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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Savage Beauty - Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen's Iconic Designs will be celebrated in Spring 2011 Costume Institute Retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum. The exhibit, titled 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,' will be open to the public May 4th to July 31st 2011 and will be the focus of the Met's annual Costume Institute Gala on May 2nd.

Les créations emblématiques d'Alexander McQueen seront à l'honneur lors de cette retrospective au Metropolitan Museum. Le bal du 2 mai du Costume Gala Institute marquera l'ouverture de l'expo intitulée 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty', qui restera ouverte au public du 4 mai au 31juillet 2011.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

La Carmina

Today, we welcome La Carmina to our blog. Not only is this crazy J-Girl running a successful blog (lacarmina.com/blog) on Gothic Lolita Punk clothing, J-rock and Visual Kei, she is also a TV host, author of two books ("Cute Yummy Time" and "Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo"), journalist and she runs a consulting company (La Carmina & The Pirates).

Nous accueillons La Carmina dans notre blog aujourd'hui. Non seulement cette Japonaise excentrique tient un blog très suivi (lacarmina.com/blog) sur la mode Gothic Lolita Punk, le J-Rock et le Visual Kei, elle est aussi présentatrice télé, auteure de deux livres ("Cute Yummy Time" et "Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo"), journaliste et elle a une société de conseil (La Carmina & The Pirates).

In 2010, La Carmina co-hosted the Canal Plus documentary, "Toqué de Tokyo", with French TV host Antoine de Caunes, serving as a guide to Tokyo theme restaurants and crazy subcultures in the 90-minute TV special. La Carmina took Antoine to an ear cleaning parlor, theme cafes (babies, cats, maids), and two wild Goth cyber fetish clubs. Here is the link to the video.

En 2010, La Carmina a co-présenté un documentaire de 90 minutes pour Canal Plus, intitulé "Toqué de Tokyo" avec Antoine de Caunes. Elle lui a servi de guide à Tokyo et lui a fait découvrir les contre-cultures les plus décalées. La Carmina a emmené Antoine se faire nettoyer les oreilles, visiter des cafés à thèmes (à chats, soubrettes), et deux boîtes cyber Goth fétichistes délirantes. Voici le lien pour voir la vidéo.

La Carmina shares her favorite trendy clothing shops in Tokyo, Japan with us...
"Harajuku is my favorite place in Tokyo to shop. Here, you'll find the most exciting Goth Lolita Punk / Visual Kei / Cyber Rave fashion in the world. While Harajuku has gotten more commercial lately, there are still independent little stores, such as the Yellow House boutique that has been run by an old lady for over 20 years. Or Takuya Angel's little shop of Cyber Rave handmade fashion. The basement of Laforet Department Store has some of my favorite brands, including Alice & the Pirates, Atelier Pierrot, Putumayo and h.NAOTO."

La Carmina nous fait partager ses boutiques préférées de Tokyo...
"Harajuku est mon endroit préféré de Tokyo pour faire du shopping. On y trouve les fringues Goth Lolita Punk / Visual Kei / Cyber Rave les plus délires au monde. Bien que Harajuku soit devenu un peu plus commercial, il reste des petites boutiques indépendantes, comme Yellow House qui est tenue par une vieille dame depuis plus de 20 ans. Ou Takuya Angel's pour des tenues Cyber Rave faites à la main. Je trouve toutes mes marques préférées au sous-sol du grand magasin Laforet, comme Alice & the Pirates, Atelier Pierrot, Putumayo et h.NAOTO."

h.NAOTO

Putumayo

"Shinjuku's Marui One department store is a mecca of Gothic Lolita clothing, especially the incredible alternative shoe selection on the fifth floor! Okadaya has glittery fabrics, feathers and eyelashes. If I could only visit one store, it would be Closet Child, which stocks Japanese alternative brand clothing -- all secondhand and very well priced. There are locations in Shinjuku, Harajuku and Ikebukuro."

"Le grand magasin Shinjuku's Marui One est la Mecque de la mode Gothic Lolita, surtout pour son incroyable sélection de chaussures alternatives au cinquième étage ! Okadaya a des tissus scintillants, des plumes et des faux-cils. Si je ne pouvais visiter qu'un seul magasin, ce serait Closet Child, qui vend les marques alternatives japonaises -- d'occasion et pour un très bon prix. Ils ont des magasins à Shinjuku, Harajuku et Ikebukuro."

Takuya Angel

Closet Child

La Carmina books available on Amazon.com

Find more info on La Carmina's Blog:

Plus d'infos sur le blog de La Carmina :

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Cotton: The New Luxury?

photo via: Bizmology

We saw the warnings last year when many companies began to slowly raise the prices of their cotton-made products and overall use less cotton and more synthetic blends. The price of cotton rose almost 80% within last year, caused by the flooding in Pakistan, bad weather in China and India, and the initial low inventory due to a weak demand during the recession.

But last Friday marked a record high of a 150% increase since beginning of 2010, with cotton prices at $1.90 a pound. And reasonably, as many manufacturers switched to cheaper alternatives, prices of polyester and other synthetic fibers also increased.

Come July and August when the new fall 2011 collections hit the sales floors, it is guaranteed that we will see price increases all across the board, no matter the price point. How much of an increase, however, is yet to be determined. Retailers from all levels face the challenge of finding ways to keep their price points competitive, yet understandable to consumers. After the last several years with all down low recession prices, how customers will react to the increases after being so used to the bargain-friendly merchandise is what's on every retailer's mind.

photo via: Fashion United

Denim companies face the biggest obstacle as cotton is their primary raw material. Levi's announced plans to increase prices, while Mustang, a Germany-based supplier of denim-inspired lifestyle fashion, is actively working on a goal-oriented set of measures to manage the additional costs. Besides moderate price increases, the company plans to lay off about 16 of their approximately 600 employees worldwide, affecting mostly the staff working in overhead functions. With rising production prices, retailers must reconsider all facets of their business structure to stay afloat. Other apparel companies that plan to increase prices include V.F. Corporation, J.C. Penney, Nike, and Hanesbrands.

photo via: Treehugger

However, as prices in traditional fabrics increase, there is an opportunity for new eco-friendly materials to find it's place. For example, H&M reported a 10% drop in profits as margins were hurt by rising input costs. However, the Stockholm-based company insists that it will not lift prices at the expense of market share. Earlier this month, H&M debuted a range of environmentally friendly fashion for spring, expected to hit stores April 14, 2011. Named "The Conscious Collection" for men, women, and children, the line is made from sustainable materials like organic linen, recycled polyester, and Tencel. No longer just about organic cotton, the line emphasizes the endless possibilities of fashionable items with smarter green materials. H&M expects to continue this line several times throughout the year. And let's not also forget their recent Waste Collection, the limited line made from left over fabrics from the production of H&M's designer collaboration with Lanvin.

photo via: Ecouterre

Recycled materials and vintage clothing will naturally gain momentum as both require little to none materials cost. The American swimwear brand, Speedo, recently collaborated with student designers from the London College of Fashion, University College Falmouth, and the University of Huddersfield to rework their surplus of LZR Racer swimsuits. The Speedo LZR Racer was launched in 2008, but due to the 2009 ban preventing swimmers to compete in full-body swimsuits, the company was left with a substantial amount of dead stock. Collaborating with eager and creative students, the final result was a couture twist to the normal swimwear attire. Click here to watch the behind-the-scenes video of the student collaboration.

Just a few days ago, J.Crew's little sister, Madewell also announced their collaboration with fashion blog Refinery29 and presented a curated selection of vintage goods through their "Very Vintage Boutique" on their online shop. With less than 30 pieces, the collection of one-offs is extremely exclusive, affordable, and fashionably on trend. Targeting the twenty-something fashionistas, purchasing vintage finds is made easier than ever.

photo via: Ecouterre

And for those into the military-inspired trend, Christopher Raeburn and Victorinox, the brand behind the Swiss Army Knife, debuted their Fall/Winter 2011 collection last Thursday on the first official day of New York Fashion Week. The eight-piece "Remade in Switzeland" capsule collection is designed solely from decommissioned military uniforms and parachute fabrics. Featuring unisex parkas, coats, hoodies, scarves, and caps sewn by local tailors, only 100 pieces per look were made.

But even beyond socially and environmentally conscious made products, we are also seeing more and more affordable sustainable fabrics made available to the masses. The assumption that eco or socially friendly products is too expensive is losing it's validity as websites like Offset Warehouse and Source4Style allow anyone to order anywhere from a yard to an entire roll of ethical fabrics at a fair price. With more transparency and affordability of ethical fabrics, design students are becoming better educated with what is out there, while smaller designers are enabled to afford greener options. Furthermore, current and future brands will have more meaningful visions as sourcing becomes increasingly important in the retailer's identity.

There is a drastic shift in the way the retail industry is running today. The roles have reversed and power has come to the hands of the producers. The financial crisis led many producers into bankruptcy, resulting in a smaller, more expensive production capacity. The resulting increase in sourcing costs affects all companies in the apparel industry in a way that has never been before. And while some businesses may react by increasing prices or reevaluating their costs, others will see this as a timely occasion to carefully consider alternative, more sustainable possibilities.