The Costume Institute in New York has chosen English designers whose works will be part of an "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion" exhibit from May 3 to Sept. 4.
The exhibit will feature a mix of British designers, tailors, milliners, a jeweler and a cobbler. John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Bailey for Burberry, Hussein Chalayan, Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney are the featured fashion designers; Paul Smith, Ozwald Boateng, Anderson & Sheppard, Richard Anderson, Huntsman, Richard James, Henry Poole and Carlo Brandelli for Kilgour are the tailors; the millinery will be by Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy; jewellery will be by Shaun Leane, and Manolo Blahnik will provide the shoes.
"It was really hard to come to the selection of designers because there is such a great breadth of creativity in Britain," said Andrew Bolton, associate curator of the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, according to WWD. "We wanted the work of designers to reflect the themes of the English period rooms. We wanted clothes to have a direct dialogue. That made it easier for us to narrow down our focus and selection."
Bolton said the final list of designers was determined by who was the most transgressive or best represented the idea of tradition. "We felt that British creativity comes from this violent crash between tradition and transgression, and so the designers we have chosen reflect the idea of tradition and transgression in British culture and British fashion."
The exhibit's contemporary pieces were culled from the 30-year period between 1976 and today. The show also includes historical pieces from the 18th and 19th centuries, which will be juxtaposed with the contemporary designs. The exhibit will comprise about 60 pieces.
22 March 2006
US restrictions come into effect
Restrictions on Chinese exports of 21 types of garments and textiles into the US have this week taken effect.
After three months of discussions between the two countries the restrictions came into effect on 1 January. The transaction will allow a slow and controlled growth in China's exports without any sudden surges that might damage importing countries or other exporting countries. Garment exports will be limited to a growth rate of 10 percent in 2006, 12.5 percent in 2007 and 15 percent in 2008. Textile growth rates have been restricted to 12.5 percent and 15 percent in 2008. The restrictions will last until 2008.
Since 2001, the US has lost almost 400,000 jobs in the textiles industry. It partly blames this on the increased level of competition from China.
4 January 2006
Unifi sells plant
The US yarn maker Unifi INC announced last week that it is selling its plant and equipment from its shuttered Irish sites for $37 million. The Greensboro, NC-based company closed its Textured Yarns Europe division, based in Letterkenny, Ireland, at the end of October 2004, due to unprofitability. This cost around 300 employees their jobs.
The company announced that all transactions related to the sale would be complete by the end of September 2005. “The favourable terms and timing of these contracts allow Unifi to aggressively pursue our growth plans in Asia without incurring additional debt,” said Brian Parke, Chairman and CEO for Unifi.
28 February 2005
Paul Smith to open first US boutique
Sir Paul Smith is opening his first store in America – a rectangular, concrete building painted bright pink – in West Coast, Los Angeles.
But the 5,000-square-foot store at Harper and Melrose Avenues is more than mere eye candy. It is the first U.S. door to carry Smith's women's, men's, accessories and homeware lines under one roof. The store was designed by Smith himself in the style of the late Mexican architect Luis Barragan, who is famous for colorful, graphic shapes.
As for the pink, "I wanted it to be a landmark," Smith said in an interview at his Covent Garden headquarters. "L.A. is a car city, and it's a way to get people to recognize the store quickly. There can only be one bright pink store near Fred Segal."
Smith plans to open pending a city building inspection, and a premiere party is planned at the store on Dec. 8.
www.paulsmith.com
23 November 2005
Setting Up Shop Transatlantic
It
is not easy for retailers to make the trans-Atlantic leap. British designers
setting up shop in the US face different barriers than their European counterparts.
Similarly, for Americans to bring their brands to this side of the Atlantic
requires more than a few chief executives and disposable marketing budgets.
It is easy to mistake a great retail space as the backbone for a successful business. In America especially, a country where 'bigger is better' continues to define the national trophy of success, every square inch needs to be a profitable space. H&M learned this lesson quickly, when real-estate complexities led to losses and opening too many shops too quickly meant they couldn't keep up with their own 'fast fashion.' So too are the different requirements for city stores and their out-of-town counterparts. They are, at best, two different consumers.
For foreign brands to start up business in the UK, the retail market is not easily penetrable as our complicated regulations and labour laws can overwhelm foreign investors. Consumer products, it seems, is a regional game, and is subject to local influences. From Marks & Spencer in the UK, to Gap Inc. in the US, retailers have at one point or another run into trouble attempting Transatlantic crossings.
Still, the need to deliver growth outside home markets keeps pushing retailers
across the ocean. An adaptable approach will be key in the lessons learned early
on. Signing a lease for a 44,000sq-ft space on Oxford Street does not guarantee
sales. Thankfully, some brands seem to fare well on both sides of the Atlantic.
Take Earl Jean for example. Their newly opened shop in Notting Hill has kept
the brand cool, casual, and Californian. In other words, American roots selling
on UK soil. For some, crossing the Atlantic means an ocean of opportunities.
(By: Don-Alvin Adegeest)
13 august 2003
The National Brand
While
plenty of people will be wearing their red, white & blue colours today in
the US in lieu of their 4th of July celebrations, it is worthy to note that
patriotic dressing has found itself a comfortable market niche and is more than
just an American phenomenon.
After the 9/11 attacks, upscale fashion houses and highstreet alike have worked Union Jack and Stars and Stripes into jeans, handbags, t-shirts, accessories, jewellery, socks, kilts, even sunglasses and shoes. No longer worn solely by the influx of tourists with a "been there, bought the t-shirt" syndrome, the trend is kept alive by youth culture and cutting edge fashion houses who continue to use the motif in their designs. From Burberry to Pringle to McQueen, our national colours have become a marketable and profitable brand.
I'm grateful to note, however, that a red, white and blue fashion craze hasn't taken hold as a year-round phenomenon. Many retailers jumped on the Americana bandwagon but patriotic dressing has yet to make it down the runway into "serious fashion." While sporting a trendy accessory in support of your country is just about justifiable, being clad in an outfit that resembles a flag more than a frock should be avoided.
4 July 2003
Top Shop to expand to Europe
Billionaire retail tycoon Philip Green on Tuesday said he is looking at taking
his successful Top Shop chain abroad. Green stated to the press that he wants
to open several flagship stores in leading cities across Europe and possibly
even the US.
Mr Green, who also owns Bhs and is stalking grocery chain Safeway, said he
believed the Top Shop brand was strong enough for an international rollout along
the lines of its huge Oxford Circus store in central London.
Mr Green bought the Top Shop brand and as well as Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins
and Burton from Arcadia last year for GBP 850 million.
March 6, 2003
Do Americans know what not to wear?
The British TV hit "What Not to Wear” will start airing in the USA on Tuesday nights at ten p.m. on BBC America. ‘What not to wear’ is already a hit in Great Britain: an estimated four million people watch the show every week. The hosts, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, track down unsuspecting victims, secretly videotape them, then unleash some brutal criticism and finally help them shop for a new look.
Some quotes from the presenters:
“What you're doing is seeing an emotional progress of a woman from when she has all of her friends and family saying, they nominate her and say we think you have no style, and then we film her secretly for about two months. The husband is putting a camera in the bedroom. It's very dramatic.” (Trinny Woodall)
“We do get pretty mean, as we said, but our cruelness comes from a real passion and a real desire to make the best of these women. And, you know, it doesn't matter how big you are, what size, how old. Every woman has something good about her.” (Susanna Constantine)
“I suffered for years from acne, so I've been aware of, you know, trying to look better, because I felt like an ugly duck duckling for 38 years.” (Trinny Woodall)
“When we do criticize someone, we will always come back with a solution. So it's not just a vacuous criticism. There is always a solution, and that's why everybody has something great about them.” (Susanna Constantine)
January 28, 2003