VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

Unravel. Knitwear in Fashion.

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

A few week ago I took the route to Antwerp, the fashion city of Belgium, where I visited the Fashion Museum of Antwerp. This time the museum presented an exhibition about knitwear.

I was so excited to learn about

The wide variety of knitted garments from accross the last centuries;

Knitwear's popularity both on an off the catwalk;

The status of relationship between knitwear and fashion;

The knitted designs of top designers (like Vivienne Westwood, Sonia Rykiel, Alexander McQueen etc). 

I would like to share some interesting information here. I hope you enjoy it!

The Fashion Museum of Antwerp took me in the spirit of knitwear at the single moment I entered: At the entrance to the museum a large knitwork and a large spools of wool with print on the wall of a knitwear.

Ann Salens

Ann Salens the Antwerp designer, accredited for her colourful crocheted Bird of Paradise dresses:

                  

Machine-knits

In the 16th century, William Lee invented the hand-operated knitting machine that was used for knitting hosiery (= socks) for the next two centuries.

Knitting machine invented by William Lee

Thanks to technically innovated knitting machines among several centuries, it was possible to produce more, less expensive and more fashionable knitwear. By the end of the 19th century, artificial silk and nylon had been developed. The nylon of Du Pont de Nemours, became common.

Nylon socks in original packaging by Du Pont de Nemours

Knitted lingerie

For a long time, knitwear has been also used for sleepwear and undergarments (sleeping caps, slips, pyjamas).

Sportive knitwear

In the 20th century the 'new woman sporting lifestyle' began to develop. Designers such as Gabrielle Chanel and Jean Patou were visionary in their combinations of sportive woven fabrics and fashionable designs for the emancipated woman. As a result, sports and fashion now became permanently linked. 
At the 1912 Olympic Games, women first took part in the swimming competitions. This official Olympian seal of approval of swiming as an appropriate sport for women worked as a catalyst for the development of a modern and practical swimsuit.
The Edwardian two-piece bathing costumes were replaced in the 1920s by knitted one-piece swimming suits. The new swimsuits were more suitable for activities in the water and were perceived as "The suit that changed bathing to swimming". The modern woman wearing modern swimsuit became a true icon of the times that even the media stated that 'Every woman who wants to be "in the swim" of fashion, simply must posses a knitted bathing suit'.

Two-piece bathing costumes

Knitted one-piece swimming suits

Knitted Status Symbols

Angelo Figus created knitted versions of various status symbols, ranging from handbags from knitted Hermès, Vuitton and Chanel handbag to Louboutin shoes and Burberry trench coats, fruits, flowers, etc. His intention was to demonstrate a strong vision of a world in which everything was knitted.

Supermarket of Style by Angelo Figus

Knitted Gucci Shoes by Angelo Figus

Sculptural knitwear

Three-dimensional experiments by designers including Sandra Backlund, Maison Martin Margiela have resulted in impressive sihouettes. Especially amongst the young designers, we see the return of natural materials and seemingly primitive threads that are knitted with awls as thick as broomsticks.

Crocheted and hand-knit dress  by Sandra Backlund

French Read-to-wear

France is the land where countless knitwear evolutions and revolutions have taken place. Designers built a bridge between sporting knitwear and both ready-to-wear and haute couture.

Silk dress with crochetted flowers by Chanel

Woollen dress made by Jean Paul Gaultier as gift for the 40th anniversary of Sonia Rykiel fashion house

British classics

The British woollen industry is still today one of the most important in Europe. The knitting machine was invented by the Englishman, William Lee, and as the birthplace of the Industrial Revoluion, Great Britain set the stage for many revolutionary steps that would take in the knitting industry. Protests against the mechanization and cultural rehabilitation of the craft of knitting, brought a more highly appreciation of handcraft than the advanced technology of machine-knit clothing. The intermingling of contemporary and past, classic with punk, is never far away in knitted fashions from Great Britain.

Cotton ensemble including a top and trousers with decorative stitches by Peter Pilotto

Italian luxury industry

Italy is the most important manufacturing nation for knitted fabrics for the high fashion world. Partly thanks to Italian inclinations towards comfortable luxury, Italy has had a blossoming knitwear industry ever since the 1950s, thanks to manufacturing centres of quality materials and luxury fashion houses that make use of knitted fabrics in all their forms.

Cotton dress and hairband, earrings, bracelets by Missoni

Hand-knitted evening dress by Gianfranco Ferré

Unravel

The so-called unravelling is the non-knitting of individual stitches, whereby large holes are created, which is a true deconstruction of knitted fabrics, Rei Kawakubo states: 'machines that make fabric are more and more able to produce uniform, flawless textures. I ilke it when something is not perfect. Hand-weaving is the best way to achieve this, but since this isn't always possible, we loosen a screw on the machines here and there so they can't do exactly as they are supposed to.'

Cotton dress with open knitwork by Mark Fast

Woollen dress with open knitwork alternated with floating threads by Iben Höj

Pictures: Liz Hurley Pop-up Store Maasmechelen Village

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

Liz Hurley Pop-up store in Maasmechelen Village is so adorable. The store is actually a small little house, where all women ready for the summer, can find lovely colourful bikini's, slippers, bags, earrings and tunics. The Beach Collection has also special beach wear for kids, so cut they are!

A few weeks ago, I visited the boutique and took a few pictures to show them here on my blog. Enjoy!

 .

Özlem Süer Pop-up Store

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

After her astonishing guerilla marketing campaign "Blackboxx" at Akmerkez in Istanbul (I still have to post you about the amazing time I had there!), Özlem Süer did it again. This time she launched a Pop-up store at Kanyon, Istanbul's tremendously huge open-air shopping center with world's best brands.

When I was in Istanbul for the Istanbul Fashion Week 2011 I visited that lovely Pop-up Store. It was the first week of the opening, so lucky I am! This project concept was very carefully organized not only regarding sales but also parties and networking opportunities.

Özlem Süer-labelled collection was specially designed and made for this project. The theme of that collection was inspired by Romance and Avant-Garde touches in pastel colors. On top of that new items were launched every week for discounted prices!

Twice a week the store was turned to a party called "Delicious Shopping" with Virgin Radio DJ's boosting the atmosphere and invitees networking and tasting the delicacies.

Me and Özlem Süer posing in her Pop-Up Store

The things of her collection that mesmerized me were especially the uniqueness of design, the garments beauty and colors. So, I ended up with buying two lovely silk blouses. 

Özlem Süer,  is a successful Turkish fashion designer,

 Who is followed by the fashion world with great interest and undersigned many successful projects;

 Who's collections are sold wordwide at 150 sale points;

Who's dresses are worn by Hollywood celebrities, like Meg Ryan, Lydia Hearst, Jessica Simpson and  Mallike Sherawat.

Walter Van Beirendonck

For my first time I visited the multilabel store of Walter Van Beirendonck, located at Antwerp (street: St.Antoniusstraat 12), but definitly not the last time!

This place is extraordinary where you I got inspired by

 the multicolored, innovated and controversial clothes and product designs  

the atmosphere of art and graphics

the extra-creative store concepts 

Here are a few pictures I took:

Walter van Beirendonck's office is hidden behind these inspirational walls !! I glanced to his office through a small hole in the walls, the only thing I could immediately notice where bundels of piled up books about art, literature and fashion...

Mango VIP Night

ELLE Belgium announced on its website to Mango-fans a competition for the best IT GIRL style and looks!

The best IT GIRL elected by ELLE editor and Mango stylists will be offered a Mango- voucher of 500 euros. The IT GIRL with the highest votes will win a Mango-voucher of 150 euros.

Prior this announcement ELLE Belgium organized a MANGO VIP NIGHT on 7th of April at Mango Boutique in Brussels. And guess what, I was invited! I thought to share my experience with you.

That MANGO VIP NIGHT was glittering with marketing and sales touches: 

• Mango offered exceptional discounts up to 40% as of a purchase of 120 euros. The idea communicated to the invitees was that thanks to this promotion you could become the new IT GIRL by creating your own looks and style. A good success... in the end the boutique was packed with girls tempting to buy as much as they can. 

And yes, without doubt, this promotion influenced me as well and I bought this lovely red leather bag!

• Niveau promoted its products by having professionel make-up artists on the spot who offered demonstration to the invitees.

• Schweppes brand was appearing all over the place and had its own corner-bar.

The process of making Hermès scarves

Throughout its long history, the Hermès scarf has attracted many rich and famous people: Queen Elizabeth II, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Sharon Stone, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hillary Clinton, Mariah Carey, Elle McPherson and Madonna. 

One scarf is being sold every 20 seconds.

Grace Kelly

Queen Elizabeth II

I was just wondering what makes Hermès scarves that exquisite and expensive... and of course it lies all in the THE CRAFTMANSHIP.

The process of making silk scarves is relatively complex and time-consuming, it will take people about 18 months to use the silk scarf’s topic, design, match colors, make out the plate, color printing as well as curling by hand and other process. An ordinary silk scarf is woven by the silk spit from the five to six silkworms, while a Hermes silk scarf is made out by eight silkworms’ silk, in doing so, the silk scarf’s draping sense would be stronger, and its effect would be more three-dimensional after it is folded.

Firstly, it would be the color matching. Use a variety of pigments to make out the dyestuff used in the printing. Then mix the pigments together in accordance with the formula proportion, and then cooking and heating them. Each mixed dyestuff is gone through so many checks by the professional technical personnel so as to ensure the made-out silk scarf’s color is the same as that on the sample. 

Secondly, it would be plate making. Once the scarf patterns are finalized, the technical personnel should carefully make the plate of each color on the silk scarf pattern, and paint out the every detail of the pattern on the transparent paper, to ensure that all the colors can overprint accurately, so that it can make out the predetermined pattern. In addition to time consuming, this process also requires the relative personnel’s high degree of patience and sensitive sense for colors. According to statistics, the plate making for one scarf can be up to about 600 hours.

Third, it should be the turn of color printing. After finishing each color’s plate making, the dyeing craftsmen thus begin to print color. The colored silk scarves thus have become the rare art works. After the silk scarf is printed, they would use the steam bath to do the color setting, and then remove glue which plays the fixation role on the color. Watch the video: 

The final step is the curling. After printing, each scarf is cut into the proper size, and then it is washed, dried and other solid-color process, the skilled artisan begins to do the artificial curling for scarf. After that, the process of silk scarf is perfectly done.

Every year, Hermès releases two silk scarf collections featuring a dozen designs in each. While some of the designs are new ones, there are also several older prints that are produced with a new array of colors. In addition, limited edition prints are released periodically. Some of the designs that have been featured over the years include equestrian drawings, banners, coats of arms, French cuisine and flora and fauna, among many others. The company also releases two collections annually of scarves made from a silk and cashmere blend.

Sources: 1 - 2

Zara versus H&M

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

Following my previous blog post about Inditex performing a boost in net profit, I thought it would be worthwhile to compare the fashion giant with H&M by doing a small interesting analysis of both.

Speed to Market

The secret of Zara's success is its speed: Zara can originate a new design, produce and hit it to shops in 4  to 5 weeks. The same process can take up to 6 months for H&M.

Distribution & Manufacturing Model

34% of Inditex's manufacturing is outsourced to Asia, and 14% to parts of Europe including Turkey, those tend to be more basic items. The high-fashion stuff, 49% of what it sells, is cut and finished in Spain. Zara is controlled from Spain, the sole logistics hub. 


H&M has distribution centres dotted around Europe. Some 65% of its products is made in lower-cost countries in Asia. That means its cost base is lower than Inditex’s.


Some experts caution that Zara faces the challenge that keeping a large amount of production close to home, loses its benefits when a growing number of stores are far away. The efficiency of the supply chain is coming under more pressure the farther abroad they go.


Pablo Isla, Chief executive of Inditex, said that logistics center in Asia, where the comany produces around a third of its goods, would only make sense if Zara have many stores in the region. I guess that now Inditex is growing in Asia, especially in China, where it will open 80 more stores this year, it could be considered.

Market prices

A big question which is pointed out in The Economist is that how long Zara can go on charging such markedly varying prices in different countries. The company makes up for some of the cost by charging more for goods sold overseas. In the U.S., for instance, Zara clothes cost up to 40% more than they do in Spain. Japanese customers pay about half as much again as west Europeans. Zara also charges more in China, but according to researchers (from Sanford Bernstein research firm) consumers in China see high prices as part of a product’s appeal. However, the varying prices could lead to an inconsistent brand image, a risky strategy in a globalizing world, some critics warn.


H&M, which is further ahead in this, seems to be maintaining its big regional markups. Especially in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria H&M has caught on, thanks to its higher market penetration.


Sources: The Economist, The Wall Street Journal

Liz Hurley opens boutique in Maasmechelen Village outlet centre

Liz Hurley opens her pop-up boutique in Maasmechelen Village, on april 18

TWEEN launches tomorrow its new Women Collection

So exciting and fresh news: TWEEN launches a new glamorous and party Women Collection designed by

Gamze Saracoglu
Erkan Coruh
Elif Cigizoglu
Selim Baklaci

Can't wait to see the collection!

Gisele Bündchen launches her Ipanema sandals in Turkey !

 One of the best decisions of Ipanema Gisele Bundchen sandals.

No long time ago I posted how impressed I have been by Ipanema Gisele Bündchen sandals. The moment I noticed those sandals in Brasil, it was not hard to figure out that these sandals could be a huge success in other countries. Gisele Bündchen acts quick and smart to increase her brand's global sales. She already launched yesterday (April 6, 2011) her lines of sandals in Turkey! If you ask me, the choice is strategically well-decided, considering the highly potential market in Turkey thanks to country-specific factors such as:

- Warm to hot summer temperatures 

- Coastal areas; Black Sea, Meditteranean Sea, Aegean Sea

- Rapidly growing country and especially in the retail sector

- Local consumers are open to international brands

- Soaring design awareness

On her site it is announced that the launch attracted a lot of celebrities and reporters who wanted to meet her. 

Gisele Bündchen introduces her sandals to Istanbul

Her sandals were presented in a colorful show at Suada

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

Design and marketing go together.. Karl Lagerfeld's Diet Coke

Karl Lagerfeld is hitting the bottle - again.

Lagerfeld, who famously credited his 40 kg (90lb) weight loss to a diet of steamed vegetables and Diet Coke in 2001, has teamed up with the beverage giant for a second time to put his signature flair on a trio of limited-edition bottles.

Dressed in black and white with fuchsia touches, the bottles also feature Lagerfeld's trademark, pony-tailed, white-collared silhouette. Motifs of silver polka dots, black diamonds and bold fuchsia swirls drape the bottles and are topped off with hot pink caps. The collector's edition hits stores in 11 European countries in April, priced from 47 euros.

Lagerfeld will also shoot a publicity campaign for the brand.

Last year, Lagerfeld used a similar color palette to launch his first Diet Coke bottle, featuring his silhouette and a fuchsia cap. He used model Coco Rocha for the campaign.

The beverage industry often turns to fashion designers for packaging makeovers. Japanese designer Issey Miyake recently redesigned Evian's water bottle, which has also been dressed by Christian Lacroix.

Source: the Independent

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com

Green fashion

The occasion was a charity auction at Christie’s on Tuesday night with the ambitious title of “Bid to Save the Earth,” during which guests could bid on packages like a trip for two to the Chanel couture show, which sold for $65,000. There was also a runway show of 32 looks by designers who have agreed to at least look into sustainable manufacturing processes, organized by a nonprofit group called Runway to Green and styled by the editors of Vogue. (Some of the looks are being sold online this week through Net-a-Porter.)

Green fashion was all the rage about four years ago, when virtually every designer of premium jeans or discount underwear was touting the organic attributes of their products. But the trend died down in response to the global recession and consumer skepticism about just how environmentally friendly fashion could be. As the Runway to Green show demonstrated, the good intentions are still there, but designers aren’t going so overboard with their embrace of fabrics made of pineapple husks.

Source: New York Times

Elizabeth Taylor

Hollywood glamour, special personality, beauty incarnate, style icon, 70-yearly constant star...
Elizabeth Taylor R.I.P. ...

Inditex profits from its expansion into emerging markets

Good news for Inditex shareholders

Inditex, the world's largest clothes chain, has posted a 32% jump in annual net profit to 1.73bn euros.

The Spanish company, which has 5,044 stores in 77 countries, targeted Asia's fast-growing economies in 2010.


Inditex in 2010 opened stores in 45 countries and entered into three new markets (India, Kazakhstan and Bulgaria). The company expanded its store network in all areas of the world.
Asia saw one of the most rapid rates of expansion. Openings there totalled 160, bringing the Group's retail presence in Asia to 645 stores, which now account for 15% of sales.  

Inditex plans to add as many as 500 outlets this year, up from 437 last year, boosting investment even as consumer spending slows in Europe and the U.S. At least half of the Zara stores it opens will be in Asia, where rising incomes are boosting spending. The clothing retailer plans to start online sales for brands other than Zara in the second half of 2011.

The retailer said it will introduce online shopping for its Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Uterque brands during the fall/winter season.

“This is a key piece of strategic new news in these results, suggesting e-commerce at Zara is going well,” Critchlow said.

Source: Bloomberg businessweek, March 25, 2011 / inditex press release March 23, 2011

VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE www.mywhiteblackfashionbox.com