style in progress 2.11

WINTER 11/12

# 2.2011

Staying Better. Feel Good Fair-Time /// Image and Speed. The New Self-Confidence of Private Labels /// Old Gets New. Why Nostalgia Is Affecting Fashion /// Worth It. Premium Denim Forever? ///

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9 1 2 0 0 0 4 8 8 0 2 53

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€ 6.90

Mario Boglioli

'Elegance Is a Mind-Set.'

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CPD 06 – 08 FEBRUARY 2011 DÜSSELDORF ALTE MÄLZEREI SPEDITIONSSTRASSE 7A

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www.agentur-kappler.de office@agentur-kappler.de

15 born Different! since 1996 www.different-fashion.com

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elcome to these lines...

We gave him a great compliment which he totally played down. Whatever the case, the longview with Mario Boglioli is exciting not only because this down-toearth company owner so often speaks the truth (from page 026), but because the interview addresses an important topic that you will encounter time and again in this issue of style in progress. For example, Nicoletta Schaper's article focuses on which classical women's outerwear suppliers have successfully dealt with the subject of going casual (from page 034).

Any more ideas? Old gets reinvented.

There are examples like the great passion for vintage displayed by the HTC brand (page 058). And then there's the playful, almost fancy dress approach that's currently causing quite a stir in London, as our correspondent Allana Wallace reports from the British capital (from page 052).

The premium jeans markets appear totally unimpressed by fashion trends – even though the clever article The Price Is Right! (from page 038) indicates that people now increasingly expect price and value to go hand in hand. This theory is backed up by the interview with 7 For All Mankind's Country Manager Marco Stein (page 044).

This issue features a grab-bag of fashion inspiration: the productions of stylist Sabine Berlipp in photo studios in Hamburg and Munich or on-the-spot live coverage at fashion season kickoff events such as Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence or Bread & Butter and Premium in Berlin. (Fashion & Inspiration, Trends, from page 098). What have 2011's first trade fairs taught us? You can't buy style or taste. They're the product of years of experience.

style in progress

Cover Photo: Arne Schultz

Long-time experience is also the subject of numerous label portraits in this issue of style in progress. Journalist Jan Joswig tells the story of Toms Shoes (Trading Is Gold, from page 064) and Sabine Fiedler takes a look behind the scenes of jacket manufacturer Feyem (from page 062).

B

ut what would all these products be if the retail sector didn't know how to present them? Eva Djian has written a special article on the magic of customer events (from page 046), using numerous examples from the European retail landscape. There is a promising number of new openings – in Munich, Milan, Vienna or online as well (Fashion & Inspiration, from page 112). We were also impressed with the bold renovation and expansion that Föger of Telfs, Austria and Loden Steiner have undertaken. To complete the picture of exciting stores throughout Europe, we're also taking you to Rotterdam and Zurich.

Your style in progress Team

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WINTER 11/12

# 2.2011

062

style in progress meets Mario Boglioli, head of the familyrun sports jacket specialist Boglioli.

THE LONGVIEW

038 Up where the air is thinnest: When have the prices of premium jeans exceeded their reach and the acceptance of the buyers?

062 'It's a New Kind of Freedom' style in progress talks to Mario Boglioli

CONCEPT 034 Classic with Class Feminine chic, not business armour 038 The Price Is Right!

How expensive should premium denim be today?

046 No Fear of Commitment Who's the highest bidder? The promotional event as strategy 052 Everything Old is New The comeback of the good old times 056 It All Started with Moschino Fashion Club 70: How an agency grew up 058 True Vintage Love HTC Hollywood Trading Company: The history of a passion 060 New York Skyline, Made in Italy Kathleen Madden: Doubling the goal 062 Low-Key Luxury Jackets Feyem: The quality won't be touched 064 Trading Is Gold: Walking in Their Shoes On the way to a better future with Toms Shoes

OPINION

066 How to make house brands a force to reckon with is the subject of the roundtable discussion in this issue.

style in progress

066 Success Is Being Able to Tell the Difference Roundtable discussion on house brands and how they compete

NEW YORK | TOKYO | HONG KONG | LONDON | GENEVA | DUSSELDORF

| SWISSARMY.COM

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# 2.2011

ABOUT AWOMAN

084 Fashion report

092 Fashion report

FASHION&INSPIRATION 084 About a Woman Fashion report 092 The IT Piece Fashion report 098 Trends Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 Impressions of Pitti Imagine Uomo 108 Fashion Impressions from Berlin Trend previews from Bread & Butter and Premium

LOOK&FEEL 114 Heart and Spirit of the Times Fรถger Woman Pure, Telfs 116 Bordercrossers Priority Concept Store, Vienna

THE

IT PIECE

118 A New Look Vestibule, Zurich 120 Three Factors on the Road to Success Steiner 1888, Schladming 121 Miscellaneous Fashion from North and South Misc Fashion, Salzburg 122 Stays on Top of the Game LokalHeroz, Rotterdam 124 Dolce&Gabbana Incubator Spiga2, Milan 126 Men Only?

Mr. Porter, www.

127 Cosmopolitan at Work Britta Peters, Munich

STANDARDS 008 Editorial

114 Nothing ventured, nothing gained: After its gutsy

renovation Fรถger Woman Pure in Telfs in Tirol is the setting for the most cutting-edged architecture.

style in progress

014 Shortcuts 076 Selected 112 Retailnews 128 Editor's Letter 128 About us

www.marc-o-polo.com

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SHORTCUTS Strellson

THE ROLLING STYLE

Inspired by the cycle couriers of New York: the biker in the Strellson look.

Strellson, the Swiss fashion company, has developed the Strellson bike in partnership with the Italian cycling specialist, Bianchi.

The project will be launched this season together with a coordinated fashion collection called The Rolling Style.

The idea was to harmonise perky design with functionality. The specially designed collection includes suits, windbreakers, shirts, T-shirts, belts, helmets and man bags and features practical details such as reflector strips, water-repellent coating and sewn-in safety pockets with zips. The cycle couriers of New York, who reach their destinations faster and are more eco-friendly than motorists, were the inspiration for The Rolling Style.

The Strellson bicycle and the fashion collection will be available from March worldwide in Strellson monostores and in the online shop at www.strellsonshop.com. www.strellson.com

© Mark Hunter

Truzzi

LIMITED EDITIONS

For over 120 years, the name of Truzzi has stood for shirts of particularly high quality appreciated by famous people such as Herbert von Karajan, Clark Gable and the Duke of Windsor. For the autumn/winter 2011/12 season, this Italian label is presenting a range of limited editions alongside its usual collection. The focus is on extraordinary quality fabrics such as cotton cashmere, stretch velvet, micro herringbone, piqué and Liberty patterns. A limited number of items are also available: a series of shirts made of Giza 87, an Eygptian cotton, that grows only in the special climate along the Nile. In addition to the special series, Truzzi is hoisting the flag for its successful series of washed shirts that complements the classic range so well. With its shirts Truzzi knows how to get the attention of the best retailers in the world, including such prominent names as Le Bon Marché in Paris, Selfridges in London, Loden Frey in Munich, Braun in Hamburg as well as Bergdorf Goodman and Saks in New York. www.truzzimilano.it

Standing for 120 years of quality and innovation: Truzzi proves it once again with the limited editions.

style in progress

Crocodile offspring guaranteed: Lacoste Live! is catering to the needs of its youngest customers.

Lacoste Live!

FACING THE FUTURE WITH OPTIMISM

To push the new Lacoste Live! line, seventeen monobrand stores throughout the world are due to be opened in 2011. If everything runs according to the French sportswear manufacturer's plans, there will be a total of sixty shops across the globe by 2014, including branches in Paris, New York, London, Zurich, Berlin, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Lacoste first introduced the Live! collection at Bread & Butter in July last year launching it instead of Lacoste Red. The design radiates optimism and dynamism and as an addition to the existing range is intended to appeal to young people who haven't bought Lacoste clothing for some time. An independent website and the advertising campaign Unconditional Chic by Live! starting in March 2011 should boost the popularity of Live! www.lacostelive.com

adv: otq pro.creative - photo: www.razorloop.com

Winter 2011/12

www.philippemodel.com - follow us on facebook and twitter Gallery 2020 - Antwerp - 6/7.02 2011

Tranoi - Paris 4/7.03 2011

Micam - Milano 6/9.03 2011

Distribution: www.shoebizz.ch

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Agentur Ventrella

G-Lab

TWO NEW ADDITIONS

The Ventrella Agency is presenting a new addition to its showroom in DĂźsseldorf at the same time as the CPD: HTC Denim, the fashion collection from the Hollywood Trading Company, that focuses mainly on chinos, jeans and shirts. A small selection from the new range of products was presented at the HTC stand at Premium Berlin in January. Wholesale prices for denims and chinos range between 70 to 150 euros with shirts for 50 euros; the markup is 2.7.

In addition, Ventrella is delighted to welcome a new label: Meier Bruecher, a glove-maker from Paris. Each individual item is made by hand and almost entirely to measure. Wholesale prices start at 65 euros with a markup is 2.7. www.agentur-ventrella.de

Robust materials like leather and rivets give HTC products the right rock attitude.

A LADY'S MAN

G-Lab, the manufacturer of high-performance jackets, is expanding its product range and launching its first ever women's outerwear line in autumn/winter of 2011/12.

The collection comprises six different models with very feminine and figurehugging cuts in navy, black or mud. In contrast to the men's models, a softer material is being used here to cater to womens' special desires.

Feminine, figure-hugging The men's collection is and functional: The women's also growing: Four new collection from G-Lab. masculine models in navy blue will grace stores in the future. Highlights of G-Lab's whole range are the collars and hoods lined with either lambskin or rabbit fur. The new collections celebrated their premiere at Premium in Berlin. Provisional retail prices are between 449 euros and 569 euros. http://fashion.g-lab-design.com

Esmod Berlin

add

YOUR OWN BAG

The Italian jacket label add, known for its particularly lightweight down jackets, is launching its own bag collection for autumn/winter 2011/12.

The 13 models have been developed in conjunction with the Italian architect and designer, Andrea Incontri.

He is also the winner of the "Who is On Next" competition run by the Florentine trade show Pitti Immagine Uomo.

The unisex models are distinguished by high levels of functionality: You can fold them up, use them as a rucksack or shoulder bag or inside out. Materials such as leather and nylon are used and occasionally, down for the lining as a nod to the origins of the Tribut label.

The collection is available from add showrooms throughout the world. www.adddown.it

style in progress

Add customers can soon line their own pockets. The Italians are launching just the right collection for autumn/winter 2011/12.

Baroque opulence, romanticism and a good dose of glamour. This was the theme of the Saint Catherine event presented this past December by the Esmod Fashion School in Berlin. The newly restored Nikolai Hall in Potsdam served as an appropriate setting for the Barocco Code fashion show, staged by the fashion design students in baroque style. "It was a celebration of emotions and creativity," says Silvia Kadolsky, Director and Associate Managing Director of the Esmod International Fashion School Germany. "For me personally, it was the nicest St. Catherine in years." The event has taken place annually in Munich since 1989 and in Berlin since 1994, and it serves both to present the works of the fashion design students and to raise money for charity.

This time 2,800 euros was raised for the I-Magine e.V. to help the Armani group in Sultan Hamid, near Nairobi, Kenya. The organisation works there to help needy people achieve independent lives with school and training. www.esmod.de

A true St. Catherine highlight in baroque style: The Esmod students' fashion show last December.

Š Michael Wittig Berlin

GLAMOUR FOR A GOOD CAUSE

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.SHORTCUTS

Rolf Griesinger Internationale Mode GmbH

Together they're strong in 2011: Mark Grütters and Felix Staeudinger.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Panorama Distribution & Fashion Factory

A NEW CONSTELLATION IN DÜSSELDORF'S FASHION SKY

The two Düsseldorf-based agencies Panorama Distribution and Fashion Factory have joined forces. The two owners, Felix Staeudinger und Mark Grütters, were brought together by their passion for classic brands. The cooperation between the two well-known players began with a shared vision in 2009. In 2010 they worked hard behind the scenes to design a concept that is now being carried out. Their new home is in a facility previously occupied by AMD in Düsseldorf. According to plan, Felix Staeudinger will be in charge of distribution and Mark Grütters of sales. In addition, they will take care of marketing the collections in their portfolio together. Felix Staeudinger says about the concept and the brands: "We believe in the return and establishment of traditional brands and handcrafted products. We want to help to showcase Europe's manufacturers so that they will once again become important." www.panorama-distribution.com

Rolf Griesinger's agency is welcoming an important new product: the exclusive down jackets by Feyem from Verona, Italy.

Feyem features elegant designs without fancy labelling and is popular with discerning customers. Luciana Faccincani designs her models with attention to detail. The new collection is also being presented at trade fairs: For the first round of orders in autumn/winter 2011, Feyem had its own stand at Premium in Berlin. In addition, Agentur Griesinger will be present at Supreme in Düsseldorf with its entire portfolio (05. – 08.02.2011).

The Munich-based agency has a new employee: Since January Sebastian Rieder has been working for Agentur Rolf Griesinger as the distributor of the men's collections from Compagnia delle Pelli in Germany and Austria. office@griesinger-mode.de Charli London is one of the labels offered by Rolf Griesinger Internationale Mode GmbH at the Supreme in Düsseldorf.

Men's trousers as a source of energy: the new energearTM from Alberto.

Alberto

SUPERCHARGED

Alberto, a long-established company in Mönchengladbach, is now offering energearTM high-tech trousers for modern, health-conscious men.

EnergearTM is a new generation of fabrics that ensure the energy emitted by the body is reflected from the textile through remote infra-red radiation.

The energy acquired this way makes the wearer feel better, increases performance and helps to prevent the onset of early fatigue. In addition, Alberto energear trousers let the skin breath and are very comfortable. They are made of 98 per cent cotton and 2 per cent elasthane and are available in the autumn/winter 2011/2012 season in navy at a wholesale price of 39.50 euros with a markup of 2.54. www.alberto-pants.com

style in progress

As crazy as ever about motorcycles: Steve McQueen, godfather of the namesake Barbour Capsule Collection.

Barbour

STEVE MCQUEEN COLLECTION

The love story between Barbour and Steve McQueen began in 1964.

That's when McQueen – a movie star and enthusiastic motorcyclist – raced for the US team at the International Six Days Trial in Erfurt, Germany. Prior to the race, however, the entire racing team had made a detour to Barbour in London, as the company had a reputation for manufacturing the best wind- and weather-proof jackets for facing European weather conditions.

The company's motorcyle gear division is now celebrating its 75th anniversary with the Steve McQueen capsule collection. Inspiration was drawn from archive photographs that show McQueen in Barbour coveralls as well as stylish casualwear. The collection includes shirts, cardigans and jackets. www.barbour.com

AGENTUR MOORMANN Cecilienallee, 59 - D端sseldorf - GERMANY - T. +49 177 8016417 - www.kathleen-madden.com - www.marlys.com

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Incotex

RED COLLECTION

Incotex is presenting its new Red Collection, which draws its inspiration from the '40s. The legwear is subjected to some hefty treatments, including tearing, stuffing, patching and dying. A brush is then dipped into paint, resulting in the so-called "pinup prints": Designs are painted on rice paper before being printed onto the trousers.

In keeping with the tradition of the label, which was established in 1951, the emphasis on colour is generally rather mild; the trousers are available in classic khaki or a light China blue. The materials used are gabardine, cotton, linen and wools.

Incotex is part of the Venetian Slowear Group, which only takes on labels that meet its high quality standards. www.incotex.it, www.slowear.com

With the new Red Collection, Incotex shows that it's not always about elegance.

The shirts from Dorothy Blue are real eye-catchers with their dévoré effect and hippie design.

Modeagentur Silvano Rose/Good Stuff Fashion Company

QUICK SWITCH

Just in time for the start of the spring/summer 2011 season, the Silvano Rose fashion agency in Nuremberg has taken over distribution of the Dorothy Blue label. The Californian company designs women's shorts with a devoré look using exclusively soft materials and a wealth of detail.

Retail prices range between 59 and 69 euros.

The agency has also acquired The Feather Project from Italy as a new customer. The label was set up last year and includes a range of women's and men's jackets that are incredibly warm with their 100 per cent down filling, yet as light as a feather. The garments retail between 349 and 549 euros. www.goodstuff-fashion.de, www.silvano-rose.de

Commandante Fashion Group Wildinger & Sons

TRACHT FOR CITY-SLICKERS

Designed to appeal to Europeans as well: a typically American style from the Arrow label.

Arrow

ROLE MODEL

The Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, owner of well-known US brands such as Arrow, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, has announced the founding of the new PVH Europe branch. Its headquarters are in Amsterdam and the President is Michael Arts. The branch will initially promote the Arrow Company in the European market and then continue to expand. "We believe that the authentic American character of the Arrow brand makes it highly interesting internationally," says Fred Gehring, CEO of PVH International. Eventually, other brands will also receive increased promotion through PVH Europe.

The current collection from Arrow was shown the beginning of this year at the Pitti in Florence and is currently being presented by appointment in European showrooms. www.arrowlife.com style in progress

The Commandante Fashion Group from Berlin has acquired the Wildinger & Sons label, founded in Bavaria in 2010, which is reinterpreting the traditional janker jacket and bringing tracht fashion to major cities.

Available for men and women as well as boys and girls, the traditional cut of the jacket has been lengthened somewhat and the silhouette is tailored a bit more closely for women.

The original, sturdy fabrics have been replaced with fine cashmere and merino wool.

Pockets and cuffs are set off with colour; the colour palette of the janker ranges from the classic hunter green to modern gentian blue and elegant white.

The autumn/winter 2011 collection can be ordered from Agentur Kappler in Munich and the Agentur Baessler in Düsseldorf. www.wildinger-sons.com The traditional janker is city-bound: Wildinger & Sons plans to make it a trend product.

PHOTO: WWW.BORISBERTRAM.COM

SHOWROOM DUESSELDORF AGENTUR TOEPFER RATHER STRASSE 49C PHONE +49 (0)211 13 06 36 0 WWW.AGENTUR-TOEPFER.COM SHOWROOM MUNICH 18.-23. FEB. 2011 KESSELHAUS LILIENTHAL ALLEE 29 80939 MUNICH TEL +49 177 644 4424

34WHITE APPARTMENTO 50 AREA FORTE BLUM BP STUDIO CP COMPANY DEPARTMENT 5 FALIERO SARTI FINE COLLECTION FRANK & EILEEN EST 1947 GAIA ROSSI GMS-75 HOUSE OF HARLOW 1960 SHOES HOLLYWOOD TRADING COMPANY JOHN SHEEP JUCCA KRISTENSEN DU NORD LEIGH AND LUCA LOFT PARIS MASNADA MODERN VINTAGE MY PANTS NIMO NOELANI NOVEMB3R QUALITY PEOPLE RIVIERA CLUB SAMANTHA SUNG VSP BY VESPUCCI ZOE KARSSEN

Winter 2011

Firenze Pitti Uomo Berlin Premium Paris Who’s next Milano White

www.0039italy.com

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LONGVIEW.

027

IT'S A NEW KIND OF FREEDOM. According to Mario Boglioli, President of the sports jacket specialist Boglioli in Brescia, Italy, "made in Italy" is less a seal of industrial quality than an obligation on a par with "noblesse oblige." The "deus ex machina," as he jokingly describes himself, heads up a family-run company that has been producing high-quality ready-made clothing for four generations now. He revolutionised menswear with his tinto in capo (garment dyed) method.

Interview: Janaina Engelmann-Brothánek Photos: Arne Schultz

"We'll always maintain the charm of a family business from Italy," says Mario Boglioli, President of the venerable house of Boglioni, which he runs together with his brothers Stefano and Pierluigi.

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.LONGVIEW

IT'S A NEW KIND OF FREEDOM.

style in progress: Mr. Boglioli, according to your website your company, Boglioli, is first and foremost a family. In your opinion what effect does that have on the company?

Mario Boglioli: A big effect. Boglioli has been a family-run company for generations – now in the fourth generation. It was originally a classic tailor's shop. After I completed my studies in the '60s, I learned the craft completely from my father. This is how the knowledge in our family has been passed down from one generation to the next. I've been with the company for 35 years. That's precisely what sets a family-run company apart: Up till now Boglioli has continued to be what the family had planned. For a long time we managed without external consultants and managers and always drew the necessary people from our own ranks.

With Roberto Falchi, though, you ultimately decided to bring an experienced manager on board as CEO.

This step was necessary for us to continue developing. At some point it became crucial to bring in an outside expert for the areas where we didn't have the expertise ourselves.

As a manager Roberto Falchi brings strategies into our company that were previously unfamiliar to us, since we live as a familyrun company and didn't have any outside input. After all, a manager isn't like an owner, who functions like a deus ex machina and makes all of the decisions. If you hire a manager, greater creativity comes with him and increases the potential of the employees.

You also give the people in the company more responsibility when you take a step back as the owner. A manager like Roberto Falchi, who previously worked several years at Prada, also brings another wealth of experience with him; he's a definite asset.

The decision was certainly hard for us at first. Since up till then I'd been the one who made all of the decisions, it wasn't easy to hand it over. But it was necessary for the development of the company, for the stages of growth and goals we'd planned for the future. Now I'm happy that many decisions have been taken out of my hands and I'm not always left on my own: Now I have someone to back me up. To sustain the work and the continuity at Boglioli, you need to obtain input from the outside.

Naturally this brings a lot of change with it, also in terms of bureaucracy, but in return style in progress

you gain new strategies and structures that simplify and accelerate certain processes.

Roberto Falchi is a manager with a lot of experience in the United States and Asia. Your international goals are also ambitious: You want strong growth in all markets – even in times like these?

When your partner is an investor (Editor's note: In 2007 the Wise SGR SpA investment group became a shareholder in Boglioli), there are naturally certain expectations, particularly with regard to continued development and international expansion.

Japan and America, which are indeed the centres of excellence for Roberto Falchi, top our list as markets for expansion. Before the investor entered the picture, we didn't have any such plans and weren't aiming for such goals. For Boglioli this means major development and a presence in the market that we didn't have before.

Do you think that Boglioli is in danger of losing its magic if the brand grows too strongly and ambitiously? Today a Boglioli sports jacket is practically an insider’s tip for a very select target group.

How will it be in the future?

No, I don't think there's a danger of that.

Obviously Boglioli wants to grow and continue to develop, but it can only lose its magic if the internal structures get too bureaucratic. We'll always retain the charm of the family-run business from Italy, and that mustn't be watered down by external influences. If we stay true to ourselves and our philosophy, then there is no danger. In order to retain the family character of Boglioli sports jackets, we have to preserve a fascination with our products and our own mechanisms. That's our recipe for success: We produce each piece according what we ourselves find good in a piece of clothing and would like to have in our own closet. That was always our leitmotif in the family. It's our very personal quality standard.

Isn't Boglioli's price range an absolute contradiction to the idea of broader distribution?

No, Boglioli will never be a mass-market product and no changes to the price range will be made. There are certainly many companies that copy us, but the tinto in capo process is our invention and our specialty. It makes our products unique. This philosophy virtually excludes commercialism, so I don't see any risk of that.

You gave menswear a major innovative boost with your tinto in capo process. What made you push this development at the time?

Before that, sports jackets were extremely standardised and all looked the same. We implemented this special process after an intensive development phase. The combination of innovative textiles, washes and colour processes is very exciting and has a lot of hidden potential. Tinto in capo is the result of many years of specialisation and research and was a laborious process. We use natural wool. The most difficult aspect and ultimate challenge is to dye each natural wool sports jacket individually and to achieve the right quality. The trick is to dye the material so that it retains its comfort and its soft feel even after the dying process.

We're very proud of tinto in capo. It symbolises the philosophy of our company: We use traditional know-how to develop innovative methods.

In your opinion, how much innovation does menswear need? Did tinto in capo provide the necessary impetus?

More than we find in today's department stores. The idea for tinto in capo came about because we had observed the fashion world and the young people around us. We thought about how sports jackets should be today. During my time in school and at university, I always wore one. Today you hardly ever see any. Go stand in front of a school and see for yourself who's wearing a sports jacket. No one. Now it's only young people who are starting out in business and

You can be sure that the old, boxy suit will never come back, because people feel too restricted in that. confronted with the clothing issue. For 20 years they've worn pullovers, jeans and simple jackets. And when they finally start wearing a sports jacket, they want a style that fits their own casual look and is also an upgrade. That's how we had the idea of creating a sports jacket that's casual, but also has a certain elegance and classic style.

Boglioli has developed from a product specialist into a complete collection – and at a time when the buyers are looking more for real product specialists and less for preset looks.

The development into a complete collection was a response to demand. People had said, 'OK, you can do sports jackets, but can you also create a complete outfit?' This was especially important internationally. Although I'm sitting with you in Munich right now, I'll admit that outside of Italy, customers aren't as open-minded fashion wise as they

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are in Italy. For example, in our Italian stores you might buy a jacket from Brand A, the trousers from Brand B, and the shirt from yet another manufacturer. All of this would be combined into a complete look.

In other countries it's difficult to create a look in this way; many shoppers there prefer to rely on the complete outfits suggested by the brands. This caused us to expand our product line. The licensed partners we've brought on board are all from right around Brescia, or at least from Italy.

How successful are your licensed products?

We aren't trying to be as successful with the licenses as with sports jackets: They're our field of specialty. The sports jacket remains our core business; that's in our DNA. All other product groups primarily support the sale of the sports jackets. The goal is to create a world of Boglioli around this core.

Stuck inside a suit and feeling restricted isn't modern; no one wants to go around looking like a mannequin. It's a new kind of freedom.

But we will never become trouser specialists.

I myself was more or less born and raised on my grandfather's cutting table, while he taught my father how to tailor the perfect sports jacket. That's our company culture and it will remain so.

Normally the development of the product range is followed by a move into a company's own stores. Are there any such plans outside of Milan?

style in progress

This year we plan to first open our own store in Milan. In December we opened our first showroom outside of Italy, a 400 square metre loft at Lodenfreypark in Munich, where our customers can feel comfortable and experience the whole world of Boglioli.

We don't yet have any additional plans since international growth with our retail partners is our primary focus at the moment.

You perfectly represent the zeitgeist with your fashions. Even Milan lawyers want to dress more casually these days. Do you think that going casual will rebound one day – or that men will no longer want to give up their newly-won comfort?

The incomparable style of a classic, elegant suit will never go out of fashion. Dressing elegantly is a mind-set, not a fashion trend.

At the same time classic dressing doesn't exclude further developments. The new generation of customers has moved forward: After all, it is 2011. Young people today want to dress differently and feel freer.

Stuck inside a suit and feeling restricted isn't modern; no one wants to go around looking like a mannequin. It's a new kind of freedom. The casual look came from America in the '60s and left a clear mark on Italian fashion as well. In my eyes, this led to an exciting combination of sporty casual and very classic elements. The challenge for men's fashion now is to combine these elements in such a way that people feel elegantly dressed and free at the same time.

There's a fierce debate about the future of ready-made clothing, especially in German-speaking markets.

The market share of suits and sports

jackets has been declining for years.

Is that a logical consequence of going casual in your opinion?

Yes, it is, but you have to look closely to find out why this is the case. It's not that people don't wear suits anymore. Classic elegance is always in demand. It's simply worn differently. Brands that have understood this and reinterpreted suits in a more modern way continue to be successful.

Today the fit has to be good and have softer lines, so you don't feel like a stuffed animal.

You can be sure that old, boxy suits will never come back, because people feel too restricted in them.

In terms of fashion history, it's particularly interesting that a deconstructivist is always needed to get men's fashion going again. What Giorgio Armani did in the '80s, you've done in the first decade of the 21st century.

Thank you for the compliment! I feel very honoured by the comparison, but I have to admit that I never consciously thought about it.

Please feel free to do so now‌

Getting men's fashion going again was not my intention. We actually produce a niche product. I don't feel responsible for influencing a fashion epoch. But I do in fact hear that quite often and it makes me think.

And it flatters me.

The press recently wrote 'La ripresa veste Boglioli' (The economic recovery is wearing Boglioli): Do headlines like that make you happy?

And do you think that Italian fashion is already picking up again and that economic recovery is in sight?

The history of the Boglioli family-run business stretches

back to the early 20th century. In 1974 Mario Boglioli, now president of the company, joined the firm together with his brothers Stefano and Pierluigi Boglioli. The international breakthrough for Boglioli came with the introduction of the K. jacket, a deconstructed cashmere sports jacket with a distinctive vintage look due to a special dyeing process. The entry of the Wise SGR SpA group of investors in 2007 ultimately signalled the international expansion: Boglioli increased its annual sales from 15 million euros in 2000 to 26 million euros in 2010.

Boglioli SpA. Via Brescia 47, 25020 Gambara/Italy, T 0039.030.9567241 Milan showroom.

Via Pier Lombardo 30, 20135 Milan/Italy, T 0039.02.5456387 contact@boglioli.it, www.boglioli.it

We should handle 'made in Italy' carefully so that its true meaning will continue into the future as well.

Mario Boglioli

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In December 2010 the first Boglioni showroom was opened in Munich, Germany. For Mario Boglioni this was a major step in the brand's continued expansion.

These headlines are certainly gratifying.

But the crisis is not yet over, not in Italy or elsewhere. We can say today that we've weathered the crisis well, without any serious problems. For this you need a lot

I don't feel responsible for influencing a fashion epoch.

But I do in fact hear that quite often and it makes me think.

And it flatters me. of innovation and research. Without help from outside and the support of national economic policy, it's almost impossible.

Like you, many manufacturers, who rely on skilled, handcrafted production, are having problems finding good new talent. What's the situation in your company? What measures are you taking to preserve the know-how of the old, experienced employees?

It's difficult to find adequate replacements for our long-time employees when they reach retirement. Like almost all production style in progress

companies, we've been investing a lot of money over the years in employee training so that we can pass on our know-how from one generation to the next. Our employees are mostly women, which doesn't make the situation any easier. The times have changed.

Many women in Italy used to work in handcrafting businesses and tailor's shops – It was considered good form to be able to operate a sewing machine. Today this vocation has gone out of fashion. We find our employees primarily in Romania and Hungary, where the culture has been well preserved till today. I wonder what the situation will be in 50 years.

'Made in Italy' is a hotly debated topic. Are you satisfied with the current decisions, and do you find that the production designation is being handled rigorously enough?

The more difficult it gets to use this designation, the better it is for preserving our culture and not diluting it. Otherwise, production in Italy loses its value, international demand will decline and our work will be endangered. We should handle 'made in

Italy' carefully so that its true meaning will continue into the future as well. It's important to protect and maintain the designation by law. Otherwise, in 20 years people will think it only means 'designed in Italy.'

What guidelines do you apply yourself?

In our company 70 to 80 per cent of all handcrafting is still done by Italian employees.The rest is done by foreign employees who meet our handcrafting requirements and have received special training.

It's important to us that they aren't unemotivated, but develop and maintain their skills and sensitivity for the fabric and the finished product. My principle is that our jackets should not just be touched – they should be felt.

So there will never be a Boglioli sports jacket that's 'made in China,' even if foreign production sites are just as good as in Italy?

No, I don't think so. You should never say never, but I hope with all my heart that it will never come to that.

Thank you for the interview.

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Windsor

The continuing trend of casual styles is leaving traces everywhere, even in classic designs. Is this just a trend? No, it's a sociological movement, and an irreversible one at that.

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Feminine chic, not business armour

Classic with Class T

he favourite of Windsor Women's autumn/winter collection 20102011 is a navy-blue blazer. It has a classically sleek look, but also sporty leather patches on the sleeves. After years of sporty trends gaining in popularity, classic is making a comeback. It's almost as if nothing ever changed. Is everything back to normal, just like it used to be? No way!

New Challenges

The last few years were dominated by the trend to casual. Fashion simply went along with trends in society. Due largely to the rapid development of technology, the once clear line between the working world and leisure is increasingly blurred. Some office jobs can be performed at a café with an iPad, and the Blackberry allows people to be reached anywhere via email. The more sporty styles originated from the demand for greater mobility with less effort, more comfort and a more dynamic look. At the turn of the millennium, new menswear and womenswear sent out a strong impulse by combining sporty and classic. Today, at a time when the working world and leisure time are merging even more, the idea of adapting clothing to the new reality is a sign of the times. This development may have robbed classic labels of their market share and presented them with new challenges. "We've introduced more casual elements into the collection in the last two to three years without losing sight of our own identity," says Holger Rosellen, Managing Director of Windsor Women. "We put a lot of thought into splitting the collection in

Relaxed dress codes have forced brands that always stood for a well-groomed look in clothing to readjust.

How do the classic womenswear suppliers keep up today? Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: companies

two to meet the growing demand for sporty styles. We decided against it though, because the overall look is modern enough, due to a combination of sporty and classic elements."

A label like René Lezard also reflects the times, with its chalk-stripe trousers paired to a washed leather blazer or trendy flannel drawstring trousers plus a small jersey blazer.

"The look is dressed up, but comfortable," states Torsten Poschardt, Managing Director of Sales&Design at René Lezard.

"Women's outerwear is far more advanced than men's in places where there's still a stronger separation between work and leisure clothing. A lot of men still wear suits while flying, but hardly any women can be seen in a trouser suit. Women no longer have to be better men." This has also caused a shift in René Lezard's product lines: Now the percentage of knitwear and blazers in the collection is equal. "Modern women create their own fashion mixes – individual and feminine," he says. "Their clothing has to match their lives, like when they bring their kids to school in the morning, then go to work, take the kids to the playground in the afternoon and grab a bite at the tapas bar with friends in the evening. They don't have time to change clothes four times a day and don't want to."

Confusing Variety

Most of all, the trend towards casual is a desire to simplify. Putting an outfit together is not any easier today. "So-called freedom

in fashion is always strongly associated with breaking down the rules that dictate fashion," explains Viktoria Strehle, Creative Director of Strenesse Blue. "People have to be careful in making sure that 'casual' doesn't equal 'careless.' Anytime when clothing is supposed to be neutral, there's still a demand for uniforms, such as women's suits, as opposed to individual style. It's usually easier for people to stick to standards and uniforms."

According to Tanja Hellmuth, Manager of Design, Product Management and Purchasing at St.Emile, "Putting an outfit together today allows greater variety than before, but you have to know how. Today we're creating a lot of different looks with one St.Emile blazer." And the customers are spoilt for choice. "At present there are constant movements and countermovements in fashion," says Strehle. "Leggings and pleated flare-leg trousers. Roomy boyfriend jeans and treggings. The distinctly casual look with soft blazers, playful sequin tops and hiking boots with eight centimetre heels as well as a severe, correct business look at the same time."

Classic As Protest?

Why is classic back after all these years spent freeing ourselves of dress codes?

"After the strong trend towards sporty, consumers want attractive," says Rosellen.

Sociologically speaking, this new type of conservatism can be interpreted as a desire for tradition and security at a time when people are hoping to overcome the banking style in progress

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crisis and recession. "The interesting thing, though, is that blazers were initially offered for young people on the way up," he continues. "So the trend is coming from the younger generation!" Does this make classic designs a form of rebellion, especially since the parents of today's 20-year-olds still

What remains constant for us is the point where classic and casual meet.

Torsten Poschardt, Managing Director of Sales&Design at René Lezard

There are no longer professional and leisure uniforms.

Those have disappeared.

Tanja Hellmuth, Manager of Design, Product Management and Purchasing St.Emile

Customers want a new overall look, which is made up of individual pieces today. They don't just buy the blazers; they also buy the trousers. They're reacting to our campaign and buying precisely these looks.

Holger Rosellen, Managing Director of Windsor Women

Of course we're changing with the fashion, but there won't be fewer trouser suits. If they sell less, it's because trends have changed.

Viktoria Strehle, Creative Director of Strenesse Blue

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are trying to act young in holey jeans and rock T-shirts? "Nowadays it's impossible for young people to separate their style from their parents'," adds Strehle. "We're wearing essentially the same clothes in all generations; it's just that a 45-year-old's blazer is perhaps a bit longer than her daughter's. Classic or casual is basically a matter of individual taste." But how does classic look now? Tight with narrow cuts.

"But loose enough so you can breathe; discomfort is a thing of the past," she says.

"This is possible due to modern materials."

Because casual has never been and never will be a passing trend. "Women won't ever give that up since they fought so hard for it," says Rosellen. "Fashion overall is becoming more attractive, but classic designs today have to be different After our success two seasons ago putting together washed cargos and blazers, today it's pleated trousers in a light cashmere jersey. If you ask consumers, you can definitely see that they're again interested in best quality."

For classic labels, this is a positive trend, and one which St.Emile is supporting. " A recurring theme for us has been and will be a refusal to compromise on quality and to maintain our sophisticated designs and the perfect fit," says Hellmuth. "But our customers still want to move with the accustomed ease. For those of us in design, it's quite a challenge to remain accessible to our customers and not lose our identity."

St.Emile has taken up the sporty cargo trend with cargos made of Alcantara, offered suede instead of nappa leather leggings and gone from boyfriend jeans to soft-flowing cupro trousers with a deep cut.

"We're getting extremely good feedback about the easy wearability of our clothes and it's apparent in our sell-through rates," she adds. A great deal has also changed in tops. "They used to be layered items; the basic polo, the blouse or the shirt. Tops today are much more individual, for example the silk-cotton blouse with stylish wrinkles or the silk-satin shirt with knitted cuffs. They have to have something special; that has really changed a lot." According to Strehle, "Overall you can easily see that high quality is important to both men and women. It can be a casual pullover, but it has to be cashmere, or a duffle coat, but made from lambskin, please."

be offered for the first time by retailers this winter. There are only 100 of each of the five pieces and they are new, timeless classics that won't be thrown out of the closet. In addition, a five-thread cashmere jacket, or a jersey-lined rabbit fur jacket with knitted sleeves for 2,000 euros." "We find it interesting that we're so successful with expensive pieces," says Rosellen. "The only precondition is the right value-for-money."

This is also the case with the Loro Pianastyle high-quality blue blazer described at the start. Its retail price of more than 500 euros doesn't stop it from selling better than any other piece in Windsor Women's autumn/winter collection. "Of course a well-balanced price structure in the collection is important, but in this case the piece has just turned out to be popular," he says.

"The price is then secondary."

The occasion range still remains a significant pillar of classic suppliers. "We call it soft-occasion. It's not an independent range, but blends in with the rest of the collection," says Hellmuth. "We want to be sure that the outfit can be used in many ways. An occasion dress is no longer only for the times where you stand around with a champagne flute in your hand. Our customers change up their style depending on the occasion: sometimes casual, sometimes elegant. The demand for dresses and skirts has skyrocketed in general. We see this even in the reorders." There's a similar situation at René Lezard. "We sell dresses for everyday use. Today these make up ten to 15 per cent of the collection," says Poschardt. "Business and casual are merging, just like occasion and everyday clothing."

And what about the trouser suit? According to Poschardt, "The suit will always be used for men's outerwear. I don't believe in the classic trouser suit for women. As a relic of men's outerwear, it no longer fits into today's world for women."

Rosellen, on the other hand, can still see the classic trouser suit making a comeback.

"But more as a passing trend in fashion.

Classic alone won't ever come back."

Because women no longer want to submit to the dictates of fashion.

The New Classics

The fact that the product comes first today is a new opportunity for the high quality classic labels. "These days it's about honesty in the product," says Poschardt. "That's why we created a favourite piece at René Lezard – a small limited edition that will

www.rene-lezard.com www.st-emile.de www.strenesse.com www.windsor.de

The new classic of today may also be an expression of freedom. Women no longer have to emancipate themselves in a fashion sense, but have found their own feminine style.

Windsor

St.Emile

Renè Lezard

Strenesse

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Premium jeans have become prestige object. Whoever has money and understands the product is prepared to pay a high price for them.

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How expensive should premium denim be today?

The Price Is Right!

In its first heyday, premium denim thoroughly shook up the market. But what's the deal today with expensive jeans? How high can the price be? And how cheap to still be labelled premium? Text: Nicoletta Schaper. Illustrations: Padma Bhatt

I

t was less than two years ago. A few women stormed the shop of Helmut Eder in Kitzbühel. They'd seen a great pair of jeans in Instyle the day before.

"They closely compared the jeans to the picture. They wanted exactly that pair," says Helmut Eder whose store of the same name is among the top addresses for trendy brands in Austria . "They didn't care about the price." At this time premium denim had reached a new level of success.

High-priced jeans from L.A. had changed the European market: completely and lastingly. Paying more than 100 DM for a pair of jeans was unthinkable in Germany before labels such as 7 For All Mankind und Earl Jean upped the market prices at the beginning of the new millennium. "7 For All Mankind was the first jeans brand that we sold for 349 DM," remembers Andreas Feldenkirchen. "Before then I didn't even believe in this price class." Jeans had become a matter of prestige and for the first time it was hip to spend lots of money on casual wear.

The Hype Is Dead, Long Live the Hype!

Many "made in L.A." jeans labels came and went. "In 2006, the Scandinavia trend streamlined the market," says Unifa agency owner Reinhard Haase. Back then his portfolio included 7 For All Mankind; today it includes J Brand, Citizens of Humanity and True Religion, making him one of the big players on the European market. "The leaders have remained and for two years premium denim has been booming again." The same goes for Eder: "Paying 400 euros doesn't require a second thought – If the jeans are in and the customer wants them, she'll buy them." At Tanja Gündling in Salzburg's Getreidegasse, PRPS are priced at 629 euros and rank among the bestsellers for men, whilst the frontrunner for women's jeans is True Religion, which retail at 380 euros.

For four years Gündling has been an address

for premium jeans "made in L.A." The target customer: someone who keeps up-to-date with the media and celebrities. Celebs are still an important sales booster on the premium denim market. "Our prices start at 180 to 200 euros, but we sell more in the premium sector. We don't have any price limit," says Gündling. "The suppliers tell us we need our starting price ranges, but we've found that this isn't really the case. But the more expensive jeans are what we really sell."

"There has to be something about the jeans: a particularly authentic wash, great vintage effects, special seams or buttons." says Andreas Schmied from the Salzburgbased Freemountain agency. "The jeans shouldn't look average like bootcut jeans from three or four years ago – they just have to be incredibly cool." He distributes Goldsign to 37 customers in Austria, including Frauenschuh, Strolz and Reyer.

"The brand is 100 per cent established," he says. "Goldsign is innovation, it's the trousers with the wow effect and the brand that employs designer Adriano Goldschmied.

Women don't want to take them off because

they're so comfortable. Goldsign is incomparable and that's what counts today."

14 oz. in Berlin stands for authentic products. This is an image that Karl-Heinz Müller and his team have carved out for his store within the past two and half years.

And a successful brand such as PRPS undoubtedly plays a part in this by being a door opener. Today 14 oz. even sells men's jeans for 850 euros – from Anachronorm, a small denim range from Japan. "Our denims are primarily artisan products for connoisseurs and lovers, and high-quality denim has its price," says Store Manager Daniel Werner. "But this price also has to be justified. The product must have a unique philosophy, a history that we can introduce to the customers. Above all the product has to have its own voice."

How Cheap Can It Be?

Prices above 300 euros are top of the range.

But most prices have been going down.

"Since last summer the premium denim market has been rather sluggish," says Feldenkirchen, owner of the A.Feldenkirchen stores in Hamburg. "On one hand, due to the recession we are noticing that customers are buying less. On the other hand, customers are more thoroughly checking the value of the product, especially women."

"The consumers want a good product, but for a reasonable price," says Reinhart Oberstein whose agency CP Fashion distributes collections from Goldsign, 1921, Dylan George and Robin's Jeans. "Two years ago the lion's share of premium denim was selling at around 259 euros.

Today this figure is 200 euros." 7 For All Mankind is now setting a new benchmark

The customer values the jeans and is prepared to spend money on them. A market bubble about to burst would have a much shorter shelf life.

Andreas Feldenkirchen, owner of the A.Feldenkirchen stores in Hamburg

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Premium denim used to be defined by the hype, by jeans that cost more than 200 euros. Today, it's more about quality and handcraftsmanship, particularly for men. The best marketing is useless if the product isn't right.

Goldsign is innovation, it's trousers with the wow effect and the brand that employs designer Adriano Goldschmied.

Goldsign is incomparable and that's what counts today.

Andreas Schmied, owner of the agency Free Mountain

with its starting price of 179 euros retail.

This is possible because of the partial production shift to Italy, which enables additional products to be delivered faster, a strategic step by the VF Corporation that took over the brand in 2007. With its own stores 7 For All Mankind is also reaching out to a larger public. This is the right way for the VF Corporation to continue to grow with the brand. "Three years ago sales were still good, but the desire for new brands became apparent," reports Marco Stein, Sales Director and Country Manager of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia. "Some customers bought their jeans elsewhere, but then came back to us. That's due to our reliability. Other brands aren't often as wellstructured as we are." True Religion is also hoping to expand by opening its own stores, with up to 20 stores in Europe over the course of four years. That's why Haase founded True Religion Brand Jeans Germany GmbH together with the brand.

Only the price policy is different. "We're successfully selling the flashy True Religion jeans for 359 or 389 euros retail. We also tried to establish basics, but the True Religion customers didn't want them."

It Has To Be the Middle

The market leaders are still enjoying good times, but things are tough for newcomers.

"The chino hype has overshadowed jeans a little," says Eder. "That's why it's not the best idea to launch a new premium denim label now." "Newcomers should really have something new to offer," says Haase.

"Otherwise the market isn't interested." It's a different case in the price segment just style in progress

over 200 euros as long as the labels aren't yet too widely distributed - like the label Tribeca Jeans from Bremen, launched two and a half years ago. "We want to provide the top boutiques with a high-quality product, retailing at 140 to 190 euros, the Newcomers are definitely price segment below brands such as 7 For welcome, but they should All Mankind or True Religion," says Sales really have something new Manager Volkmar Liebhart. Up to now, to offer. Otherwise the Tribeca's younger, simpler style has attracmarket isn't interested.

Reinhard Haase, owner of the agency Unifa ted 200 customers in German-speaking countries, including Feldenkirchen, Breuninger, Sรถrens in Hanover und Don Gil. "The market is open for brands such as Tribeca. This is confirmed by the sales figures," he says. The small, but impressive success story of Nine in the morning, cleancut jeans that are made in Italy, retailing at 140 to 190 euros, also provides proof of this statement. Unusually, the label founded in 2007 was first launched in the economic crisis-plagued USA and immediately ended up at Fred Segal und American Rag. Only after the test period was Nine in the morning launched in its Italian home at G&B in Flero, Wise in Cremona and W09 in Desenzano. "A season ago we also had a very successful launch in Austria and Germany. This success was unexpecThere's been a decrease in ted," says Sales und Financial Manager the amount of premium Alessandro Vendramin who founded denim and whoever wants to the label in 2007 together with his have a piece of the pie needs brother Umberto. This success is not to offer something good. just due to jeans from Italy, but also Reinhart Oberstein, owner of the agency CP Fashion the average wholesale price of 58 euros.

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"We can produce all the jeans in our familyrun company," he adds. "Keeping our costs down enables us to sell the jeans to our customers at a markup of 3.0."

Silver Jeans from Canada occupy a similar niche and have been part of Reinhart

Oberstein's portfolio for Europe since 2008.

They retail at 129 to 1696 euros and are sold by Sören in Hagen, Eckerle Herrenmoden in Munich und Jelmoli in Zurich.

His portfolio also includes the jeans and chinos label Blood & Glitter from England in the same price segment. Now the plan is to position the brand in Germany for the first time. "This is a label with some growth potential because we can perform a more widespread distribution," he says.

The suppliers tell us we need our starting price ranges. But the more expensive jeans are what we really sell.

Tanja Gündling, owner of Gündling in Salzburg

Price Explosions

Instyle etc. are still important, but today people are concentrating more on the important things.

Helmut Eder, owner of Helmut Eder Fashion Kitzbühel

Instyle and Co. still work for media-oriented customers. But women also want their object of desire to fit well.

But are some premium jeans too cheap?

Eder launched Acne at prices starting at 180 euros and Feldenkirchen's Nudie jeans begin at 119 euros. According to Daniel Werner from 14 oz., "We've got the right product for the right target group in almost every price category." A Levi's Red Tab costs 89.90 euros and is a credible product that doesn't affect the credibility of our jeans in other price categories. What's important is that you're offering good value for money."

Does this justify paying 600 euros for a pair of jeans? "When it comes to jeans, people quickly compare the value of the goods with the value of the product. Why is this?" asks Feldenkirchen. "There's a value chain.

It's about the handcraftsmanship that goes into making each pair of jeans." The customer values the jeans and is prepared to

We represent products with quality and authenticity and we've worked hard to build up the right customer base.

Daniel Werner, Store Manager of 14 oz

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spend money on them. A market bubble about to burst would have a much shorter shelf life."

Now the prices are being driven up – in part due to the cost explosion of cotton as well as poor harvests in farming regions in China and in the flooded areas of Pakistan.

"We are already feeling the effects of this," says Andreas Schmied from the agency Free Mountain. "After the autumn orders, things are going to get noticeably more expensive for everyone." The same goes for the EU punitive tariffs imposed on the import of American jeans. "So far we've been able to use our margin to compensate for the 15 per cent on women's jeans for fibre blends such as Goldsign's Superstretch programme," says Oberstein. "Now I'm hoping that the new, wider fits will come soon so that we're no longer as affected by the customs duties."

When it comes to the premium jeans customers, higher prices are likely to make the products more desirable. And when something's scarce, people make even more of an effort to get their hands on it.

"Goldsign's philosophy is freshness, just like with food," explains Schmied. "In small tins, no huge quantities on the shelves."

This should keep premium denim's flame burning for a long time to come.

www.7forallmankind.com www.nineinthemorning.com www.14oz-berlin.com www.cpfashion.de www.feldenkirchen.de www.freemountain.at www.gold-sign-jeans.com www.helmuteder.com www.tanjaguendling.com www.tribeca-jeans.com www.truereligionbrandjeans.com www.unifa-fashion.com

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7 For All Mankind

The Basics with a Twist It was labels like 7 For All Mankind that sparked the hype for premium denim at the beginning of the millennium. Now the brand has been taken over by the VF Corporation, but that hasn't dampened its commercial success – quite the contrary. We interviewed Marco Stein, Sales Director and Country Manager for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia, about the new marketing strategy for 7 For All Mankind.

h

Interview: Nicoletta Schaper. Photo: 7 For All Mankind

ow has the market for premium jeans changed – and how has it changed for 7 For All Mankind?

When the hype began, people wanted to make a fashion statement with their jeans, and the price was relatively unimportant. These days, customers are more informed and discerning. 7 For All Mankind rode a continuous wave of success. After laying the foundation for our success with the boot cut, we added the menswear line in 2002. In 2007 7 For All Mankind was taken over by the VF Corporation, a company known for its global approach.

Didn't this mark the end of the hype?

Hype is important for promoting new brands, but over the long term you need other factors. With VF on board, 7 For All Mankind has managed to become a reliable partner, thanks to the financing and organisation in the background. The brand now has a reputation for providing the basics in the premium segment, but with a twist. It's a reliable product with perfect fit that's chic and sophisticated.

Now you've also opened your own stores…

Since 2009, we've opened stores in Paris, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Milan. There are currently 14 of them, and an additional are due to open 15 in Europe this year. … and the production has been transferred to Europe.

Yes, a portion to Italy, which allows us to supplement the US collection in Europe. In addition to the US design team, we've put together a European design team. Managing things ourselves gives us better control and we can react more quickly to customer requirements. This offers clear advantages over the previous business model with distributors.

At the same time prices have been reduced.

Yes, from a retail price of 189 euros to 179 euros. In other words a 10 euro reduction, but many retailers used to sell the jeans for

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We sell premium denim, but can offer jeans in commercial price ranges.

Marco Stein, 7 For All Mankind Sales Director and Country Manager for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia

199 euros. So you could say that the brand wasn't significantly more expensive before, but the focus has shifted elsewhere. Some retailers have asked us why we reduced the price to 179 euros. But anyone who asks that is short-sighted in my opinion. A long-term price strategy allows us to maintain our success longer because in this way we can attract other customers to the brand.

What keeps 7 For All Mankind in the ranks of the premium jeans?

The best American and Italian denim. And our positioning in the market. We could double our sales, but we don't intend to supply all retailers. In Düsseldorf we're supplying P&C, and Jades as well as Eickhoff in the sporty high fashion segment. Furthermore, we have our own store here. That's the perfect addition and we can still remain selective – by delivering to Apropos and Uli Knecht, which are also in our portfolio of customers, but not in the same city.

Thank you for the interview!

7 For All Mankind. 4 collections with 10 LTs plus capsule collections.

Price range: 179 to 269 euros retail. Price range for Limited Edition 777: 377 euros retail. Sales outlets: approx. 1,900 in Europe with 400 in Germany, 100 in Austria and 80 in Switzerland. www.7forallmankind.com, www.vfc.com

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customer service

No Fear of Commitment Offering a glass of prosecco twice a year is often not enough to ensure customer loyalty anymore. Many retailers now organise special events for their customers. Text: Eva Djian. Photos: Companies

W

hen a horde of men crowd around the entrance to designer shop LokalHeroz in the upscale Rotterdam shopping district of Laurenskwartier, hoping to get in, it can only mean one thing. Joel Ferdinandus, Managing Director of LokalHeroz, is holding another one of his "sexy sales." It's largely irrelevant whether the presentation involves the debut of a new brand of denim or a performance by an artist – The true highlights of the

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event are the half-naked ladies who serve drinks and advise customers on the right choice of designer jeans, while shedding more and more of their clothing as the evening progresses.

The Entertainment Factor

In marketing lingo this kind of event would be referred to as offering "added value."

Customer events in fashion retailing are admittedly not what they used to be.

They've taken on a whole new meaning. To a certain degree declining customer frequency in shops and global competition in the fashion market have been wake-up calls for many retailers. In a world where everything can be had, typically faster and cheaper, the modern, critical consumer wants something more. The ubiquitous cup of free coffee no longer cuts it here. Fortunately a number of shop owners are thinking a few steps ahead of the competition.

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Unique selling points are becoming increasingly important, and the magic word is event. Besides shop openings and end-ofseason sales, which are hard to beat in terms of enhancing customer frequency, being creative in this area helps to keep customers on their toes and cultivate a feeling of closeness.

The times when a glass of prosecco twice a year was enough to maintain customer loyalty are slowly but surely coming to an end.

Christoph Tophinke from Berlin men's outfitters Chelsea Farmer's Club is very aware of this. And prosecco is not his thing anyway. Tophinke is more of a gin and tonic kind of guy, and not just twice a year but every Saturday afternoon, when fans of the

classic English style congregate in his shop to check out the latest deliveries straight from the island, enjoy their first gin and tonic of the day and of course do a little shopping. Friends arrive and one thing leads to another, sometimes resulting in a spectacular evening, other times remaining cosier and more down-to-earth. The classic event at Chelsea Farmer's Club takes place every year in July, when regular customers in tuxedos and evening gowns go on a doubledecker evening bus tour of Berlin accompanied by a live band. Intermediate stops at a favourite local Italian restaurant and corner stores to refill on beverages are obligatory – Customer loyalty on this kind of friendship basis is fun for everyone. Evelyn Hammerström from trendy Düsseldorf store Jades is

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likewise committed to entertaining her customers. Whether charity evening, celebrity event or cooperation with artists, publishers or interior designers, service and customer loyalty are of primary importance to her.

Through the numerous Jades events, Hammerström hopes to give something back to her loyal customers.

First-Name Basis

The old game of give and take in other words – Helmut Eder from the shop of the same name in Kitzbühel and Stephan Lanzer from the designer shop Knilli in Graz couldn't agree more. For Eder an event is primarily a thank-you to all regular customers. Last year this took the form of a large event with the exclusive label Brunello Cucinelli, including

Chelsea Farmers Club customers have reason to laugh: Every year they get to ride around Berlin all evening long in a double-decker bus.

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culinary delicacies and a local brass band.

Lanzer likewise takes an emotional approach to customer loyalty and has been known to organise a circus or a meal cooked by a gourmet chef for 800 regular customers in his Graz shop, or most recently a "create your own jeans" event in cooperation with Closed.

One thing can't be overlooked: Customer events have a number of advantages.

Existing relationships with customers can be deepened and new relationships established.

The direct interaction of buyer and seller in a relaxed atmosphere brings an emotional element into play, where the customer feels appreciated and the retailer typically experiences an increase in sales. After all an event is positive not only for a company's image but also for its bottom line – which is why smaller companies in particular are increasingly turning to events and away from classic marketing methods such as advertising.

The success of an event can be directly measured, and the viral effect via word of mouth and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and the like often seems more credible today than a good old newspaper ad.

Investing in the Future

Stephan Lanzer from Knilli has had so much success with his events that he now channels his entire advertising budget into four events per year – "an investment that pays off" for him. Joel Ferdinandus from the LokalHeroz shop in Rotterdam also prefers to get together with a "group of loyal fans" eight to ten times a year instead of investing a single penny in advertising. And Tophinke from Chelsea Farmer's Club is quite adamant: "Squandering money on events is the best way imaginable to spend it – but only if you're systematic about it."

Events should not only be about the fun of the moment but also the oft-cited buzzword of sustainability. It's important to have a goal in mind.

"Many retailers simply try things out without a long-term strategy or financial planning," comments someone who ought to know: Andreas Lackner, owner of perfect props event agency, a major player in the Austrian fashion world. Whether retailers work with or without an agency, Lackner recommends answering the following questions in detail: "WHERE do I want to go? HOW can I offer something special? WHAT's my budget?

WHEN will I be ready to achieve it?" Of course event professionals can be of tremendous assistance in this process. They also help to free up employees for everyday business. But the fact is that many small retailers simply can't afford an event agency. style in progress

20 Days for Events

Andrea Panconesi, owner of the Luisa Via Roma concept store in Florence, doesn’t like Prosecco parties. He prefers to organise extravagant events for his customers. style in progress asked him about his modus operandi.

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he activities organised

by Luisa Via Roma serve as an international model when it comes to customer events. What was your last major event?

In June, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our online shop. We invited the most influential fashion bloggers in the world to Firenze 4 Ever. At this special three-day event, the bloggers had an opportunity to check out the latest collections, put together their own outfits, and wear them at a photo shoot. We also had a party for our regular customers.

How do the customers react to your events?

We receive almost only positive feedback. Thanks to this exchange, we're able to maintain our customers' loyalty and continuously improve service.

We aim to distinguish ourselves as a store where shopping is always an experience.

Drinking Prosecco twice a year is apparently no longer enough to secure customers' long-term loyalty to a company. Do you have to do even more for your customers these days?

It's always important to look after your customers. The idea is to maintain their loyalty, especially once you've reached a certain level. Then it becomes more difficult to grow, but easier to fail. This special effort has to be seen as the normal situation. And to be honest, I've never liked Prosecco parties.

At Luisa Via Roma you can alwa ys find unusual stuff like the Stra wberry Skulp from Swarowski.

www.brax.com

Showroom D端sseldorf 06. - 08. Feb 2011

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What goes without saying at Jades is on principle out of the question at Chelsea Farmer's Club. "Hiring an agency – oh for heaven's sake," exclaims Tophinke. Stephan Lanzer from Knilli in turn is proud that "the ideas for our events all grow on my own dung heap." Regardless of whether it offers circuses, naked shop assistants or charity evenings, a successful event can only succeed in promoting long-term customer loyalty by knowing the customers and properly tailoring the event to them.

As Jürgen Hirzberger from the event agency of the same name points out, "Because many retailers aren't willing to take risks, most events in fashion retailing still involve the classic in-store event with hors d'oeuvres, plenty of prosecco and a small fashion show."

Lackner concurs: "Prosecco and the like might work for some shops, just as the old-fashioned German folk music show Musikantenstadl still appeals to a certain target group." But it's important to remember that more involvement means more success, and ultimately that's what it's all about.

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Do you believe that this type of marketing – i.e., events – is the best way to maintain customer loyalty?

Definitely. By involving our customers, we create precisely the type of connection to them that we're looking for. In addition to the events, what you can't forget here is the quality of the merchandise, the range of products and the service, without which even the best marketing is a wasted effort.

Do you also run advertisements or do you dispense with traditional marketing?

As a rule we don't go in for traditional advertisements.

How many events do you organise on average each year?

It depends on the projects. In general I'd say on average 20 days a year are devoted to events.

Many of your customer events are downright spectacular. You throw three-day parties for the leading fashion bloggers and give your customers an opportunity to work in a specially designed studio with star photographer Oliviero Toscani. Do you work closely with a good event agency?

No, no, we don't hire an agency. We rely on teamwork in the company to organise all our events.

But you must have a special budget for events?

No, we don't have that either. As a rule I can tell you that when I like a project and an idea, then I'm glad to invest in it.

Luisa Via Roma is very open to all types of new media, ranging from social networks and newsletters to iPhone apps. Is that the best way to secure long-term success?

It's not necessarily the only way to market yourself these days, but it's definitely the most modern way.

Thank you for the interview.

1

3 2

Offering customers more such as modern art at LokalHeroz in Rotterdam [1] and Jades in Düsseldorf [2]. At Knilli in Graz you can design your own jeans [3] and at Helmut Eder Mode there's Brunello Cucinelli standing and laughing right in the midst of a Kitzbühel brass band [4].

www.chelseafarmersclub.de www.helmuteder.com www.jades24.com www.knilli.at www.lokalheroz.com www.hirzbergerevents.com

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In the US series Mad Men (in picture January Jones in her role as Betty Draper) it's not just about the golden age of advertising. Style and furnishings are the best advertisement for the revival of a past period of style. Going along for the ride: bars (above left: Prohibition Bar Bourne & Hollingsworth in London's Fitzrovia), beauty salons (above right: The Powder Room) and other old school institutions.

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Everything Old

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isNEW Victory Rolls and collectable Barbie Dolls, style in progress delves into the Generation Me psyche and questions why everything nostalgic is new in the '00s.

Text: Alana Wallace.

Fotos: AMC, Bourne & Hollingsworth, The Powder Room, Mattel, The Blitz Party Illustration: Elisabeth Prock-Huber

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hose born in the '70s, '80s or '90s are considered Generation Me, today's young people who've been taught a sense of entitlement and to put themselves first. Their parents told them "anything's possible" and "believe in yourself," but in the midst of economic downturn expectations are being shattered.

Generation Me has never had to put duty before self and in turn has more freedom and independence than any other generation. But at a time when getting a place at university, finding a good job or buying a house are all uncertainties, Gen Me's are under immense pressure to achieve and are seeking escape in the simpler yesteryears.

On the Home Front

Themed nights and bars are injecting some fun into the London club scene and taking party goers back to wartime Britain. The Blitz Party is a '40s themed night of sandbags, search lights and ration books in a makeshift air raid shelter beneath the railway arches in the East End. Dressing up in '40s themed attire is embraced with gusto, as is dancing the jitterbug to some of the UK's best swing bands.

"With everyone facing a tough financial time it's so liberating to be able to let loose and party like it's 1940!" comments Mark Holdstock, founder of B&H Events (the company behind the Blitz Party).

"Anyone who's been to a Blitz Party will have experienced the, to my mind, unique atmosphere which is more friendly than anything I've ever come across in London."

"It was very clear that there was a gap in the market for a more cerebral experience in London, which allowed people to be creative and playful. At that time the high-street was just starting to really explore vintage fashion and you had tea-dresses in every shop along Oxford Street."

"The commitment involved in getting a group together, booking your tickets so far in advance and planning your outfit, hair and make-up make this so much more than a regular Saturday night out."

Television Tastemaker

Retro clothing isn't confined to Saturday nights under the railway arches, since the popularity of Golden Globe winning US television series Mad Men has taken over our screens and our wardrobes. Set at an advertising agency in '60s New York, the programme's leading men emulate the slim-fit suits worn by male ad executives in the golden age of advertising - before they began dressing like prepubescents in sneakers and graphic tees as they do today. These advertising moguls dress to impress in custom made slim-fit Brooks Brothers suits, translating well commercially into a limited edition suit co-designed by Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant, which sold out within three weeks of being released in store at Brooks Brothers. style in progress

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I think the love for the '50s and '60s is so relevant today because the look of the era is elegant, feminine and beautiful. Janie Bryant, stylist for the series Mad Men

However, Mad Men has made the greatest impression on womenswear in recent seasons, as the programme's award winning costume designer has been accredited with bringing womanly curves back into vogue. Bryant pays particular attention to the shapewear of the female cast, manipulating the women's bodies into the archetypal hourglass shape with replica girdles and longline bras from the period. The influence was evident as Lara Stone, Catherine McNeil, Laetitia Casta and newly curvy Doutzen Kroes stepped out on the autumn/winter 2010/11 catwalks.

"I think the love for the '50s and '60s is so relevant today because the look of the era is elegant, feminine and beautiful," says Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant.

"Today's culture has become more and more casual and I think men and women have responded to the beauty of the show and the art of dressing up. Younger generations especially have been excited about dressing up and learning about proper fitting garments, tailoring and shapewear.

The fashions [on the show] are rooted in the classics – classic elegance, grace and beauty, all things I'm so passionate about. It's very exciting that so many people young and old are excited about dressing up again."

Mad Men mania has even reached Barbie and Ken as the show's leading characters were immortalised by Mattel in 2010. In good company with previous collaborations including Christian Louboutin and Rocawear, the Mad Men dolls are part of a premium-price collectors series for adults, called the Barbie Fashion Model Collection.

Playing Dress-Up

Even designers aren't impervious to the influence of television, but the Mad Men aesthetic of winter has waned this season, making way for the new womenswear decade du jour - the '70s.

An entire decade flashed before our eyes in under 10 minutes at the Marc Jacobs show, where trouser legs were wide and waists were high. Jacobs' low-cut jumpsuits billowed and gold lamÊ hot pants glistened, whilst channelling the glory days of St Tropez with straw hats in epic proportions. Meanwhile, accessories remained rooted in the early '60s at Christian Dior and Giles Deacon with statement cat eye sunglasses reminiscent of Grease's Pink Ladies. Completing the No matter how good (or bad) the old times were – for many young people they're an escape from the economic crisis and the need to succeed in the 21st century.

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look were pillar-box red lips, neatly coiffed curls and perfect shrunken fringes stopping an inch above the eyebrows.

At retail, there has been a marked resurgence of formal menswear styles. Brooks Brothers will release another Mad Men style suit into the main collection this season following the roaring success of the limited edition suit in 2009.

Meanwhile, British retail giant Marks and Spencer has reported a staggering rise in demand for flat caps with a 989 per cent increase in sales of the traditional hat in the past year.

Post-modern Pampering

Recreating these retro hairstyles from the catwalk at home isn't a problem with the Powderpuff Girls on hand. The Powder Room, the original boutique in East London that now has a pop-up parlour in Soho, is a '50s inspired beauty salon with a service menu to match. The "Girls" are dressed in an Agent Provocateur-esque hot pink uniform and their perfect victory roll hairdos are topped off with a tiny pillbox hat. Tea in mix-and-match china cups and saucers and a soundtrack of Eartha Kitt, Nancy Sinatra and Juliet Greco all set the scene for an old-fashioned experience.

"I started the business 6 years ago as a pampering service for events, which I still do, and the shops came out of this. I think women have come back to the idea of dressing up and good old fashioned glamour, and this was most prevalent in the decades of the '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s, so we find we're busy recreating styles from all these eras," comments The Powerpuff Girls founder Katie Reynolds.

For consumers looking to escape their stresses and find refuge from adult responsibilities, London is the place to reminisce. And as the Royal Family prepares for Prince William's marriage to Catherine Middleton, the capital is guaranteed to become more British than ever. So dust off the bunting, brandish that Union Jack and join the neighbours for the street party of the century.

bbb bread & butter berlin 19.01. –21.01.2011 Urban Superior Men | Hangar 6-SR 34.2 | Platz der Luftbrücke 5 | D-12101 Berlin visit our store | rochstrasse 1 | berlin-mitte fwd fashion week düsseldorf 05.02.–08.02.2011 Cinque Showroom | Speditionstrasse 17 | D-40221 Düsseldorf visit our flagship-store | benrather strasse 12 | düsseldorf cinque moda gmbh | dohrweg 48 | d-41066 mönchengladbach | +49.(0)2161.9653 | info@cinque.de | facebook.cinque.de | cinque.de

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Fashion Club 70 uses a 13,000 square metre showroom to showcase its impressive portfolio of brands.

We're known as a very ambitious company; we're financially very stable and have a great back office and administrative structure.

Luc Dheedene, Owner and Manager of Fashion Club 70

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Fashion Club 70

It All Started with Moschino

Back in 1983 Luc Dheedene of Fashion Club 70 signed his first Italian label: Moschino. The heritage of this Italian bad boy is still important to FC70, but is now accompanied by more than a hundred other fashion labels.

Text: Miranda Hoogervorst. Photos: Fashion Club 70, Marc Lagrange

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n the north of Antwerp you'll find the impressive showrooms of Fashion Club 70, which are run by the Dheedene family. On a total floor space of 13,000 square metres, the forty year old agency represents eighteen first lines, almost fifty adult labels and over fifty labels for kids, shoes, accessories, beachwear and underwear. The last 3,000 square metres were added at the end of 2010, and house a separate showroom for the shoe and accessory labels. The large in-house restaurant is a great place to enjoy Belgian cuisine and do business at the same time.

From Belgium to Italy

Fashion Club 70 is known for its great selection of Italian labels, but CEO Luc Dheedene started his agency in 1970 with just Belgian labels. In 1983 Moschino was the first big Italian name that he added to the portfolio and soon more Italian labels followed. He signed with Versace in 1988 and with D&G a few years later. The Italian bling factor that was very popular in the eighties and nineties made FC70 famous and attracted a lot of clients.

Through the years FC70 expanded not only with brands from Italy, but also from New York, L.A., and (recently) brands with a more artistic angle as well as Danish brands.

A big decision and a turning point for FC70 came in the early nineties when Luc Dheedene decided to move his company from Brussels to Belgian fashion capital Antwerp. From that moment on the company grew rapidly into the large fashion representative it now is. In the meantime the two sons of Luc Dheedene also joined the company.

Five years ago the Dheedene family realized they had to reorganize the constantly growing company to be able to give the labels all the attention they needed. Commercial Director Miguel Dheedene explains: "We divided FC70 into separate divisions for the product groups, like first lines, ready to wear, jeans labels, junior labels and so on.

For large brands like D&G we created a separate department. Each division has a maximum of eight salespeople, plus its own back office and administration; all these people are very well trained and experts in the product group and the matching labels." FC70 has a staff totalling about 150 people: 95 of them work for wholesale clients and 55 for retail clients.

The Business of Perfection

A family approach and gut feeling are valued highly by FC70 concerning both its clients and its labels, but the strong position of the agency is a crucial factor for business.

Miguel says: "We're known as a very ambitious company; we're financially very stable and have a great back office and administrative structure. Besides our agency services, we offer distribution services and take over the import for about 50 per cent of our suppliers. Of course we have a lot of traffic, meaning a lot of potential clients for the brands."

LABELS First Lines: Alberta Ferretti, Blumarine, Cacharel, Dirk Bikkembergs, Elie Tahari, Franceso Scognamiglio, Gianfranco Ferré, Les Copains, Les Hommes, Matthew Williamson, Mauro Grifoni, Moschino, Paul & Joe, Pollini, Roberta Furlanetto, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Vionnet.

Adults: Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans, Class by Roberto Cavalli, C’N’C Costume National, D&G, Dior Resort, DKNY, Halston Heritage, Jil Sander Navy, Liu Jo, M Missoni, Mc Q Alexander McQueen, Michael Kors, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Paul & Joe Sister, R.E.D. Valentino, Replay, Sonia by Sonya Rykiel, Versus by Versace.

Kids: Baby Dior, D&G Junior, Fendi Bambino, John Galliano Kids, Moncler Baby & Junior, Moschino Baby & Kid & Teen, Roberto Cavalli Newborn & Angels & Devils, Rykiel Enfant.

Fashion Club 70. IJzerlaan 54-56, 2060 Antwerp/Belgium, T 0032.3.211010, info@fashionclub70.be, www.fashionclub70.be

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HTC Hollywood Trading Company

True Vintage

Love

Founded by the legendary American vintage guru Zip Stevenson, the accessory label HTC has gained international respect by partnering with Italian Andrea Brà. This is the story of a common passion.

Text: Martina Müllner. Photos: Clemens Kois, HTC

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he name Zip Stevenson has a magical effect on vintage lovers.

Many know and admire the American, who is one of the most respected experts in the world. His collecting and consulting activities reached a highpoint in 2000 when he founded the HTC label, which is short for Hollywood Trading Company. At that time the label was limited to belts. Christian Obojes, founder of the distributorship room with a view with seats in Austria and Switzerland, first brought HTC across the Atlantic. He also initiated the contact between Zip Stevenson and Andrea Brà, who will promote the label starting in 2012.

As the owner of the LCB Company, a second-generation Italian family-owned company that produces belts and accessories for various label manufacturers, Brà shares Stevenson's passion for vintage. The two quickly came to an agreement: Brà's company will produce belts according to U.S. standards but with a European licence in order to spare its customers high customs duties here at home.

Two People, One Passion

The fateful alliance between the two vintage enthusiasts has continued to yield results: Product lines such as bags, jeans and shoes have been extended, and the licence of the European HTC spin-off greatly expanded. Today Brà holds the global licence and is in charge of international sales and marketing for accessories.

It all began with the belts from American Zip Stevenson. Vintage label HTC then extended its range to include bags, jeans and shoes. Next episode follows.

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The Italian HTC collections are manufactured for the international market under the direction of LCB Company owner Andrea Brà.

For the sake of inspiration, Stevenson and Brà have developed their own ritual. Twice a year they go on extensive trips that take them to all the places vintage lovers dream of. Sometimes it's Africa or the USA where they went for the autumn/winter 2011/12 collection and travelled around with a group of bikers, who in turn discovered HTC themselves. The label is an ideal partner for customising traditional motorcycles from brands like Norton and Triumph. The demand is increasing for custom-made products such as special saddles, bags, clothing or accessories.

This has been a rich source of inspiration for Brà, who is successful with other products as well. The label's shoes benefited enormously from the new input and provided the company respectable returns in 2010. "The demand for our shoes really exploded last year.

Figuratively speaking, we didn't sell any shoes at all the previous year. Now the best retailers in the world absolutely have to have them," he says. Handcrafted in Italy with the special HTC look and style, they fit the newest trends perfectly.

Brà plans numerous improvements in this year, but he's keeping a low profile. "I only start talking about new projects once they're actually on the market and I've had a chance to see how buyers react to them." There's a lot going on behind HTC Hollywood the scenes, but one thing is sure: New Trading Company co-branding products are emerging, was founded in 2000

by Zip Stevenson. The like the ones with motorcycle compalabel has numerous nies. prominent fans, including big names like Brad Pitt, Robbie Williams and Madonna. The products are handmade in Italy and the U.S. www.htc-europe.it

See more at

16.-18.03.2011 D端sseldorf As of 2011:

y a d s e n d e W Fridayen Sie sich online Registrier n Sie sich Ihr und sicher s eTicket! kostenfreie

www.gds-online.com

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Kathleen Madden

New Yorker Skyline, Made in Italy

The New York skyline on the logo still shows the label's origin. Today Kathleen Madden is 100 per cent Italian and serves an international clientele.

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Womenswear label Kathleen Madden is using an international approach to rekindle growth. The ambitious plan calls for a doubling of production and sales over the next two years.

Text: Sabine Fiedler. Photos: Marly’s

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fit. Achieving this is no simple matter, however, especially if you want to serve women customers in Catania and Japan, as well as in Nice and Berlin. In addition to different climactic conditions, women have different hips and fashion standards.

Anyone who wants to cater to them all has to offer an excellent synthesis." He is convinced that his label is up to the challenge.

"We produce an elegant, modern, urban look for career women between the ages of 35 and 50. It's beautiful yet practical."

Evolution Instead of Revolution

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he name's English, the brand's German and the logo shows the New York skyline – but Kathleen Madden is actually a full-blooded Italian.

The label for urban women's fashions is designed in Arzignano near Vicenza – a large proportion of the production takes place in the northern Italian region of Veneto – and the fabrics come from Bel Paese. "These days, "made in Italy" stands for top-quality fashion throughout the world, so an Italian name would probably be more fitting," says Paolo Bastianello.

Since 2004 his company Marly's has held the worldwide rights to the fashion brand.

The German firm Moormann AG originally brought the American designer's label to Europe, and then everyone went their separate ways and the brand became European.

Offering a Worldwide Synthesis

When it comes to sales and focus of the collection, the label is highly cosmopolitan.

Roughly half of the sales are in Germany, with an additional 15 per cent in Scandinavia and steady business in Japan, Taiwan and Korea. The first foreign mono brand stores were opened in Eastern Europe: in Moscow's luxury department store GUM, in Sofia and Riga. Furthermore, there are Italian stores in Venice, Sirmione on Lake Garda, at the headquarters in Arzignano, in Grado and Abano Terme. "These are all popular holiday destinations with a very international audience," says Bastianello.

The fact that the target group is scattered across the globe presents enormous challenges for the small niche label: "Our absolute strengths include outstanding comfort and

Women in German-speaking countries especially appreciate the practical features, says Bastianello. Knitwear and jerseys are traditionally the most popular garments.

"Our customers are looking for evolution in style, and in details, but not a revolutionary look," he adds, "and they want high quality."

It takes the right sales structure, boutiques and shop assistants to highlight the extra value offered by Kathleen Madden. In the past, top models like Eva Herzigova, Christie Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista have showcased the brand's products for photographers like Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton and Peter Lindbergh – and the label intends to regain that visibility in the future. But instead of relying on supermodels and star photographers, he now plans to focus on the brand's own stores.

Worldwide Store Openings Planned

Over the coming year, Marly's will open new stores in Bolzano, Moscow, Madrid and St. Petersburg – and in the next five years, the company intends to pursue this expansion until it has roughly 20 stores worldwide, including one in Germany: "Preferably in Düsseldorf or Berlin," says Bastianello. "It all depends on whether we can find the right partners." In addition to Kathleen Madden and the main Marly's line, the firm also sells the Marly's 1981 line and Carlo Pignatello, and has recently acquired the license for women's fashions

by Ballentyne. Over the next two years alone, plans call for the number of customers to double from approx. 252 to at least 500, and for the annual number of manufactured articles to increase from some 40,000 to 80,000. This growth course is a top priority for him, although things have

We produce an elegant, modern, urban look for career women between the ages of 35 and 50.

It's beautiful yet practical."

Paolo Bastianello, President Marly’s

not been proceeding as rapidly as originally planned. "The crisis hit us right in the middle of our expansion and was a bad foul," admits the manager, who is also a member of the steering committees of the Italian industry association Confindustria and the textile and apparel association Sistema Moda Italia. Over the coming year the company will significantly increase its trade show presence and put in a showing in Berlin at the CPD and in Moscow.

Bastianello first intends to focus on regions where the crisis has already passed and the markets are again enjoying healthy growth rates. The Italian also has big plans for the period after the storm has completely passed: "At some point in time, we intend to show our collection on the runway – either in Paris or Milan."

Kathleen Madden, Marly’s Confezioni.

Via Giuriolo 2, 36071 Arzignano/Italy, T 0039.0444.471300, www.kathleen-madden.com, www.marlys.com

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Feyem customers love the figurehugging cuts and intentional avoidance of flashy logos.

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Feyem

Low-Key Luxury Jackets P

eople like Luciana Faccincani have become a rarity in the Italian fashion business. At the age of 11, she started learning the tailoring trade from the ground up. Today, more or less half a century later, the energetic northern Italian woman beams with pride and joy as she talks about her work, about the fabrics, down feathers and seams – not to mention the impossible designs and cuts that she somehow managed to achieve thanks to countless tests and a flair for pioneering new techniques. When she achieves a breakthrough, her son Moreno usually plays a key role as well with his notion of "the perfect jacket." This family duo has been in business for some 10 years now. Ever since they launched their operations on the south shore of Lake Garda, the company has enjoyed steady growth. Sales increased in 2007 by 33 per cent, in 2008 by 35 per cent, and in 2009 by more than 20 per cent. "And now," says Sales Director Lucio Innocenti with an easygoing gesture, "we've overcome the crisis." Not that the northern Italians were about to let the crisis dampen their mood: Right at the height of the global financial near-meltdown, Feyem increased its equity, introduced new logistics structures and embarked on a new growth phase. That was precisely the right moment to win new shares of the market, says Moreno Faccincani with confidence.

A Fashion Laboratory

Moreno knows that his products are on the cutting edge of fashion and that he can rely on the skills and abilities of his team of two dozen employees and, last but not least, his mother. After she had worked decades as a design specialist for many of Italy's large fashion labels, her son decided that it was time for her to go independent, so he brought her on board his own newly established company in 1999. Since then, Feyem has specialised in superlight down jackets with a decidedly feminine look. Exclusive and extraordinary fabrics and unusual cuts are the brand's hallmark, and this constantly challenges his mother to come up with new and exciting creations from her fashion laboratory. "At some point in time, he asked

Feminine styles and sophisticated design techniques have helped the northern Italian down jacket specialist Feyem to grow even during the current crisis. Now the label has set its sights on doubling its sales in German-speaking countries. Text: Sabine Fiedler. Photos: Feyem

me if we couldn't use elastic topstitching to enhance the way the jackets hug the figure.

And that was at a time when nobody had ever done this before. For weeks on end, we experimented with different approaches, rejected them, tried new ones‌" Finally they succeeded. She proudly produces a copper-coloured, tailored jacket with fur trim on the hood.

Discreet Logos

Customers love the quality and feminine chic of the label. "Hurrah for the alternative brands!" Feyem's women customers cheer on Internet forums. "Less sporty, more

up the brand's products. "Thanks to their special cuts, the jackets always fit perfectly, whether it's a women's size 34 or 46, or men's sizes from 48 to 60. We don't just churn out the cuts, but ensure that they really fit people's figures."

Despite the exotic-sounding name, the label feels right at home in Italy. The products are 100 per cent made in Italy as are the fabrics. Feyem jackets are usually displayed in stores alongside Italian competitors like Fay, Cucinelli and Moncler. Since 2006 the family has also been focusing on quality men's streetwear with a second label called Moorer, and the Faccincanis are also extremely satisfied with how this brand has developed.

Over the past year, nearly 50 per cent of the company's 14 million euros in sales was achieved with men's fashions.

Targeting the GermanSpeaking Market

Now the company has set out to conquer the GermanFeyim is a real family project. Master tailor Luciana Faccincani speaking market. Over the is in charge of models and design with her daughter Valentina next two to three years, while her son Morena runs the business.

Feyem plans to increase the number of customers from its current 40 to feminine, suitable for nights out on the approx. 100. Over the long-term Innocenti town and much more glamorous than the sees potential for twice as many customers usual Monclers of this world," was how one here and an opportunity to make the fan summarised the brand's characteristics.

German-speaking market the second-most Another woman wrote about how heads important for the company. But Feyem turned as people tried to find out which jackets will never become a mass-produced brand she was wearing. That's not surprisproduct. "That simply wouldn't be compaing since, in contrast to many of its competible with our high level of quality and it's titors, Feyem doesn't plaster large logos on something that the company doesn't intend the exterior of its garments. "We go for a to change," says Innocenti. low-key look. Our quality should speak for itself, along with the cut of the jackets," says Innocenti. Feyem has already acquired Feyem currently manufactures some 80,000 some 1,300 sales outlets in upscale bougarments per year. The company achieved sales tiques and department stores. The brand is of 14 million euros in 2009. Retail prices for the 40 to 50 models per collection range during the particularly proud of its sell-out rates, winter from 500 to 1,050 euros, and in summer which Innocenti says range between 70 and between 400 and 650 euros.

90 per cent before the end-of-year sales Feyem S.p.A., Via XXV Aprile, 90, 37014 Castelnuovo del Garda/Italy, T 0039.045.6450770, even begin. He goes on to say that the wide info@feyem.it, www.feyem.it range of sizes is one reason shoppers snatch style in progress

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TRADING IS GOLD Toms

Walking in Their Shoes

With every pair of shoes sold, TOMS from Santa Monica, California donates footwear to needy children around the world. In September 2010 the one millionth pair was presented to a child in Argentina. Text: Jan Joswig. Photos: Toms

C

alifornian globetrotter Blake Mycoskie founded the TOMS brand in 2006 to make espadrilleslike canvas summer shoes that exude the laidback surfer spirit of the golden state.

While travelling through Argentina, he had noticed that many children have to go barefoot because they can't afford shoes. In addition to protecting feet against soil-transmitted diseases, shoes often allow children to receive an education. Many schools in the world's poorest regions require that students wear shoes.

In an effort to put shoes on all those bare feet, Blake Mycoskie developed his simple yet business savvy One for One model.

Every month the main office calculates the On the way to a better future: In the developing countries shoes improve not only the quality of life but also make it possible for children to go to school.

sales figures for TOMS and passes on this information to the Giving Department, which distributes the same number of pairs of shoes to needy children in over 20 countries in North America, Central America, South America, Africa, Asia and Eurasia.

This is more than just a one-off initiative.

The children are provided with new footwear whenever they grow out of a pair of donated shoes, which guarantees that they never have to go barefoot again. In order to distribute the shoes to children worldwide, TOMS works together with non-profit organisations like IMA World Health in Haiti, AmeriCares in El Salvador and Guatemala Sana. Brands like Ralph Lauren, style in progress

Element Skateboards and AT&T are also sold on the idea and have collaborated with TOMS. In 2009 Ralph Lauren designed three TOMS models in limited quantities for his rugby line. The same rule applies here as well: For every pair purchased, one pair is donated. Element designed two skateboards and a series of shoes for TOMS, and the proceeds were used to support the Indigo Skate Camp in South Africa.

Self-proclaimed Chief Shoe Giver Blake Mycoskie wants to do more than just ease the suffering of children in developing countries; he's also endeavouring to raise awareness among those of us who live in more affluent parts of the world. Inspired

by the annual anti-consumerism "Buy Nothing Day" protest marches, he launched "One Day Without Shoes" to underscore what it means to walk without footwear.

Mycoskie's first campaign started in 2008 as a regional movement at American universities, and has been officially organised

by TOMS since 2010. Right from the start, the event has received attention around the world and throughout the Internet. In 2011 "One Day without Shoes" will take place on April 5. Students at American schools and universities are also establishing TOMS Campus Clubs to raise awareness of sustainable and conscious consumption.

The Campus Clubs are right in line with Mycoskie's vision: TOMS was created to be more than just another colourful shoe brand – It aspires to become a movement.

Toms Shoes was founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie and has its headquarters in Santa Monica, California. Its shoes are manufactured in Argentina, China and Ethiopia. The sales network extends to the USA, Canada, South America, Europe and Asia.

In Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium, TOMS Shoes are represented by: Action Sports Sportartikel GmbH, Marc Schwarz, Carlo-Schmid-Strasse 11 52146 WĂźrselen/Germany T 0049.2405.606280, www.toms.com

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ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Success Is Being Able to Tell the Difference

From left to right: MICHAEL BAILLY owner of Bailly Diehl/Hanau, ANDREAS WEITKAMP owner of Modehauses Schnitzler/M端nster,

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OPINION.

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House brands generate handsome profits for retailers. But how do they have to be positioned to serve this purpose? And at what point do they start competing with "real" brands? This roundtable discussion focuses on the advantages and necessities – not to mention the opportunities – of creating a unique identity as a multi-brand retailer.

Discussion: Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Peter Schaffrath

PHILIPPE OLIVIER BURGER owner of the PKZ Group Zurich/Switzerland, MARCO GÖTZ owner of Drykorn brand, NICOLETTA SCHAPER Editorial Team style in progress, STEPHAN HUBER Editor-in-Chief style in progress.

style in progress

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Success Is Being Able to Tell the Difference

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Nicoletta Schaper (editorial Team style in progress): House brands

are not a new phenomenon. They allow retailers to achieve larger profit margins, but they're often barely recognised by consumers. Still, some of them manage to emerge from their shadowy existence. This is the case with McNeal from P&C and Paul Kehl from the Swiss PKZ Group. Mr. Burger, how have you managed to make Paul Kehl one of the strongest selling collections in your current product range?

Olivier Burger (owner of the PKZ Group): For decades we sold socalled house brands along with our multi-brand concept. These were volume articles that we, in some cases, also sold with other retailers, and that could be found in our basic sales lines, which we now no longer have. But three years ago we decided to drop these labels and instead build up our own brand called Paul Kehl, named after one of the first Swiss designers: the man who founded our company in 1881. There are three lines: Paul for the young segment, Paul Kehl for the modern man, and finally Paul Kehl 1881, which offers the highest quality and is also the most expensive line.

This is where there is a very marked difference to earlier house brands that were always in a lower price range. Indeed, we see house brand as an obsolete term because it has a very strong connotation of entry-level prices. We now generate annual sales of 50 million Swiss francs with Paul Kehl, which is fairly respectable for Switzerland. With our own brand we're faster and more flexible than with some collections from other companies, where I have to order in January to get autumn delivery. That's definitely a significant advantage.

Marco Götz (owner of Drykorn): This touches on a certain problem. Why not directly approach the brand to get something more up to date? The reality is that it often takes way too long. By the time a retailer and the brand have managed to reach each other, sometimes weeks have gone by and valuable time is lost. How large is the development department for Paul Kehl?

Olivier Burger: We have a team of some six to seven people, including a head of design, a fashion stylist and product development.

Marco Götz: This means that you run a lean operation compared to the turnover that you achieve. It takes a lot of effort to develop a collection.

Michael Bailly (owner of Bailly Diehl): The history behind the Paul Kehl brand is the key to its success. The products that we put on the sales floor at Bailly Diehl have to be

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And, at that moment, the retailer’s house brand is no longer just a house brand when customers ask for it by name.

Marco Götz

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unique and creative and meet the standards of a genuine brand.

Multi-brand retailers have to stand out from the crowd. We're literally forced – in some ways also by the industry and distributors – to define the distinctive features of our business more clearly.

And this represents an enormous workload for us.

Nicoletta Schaper: For your own house brand?

Michael Bailly: Yes. It's no secret that we achieve 60 per cent of our turnover in knitwear with the labels that we make ourselves. The house brand is definitely an opportunity, provided we don't rely too heavily on the concept and remain creative.

Andreas Weitkamp (owner of Modehaus Schnitzler in Münster): You're talking about 19 branches and Mr. Burger has 35, but with Modehaus Schnitzler, we’re only talking about one place of business. I have to stand out from the competition and find brands that are not like the ones offered at the beginning of the season in internet newsletters. It's not so much a question of a brand's exclusivity in the city. With Drykorn, for example, I occasionally have customers sent by the competition because the other stores didn't have the articles in the sizes that these shoppers were looking for. But when a competitor starts reducing prices at the beginning or the middle of the season, things start getting difficult for me.

Olivier Burger: The competitive situation on the industry side is often not easy. These days we can hardly find stores anymore where we can afford the rent. Esprit can pay 15 to 20 per cent of its turnover in rent; for me the limit is 10 per cent. I'd like to grow, but if somebody constantly snatches store locations right from under my nose, I have to do something about it. I'd like to use my multi-brand

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We see the house brand as an obsolete term because it has a very strong connotation of entry-level prices.

Olivier Burger

concept and continue to be the best provider in Switzerland for the top brand segment while, at the same time, developing my own brand. And this seems to me the right way to continue growing.

Nicoletta Schaper: Should multi-brand retailers respond to the industry’s single label stores by introducing their own house brands?

And does this mean that retailers are better designers?

Olivier Burger: Certainly not better. But there are of course many types of brands. Most of them come and go; very few consistently produce long term results. As a multi-brand provider, we often build up a brand, and when it's strong enough, it opens its own stores. I have nothing against this – as long as they maintain their prices. But when a brand with its own store already reduces its prices by 30 per cent in November, and in December by 50 per cent, they still earn as much profit as I do when I sell the same product at the full price.

Michael Bailly: This means that the margins for retailers are insufficient measured against the high cost of overhead. Retailers have to meet a lot of demands: The brand wants its products to be presented at top locations – and the retailer has to foot the bill for the rent. On top of this, there's personal customer service, which is the core of a retailer's business and entails high personnel costs along with merchandising, decoration and so on. All of this is done to showcase the brand. That makes it absolutely necessary for industry and retailers to cooperate well and appreciate each other.

Olivier Burger: In general, we need better lines of communication between industry and retailers to maintain the competitiveness of the multi-brand concept and react to the needs of the seasons. This would entail eliminating as many intermediate stages as possible.

Marco Götz: But this only works if the customer is a little bigger and style in progress

has direct contact to the development department.

Not every trend can be implemented immediately in all levels of quality. Excellent products require time to mature.

Andreas Weitkamp: True, retailers smaller than we are are totally outside the loop. They receive merchandise in January and June, but during the season there's no agent who approaches them to offer an immediate fashion action programme. So they have no opportunities to react.

Olivier Burger: Aside from the strength of the service, the mix of brands is the key to a sound multi-brand concept. There are virtually no brands that have a complete command of diverse product groups, and this is where the flexibility of the multi-brand retailer comes into play. The mix evens out many things. And that's why multi-brand stores absolutely have their place on the market.

But it's a tough challenge and putting together an effective mix of brands with so-called house brands is a question of finding the right balance.

Stephan Huber (Editor in Chief of style in progress): A clarification question: At whose expense do you achieve 50 million Swiss francs in turnover with Paul Kehl?

Olivier Burger: We used to achieve a large proportion of this with our house brands.

Stephan Huber: We've just touched on the fact that the old term house brand is no longer up to date. The product is the focus of today's customers' attention, and it has its own standards that retailers have invested in. These products must have replaced others within the product range, not only old house brands that perhaps no longer sell well – at least in a number of segments. The days are over when there was a mechanism that allowed a large brand to cover the entire breadth of the demand, and retailers were forced to purchase every last polo shirt.

Michael Bailly: Smart buyers have long since moved beyond that.

They no longer purchase a brand's entire collection.

Olivier Burger: If a product is good, it's purchased. But the days when retailers also picked up the accessories are really over. Our philosophy as a multi-brand retailer is to project the clearest possible style and that doesn't necessarily reflect the brands. Instead, we focus on our own signature style. We convey to our customers a sense of reliability: This is where you belong; you're in the right place. With Paul Kehl this has allowed us to better develop our accessories, which in terms of style match perfectly what we've purchased.

www.bloom-fashion.com

CPD

05.02.- 07.02.2011 | UNITED FASHION Rather Str. 49e, 2.OG | 40476 Düsseldorf

Dänemark CPH Vision muniCHfasHion.women

03.02. – 05.02.2011 | 61 Øksnehallen | Stand Nr. 68 19.02. – 22.02.2011 | Bereich 5, Stand Nr. 43

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Nicoletta Schaper: Are we talking about basics here?

Olivier Burger: There are no longer simple, basic articles.

Michael Bailly: It also depends a great deal on the size of the product

range. There are still need-driven customers who purchase basics.

Marco Götz: Although they're most likely brand customers looking for the sense of dependability offered by well-known brands.

Andreas Weitkamp: When I go to Schnitzler, or to Burger, I find what's right for me there, regardless of whether it's a house label or another brand. It has to do with reliability: When a customer comes to Schnitzler, he finds what he needs.

Marco Götz: In the past I've used this system at some point to boost my brand. When I started out 14 years ago, Drykorn was an absolute no-name product, a house brand for retailers, if you will. Then I tried to place it with upmarket retailers that also carried articles by designers like Helmut Lang. This is how Drykorn turned into a brand. When you first show up with just a few articles, you're still not a brand.

Andreas Weitkamp: For us Drykorn still fulfils the function of a house brand! It offers special articles at a good price with a reasonable markup for customers who think it's brilliant when they buy a white shirt for 49 euros or 69 euros and can walk around town carrying a Schnitzler bag.

Marco Götz: Which brand actually still guarantees brisk business in shops? In other words, a brand that sells thanks to its good name?

Andreas Weitkamp: At our store Bogner is essential, as well as Etro and van Laack. But there aren't that many.

Nicoletta Schaper: What's essential these days – the product or the brand?

Andreas Weitkamp: The product. Customers are much more mindful these days of getting genuine value for their money than they were two or three years ago. Nobody bought all those thin little nylon coats from a well-known brand that we had in the store two years ago for 600 to 700 euros.

Michael Bailly: I printed out a list this morning that I'd like to read to you. Are you familiar with Mel Davis, Fermani, The Same Guy, Better Rich?

Nicoletta Schaper: Those are labels that are known somewhat, but not well.

Michael Bailly: Those are the names with the highest sales rates. I find this idea exciting. Multi-brand retailers can use these labels to offer surprises – provided that they're showcased in an exciting setting, with the charm and personality of their own stores.

Olivier Burger: The trick is always being able to pinpoint that certain special element. What works at one location won't necessarily work at another. I think it's great that this idea that made the rounds five years ago – that "we'll do the same thing everywhere in the world" idea – has failed.

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If our name is on it, the product also has to make the grade.

Andreas Weitkamp

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Marco Götz: It's a positive development that favours specialised re-

tailers. This is where the single brand stores can't hold a candle to the multi-brand concept.

Nicoletta Schaper: Mr. Weitkamp, in your fashion store, you also have the Schnitzler house label. You once said: "If our name is on it, the product still has to make the grade." What does your house label stand for?

Andreas Weitkamp: It can't stand for a high level of fashion. People who are looking for fashion compare us to Zara und H&M. In our store house brands offer entry-level prices in shirts, knitwear and blouses of reasonable quality. Furthermore, as a member of the Masculin-Gruppe, we can also carry duffle and down coats for 299 euros under the Simon Grey house label, which we otherwise couldn't offer at this price.

Michael Bailly: In our case we simply wouldn't have the manpower to put together this kind of product. But we've learned to make excellent knitwear just as we've been able to increase our expertise when it comes to blouses and shirts. And these are also big revenue generators. We now have a sales rep to sell knits we developed ourselves and one-third of the turnover goes to me.

Nicoletta Schaper: When is a brand really a brand? When has it really got it made, so to speak?

Marco Götz: It's not the brand presence in magazines that makes the difference. It's the customers going into a store and purchasing a brand because they know it and what makes the brand special. And the retailer's house brand is no longer just a house brand at the moment when customers ask for it by name. A brand is good when it's achieved its own potential for development and has evolved – and when it's simply better than others in a certain area.

Stephan Huber: How strong is the competition posed by house brands?

Marco Götz: When a brand offers brilliant products, then it has no competition and will be purchased. So the only rule of thumb for me is its attractiveness in the product range.

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ORDERTERMINE: PREMIUM BERLIN 19.01-21.01.2011 PREMIUM ORDER DÜSSELDORF 04.02.-08.02.2011 PREMIUM ORDER MÜNCHEN 18.02.-22.02.2011

www.villagaia.de

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We multi-brand retailers have to stand out from the crowd. We are literally forced – also by the industry and distributors – to define more clearly the distinctive features of our business.

Michael Bailly

Olivier Burger: With us it's approximately 30 to 40 per

Olivier Burger: What's decisive is the self-assurance based on ability

and creativity; when a brand has that, it doesn't have to be afraid of house labels.

Nicoletta Schaper: Are you saying that house labels aren't serious rivals?

Marco Götz: If I see them as that, then there's something wrong with my brand. There's a difference between having your own house label as a supplementary product and carrying no other brands on the sales floor, but covering everything with your own house brand instead. P&C has added McNeal and built a separate collection because they noticed that they were spinning their wheels with too much comparability. It's very frustrating when retailers you supply suddenly have an exact copy of one of your own hard to develop articles in their product range...

Michael Bailly: There used to be an unwritten rule that you didn't copy anything from the current season.

Stephan Huber: Paul Kehl is planning, just like McNeal, to go outside of its own stores, isn't it?

Olivier Burger: Medium term, yes. We won't rule out expansion, just like the other brands.

Marco Götz: Even in another country?

Olivier Burger: It's definitely possible. But we recently discussed precisely this issue: Are we even willing to sell to third parties? If we do this, we'll lose speed, which is why I'm reticent. If I have to show the collection to other retailers first, I basically have to be finished three months earlier.

Nicoletta Schaper: Mr. Bailly, earlier you mentioned the situation with the product range. What percentage of the product range can be allotted to the house brand and still be interesting for customers?

Michael Bailly: We still haven't thought this through yet because house brands still represent such a minor proportion of our product range. My gut feeling on this question is that it shouldn't rise above 10 to 15 per cent in our company. style in progress

cent. I think you have to know what you want. There are retailers that only rely on brands and want no house brands whatsoever – I can think of two or three in Zurich alone. Here in Düsseldorf, I've seen large retail operations where half of the product range consists of house brands and stores like C&A that exclusively carry house brands. House brands make up a large proportion of mass consumption. We're only talking here about a segment of the market in the upper third.

Stephan Huber: And these individual market segments will continue increasingly to split up.

Olivier Burger: The question is what's right, and everyone has to define that for the philosophy of their own business. It's only then that the size of your share of a market comes into play.

Nicoletta Schaper: We've already talked about this: Rents are rising at top locations, and often it's only single label stores that can afford to pay them. How can a multi-brand retailer still compete here?

Andreas Weitkamp: It helps if they're not forced to slash prices in November! If I place a large order of a certain brand, I actually have to reduce my prices earlier – that is, if I don't have the possibility of selling via various branch stores. Nevertheless, I never cut my prices until three days before Christmas, no matter what happens in Münster. And when I calculate my year-end results, I don't think that I'm much worse off than those retailers who started launching their discount campaigns in October.

Michael Bailly: When I place my orders, I always keep in mind that I won't lower my prices before a certain point in time. That's simply how things should be done – and it's a reasonable approach!

Nicoletta Schaper: Mr. Bailly, you're often quoted as saying: "Success is being able to tell the difference; making comparisons only leads to price wars."

Michael Bailly: We've really taken this campaign slogan to heart in all areas. It begins with how we design our businesses, and continues with how our employees present themselves in the stores. This essential attitude is something that customers have to sense – They have to realise that we have really put our hearts into assembling our product range. It's always just fine nuances that distinguish the overall package and set us apart from others.

Andreas Weitkamp: We enter into each new round of orders with the knowledge that we, as retailers, have to be like truffle pigs. I can't simply drop in on all of my suppliers at trade fairs. I have to do an enormous amount of travelling, speak with a great many people and leave no stone unturned. That's the only way that we find the collections that allow us to stand out from the competition.

Nicoletta Schaper: Thank you very much for these closing words – and to all of you for this discussion!

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SELECTED

In hommage to times past or as rediscovery of old strengths – the nostalgia trend is introducing what's new in the retro look and revisiting old labels. Strong accents are coming from accessory collections: With ornately printed shawls, avant-garde and far eastern shoe style or colourful premium caps, they pep up every casual or elegant design.

Appartamento 50

Hommage to Artists

Appartamento 50 was once a meeting place for artists in Moscow where painters and poets could interact. The Italian knitwear label Appartamento 50 was named after this meeting place in hommage to the creativity of these artists. The label itself is similarly creative with coats and jackets for women among its strengths. These are being launched into the German-speaking market this season by Agentur Toepfer.

The label stems from the Maglificio Marisa company in Florence, a family-run company founded 55 years ago that produces exclusively in Italy. Franco Armilla has been responsible for Appartamento 50's design since the last season. According to the company, he is one of the best Italian designers for collections with a vintage character. Fans of the collection, which also contains knitwear, sweats and accessories made from materials such as washed silk and wool, include dealers like Raspini in Florence and Cortecci Siena or Bryan & Berry of Milan.

It is also sold in France, Spain, Russia and the East Asia. Wholesale prices range from 40 to 130 euros with a markup of 2.7.

Appartamento 50, Maglificio Marisa S.p.A., 50055 Lastra a Signa (FI)/Italy, T 0039.055.872751, info@maglificiomarisa.it, www.appartamento50.com

At Adrienne Landau both fur and marabu feathers are worked into the clothing.

Adrienne Landau

Elegant Creations from Marabou Feathers

Fur is passé: In addition to elegant fur garments, the US label Adrienne Landau is now designing jackets, bolero jackets, scarves and waistcoats made of exclusive Marabou feathers. The brand's designer and name-giver is known for her combination of unusual materials. This is also the case in her new collection, which provides clothes, bags, accessories and luxury furniture to both men and women.

"I'm designing for the people of today: the ones who are searching for a unique style – both in the clothes they wear and in the lifestyle they pursue," says the former painter. Through the combination of a skirt with rivets and oversized T-shirt or as elegant evening wear – the garments of the Adrienne Landau collection can be universally mixed and matched. The products wholesale at a markup of 2.7.

Adrienne Landau Designs Inc., New York, NY 10018/USA, T 001.212.6958362, www.adriennelandau.com

Designer Henrietta Rosa Samuels makes shoes from the silk of old Japanese kimonos.

Hetty Rose

Sophisticated Footwear

Retro style knitwear – that's the strong suit of the Italian label Appartamento 50.

style in progress

Hetty Rose and her shoes began their march to success three years ago. That was when Henrietta Rose Samuels was selected to present her extraordinary creations – shoes fashioned from the silk of old Japanese kimonos – at London Fashion Week. Since then the handmade vintage styles have been available for custom order and at appropriately upmarket retail prices of between 398 and 478 euros. Now the young British designer from Chelmsford has launched her first ready-to-wear collection with five styles in UK sizes 4 to 7 – and at significantly lower prices, ranging from 205 to 233 euros. With it Henrietta Rose Samuels wants to make the label accessible to a broader public, since up to now Hetty Rose has been available only at Che Camille in Scotland and at The Natural Store and Wolf & Badger in England. The shoes are also available online through the website.

Hetty Rose LTD, Chelmsford Essex CM1 2AF/UK, T 0044.7905083745, info@hettyrose.co.uk, www.hettyrose.co.uk

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Humanoid

Feminine. Comfortable.

Contemporary.

Both designers from Kova & T use luxurious fabrics to create modern, sensuous clothing.

Kova & T

Subtle Glamour

The brainchild of high school friends Dasha Zhukova and Christina Tang, Kova & T began as a venue to channel the friends' creative energies, with the simple goal of designing clothes that appeal to themselves and their circle of friends. It just so happens that these model-beautiful designers have a circle that includes some serious socialites, art world gliteratti and a billionaire here and there. But not to be ensconced beneath the typical bells and whistles of hyper-trendy embellishments, Kova & T maintains an enviably sophisticated level of chic, sexy designs using luxe fabrics and classic cuts.

The clean, modern appeal of the line extends to the actual tactile feel of buttery leather skirts, fresh, fitted denim, flowing tees and dresses that, as Edith Head famously said, are "tight enough to show you're a woman, but loose enough to show you're a lady." Kova & T wholesales between 39 and 250 dollars with a markup of 2.3 and sells at Harrods and Luisa Via Roma.

In Style Showroom, 20159 Milan/Italy, T 0039.02.6683397, laura@instyleshowroom.com, www.kovaandt.com

Misty Clouds: If you think this motto means Humanoid's head designer Cecile Bleijenberg had her head in the clouds when designing the latest collection, you'd be mistaken. For the 2010/2011 autumn/winter season, Bleijenberg has continued the line of the label founded by Sandra Harmsen and Hans Boelens in Arnheim in 1981: Simple, flowing, feminine fits, soft materials and natural colours dominate the collection of alpaca knit jackets, bouclĂŠ miniskirts and suede capes.

Accents include small shoulder pads and matching accessories such as narrow belts and shoes made of naturally tanned leather. Humanoid brings out two collections per year, consisting of womenswear, shoes and accessories. Retail prices range from 80 to 400 euros for womenswear and from 50 to 500 euros for shoes and accessories. Sales and distribution within Europe are coordinated by Imago S.R.L. of Milan via various showrooms. The order dates coincide with important fair dates, such as cpd in DĂźsseldorf, Tranoi in Paris and CPH Vision in Copenhagen.

Imago S.R.L., Luisa Rigamonti, 20137 Milan/Italy, T 0039.02.5517049, luisa@imagomilano.com, www.imagomilano.com, www.humanoid.nl

warm-e

Deluxe Hats and Caps

Mostly handmade, the caps from warm-e are produced in Nepal and Austria.

A market niche and an opportunity: In Christian Obojes' opinion, there isn't really a sophisticated and fashionable hat and cap brand on the market. For him that's reason enough to take the initiative.

With the support of the designer Sabina Peskoller, he has developed a small but complete collection. "We are focusing on authentic and attractive styles with a top quality finish. The hats and caps are mostly handmade in Nepal and Austria," he says. Of course, highquality materials such as cashmere and fine wool are used. warm-e hopes to attract premium sportswear and fashion shops as their customers. warm-e's products retail from 129 to 249 euros. The new brand also hopes to score with its service: "In addition to the pre-order collection, there will be a between season collection."

Christian Obojes' agency room with a view, which is based in Salzburg and Zurich, will be responsible for the distribution in German-speaking countries. room with a view, 5020 Salzburg/Austria, T 0043.662.875651, office@roomwithaview.at, www.roomwithaview.at; room with a view, 8045 Zurich/Schwitzerland, T 0041.43.9609811, schweiz@roomwithaview.at, www.roomwithaview.at

Natural colours dominate the newest collection from Humanoid.

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Larens Zürich

Expanding into Womenswear

Extraordinary cuts and striking colour compositions are characteristic of best behavior.

Previously known as a premium label for men, Larens Zürich launched a womenswear label in 2010. The two designers Bülent Öcal and Khadija Larens aimed to set ethical standards with their new collection and distance themselves from conspicuous consumption. The focus of the women's collection lies on blouses, furs and neckerchiefs, but it also features trousers, knitwear and upscale lifestyle accessories.

The high quality, cleanly designed articles are handcrafted by selected European producers.

The collection offers unconventional cuts and a self-confident look. Larens Zürich is one of the first labels to use the Stretch Fur® method to work with their elegant furs.

As casual or evening wear every piece of clothing is elegant, functional and in tune with the times. Accessories retail from 69 euros and the sophisticated fur pieces sell for up to 10,000 euros.

Profashionals® Fashion Consulting SA, 8006 Zurich/Switzerland, T 0041.43.321.3300, info@profashionals.com, www.profashionals.com, www.larens.com

New is the women’s outerwear line from Larens Zürich, which includes premium class furs, knitwear, scarves, blouses and trousers.

Top-quality knitwear is Swiss label The Morning Room's chief business.

Best Behavior

Commercial AvantGarde Fashion

Renowned for pleasant fabrics such as jersey, silk or cotton, striking cuts and clever draping, the Danish label Best Behavior attaches great importance to perfect fits and relaxed, feminine silhouettes. "Setting new standards in womenswear" is the concept of founders and designers Marie Ørberg and Malene Brøchner. The two Danes go on to explain: "We've created our own world within the fashion world – a world that's relaxed, but also energetic and personal." In addition to unusual cuts, contrasting colour compositions are a characteristic feature of the brand – dusty shades against abstract patterns.

The focus of every collection is on tops, cardigans and dresses that are paired with jackets, trousers and seasonal accessories such as bags, scarves or caps. Best Behavior's mix of commercial avant-garde fashion wholesales for prices between 20 and 200 euros with a markup of 2.7.

Fashion07 Agency, 2000 Antwerp/Belgium, T 0032.497.550303, info@fashion07.be, www.fashion07.be best behavior, 2200 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.35.241072, info@bestbehavior.dk, www.bestbehavior.dk

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The Morning Room

Nice and Cosy

Maintaining traditions, setting trends, reinterpreting comfortable knitwear for contemporary wear – these are the main concerns of The Morning Room that was founded 2008 in Ticino in southern Switzerland. The label creates trousers and womenswear in jersey and leather, but its emphasis is on knitwear. Its chief designer is Claire Millar, a Scot.

Together with her team, she achieves the balance between traditional handwork and modern design. The label is absolutely in trend with its cosy oversize knitted jackets.

The company name was chosen to fit the theme. In 19th century Britain, every upper-class home had a morning room where the ladies would do their embroidery and knitting.

Wholesale prices range between 70 and 290 euros with a markup of 3.0.

Adventure Modeagentur GmbH, 81675 Munich/Germany, T 0049.89.998.160, info@adventure-gmbh.de Agentur Modestrom, 8008 Zurich/Switzerland, T 0041.43.499.9880, agentur@modestrom.com

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Libertine-Libertine

Magenta 8

The Cool Danes

Individual Items for Love at First Sight

According to the firm's website, a libertine is a soul free from the restraints of social norms and religious morals who lives a life with no restrictions. Freethinking is also the motto of the three Danish founders Rasmus Bak, Pernille Schwarz and Peter Munch Ovesen who established their label in 2009. Based on their background in the music and fashion industry, they have created a modern and retro existential look. Four times a year they produce a complete collection of casual clothing for men and women, focusing on high-quality fabrics and details.

Prices for Libertine-Libertine articles range from 60 to 320 euros. Right from the start the line had customers in 12 countries, with its main markets in Scandinavia, the UK and Australia. Customers include Hunting & Collecting in Brussels, Normann Copenhagen and Tenue de Nimes in Amsterdam, which has developed limited special editions in collaboration with the creative souls in Denmark.

Libertine-Libertine, Rasmus Bak, 2000 Frederiksberg/Denmark, T 0045.24.252898, rasmus@libertine-libertine.com, www.libertine-libertine.com

The retro existential look from Libertine-Libertine is mostly available in Scandinavia, the UK and Australia.

Obakki

The Latest from Overseas

The delicate, sophisticated clothing of Canadian label Obakki reminds you of a romantic road trip along the seacoast.

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"I've done my job well if a woman wears one of my designs and every woman in her family and in her circle of friends loves it," says Giovanna Velasquez, founder of the London label Magenta 8. Established in 2006 the exclusive womenswear fashion brand is characterised by its unmistakable designs and high-quality fabrics finishes.

The jackets, blazers, capes and bolero jackets are made of baby alpaca wool that feels soft and cosy against the skin. It is more robust than merino wool and warmer than cashmere.

In addition, it retains its shape and contains no lanolin. This makes it more comfortable and attractive for women who have very sensitive skin. This is classic, but a cut above the rest: Magenta 8 doesn't produce seasonal collections. Every year, it brings out a limited selection of eight garments and retains the collection's classics. They can be ordered in the showroom in London. Garments retail from prices between 435 and 730 euros.

Magenta 8 Showroom, London, W1B 1PW/UK, T 0044.207.7222677, sales@magenta8.com, www.magenta8.com

"Obakki is a luxury fashion brand built on modern style." That's how the Canadian label describes itself. The company defines its target group as "women who seek refined, effortlessly cool clothes that reflect their individuality and lifestyle." Creative Director Treana Peake, a designer, founded Obakki in 2005. Since then her focus has been on sophisticated, feminine casual wear. In the current summer collection, Peake explores the concept of an adventurous road trip along the seacoast. The delicate dresses, summer blouses and light shirts work just as well here as the casual outdoor jackets, ponchos and draped blazers.

Wholesale prices for Obakki range from 30 to 100 euros with a markup of 2.7. The first flagship store has been opened in Vancouver, and Obakki can be purchased in reputable stores and retailers like Ron Herman, Satine, Madison or Shopbop. There are still no branches for the label in Europe, but plans call for establishing the brand here as well in the near future.

Robinson Pfeffer, Kyle Robinson, London, EC2A 4LD/UK, T 0044. 207.7296788, kyle@robinsonpfeffer.com, www.robinsonpfeffer.com www.obakki.com Magenta 8 uses baby alpaca wool that contains no lanolin and is gentle enough for women with sensitive skin.

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Designed in Iceland, handmade in Spain: the avant-garde shoes from Kronkron.

Kron by Kronkron

A Treat for Your Feet

Avant-garde. Colourful. Feminine. That's what the Icelandic shoe label Kron by Kronkron is all about.

The cornerstone for this success story was laid in 2000 when designer Hugrún Arnadottir and hairstylist Magni Thorsteinsson opened their first Kron concept store in Reykjavik. Buoyed by the enthusiastic response, they expanded their business in 2004 with their young designer store Kronkron and established their own shoe label Kron by Kronkron in 2008. Designed in Iceland the creations made of fine net fabrics, smooth leather, suede and patent leather are handmade in the Spanish town of Elda.

Design elements include imaginative colour and material combinations and distinctive heels. The collection includes ankle boots, wedges, platform peeptoes and pumps. In the summer of 2010, they added women's outerwear and tights to their selection. The average wholesale price is 120 euros, and retail prices are approximately 400 euros. All collections can be ordered directly all year round from Kronkron, which shows its wares at trade fairs like Premiere Classe in Paris and Micam in Milan.

During the summer of 2011, Kron by Kronkron will be available in German stores like Luccico in Berlin and Dellmann in Darmstadt.

Kron & Kronkron/Hugrún Arnadottir, 101 Reykjavik/Iceland, T 0354 562 83 88, kron@kron.is, www.kronkron.com

French sophistication meets relaxed California style: the rediscovered blouse from French label Equipment.

Equipment Forget me Not

Minimalism Meets Surrealism

Digital prints from French designer Coco graces the shawls and scarves from Forget me Not.

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Coco is the name of a well-known French designer and graphic artist who is the creative head of the London label Forget me Not. After working for leading fashion designers for years, she now works for big-name fashion magazines and designs her own fashions.

Since 2009, Coco has been producing digital prints for scarves and other accessories based on hand-drawn designs for the independent label Forget me Not. The result of the marriage between traditional drawing methods and new digital techniques is a range of artistic digital prints on various materials and fabrics – first and foremost, eccentric looking scarves and neckerchiefs.

Depictions based on reality meet geometric patterns and shapes and everything culminates in esoteric symbolism. This isn't for everyone, but is undoubtedly something for lovers of creative art. Forget me Not is produced in Italy's accessory competence centre in Como and is available in its own online shop or concept stores and high-class department stores such as Barneys, Harrods or Colette. With retail prices from 168 euros, the brand addresses an exclusive clientele.

Forget me not, 33 B Regent Studios, London, E8 4QN/UK, T 0044.207.2543706, sales@forget-me-not.me, www.forget-me-not.me

French Relaunch

The French label Equipment, which successfully began life back in the '70s, is about to be relaunched.

In 1975 the French designer Christian Restoin created women's blouses inspired by men's shirts and his style attracted luminaries such as Catherine Deneuve, Jane Birkin, Lauren Bacall and Yoko Ono. The reason for the label's great popularity was that, in addition to the high quality of the various fabrics ranging from silk and denim to gauze, his designs were, for the time, revolutionary in their casualness. Restoin succeeded in combining comfort with glamour, a meeting of French sophistication and relaxed Californian style.

Nowadays we again see celebrities, such as the designer's partner Carine Roitfeld, in new versions of the models that are exact copies of the original '70s design or somewhat updated. The items are priced wholesale between 85 and 139 euros; the markup is usually 2.7.

Unifa GmbH, 40221 Düsseldorf/Germany, T 0049.211.171499-0, contact@unifafashion.com, www.unifa-fashion.com

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Beautiful People As Italy's Gaia Rossi label shows, down doesn't have to be shapeless.

Down With Sex Appeal

Producing close-fitting down jackets is an art – and one that has been mastered by the Gaia Rossi label. "We stand for a very feminine look and our fit is created to be less sportswear-like than that of our competitors," says Raffaele Rossi, owner of the Gaillardo SRL company in San Mauro a Signa, Florence. He named the label after his daughter.

All this convinced Udo Toepfer, who has now taken on the collection for the German-speaking market.

Gaia Rossi was launched in the last autumn/winter season and immediately reached 480 dealers. For autumn/winter 2011 it is showing about 80 styles, including down jackets and coats, sweaters and furs. Important service factors include the good prices, ranging from 90 to 140 euros wholesale with a markup of about 2.7 to 2.8, support for advertising in fashion magazines, and last but not least, stock service for the entire season. Gaillardo SRL is among the biggest producers in Italy, and manufacturers for a corresponding range of customers, including Celyn b., Zara and Swinger from Versace.

Gaia Rossi, Gaillardo S.r.l., 50058 San Maruo a Signa (FI)/Italy, T 0039.055.8739094, info@gaiarossi.it, www.gaiarossi.it

"Less is more" is the philosophy of the designer, Gosha Pinno, who founded the Beautiful People label in Los Angeles in 1998. His concept is nonchalant oversized casual styles made of ultra-soft jersey that are best suited to fashionable layering, in trendy matt colours and with discrete leather appliqués.

In the past year a cashmere line called Liam has now been added with basic tanks and sexy sweaters. With their casual elegant shapes and lightness, the 15 to 20 styles in three subdued colours (charcoal, black and ash) harmonise with the slogan of the fashionable main collection. In the USA leading stores such as Ron Herman, Madison, Theodore and Curve are Beautiful People Liam customers.

The Düsseldorf agency, CP Fashion, will be starting distribution in the German-speaking market this season, with two collections annually plus flash programmes and wholesale prices from 89 euros with a markup of 2.8.

CP Fashion by Core Products Ltd., Sabine Böger, 40211 Düsseldorf/Germany, T 0049.211.98594378, info@cpfashion.de, www.cpfashion.de

©Liam

Gaia Rossi

The New Lightness of Being

The Beautiful People and Liam collections hope to conquer the European market with their elegant yet casual style.

Tan’s

Kimono Art

The small New York label of Tan is now taking the European fashion market by storm with silk kimonos in an easy-going style. Little jackets in the kimono cut, embroidered with pearls, are the trademark of this label from America. The colourful embroidery, appliqué and tassels are eye catching and make each unconventional silk item of clothing unique. Size matters: The stylish kimonos look best worn oversized. The ladies' jacket sizes range from regular to large and from short to long. The Tan collection can be ordered wholesale from 125.50 euros with a markup of 2.7. The maximum retail price is approximately 398 euros. The delivery times are two months and selected single items can be delivered immediately.

The models are already available at Abseits in Stuttgart, Jades in Düsseldorf, Stierblut, Maendler and Ludwig Beck in Munich and Ciolina in Berne.

Flip Munich GmbH, 80802 Munich/Germany, T 0049.89.344259, www.flipmunich.de The Far East look from the American East Coast: The silk kimonos from the New York Tan label are now available in Europe.

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Knit-ted

Life Can Begin

Comfortable, stylish, timeless: In spring 2010 the Dutch label Knit-ted launched its first collection for men and women. The label's founder Petra Stapper is particularly proud of her wide selection that goes from delicate and playful to casual and urban. Women can look forward to a wide range of sweaters, tops, cardigans and knitted dresses. The men's collection offers knitted sweaters and cardigans enhanced with fine details. The Knit-ted extra: Every garment is sold in a zip bag.

After many years of experience in the fashion industry, Stapper was inspired to start her own project. Knit-ted is her dream come true and the brand claim is thus quite fitting: "When time stops, life begins." She gives every collection a special theme, such as security and warmth for the spring collection.

The collection is currently available in the webshop www.knit-ted.com and in shops in the Netherlands. Wholesale prices start at 27 euros.

Knit-ted, Petra Stapper B.V, 1077 SE Amsterdam/Netherlands, T 0031.61299.3593, info@knit-ted.com, www.knit-ted.com

The spring collection from the Dutch label Knit-ted should radiate security and warmth.

Monitaly

Runway Rugged

Another creation of designer Yuki Masuda, Monitaly is a menswear clothing line that seamlessly complements his footwear and accessories label Yuketen. The name Monitaly is derived from a combination of his three greatest loves: his daughter Monica, Italy and functional military design. Pushing to the forefront of the American heritage fashion movement, Masuda creates adaptations of classic silhouettes with an emphasis on comfort and fit using fabrics from the finest mills in the world. His designs echo a rustic lifestyle, yet he brings modern meticulousness and urban details to each piece. For the autumn/winter 2011 collection, Monitaly has developed exclusive never-before-seen fabrics Characteristic for Monitaly's men's line are that mirror a philosophy of unparalleled uniquethe rustic pieces with urban details. ness. With wholesale prices ranging from 60 to 290 euros and a 55 per cent markup, the label can be found at Dover Street Market in London, Barney's New York and Isetan in Asia.

Monitaly, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254/USA, T 001.310.372.8033, ryan@megcompany.com, www.monitaly.com

Cocky Brand

For Men Only

Cocky Brand stands for eye-catching prints handmade in Montreal.

The colours are subdued but otherwise there's no trace of reserve. Cocky Brand from Canada is a limited edition for men, which offers eye-catching T-shirts with large prints and dynamic graphics. With their own cuts, the finest Japanese inks and colours and careful hand-finishing hand, the Cocky Brand RND team from Montreal speaks out against comparability in the mass market. To achieve the most authentic and individual vintage look, the shirts undergo several dyeing and bleaching processes. Each item has its own numbered label as a sign of authenticity. Cocky Brand is Lucky Seven Shirts' premium brand and was founded in 2009. Good style depends on good delivery service and both are valued by retailers such as Backstage in New York, U&I in Florida and Five O Seven in Toronto. Now the CP Fashion agency would like to bring the brand's success to Europe and hopes to acquire 100 customers in the German-speaking market by 2012. The retail prices of the shirts range between 69 and 89 euros with a markup of 2.8.

CP Fashion, Peter Sch채fer, 40211 D체sseldorf/Germany, T 0049.211.98594378, info@cpfashion.de, www.cpfashion.de, www.cockytee.com style in progress

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Improvd

Danish style with a touch of Parisian flair is the stylistic concept behind Ganni.

A Joint Undertaking

Why do beautiful things always have to be expensive? This is the question two industry professionals, Valentino Vettori and Sam BenAvraham, asked and then answered with Improvd, the line they launched in 2009. The first collection was presented for the spring/summer season 2010 with avant-garde basics at affordable prices. Typically, Improvd offers shirts, knitwear, jeans and outerwear in mixed fabrics, washed and over-dyed, all in a minimalist style There are two complete collections of 60 to 89 items per year, with shirts priced from 30 euros wholesale, sweaters from 45 euros and leather jackets from 199 euros and a markup of 2.8. Customers include Flip in Munich, Helmut Eder in Kitzbühel, Harvey Nichols, Barneys and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Ben-Avraham and Vettori have been business associates for over ten years. Ben-Avraham opened the Boutique Atrium in New York in 1994 and was a customer of several brands Vettori sold in his Scatola Sartoriale showrooms in New York before they founded Improvd. Vettori played a major role in Diesel's expansion in the USA. Inken Wisdorf, Showroom Ürdingerstrasse 5, 40474 Düsseldorf/Germany, T 0048.170.2937576, inken@forward-agency.de, www.improvd.com

Avant-garde fashion at affordable prices is the motto of the successful Improvd label.

Black Orchid

The Stars' Denim Delight

To give his denim label an exclusive touch, designer Julien Jarmoune baptised it Black Orchid. That's because he believes that the search for a pair of jeans with the perfect fit is as difficult as the search for a black orchid.

And because stars are known to love exclusivity, Black Orchid jeans seem to be the new favourite of Hollywood stars from Jessica Alba to Marcia Cross.

Jarmoune designs comfortable, well fitting skinny jeans with a high percentage of latex. He regards his classic trousers as a veritable feast for the eyes when viewed next to all the used and destroyed jeans. They may remind you a little of the Miss Sixty jeans that were popular about 10 years ago.

Black Orchid is in the medium to high price range.

A pair of jeans retails between 129 and 269 euros with a markup of 2.8.

BE: Absolut Fashion, 75003 Paris/France, T 0033.1.4272.8126, karim@absolutfashion.net NL: Blosh Bv, 1033 MZ Amsterdam/Netherlands, T 0031.20354.0349, marijn@blosh.com Scandinavia: A-List AB, 41116 Göteburg/Sweden, T 0046.3130.36400, anna@alist.se www.blackorchiddenim.com

The skinny jeans of US label Black Orchid prove themselves through their perfect fit and classic design.

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Ganni

Update for Your Wardrobe

"Creating clothing that's playful yet alluring – clothing that's not too complicated, not too fashionable, but simply captivating." That’s the self-assigned fashion mission of the Danish label Ganni.

Straightforward cuts, relaxed fits and a touch of Parisian flair characterise the womenswear collections. Stylistic elements like strikingly tailored jackets and delightful details like lace and flounces combine to create a casual vintage look. The portfolio consists of tops, shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, trousers, cardigans and jackets and is complemented by accessories and a separate line of shoes. "The collections are full of favourites that will give every wardrobe an immediate update," says Creative Director Ditte Reffstrup. The label is not the brainchild of a single designer, however, but rather a creative team that develops the Ganni concept by exchanging ideas. The four annual collections each include approx. 100 articles and roughly 15 pairs of shoes. Wholesale prices range from 15 to 160 euros with a markup of 2.8.

NL: The FASH Agency, Silvia Schrama, 1058AC Amsterdam/Netherlands, T 0031.624.687539, silvia@thefash.com, www.thefash.com BE: Spring BVBA, 2000 Antwerp/Belgium, T 0032.473.231 382 NO: Colina Agency, Anett Ringstad, 0258 Oslo/Norway, T 0047.930.80145, anett@colina.no, www.colina.no SE: Maria Westerman Agentur, 11446 Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.708.994331, maria@mariawesterman.se, www.westerman.se DK: Ganni, 1220 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.3332.4457, nanna@ganni.dk, frans@ganni.dk, www.ganni.dk style in progress

ABOUT AWOMAN They're the focus of all eyes, accentuate, play to the crowd, take to the stage.

Coats are the new status symbol this winter.

Photos Sabine Liewald www.sabineliewald.com Styling & Production Sabine Berlipp www.blossommanagement.com Hair/make-up Sacha Schuette using Pantene, www.tune-artists.com Make-up Alexandra Maria Waldher www.alexandra-maria.com Model Bianca www.megamodelagency.com Photo-assistant Jens Schmidt Retouch Urs Gisler style in progress

Left Page Coat Mabrun Scarf Codello Gloves Roeckl Tights Le Shop, Kรถln Right Page Coat Dimitri Blouse Aigner Gloves Roeckl Tights Wolford Shoes Max Mara

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Coat St.Emile

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Coat Schneiders Tights Falke Shoes Marina Rinaldi

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Coat Aigner Bag Louis Vuitton Tights Fogal Shoes Comptoir des Contonniers

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Leather coat RenĂŠ Lezard Shawl Faliero Sarti

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Fur coat Custo Blouse Max Mara Bag Minimarket Tights Falke Shoes Louis Vuitton

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Coat Joop Tights Vintage Shoes Stuart Weitzmann

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Photos www.angelikabuettner.com/kombinatrotweiss /// Styling & Production Sabine Berlipp/ www.blossommanagement.de /// Hair Carsten Richert/www.closeup-agency.de /// Make-up Sarah Lery Terquiem/www.closeup-agency.de /// Styling-Assistence Patrick CavaliĂŠ /// Studio La Plateform, Paris

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IT

Anyone wanting to show fashion sensitivity does it best with the most up and coming accessory article–shawls in all variations, colours and qualities.

PIECE

Shawl printed Roda Belt (head) United Colors of Benetton Gloves Roeckl Fur stole Seiko Taki Shawl flowered HundredElevenDays Belt (chest) Mongrels in Common Bag Louis Vuitton Jewellery BB Vanities by Romain Loustau Leggings Seiko Taki Shoes Vintage

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Cap Très Bonjour Necklace (head) Gabriele Frantzen Shawl (head) Starstyling Patent-leather bag Vivienne Westwood Shawl black/navy patterned Paschbeck Fummel & Kram Gloves Kookaï Belt Louis Vuitton Bag small Starstyling Leggings Raphael Hauber

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Collar Très Bonjour Gloves Roeckl Rings Dyrberg/Kern, Drachenfels Design Bag Drap Barcelona Scarf 1 Roeckl Scarf 2 Faliero Sarti Scarf 3 Stine Goya Scarf 4 Claudio Cutuli Stockings Daniel Herman

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Shawl brown patterned Shingora Belt on shawl KookaĂŻ & WoodWood Necklace Gabriele Frantzen Gloves Roeckl Bracelets Yvonne KonĂŠ Bag Vivienne Westwood Shawl pink 0039 Italy Shawl zebra Codello Exclusive Belt Vintage Leggings A&V Shoes LaRare

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Hat Vintage Cuffs Dear Cashmere Golden bracelet, rings Dyrberg/Kern Earrings Sabrina Dehoff Necklace Starstyling Necklace long Drachenfels Design Roses Heinz M端ller Ribbon Minimarket Shawl houndstooth Serina Nicole Hahner Shawl camel MTWTFSS Weekday Belt Royal Blush Necklace as belt Manuel Bolano Beltbag A.F. Vandevorst Bag Henrik Vibskov Stockings Manuel Bolano Boots A.F. Vandevorst

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Stole yellow Clarissa Labin Choker Vintage Feathers Josef Reinl, Schmuckfedern Necklace Sabrina Dehoff Body Daniel Herman Bracelets Starstyling Cuffs Très Bonjour Shawl striped Claudio Cutuli Belt Roda Stockings Falke

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WINTER 2011/12

Trends

The final analysis is clear: Everyone knew last season who this season's outright winners would be. Labels that did their homework came through the difficult year of 2010 with flying colours. Surprises were few and far between. One hit wonders and one-off trends are now so past decade. Text: Martina Müllner. Editors: Martina Müllner, Daniela Angerbauer. Photos: Clemens Kois, Producer

Sieger

Strellson Sportswear

Elemente Clemente

Roda Altea

Scarves

Bloom

Crust

The vital accessory that again shows its huge potential this season. A good scarf provides the finishing touch to any outfit – Without one, your fashion statement loses its impact. The choice is huge: from silk squares knotted like a tie to dreamy versions in cashmere, jacquards and richly embroidered scarves.

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Truzzi

099 Closed

Sebylcho Nobutsugo

Jey Coleman Montedoro

Duffle

coats

Not a new version of a beloved classic but a daring new and inspiring reinterpretation of a heritage theme. Duffle coats are clearly leading the way in knitwear versions, jackets and coats. And right out at the front of the field is the short jacket with its classic clasps and so much elaborate detail that their discovery is pure joy.

Barbour

Roda

Blauer USA

R95th

Hartford

CP Company

Tommy Hilfiger

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Rich Fur

add

In jackets fur comes into its own. The choice of eco fur, real or recycled, is simply a matter of taste. Sometimes fur is used where you'd least expect it: for example, as an inside detail on wildly cool parkas. It's more noticeable on jackets as a trim or decoration on hoods - and of course, on all types of accessories.

Parajumpers

Luis Trenker Le Coq Sportif

Vintage55

Feyem Cinque

Stetson

Canada Goose

Woolrich

Sportalm

Hackett London

Bloom

Ludwig Reiter

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101 Jey Coleman

Hetregò

Peuterey

Mabrun

Bomboogie

Crust

Parajumpers

Barbour

Victorinox

Cotton

Woolrich

in winter

Cotton's not a fabric for winter? We can throw this opinion overboard for the new season. New washing procedures with enzymes, for instance, make it possible for cotton to form unusual alliances. With down or padded jackets, it supersedes nylon and wool.

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102

Crust

Borsalino

Peuterey

Villa Gaia

Dolomite

Set

Daniel Hechter

Sieger

SiGnalS

Clearly a strong colour focus: red. It has the power to lift the gloom of autumn and winter. As a highly visible orange, a blazing red or a mellow burgundy, this colour is the perfect partner for many trends this season.

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Luis Trenker

Soho

SheePskin

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Here's a new twist to a trend that began to emerge last season and has now finally arrived. Exciting cuts set it off well and ensure that the material is shown to its best advantage. Both sporty and super elegant – sheepskin proves that it has what it takes to be at the forefront of fashion. Particularly nice: accessories that reflect the theme.

Closed

Mabrun

Peuterey

Hackett London

Aeronautica Militare ChatCwin

Nigel Cabourn

Arfango

Blauer USA

George Gina & Lucy

Pantofola d'Oro

Meindl

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Winter chino

Still no comeback for denim on the horizon – at least not as a trend-setting fabric. But chino fabrics are now absolutely right for winter. Thicker fabrics, sometimes brushed, with a delightfully warm and fleecy feel, make chinos with new designs the top choice even in winter.

Vintage55 Mastai Ferretti AT.P.&Co

Oneteaspoon Eton

Adenim

Brax René Lezard

Tommy Hilfiger

Alberto Marc O’Polo

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105 Campus

Eton 0039 Italy

Jacob Cohen

Mastai Ferretti

Cinque

Sportalm

RenĂŠ Lezard Tortuga

Hackett London Stetson

Boglioli AG Adriano Goldschmied

Le Coq Sportif

Checks

R95th

Is everyday Groundhog Day? Not if we think about this new season's check patterns. They display imagination and pay tribute to the excellent work of many fabric manufacturers. Elaborate methods make their own special contribution to checks and glen check fabrics and ensure that checks continue to be exciting. style in progress

106 Alden

New Balance

Trickers

Lacoste

Ludwig Reiter Andrea Ventura

Philippe Model

Pantofola d'Oro

Shoes

Clothes shops that don't stock shoes are throwing away a fashion opportunity with their customers in winter 2011/12. Shoes have never been so essential to the right look as now. Lace-up boots complete chinos for men; women can choose from a wealth of ankle boots, biker boots and many other styles.

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Sand

Floris van Bommel

107

Down A Different Kind of

add

The classic down jacket, in colour and made of nylon, has been begging for a reinterpretation.

As of autumn/winter 2011/12, it will no longer be sold. In its place will be freely interpreted designs, giving the popular jacket a striking new look. Materials include matte technical fabrics, functional textiles, wool fabrics with bold structure and leather. The colours and shapes inspire fantasy-filled shopping.

Strellson

Dolomite

Nigel Cabourn

Canada Goose

Allsport

Brunello Cucinelli

Dolomite Parajumpers

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Trends

Fashion impressions from Berlin: Trend previews from Bread & Butter and Premium for autumn/winter 2011/12.

Text: Martina Müllner. Photos: Bernhard Musil

Michael Stars

Gwynedds Phil Petter

Roberto Collina

Drykorn

Dear Cashmere warm-e

Henry Cotton’s

Marc O’Polo Falke

Meindl

Christiano Fissore

Knitwear Cable knits so thick and fluffy that you want to cuddle up in them right away. Ethno patterns inspired by many trips around the world – India, Norway or anywhere far, far away. The rise in raw material prices for cashmere means that knitwear manufacturers have to be increasingly creative: New fabric blends and almost forgotten qualities like merino get a new lease of life.

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St.Emile

Better Rich

109

DressY

Liebig

81 hours

Dresses are making a huge comeback centre stage. Elegant day dresses in highquality woollen fabrics are just as up-to-the-minute as simple jersey dresses that look best with knitwear. Femininity has its place, but never in your face since dressing right can also be very sexy.

Day Birger et Mikkelsen

St.Emile Bobi

Kinga Mathe

Kathleen Madden

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Classic,

Sportalm

ironically so There's a hint of the '20s and a generous portion

of humour to revitalize classics this autumn/winter season. Tongue-in-cheek accessories are doing a roaring trade: A bow-tie with a lumberjack shirt, a gaudy ascot, ties paying such attention to contrasts that they're a joy to behold.

HTC

Floris van Bommel

Sportalm

Fummel+Kram J.Lindeberg

Set

Villa Gaia

Sieger

Baldessarini

Windsor

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111 7 For All Mankind

7 For All Mankind

J Brand

Boglioli

Everblue

No question about it: Denim continues to play a leading role. New washes make us suspect that it won't be long before the indigo fabric makes a full comeback. Strikingly clean finishes contrast with a sea of innovative denim ideas. And that's the way it should be.

ADenim

0039 Italy

7 For All Mankind

AG Adriano Goldschmied Strellson

Lord Cord

Although corduroy already has a whole host of names – corded velveteen, elephant cord, pin cord and Manchester cloth – this fabric needs a new name for the coming season. The current experiments are too diverse, innovative and ingenious to just call it corduroy.

We're giving it a lordly title: Lord Cord.

True Religion

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112

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LOOK FEEL Retail News &

New York, Milan, Leogang and St. Anton – Portraits in contrast: how different places and concepts can be. sip takes a look at the world of retail.

Shirts and the City ETON

NEW YORK

Exclusive fabric designs, special finishes, a large selection of fits plus cuff links and ties: These are the wares of shirt specialist Eton, which was founded in 1928 in a Swedish village.

Now the family-run company is attempting to enter the American market and will be opening its first flagship store on 13 December 2010 on a 150 square metre at 625 Madison Avenue and 58th Street in Manhattan . The interior design is a mixture of classic and modern: black and white tiles, Swedish oak furniture, light carpets and steel and smoked glass. The main floor is dedicated to customer sales. On the lower level there is a showroom and a VIP lounge.

Another stand-alone store opened around the same time as the New York shop – in the centre of Montreal. Eton now has five independent own-brand stores and 28 corners worldwide.

Eton, 625 Madison Ave, corner 58th Street, New York, NY 10022/USA, www.etonshirts.com

Linen Fashion Goes into Print 120% LINO

MILAN

Floor to ceiling windows, lots of wood and whitewashed walls and orchids as decorations.

The new and elegant flagship store of 120% Lino is housed in a former printing works in the heart of Milan that dates back to around 1910. Restored chests of drawers hark back to days gone by, but the rest of the shop design impresses the visitor with its modern understatement.

120% Lino was founded in the '80s and fast became a world-renowned brand for exclusive linen collections. The secret of the company's success is probably its clever production methods, which ensure that the garments remain soft and cuddly. It's no wonder that, in addition to women's, men's and children's collections, 120% Lino also designs products like these for home use: bathmats and towels, night shirts and pyjamas, as well as bed and table linen. Like all other collections, Home is now available in the new Milan store.

120% Lino. C.so Garibaldi – ang. Via Marsala, 13, 20121 Milan/Italy, www.120percento.com

Alpine Lifestyle in Two New Locations LUIS TRENKER

LEOGANG/ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG

Luis Trenker owner Michi Klemera is always thinking about further development and growth.

He is now presenting two new babies to his customers. The South Tyrolean fashion and lifestyle label will be available in two more winter sports locations in Austria: The ninth shop-inshop concept will be located on a retail area of 30 square metres at Sport Mitterer in Leogang. In the meantime, the first Luis Trenker chalet, very much in the style of the unconventional brand, celebrated its premiere in St Anton, Tyrol. Jennewein Pure Sports is the new partner for the 20 square metre chalet. In addition to women's and men's fashion, typical Luis Trenker accessories such as the charity teddy bears are also available. The highlights of the summer collection 2011 have already arrived in stores.

Shop Mitterer, Leogang 60, 5771 Leogang/Austria.

Jennewein Pure Sports, Dorfstrasse 2, 6580 St. Anton am Arlberg/Austria. www.luistrenker.com

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An online shop and, together with Sterngasse 4, a new store in Kitzbühel. That's the news from 2006FEB01.

Webshop Launch and New Shop 2006FEB01

VIENNA /// KITZBÜHEL

What do the brands Codello, Vera Wang, Christian Louboutin, Emanuel Ungaro, Max&Moi and Crumpet London have in common? They were all difficult to obtain in Austria – until recently that is. This changed in 2010 with the launch of the 2006FEB01 webshop. The online shop was initiated by the fashion store of the same name, located in Plankengasse 3 in Vienna's first district. Renowned luxury brands are showcased there in a sales area of approximately 270 square metres on two levels. The new online shop adds international top designers to the merchandise range.

Yet the online shop is not the only news announced in the winter of 2010. A new store called STERN2006 opened in Kitzbühel in November 2010. What makes it unique is that it's a joint project by Manfred Staudacher and Horst Payrhuber, the owners of 2006FEB01, and Karin Neuhold, who is known for her womenswear store Sterngasse 4 in Vienna. The store offers top international brands and the labels of young, innovative designers. Its interior design in the style of French chalet-chic is a perfect fit for the jet-setting hotspot of Kitzbühel. Just like the designers represented: Azzedine Alaia, Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Marni, Givenchy and Zac Posen are several of the most exclusive.

2006FEB01, Plankengasse 3, 1010 Vienna/Austria, www.2006feb01.com STERN2006, Bichlstrasse 26, 6370 Kitzbühel/Austria

Golden Times Ahead APROPOS THE CONCEPT STORE

COLOGNE

The Concept Store in Cologne has been given a special kind of makeover: The architects' firm Architekturbüro Unzen from Mönchengladbach gave the 880 square metre shop in Cologne's Mittelstrasse a glamorous new look, using light colours, selected interior design objects as striking accents and very special materials. For instance, gold slivers were added to the exposed concrete for a very different kind of glamour. Glass, mirrors and brass were also used. Since the founding of Apropos in 1984, the two owners Daniel Riedo and Klaus Ritzenhöfer have constantly provided their visitors with architectural surprises. Their shops in Cologne and Düsseldorf enjoy international admiration and repute.

Apropos The Concept Store, Mittelstrasse 3, 50672 Cologne/Germany, www.apropos-coeln.de

An Innovative Interaction

BAERCK

BERLIN

The new Baerck concept store opened its doors on Berlin's Mulackstrasse on 9 December 2010. The store offers an interaction of fashion and interior design, a mixture of established and newly discovered labels from the whole of Europe. The mobility of the interior plays a key role because the frequently changing room concepts regularly give the shop a new look.

The interior design was created by the Berlin-based design agency llot llov.

Baerck features fashion by Clarissa Labin and Stine Goya, Best Behaviour and Uniform for the Dedicated, as well as perfumes, scarves and dolls by Alexa Lixfeld.

The shop is owned by the product designers Ania Bauer, Ramon Toshiro and Jacob Brinck.

Years ago Bauer and Toshiro opened the shop Fourstore on Mulackstrasse. The shop concept was revised together with Jacob Brinck and the idea for the new concept store was born and achieved on the same street.

Conceptstore Baerck, Mulackstrasse 12, 10119 Berlin/Germany, www.baerck.net

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Vera Moser-Föger and Midi Föger have a right to be proud: The spectacular expansion of the shop in Telfs in Tirol has attracted a lot of attention.

FÖGER WOMAN PURE

TELFS

Heart and Spirit of the Times Modern architecture and major designer names are to be expected in Tokyo or New York but not in the small town of Telfs in Austria's Tyrol region. Owner Midi Föger-Moser is the exception with her daring remodel of Föger Woman Pure.

Text: Jeanette Fuchs. Photos: Föger Woman Pure

new ground with modern showroom flair, reminiscent of a luxuriously spacious boudoir. With its philosophy of "style without pretension," the company tries to unite any contradictions between style and fashion extremes. Regular customers are willing to travel distances to spend an entire day with their personal style consultant.

Föger-Moser doesn't think much of "inflated worlds of illusion," but she does place great emphasis on customer service. There's a reason why sophisticated clients come all the way from Zurich, Graz, Vienna and Munich to the small Tyrolean town. There are no casual customers. Telfs is not Tokyo.

A progressive product range requires an equally ambitious stage.

To build her striking new store annex, Föger-Moser deliberately selected Swiss architects Pedrocchi & Meier, who had contributed to the planning of the Prada flagship store in Tokyo. Now the town of Telfs with its 15,000 inhabitants enjoys a more cosmopolitan reputation. The motivation for building the annex was less to achieve additional space and more to remain at the cutting edge and offer customers something new.

The owner and her style-conscious team overcome the disadvantages of an unpretentious location by putting their hearts into their work and being sensitive to the desires of their customers. She does all the purchasing herself. No article reaches the Föger Woman Pure sales floor without passing her discerning eye. "I'm the only one who identifies 100 per cent with the business," she explains. After spending a year in London, she took over the shop from her father in 1988 and updated the business.

Rich in Contrasts

Price Matters

A diamond-shaped roof, oversized front windows and a floating goods suspension system attached to overhead concrete beams serve as deliberate contrasts to the existing premises in the main building, which underwent a gentle makeover of the façade, floors and lighting. The cosy atmosphere so appreciated by customers has been maintained in the original building, but the annex breaks

"You could say I've been married to Dries van Noten for twenty years," jokes Föger-Moser. That describes not only her admiration for the Belgian fashion designer; it's also the way she sees all the renowned designers showcased at Föger Woman Pure. But the headliners have long since gone beyond Prada and Missoni. She also has a flair for newcomer labels offering individual creations at excellent value for money. She's convinced: "A Prada bag for 1,800 euros – those times are past. Today people prefer something from Alexander Wang for around 800 euros." When it comes to price, this progressive businesswoman takes a more down-to-earth approach: Prices must be justifiable. If it's too expensive, it doesn't get ordered. A T-shirt for 800 euros? Forget it. "I'd be ashamed in front of my customers," she concludes.

Föger Woman Pure. Obermarkt 20, 6410 Telfs/Austria, T 0043.5262.64001, www.foeger.com Opening: Main building: 1970, annex: 25 November 2010.

Owner: Midi Föger-Moser. Staff: 10.

Sales Area: Main building: 240 sqm, annex: 170 sqm.

Lables: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Ann Demeulemeester, Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Christopher De Vos, Diane von Fürstenberg, Dries van Noten, Halston Heritage, Kristensen du Nord, Marni, Missoni, Peter Pilotto, Prada, Rick Owens, Yves Saint Laurent.

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From another planet: With its unique architecture Fรถger Woman Pure is breaking with tradition in placid Telfs.

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The Priority Store defines glamour in its own way: as a mix of cool minimalism and glittery rich chic.

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LOOK&FEEL.

PRIORITY CONCEPT STORE

117

VIENNA

Bordercrossers

A person has to set priorities - in life and in fashion. At her Priority Concept Store, Russian-born Yulia Vashekina lives up to this by all means and has shown that exclusivity doesn't always depend on the price tag ‌ Text: Michael GinthÜr. Photos: Priority Concept Store

Despite its premium location and stylish ambience, the Priority Concept Store is geared toward the moderate price range: 1,000 euros is the absolute ceiling. This is the most anyone would pay for eNVy room cocktail dresses even though all pieces are one-ofa-kind and, as such, are pretty much bargains.

Still, Vashekina doesn't waste any time thinking about getting her Priority Concept Store into the luxury segment. At first glance the store looks outrageously expensive, but a closer look shows a more trendy, self-deprecating interpretation of the word glamour.

Whether it's purple ostrich feathers in flower vases, pseudo-baroque crystal chandeliers hanging too high for us to tell if they're real or fake, or the shelves, likewise purple and covered with imitation snakeskin: The Priority Concept Store may turn a few heads, but still manages to walk the line between trash and chic.

Owners Yulia Vashekina and Eduard Goldovskiy held an opening party in autumn 2010.

TV Fashion

The product range is also in keeping with the store's playful pushing boundaries: There are the glam-rock inspired jackets by shooting star Manuel Luciano, the flirtatious Gemma H wool outfits that bring back the warm, comforting thoughts of '60s apres-ski, and the Lindsay Lohan leggings, which, well, wrap a woman's legs not only in fabric, but also in a hint of scandal.

There's no doubt that despite its sober-sides name, the Priority Concept Store has a weakness for the sexy glam world of pop culture.

Vashekina is not too embarrassed to get some of her inspiration directly from television shows like Desperate Housewives, and not just from the runways of the world's fashion hubs. "Somehow everyone wants to be a bit like the girls on TV," she says.

As a result, she's discovered mostly by those who take neither themselves nor their fashion all that seriously. The accessories are the best examples. The Angel Jackson bags as well as the Thierry Lasry sunglasses and Triwa watches are clearly affordable and exclusive only because they're so rare around here. The only really expensive items at the Priority Concept Store are the Japanese stuffed bunnies by Ease Design, but Vashekina simply found no alternative. You have to treat yourself sometime.

In terms of the Austrian fashion scene, a few playful accents like these can't hurt. The former owner of three nightclubs in Moscow calls the local style grown-up, but it's entirely possible she actually means conservative. And that's why she's always on the lookout for labels that "can't be found in Austria," as she says, "because everyone here wants something that no one else has, something that's one-of-a-kind and exclusive." And that has absolute priority.

Priority Concept Store.

Habsburgergasse 3, 1010 Vienna/Austria, T 0043.1.5338583 Opening: October 2010.

Owner: Yulia Vashekina. Staff: 2.

Sales area: 360 sqm.

Labels: 6126 by Lindsay Lohan, 81 Hours, Amor & Psyche, Angel Jackson, Australia Luxe, Black Halo, Bailey, Ctrl you, Chaser L.A., Charley 5.0, Dear Cashmere, Denim of Virtue, Dirtee Hollywood, Donna Mizani, Ease Design, Eleven Elfs, eNVy room, Eyedoll, Gemma H, House of Harlow, Kenneth Jay Lane, Laila Azhar, Lauren Moshi. LnA, Love and live, Mackage, Manuel Luciano, Malababa, Nanuska, Nialaya, Paige, Paschbeck, Pleasure Doing Business, Stenim, Spare Soles,Supertrash, Triwa, Wildfox, Yummie Tummie.

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VESTIBULE

ZURICH

A New Look

No Risk, No Fun

After five years in the Niederdorf section of Zurich, Laurence Antiglio has moved her Vestibule store to the city centre. The store features an international label mix in a combination almost unparalleled in the centre of Swiss commerce.

Text: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Vestibule Zurich

The name Vestibule refers to the area in a house where hosts welcome their guests. "It's a traditional word and a good fit for the furnishing concept with all our vintage furniture, but also for the store's philosophy," says owner Laurence Antiglio. Before fulfilling her dream of owning her own boutique, the hotel manager worked in marketing for Unilever and then completed a course in textile management studies at the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris.

Central Location and More Space

After five years in the historic city centre, the old store had become too small to display the complete portfolio of labels and brands. The move to Zurich's city centre came in the summer.

The new location, which features a large storefront, is on the corner of Talacker and St. Peterstrasse, a side street that runs perpendicular to Zurich's busy Bahnhofstrasse. Directly across from it is Markus Cadruvi's DeeCee Style and the popular restaurant Kaufleuten is just a few hundred metres down the road. The 160 square metre space is split up into five rooms with a point-of-sale area, fitting rooms and three presentation rooms. The merchandise fixtures and shelves as well as the figurines are minimalistic and unobtrusive. Old lamps, tables, stools, armchairs and cabinets from different eras plus a prominent olive tree create a feel-good atmosphere.

During the last few years, Vestibule has established itself in Zurich's fashion landscape with a mixture of international designer labels and smaller, trendy labels, which have frequently been hard to find in Zurich or even all of Switzerland. "I regularly travel to Paris, New York and Milan on the lookout for new labels or to place orders. I like being on the go, meeting new people and constantly exploring new styles," says Antiglio. Her concept of presenting exclusive labels and brands in a cozy and personal atmosphere is catching on. "The response from customers at the new location is certainly positive. The store is now easier to reach, and new customers are looking for the labels we carry in the area around Bahnhofstrasse anyway."

Vestibule's most important labels Vestibule. Peterstrasse 20, 8001 Zurich/Switzerland, and brands include Alexander T 0041.44.2601331, Wang, Marc by Marc Jacobs, www.vestibule.ch Golden Goose, Forte Forte and Opening: August 2010.

Owner: Laurence Antiglio. the brand-new main line by Staff: 6. Sales area: 160 sqm.

Chloé. The extensive portfolio (see Womenswear: 3.1. Phillip box) is rounded off with hats by Lim, 32 Paradis, Alexander Valeur and Maison Michel, scarves Wang, Aymara, Boy, Chloé, Claudia Zuber, Fine Collecby Claudia Zuber, Claudio Cutuli, tion, Forte Forte, Golden Ikou Tschüss and P-Louis Mascia, Goose, Heimstone, Hope, gloves by Maison, watches by Toy Ilaria Nistri, Lot 78, Marc By Marc Jacobs, Massimo Watches, candles and perfume by Alba, Monocrom, Notify Memo and home decorations by Jeans, R13 Jeans, Rag And Bone, Roberto Collina, Cote Bastide.

Bringing new labels to Zurich: Laurence Antiglio

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Roseanna, Superfine, Surface 2 Air, Unity, Van Bery. Bags: Chloé, Freitag, N.D.C., Tila March.

Jewellery: Alex Monroe, Alyssa Norton, Aurelie Bidermann, Stephanie Jewels

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Store furnishings feature a well-balanced style: unobtrusive displays and elegant furniture. style in progress

Herbert and Johannes Steiner are known not only as manufacturers of original Loden fabric and homewear, but also as successful fashion retailers.

STEINER 1888

SCHLADMING

Three Factors on the Road to Success "Authentic, extraordinary fashion for discerning customers." This is the approach of the fashion and tracht store Steiner 1888 in the Austrian town of Schladming. A family steeped in history is setting off in a new direction.

Text: Claudia Janka. Photos: Steiner 1888

Clear lines, modern colour concepts, dark steel and, not to forget, tradition: in the form of a more than one hundred year old natural stone wall or extensive amounts of wood worked with modern techniques. Ever since the Steiner 1888 flagship store was established, the new concept has been clear: "Tradition meets innovation in a new ambience."

Steiner, a family-owned company with three stores in Mandling, Obertauern and Schladming, was founded in 1888. The fifth generation celebrated the new opening of the company's multilabel store in Schladming in August 2010. In addition to the tracht and fashion collections by Trenker, Huberman’s, Mothwurf and Bogner, the Steiner 1888 label can also be found on the 800 square metre sales area. Blankets, pillows and slippers are made from high-quality wool and loden cloth manufactured in the Austrian Alps.

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A New Image

Steiner 1888. Hauptplatz 16, 8970 Schladming/Austria, T 0043.3687.23.255, www.loden-steiner.at Opening: 19 August 2010.

Owner/Managers: Johannes and Herbert Steiner. Staff: 8.

Sales Area: 800 sqm.

Fashion: 667 The Baby of the Beast, Bikkembergs, Bogner, Closed, Dolomite, Fornarina Jeans, Frauenschuh, Huberman’s, Luis Trenker, Mayoral Kinder, Met Jeans, Napapuri, Parajumpers, Polo Jeans, Polo Ralph Lauren, Salsa Jeans, Sportalm Emotion, Strellson, Únlimited, Vive Maria. Tracht: Habsburg, Lodenfrey, Meindl, Mell Max, Mothwurf, Schneiders, Sportalm, Steffner, Steinbock, Steiner 1888, Susanne Spatt.

In the shadow of the impressive Dachstein massif, where clothing has always had to be robust and functional, the ancestors of today's Managing Directors Johannes and Herbert Steiner perfected the process for making loden cloth. For decades this was the trademark of Loden Steiner, as Steiner 1888 was formerly called, with its national and international sales network.

But Johannes and Herbert Steiner were looking for new challenges: "Steiner 1888 is more than just loden. Everything sold here, whether tracht, sporty or modern, can be combined. We strive to find the perfect mixture of classic and modern lifestyle and sporting labels." That's what lures new, young customers into the stores. The store in Schladming now offers two storeys of space for the wide variety of collections ranging from Salsa Jeans and Closed to Parajumpers. Labels such as Lodenfrey, Meindl and Steinbock cover the segment of traditional tracht fashion.

The new store is certainly not the only investment made by the family business. Steiner 1888 Wollwelt, which offers a glimpse into the production process of traditional loden cloth, has just opened in Mandling.

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MISC FASHION

121

SALZBURG

Miscellaneous Fashion from North and South Scandinavian flair can be found under a culturally protected arch in Salzburg: At Misc Fashion white glazed spruce wood meets exclusive fashion labels from the far north.

Text: Jeanette Fuchs. Photos: Misc Fashion

Michaela Schirlbauer hadn't planned on opening her own business until she discovered the open shop at Mozartplatz Square and the Scandinavian Label Day at a trade fair. She quickly realised that after 15 years of marketing in the fashion industry, it was time for new prospects.

The result was Misc Fashion, a name made up of her initials and, at the same time, an abbreviation for the word miscellaneous. Its owner took on the task of bringing the fashionable north to Salzburg.

Good Consultation Is a Must

The three focus labels Gustav, Day Birger et Mikkelsen and Whiite, which can be combined with each other, offer collections ranging from sporty to elegant with very detailed finishes. "The key is getting the right mix. I'm not a fan of single-label looks or flashy logos," says the young entrepreneur. She incorporates her own personal experience when it comes to selling: "Consultation is the most important aspect." In the casual Nordic manner, the customer is able to look around without being bothered, but still receives individual assistance. Michaela Schirlbauer sometimes asks her regulars to bring in clothes they already own in order to find a piece that fits with their wardrobe.

And the idea is catching on.

The product line is in the medium price range. To guarantee exclusivity, only one to two pieces are offered in each size. Michaela Schirlbauer prefers young, up-and-coming labels that are hard to find in Austria and not available at all in Salzburg.

The Italian labels Fiesoli and Gas give the Scandinavian product line a stronger mix from southern regions. "The styles from north and south are so different that it's probably precisely the reason they blend so well together," explains the fashion enthusiast.

Look and Feel

The shop's design, which was created by interior designer Barbara Gollackner, is also dominated by Nordic influences fused into a perfect whole with the old arch: brushed, white glazed spruce wood, white leather and minimalistic clothes rails made in Sweden. Amidst all the linear design, however, is room for well thought-out details such as uniquely shaped, velvet-coated clothes hangers.

Although the only consideration given to men up to now has been a chair to shorten their waiting time, they may soon be able to shop for Scandinavian fashion themselves. Michaela Schirlbauer is already toying with the idea of opening a second store for menswear.

A small, intimate shop that owner Michaela Schirlbauer fills with a lot of heart and soul: Misc Fashion in Salzburg.

Misc Fashion. Mozartplatz 5, 5020 Salzburg/Austria, T 0043.662.845076 Opening: 22 July 2010.

Owner: Michaela Schirlbauer.

Sales Area: 80 sqm.

Staff: 1 part-time.

Labels: Black Lily, Custommade, Day Birger et Mikkelsen, Depeche, Elise Gug, Gas, Gustav, Fiesoli, Nurage, Whiite.

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Lo chi kalHe mo c: A p roz in der erf n a ect Rotte rt. bac rda kdr m s op trut not s it onl s stu y fo ff r m with ens ind we ust ar, r but ial als o

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In addition to menswear Joel Fernandez sells mountain bikes, dj systems, Nespresso machines and lifestyle magazines.

LOKALHEROZ

ROTTERDAM

Stays on Top of the Game Joël Ferdinandus, owner of the Rotterdam men's fashion store LokalHeroz, sells fashion and lifestyle products to stylish heroes.

By using social media he constantly draws the attention of his clients in a very appealing way.

Text: Miranda Hoogervorst. Photos: LokalHeroz, www.alfredjansencommunicatie.nl

Joël, born and raised in Rotterdam, already had a decent background in fashion before he started LokalHeroz: "I learned a lot about retail during my work for a company that developed franchise concepts for Replay in the Netherlands. When I was asked to come up with a new franchise concept, I developed an all-inclusive store with art, fashion and trend related products, where brands could present themselves to their audience: men of all ages, with young minds." Since his employer wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea, Joël decided to use it for a store of his own. He found an industrial looking place in the heart of Rotterdam and redecorated it with a team of handy men. At the beginning of 2008 he opened his first fashion store: LokalHeroz. The interior mix of modern, rich, dark and rough materials is a great decor for fashion brands like Denham, Filippa K, Drykorn, Refrigwear, Acne, Henry Cotton's, Wrangler Blue Bell and Nudie Jeans. And because every hero needs his toys, LokalHeroz also presents interesting gadgets: the Revival radio from Roberts, hip city bikes from the Dutch firm Vanmoof, the Pacemaker dj-system, bags from QWSTION and lifestyle magazines. Art works are placed

LokalHeroz. Oppert 13, 3011 Rotterdam/Netherlands, T 0031.10.4131059, www.lokalheroz.com Opening: March 2008.

Owner: Joël Ferdinandus.

Shop area: 180 sqm. Staff: 4.

Labels: British Indigo, Denham the Jeanmaker, Dockers K-1 Limited Edition, Drykorn, Filippa K, Kuyichi Pure Premium, Le Clochard, Morse Code, Nudie Jeans, Pacemaker, Post & Co, Quasso, Qwstion, Rat Bikes, Refrigiwear, Roberts Radio, Vanmoof, Wrangler Blue Bell.

everywhere in the store and vary from 3D sculptures and paintings to special art prints on T-shirts.

LokalHeroz is situated only a five minute walk from the city shopping centre, more or less hidden behind the big Sint-Laurens church. Even though it's not on a busy shopping street, fashion loving men from all over Holland have Joël's place on their must-visit-list for Rotterdam, and they know very well how to find it.

Passion for Networking

Being a social media fanatic, Joël easily connects with customers.

Through daily blog posts and tweets he informs his followers and blog visitors about new collections, special fashion presentation, the latest trends or a live band in the store. Brands are very happy with Joël's approach, because with the help of social media he reaches the perfect people for their products: A special denim seminar will attract a rather small but very high quality target group. Joël says about social media: "My phone is practically glued to my hand; it's easy and fast and you don't have to leave the store to communicate with people. Every employee has their own social media account for the store. By using social media I can easily participate in dialogues with my customers about the store or about fashion in general.

Specific customer wishes can be transformed fast and pretty easily into positive messages with the help of my own network and the immense network that I can reach through my followers. That's why I try to stay on top of the game with my customers as much as possible." style in progress

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SPIGA2

MILAN

Dolce&Gabbana Incubator Spiga2 is the name of the first multi-brand store by the SicilianMilanese designer duo, who have long been a part of the Italian fashion establishment.

Text: Sabine Fiedler. Photos: Spiga2

Italy's youth has it tough. The older generation holds on to power and you need contacts to a big name to get a break and succeed. This goes for politics, economics and even fashion, where the newcomers in Bel Paese often need much more time to attract attention with their own labels than in other countries. More than a dozen young designers are now receiving prominent support and use of a Dolce&Gabbana incubator store in the middle of Milan's most expensive shopping zone.

Getting Started is Tough

The two star designers remember their start as if it were yesterday. "All designers start off small in a showroom, take risks and are afraid of failing. But some forget about this after a while," stated Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana at the opening of their new store on Via della Spiga. The two point out that their big opportunity came in the mid '80s with an invitation to show their collection in Milan. Chances like these are few and far between for young designers. "The fashion world could be more generous. Giving young designers a chance to show what they can do – That's what people like us, who've made it, have to do," they say. "It's not that there's a shortage of young designers. That's a myth. We have fantastic opportunities to show what we can do, but they don't. We had the same problem when we were young."

Now it's time to give something back. "Today it's more important to us than ever to find the right balance between ethics and aesthetics." For them this means providing their young colleagues with support. They've handpicked 22 designers from all over the globe, who will get the opportunity to present their designs next to and around the accessories of Dolce&Gabbana.

The two designers wanted the roomy, two-storey boutique in the heart of Milan's fashion quarter to be open to the younger generation. "There will be an exclusive window for new names in fashion and a genuine opportunity to give future stars of fashion and their designs more visibility." The Pret-a-Porter designs of young designers will hang in style between the bags, shoes and accessories.

Spiga2. Dolce&Gabbana Accessori, Via della Spiga 2, 20121 Milan/Italy, T 0039.02.795747 Opening: September 2010.

Owners: Domenico Dolce und Stefano Gabbana. Sales area: 490 sqm.

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"It's a place where up-and-coming designers can express themselves freely.

It's not about patronage, for God's sake. They'll sell because they're good. And they'll learn a great deal. They'll learn to understand the market and new ones will come next season." Some of the designers thought it was a joke when they received their invitation to sell their pieces at the Dolce&Gabbana boutique. The first season the lucky ones are: Gail Sorronda (Australia), Yigal Azrouel (Israel-USA), Kinder Aggugini (UK), Fanni Schiavoni (Sweden), Elisa Palomino (Spain), Araks Yaramian (USA), Cooperative Designs - Annalisa Dunn and Dorothee Hagemann (UK), Napsugar Von Bittera (Hungary), Erkan Coruh (Turkey), Marc Philippe Coudeyre (Scotland-UK), Martin Grant (France), Behnaz Sarafpour (Iran), Heather Williams (USA), Fausto Puglisi (Italy), Girls from Omsk (Belgium), Peter Jensen (UK), MSGM (Italy), Felder Felder (UK), Il Sistema degli oggetti (Italy), Avelon (Netherlands), Vladimiro Gioia (Italy), Christian Blanken (Netherlands).

A shop that's tapping new potential: At Spiga2 Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are paying a lot of attention to young designers.

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MR PORTER

WWW

Men Only?

If you think an online store designed specifically for menswear can only appeal to men, you're quite mistaken. Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet knows the truth. Text: Jeanette Fuchs

Shopping is women's business. That includes online shopping – especially when it comes to fashion. Internet pioneer Natalie Massenet took up this law of nature and created with Net-APorter an empire that revolutionised the buying behaviour of women around the world. Now exactly ten years later, the Net-A-Porter Group has launched Mr Porter, a counterpart online shop for designer menswear.

Ten-Year Head Start

Even in the early stages, when online shopping was limited to a brave few insiders in a buying mood, women confidently pulled out their credit cards to secure coveted designer pieces from what's now an internationally successful online store for womenswear.

Natalie Massenet decided to use the turbulent events of the past few years as an opportunity to make a fresh start and prepare for implementation of her next vision: a worldwide shopping site offering exclusive menswear that meets the expectations of the fashion-conscious man.

This is an event welcomed not only by men. After all, the faithful customer base is a different one – namely, women who dress their men. "All Net-A-Porter customers have a man in their life close to them. Fifty-nine per cent of our

Mr Porter. www.mrporter.com Launch: February 2011. Owner: Richemont Group. Delivery to 80 countries.

Labels: A.P.C., Acne, Alexander McQueen, Aubin & Wills, B Store, Balenciaga, Balmain, Band of Outsiders, Belstaff, Bill Amberg, Bottega Veneta, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Burberry Prorsum, Calvin Klein, Car Shoe, Christian Louboutin, Church's, Comme des Garcons, Converse, Corgi, Dents, Derek Rose, Drakes, DRKSHDW, Dunhill, E. Tautz, Filson, Gucci, Hartford, Hunter, Incotex, J Crew, James Perse, Jil Sander, John Lobb, John Smedley, Junya Watanabe, Lanvin, Levi's, Linda Farrow Luxe, Lock&co, Maison Martin Margiela, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Margaret Howell, Marni, Mr. Hare, Mr. Bathing Ape, Mulberry, Nike, Orlebar Brown, Pantherella, Paul Smith, Paul Smith London, Paul Smith PS, Polo Ralph Lauren, Porter, Quoddy, Rag & Bone, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Black Label, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Richard James, Rick Owens, Rivieras, Simon Spurr, SNS Herning, Sundek, Sunspel, Swaine Adeney Brigg, The Jean Shop, This is Not a Polo Shirt, Turnbull&Asserm, Valextra, Viktor & Rolf, Villebrequin, Yves Saint Laurent.

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customers are married or live with their partner," Massenet says. The odds are high that sales at Mr Porter will profit from the buying power of the three million Net-A-Porter customers.

Mr Porter – Navigation through Fashion, Style and Luxury

The Men's Style Destination is a slogan that will surely appeal to men who haven't had a close personal relationship with a Net-A-Porter customer.

Goal-oriented, structured and uncomplicated – that's the kind of shopping that masculine types can respond to. Still until the launch of Mr Porter in January 2011, it can at least be sensed that a woman is successfully guiding men through the virtual fashion labyrinth.

Partners for the launch include famous names like Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Balmain. Moreover, niche markets will also find a place at Mr Porter alongside the international designers. Men in 170 countries will appreciate not only the unique product range from around 60 prominent menswear labels, but also professional style consultation and same-day delivery within London and Manhattan as well as express delivery in the rest of the world.

At last even men can wantonly shop online: From February on, Net pioneer Net-a-porter makes it possible

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As all-round as its owner and name-giver, the Britta Peters store has opened in Munich's city centre.

BRITTA PETERS

MUNICH

Cosmopolitan At Work

The woman has got flair. And Britta Peters knows what she wants. Countless trips and years of experience in textiles retailing prompted her to open her own shop in Munich six years ago. "With the shop I fulfilled a big wish of mine – to sell only what I liked, what fascinated and what inspired me," she says. The result is a vibrant realm full of sumptuous treasures, unique clothing, furnishings and accessories.

delicate blossom – the trademark of Britta Peters – decorates plates, cups, bowls, serving plates and desert bowls in twenty-eight colours. The English glass artist Michael Ruh, whose clients include Calvin Klein, designed a glass and carafe collection exclusively for her. There's also a clothing line – exclusive for the store. The current collection was made with fabrics from the French designer duo Jamin Puech. "I prefer designers who don't follow the mainstream, but go their own way, and whose designs can't be found just anywhere," says Peters.

Look Better. Live Better.

Creative and Non-conforming

The Britta Peters Shop in Munich has established itself far from the mainstream yet right on the cutting edge.

Exclusive style finds its home here.

Text: Katharina Legenstein. Photos: Christian Behnke

The interior design of the shop also reflects Peter's preferences.

The design of the shop ranges from opulent to eclectic. Peters has designed Colourful and individual – it's a place to feel comfortable. her treasure chest, as she affectionately calls her shop, in strong, warm Cosily arranged, the shop conveys the feeling colours. Only the design of the men's department of being in a stylish living room. is a bit more restrained and that appeals to the The sales mix makes clear that a cosmoposophisticated tastes of her clients. The design eleBritta Peters. Am Kosttor 1, 80331 Munich/Germany, litan is at work here. You'll find Anna ment that sets the tone throughout is Britta Peter's T 0049.89.41559775, Karenina-style caps made from antique coats trademark blossom in violet, green or gold. It's a www.britta-peters.de from Afghanistan and Mongolia. One limicomposition she dreamed up with famous ParisOpening: late September 2010. ted series of tableware has been produced based interior designer Thomas Boog.

Owner/Managing Director: Britta Peters. Staff: 5. from a partnership with French designer The shop would be at home in any of the world's Retail space: 140 sqm.

Marie Daâge, and another together with the major cities: in Paris, London, Milan, New York or Labels: Britta Peters Cashmere, Legles porcelain factory of Limoges. The Shanghai. Peters' wanderlust can be clearly sensed.

Caramel London, Forte Forte, Goat, Henry Cuir, Jamin Puech, "I love the elegance of the French, the humour of Laurence Dacade, Linda the English and the nose for trends of Americans, Farrow, Luca Roda, Penelope as well as the Indian sense of tradition and the Chilver, Pippa Small. Interior: Assouline, Legles, Marie Daâge, Mexican passion for colour," she says. Creative and Michael Ruh, Thomas Boog non-conforming: That describes her as well as her shop. style in progress

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.EDITOR'S LETTER style in progress wo-men’s fashion

Publisher, editorial office, advertising department and owner UCM-Verlag B2B Media GmbH & Co KG

Salzweg 17 5081 Salzburg-Anif Austria T 0043.6246.89 79 99 F 0043.6246.89 79 89 office@ucm-verlag.at www.ucm-verlag.at Management Stephan Huber, Nicolaus Zott

Seize the Day And Tomorrow As Well!

Editors-in-chief Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Martina Müllner martina.muellner@ucm-verlag.at Managing editor Daniela Angerbauer daniela.angerbauer@ucm-verlag.at

g

ood moods tend to make us sceptical – at least in our industry. This is particularly interesting from a psychological point-of-view. Actually, for the past several seasons the mood across the board wasn’t nearly as good as just now at the Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence as well as the Bread & Butter and the Premium in Berlin. Whenever the lightness of being was expressed, there was a slight confusion or even disbelief in the tone. That annoys me, since it means accepting the opposite as the normal state of things, and also the status quo as a lucky but undeserved coincidence.

This is not the case. There are solid reasons for this stable run of sunny weather.

Admittedly, if you were actually expecting a storm of biblical proportions but in the end only got a hard rain, your ambitious innergardener would have been in the mood for champagne. And that’s how it was, sort of.

The critical point is, though, the way we react to storm warnings. It can be summed up this way: "When times get worse, we have to get better." After all, there's always too much bad stuff going on. And too many competitors.

Instead of giving into the principle of the selffulfilling prophecy, we focused our attention on the right places. The manufacturers have recognised that products are critical – as we've so amply pointed out here – and as a logical

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Art Director/production Elisabeth Prock-Huber elisabeth@ucm-verlag.at

consequence, the focus should always be on the product and product quality. As far as I'm concerned, this remains the most important trend for this season as well.

The investment in retail has also been strong – despite the media's pounding on the crisis drum. The numerous first-class renovations and expansions undertaken by famous retailers, in addition to several exciting reopenings, are a sign of their belief in themselves.

Incidentally, part of this strength lies in the fact that ordering is clearly being handled more cautiously, not simply lopping off at the top, but done selectively. This, in turn, has reduced write-offs noticeably.

And these are things that are obviously appreciated by consumers, who increasingly look first at the product and the shopping experience, and then at the price or the customer relations. In Germany, this meant a 3 per cent increase in sales in fashion retailing – the biggest increase in nearly 20 years.

I can already hear people accusing me of seeing things through rose-coloured glasses.

No problem, I look terrible in rose-coloured glasses. But we can and should enjoy the moment from time to time. Seize the day and tomorrow as well, dear fashion industry! And I don’t mean that hedonistically at all.

Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at

Contributing writers Stefanie Buchacher, Janaina Engelmann-Brothánek, Eva Djian, Sabine Fiedler, Jeanette Fuchs, Michael Ginthör, Miranda Hoogervorst, Claudia Janka, Jan Joswig, Katharina Legenstein, Ina Köhler, Julia Lauber, Tiffany Lee, Kay Alexander Plonka, Nicoletta Schaper, Alana Wallace Photographers+Illustrators Padma Bhatt, Angelika Buettner, Clemens Kois, Sabine Liewald, Bernhard Musil, Peter Schaffrath, Arne Schultz Image editor Anouk Schönemann anouk.schoenemann@ucm-verlag.at Advertising director Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Publisher’s assistant, distribution Sigrid Staber sigrid.staber@ucm-verlag.at Christina Hörbiger christina.hoerbiger@ucm-verlag.at English editor Elizabeth d'Elsa English translations Word Connection Business Translation Service Printing Laber Druck, Salzburg Printing coordinator Manfred Reitenbach Account info Volksbank Salzburg 105 627 BLZ 45010

Next Issue 27June 2011

Maxim Ludwig and The Santa Fe Seven

Douglas Kirkland for

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