Huishan Zhang’s signature embroidery is based on an interlocking figure of eight, which in his native China is the luckiest of numbers. Who knows if this helped the fledgling designer’s recent win of the coveted £25k Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize? On closer inspection, it’s more likely the clincher was his impeccably-cut dresses (he trained at the Dior couture atelier) and decorative ways with crystal-covered lace. (more…)
As you might have gathered, I love knowing what’s new and next when it comes to brands and retail and one of my favourite information resources is LS:N Global. The trends and insight network from The Future Laboratory covers global innovation from design, retail and lifestyle sectors and has a free blog called Seed *. Even better than the online content are the regular insight forums held at The Future Laboratory HQ in Shoreditch. Recently, I was invited to cover Beauty Futures, a jam-packed forum that focused on the beauty industry. Over six hours the LS:N Global team unpacked the emerging trends that will affect the way we shop for beauty over the coming years. Here’s my breakdown: (more…)
“Every Ghanaian woman of my mother’s generation collected hundreds of these fabrics. My mother literally had a room packed with these cloths. When I was 16, I decided I wanted to experiment and made an outfit from them. She came back, saw that I had cut into the cloth, and she lost her mind.”
Ozwald Boateng, Business of Fashion
A great article by Rebecca May Johnson on the Dutch fabric company Vlisco
I’m always interested in single-product brands and how they progress. It seems to me the sensible way to start out. Ralph Lauren famously started with ties, Alexander Wang with his capsule line of cashmeres and Palmer Harding are doing well with their inventive shirt-based pieces. (more…)
