Vivienne Westwood made a Dame
British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood will be made a Dame today. Westwood, who earlier received an OBE, first came to prominence through the King’s Road boutique Sex, which she opened with Malcolm McLaren in the early 1970s. Seen as a major creator of the punk look later that decade, she has since established herself as…
Cerruti sold, new designer
Fashion house Cerruti has been acquired by private equity firm MatlinPatterson from bankrupt Italian company Fin.part for an undisclosed amount. MatlinPatterson, a $3.8 billion fund, immediately appointed Nicholas Andreas Taralis as creative director. The brand’s new chief executive, Philippe Cleach, is a lawyer who has worked for Cerruti for more than 20 years. Last year,…
US growth potential for Van Cleef & Arpels
Fine jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels has turned 100 this year, yet the company still has a great deal of growth potential. “In a recent study we looked at, the brand has awareness of slightly below 20 percent in the US in comparison to other fine jewellery houses,” Emmanuel Perrin, president and chief executive in…
Trainers with a fashion edge
Pro tennis brand Penn is introducing two new lines of cool footwear. So if you’re a trainer addict, keep reading. The Penn Original and Limited Edition ranges are made with the finest leathers and construction techniques by footwear specialists JBI Ltd. The ranges are geared towards those of us who want quality fashion footwear with…
Roberto Cavalli teams up with H&M
Italian glamour designer Roberto Cavalli is the next big name in fashion to collaborate with Swedish fashion retailer H&M. Like Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf before him, he will create a one-off collection for the chain, which will hit approximately 200 select H&M stores worldwide on 8 November of this year. The…
Hall of Shame
The acerbic wit of Mr Blackwell has struck again as his much-loved, 46 year-old New Year Worst Dressed list hit the newsstands on Wednesday morning. Always a guilty a pleasure – as long as you are not on the receiving end of his vitriolic ranting – the famous fashion critic and former fashion designer started…
Record Christmas for Liberty
Iconic London department store Liberty has enjoyed a record Christmas as sales topped £5.6 million. Although sales were slow early in the four weeks to Christmas, they later picked up to end 6 percent higher than last year, despite a 20 percent cut in floor space. Last year, the company sold the part of the…
Knight of nights
Nick Knight last night was the recipient of the prestigious Moët & Chandon Fashion Tribute 2006. To mark the occasion, he threw a lavish and spectacular Masked Ball at Strawberry Hill House, the gothic villa once belonging to Horace Walpole. Previous recipients of the award include Vivienne Westwood and Matthew Williamson. The event was attended…
Filippa K’s eco range
Filippa K is not staying behind and is offering eco friendly T-shirts branded with the Nordic Ecolabel. The range features T’s for men and women and is product with the lowest possible environmental impact. The new environmentally sustainable products are part of Filippa K’s Fall collection. The Nordic Eco-labelled garments are produced with organic cotton…
Armani Lounge at Chelsea Football Club
The Chelsea Football Club has commissioned Giorgio Armani is to create a new look for its Directors’ Suite at Stamford Bridge.To be called the “Armani Lounge”, the dining room and lounge area serves as the principal meeting place on matchdays for the Chelsea Board of Directors and for the entertainment of VIP guests. In total…