one of the capital’s best loved retail and leisure destinations when it opens at the end of 2008. Over 265 speciality stores will accommodate some of the world’s finest brands, beneath a spectacular undulating glass roof. A specially created retail village will feature premium retailers in a luxurious environment

February’s London Fashion Week is set to be a major event, with Vivienne Westwood returning to the British catwalks for the first time in nine years. The eponymous designer will be showcasing her Red label on schedule for the first time. Westwood shows her Gold label in Paris.

Image: Richard Nicoll

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Cruise fashion was once an American phenomenon, an obscure fashion season known as cruise and resort. Initially, these clothes were meant for northern well to do women who spent a considerable amount of time holidaying in warm-weather spots, to escape the wraths of winter.

That was before airlines made quick trips to the Caribbean and long weekends in southern climes accessible to less-wealthy women. And it was before the demand from countries in the Middle East where winters are non-existent and fashionable warm-weather clothes are needed year-round.

What hasn’t changed is the need for fresh clothes in the stores starting in October and November. After all, autumn styles are shipped as early as June and tend to look tired and familiar when they are still hanging on the racks a few months later.

It was this commercial consideration that impelled the Europeans to offer cruise collections before they actually understood the thinking behind the season that falls between fall and spring. Two seasons a year are the rule for European fashion houses; four or more are handled by American ones.

These days a cruise fashion week is held in New York in June. As Claudia Croft, fashion editor at Style recently wrote, the shows aren’t accompanied by the fanfare of the ready-to-wear shows, but in terms of business, the clothes and accessories shown are the ones that will sell and sell.

Alongside major brands which show cruise, such as Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani and Dior, smaller brands such as Tibi and Giles Deacon also produce capsule ranges. The great thing about Cruise collections is that they are more affordable than the mainlines and much more wearable. Whilst the Christmas and holiday season may warrant for jaw-dropping glamour, Cruise collections are about about simpler pieces, such as a great jacket or little black dress. Come February, the mainline versions will hit stores, when the wraths of winter are inescapable and that new Lanvin coat will cheer you up no end.

Image: Dior Cruise

The profit of footwear apparel adidas increased over the first quarter of 2008 with 32% to €196 million, which is higher then expected. During the first quarter of 2008, adidas’ sales increased with 10%, however the revenues in the Reebok segment declined due to the negative currency impact. On a whole the Group’s revenues grew 3% in euro to € 2.621 billion in the first quarter of 2008 from € 2.538 billion in 2007.

The adidas and Taylor Made-adidas Golf segments set the pace for the Group’s sales growth in the first quarter of 2008. Currency-neutral adidas segment revenues increased 14% during the first three months, driven by strong performance product sales in nearly all major categories. Currency-neutral sales in the Reebok segment declined 6% in the first quarter of 2008, mainly as a result of Reebok’s repositioning efforts in the USA and the UK. At Taylor Made-adidas Golf its revenues increased with 17%, due to the strong product offering in all major categories, supported by several new product launches.

The gross margin of the adidas Group increased by 2.3 percentage points to a new record level of 49.1% of sales in the first quarter of 2008 (2007: 46.8%), driven by improvements in all brand segments. This is related to an improving product and regional mix, increased own-retail activities as well as favourable currency movements.

For 2008, adidas is expecting to increase its sales at all brands. The target in the Reebok segment was raised in March due to the announced joint venture of Reebok and Vulcabras S.A. in Brazil and Paraguay. Since April 1, 2008, the joint venture distributes Reebok footwear, apparel and accessories in these countries.

adidas AG CEO and Chairman Herbert Hainer commented: “In 2008, we will reach new heights on both the top and bottom line. A summer of excitement is ahead of us. Our brands will be front and centre at the two major sporting events, the UEFA EURO 2008™ and the Olympic Games. Despite a challenging market environment, we are optimistic we will achieve all our targets.”

Image: adidas