“Forget dictating the trends, these days brands are throwing the ball into the consumer’s court. Crowdsourcing – allowing your audience to decide on your product via social media, forums, and high-tech web customising programs – has become the buzz phrase in fashion.” (FT) “The pioneering founder of Net-a-Porter transformed online fashion by giving women...

Which may be why, as New York Fashion Week kicks off today, many designers are scaling back, abandoning the extravagant productions of the past in favor of more pointedly exclusive affairs. (New York Times) “Kirsten Dunst has been tapped as the face of Bulgari’s forthcoming women’s fragrance, Mon Jasmin Noir.” (WWD) “The Angolan government...

“10 years on, reports of the demise of ‘Made in Italy’ have proved to be greatly exaggerated. In 2010, the country’s exports are estimated to have grown 12.5 per cent, far outpacing the 4.4 per cent rise in global gross domestic product.” (FT) “British ecommerce Web site Net-A-Porter launched a wedding boutique aimed to...

“In some ways, the focus on sexuality reflects the fairly narrow thinking of designers and photographers . After all, the Internet offers people all kinds of ways to express themselves — through blogs, e-commerce, photographs and videos.” (New York Times) “In the annals of fashion smackdowns,...

“In a deliberate collision between nerds and fashion mavens, Google has created a new e-commerce site that significantly improves how fashion is presented and sold online.” (New York Times) “Nineteen months ago at the time of its launch, The Outnet was better known as Net-a-Porter’s cheap and cheerful younger sister. Now, it seems, the...

“Natalie Massenet shows us how Net-a-Porter works its magic.” (Business of Fashion) “Ports 1961’s creative director Tia Cibani will leave her post at the end of this month.” (Fashionista) “Polo Ralph Lauren Corp (RL.N) said it will take direct control of its business in South Korea by paying about $47 million to its licensee...

“Harrods  are looking at expansion options, and they have their eyes set firmly on the Chinese market in Shanghai.” (The Mo Down) “Bottega Veneta has revamped its website, and the new design boasts a cleaner layout, improved navigation features, and simple click-to-purchase functionality.” (New York Magazine) “In 2000, women only bought clothes they had...

“Natalie Massenet, founder of Net-a-Porter, spreads her wings with new menswear site Mr Porter.” (Telegraph) “Now that most luxury brands have come to accept that the internet is a powerful tool for commerce and that social media provides an opportunity for a new kind of brand engagement, along comes another technological wave that will...

“E-tailing is no longer a luxury for the luxury industry – it’s a necessity. And the sector is clearly willing to pay for it.” (Financial Times) “Once symbols of the excesses of a nation’s heady rise, Japan’s glitzy department stores are now in retreat as they grapple with a shift in consumer tastes toward...

Swiss luxury goods group Richemont has bid to acquire Net-a-Porter in a deal which values the UK online fashion retailer at about 350 million pounds or $531 million. (Reuters) A string of surprisingly strong corporate earnings reports and economic data show that U.S. consumers have emerged from a long hibernation to start spending again...