Brand Noise

Word from Dubai: Bling Abayas

QUICK, fetch me my abaya!” is a call that reverberates around many a Gulf household on the arrival of an unexpected male guest, as women scramble for the formless black gown that confers instant anonymity.

But the plain robe intended to shield the female form from prying eyes and comply with Islam’s requirement that women dress modestly, has become a fashion statement, with some bejeweled, gold-embroidered new designs out-blinging the flashiest rappers.

Read the whole article.

(Photo: Shopping!)

Teens Pitch in for Clothing Allowance

Last week a semiannual survey of 7,000 15- to 18-year-olds by Piper Jaffray, an investment bank and research firm, showed that annual discretionary spending by teenagers, whose money comes from allowance, gifts and part-time jobs, had dropped 27 percent to $2,600, from its spring 2006 peak of $3,560.

Interestingly, the survey showed that the amount teenagers allocated for clothes had increased 1 percent, but that they were patronizing stores with lower-priced labels.

So where’s the money coming from? Parental negotiations. As parents drop housecleaning and lawn services, they are asking their teenagers to pitch in, for pay.

This is classic back-to-basics. How much more fundamental does it have to get than: "This is your house too!"

Read the whole article.

Photo: Beanbags in Wal-mart.

The Big Red One Licenses Its Mark

Sears, Roebuck & Co. has signed a deal with the U.S. Army to launch the All American Army Brand's First Infantry Division clothing collection. It marks the first time the U.S. Army has officially licensed its marks and insignias; licensing fees will be used to support military programs for troops and their families. (The “Fighting First” led the way for American troops in World War I.)

The brand will be prominently featured during the retailer's Fall Forward fashion exhibit at next week's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York...The collection dovetails with Sears' "Heroes at Home" program, which provides home renovations to military families.

Curious to know just how authentic the line will be...my Uncle Sal used to tell us stories about how he had his mother pimp his Boy Scout uniform to replicate the Fighting First uniform so he could pick up girls at the Roseland Ballroom circa 1942 when he was an under-aged 15. Apparently, it worked like a charm.

Read more.

Wal-Mart & JC Penney, Laced with Steve Madden

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. is expanding its l.e.i. franchise by signing an exclusive license agreement with Steven Madden, Ltd. which will design, manufacture and distribute a collection of junior and girls footwear under the l.e.i. brand. l.e.i. footwear is the first of many planned category extensions intended to leverage the strength of l.e.i. as a branded resource across relevant categories together with Wal-Mart. The l.e.i. collection is distributed exclusively to Wal-Mart stores. Taylor Swift is the current spokesperson.

Steve Madden whose sales have reportedly declined 27% also signed a deal with Kimora Lee Simmons to create shoes and accessories for the Fabulosity brand. Fabulosity is a JC Penney exclusive.

Brooks Births Black Fleece on Bleecker

Brooks Brothers will be joining the growing number of luxury retail brands on the transformed Bleeker Street in the West Village with their new Black Fleece concept launched last year with guest designer Thom Browne. The first Black Fleece by Brooks Bros. freestanding store will open in mid-October at 351 Bleecker Street on the corner of 10th Street. Brooks Bros. men's suits range from $600 to $2,400, whereas Black Fleece men's suits start at $2,700, with plaid suits being the bestseller.  (via WWD)

Daphne Guinness & the politics of fashion

In this Sunday's NY Times Magazine Guy Trebay asks:  Does stereotype trump archetype?

What does the clothes of Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette, the iconic Fifties housewife and YSL’s Le Smoking femme fatale have in common? Why do hemlines goes up and down? Why does volume reign this season or minimalism proliferate in the next?

Daphne Guinness‘ short film, the The Phenomenology of Body explores the politics of fashion by showcasing the clothes of various eras on a revolving turn-table. The daughter of the Guinness brewery heir Jonathan Guinness, formally known as Lord Moyne, Guinness is also the step-granddaughter of Sir Oswald Mosley, the British fascist; the ex-wife of Spyros Niarchos, of Greek shipping fame (she married him at 19; he settled a reputed $40 million dollars on her when they divorced in 1999); and lately the subject of tabloid rumors related to her friendship with Bernard-Henri Lévy, the wealthy, and married, French writer whose intellect is almost as celebrated as his luxuriant head of hair.

Brunette Solidarity

According to W Magazine, Diane Von Furstenberg has been carrying a picture of Wonder Woman around in her diary for years. Who knew? It came up in an article about the capsule Wonder Woman collection she developed in tandem with Warner Bros. and DC Comics. Joel Silver's movie is still in the works for 2009, while everyone laments the team's loss of Buffy Vampire Slayer's Joss Whedon over creative visions.

Is Porn Green?

Reading an article by Rob Walker in the current of issue of Fast Company I thought of how two key trends in our culture are sharing a parallel track - Porn Normal & Green - and in the case of American Apparel, intersecting in a way that reveals a new twist on an old economic problem - namely the tragedy of the commons. The downfall of recycling programs and other well-meaning public expressions towards a common good.

The case of American Apparel offers some interesting food for debate when branding green, fair trade and sustainable products.  The strategy can be far more effective when you learn to message in one voice and, at the same time,  deliver through tangible actions in how the business is run.  The reality there are two campaigns going on.  The campaign to the die-hard anti-sweatshop hubs in the network are far more likely to respond to real actions - the ad messaging is not as important to them.   

(excerpt from Fast Company) ....building a brand solely around a company's ethical practices was not a good strategy for reaching masses of consumers. The ethical sell was too limiting. It was a niche strategy, at best. Which was why American Apparel was moving away from the ethical sell to something very different. Charney pulled out a copy of a book called The 48 Laws of Power and read me No. 13, which suggested that to get what you want, you must appeal to people's self-interest, not to their mercy.

Yves Saint Laurent dies at 71

Yves Saint Laurent was largely responsible for changing the way modern women dress....he often sought inspiration on the streets, bringing the Parisian beatnik style to couture runways and adapting the sailors’ peacoats he found in Army-Navy stores in New York into jackets that found their way into fashionable women’s wardrobes around the world. NY Times

Miuccia Prada and the Marriage of Art and Fashion

(from Financial Times) Miuccia Prada symbolises perfectly the merging of these two multimillion-pound industries. Not only are her collections feted for the kind of conceptual audacity that would shame many a so-called artist but she has also acted as a generous patron for all things cutting edge.

Miuccia Prada has already shown that fashion – quick-moving, dynamic, ferociously embracing globalisation – can outsmart more ponderous forms of expression. But the problem, which she recognises as surely as anyone, is this: as art learns those lessons and becomes more approachable and, arguably, more facile, will it lose its sense of gravitas?

Last week the 58-year-old designer announced plans for a new headquarters for her 15-year-old Prada Foundation, in a former spirits distillery in Milan. The €25m project, masterminded by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, will restore most of the distillery’s original buildings as well as providing three new structures.  Read more (FT.com)