The Business of Fashion Equation In a (Coco)Nutshell

.. in a business you have a vision and you follow the vision. You have to execute. And then you have to learn how to run a good business. And I think if you look at the characteristics of any successful fashion business, it’s all about that. There’s no difference in the car business, there’s no difference in the designing of Apple products. Design is permeating every part of our life today. But you have to have the vision and the imagination. I think those are the price of admission, in a sense, and then the rest is also still a lot of hard work.

- Mickey Drexler, J.Crew Group chairman and CEO, and CFDA’s Founder’s Award 2015 
(via: Style.com)

And the winner of LVMH Prize Part Deux is

Marques'Almeida by Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida. Jacquemus by (bae) Simon Porte Jacquemus takes the Special Prize.

Marques'Almeida, for example, missed the short list last year, but came back and scooped this year’s top €300,000 prize. Jacquemus, a short-lister last year, returned this year to take home a special €150,000 prize from the jury. Both winners will receive a year of mentoring from LVMH in addition to the cash prize. (Style.com)

My bet Faustine Steinmetz might go sweeter the second time too, who knows!

COMME and go forth

Business of Fashion reports the track record  how Comme des Garcons's Rei Kawakubo has given rise to a coven of forward-thinking createurs.

As in other sectors, fashion’s biggest and most visible companies serve as de facto training grounds for rising talent. But none has given birth to a collection of offspring quite like Rei Kawakubo’s Comme des Garçons, a multi-brand business that generates $220 million in revenue per year, yet operates according to an unconventional ethos rooted in raw creativity.

Junya Watanabe 

Training ground: "Comme des Garcons TRICOT"

Currently: his namesake label "Junya Watanabe"

Tao Kurihara 

Before: Under Watanabe, then "Tao" (launched in 2005, but discontinued in 2011)

Currently: head of Comme des Garcons TRICOT

Fumito Ganryu 

OJT: Under Watanabe.

Currently: "Ganryu” (launched 2007) 

Junichi Abe 

Track record: Tricot and Watanabe lines; "ppCM"

Currently: Kolor

Chitose Abe

Experience: "Comme des Garcons" and "Junya Watanabe"

Currently: Sacai

(Trivia: Yes, they are husband and wife.)

Kei Ninomiya 

Currently: “Noir by Kei Nomiya”(launched 2012)

Their common ground: they all started as patternmakers.

Alongside their common belief in genuine creativity, many of Kawakubo’s offspring began as patternmakers, achieving mastery over their craft through years of working on garments firsthand — not just sketching — something which is increasingly rare and valuable today. 

Source: BoF

Photodump: Met Gala 2015

For “China: Through The Looking Glass” Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015, Vogue.com has a poll for the Most Daring, Most Original, Most Elegant attendees.

So here's our take:

Most Daring

As per Google, daring is synonymous to adventurous or bold, and it is what The Cod gave us. What could even be bolder than going to the most important fashion party in the world in your luxe lazywear don't care?

Here's what happened: 

Early in the evening Grace Coddington waltzed by in blue silk pajamas. “I’m actually on my way to the airport, and I’m just coming for the cocktail, and Anna said, ‘why don’t you get yourself a pair of pajamas and then you can sleep on the plane,’” she explained.

Most Original

Today's most individualistic when it comes to red carpet outings has got to be Rihanna.

Riri clutching the robe by Chinese couturier Guo Pei. Need I say more?

Most Elegant 

Our vote goes to Bee Schaffer (in Alexander McQueen). Ang ganda nya lang.

Runner up is Anne Hathaway, slinking by and a standing out in a sea of ball gowns.

Summary: Nothing culturally insensitive. They just want to look great having drinks in the Met.

What the Internet Got from the 'Fight of the Century'

We all know by now the results out of Manny Pacquiao our man versus Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

in the boxing bout touted as the Fight of the Century, which was, albeit underwhelming, still entertaining.

As I just said, entertaining.


Red caped Beyonce and Nicki Minaj

INEED A BOYFRIEND LIKE MAYWEATHER, HUGS ME WHENEVER WE FIGHT.

You betcha we got the entertainment we deserve.

Oh, dear, read: Cathy Horyn on Suzy Menkes

What do you get when a critic critiques a fellow critic? Enter the comebacking Cathy Horyn.

In a Business of Fashion exclusive excerpt of her long-read interview in SYSTEM magazine, Ms. Horyn, who retired from New York Times's post as chief fashion authority but has returned as critic-at-large in New York magazine's The CUT, expresses her thoughts, among the state of the fashion industry, about former International Herald Tribune journalist and now Vogue International editor-at-large Ms. Menkes, when asked by writer Jonathan Wingfield, 

"So you consider all the branding fanfare as a negative distraction?"

Her frank reply:

"I remember Suzy Menkes writing about this in the [International] Herald Tribune about five years ago. She was going on about branding this and branding that; of course, she was absolutely right, that did happen, and the importance of branding has become key. But then it started becoming a part of her writing, there was just too much of an embrace of that language and the methodology that those companies were using. And I thought, ‘Wait a minute, Suzy, why are you working for these people? You work for a newspaper and you’re a critic, please try and stay somewhat independent of that thinking.’ Suzy won’t like me saying that, she’ll say that I’m a… well, she will say what she will say. I mean, people could say that I’m being a Pollyanna about this, but it’s had a terrible influence, I find it polluting."

Two To Tango

For merry month of May, two magazines have been launched their maiden issue in the country.

1) From the publishing house that brought us ROGUE: L'OFFICIEL Manila 

The 25th edition of the French title is under the helm of top stylist Pam Quiñones, an image-maker known for her sensual/raw/off kilter imagery.

2) A new gay magazine on the block: TEAM

The issue 1 cover features billboard-troversial couple Vince Uy and Niño Gaddi. 

The magazine with the tagline " Goals. Mates. Allies." is said to come out four months in a year.