Ralph Lauren Corporation has posted what one analyst has dubbed a “dire” set of results for its third quarter, after profit fell by more than one-third and sales saw a sharp double-digit decline.
A group representing more than 100 US retailers and trade associations – including Walmart, Target Corp, Nike, Levi Strauss and Gap – has launched a battle against a proposed US border tax in a bid to show consumers and lawmakers that the policy will result in higher costs for items including clothing.
Gap Inc’s Athleta athleticwear brand is launching an assortment of stylesmade in a Sri Lankan textile factory and certified by Fair Trade USA, an organisation dedicated to creating social and economic opportunities for factory workers around the world.
Teen apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has promoted Fran Horowitz as its new CEO in a move the company says reflects the leadership she has shown in the turnaround of its Hollister brand.
London-based sibling designers Mike and George Heaton debuted their Represent collection at New York Fashion Week: Men’s, an upbeat, sporty line that mixed the grunge era with a Nineties vibe.
“We were inspired by our upbringing in northern England, the British Industrial Revolution, and the subcultures in the Eighties and Nineties,” said George Heaton.
As such, the lineup featured velour track suits, fitted cargo joggers paired with combat boots, plaid button-downs, ripped denim and “Made in British” slogans. The highlight of the collection — a shearling army jacket paired with bleached washed jeans — best encapsulated the overall theme.
By reintroducing the fundamentals of British subcultures to consumers, Represent is likely to continue to build momentum in the American market.
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“Asphalt Wave” was the name of Chris Stamp’s fall collection and the California-based designer, who drew quite a crowd — Ja Rule, Andrew Rosen, David Neville, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne were all in attendance — said the palette was derived from the streets and this is the first time he’s using color.
The change suited his lineup, which is still made up of familiar streetwear silhouettes — bombers, hoodies, parkas and track pants — but felt reenergized with touches of bright yellow, rust and hunter green. Stamp also presented more denim, which was cropped, ripped and distressed, and more texture. He showed a leather coat with a shearling collar and fleece logo hoodies. Other new additions were the Stampd script logo, which was reminiscent of the popular Sean John logo from the early Aughts, and the Gothic lettering and buffalo plaid that lent a cholo vibe to the offering.
While the collection is sure to do well at retail — Stamp has already built great partnerships with United Arrows and Barneys New York — it would be nice to see a more distinct identity come through.
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Robert Childs likes to start with a fictional character and build his collection around that wardrobe. Last season it was a seaman, and this time, he thought about bankers and bikers.
The Thom Browne alum read an article that said only 1 percent of bikers are involved with violent gangs, and this led him to thinking about the 1 percent — that tiny sliver of society where most bankers exist (some of whom might also be bikers).
He merged the two reference points nicely with a focused collection of tailored pieces and sportswear.
This season, the Childs suit comes in corduroy and consists of a double-breasted jacket and trousers with a slight flare — the designer said he wanted to create an almost hourglass shape for men. These suits came in lavender and a blood red. He also made a nylon suit with biker pants, one of the strongest pieces in the collection. This season many designers have attempted to play with the suit, but Childs’ updates feel fresh.
On the biker side, he cleaned up a leather café racer jacket, lined it with plaid and reconstructed the shoulder. He also showed nylon mechanic jackets with racing stripes and graphic T-shirts featuring the Childs
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New York-based designer Emily Bode created a home in Cape Cod as a backdrop for her fall collection.
“My mother and aunts have always inspired me since I was a child. We would go antiquing and I grew up in Cape Cod during the summertime,” said Bode.
So it’s no surprise that her collection offered full quilted outfits, mixed patchwork prints, grain sacks and re-created florals from the Twenties.
Specifically, she repurposed handmade quilts from the 19th and 20th centuries, mixing seersucker stripes with African cloths and vintage tablecloths to create a boxy cream quilted puffer jacket, blue striped pajamas with embroided patchwork and Quaker cotton lace shirts paired with grain sack cropped trousers.
The collection definitely reflected Bode’s upbringing but the nostalgia of Little House on the Prairie couldn’t help but come to mind.
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The team from Orley pushed the brand’s trademark aesthetic this season, twisting its signature knitwear into a variety of on-trend offerings.
With the Seventies singer-songwriter Nick Drake as inspiration, Alex, Matthew and Samantha Orley brought back classics from the era such as oversized slouchy pants in chocolate brown corduroy and chunky retro cable knits.
“It feels very nostalgic, which is what we do, but more textural and collegiate,” Alex Orley said. “The look is more tailored but still knit focused.”
Their collaboration with Swarovski continued as the team uncovered some deadstock colorful crystals they used as embellishments on some sweaters and as buttons in others.
A quilted nylon jacket in a muted maroon paisley print hinted at an extension into categories such as outerwear.
Slowly but surely, Orley continues to delve into new classifications.
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NO RESERVATIONS: The Timo brand won’t be showing, during New York Fashion Week as it reboot its site to focus on direct-to-consumer sales in May or June. “It’s the most profitable area of our business so we have really homed in our vision for the men’s and women’s. We’re focused on what does well, which is a really tight assortment,” said Weiland, adding there is overlap with the men’s and women’s with bomber jackets and other styles that appeal to both. “There will be more see-now-buy-now with almost monthly drops.”
Weiland and his cofounders Alan Eckstein and Donna Kang have taken more of a lifestyle and branding slant as of late. As part of the InterContinental Hotel Group’s $200 million Crowne Plaza Accelerate plan that was unveiled last year, Timo Weiland was named the style director of the Crowne Plaza brand for the Americas.
Now the trio behind the New York label are visiting three Crowne Plaza locations in Charlotte, N.C., Seattle and Washington, D.C., to see how their designs hold up during the work day with 600 employees.
Before 30,000 staffers in the Americas start wearing their new uniforms this summer, test runs are underway. Pin-striped aprons of varying lengths and sleeveless
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