MYCRA PAC SOLD: One of New York’s longstanding outerwear powerhouses, Blum & Fink Inc., has added Mycra Pac Designer Wear to its stable of labels.
The latest addition to the stable of Blum & Fink, a fifth-generation family-run outerwear business, adds a new specialty to its existing brands Fleurette and Trilogy. The 20-person West 29th Street company operates under the leadership of Stanley Blum and his daughters Robyn Kaplan and Margot Arbusman. Creative director Michael McCollom is the exclusive designer for all three collections.
Known for its reversible, packable and travel rainwear and accessories, Mycra Pac Designer Wear was started in 1991 by Sharon Huebschwerlen, who sold the company for an undisclosed sum to Blum & Fink last month. Now sold in 590 specialty and department stores, the label was based on the premise that coats should be worn as accessories and could be changed regularly as if they were jewelry, according to Kaplan, Blum & Fink’s vice president.
Her grandfather, Robert Blum, started the company in 1958 with Sidney Fink specializing in fur outerwear before branching out into other types. The bulk of MPDW products will be manufactured in a factory in the Northeast that Blum & Fink has relied on to

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BARCELONA — The Catalan capital doesn’t have an official fashion week — but 080 Fashion Barcelona, named for the city’s postal code, is the next best thing.
Held in the neoclassical Teatre Nacional de Catalunya designed by Barcelona architect Ricardo Bofill in an emerging urban business district on the city’s southeastern edge, the 19th edition of 080 ran from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3.
The local government-sponsored catwalk event featured 33 runway collectives — mainly small independent designers — underscoring the region’s bid for independence with strictly Catalan talent.
The affair brought out an eclectic crowd in casual street separates such as snappy outerwear; fuzzy, faux-fur chubbies and jackets, and the ubiquitous thick-bottomed footwear and platforms. There were cropped pants, animal prints and lots of looks from local megabrands Zara and Mango.

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Is this throwback collection what the brand needs to restore its mojo?

Not all heroes wear capes.

The change comes after the CFDA’s Steven Kolb accused West of disrupting the Fashion Week calendar.

And you thought the show couldn’t get any better…

As expected, this men’s wear season has brought out the spirit of protest in many designers. Some have been subtle and designed clothes with a punk influence, while others have used words and graphics to explicitly talk about the state of the world.
Willy Chavarria, who showed his collection for the first time at New York Fashion Week: Men’s, fell into the latter category. He used his fall collection, which was titled “Harder” — Chavarria believes now is the time to fight and love harder — to explore oppression, specifically movements led by marginalized people including the Black Power movement, the transgender movement and the Chicano movement.
He relayed these ideas by using models who were all cast from the street, standing in enclosed fenced cages before being released to pose on pedestals.
Chavarria played with classic sports uniforms and emblems, showing red and black tracksuits and T-shirts covered with the Raiders’ logo and graphics that read “Gender Bender.” He styled tailored pieces — oversize pleated pants and camel overcoats — with roomy sweatshirts and knits.
While the line was titled Harder, Chavarria said he kept things supple, using cashmere, baby alpaca and leather. The pieces were sprinkled with little messages of encouragement such as “Savor Kindness”

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The message was clear: After several seasons of outlandish collections, General Idea designer Bumsuk Choi presented a refreshing and cleaner lineup filled with classic pieces, but with a polished twist.
“I wanted to show two different sides of my design process this time,” said the designer backstage.
The play on proportions, as seen on an M65 jacket layered over a rich burgundy tunic and cropped pants and an oversized boxy furry fleece anorak with zipper details, were among the standouts.
Many of the outerwear pieces contained interesting hardware such as big zippers and grommets to embellish the plainer outfits.
Overall, Choi retained his brand aesthetic with his oversized silhouettes and updated streetwear vibes, but this season felt like a palate-cleanser.

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ROME — Fendi is launching a new digital platform and communication project to speak to the elusive Millennial generation.
To guarantee authenticity, the web site, called “F is for…,” is conceived by Fendi employees in that same age bracket.
“We’ve seen many young people approach us, and we want to be appealing to them even more through an authentic vehicle,” said chairman and chief executive officer Pietro Beccari. “It’s a platform where they can exchange ideas, it offers a point of view that is inclusive, calling for fresh input.”
Mobile-first, “F is for…” will appear on fendi.com starting Feb. 6. The Rome-based luxury company will celebrate the launch with a party for Millennials in New York on Feb. 10 at Fulton Market Building. The event is pegged as the “First-Ever Fashion Music TV-Show,” and as a new experimental live experience with performances by Chinese singers Bohan Phoenix, Howie Lee and Meuko!Meuko!; up-and-coming singer Abra; South Korean singer Jenny FTS with rapper Keith Ape; Miso; Metro Boomin playing with 21 Savage; Lil Uzi Vert; Migos and DJ sets by the Welsh DJ, producer and DJ Award winner Jamie Jones with the South Korean, Berlin-based artist Peggy Gou. Customized and perfumed T-shirts will be gifted for the

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