Hedvig
IVANA J
Jess A
Crystii Lin
Theo Ortengren
Huntsman Corporation announced that it will invest approximately $40 million to build a new Asia Pacific Regional Technology Center (ATC) in Shanghai's Minhang Economic & Technological Development Zone, to support the rapidly growing demand for world-class technology and innovation from customers across the Asia Pacific region.
The state-of-the-art facility will comprise machine halls, laboratories and offices, accommodating up to 400 technical experts, and will replace the existing Technology Center, located nearby, which was first opened in September 2008. This facility will complement existing Technology Centers in The Woodlands, Texas and Brussels, Belgium as well as smaller regional centers.
Construction for the new ATC is expected to commence in January 2012, with completion planned for mid-2013. In parallel, part of the existing Technology Center will be converted into an auditorium and display area, which together with the new facility will form an integrated technology and innovation campus.
Anthony P Hankins, Huntsman's CEO Asia Pacific commented: "The expansion of our research and technology capability in this key region reflects Huntsman's desire and commitment to grow in partnership with our customers by delivering innovative solutions more effectively and efficiently.
The Huntsman technology center will be completely aligned to support Asia's fast-growing industries, including developing new energy-saving material solutions for the strategic industries as outlined in China's 12th Five-Year Plan."
Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Its operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging.
Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging and, later, for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman today has approximately 12,000 employees and operates from multiple locations worldwide. The Company had 2010 revenues of over $9 billion.
Paris – Purity would appear to be the leitmotif and buzzword of the current French shows, especially at the tellingly delicate, charmingly refined yet rather risque spring 2012 collection of Nina Ricci shown on Thursday, Sept. 29, in Paris.
Since the appointment of British talent Peter Copping at the house, Nina Ricci has been on something of a roll. Every fashion figure of note attended this show, and scores of notable senior editors and critics were refused entry. Not out of any bad manners from the house, but simply because this sort of subtle chic is best presented in an intimate setting before a small crowd.
Staged in a rambling mansion on Avenue Foch, Paris' grandest avenue, this was a statement collection, in the sense that it defined the mood in Paris - a return to ladylike style, an off-beat sense of mixing eras and shapes and a new take on quietly tough chic.
Copping paired quite a few looks with leather bikers jackets, but cut these like mini red carpet capes. He also sent out classy quilted cloque mini boleros and swirling skirts all flawlessly cut, but showed them with twisted up and faintly crumpled bras.
His look was dainty yet downtown; precious yet with punchy panache. Though the clothes were classy, a good third of them were knickers, corsets, brass and boxer shorts.
This sort of offbeat sophistication requires that the designer can drape. Fortunately, Copping has a great sense of silhouette and savvy understanding of how to twist a lot of fabric around a women's body and still make the look slim, sleek and alluring.
The show was also a salutary lesson to designers elsewhere - notably in New York - on how to combine sportswear with couture. Where many others simply graft on fencing, boarding and extreme sports elements, Copping revamps these ideas into smooth feminine ensembles that keep the clothes graceful, yet add an authoritative air.
Take his white embroidered looks, where fabric flower pockets contrasted to the ever so faintly armored style of the jackets, so that the actual sport was irrelevant, but the result fresh and cool.
In a season with a bucolic sense of floral prints, Copping offered Alpine choices, finished with micro belts and done with just enough rouching and pleating. His wide weave Jockey hats had a Polly Magoo mood, while his furniture style platform shoes imparted a certain sense of wackiness.
This was the finest fashion display so far in Paris, and a proclamation that next spring women will dress in a nonchalant style, unfussy clothes with a distinguished air.
MILAN (Reuters) – Fashion designers poured gold onto the Milan catwalks this week with collections rich in metallic finishes and designed to appeal to buyers who are keeping the luxury industry afloat in austere times.
Luxury goods firms at Milan fashion week were reluctant to discuss growth in 2012, but said surging demand from emerging market countries such as China could help the industry ride out any recession which arises from the current Euro zone crisis and a global economic malaise.
"I cannot make forecasts for next year given the current economic situation," Michele Norsa, chief executive of shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo told Reuters before a show at Milan's stock exchange, where the group listed in June.
Fashion doyen Giorgio Armani's catwalk collection displayed thin trousers underneath longer dresses, a layered look that some experts said could be targeted at women from the Middle East and China.
"Many houses are pinning their hopes on geographies that they weren't even operating in 10 years ago," James Lawson, director of international luxury market research specialists Ledbury Research, told Reuters. "Asia, for example, accounts for about half of the recent growth in the industry," he said.
The fashion industry, a key contributor to Italy's economy, is expected to generate almost 63 billion euros ($86 billion)this year, up only 4 percent from 2010 after Italy's Chamber of Fashion halved its forecasts. However, demand for Italian quality remains high among Asian customers, experts said.
"The Chinese love our style," Chamber of Fashion President Mario Boselli said at the launch of luxury label Gucci's new museum in Florence.
Armani's spring/summer 2012 collection also offered soft jackets employing a tiny concealed hook to hold them closed and sheer evening dresses embroidered with minute translucent crystals like drops of water.
"Women can be romantic, but also strong," Armani said after his show.
Hem lengths were short at Versace and Roberto Cavalli, but longer at Prada and Armani, pleats appeared at a number of shows and themes such as Art Deco and Bauhaus waltzed through some of the collections.
Designer Miuccia Prada struck a more traditional and soft conservative note for women with round-shouldered coats bearing woolly roses and gave a nod to the 1950s with automobile prints on coats, skirts, and dresses twinned with heels bearing hot rod flame designs.
"I wanted a sweet woman for next summer," Prada told Reuters backstage at her show.
Donatella Versace used studs on neoprene short dresses, while sculpted jackets were paired with shorts and high wedge heels. Jersey dresses had pleats and crystals.
Gucci designer Frida Giannini marked the 90th anniversary of the brand with a tribute to Art Deco, a motif also seen at Cavalli. Giannini brought 1920s "Charleston" dresses with lame fringes to the catwalk mixed with zebra or tiger prints.
Cavalli's collection also took its inspiration from Art Deco and Germany's Bauhaus movement for a glittering show, where gold dominated the catwalk. Slim-fitting gilets had padded shoulders, while skirts in animal or floral prints were trimmed with silk.
Designer Massimiliano Giornetti created sandals with gilt soles for Ferragamo and paired them with silk dresses in animal prints draped at the waist, while Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier showed off a layered look which altered the silhouettes of dresses. ($1 = 0.733 Euros)
Cherokee Inc. a leading innovator and global marketer of fashion and lifestyle brands it owns and represents in multiple consumer product categories and sectors around the world, announced the hire of Sally Mueller as the Company's Chief Brand Officer and Jamie Curtis as its VP Marketing. Both will be based in Cherokee's new marketing office located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In this newly created position as Chief Brand Officer, Ms. Mueller will be responsible for building a highly-effective, world-class marketing and creative organization to identify opportunities for brand acquisitions while furthering the development of Cherokee's new and existing businesses. In addition, on the business development front, Ms. Mueller will draw from her senior-level retailer experience to further enhance the Company's brand visibility.
Ms. Mueller joins The Cherokee Group with over 24 years of experience at the Target Corporation, where she helped take the company from a regional discount retailer to an internationally recognized global brand. While at Target, Ms. Mueller spearheaded many initiatives including the "Sign of the Times," "Design for All," and "Go International," each of which helped bring Target to the forefront of the global retail market.
"I have worked closely with Sally this past year as we have developed the new Global Vision for our Cherokee brand. Sally possesses the rare combination of creative and analytical skills that combined with her practical hands-on experience, presented a tremendous strategic opportunity for Cherokee," said Henry Stupp, Chief Executive Officer of The Cherokee Group.
"Sally's many years of senior-level experience with our largest domestic partner, Target, along with her visionary work on numerous nationally and globally recognized brands, will be a critical part to the continued redesign and enhancement of the Cherokee's group of brands. We look forward to working together as we deliver high-quality materials, marketing innovations and strategic opportunities that grow our business on a global basis. Hiring someone of Sally's caliber as part of our team signals a new era in Cherokee's long-term commitment and vision for our Company."
Ms. Curtis joins the Cherokee Group from Coach Inc., where she most recently served as Senior Director of Collaborations. Prior to Coach, Ms. Curtis worked in the Marketing Department at Target Corporation. Ms. Curtis will work with Cherokee's senior management in the identification and generation of new revenue streams by providing marketing leadership for the Company's existing and new brand acquisitions.
"In this newly created position of VP Marketing, Jamie will bring over a decade of 'fashion & brand' experience, excitement and energy to our company's marketing efforts," noted Henry Stupp. "I am proud that we are attracting high-level talent that shares the same vision, enthusiasm and passion for our brands as I do, and recognizes the progress that has been made over the past year at The Cherokee Group. Together Sally and Jamie form an important catalyst for future growth, and on behalf of our dedicated team and partners in over 30 countries, we welcome them to our company."
Cherokee Inc. is a global marketer and manager of a portfolio of fashion and lifestyle brands it owns and represents in multiple consumer product categories and sectors around the world.
PARIS (Reuters) – Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Tuesday under a cloud of economic pessimism mixed with uncertainty about the creative direction of some of the world's biggest fashion brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine and Yves Saint Laurent.
After New York, London and Milan, Paris closes the season of presentations for next spring and summer with nine days of shows at which designers will be fighting for buyers and media attention amid worries about a possible economic slowdown.
In an early sign of trouble, Barbara Bui, one of France's few listed fashion brands, said earlier this month trading had become more unpredictable as it was concerned rising European taxes could affect consumer spending.
The next three months to Christmas is the make-or-break period for fashion brands when they sell the most products at full price. It is also when orders for next spring are made.
In France, business and consumer confidence slumped in September as investors questioned the solidity of the banking system, future growth prospects and whether the current euro zone debt crisis could be solved.
Making the industry's future even more of a guessing game, many top fashion houses are looking to for a next generation of designers to inject youth and excitement.
Christian Dior's show on Friday will be the talk of the town as the brand is still without a designer six months after the departure of John Galliano whose career at the French house ended abruptly after making anti-Semitic remarks at a Paris bar.
Dior's first show without Galliano in July was panned by critics as confusing and too zany.
Sources close to LVMH, the world's biggest maker of luxury goods which controls Dior, say Marc Jacobs, currently designer at sister brand Louis Vuitton, could succeed Galliano.
But media reports suggest negotiations are proving difficult partly for money reasons. If it happened, the move would trigger a new series of revolving doors within LVMH's stable of fashion brands and other fashion companies.
Late on Monday, Yves Saint Laurent moved to quash media speculation that Raf Simons, Jil Sander's current designer, could replace Stefano Pilati at the French fashion brand.
There has also been speculation Phoebe Philo, the creative head at Celine who has successfully revamped the brand since 2008 with her minimalist style, could take over at Louis Vuitton if Jacobs left for Dior.
Much of the fashion press in recent weeks has been welcoming Jacob's potential arrival at Dior as he is regarded as a safe pair of hands with a proven track record.
Jacobs is credited with helping turn Louis Vuitton into the world's biggest luxury brand, raking in nearly 6 billion euros ($8 billion) in annual sales and generating more than half of LVMH's operating profits.
Discussions regarding Jacobs come as Louis Vuitton recently named Jordi Constans, a former Danone executive, as successor to current chief executive Yves Carcelle after a transition year and starting in early 2013.
Louis Vuitton's show on Wednesday will be among the last of Paris Fashion Week. Prior to it, fashion experts will focus on Lanvin, which like Dior is on Friday and is seen as a trend-setter.
Other major shows include Hermes and John Galliano - its first without its founding designer - on Sunday. Later on Tuesday, all eyes will be on Chanel, Valentino and Alexander McQueen's whose designer Sarah Burton is all the rage since she designed Kate Middleton's wedding dress.
Much of focus will also be on the performance of newcomers following an unprecedented wave of departures last spring at high-profile brands such as Balmain, Azzaro, Chloe, Cacharel and Kenzo. Their respective successors will be presenting their first collections this week.
Fashion watchers will also expect an update at Sonia Rykiel, one of the last family-controlled French fashion houses, which is looking for investors to expand in new markets such as Asia.
Milan – Produce - exotic, tropical and always Sicilian - was the leitmotif of a circus gal Dolce & Gabbana spring 2012 show in Milan on Sunday, Sept. 25, when the duo sent a giant produce market of prints out onto their catwalk.
Hefty purple onions, baskets of tomatoes and red peppers enlarged to become foot-size were just some of the images used on below-the-knee skirts, gathered and puckered bra tops and naughty picnic frocks.
All these Sicilian referential clothing was shown under a giant skyline of colorful fun-fair lights, taken from a real traveling Italian festival market.
"Hey Mambo," sang out Sophia Loren on the Italo-Cubano soundtrack, matching the steamy Latino lover mood of the collection, entitled "Bread, Love and Italian Beauty."
Staged in the company's custom-made central Milan show-space, the clothes also featured aubergines, courgettes and the sort of lace one finds on Aeolian Island terrace restaurant tablecloths. It was an agreeable meeting of tacky beachfront cafe and steamy Palermo babes, a saucy collection that had the models vamping down the catwalk.
It's finale, two score of beauties in glitzy boudoir variations of trapeze artist leotards, won great applause. There might be classier brands in Paris, more arty one's in this city, and edgier houses in London and New York, but the girls on the catwalk of Dolce & Gabbana are somehow the prettiest on the fashion planet.
Milan – Though the clothes in the latest collection from Fendi had a timeless quality with their graphic purity and cerebral nonchalance, one could not help describing the look as existentialist, given its brainy, linear cool.
After two weeks of picnic clothes in collections in New York and London, all seemingly designed to help women forget the recession, it was striking to see this spring 2012 collection, with its grown up sensibility and sense of polished achievement.
Staged Thursday, Sept. 22, on a black and white catwalk with a fan like temperature gauge as a backdrop and an invitation in the same graphic style, the show opened with lots of symmetrical stripe ideas, from flared below the waist cocktails to beach wind-breaker stripe swing jackets to precisely perforated blousons.
The linear quality was apparent throughout with some brilliant slingback shoes with circus tent stripes; though one of the smartest ideas were randomly placed fabric grommets on white cocktails and natty new totes.
Being Fendi there were lots of fur references, from a splendid peacock green knitted elongated waistcoat to some very snazzy mink and fox trim of jeweled clutches.
The show also featured a remarkable new hairstyle, an ever so faintly disheveled bouffant, that designer Karl Lagerfeld called, "Monica Vitti in a storm," in reference to the famed Italian actress.
Snippets of conversations lifted from Michelangelo Antonioni's 1961 movie "La Notte," in which Vitti stars, filled the soundtrack. In an evocative evening finale, a series of layered tulle and chiffon looks, each more arty than the other, captured the moody beauty of this classic film, a meditation on the occasional pointlessness of polite existence, and the need for an individual to give life meaning by living it sincerely and honestly.
No wonder there was an overriding feeling leaving this show that this was indeed a Fendi existentialist moment, since this was all about honestly crafted chic.
On Thursday, September 15th Laura Smalls unveiled her S/S 2012 "Legacy" runway, anchored by her signature collection of dresses featuring both slim-shaped and flare silhouettes. Her looks incorporated lots of draping details, patchwork, color blocks, and appliqué details while also playing with striped patterns. She was right on trend with color, infusing a palette of sun bursting yellows, blood orange hues and green brights complimented by a chic collection of Manolo Blahnik heels.
Since beginning her independent designs in 2009 with her "30 Dresses” collection, it is expected that Smalls will put on a runway that exudes elegance and sophistication and her fifth series delivered that and more. The audience was filled with the "who's who" of New York and fashion in front row attendance at the luxurious Centurion Condominiums penthouse setting, including Vogue's Andre Leon Talley, Italian Vogue's Bethann Hardison, supermodel Chanel Iman, music icon Valerie Simpson, opera sensation Kathleen Battle and actress Grace Hightower De Niro.
"Laura Smalls has the ability to register modern contemporary fashion that is a throwback to ladylike elegance when dressing up for any moment in a day meant something", said Vogue's Contributing Editor Andre Leon Talley post show. "Think Sophisticated Lady”, he continues, “Vibrant color for spring is the new trend. Smalls puts the vitality of saturated celadon green in satin evening dress with embroidered petals at the hem for a dramatic red carpet entrance maker.
She has fused spring with the vibrant strong color as in her peony pink Sophia Loren dress, as well as great style in little black dresses that evoke the elegance of an American original Grace Kelly. Her fluid, jersey dresses are outstanding; she underscores her silhouettes with a nuance of fine dressmaking. I love her sense of drape in asymmetrical jersey dinner dresses. Smalls never forgets to mark her silhouette with a flattering drape."
Over the past year, First Lady Michelle Obama has incorporated Smalls' looks into her style repertoire. In addition to America's First Lady, her designs have also been donned by Kourtney Kardashian, Amber Rose and Heidy Allende giving further evidence that the Laura Smalls collection is becoming a red carpet must have.
This S/S 2012 show was produced in dedication to Smalls' dear friend and famed Motown songwriter, Nick Ashford.
Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced the Spring/Summer 2013 edition of PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner. This multi-discipline color forecast, titled unity & CO, highlights the key color palettes for women’s wear, menswear, active wear, cosmetics, lifestyle and industrial, and graphic design.
PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner Spring/Summer 2013 pushes individuals to unite with one another again by rediscovering the power in numbers and embracing a new culture of unity. The power of one can be great, but the power of many is even more formidable as heritage and traditions are rediscovered in a modern, digitized manner.
The same applies to color, as it too evolves from creating an awestruck response by its power and brightness alone. As the use of color increases, it becomes more connected to material, shape and form in an integral way.
"Recent color block stories on the catwalk have paved the way for a new sense of color confidence among consumers. For some time, color alone has been a significant factor in purchasing decisions. Today, equally important is the context of those color statements – the finish, fabric and form in which it is used," said Laurie Pressman, vice president of fashion, home and interiors at Pantone.
PANTONE VIEW Colour Planner Spring/Summer 2013 contains the following eight palettes:
CO-nversation
Slowly emerging from white, mauve and fuchsia develop into delicate hues, while a warm sand tone forms a stable base for the more ethereal pink. The resulting range is subtle and delicate, infusing a sense of calm and serenity.
CO-llaboration
A new approach to neutrals, dusted pink, greeny-blue and burnt yellows create a family of easy base colors for outerwear and interiors alike.
CO-nnected
Connected is a color range for celebrating enthusiasm and the vitality of life, as yellow emerges from pure white, diluted and matte at first then gaining energy to end up reflecting the sun.
CO-mmunity
A new level of natural colors which are easy to mix and use, replacing black for a far more exotic approach – dry browns, watered browns, wood browns and earth browns.
CO-ntain
Based on naturals; simple, refined whites like eggshell; flesh tones, which reinforce the belief that neutrals are becoming more colored; warm and static black with deep navy and duck-egg blue.
CO-mpanion
A monumental simplicity of colors with their feet in nature suggests combinations of confident opposites or intimate tonalities. It is a core baseline palette of blues that frames and sets all the key accents.
CO-llective
Brights move from the primary spectrum of past seasons into a new fluorescent range. These super strong colors are paired with a family of soft sisters: five sweetened pastel tones.
MILAN (Reuters) – Designers have prepared a marathon of catwalk shows and gala openings to wow shoppers and woo their wallets at a Milan fashion week which starts on Wednesday amid winds of recession.
Top brands such as Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo are betting on next summer, a key season for fashion sales, to lure customers who are heading into a penny-pinching European autumn.
Austerity measures, a wild stock market and Italy's downgrade by Standard & Poor's are weighing on the mood of European consumers, even in robust economies such as Germany.
"This is our chance to react to the crisis," Mario Boselli, chairman of Italy's National Chamber of Fashion, said at the presentation of the Milan week, running until Tuesday.
The luxury industry is traditionally resilient to economic crises, as it caters to the wealthy. However, frills are not immune to downturns and groups such as Ferragamo have been reluctant to talk about growth.
"As the autumn begins, the most evident aspect of the current economic situation is the total uncertainty over the future," Italy's Chamber of Fashion said in a report on economic trends.
Fashion is a key contributor to the euro-zone's third largest economy. Italian brands are expected to generate total revenues of almost 63 billion euros ($87 billion) this year, according to the Chamber of Fashion. This is only 4 percent more than last year after Italy's fashion body halved its initial forecast.
RETAIL SPIN
A whirlwind of around 70 catwalk shows and 50 showroom presentations will not be the only attraction for thousands of buyers and fashion bloggers descending on Milan.
Ferragamo will launch its first jewelry collection on Wednesday, as investors fleeing nervous financial markets turn to gold as a safer bet.
As retail remains a revenue-spinner for luxury makers, Gucci, LVMH's Louis Vuitton and Italian designer Anna Molinari will open sparkling new stores in the heart of Milan's fashion district this week.
Tire maker Pirelli opened its first flagship store on Tuesday in the company of supermodel Naomi Campbell. The clothing collection features customised rubber-soled shoes for 340 euros.
At the other end of the retail chain, Missoni's first collection for U.S. discount department store Target sold out in many U.S. stores in the first week of launch.
Italian luxury will also flaunt its roots with Gucci opening a museum in Florence on Monday and Trussardi celebrating its 100th anniversary.
