Kristin G
Martine Falk Andersen
Lina S
Mallory W
Austin Levine
In ZZEGNA Lab the key word is experimental. The spring summer collection is a realisation of this creative investigation. A visionary short circuit turns intuition into contemporary outfits of sophisticated sartorial skills: compact and impalpable fabrics are attuned balancing concreteness and lightness.
The earth and its primordial matter inspires a colour palette of mineral shades; chalky white, gravel or slate grey, basalt black and an intense brick shade recalling cretan vases. Workmanship is as incisive as it is tactile. Laser-etched patterns or corded and pin-tucked seaming fuse technology with tailoring. Quality and innovation are key words for fabrics, with macro and micro digital prints. Cotton prevails, often mixed with contrasting thicknesses from sturdy canvas to super light gauze, either natural or water-repellent, mixed with washed linen, ultra soft silk and a rarefied oxford mohair.
The silhouette is fluid and natural, always fresh. Three-button, long or double-breasted jackets, with patch pockets, are teamed with slim trousers or jeans - worn short on the ankle with sandals or no-lace derbies. The outfits confirm the value of the outdoor experience: jackets with coulisse, short trench coats, pea coats, parkas and bomber jackets. Leather is like a second skin: super fine and in different shades of naturally dyed tones. Knitwear is made of futuristic materials, like paper, mono-filament nylon and high-tech stitches with bi-colour effects.
The mix between past and present is expressed in layering. The extraordinary technological excellence of textiles developed by Zegna, renders a super light double layered fabric, with a thin cotton gauze veil stratified on a printed fabric, creating a three dimensional effect exclusively for the icon of the season the "Three-D-Jacket"
Shoes without laces and coloured leather sandals, are coordinated with hand-stitched belts, some with no buckles. Travel and utility shoulder bags, are presented in canvas, suede and nubuck. This follows the experimental and reflective character of this collection.
"The authenticity of the past intertwined with the present creates a provocation that can be called future." Alessandro Sartori: Creative Director – Z Zegna
David Reay, former Director of operations and production at Barbour, Gary Newbold, former Head of designs at Barbour and Nick Oliver, previously Managing Director of women’s wear company Penny Plain had found a shortcoming in the retail clothing market.
Three of them, with the support of the experienced team of Muckle LLP, instituted a new firm Partridge Trading Limited to acquire the premium country clothing label from The Bollin Group.
Muckle LLP helped the management of the new firm by providing their valuable advice regarding establishment of the firm, working out the deal and acquired John Partridge brand from the Bollin Group.
Also, it provided guidance regarding the business agreements with the retailers and sales agents, due diligence on intellectual property and working out a new set of commercial and employment terms and conditions for the new firm.
Further, Muckle LLP even assisted the new firm on management of the funds that the new firm had obtained from the FW Capital Growth 500 Plus Fund and venture capitalist Anne Holliday for the purpose of acquisition and development of the business in future.
It was very much necessary that this deal materializes before Christmas so as to make it possible for the new firm to timely manufacture and deliver its new collection, thus the whole acquisition process was summarized in six weeks and the final agreement was struck on December 23, 2010.
The John Partridge brand, which finds its roots way back in 1890, has strongly established itself as a brand in retail apparel market, and the management team of the new firm now has impressive plans to bolster, stimulate and boost the brand.
With flourishing Asian markets, Makalot Industrial Co., a leading garment manufacturing firm in Taiwan, is likely to register a rise of 13.5 percent in its revenues to touch NT$16 billion or US $533.33 million, this year, up from last year’s NT $14.1 billion.
L.P. Chou, Chairman, Makalot, stated that, due to soaring property prices and wage rates, production cost in China is rising exponentially; the firm intends to expand its operations in SE Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia to counter this rising cost.
For instance, Makalot recently acquired a 2,160,000 sq ft plot in Indonesia, where it intends to establish six to seven plants in next five years.
The expansion is seen to aid the company’s export to grow from last year’s 98.4 million to 111.6 million garments, this year.
The firm has conventionally been relying on USA as its key export destination, but this year it has decided to boost its exports to the non-US regions by three to five percent. Makalot intends to hike its exports to Asia from current eight percent to 20 percent over the next three years.
Taiwan’s Lative, China’s Metersbonwe and RT-Mart are amongst the main clients of the company, while the company is trying to add a leading garment brand from Japan to this list in 2011, Chou said.
South by Southwest (SXSW) announced American Apparel has signed on as a special exhibitor at Style X (pronounced "Style By"), an exhibition aimed at showcasing emerging talent in the fashion industry, during its 25th event on March 18-19.
In Style X, American Apparel, the first major clothing company to establish a retail presence during SXSW Music, will have a new home for its flea market setup that typically took place outdoors during the music festival.
"American Apparel is excited to be at SXSW for its third year in a row!" said Ryan Holiday. "We're bringing more than 20,000 garments from Los Angeles and hope to have our biggest and best event ever in the Austin Convention Center."
Style X, which features manufacturers of women's dresses and swimwear, eyeglasses, watches, shoes and accessories, is free and open to the public from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 18, and noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Exhibiting designers will be selling their lines onsite and Square, the San Francisco-based startup, will serve as the official payment processor.
"South by Southwest has always been a unique place for musicians, filmmakers, bloggers and web developers...it makes perfect sense that brands both established and emerging should join in," said Joah Spearman, Style X co-founder and executive producer. "Having brands like American Apparel and Keds demonstrates that not only does style deserve a seat at the SXSW table, but also that SXSW will continue to command more and more attention from the fashion world."
Designers currently confirmed for Style X range from New York-based women's eyewear company Lumete and Atlanta-based streetwear line Fresh.i.am to Austin's own Sanctuary Printshop and Toxophilite, a women's line debuting at Style X. Tortoise and Blonde, a newly-launched eyewear company from New Jersey, is serving as a showcasing sponsor.
Also today, SXSW announced the inclusion of TIGI Haircare as the official haircare provider for the Style X runway shows scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The runway shows are set to feature the showcasing brands' works in accessories, streetwear, men's and women's wear and will include musicians, many of whom are official SXSW Music performers, as the runway models.
Frank's Chop Shop, a popular full-service barbershop in Lower East Side, New York City, will provide a gifting suite and a relaxed environment for musicians to get a clean, old-fashioned straight razor shave before stepping onto the runway at Style X.
Go Try It On, the New York-based tech startup, is serving as the official casting call partner for Style X with a dedicated website for musicians to submit their most stylish photos and have the chance to win a spot as a model in one of the runway shows.
Complex Media Network is serving as the official media partner for Style X. SXSW® 2011 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Sonicbids, Chevrolet, AOL, IFC, Pepsi, Brisk, freecreditscore.com, Monster Energy and the Austin Chronicle.
Debenhams, the leading department store, has revealed that a style of dress straight from Britain's building sites is now causing a sensation on high fashion catwalks around the world.
Jeans, often torn, tucked into partially untied boots, worn together with tight men's t-shirts and stubble - the clothes worn by thousands of labourers, carpenters and digger drivers all over the UK - has created a powerful sales force over the last year, Debenhams sales figures reveal.
Even world famous celebrities such as Justin Timberlake, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Seal are now copying the ultra masculine style, known as 'working man chic'.
Debenhams director of menswear buying, Paul Baldwin said: "Somewhere out there is a labourer whose dress sense started the whole thing off. The trend has created a billion pound men's clothing industry – but he probably doesn't know it."
Debenhams sales of working man style men's boots have leapt by 106 percent in the last two months alone. Lumberjack style shirts, braces, and jeans with multiple pockets – classic clothing for the building trade - have also rocketed by 270 percent, 114 percent and 139 percent respectively since January.
The style has even appeared in Spring/Summer 2011 collections from leading designers such as Dolce and Gabbana.
Paul Baldwin continued: "When demand began to rise three years ago, we first thought it was caused by genuine working men buying their working clothes from our stores.
"However, when the trend spread quickly to stores where a high percentage of our customers are young and fashion conscious, we realised that the style was moving from the building sites to the high street, pubs and clubs.
"We believe that the sudden popularity of 'working man chic' may say something about the changing role of men in society.
"For the last two decades, fashion conscious men wanted to look like successful city slickers.
"Now, when times are hard and banking has lost its appeal, they want to be seen as rugged but very dependable - the sort of man who has a large tool box as well as a warm heart."
'Working man chic' has also found favour with leading pop groups such as JLS, the Wanted and teen heart-throb Zac Efron.
Debenhams is a leading department stores group, and has a strong presence in key product categories including children's wear, women's clothes, day dresses, shoes, bikinis, jeans, men's clothing, home ware, make-up, health and beauty, accessories, perfume and lingerie with DD+ bras and matching bra and underwear sets.
Ecolab Inc announced that it has received an environmental stewardship award from the Austrian state of Oberösterreich in recognition of the company’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of a local hospital laundry.
"PERformance SMART is a promising innovation for the entire wash industry and this award recognizes that our local laundry customers trust Ecolab’s expertise and solutions".
The Austrian Textile Care team is being recognized after implementing the innovative PERformance SMART low-temperature washing process at a Braunau hospital laundry earlier this year. PERformance SMART is a complete laundry program for conventional washers that combines cutting-edge chemistry with advanced wash formulas to create a process that reduces a facility’s water, energy and time requirements per load of soiled laundry. The result is a more sustainable, efficient wash program.
In the case of the Braunau facility, Ecolab’s PERformance SMART saved the customers 1.000.000 liters of water per year and, simultaneously, reduced its energy consumption by 13.000 kilowatt-hours per year.
"PERformance SMART is a promising innovation for the entire wash industry and this award recognizes that our local laundry customers trust Ecolab’s expertise and solutions,” said Alex Waser, vice president and general manager, EMEA TCD. “Laundry environments everywhere can achieve significant water, energy and time savings by not only using the correct products, but by having the correct configuration of their entire washing process. Our PERformance SMART system, combined with our expertly trained Textile Care sales-and-service specialists, are helping customers to achieve more sustainable results," said Waser.
PERformance SMART is a global solution available to all Ecolab Textile Care customers.
With sales of $6 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services.
Johan Ku, a prize-winning fashion designer from Taiwan on February 22 publicized his decision to participate in the forthcoming Japan Fashion Week, which is to take place in Tokyo from March 18 to 25.
The fashion designer said that, at the 12th Tokyo Fashion Week, he would display his signature brand woollen apparels which are a combination of rough fabrics and delicate crochets.
Ku, for the first time would have his solo ramp show at the fashion event, and would present about 60 new designs in scarves, knitwear garments and mittens.
He further stated that, he proposes to launch his personal fashion brand during the current year and expects to bag overseas customers for his designs, by way of participation in the fashion event.
The 32-year old is the first fashion designer from Taiwan who has been selected to be a part of the prestigious show, in which over 150 renowned global fashion designers and brands are to participate, this year.
Focusing on its signature draping, the Fall/Winter 2011-2012 collection features feminine garments that are designed to appeal to every woman and flatter any figure with its billowed silhouettes.
Pia Gladys Perey debuted on the international fashion scene at the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in2008 and 2009 followed by a launch in the USA at the Miami International Fashion Week and the LA Focus Apparel Show in early 2010.
Pia Gladys Perey also participated at the Moda Manhattan's Juried Ready-To-Wear tradeshow. Pia Gladys Perey is being stocked at the New York City store of the iconic designer/stylist of Sex and the City and the Devil Wears Prada movies, Patricia Field and her designs were recently worn by Angelina Jolie and Gabrielle Union at the Bet Honors Awards Dinner.
Made in jersey and silk charmeuse, Pia Gladys Perey added wine red, copper and navy this season to its usual muted color palette of champagne, ivory, bullet and black to demonstrate the label’s versatility and love for flair.
Solis Partners, a leading developer and integrator of commercial solar power systems, has been awarded a turnkey contract for a rooftop solar PV system at one of Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation's main administrative offices.
PVH, one of the world's largest apparel companies, will install a 154.2 kW on-site solar power generation system on the roof of its office building at 1001 Frontier Rd in Bridgewater, N.J.
"We are thrilled to help Phillips-Van Heusen set the environmental bar even higher in the apparel business" said Jamie Hahn, managing director of Manasquan, N.J.-based Solis Partners. "As a worldwide leader in its industry, PVH's commitment to solar is an important testament to their initiatives and strategies to protecting the environment."
"The project with Solis made perfect sense for our Bridgewater facility and is part of our ongoing corporate social responsibility efforts," said Doug Jankowski, group vice president of office services. "The addition of the solar panels, coupled with our recent installation of a white TPO reflective roof, will significantly reduce the building's power consumption, overall heat island effect and, ultimately, its carbon footprint."
The system will consist of 890 Solyndra solar panels and will produce approximately 180,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first year of operation. This equates to the reduction of more than 240,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, equivalent to offsetting the power demand of 27 residential homes or removing 20 cars from the road every year.
"We expect this investment to pay for itself in five years and to continue to yield a strong return over the remaining lifespan of the system," said Jankowski. "We also see this project as providing the impetus for the installation of other solar projects -- both domestically and internationally -- in support of PVH's environmental commitment to the places where we live and do business."
"Clean, on-site renewable energy generation not only provides a hedge against electricity rate increases but reduces fossil fuel consumption," noted Hahn. "For Phillips-Van Heusen, this project is an important step in meeting key corporate objectives."
Solar construction is scheduled to begin in April of 2011.
Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies, owns and markets the iconic Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands worldwide. It is the world's largest shirt and neckwear company and markets a variety of goods under its own brands, including Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD, ARROW, Bass and G.H. Bass & Co., and its licensed brands, including Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, MICHAEL Michael Kors, Sean John, Chaps, Trump, JOE Joseph Abboud, DKNY and Timberland.
Solis Partners is a leading developer and integrator of solar power systems for commercial, industrial and utility clients. Solis Partners designs, engineers and constructs leading-edge, optimized solar power systems, enabling customers to meet their long-term energy needs while reducing operating costs and addressing their carbon liabilities.
NBA Wife Jackie Christie shined as she debuted her fall winter 2011 "JACKIE CHRISTIE BLACK COLLECTION" at the NBA All-Star Fashion Nite Tip-Off on Thursday night at Los Angeles hot spot Boulevard3. Jackie Christie showcased her collection alongside NBA athletes and other popular Los Angeles-based designers at the event, which was hosted by the Athletes vs. Cancer Foundation.
The All-Star Fashion Nite Tip-Off was presented by Los Angeles Laker and designer of Elusion clothing line Matt Barnes, along with songstress Chilli from VH1's "What Chilli Wants," and Gloria Govan ("Basketball Wives"). Jackie Christie served as mistress of ceremony. The event was sponsored by Hennessy Black, VNC Cocktail, Shiekh Shoes, and Creative Recreation Shoes.
Following Christie's Los Angeles debut in 2009/10 fashion week at the fashion Minga show that garnered her a standing ovation, Jackie Christie continues to dazzle the fashion world with her sexy couture, sporty, and trend-setting collections. While high-fashion models donned her collection on the catwalk on Thursday night, wearing her winter 2011 "JACKIE CHRISTIE BLACK COLLECTION" pieces in front of a celebrity packed crowd led by none other than the designer's daughter "CHANI," teen pop star and co-star of the new TEEN docu-series, "The Real Teens Of Hollywood," as Chani stepped onto the catwalk the crowd roared with delight at the metallic, sequined designer floor-length gown she wore.
"It was an extreme pleasure to design my 2011 collection with women from all cultures and backgrounds in mind. When I visualize my pieces for my lines I think about what woman want to look like in my clothes and also how they want to feel," states Jackie Christie.
Jackie Christie: Jackie Christie, fashion designer, model, producer and best selling author, has dressed many celebrities, athletes, NBA wives, and many more in her pieces. She is the wife of NBA star Doug Christie and the CEO of the successful record label Jean Rah Fya Records, home to some of the hottest new talent in the business. The label's roster includes teen pop sensation Chani and R&B heartthrob Bobby Tinsley, to name a few. Jackie Christie is also co-founder of her newest television production company, BSM.
