Fashion Business Forum in Athens

By Elis Kiss | ekathimerini.com | www.fashionbusinessforum.gr



" Fashion is about persuading people that items that don’t have to be replaced, have to be replaced " said British journalist and author Colin McDowell in a candid speech recently in Athens.

Turning this lust into sound business was the subject of the inaugural Fashion Business Forum which took place on January 17. Organized by Marketing Week, it was the first of its kind in Greece.



Photo by Elena Pakou

Lust for fashion is a completely artificial thing "
Colin McDowell, Founder, Creative Director, Fashion Fringe


Colin McDowell, a longtime fashion commentator and industry insider, treated his audience to a number of designer stories, from Tom (Ford) to Marc (Jacobs) to Alber (Elbaz), giving his audience a glimpse of the kind of world that he has been inhabiting over the last 35 years. He also offered some insight into the state of the field today, commenting on the emergence of China -- both as a manufacturer and a client of fashion. "People who articulate fashion these days are the stylists and the photographers, they are more important than designers," noted McDowell, who described fashion as something which gives people confidence while protecting them from the rest of the world.


Photo by Elena Pakou

The conference brought together international and local industry experts, a team of eager fashion bloggers, very few fashion journalists and a small number of Greek designers. Attendance seemed to reflect the overall state of the local fashion system, which is defined by a general lack of synergy and structure.


Missed opportunities

Though Yannis Tseklenis has now spent some 20 years away from fashion, his experience makes him an authority on Greece’s missed opportunities in the field. In his speech, he traced the country’s history in textile manufacturing, describing how in the 1970s and 80s, local production units worked on high quantities of garments for global apparel brands.


Photo by George Dimopoulos

" Especially in the 1980s, he said, Greece was equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, but instead of creating synergies with local creative talent and developing Greek designer brands, manufacturers just kept taking orders from abroad, acting as “price takers” and never turning into "price makers."

He also shared a tip given to him by prominent international fashion players many years ago: Greek fashion ought to make good use of the country’s light and warm weather conditions, in other words, it should focus on so-called "resort."


Established fashion industry business models and their current relevance were the subject of William Plane’s keynote speech. A British investment banker with Savigny Partners, a boutique advisory company specializing in luxury goods, Plane talked about today’s hot brands -- think Burberry and Lanvin -- but also designers like Tory Burch and Phillip Lim who have made a fresh splash in the industry. He further noted that fast-fashion chains are increasingly gaining credibility, with companies such as H&M collaborating with star designers and houses. The way to go for apparel brands, said Plane, is to reduce seasonality, in other words to come up with up to six collections a year, including pre-collections and inter-seasonal collections.


Photo by George Dimopoulos

Menswear, he stressed, is a developing sector of the industry: While womenswear is completely saturated, menswear’s general stylistic rule is that men tend to dress similarly around the globe, a fact which makes it easier for brands to export, while the rise of male customers in China is another promising factor. Plane also offered his view of the Internet, underlining its potential.

Fashion online was on the majority of speakers’ lips, ranging from pure e-commerce to the use of social media. In the case of Greece, the figures point to 1.4 billion euros spent in online shopping in 2010, which represents a 75 percent rise in turnover compared to the previous year.

Read the full story at
ekathimerini.com

Fashion Gets Nostalgic ...

A West Style Story on Yoox!



Once upon a time in the West… Fashion gets nostalgic with a nod to cowboy style: fringes, embroideries, hats, boots, suede and denim straight out of a Wild West Style Story… Deep brown, burnt sienna and light camel are the colors of choice for suedes and leathers that can be worn head-to-toe or in chic small touches. Ladies can either go tough and bold à la Calamity Jane in bustiers and mini-dresses or soft and romantic as a prairie girl in florals and maxi-skirts ...



Introduce a touch of old-school Western charm into your everyday with a few clever sartorial additions: go for a big brown belt to cinch your denim shirt, pair up your favourite jeans with some cool suede and rock those boots!

Discover more on the NewYooxer!

The Style of Blazer by Vogue

Blazer Chic! Ultra Classic... It's time to face the onset of Spring, and the best place to begin is the blazer, the passe-par-tout of the season!


Gucci

Elegant in a tuxedo version or else casual in washed cotton, in every shape and dimension, a piece that can open and close every kind of look.


Βalmain

Pair it with any skirt or trouser, play with the addition of pearls or chains, and you can either honor or desecrate tradition - it's up to you to decide the balance. There are those who'd pair it with a Charleston dress, those who choose baggy pants, and those - like Kate Moss - who will wear blazers over shorts or black jeans.


See by Chloe

The evenings, it reappears in a tuxedo version and once again Kate flaunts one in shiny black satin, the version that is increasingly showing up as it evokes Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s.


Gianni Barbato

Variazioni... The shoulders get shaped, buttons are lowered and the cuts are cropped: in this case, trousers are wide, even in harem style. Or else the length remains classic but the fabric is fluid and further lightened by stripes or hints of flowers or vaguely mixed motifs. The blazer then becomes slightly hippy chic, as does everything else worn with it, including bijoux.



Read more in Vogue! | Mix and Match on Yoox!

"MadWalk" Fashion Music Project !

Το πρωτοποριακό μουσικό κανάλι Mad και η Vodafone διοργανώνουν, το μοναδικό για τα ελληνικά δεδομένα, Fashion Music Project "MadWalk" !!!


Με έμπνευση από τη δημιουργικότητα της μόδας και τη δύναμη της μουσικής, 8 κορυφαίοι Έλληνες σχεδιαστές και 8 δημοφιλείς καλλιτέχνες παρουσιάζουν 1 μοναδικό show συνδυάζοντας ταυτόχρονα live performances με ανατρεπτικά Fashion Shows! Το μουσικό κανάλι Mad και η Vodafone παρουσιάζουν για πρώτη φορά την απόλυτη ένωση μόδας και μουσικής με στόχο την καθιέρωση ενός πρωτοποριακού ετήσιου θεσμού που θα κατακτήσει το κοινό με την μοναδικότητα του.

Στο πρώτο MadWalk by Vodafone συμμετέχουν 8 διακεκριμένοι Έλληνες σχεδιαστές: Apostolis Mitropoulos, Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture, Deux Hommes, Yiorgos Eleftheriades, Mary Katrantzou, Mi-Ro, Orsalia Parthenis και Vrettos Vrettakos. Με την επιμέλεια του Μιχάλη Πάντου και την καλλιτεχνική καθοδήγηση του Κωνσταντίνου Ρήγου, οι σχεδιαστές θα παρουσιάσουν πρωτοποριακά fashion shows που θα πλαισιώνουν τις εμφανίσεις – έκπληξη των καλλιτεχνών, προσφέροντας συνολικά το πιο rock και εντυπωσιακό θέαμα!

Τετάρτη 2 Φεβρουαρίου 2011, Ολυμπιακή Εγκατάσταση Ξιφασκίας, Ελληνικό | www.madwalk.gr

Μόλις Κυκλοφόρησαν τα Λατρέψαμε!



Τα Νέα Μοδάτα Παιδικά Μποτάκια "Μωρό-Μωρό" από τη Νέα Ζηλανδία κάνουν Θραύση στην Αμερική!









Εσείς πόσο Μωρό είστε? moromorokids.com


Mert and Marcus for Gucci



One of the most famous artistic duets Mert&Marcus created another fantastic campaign for Gucci, by shooting models in vibrant colours, creating a poetic atmoshpere with a surrealistic perspective...



The visionist Frida Gianni, Gucci Creative Director, played with bold colors and sleek shapes for sexy, strong, vibrant clothes and hosted the famous models Karmen Pedaru, Joan Smalls, Hailey Clauson. Nikola Jovanovic and Gen Huismans starring in this great inviting portfolio ...







Don't these images just make you want to run off to some place in the sun, right this very minute?
gucci.com

Gucci.com
© 2011 Frida Gianni, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot

SKAR Fashion Collection Sofia Karvela

by Chrysanthi Diamantakou

Sofia Karvela
the daughter of Greek Rock & Roll royals, Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas, has created her own clothing line, SKar!





Sofia recently launched her first collection of ripped unisex T-shirts. Each piece is one of a kind and handmade by Sofia herself. She writes her own words of wisdom on every one of a kind piece. Sofia describes SKar. using terms like “deconstruction and rebirth” and “lovability to an almost vulnerable pavement-poetic state.”



Her collection is definitely edgy, strong and artistic yet airy, delicate and unworldly. To view and order her one of a kind collection of SKar t-shirts with subversive quotes, please visit Sofia Karvela's official website as well as at Patricia Field's boutique in New York. Bespoke service/custom orders are also available upon request



Discover more at skar.gr