Zara Leads In Fast Fashion - Forbes
Zara, the major division of the Spanish retailer Inditex continues to change retailing through its rapid, vertically integrated supply chain. Zara has become the leader in rapid development of fast changing fashions.
In fiscal 2014, (ended January 31, 2015) the company had sales of $19.7 Billion compared to H&M with $20.2 Billion, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo) $16.6 Billion, Gap $16.4 Billion, Primark $7.5 Billion, Abercrombie & Fitch $3.7 Billion, Mango $2.1 Billion. In the past year Inditex sales increased 8%, far stronger than its competitors.
The secret of fast fashion retailing is the ability to generate quick turnover of merchandise in the stores. New fashion designs are shipped at a rapid rate, there are few basics and reorders are rare. The customer knows that she should buy an item she likes when she sees it. The Inditex Group prides itself to deliver quality merchandise in as little as three weeks from its own factories. Designers develop new models daily – sometimes three or four a day – which are then reviewed and are put into production. It is no wonder that versions of new designs by fashion designers in Paris are in Zara stores within a very short time of appearing on the runway.
Inditex is headquartered in La Coruna, Spain. However, several divisions have their headquarters in the Barcelona region. The company was started in 1963 by Armancio Ortega (78), who holds about 60% of the stock and is today Spain’s richest man. He is still a driving force in the company, although in 2008 he has given Pablo Isla (51) the mandate to run the company day to day. He is today the chairman and CEO of the company. Ortega’s daughter Marta (31), who has joined Inditex, after studying marketing, could possibly be the successor to Isla, keeping the family fortune under her control.
Below is a list the various divisions of Inditex. All divisions are showing strong earnings and have the potential for additional growth. In addition all divisions have a strong on-line platform. The surprise is that despite the wide global distribution of 6,683 stores in 88 countries there are only 55 stores in the United States – 53 Zara stores and 2 Massimo Dutti stores. I suspect there will be an intensification of store expansion in the United States including Zara Kids, Zara Home and one of the other labels such as Bershka. I expect that Massimo Dutti with its better fashion look will soon have more stores in some of our better shopping areas.
Zara – Fast Fashion for women, men, children. 1,923 stores in 88 countries. 2014 sales $12.6 Billion with 53 stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $2.314 Million which is an EBIT Margin of 18% and is 66% of total company profits. (Founded 1975)
Zara Kids – This is a new division which has 162 stores in four countries but is still integrated in the Zara organization. No separate data is available. (Recently founded)
Pull&Bear – Casual wear – Key target customers are women and men 14 to 28 years old.- 898 stores – 2014 sales $2.1 Billion. No stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $205 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 6% of total profits. (Founded 1991)
Massimo Dutti – Better price fashion for mature women and men – 706 stores – 2014 sales volume $1.5 Billion, 2 stores in the United States, EBIT contribution is $291 Million which is an EBIT margin of 19% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1985)
Bershka- Value priced fashions for young women and men – 1006 stores – 2014 sales $1.9 Billion. EBIT contribution is $267 Million, which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1988)
Stradivarius – Casual wear for women – 910 stores – 2014 sales $1.2 Billion – EBIT contribution – $247 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 20% and is 7% of total profits. (Founded 1995)
Oysho – Lingerie and sportswear – 575 stores – 2014 sales $453 Million – EBIT contribution – $71 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 16% and 2% of total profits. (Founded 2001)
Zara Home – Home and Accessories – 437 stores – 2014 sales $651 Million, EBIT contribution $88 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and 3% of total profits. (Founded 2003)
Uterque – Designer RTW fashions and accessories – 66 stores – 2014 sales $74 Million. EBIT contribution $2.2 Million which is an EBIT margin of 2%. (Founded 2008)
Lefties – About 80 outlet shops in Spain Portugal, Mexico and Russia. These stores are included in the store count.
Note – All figures in this report are based on the current conversion rate of 1 Euro = $1.09.
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The Fashion Industry's Modeling Mystery - Huffington Post
Why Does Everyone Want to be a Model?
The fashion industry's model mystery is becoming HISTORY. Adiós to the seasoned pros, and hello to a constant slew of fresh faces. Every moment I focus my eyes, unplug my ears and zip my lips, I recognize the flood of anxious faces; I sense their piercing thirst; and I resist the urge to comment on their eagerness to enter the fashion industry expecting to become the next top fiercest "this person," or "that person's" biggest, baddest -- yes you've guessed it --- MODEL.
The overpopulation of models in our second decade of the 21st century would have been unimaginable to the fashion industry during the '60s, '70s, '80s, and even the '90s of the 20th century. In the earlier years, professional fashion models (especially those of color) were a rarity, and regulation was ruled by a recognizable system of reverence and respect. Now there is an overflow of Naomi Campbells and Kate Mosses with EVERYBODY seemingly motivated by no less than reality TV and ubiquitous smartphone apps for social media.
[Photo: PAUL MASSEY / Rex USA / Courtesy Everett Collection (l-r) Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington walk for Versace Autumn/ Winter Fashion show Milan, 1991.]
With the rise in reality TV shows such as Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and social media platforms such as Instagram adding the most fuel to the fire, the fashion industry is barfing bitterness at the excess of anxious, self-taught hopefuls flooding the market. What our beloved model wannabes haven't taught themselves is that there is far more to becoming a reputable model than being the cutest in your school, mauling a photographer to snap you in your favorite #OOTD (outfits of the day) and entangling yourself in an endless surge of social media hype; these aren't even close to the basics. Modeling is known as an art, a craft -- a craft where the model is comparable to pure clay, or even children's Play-Doh. Comparable to clay, a model's inner beauty should be molded, developed and preserved, in order to showcase natural attributes and qualities rather than drowning his/her beloved followers with selfie's, shameless self-promotion, and hashtags as high as heaven. But that's not what our "20k-follower" page owners want to hear -- no!
Excitingly, there's been an overall boost to the fashion industry with shows like Lifetime's Project Runway inspiring every needle and threading knitter to be the next Ralph Lauren or Alexander McQueen. Thank the Lord! This means an increase in runway jobs, showroom gigs, print ads and advertising campaigns -- Hallelujah! (Turns out not every fashion-related reality TV show is a detriment to the industry, after all.) But, is it enough to sustain and bring a balance to our industry? And you would think, wouldn't our industry want more objects of color, beauty and distinction piercing its dark, bumbling world? Yes, I do, but if there aren't an equivalent amount of "professional" outlets for us to succeed, it simply compares to an unemployment rate.
Edward Enninful, British fashion stylist and current fashion and style director of W Magazine, recently launched an Instagram modeling contest, promising some lucky winner an official shoot for W Magazine. "I'm looking to discover a new-face model on Instagram", Enninful declared using his Instagram page (@edward_enninful), pounding in over 25,000 entries with his special hashtag #EdwinEnninfulScouts. It made me wonder, has the fashion world begun to decline against its own will, forced to embrace the new schemes of these social and digital platforms? Or are they merely outsourcing the casting process to a budding new generation of time-saving technology?
Before I could sit here and rant like a modeling industry know-it-all, I asked Devyn Abdullah, a N.Y.C.-based fashion model, and season one winner of Naomi Campbell's The Face, her views:
I feel as if the internet, media, and definitely reality TV changed modeling... It was a rare world, and now can't be replaced. There's never ever going to be another Naomi Campbell, there's never ever gonna' be another trinity group. Those women [Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell] can book any job.
The way society is set-up now, the longevity in terms of being a successful model has been robbed from us. But reality TV is a catch 22 because it brings opportunity to anyone and everyone."
-- Devyn Abdullah, season one winner, Naomi Campbell's The Face.
[Photo: Fabio Iona / Indigitalimages.com. Model Devyn Abdullah walks for Pamella Roland SS14 during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week]
A world of Catch-22s -- there are tons of working, experienced models now entering the reality TV world to boost their careers, such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Cynthia Bailey, a former supermodel-turned-reality-star, while others have used their reality TV credentials to launch top-notch modeling careers, such as Keeping Up With The Kardasian's Kylie Jenner, a former reality-TV star and soon-to-be supermodel. But as for Devyn, this reality show winner feels as if press, media and television endeavors are overly publicizing the secrecy that built this fashion industry, thus downgrading "modeling" from an actual career option to merely just an amusement. Working with Naomi Campbell on a reality TV show may be a dream for some, but ultimately, the saturation is causing this industry to crash, lose its value, and become a playground for all.
The Meredith Vieira Show
Lavishing upon quotes, next comes the beloved, supermodel herself, Naomi Campbell when she appeared on NBC's The Meredith Vieira Show. Her statement followed host Meredith Vieira's questioning of the new wave of "insta-girls" -- girls who instantly become top models by using Instagram as a platform- in comparison to Naomi's more traditional start over 25 years ago.
It's amazing, I mean good luck to them, I just feel my generation of women, like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia [Schiffer] we had to earn our stripes and take our stepping-stones to get to where we have gotten to accomplish what we have achieved to this date.
Naomi then continued,
I kind of feel like, 'My God,' it's like we've worked so hard and we are still working at it. Then it just comes like that for them, but I sometimes believe, easy come, easy go. So, I am actually grateful for the way that I had my career. I wouldn't want it any other way, so that's for them, this is [for] me.
What if Naomi Campbell would have made her debut in 2006, when shows like America's Next Top Model and websites like ModelMayhem and Myspace began making their impact on the modeling industry, as opposed to 1986, when she graced the covers of Elle and Vogue magazines? Her household name would be unheard of and the beauty and distinction that highlighted her rise to the top, well, would have clearly been over-looked.
Is there hope for the art and business of modeling?
Perhaps the establishment of a legitimate fashion industry union, equivalent to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be the dawn of a new professional era for modeling -- qualified models would gain professional status only after booking a set number of high-end jobs or gaining representation with a legitimate agency. Yet, by the time a retired Fashion executive has the time to initiate and put into place this genius idea, our pro models could be at a sad booking rate of one job per year. Their money would be used up from auditioning for reality shows and such, the only way it seems a "working model" gets press these days.
Couldn't this be a marvelous post-white-house initiative for our ever so fabulous first lady? I couldn't imagine the fashionable Michelle Obama allowing our industry to suffer and remain imbalanced after the impact of her White House Fashion Education Workshop. With all of the influence that she's garnered within the fashion industry, can the political world save the modeling world? Can a life-changing new wave of fashion legislation be enough to flush away every grey area plaguing the modeling industry's accreditation system?
One thing's for sure, the modeling industry is crashing, and quickly losing its value.
This article was originally published on The Triumphant Scoop.
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Mad Men's Costume Designer Janie Bryant Talks Seventies Fashion - Forbes
Janie Bryant, Mad Men’s costume designer
The final episode of Mad Men’s previous season took place in 1969, which leads to the very exciting prospect of seeing Don Draper in a polyester plaid suit and platform shoes next season, not to mention the Halston goodness we might witness on the likes of Megan Draper. Earlier this month, I chatted with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant at San Francisco’s launch of Shoes of Prey, an amazing service that lets you design the custom shoe of your dreams for around $200.
Bryant has created a 60s-inspired collection, her second for the brand. It’s a fashion era about which she surely must now be one of the world’s top experts. And while she would not hint at what year we might see come to life in the next season of Mad Men, she did give us her thoughts on ’70s fashion. For more on Bryant’s Shoes of Prey collab and the past decades of American style, check out my interview below.
Is the Shoes of Prey customer a luxury customer or the everyday woman?
“To do custom design is sort of the ultimate luxury. And really the customer for Shoes of Prey is also a career woman, so i think that to be able to get exactly what you want is a luxury.”
How does your costume design experience inform your experience with this company?
“Costume design is such a different form of design. But for my second collection I really wanted to base it on the late 1960s, and incorporating those details that I really do know so much about. But helping to tell the story of a character through clothing is different than designing a collection for the consumer.”
I’m obsessed with seventies style, personally. How have you liked heading towards that decade? Are we in the seventies yet on Mad Men?
“I can’t tell you what year we’re in! I really can’t tell you anything!”
OK let’s keep the show out of it: how do you feel about ’70s style?
“I love the period of the 1970s. I’m totally obsessed with men’s plaid polyester suits and bellbottoms and platform shoes and polyester wide ties that tell complete stories. That’s really more later ’70s design. And I also love women’s fashion of the 1970s. The whole Sutdio 54 period is amazing and all of the amazing Biba pantsuits and Halston, it’s such a great period. It’s almost like the last period of American fashion for men and women. The style was so pervasive. People weren’t afraid. There was such access in everyday clothing, like the Sears catalog or J.C. Penney. That’s what people wore.
Now, it’s really funny, in photographs it’s really hard to tell what era we’re in now, even if you go back 20 years because people aren’t really dressing in a specific decade and clothing has remained somewhat the same for like the last 20 or 30 years. You can really recognize photographs from the 1980s, the 1970s, the 1960s, 1950s, ’40s, ’30s, ’20s. But it’s much harder to identify a certain period now in photographs of a party setting or a city street. It’s more generic now.”
Do you think the Internet is influencing that?
“Doesn’t the Internet influence everything?”
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Fashion Week show boost NM designers - UNM Daily Lobo
Melissa Beasley, founder and executive director of Albuquerque Apparel Center, said she recognizes that there are a lot of creative people throughout New Mexico and wants to play a role in promoting those people in the fashion industry.
“The biggest event in the fashion industry is fashion week ... this is a premier event that brings notoriety and publicity for our designers as well as networking opportunities,” Beasley said.
New Mexico Fashion Week strives toward embracing diversity and presenting the wide variety of styles that can be found in the local fashion industry, she said.
“People who have never been here before think we’re only southwest, cowboys and Indians kinds of designs and we’re so much more than that,” Beasley said.
The 12 designers featured in the show range from students to celebrity designers, according to the Fashion Week program guide.
The Fashion Week event added something new to the show this year: a Fashion as Art exhibit and competition. Patty Boldridge, co-producer of Fashion as Art, said the exhibit was an opportunity for artists to step out of their comfort zones and create unique pieces that combine fashion design and sculpting techniques.
Boldridge said she worked with Meredith Lockhart, a fashion designer and the other co-producer, to create a dress made out of covers from “Cowboys & Indians” magazine for the exhibit.
However, she said the dress was not included in the competition because Boldridge and Lockhart wanted the competition to be solely for the artists.
According to the New Mexico Fashion Week website, the participating artists had to make extraordinary dresses from mostly nontraditional materials such as metal, plastic and rubber.
Many of the sculptures were inspired by New Mexican culture. One design was made from New Mexican license plates while others were created with local magazine covers.
The winner in the Fashion as Art student division was from Santa Fe Prep and the adult division winner was a businesswoman from Taos.
Gabrielle Torres, Miss Albuquerque 2014 and a sophomore criminology and communications major, hosted the three-hour event and said fashion week is about supporting local talent.
Torres also walked the runway as a model for A. Tsagas Designs and Montecristi Custom Hat Works. She said she enjoyed modeling during the show because she was excited to promote the designers and loves performing on stage.
Those who organized the New Mexico Fashion Week Runway Show are not the only community members supporting the artists within the fashion industry.
Paul Maldonado, a participant in the fashion show, said he attended this fashion show to support the New Mexico fashion industry and see all that it has it offer.
“I liked the whole experience. There were never any ups or downs [during the show],” Maldonado said.
Some of the evening’s most talked about designers included emerging designer Kenneth “K-Bobby” Edgar and celebrity designer, A. Tsagas.
Khadijah Jacobs is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
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Yoox to Buy High-Fashion Retailer Net-a-Porter - Re/code
Italian online fashion retailer Yoox has agreed to buy Net-a-Porter, its upmarket rival, in an all-share deal that creates an industry leader in the booming online luxury market, with combined sales of 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
Net-a-Porter owner Richemont will receive 50 percent of the combined Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, but its voting rights will be capped at 25 percent, putting Yoox effectively in charge of the combined business.
“Today, we open the doors to the world’s biggest luxury fashion store. It is a store that never closes, a store without geographical borders,” said NAP founder Natalie Massenet, who will oversee editorial content of the group as executive chairman.
Yoox boss, founder and minority shareholder Federico Marchetti will become chief executive and shape strategy.
“Between us, we have changed the fashion industry somehow and we will continue to change it,” Marchetti told journalists in a conference call on Tuesday.
The online luxury goods industry is still in its infancy, making up only about 5 percent of total luxury sales because many brands put off Internet expansion, worrying it would not offer customers the same high-end experience as their stores.
But many executives now believe the Internet has redrawn battle lines between luxury brands and will be key to driving future sales, particularly among millennials.
Online luxury is not yet very profitable: Both Yoox’s and NAP’s operating margin is less than 5 percent, compared with more than 25 percent for most big luxury brands such as Gucci.
But the pair hope their bigger size will help cut warehouse, logistical, back-office and distribution costs, lifting margins.
Yoox operates the online sales of fashion brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Kering’s Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent and also sells items at a discount.
Analysts said the deal could help boost Yoox’s chances of retaining luxury brands that might otherwise have wanted to take their online operations in-house once they gained experience.
“I’m positive on the outlook for the online luxury market. I believe it’s a structural change that will gain traction as younger generations of more ‘digitally minded’ managers get to the top,” said Gian Luca Pacini at Intesa Sanpaolo in Milan.
NAP, which is regarded as having helped make online shopping an entertainment experience, specializes in current season and off-the-runway items and advises customers on what to wear them with. It also published the fashion magazine Porter.
Marchetti said NAP would have the same valuation as Yoox once the deal was completed in September. Analysts valued NAP at around 1.5 billion euros, above Yoox which stood at 1.32 billion euros on Friday before news of the potential deal came out.
Yoox shares, which gained nearly 10 percent on Monday after Yoox and Richemont confirmed Reuters reports they were in talks, were up more than 8 percent in Tuesday trading, valuing Yoox at 1.56 billion euros. Richemont shares were down more than 1 percent.
The combined business will generate adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of around 108 million euros in 2014 and annual synergies of around 60 million euros by the third full year, the two companies said.
If Yoox shareholders approve the deal in June, the new group will launch a rights issue of around 200 million euros ($216 million) in the fall to fund growth, with Richemont expected to fund around half the sum, a spokesman for the Swiss group said.
Marchetti said strategic investors keen to participate in the capital increase could include luxury brands but gave no further details.
Richemont, which makes the bulk of its profit from its Cartier watch and jewelry brand, has agreed to a three-year lock-up for half of its stake, or 25 percent, which analysts said they would expect the Swiss group to eventually sell.
The Swiss group will appoint two of the 12-member board.
The deal comes less than a week after after two other high-profile Italian companies, Pirelli and World Duty Free, were taken over.
(Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt and Valentina Za; Additional reporting by Katarina Bart in Zurich; Editing by Sophie Walker)
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Zara Leads In Fast Fashion - Forbes
Zara, the major division of the Spanish retailer Inditex continues to change retailing through its rapid, vertically integrated supply chain. Zara has become the leader in rapid development of fast changing fashions.
In fiscal 2014, (ended January 31, 2015) the company had sales of $19.7 Billion compared to H&M with $20.2 Billion, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo) $16.6 Billion, Gap $16.4 Billion, Primark $7.5 Billion, Abercrombie & Fitch $3.7 Billion, Mango $2.1 Billion. In the past year Inditex sales increased 8%, far stronger than its competitors.
The secret of fast fashion retailing is the ability to generate quick turnover of merchandise in the stores. New fashion designs are shipped at a rapid rate, there are few basics and reorders are rare. The customer knows that she should buy an item she likes when she sees it. The Inditex Group prides itself to deliver quality merchandise in as little as three weeks from its own factories. Designers develop new models daily – sometimes three or four a day – which are then reviewed and are put into production. It is no wonder that versions of new designs by fashion designers in Paris are in Zara stores within a very short time of appearing on the runway.
Inditex is headquartered in La Coruna, Spain. However, several divisions have their headquarters in the Barcelona region. The company was started in 1963 by Armancio Ortega (78), who holds about 60% of the stock and is today Spain’s richest man. He is still a driving force in the company, although in 2008 he has given Pablo Isla (51) the mandate to run the company day to day. He is today the chairman and CEO of the company. Ortega’s daughter Marta (31), who has joined Inditex, after studying marketing, could possibly be the successor to Isla, keeping the family fortune under her control.
Below is a list the various divisions of Inditex. All divisions are showing strong earnings and have the potential for additional growth. In addition all divisions have a strong on-line platform. The surprise is that despite the wide global distribution of 6,683 stores in 88 countries there are only 55 stores in the United States – 53 Zara stores and 2 Massimo Dutti stores. I suspect there will be an intensification of store expansion in the United States including Zara Kids, Zara Home and one of the other labels such as Bershka. I expect that Massimo Dutti with its better fashion look will soon have more stores in some of our better shopping areas.
Zara – Fast Fashion for women, men, children. 1,923 stores in 88 countries. 2014 sales $12.6 Billion with 53 stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $2.314 Million which is an EBIT Margin of 18% and is 66% of total company profits. (Founded 1975)
Zara Kids – This is a new division which has 162 stores in four countries but is still integrated in the Zara organization. No separate data is available. (Recently founded)
Pull&Bear – Casual wear – Key target customers are women and men 14 to 28 years old.- 898 stores – 2014 sales $2.1 Billion. No stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $205 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 6% of total profits. (Founded 1991)
Massimo Dutti – Better price fashion for mature women and men – 706 stores – 2014 sales volume $1.5 Billion, 2 stores in the United States, EBIT contribution is $291 Million which is an EBIT margin of 19% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1985)
Bershka- Value priced fashions for young women and men – 1006 stores – 2014 sales $1.9 Billion. EBIT contribution is $267 Million, which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1988)
Stradivarius – Casual wear for women – 910 stores – 2014 sales $1.2 Billion – EBIT contribution – $247 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 20% and is 7% of total profits. (Founded 1995)
Oysho – Lingerie and sportswear – 575 stores – 2014 sales $453 Million – EBIT contribution – $71 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 16% and 2% of total profits. (Founded 2001)
Zara Home – Home and Accessories – 437 stores – 2014 sales $651 Million, EBIT contribution $88 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and 3% of total profits. (Founded 2003)
Uterque – Designer RTW fashions and accessories – 66 stores – 2014 sales $74 Million. EBIT contribution $2.2 Million which is an EBIT margin of 2%. (Founded 2008)
Lefties – About 80 outlet shops in Spain Portugal, Mexico and Russia. These stores are included in the store count.
Note – All figures in this report are based on the current conversion rate of 1 Euro = $1.09.
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The Fashion Industry's Modeling Mystery - Huffington Post
Why Does Everyone Want to be a Model?
The fashion industry's model mystery is becoming HISTORY. Adiós to the seasoned pros, and hello to a constant slew of fresh faces. Every moment I focus my eyes, unplug my ears and zip my lips, I recognize the flood of anxious faces; I sense their piercing thirst; and I resist the urge to comment on their eagerness to enter the fashion industry expecting to become the next top fiercest "this person," or "that person's" biggest, baddest -- yes you've guessed it --- MODEL.
The overpopulation of models in our second decade of the 21st century would have been unimaginable to the fashion industry during the '60s, '70s, '80s, and even the '90s of the 20th century. In the earlier years, professional fashion models (especially those of color) were a rarity, and regulation was ruled by a recognizable system of reverence and respect. Now there is an overflow of Naomi Campbells and Kate Mosses with EVERYBODY seemingly motivated by no less than reality TV and ubiquitous smartphone apps for social media.
[Photo: PAUL MASSEY / Rex USA / Courtesy Everett Collection (l-r) Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington walk for Versace Autumn/ Winter Fashion show Milan, 1991.]
With the rise in reality TV shows such as Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and social media platforms such as Instagram adding the most fuel to the fire, the fashion industry is barfing bitterness at the excess of anxious, self-taught hopefuls flooding the market. What our beloved model wannabes haven't taught themselves is that there is far more to becoming a reputable model than being the cutest in your school, mauling a photographer to snap you in your favorite #OOTD (outfits of the day) and entangling yourself in an endless surge of social media hype; these aren't even close to the basics. Modeling is known as an art, a craft -- a craft where the model is comparable to pure clay, or even children's Play-Doh. Comparable to clay, a model's inner beauty should be molded, developed and preserved, in order to showcase natural attributes and qualities rather than drowning his/her beloved followers with selfie's, shameless self-promotion, and hashtags as high as heaven. But that's not what our "20k-follower" page owners want to hear -- no!
Excitingly, there's been an overall boost to the fashion industry with shows like Lifetime's Project Runway inspiring every needle and threading knitter to be the next Ralph Lauren or Alexander McQueen. Thank the Lord! This means an increase in runway jobs, showroom gigs, print ads and advertising campaigns -- Hallelujah! (Turns out not every fashion-related reality TV show is a detriment to the industry, after all.) But, is it enough to sustain and bring a balance to our industry? And you would think, wouldn't our industry want more objects of color, beauty and distinction piercing its dark, bumbling world? Yes, I do, but if there aren't an equivalent amount of "professional" outlets for us to succeed, it simply compares to an unemployment rate.
Edward Enninful, British fashion stylist and current fashion and style director of W Magazine, recently launched an Instagram modeling contest, promising some lucky winner an official shoot for W Magazine. "I'm looking to discover a new-face model on Instagram", Enninful declared using his Instagram page (@edward_enninful), pounding in over 25,000 entries with his special hashtag #EdwinEnninfulScouts. It made me wonder, has the fashion world begun to decline against its own will, forced to embrace the new schemes of these social and digital platforms? Or are they merely outsourcing the casting process to a budding new generation of time-saving technology?
Before I could sit here and rant like a modeling industry know-it-all, I asked Devyn Abdullah, a N.Y.C.-based fashion model, and season one winner of Naomi Campbell's The Face, her views:
I feel as if the internet, media, and definitely reality TV changed modeling... It was a rare world, and now can't be replaced. There's never ever going to be another Naomi Campbell, there's never ever gonna' be another trinity group. Those women [Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell] can book any job.
The way society is set-up now, the longevity in terms of being a successful model has been robbed from us. But reality TV is a catch 22 because it brings opportunity to anyone and everyone."
-- Devyn Abdullah, season one winner, Naomi Campbell's The Face.
[Photo: Fabio Iona / Indigitalimages.com. Model Devyn Abdullah walks for Pamella Roland SS14 during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week]
A world of Catch-22s -- there are tons of working, experienced models now entering the reality TV world to boost their careers, such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Cynthia Bailey, a former supermodel-turned-reality-star, while others have used their reality TV credentials to launch top-notch modeling careers, such as Keeping Up With The Kardasian's Kylie Jenner, a former reality-TV star and soon-to-be supermodel. But as for Devyn, this reality show winner feels as if press, media and television endeavors are overly publicizing the secrecy that built this fashion industry, thus downgrading "modeling" from an actual career option to merely just an amusement. Working with Naomi Campbell on a reality TV show may be a dream for some, but ultimately, the saturation is causing this industry to crash, lose its value, and become a playground for all.
The Meredith Vieira Show
Lavishing upon quotes, next comes the beloved, supermodel herself, Naomi Campbell when she appeared on NBC's The Meredith Vieira Show. Her statement followed host Meredith Vieira's questioning of the new wave of "insta-girls" -- girls who instantly become top models by using Instagram as a platform- in comparison to Naomi's more traditional start over 25 years ago.
It's amazing, I mean good luck to them, I just feel my generation of women, like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia [Schiffer] we had to earn our stripes and take our stepping-stones to get to where we have gotten to accomplish what we have achieved to this date.
Naomi then continued,
I kind of feel like, 'My God,' it's like we've worked so hard and we are still working at it. Then it just comes like that for them, but I sometimes believe, easy come, easy go. So, I am actually grateful for the way that I had my career. I wouldn't want it any other way, so that's for them, this is [for] me.
What if Naomi Campbell would have made her debut in 2006, when shows like America's Next Top Model and websites like ModelMayhem and Myspace began making their impact on the modeling industry, as opposed to 1986, when she graced the covers of Elle and Vogue magazines? Her household name would be unheard of and the beauty and distinction that highlighted her rise to the top, well, would have clearly been over-looked.
Is there hope for the art and business of modeling?
Perhaps the establishment of a legitimate fashion industry union, equivalent to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be the dawn of a new professional era for modeling -- qualified models would gain professional status only after booking a set number of high-end jobs or gaining representation with a legitimate agency. Yet, by the time a retired Fashion executive has the time to initiate and put into place this genius idea, our pro models could be at a sad booking rate of one job per year. Their money would be used up from auditioning for reality shows and such, the only way it seems a "working model" gets press these days.
Couldn't this be a marvelous post-white-house initiative for our ever so fabulous first lady? I couldn't imagine the fashionable Michelle Obama allowing our industry to suffer and remain imbalanced after the impact of her White House Fashion Education Workshop. With all of the influence that she's garnered within the fashion industry, can the political world save the modeling world? Can a life-changing new wave of fashion legislation be enough to flush away every grey area plaguing the modeling industry's accreditation system?
One thing's for sure, the modeling industry is crashing, and quickly losing its value.
This article was originally published on The Triumphant Scoop.
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Mad Men's Costume Designer Janie Bryant Talks Seventies Fashion - Forbes
Janie Bryant, Mad Men’s costume designer
The final episode of Mad Men’s previous season took place in 1969, which leads to the very exciting prospect of seeing Don Draper in a polyester plaid suit and platform shoes next season, not to mention the Halston goodness we might witness on the likes of Megan Draper. Earlier this month, I chatted with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant at San Francisco’s launch of Shoes of Prey, an amazing service that lets you design the custom shoe of your dreams for around $200.
Bryant has created a 60s-inspired collection, her second for the brand. It’s a fashion era about which she surely must now be one of the world’s top experts. And while she would not hint at what year we might see come to life in the next season of Mad Men, she did give us her thoughts on ’70s fashion. For more on Bryant’s Shoes of Prey collab and the past decades of American style, check out my interview below.
Is the Shoes of Prey customer a luxury customer or the everyday woman?
“To do custom design is sort of the ultimate luxury. And really the customer for Shoes of Prey is also a career woman, so i think that to be able to get exactly what you want is a luxury.”
How does your costume design experience inform your experience with this company?
“Costume design is such a different form of design. But for my second collection I really wanted to base it on the late 1960s, and incorporating those details that I really do know so much about. But helping to tell the story of a character through clothing is different than designing a collection for the consumer.”
I’m obsessed with seventies style, personally. How have you liked heading towards that decade? Are we in the seventies yet on Mad Men?
“I can’t tell you what year we’re in! I really can’t tell you anything!”
OK let’s keep the show out of it: how do you feel about ’70s style?
“I love the period of the 1970s. I’m totally obsessed with men’s plaid polyester suits and bellbottoms and platform shoes and polyester wide ties that tell complete stories. That’s really more later ’70s design. And I also love women’s fashion of the 1970s. The whole Sutdio 54 period is amazing and all of the amazing Biba pantsuits and Halston, it’s such a great period. It’s almost like the last period of American fashion for men and women. The style was so pervasive. People weren’t afraid. There was such access in everyday clothing, like the Sears catalog or J.C. Penney. That’s what people wore.
Now, it’s really funny, in photographs it’s really hard to tell what era we’re in now, even if you go back 20 years because people aren’t really dressing in a specific decade and clothing has remained somewhat the same for like the last 20 or 30 years. You can really recognize photographs from the 1980s, the 1970s, the 1960s, 1950s, ’40s, ’30s, ’20s. But it’s much harder to identify a certain period now in photographs of a party setting or a city street. It’s more generic now.”
Do you think the Internet is influencing that?
“Doesn’t the Internet influence everything?”
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Fashion Week show boost NM designers - UNM Daily Lobo
Melissa Beasley, founder and executive director of Albuquerque Apparel Center, said she recognizes that there are a lot of creative people throughout New Mexico and wants to play a role in promoting those people in the fashion industry.
“The biggest event in the fashion industry is fashion week ... this is a premier event that brings notoriety and publicity for our designers as well as networking opportunities,” Beasley said.
New Mexico Fashion Week strives toward embracing diversity and presenting the wide variety of styles that can be found in the local fashion industry, she said.
“People who have never been here before think we’re only southwest, cowboys and Indians kinds of designs and we’re so much more than that,” Beasley said.
The 12 designers featured in the show range from students to celebrity designers, according to the Fashion Week program guide.
The Fashion Week event added something new to the show this year: a Fashion as Art exhibit and competition. Patty Boldridge, co-producer of Fashion as Art, said the exhibit was an opportunity for artists to step out of their comfort zones and create unique pieces that combine fashion design and sculpting techniques.
Boldridge said she worked with Meredith Lockhart, a fashion designer and the other co-producer, to create a dress made out of covers from “Cowboys & Indians” magazine for the exhibit.
However, she said the dress was not included in the competition because Boldridge and Lockhart wanted the competition to be solely for the artists.
According to the New Mexico Fashion Week website, the participating artists had to make extraordinary dresses from mostly nontraditional materials such as metal, plastic and rubber.
Many of the sculptures were inspired by New Mexican culture. One design was made from New Mexican license plates while others were created with local magazine covers.
The winner in the Fashion as Art student division was from Santa Fe Prep and the adult division winner was a businesswoman from Taos.
Gabrielle Torres, Miss Albuquerque 2014 and a sophomore criminology and communications major, hosted the three-hour event and said fashion week is about supporting local talent.
Torres also walked the runway as a model for A. Tsagas Designs and Montecristi Custom Hat Works. She said she enjoyed modeling during the show because she was excited to promote the designers and loves performing on stage.
Those who organized the New Mexico Fashion Week Runway Show are not the only community members supporting the artists within the fashion industry.
Paul Maldonado, a participant in the fashion show, said he attended this fashion show to support the New Mexico fashion industry and see all that it has it offer.
“I liked the whole experience. There were never any ups or downs [during the show],” Maldonado said.
Some of the evening’s most talked about designers included emerging designer Kenneth “K-Bobby” Edgar and celebrity designer, A. Tsagas.
Khadijah Jacobs is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
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Yoox to Buy High-Fashion Retailer Net-a-Porter - Re/code
Italian online fashion retailer Yoox has agreed to buy Net-a-Porter, its upmarket rival, in an all-share deal that creates an industry leader in the booming online luxury market, with combined sales of 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
Net-a-Porter owner Richemont will receive 50 percent of the combined Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, but its voting rights will be capped at 25 percent, putting Yoox effectively in charge of the combined business.
“Today, we open the doors to the world’s biggest luxury fashion store. It is a store that never closes, a store without geographical borders,” said NAP founder Natalie Massenet, who will oversee editorial content of the group as executive chairman.
Yoox boss, founder and minority shareholder Federico Marchetti will become chief executive and shape strategy.
“Between us, we have changed the fashion industry somehow and we will continue to change it,” Marchetti told journalists in a conference call on Tuesday.
The online luxury goods industry is still in its infancy, making up only about 5 percent of total luxury sales because many brands put off Internet expansion, worrying it would not offer customers the same high-end experience as their stores.
But many executives now believe the Internet has redrawn battle lines between luxury brands and will be key to driving future sales, particularly among millennials.
Online luxury is not yet very profitable: Both Yoox’s and NAP’s operating margin is less than 5 percent, compared with more than 25 percent for most big luxury brands such as Gucci.
But the pair hope their bigger size will help cut warehouse, logistical, back-office and distribution costs, lifting margins.
Yoox operates the online sales of fashion brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Kering’s Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent and also sells items at a discount.
Analysts said the deal could help boost Yoox’s chances of retaining luxury brands that might otherwise have wanted to take their online operations in-house once they gained experience.
“I’m positive on the outlook for the online luxury market. I believe it’s a structural change that will gain traction as younger generations of more ‘digitally minded’ managers get to the top,” said Gian Luca Pacini at Intesa Sanpaolo in Milan.
NAP, which is regarded as having helped make online shopping an entertainment experience, specializes in current season and off-the-runway items and advises customers on what to wear them with. It also published the fashion magazine Porter.
Marchetti said NAP would have the same valuation as Yoox once the deal was completed in September. Analysts valued NAP at around 1.5 billion euros, above Yoox which stood at 1.32 billion euros on Friday before news of the potential deal came out.
Yoox shares, which gained nearly 10 percent on Monday after Yoox and Richemont confirmed Reuters reports they were in talks, were up more than 8 percent in Tuesday trading, valuing Yoox at 1.56 billion euros. Richemont shares were down more than 1 percent.
The combined business will generate adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of around 108 million euros in 2014 and annual synergies of around 60 million euros by the third full year, the two companies said.
If Yoox shareholders approve the deal in June, the new group will launch a rights issue of around 200 million euros ($216 million) in the fall to fund growth, with Richemont expected to fund around half the sum, a spokesman for the Swiss group said.
Marchetti said strategic investors keen to participate in the capital increase could include luxury brands but gave no further details.
Richemont, which makes the bulk of its profit from its Cartier watch and jewelry brand, has agreed to a three-year lock-up for half of its stake, or 25 percent, which analysts said they would expect the Swiss group to eventually sell.
The Swiss group will appoint two of the 12-member board.
The deal comes less than a week after after two other high-profile Italian companies, Pirelli and World Duty Free, were taken over.
(Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt and Valentina Za; Additional reporting by Katarina Bart in Zurich; Editing by Sophie Walker)
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Zara Leads In Fast Fashion - Forbes
Zara, the major division of the Spanish retailer Inditex continues to change retailing through its rapid, vertically integrated supply chain. Zara has become the leader in rapid development of fast changing fashions.
In fiscal 2014, (ended January 31, 2015) the company had sales of $19.7 Billion compared to H&M with $20.2 Billion, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo) $16.6 Billion, Gap $16.4 Billion, Primark $7.5 Billion, Abercrombie & Fitch $3.7 Billion, Mango $2.1 Billion. In the past year Inditex sales increased 8%, far stronger than its competitors.
The secret of fast fashion retailing is the ability to generate quick turnover of merchandise in the stores. New fashion designs are shipped at a rapid rate, there are few basics and reorders are rare. The customer knows that she should buy an item she likes when she sees it. The Inditex Group prides itself to deliver quality merchandise in as little as three weeks from its own factories. Designers develop new models daily – sometimes three or four a day – which are then reviewed and are put into production. It is no wonder that versions of new designs by fashion designers in Paris are in Zara stores within a very short time of appearing on the runway.
Inditex is headquartered in La Coruna, Spain. However, several divisions have their headquarters in the Barcelona region. The company was started in 1963 by Armancio Ortega (78), who holds about 60% of the stock and is today Spain’s richest man. He is still a driving force in the company, although in 2008 he has given Pablo Isla (51) the mandate to run the company day to day. He is today the chairman and CEO of the company. Ortega’s daughter Marta (31), who has joined Inditex, after studying marketing, could possibly be the successor to Isla, keeping the family fortune under her control.
Below is a list the various divisions of Inditex. All divisions are showing strong earnings and have the potential for additional growth. In addition all divisions have a strong on-line platform. The surprise is that despite the wide global distribution of 6,683 stores in 88 countries there are only 55 stores in the United States – 53 Zara stores and 2 Massimo Dutti stores. I suspect there will be an intensification of store expansion in the United States including Zara Kids, Zara Home and one of the other labels such as Bershka. I expect that Massimo Dutti with its better fashion look will soon have more stores in some of our better shopping areas.
Zara – Fast Fashion for women, men, children. 1,923 stores in 88 countries. 2014 sales $12.6 Billion with 53 stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $2.314 Million which is an EBIT Margin of 18% and is 66% of total company profits. (Founded 1975)
Zara Kids – This is a new division which has 162 stores in four countries but is still integrated in the Zara organization. No separate data is available. (Recently founded)
Pull&Bear – Casual wear – Key target customers are women and men 14 to 28 years old.- 898 stores – 2014 sales $2.1 Billion. No stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $205 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 6% of total profits. (Founded 1991)
Massimo Dutti – Better price fashion for mature women and men – 706 stores – 2014 sales volume $1.5 Billion, 2 stores in the United States, EBIT contribution is $291 Million which is an EBIT margin of 19% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1985)
Bershka- Value priced fashions for young women and men – 1006 stores – 2014 sales $1.9 Billion. EBIT contribution is $267 Million, which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1988)
Stradivarius – Casual wear for women – 910 stores – 2014 sales $1.2 Billion – EBIT contribution – $247 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 20% and is 7% of total profits. (Founded 1995)
Oysho – Lingerie and sportswear – 575 stores – 2014 sales $453 Million – EBIT contribution – $71 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 16% and 2% of total profits. (Founded 2001)
Zara Home – Home and Accessories – 437 stores – 2014 sales $651 Million, EBIT contribution $88 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and 3% of total profits. (Founded 2003)
Uterque – Designer RTW fashions and accessories – 66 stores – 2014 sales $74 Million. EBIT contribution $2.2 Million which is an EBIT margin of 2%. (Founded 2008)
Lefties – About 80 outlet shops in Spain Portugal, Mexico and Russia. These stores are included in the store count.
Note – All figures in this report are based on the current conversion rate of 1 Euro = $1.09.
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The Fashion Industry's Modeling Mystery - Huffington Post
Why Does Everyone Want to be a Model?
The fashion industry's model mystery is becoming HISTORY. Adiós to the seasoned pros, and hello to a constant slew of fresh faces. Every moment I focus my eyes, unplug my ears and zip my lips, I recognize the flood of anxious faces; I sense their piercing thirst; and I resist the urge to comment on their eagerness to enter the fashion industry expecting to become the next top fiercest "this person," or "that person's" biggest, baddest -- yes you've guessed it --- MODEL.
The overpopulation of models in our second decade of the 21st century would have been unimaginable to the fashion industry during the '60s, '70s, '80s, and even the '90s of the 20th century. In the earlier years, professional fashion models (especially those of color) were a rarity, and regulation was ruled by a recognizable system of reverence and respect. Now there is an overflow of Naomi Campbells and Kate Mosses with EVERYBODY seemingly motivated by no less than reality TV and ubiquitous smartphone apps for social media.
[Photo: PAUL MASSEY / Rex USA / Courtesy Everett Collection (l-r) Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington walk for Versace Autumn/ Winter Fashion show Milan, 1991.]
With the rise in reality TV shows such as Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and social media platforms such as Instagram adding the most fuel to the fire, the fashion industry is barfing bitterness at the excess of anxious, self-taught hopefuls flooding the market. What our beloved model wannabes haven't taught themselves is that there is far more to becoming a reputable model than being the cutest in your school, mauling a photographer to snap you in your favorite #OOTD (outfits of the day) and entangling yourself in an endless surge of social media hype; these aren't even close to the basics. Modeling is known as an art, a craft -- a craft where the model is comparable to pure clay, or even children's Play-Doh. Comparable to clay, a model's inner beauty should be molded, developed and preserved, in order to showcase natural attributes and qualities rather than drowning his/her beloved followers with selfie's, shameless self-promotion, and hashtags as high as heaven. But that's not what our "20k-follower" page owners want to hear -- no!
Excitingly, there's been an overall boost to the fashion industry with shows like Lifetime's Project Runway inspiring every needle and threading knitter to be the next Ralph Lauren or Alexander McQueen. Thank the Lord! This means an increase in runway jobs, showroom gigs, print ads and advertising campaigns -- Hallelujah! (Turns out not every fashion-related reality TV show is a detriment to the industry, after all.) But, is it enough to sustain and bring a balance to our industry? And you would think, wouldn't our industry want more objects of color, beauty and distinction piercing its dark, bumbling world? Yes, I do, but if there aren't an equivalent amount of "professional" outlets for us to succeed, it simply compares to an unemployment rate.
Edward Enninful, British fashion stylist and current fashion and style director of W Magazine, recently launched an Instagram modeling contest, promising some lucky winner an official shoot for W Magazine. "I'm looking to discover a new-face model on Instagram", Enninful declared using his Instagram page (@edward_enninful), pounding in over 25,000 entries with his special hashtag #EdwinEnninfulScouts. It made me wonder, has the fashion world begun to decline against its own will, forced to embrace the new schemes of these social and digital platforms? Or are they merely outsourcing the casting process to a budding new generation of time-saving technology?
Before I could sit here and rant like a modeling industry know-it-all, I asked Devyn Abdullah, a N.Y.C.-based fashion model, and season one winner of Naomi Campbell's The Face, her views:
I feel as if the internet, media, and definitely reality TV changed modeling... It was a rare world, and now can't be replaced. There's never ever going to be another Naomi Campbell, there's never ever gonna' be another trinity group. Those women [Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell] can book any job.
The way society is set-up now, the longevity in terms of being a successful model has been robbed from us. But reality TV is a catch 22 because it brings opportunity to anyone and everyone."
-- Devyn Abdullah, season one winner, Naomi Campbell's The Face.
[Photo: Fabio Iona / Indigitalimages.com. Model Devyn Abdullah walks for Pamella Roland SS14 during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week]
A world of Catch-22s -- there are tons of working, experienced models now entering the reality TV world to boost their careers, such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Cynthia Bailey, a former supermodel-turned-reality-star, while others have used their reality TV credentials to launch top-notch modeling careers, such as Keeping Up With The Kardasian's Kylie Jenner, a former reality-TV star and soon-to-be supermodel. But as for Devyn, this reality show winner feels as if press, media and television endeavors are overly publicizing the secrecy that built this fashion industry, thus downgrading "modeling" from an actual career option to merely just an amusement. Working with Naomi Campbell on a reality TV show may be a dream for some, but ultimately, the saturation is causing this industry to crash, lose its value, and become a playground for all.
The Meredith Vieira Show
Lavishing upon quotes, next comes the beloved, supermodel herself, Naomi Campbell when she appeared on NBC's The Meredith Vieira Show. Her statement followed host Meredith Vieira's questioning of the new wave of "insta-girls" -- girls who instantly become top models by using Instagram as a platform- in comparison to Naomi's more traditional start over 25 years ago.
It's amazing, I mean good luck to them, I just feel my generation of women, like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia [Schiffer] we had to earn our stripes and take our stepping-stones to get to where we have gotten to accomplish what we have achieved to this date.
Naomi then continued,
I kind of feel like, 'My God,' it's like we've worked so hard and we are still working at it. Then it just comes like that for them, but I sometimes believe, easy come, easy go. So, I am actually grateful for the way that I had my career. I wouldn't want it any other way, so that's for them, this is [for] me.
What if Naomi Campbell would have made her debut in 2006, when shows like America's Next Top Model and websites like ModelMayhem and Myspace began making their impact on the modeling industry, as opposed to 1986, when she graced the covers of Elle and Vogue magazines? Her household name would be unheard of and the beauty and distinction that highlighted her rise to the top, well, would have clearly been over-looked.
Is there hope for the art and business of modeling?
Perhaps the establishment of a legitimate fashion industry union, equivalent to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be the dawn of a new professional era for modeling -- qualified models would gain professional status only after booking a set number of high-end jobs or gaining representation with a legitimate agency. Yet, by the time a retired Fashion executive has the time to initiate and put into place this genius idea, our pro models could be at a sad booking rate of one job per year. Their money would be used up from auditioning for reality shows and such, the only way it seems a "working model" gets press these days.
Couldn't this be a marvelous post-white-house initiative for our ever so fabulous first lady? I couldn't imagine the fashionable Michelle Obama allowing our industry to suffer and remain imbalanced after the impact of her White House Fashion Education Workshop. With all of the influence that she's garnered within the fashion industry, can the political world save the modeling world? Can a life-changing new wave of fashion legislation be enough to flush away every grey area plaguing the modeling industry's accreditation system?
One thing's for sure, the modeling industry is crashing, and quickly losing its value.
This article was originally published on The Triumphant Scoop.
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Mad Men's Costume Designer Janie Bryant Talks Seventies Fashion - Forbes
Janie Bryant, Mad Men’s costume designer
The final episode of Mad Men’s previous season took place in 1969, which leads to the very exciting prospect of seeing Don Draper in a polyester plaid suit and platform shoes next season, not to mention the Halston goodness we might witness on the likes of Megan Draper. Earlier this month, I chatted with Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant at San Francisco’s launch of Shoes of Prey, an amazing service that lets you design the custom shoe of your dreams for around $200.
Bryant has created a 60s-inspired collection, her second for the brand. It’s a fashion era about which she surely must now be one of the world’s top experts. And while she would not hint at what year we might see come to life in the next season of Mad Men, she did give us her thoughts on ’70s fashion. For more on Bryant’s Shoes of Prey collab and the past decades of American style, check out my interview below.
Is the Shoes of Prey customer a luxury customer or the everyday woman?
“To do custom design is sort of the ultimate luxury. And really the customer for Shoes of Prey is also a career woman, so i think that to be able to get exactly what you want is a luxury.”
How does your costume design experience inform your experience with this company?
“Costume design is such a different form of design. But for my second collection I really wanted to base it on the late 1960s, and incorporating those details that I really do know so much about. But helping to tell the story of a character through clothing is different than designing a collection for the consumer.”
I’m obsessed with seventies style, personally. How have you liked heading towards that decade? Are we in the seventies yet on Mad Men?
“I can’t tell you what year we’re in! I really can’t tell you anything!”
OK let’s keep the show out of it: how do you feel about ’70s style?
“I love the period of the 1970s. I’m totally obsessed with men’s plaid polyester suits and bellbottoms and platform shoes and polyester wide ties that tell complete stories. That’s really more later ’70s design. And I also love women’s fashion of the 1970s. The whole Sutdio 54 period is amazing and all of the amazing Biba pantsuits and Halston, it’s such a great period. It’s almost like the last period of American fashion for men and women. The style was so pervasive. People weren’t afraid. There was such access in everyday clothing, like the Sears catalog or J.C. Penney. That’s what people wore.
Now, it’s really funny, in photographs it’s really hard to tell what era we’re in now, even if you go back 20 years because people aren’t really dressing in a specific decade and clothing has remained somewhat the same for like the last 20 or 30 years. You can really recognize photographs from the 1980s, the 1970s, the 1960s, 1950s, ’40s, ’30s, ’20s. But it’s much harder to identify a certain period now in photographs of a party setting or a city street. It’s more generic now.”
Do you think the Internet is influencing that?
“Doesn’t the Internet influence everything?”
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Fashion Week show boost NM designers - UNM Daily Lobo
Melissa Beasley, founder and executive director of Albuquerque Apparel Center, said she recognizes that there are a lot of creative people throughout New Mexico and wants to play a role in promoting those people in the fashion industry.
“The biggest event in the fashion industry is fashion week ... this is a premier event that brings notoriety and publicity for our designers as well as networking opportunities,” Beasley said.
New Mexico Fashion Week strives toward embracing diversity and presenting the wide variety of styles that can be found in the local fashion industry, she said.
“People who have never been here before think we’re only southwest, cowboys and Indians kinds of designs and we’re so much more than that,” Beasley said.
The 12 designers featured in the show range from students to celebrity designers, according to the Fashion Week program guide.
The Fashion Week event added something new to the show this year: a Fashion as Art exhibit and competition. Patty Boldridge, co-producer of Fashion as Art, said the exhibit was an opportunity for artists to step out of their comfort zones and create unique pieces that combine fashion design and sculpting techniques.
Boldridge said she worked with Meredith Lockhart, a fashion designer and the other co-producer, to create a dress made out of covers from “Cowboys & Indians” magazine for the exhibit.
However, she said the dress was not included in the competition because Boldridge and Lockhart wanted the competition to be solely for the artists.
According to the New Mexico Fashion Week website, the participating artists had to make extraordinary dresses from mostly nontraditional materials such as metal, plastic and rubber.
Many of the sculptures were inspired by New Mexican culture. One design was made from New Mexican license plates while others were created with local magazine covers.
The winner in the Fashion as Art student division was from Santa Fe Prep and the adult division winner was a businesswoman from Taos.
Gabrielle Torres, Miss Albuquerque 2014 and a sophomore criminology and communications major, hosted the three-hour event and said fashion week is about supporting local talent.
Torres also walked the runway as a model for A. Tsagas Designs and Montecristi Custom Hat Works. She said she enjoyed modeling during the show because she was excited to promote the designers and loves performing on stage.
Those who organized the New Mexico Fashion Week Runway Show are not the only community members supporting the artists within the fashion industry.
Paul Maldonado, a participant in the fashion show, said he attended this fashion show to support the New Mexico fashion industry and see all that it has it offer.
“I liked the whole experience. There were never any ups or downs [during the show],” Maldonado said.
Some of the evening’s most talked about designers included emerging designer Kenneth “K-Bobby” Edgar and celebrity designer, A. Tsagas.
Khadijah Jacobs is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
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Yoox to Buy High-Fashion Retailer Net-a-Porter - Re/code
Italian online fashion retailer Yoox has agreed to buy Net-a-Porter, its upmarket rival, in an all-share deal that creates an industry leader in the booming online luxury market, with combined sales of 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).
Net-a-Porter owner Richemont will receive 50 percent of the combined Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, but its voting rights will be capped at 25 percent, putting Yoox effectively in charge of the combined business.
“Today, we open the doors to the world’s biggest luxury fashion store. It is a store that never closes, a store without geographical borders,” said NAP founder Natalie Massenet, who will oversee editorial content of the group as executive chairman.
Yoox boss, founder and minority shareholder Federico Marchetti will become chief executive and shape strategy.
“Between us, we have changed the fashion industry somehow and we will continue to change it,” Marchetti told journalists in a conference call on Tuesday.
The online luxury goods industry is still in its infancy, making up only about 5 percent of total luxury sales because many brands put off Internet expansion, worrying it would not offer customers the same high-end experience as their stores.
But many executives now believe the Internet has redrawn battle lines between luxury brands and will be key to driving future sales, particularly among millennials.
Online luxury is not yet very profitable: Both Yoox’s and NAP’s operating margin is less than 5 percent, compared with more than 25 percent for most big luxury brands such as Gucci.
But the pair hope their bigger size will help cut warehouse, logistical, back-office and distribution costs, lifting margins.
Yoox operates the online sales of fashion brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Kering’s Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent and also sells items at a discount.
Analysts said the deal could help boost Yoox’s chances of retaining luxury brands that might otherwise have wanted to take their online operations in-house once they gained experience.
“I’m positive on the outlook for the online luxury market. I believe it’s a structural change that will gain traction as younger generations of more ‘digitally minded’ managers get to the top,” said Gian Luca Pacini at Intesa Sanpaolo in Milan.
NAP, which is regarded as having helped make online shopping an entertainment experience, specializes in current season and off-the-runway items and advises customers on what to wear them with. It also published the fashion magazine Porter.
Marchetti said NAP would have the same valuation as Yoox once the deal was completed in September. Analysts valued NAP at around 1.5 billion euros, above Yoox which stood at 1.32 billion euros on Friday before news of the potential deal came out.
Yoox shares, which gained nearly 10 percent on Monday after Yoox and Richemont confirmed Reuters reports they were in talks, were up more than 8 percent in Tuesday trading, valuing Yoox at 1.56 billion euros. Richemont shares were down more than 1 percent.
The combined business will generate adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of around 108 million euros in 2014 and annual synergies of around 60 million euros by the third full year, the two companies said.
If Yoox shareholders approve the deal in June, the new group will launch a rights issue of around 200 million euros ($216 million) in the fall to fund growth, with Richemont expected to fund around half the sum, a spokesman for the Swiss group said.
Marchetti said strategic investors keen to participate in the capital increase could include luxury brands but gave no further details.
Richemont, which makes the bulk of its profit from its Cartier watch and jewelry brand, has agreed to a three-year lock-up for half of its stake, or 25 percent, which analysts said they would expect the Swiss group to eventually sell.
The Swiss group will appoint two of the 12-member board.
The deal comes less than a week after after two other high-profile Italian companies, Pirelli and World Duty Free, were taken over.
(Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt and Valentina Za; Additional reporting by Katarina Bart in Zurich; Editing by Sophie Walker)
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The Fashion Industry's Modeling Mystery - Huffington Post
Why Does Everyone Want to be a Model?
The fashion industry's model mystery is becoming HISTORY. Adiós to the seasoned pros, and hello to a constant slew of fresh faces. Every moment I focus my eyes, unplug my ears and zip my lips, I recognize the flood of anxious faces; I sense their piercing thirst; and I resist the urge to comment on their eagerness to enter the fashion industry expecting to become the next top fiercest "this person," or "that person's" biggest, baddest -- yes you've guessed it --- MODEL.
The overpopulation of models in our second decade of the 21st century would have been unimaginable to the fashion industry during the '60s, '70s, '80s, and even the '90s of the 20th century. In the earlier years, professional fashion models (especially those of color) were a rarity, and regulation was ruled by a recognizable system of reverence and respect. Now there is an overflow of Naomi Campbells and Kate Mosses with EVERYBODY seemingly motivated by no less than reality TV and ubiquitous smartphone apps for social media.
[Photo: PAUL MASSEY / Rex USA / Courtesy Everett Collection (l-r) Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington walk for Versace Autumn/ Winter Fashion show Milan, 1991.]
With the rise in reality TV shows such as Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and social media platforms such as Instagram adding the most fuel to the fire, the fashion industry is barfing bitterness at the excess of anxious, self-taught hopefuls flooding the market. What our beloved model wannabes haven't taught themselves is that there is far more to becoming a reputable model than being the cutest in your school, mauling a photographer to snap you in your favorite #OOTD (outfits of the day) and entangling yourself in an endless surge of social media hype; these aren't even close to the basics. Modeling is known as an art, a craft -- a craft where the model is comparable to pure clay, or even children's Play-Doh. Comparable to clay, a model's inner beauty should be molded, developed and preserved, in order to showcase natural attributes and qualities rather than drowning his/her beloved followers with selfie's, shameless self-promotion, and hashtags as high as heaven. But that's not what our "20k-follower" page owners want to hear -- no!
Excitingly, there's been an overall boost to the fashion industry with shows like Lifetime's Project Runway inspiring every needle and threading knitter to be the next Ralph Lauren or Alexander McQueen. Thank the Lord! This means an increase in runway jobs, showroom gigs, print ads and advertising campaigns -- Hallelujah! (Turns out not every fashion-related reality TV show is a detriment to the industry, after all.) But, is it enough to sustain and bring a balance to our industry? And you would think, wouldn't our industry want more objects of color, beauty and distinction piercing its dark, bumbling world? Yes, I do, but if there aren't an equivalent amount of "professional" outlets for us to succeed, it simply compares to an unemployment rate.
Edward Enninful, British fashion stylist and current fashion and style director of W Magazine, recently launched an Instagram modeling contest, promising some lucky winner an official shoot for W Magazine. "I'm looking to discover a new-face model on Instagram", Enninful declared using his Instagram page (@edward_enninful), pounding in over 25,000 entries with his special hashtag #EdwinEnninfulScouts. It made me wonder, has the fashion world begun to decline against its own will, forced to embrace the new schemes of these social and digital platforms? Or are they merely outsourcing the casting process to a budding new generation of time-saving technology?
Before I could sit here and rant like a modeling industry know-it-all, I asked Devyn Abdullah, a N.Y.C.-based fashion model, and season one winner of Naomi Campbell's The Face, her views:
I feel as if the internet, media, and definitely reality TV changed modeling... It was a rare world, and now can't be replaced. There's never ever going to be another Naomi Campbell, there's never ever gonna' be another trinity group. Those women [Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell] can book any job.
The way society is set-up now, the longevity in terms of being a successful model has been robbed from us. But reality TV is a catch 22 because it brings opportunity to anyone and everyone."
-- Devyn Abdullah, season one winner, Naomi Campbell's The Face.
[Photo: Fabio Iona / Indigitalimages.com. Model Devyn Abdullah walks for Pamella Roland SS14 during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week]
A world of Catch-22s -- there are tons of working, experienced models now entering the reality TV world to boost their careers, such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Cynthia Bailey, a former supermodel-turned-reality-star, while others have used their reality TV credentials to launch top-notch modeling careers, such as Keeping Up With The Kardasian's Kylie Jenner, a former reality-TV star and soon-to-be supermodel. But as for Devyn, this reality show winner feels as if press, media and television endeavors are overly publicizing the secrecy that built this fashion industry, thus downgrading "modeling" from an actual career option to merely just an amusement. Working with Naomi Campbell on a reality TV show may be a dream for some, but ultimately, the saturation is causing this industry to crash, lose its value, and become a playground for all.
The Meredith Vieira Show
Lavishing upon quotes, next comes the beloved, supermodel herself, Naomi Campbell when she appeared on NBC's The Meredith Vieira Show. Her statement followed host Meredith Vieira's questioning of the new wave of "insta-girls" -- girls who instantly become top models by using Instagram as a platform- in comparison to Naomi's more traditional start over 25 years ago.
It's amazing, I mean good luck to them, I just feel my generation of women, like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Claudia [Schiffer] we had to earn our stripes and take our stepping-stones to get to where we have gotten to accomplish what we have achieved to this date.
Naomi then continued,
I kind of feel like, 'My God,' it's like we've worked so hard and we are still working at it. Then it just comes like that for them, but I sometimes believe, easy come, easy go. So, I am actually grateful for the way that I had my career. I wouldn't want it any other way, so that's for them, this is [for] me.
What if Naomi Campbell would have made her debut in 2006, when shows like America's Next Top Model and websites like ModelMayhem and Myspace began making their impact on the modeling industry, as opposed to 1986, when she graced the covers of Elle and Vogue magazines? Her household name would be unheard of and the beauty and distinction that highlighted her rise to the top, well, would have clearly been over-looked.
Is there hope for the art and business of modeling?
Perhaps the establishment of a legitimate fashion industry union, equivalent to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) will be the dawn of a new professional era for modeling -- qualified models would gain professional status only after booking a set number of high-end jobs or gaining representation with a legitimate agency. Yet, by the time a retired Fashion executive has the time to initiate and put into place this genius idea, our pro models could be at a sad booking rate of one job per year. Their money would be used up from auditioning for reality shows and such, the only way it seems a "working model" gets press these days.
Couldn't this be a marvelous post-white-house initiative for our ever so fabulous first lady? I couldn't imagine the fashionable Michelle Obama allowing our industry to suffer and remain imbalanced after the impact of her White House Fashion Education Workshop. With all of the influence that she's garnered within the fashion industry, can the political world save the modeling world? Can a life-changing new wave of fashion legislation be enough to flush away every grey area plaguing the modeling industry's accreditation system?
One thing's for sure, the modeling industry is crashing, and quickly losing its value.
This article was originally published on The Triumphant Scoop.
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Zara Leads In Fast Fashion - Forbes
Zara, the major division of the Spanish retailer Inditex continues to change retailing through its rapid, vertically integrated supply chain. Zara has become the leader in rapid development of fast changing fashions.
In fiscal 2014, (ended January 31, 2015) the company had sales of $19.7 Billion compared to H&M with $20.2 Billion, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo) $16.6 Billion, Gap $16.4 Billion, Primark $7.5 Billion, Abercrombie & Fitch $3.7 Billion, Mango $2.1 Billion. In the past year Inditex sales increased 8%, far stronger than its competitors.
The secret of fast fashion retailing is the ability to generate quick turnover of merchandise in the stores. New fashion designs are shipped at a rapid rate, there are few basics and reorders are rare. The customer knows that she should buy an item she likes when she sees it. The Inditex Group prides itself to deliver quality merchandise in as little as three weeks from its own factories. Designers develop new models daily – sometimes three or four a day – which are then reviewed and are put into production. It is no wonder that versions of new designs by fashion designers in Paris are in Zara stores within a very short time of appearing on the runway.
Inditex is headquartered in La Coruna, Spain. However, several divisions have their headquarters in the Barcelona region. The company was started in 1963 by Armancio Ortega (78), who holds about 60% of the stock and is today Spain’s richest man. He is still a driving force in the company, although in 2008 he has given Pablo Isla (51) the mandate to run the company day to day. He is today the chairman and CEO of the company. Ortega’s daughter Marta (31), who has joined Inditex, after studying marketing, could possibly be the successor to Isla, keeping the family fortune under her control.
Below is a list the various divisions of Inditex. All divisions are showing strong earnings and have the potential for additional growth. In addition all divisions have a strong on-line platform. The surprise is that despite the wide global distribution of 6,683 stores in 88 countries there are only 55 stores in the United States – 53 Zara stores and 2 Massimo Dutti stores. I suspect there will be an intensification of store expansion in the United States including Zara Kids, Zara Home and one of the other labels such as Bershka. I expect that Massimo Dutti with its better fashion look will soon have more stores in some of our better shopping areas.
Zara – Fast Fashion for women, men, children. 1,923 stores in 88 countries. 2014 sales $12.6 Billion with 53 stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $2.314 Million which is an EBIT Margin of 18% and is 66% of total company profits. (Founded 1975)
Zara Kids – This is a new division which has 162 stores in four countries but is still integrated in the Zara organization. No separate data is available. (Recently founded)
Pull&Bear – Casual wear – Key target customers are women and men 14 to 28 years old.- 898 stores – 2014 sales $2.1 Billion. No stores in the United States. EBIT contribution $205 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 6% of total profits. (Founded 1991)
Massimo Dutti – Better price fashion for mature women and men – 706 stores – 2014 sales volume $1.5 Billion, 2 stores in the United States, EBIT contribution is $291 Million which is an EBIT margin of 19% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1985)
Bershka- Value priced fashions for young women and men – 1006 stores – 2014 sales $1.9 Billion. EBIT contribution is $267 Million, which is an EBIT margin of 15% and is 8% of total profits. (Founded 1988)
Stradivarius – Casual wear for women – 910 stores – 2014 sales $1.2 Billion – EBIT contribution – $247 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 20% and is 7% of total profits. (Founded 1995)
Oysho – Lingerie and sportswear – 575 stores – 2014 sales $453 Million – EBIT contribution – $71 Million – which is an EBIT margin of 16% and 2% of total profits. (Founded 2001)
Zara Home – Home and Accessories – 437 stores – 2014 sales $651 Million, EBIT contribution $88 Million which is an EBIT margin of 15% and 3% of total profits. (Founded 2003)
Uterque – Designer RTW fashions and accessories – 66 stores – 2014 sales $74 Million. EBIT contribution $2.2 Million which is an EBIT margin of 2%. (Founded 2008)
Lefties – About 80 outlet shops in Spain Portugal, Mexico and Russia. These stores are included in the store count.
Note – All figures in this report are based on the current conversion rate of 1 Euro = $1.09.
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Syracuse Fashion Week 2015 to highlight local clothing, lingerie, formal wear - Syracuse.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The 2015 Syracuse Fashion Week will host five events from April 8-12 to benefit the Food Bank of Central New York.
Each event will feature a runway fashion show, live music, local food/drinks and CNY-based designers. Tim Butler of Empire Brewing Company will once again brew Syracuse Fashion Week's signature beer, "Runway Rose," to serve at the shows.
Last year, Syracuse Fashion Week donated $1,000 to the Food Bank of CNY, said Lisa Marie Butler, executive director of Syracuse Fashion Week.
"After we collected all money for tickets and paid our bills, we cut them a nice check," said Butler. "They also put out a donation box and were able to get a few hundred dollars that way. Hopefully we can double or triple that this year."
The Butlers first approached the food bank about a partnership after watching the 2012 documentary about hunger in the U.S. called "A Place at the Table."
"They were moved by it and thought, 'We need to do more to feed people in our community,'" said Lynn Hy, the food bank's director of philanthropy. "That's what led them to us. They're really dedicated to supporting the food bank and they understand hunger is year-round. We're so appreciative."
Food Bank of CNY volunteers and staffers will attend several Fashion Week events to collect donations, answer questions and explain how people can get involved.
Syracuse Style launched in 2009 to put on an outdoor runway show with the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. The annual event was rebranded as Syracuse Fashion Week last year and now organizes multiple runway shows in and around Armory Square, drawing hundreds of people downtown each year.
Here's the full schedule of events.
Wednesday, April 8: Local clothing
Small Plates will host the opening night of Syracuse Fashion Week, with a "Buy Local" runway show featuring local boutiques and designers. Participating brands are The Changing Room, Showoffs Boutique, Modern Pop Culture, Michelle DaRin, Kathy Barry, Maeflowers Vintage, EcoChic Boutique and Projex 214. Just Joe will perform live at the after party, held at Small Plates. Karen Belcher, COO of the Food Bank of CNY, will speak and Small Plates will cater the event.
Where: Small Plates at 116 Walton St.
When:Wednesday, April 8. Cocktails & hors d'oeuvres from 6-7 p.m., show at 7 p.m.
How much: Tickets are $25. VIP Tickets are $40 and includes the show, hors d'oeuvres, champagne, a dedicated server and VIP viewing area.
Thursday, April 9: Sporty/casual clothing
The Red House Arts Center hosts a runway fashion show featuring sporty and casual clothes. Participating brands are Cortefiel, Neenee's Boutique, Showoffs Boutique, Fleet Feet, Urban Life, Dresscode 202 and Projex214. Infinite Clip will DJ, Kim Monroe will perform live and the Red House Cafe will cater the event.
Where: The Red House Arts Center at 201 S. West St.
When: Thursday, April 9. There will be beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.
How much: Tickets are $25.
Friday, April 10: Lingerie/jewelry
Marisa's Fortress of Beauty hosts a runway show featuring lingerie, accessories and jewelry. Participating brands are Michelle DaRin, Oil City Customs, Modern Pop Culture, Slit Weave, Kenn Kushner, Talia Shenandoah and Inspired Designs. Sushi model Taylor Chambers will return, with a display by Master Chef Yusuke Honda. This show will have belly dancing by Ionah, body-painted bartenders and live music by Joe "Nasty" Grosvent and Jason Vaughn. A prize basket will be awarded to the "sexiest-dressed" guest.
Where: Marisa's Fortress of Beauty at 220 Walton St.
When: Friday, April 10. There will be a cash bar and sushi from 7-8 p.m. The show starts at 8 p.m.
How much: Tickets are $30.
Saturday, April 11: Formal/bridal wear
This is the fancy one. The Landmark Theatre will host the Fashion Week Gala with a runway show featuring formal dresses, bridal gowns and menswear. Participating brands are Mr. Shop, Laura Marino, Showoffs Boutique, Indie Kids, Mirror Mirror, Inspired Designs, Kenn Kushner and Sheridonna Wilson-Bedell. A prize basket will be awarded to the "Best Dressed Couple." Max Puglisi will perform live and Smoke Inc. BBQ and Empire Brewing Co. will cater the show.
Where: Landmark Theatre at 362 S. Salina St.
When: Saturday, April 11. There will be passed hors d'oeuvres and cash bar open from 6:30-8 p.m. The show starts at 8 p.m.
How much: Tickets are $50.
Sunday, April 12: Hair/makeup
ACR Health hosts the final night of Syracuse Fashion Week -- a BlowOUT Hair Show featuring hair and makeup trends -- at the Landmark Theatre. This show will have raffles, specialty cocktails, a gaming table, cash bar and food by Smoke Inc BBQ. Participating brands are AK Studio, Marny & Company, Vogue, Fringe, Artistry, C.W. Gorgeous, Continental School of Beauty, Paparazzi Day Spa and Rain Lounge.
Where: Landmark Theatre at 362 S. Salina St.
When: Sunday, April 12 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
How much: Tickets are $15.
Contact Katrina Tulloch anytime: Email | Twitter | Google+
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