Business of fashion

Will you buy a Vogue coffee cup at the Vogue Festival?



The second Vogue Festival is only two weekends away and the jam-packed schedule keeps on growing (see the whole schedule here). But like any good event, there’s also a bunch of merch you can buy – so I hope you have deep pockets. How about your very own Vogue Starbucks-style coffee cup for that all-important Anna W moment? (more…)



Glamour magazine: How Cara Reinvented Cool



Much as I love digital, there’s still a buzz to be had from seeing my byline in print. Glamour magazine commissioned me to write a few words on Cara Delevingne, in which I tried to pinpoint the essence of her success. Conclusion? It’s a combo of everygirl personality plus a super-social media presence that her fans love to engage with. And from a brand point of view, rather like some uber-bloggers, Cara has the cash factor – when she wears something, it sells. (As streetwear brand Hardware LDN told me, “when Cara was spotted wearing Hardwear LDN at London Fashion Week, we sold 200 units within the hour”.) No wonder she gets repeat-booked by brands like DKNY, Chanel and Burberry – it’s all about the ROI, baby!

You can read the four page feature in Glamour, out now…



Kilian: luxury fragrance in clever packaging



I love what the young perfume brand, Kilian is doing with fragrance and packaging right now. Combining experimental fragrance with multi-tasking accessories and an eco-consciousness, Kilian Hennessy’s (of the Hennessy cognac family) current scents come in refillable spray bottles of eau de parfum (£160) that are then packaged in white glossy cases. (more…)



Watch this: a documentary about Fashion Week street style



I just watched Garage Magazine’s mini documentary on Style Bubble but in case you haven’t seen it, here it is again. Filming began a year ago and the result is a good 9-minute sum-up of the Fashion Week street style phenomenon. Tim Blanks makes most of the commentary but Imran Amed from Business of fashion is also featured, as is Susie Bubble and Phil Oh.

This London Fashion Week, I had a conversation with a well known street style photographer who mentioned that they have noticed a change. Some of their regulars have now decided they don’t want to be photographed, they’re actively ignoring street style photographers, even when in the past they were quite chummy. It’s not surprising to me. What die-hard fashionista wants to be seen embracing something once it’s been tainted with the naff brush? (I’m not saying street style is naff, but the bad publicity in this context could have that effect.)