FashionPeddler.com Fashion News

South Korean company Peacock Holdings International has an open position:  chief designer. Peter Som was the designer of the American label, which downsized to producing only men’s shirts since in recent years. The NexCen brands apparel company sold Bill Blass for $10 million in December 2008, even though asking price was $25 million. Peacock Holdings also owns department store brands such as Alexander Julian, Chereskin, Haggar, and Giorgio Brutini. Peter Som was tag-teaming at Bill Blass with menswear designer Michael Bastian whom is said to have replaced Som.

Stella McCartney is basking in the glow of her company’s bull market success. The British designer recently unveiled two new flagship stores in Tokyo and Paris. Her global footprint trod on Asia in 2008 with a Hong Kong store opening. McCartney resigned from Chloe in 2001 and financially partnered with Gucci to create an eponymous line. The partnership has proved beyond profitable between the collection and her numerous collaborations with Target, H&M, Lesportsac, and Adidas. When she took Karl Lagerfeld’s spot at Chloe, he acrimoniously stated “Let’s hope she is as gifted as her father.” However, her talents reach far back to the age of 15 when she helped design Christian Lacroix’s first collection.

Fashion-themed movies have come a long way since Robert Altman’s Pret-a-Porter. When they take the form of a documentary such as the kitschy Unzipped, the competitive Seamless, or Lagerfeld Confidential, they are artistically insightful and captivating. This spring comes Valentino: The Last Emperor directed by Matt Tyrnauer. This haute-camp film follows the legendary designer for two years from his 45th anniversary party to his last month’s at the helm of his namesake company. The film offers a rare glimpse into Valentino’s empire who’s privacy is guarded as closely as Karl Lagerfeld’s - whom makes a cameo appearance. Other notables in the film include Andre Leon Talley, Gwyneth Paltrow,  lots of pugs, and yards of red (Valentino’s signature color).

Last night, the Council for Fashion Designers of America announced its list of 2009 award nominees.  The C.F.D.A. just can’t get enough of Marc Jacobs as he was nominated several times; hopefully he has a good speech writer. The award ceremony will take place June 15, 2009 with a special tribute to First Lady Michelle Obama. The nominees and the awards are as follows…

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, Rodarte

Menswear Designer of the Year: Italo Zuccheli for Calvin Klein, Band of Outsiders

Accessory Designer of the Year: Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Proenza Schouler

Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Thakoon Panichgul, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu

Swarovski Award for Menswear: Patrik Ervell, Robert Geller, Tim Hamilton

Swarovski Award for Accessories:  Albertus Q. Swanepoel, Alejandro Ingelmo,  Subversive Jewelry

International Award for Design: Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Anna Sui

Who had the most exclusive show last season yet open to the public? Viktor & Rolf presented their last collection on the Internet. In their cyber salon at www.viktor-rolf.com, Shalom Harlow presides as mistress of ceremonies on a virtual podium. The show features twenty looks of the duo’s experimental fashions with an emphasis on geometric black & white graphic prints. Let us not forget three couture dresses embroidered with more than twenty thousand Swarovski crystals. The video and the concept are both spectacular; almost surreal. Viktor & Rolf have redefined what it means to be front row at fashion shows.

I always love a colorful rumor, especially pertaining to fashion.  Back fence talk suggests that French fashion house Nina Ricci will terminate the contract of couturier Olivier Theyskens. We are just as shocked as Anna Wintour, whom apparently gasped upon the news. He is the beloved Belgian who emerged from the BeNeLux countries at the end of the 1990’s with his minimalist, Gothic-inspired creations. His fall collection for Nina Ricci may be his last, albeit his contract doesn’t end until October 2009. Theyskens will, then,  design an eponymous line.  His replacement is said to be Peter Copping - a lead designer at Louis Vuitton. Theysken’s notoreity came when he designed Madonna’s 1998 black Star Wars-esque Oscar dress. He was also the chief designer at Rochas from 2002-2006, and he won the CFDA International Award in 2006.

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FashionPeddler.com Introduces The Online Fashion Trade Show

Portland, OR March 4, 2009
FashionPeddler.com releases an innovative, market-disruptive approach that will streamline the way that current fashion trade is conducted. The company will provide technologically driven solutions for improving business management and B2B communications within the fashion industry. From it’s Portland, Oregon headquarters, the company will help expedite the fashion industry through its first technology based reformation in its trading sector’s history.

There has been little change in the way that fashion trade is conducted, however the market has changed significantly. Designers have been dependant upon onsite trade shows as the most efficient way to market their products. Buyers have few alternatives to discover new styles to fill their stores. Other industries are adopting E-business solutions to maximize business efficiency while reducing overhead cost. In today’s economic conditions, companies within our industry are reducing costs wherever possible, also they are looking to maximizing sales and margins while increasing exposure of their brands.

FashionPeddler.com provides a full spectrum of online fashion trade show services to an industry that is in need of change. Given current economic conditions and a dissatisfaction with the cost versus benefit of attending brick-and-mortar style trade shows, the industry is ripe for a new method of trade. FashionPeddler.com is that method.

FashionPeddler.com is changing the market in the following ways:

- Has created a technology driven platform that allows participation from any internet connected computer.
- The platform provides a new array of innovative tools for its members.
- Costs for participation with FashionPeddler.com are less than 10% of costs for traditional shows.
- Provides integration with the fashion community in ways that were impossible at on-site shows.

FashionPeddler.com creates services to provide an efficient, cost-effective avenue to connect retail buyers and designers in the fashion industry. In addition to all the services currently offered at traditional shows, FashionPeddler.com provides tools to improve networking capabilities in the industry including: a dynamically-updating contact management system, detailed sales/inventory statistics for buyers and designers, advertising capabilities based on individual garments or entire brands and a blog and rating system for both buyers and designers.

FashionPeddler.com is available as a FREE service to approved retail buyers and for a minimal fee to apparel designers. For more details, go to www.FashionPeddler.com to watch the video demo.