While LVMH, PPR and Richemont have got the power, contenders in Brazil, Russia, India and China have been building their own fashion empires. (International Herald Tribune) 

After two years, H&M has finally won its battle to open shop on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. (WWD) 

To sweeten the sound of fiscal panic, designers at Milan tout clothes as investments. (WSJ) 

In France, one church scouts Lacroix, Rykiel and others to dress its Virgin Mary. (Reuters)

— Staff

The fashion-architecture love affair deepens. According to Gotham magazine, The Gap has signed on Pritzker Prize winning architect Frank Gehry to design a series of pop-up shops for its (Project) Red initiative. The news comes in the shadow of the Zaha Hadid and Karl Lagerfeld traveling-pavilion collab.

According to The Wall Street Journal, movement was key at Jil Sander’s fringe-themed show in Milan. (WSJ) 

Collaborating with Tuscany-based store Gibò, Michael Kors opens up shop in Milan. (WWD) 

As designers in Asia get wise to eco-friendly fashion, some are using China’s hefty waste-load for chic urban renewal. (International Herald Tribune) 

Calvin Klein, a fashion vet of four decades, discusses how the role of designer has shifted from artist to entrepreneur. (AFP)

— Staff

The International Herald Tribune takes a unique look at what happens when creative masters couple up. (International Herald Tribune) 

Bloomingdale’s goes international, and its first stop is Dubai. (WWD)

Hip-hop parts with $3 million of bling at a NY auction, benefitting a Russell Simmons charity and the Smithsonian’s nascent hip-hop archives. (The Guardian)

As the global presence of luxe counterfeits grow, the U.S. government seeks stronger ties with the intellectual property industry. (WWD)

— Staff

As fads go, it may be time to ask if high-low fashion collaborations at stores like H&M, Target and Topshop are going out of style. (International Herald Tribune)

At only 23, Keira Knightley’s costume closet moves seamlessly through the ages . (Los Angeles Times)

The Independent takes a look at the world’s 20 most influential designers, and their place in the fashion theater. (The Independent)

In hopes that foreign buyers will take Madrid’s designers more seriously, the government gave the city’s fashion week a makeover. (International Herald Tribune)

WWD hits the red carpet for fashion highlights from Sunday’s Emmys. (WWD)

— Staff

André 3000 has launched Benjamin Bixby at London Fashion Week. (Times UK)

Ashley Olsen has allegedly asked Mary Kate Olsen to not be involved with their high-end clothing line, The Row. (LA Times)

The demand for luxury goods in Japan continues to decline. (Economist)

The celebrated 6267 is no more. (The Business of Fashion)

—Staff

WWD takes a look at Italy’s most talked about emerging designers. (WWD)

According to The New York Times, the blossoming avant-chic district in Chinatown may be the fashion retailer’s "last frontier." (The New York Times)

Celebrities and dignitaries unwind at Naomi Campbell’s third Fashion for Relief show. (The Telegraph)

Inside the first screening of "Un Roi Seul," a new documentary about Karl Lagerfeld. (WWD)

Goth endures from high school to high fashion. (The New York Times)

— Staff

The Washington Post gets glossy with new style magazine, FW. (MarketWatch)

Mark Lee announces he will leave Gucci this year, ushering in a game of executive musical chairs. (WWD)

For buyers in this market, it’s all about fresh looks that will get people shopping again come spring. (WSJ)

Rising Brit designer Maam Baryeh talks fashion politics and race, ahead of her team’s collaboration with the Museum of London’s Fashion Diversity show this weekend. (Londonist)

Isaac Mizrahi revamps Liz Claiborne in what some are calling the label’s best line ever. (WWD)

— Staff

Fashion designers committed to ending genocide in Darfur have banded together and unveiled a new site. Designers for Darfur continues its mission to provide relief, and build education and advocacy for the troubled region. You can check it out at www.designersfordarfur.com.

— Staff

After trailing behind Paris, New York, Milan and London, Japan Fashion Week is starting to get serious. (The Japan Times)

— Staff