Business of fashion

Thoughts on the new Gucci



Gucci Aw15

Is Gucci about to have a Saint Laurent moment? Remember the brouhaha at first sighting of Hedi’s womenswear debut? It wasn’t pretty. (The reaction I mean, I liked the clothes.) The reaction was similarly confused when new Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele first showed his menswear collection in January. It was so removed from heritage Gucci, sexy Tom Ford Gucci or sophisticated Frida Giannini Gucci that lots of hands were wrung. (more…)



THE DRG STYLE INDEX: BYREDO BAGS, SOPHIA WEBSTER, RODARTE X SUPERGA, HARVEY NICHOLS’ SNEAKER CONCEPT



Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. BYREDO BAGS ARE COMING
Byredo bagsWho doesn’t love Byredo? The scents, the packaging, the whole brand concept. This Spring, founder Ben Gorham is extending the brand into its first retail store and launching leathergoods. (more…)



Ask Alison: On fashion weeks, double screening and the importance of influencer clicks



Burberry-X-Line- emoji-London-Fashion-Week

Here’s the latest ‘Ask Alison’ guest post from retail expert and DRG contributor, ALISON BISHOP, on how brands are using new social strategies to monetise fashion week

Fashion month has kicked off and already the digerati style-set are hot on the heels of the latest ‘influencers’ and their preferred social media platforms. As fashion designers, media publishers, retailers and luxury brands all assess their ROI (return on investment) across social media spend, it’s influencer clicks and double-screening activities that are driving digital trends this season. (more…)



Feature: How fashion influencers are disrupting the modelling industry



Julia Sarr-Jamois

Cara Delevinge snapping selfies on the Giles catwalk; Kendall Jenner announcing her Estee Lauder gig on Instagram; the entire Victoria’s Secret show strategically hashtagged on every social stream going – welcome to the world of modeling 2.0. Boom! Suddenly the era of Versace’s lip-syncing supermodels seems rather quaint.

But then I remind myself that it’s nearly 25 years later and the fashion industry itself has undergone its own metamorphosis. (more…)