Louis Vuitton the luxury fashion house has teamed up with legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Louis Vuitton the luxury fashion house has teamed up with legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

Yayoi Kusama, at 82 years-old, is arguably one of Japan’s most reputable artists. Her portfolio spans over decades from such art works as the Repetitive Vision (1996), Narcissus Garden (2009), Red Pumpkin (2006), these are amongst the many art forms that Kusama has created however Louis Vuitton have announced that they will create a range of designs with Yayoi Kusama and we are presuming that it feature her predominant design signature ‘the polka dots’

Yayoi Kusama’s work has been influenced and mirrored by many artist probably the most famous cult icon would be that of Andy Warhol, he had often spoke of her artwork being a great inspiration. Currently an exhibition is being held at the Tate Modern, London showcasing Kusama’s artwork.    

Marc Jacobs the creative director at Louis Vuitton has stated that the line ‘has the essence of the spirit of her work.’ He not only views Kusama’s work in the highest degree but he states that her work and design are both ‘timeless’ and ‘endless.’

The collection will focus on Kusama’s bold signature spots, which will appear on skirts, tops, leggings and handbags. You may or may not have already noticed that the whole LV website is now a great homage to this artist.

Our note: We feel that this collaboration is a union that is well fitted. Kusama’s artwork installation is beyond measurable, having been a fan of not only her artwork but also her writings, filmography and her even how she can create such forms of expression in her state of personal wellbeing is something that we admire. The fact that Louis Vuitton have teamed up with a visionary like Yayoi Kusama we feel that we must give them a nod of appreciation (the fashion house will be show casing her art work to the masses).

article written by: www.frontpose.com

The Chosen Six for Londons: Men’s Only Fashion Week

Dalton, Sibling, Raeburn, Rose, Miller & Bunney
will showcase their collections at Mens Fashion Week.

London’s first “Men’s Only Fashion Week” is only a few weeks away and it seems that the British fashion industry have scheduled those dates in their mind, Blackberry, Iphone and their Filofax (it’s a hotly anticipated affair).

With this amount of publicity surrounding the menswear industry in the Britain, the British Fashion Council announced their S/S13 Newgen Award which in effect means the recipient of these awards are the selected designers to represent their works during the fashion week. The selected six will receive mentoring and support to showcase their latest collections at the maiden London Collections: Men 15^th – 17^th June 2012.

The Chosen 6:

Lou Dalton : Lou studied at the Royal College of Art. She has previously worked for Hamish Morrow, Stone Island, Crucianni Knitwear and Charlie Allen.

Design signature: “Rebellious English sportswear with a strong attention to detail.”

Sibling: Design trio Sid Bryan, Joe Bates and Cozette McCreery comprise “Sibling.” The trio bring with them a strong scale of experience as they have previously worked with a number of top name designers.

Design signature: “Colourful, well-made, luxury knitwear for a man bored with the grey V-neck option.” And not forgetting the shake-up of luxury wer with cartoon ka-pows of colour and bams of very English humour.

Christopher Raeburn: Graduated from the Royal College of Art, mainly freelanced as a pattern cutter before setting up his own studio.

Design signature: “Innovative, functional and fun.”

Martine Rose: Martine Rose was a co-founder member of highly-acclaimed fashion label LMNOP. Their collections were also sold internationally mainly to Japan and London.

Design signature: Tailored garments made with textiles that offer you a grand-demure with bold colour statements.

Matthew Miller: Like Raeburn Miller also studied at the Royal College of Art. Before setting up his own label, he worked on design projects with Umbro and Brioni.

Design signature: “formed from an investigation into the technological versus the traditional; performance fabrics, tailoring and sportswear detailing form the basis of the Mr. Matthew Miller look.”

Andrew Bunney: Originally worked for a vintage clothing company as a buying specialist and then worked for many other companies specialising as a designer or a design consultant.

Design signature: “A juggle between making something that is simple and understandable, with something that is special enough to have a new or fresh character.”

Our note: We at frontpose can’t wait to see these collection, it’s going to be great. We feel that this event  that is specifically catered towards just menswear industry is well awaited for, to tell you the truth we felt that it was about time that the B.F.C. thought to introduce such a event, when you think about it the mens fashion industry is worth billions, Britain needed to acknowledge that these menswear designers need an outlet to also advertise there work.­­­

article written by: www.frontpose.com

GUESS? Who’s in trouble now with Gucci and the law?

Bittersweet: Gucci wins lawsuit against Guess

It’s no surprise but Gucci has won its legal battle against Guess. The federal judge in Manhattan determined that Guess the fashion label had infringed numerous designs of the Italian fashion house’s trademarks.

The New York federal judge Shira Scheindlin granted Gucci injunctions against Guess over three out of the four motifs that Gucci had claimed that Guess had infringed. Scheindlin awarded Gucci $4.7m in combined damages however this was far short from the figure that Gucci was hoping to get from the lawsuit… wait for it… it’s about $216.3 million short.

Our note: We hope that this case is not the start for fashion labels to go at war at each other, although it seems that this culture is already being adopted, have we forgotten the lawsuit regarding Chrisitan Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent.  

What we do not understand is why companies worth multi millions would copy another’s design when in truth they can create a far superior one, is this not what fashion is competing with another fashion house to create a piece of garment that far exceeds another.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Fashion Bloggers finally get the ‘FRONT ROW’ respect

Bryan Boy amoungst fashion heavy hitters.

Scott Schuman one of the most renowned fashion blogger in the industry gave comments on how he was mortified when he was moved to the front row of a Dolce & Gabbana show. He spoke of how he was moved to the front row and how D&G moved moving print editors and senior buyers to the second row.

Dolce & Gabbana in a recent interview said ‘we know about the blogger, the power of the blogger because it talks with different sort of people’ also that it is important to maintain a relationship with the new generation.

Our note: Although this may have been a PR stunt on the duo’s part it seems that this may be a watershed moment for the industry, blogging sites like The Sartorialist, Bryanboy, Garancedore and many more have outshone the normal printing industries (they have a huge amount of following) and this form of recognition is greatly needed because a successful blog site can help form hundreds of thousands of readers opinions.

Bloggers have the ability to wield a lot of power, their followers tend to read their reviews of products and whether they give them the thumbs up or the thumbs down that can decide readers to buy or not buy. Bloggers like Bryan Boy have become a celebrity figure in their own rights, many actually choose to buy clothes that they have seen these bloggers wear.

As you can tell we are PRO bloggers.

However, it must be noted that although bloggers represent the times that we are in, it is not like they have been in the industry for the last 20 years it would be quite silly to discourage or even humiliate those who have built the fashion industry during the modern era by sitting them behind someone. We think that post-modern era of fashion will have its battle as there will be a fine line between where editors and bloggers seat.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Rosie Huntington Whiteley creates lingerie line for Marks & Spencers.

Rosie Huntington creates lingerie line for M&S

Resident cover girl and movie star Rosie Huntington Whiteley is launching her own lingerie line in association with Autograph, Marks and Spencers.

This development is a natural progression for Ms.Whiteley, having been part of M&S’s advertising campaign and being a Victoria Secret Angel it is a common thought process to produce a lingerie line.

The model had said that she was truly excited to be working with M&S’s design team, the range will be available at the United Kingdom stores during September 2012, it is said that it will consist of a range of silky lingerie sets, camisoles, French knickers and kimono-style robes with a 1920’s inspired prints. The prints will come in the form of pretty roses in soft tones of pink.

The retailer store also praised the model, Kate Bostock (Executive Director of clothing for M&S) stated ‘We are so pleased to have Rosie on board to design her first collection for us’ and she also stated that the model understood how to create beautiful lingerie designs and how certain designs work and does not work on the female body.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Aerin Lauder goes against the family and does it ALONE

Granddaugher of Estée Lauder to create her own
cosmetic brand

Aerin Lauder the granddaughter of Estée Lauder (co-founder of probably thee most famous cosmetic brand in the world) is launching her own lifestyle brand ‘Aerin LLC’, the brand will consist of cosmetics, jewellery and home-ware range as well.

Aerin Lauder’s business repertoire is beyond knee deep; having been a successful business woman in the beauty industry for 20 years and being a board of directors and consultant for the family company it seems that she has the knowledge and experience to pull this branch away off in a grand style.

Stage one of her master plan is to launch a beauty line in August called ‘Aerin Essentials’ this will consist of make-up bag basics such as bronzers, lip conditioners and cream-to-powder foundation.

The next phase will be to introduce a ‘colour collection’ which will involve eye shadows and lipsticks, Aerin Lauder hopes that this will be introduced to stores in early autumn.

Although Aerin Lauder does seem to go against the family and creating a competing line she has always shown great admiration and reverence in the family company even to the point of using Estée Lauder as homage to her future jewellery line ‘“I have this incredible book of all of Estée’s pieces, and it’s such a great sense of inspiration. What I think is so interesting about beauty and jewellery is that you buy it for yourself, and what’s fun about jewellery today is that it doesn’t have to be super-expensive.’

Our note: We have great respect for individuals who create stand-a-lone brands like Aerin Lauder however we give her great praise because she has worked in the industry and has earned her status.

We often spoke of individuals who have a name that is current and they are willing to endorse ANY product for an extra buck or two, we feel these endorsers damage the industry in the long run they seem not to understand that they have no place in the fashion or beauty industry (if you read our blog on a regular basis you’d understand who we are speaking of). Aerin Lauder seems to go against this norm of using her family name to endorse her brand line and for that we have a huge amount of admiration, as it seems she wants to do this on her own.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Shoes… Checked… Make-Up… In progress…

The legendary shoes maker moves into the cosmetic industry.

The legendary shoe maker Christian Louboutin has set his sights on producing a cosmetic line with the help of Battalure Beauty. The shoe maker is not one that would shy away from using cosmetics; it is famously known that Christian Louboutin had used bright red nail enamel to paint the soles of his first designs, so it seems that this is a natural progression for him to enter this market. Christian himself had said “the beauty adventure is the natural extension for someone like me, who likes to empower women.”

What to expect? We are presuming that the cosmetics products will display a sense of sensuality, beauty and mirror the quality of the shoes. Without question of doubt one would expect the range to be draped with Louboutin’s signature colour the lavish red. Even though we are presuming what to expect, the range been kept very hush hush by the shoe maker and his New York based counterpart.

Our note: Christian Louboutin eccentric designs has propelled him to the status of thee shoe maker, none can even replicate his works of arts. We would only dream to be able to wear a pair even if we can’t am sure we’d be able to say we have a Christian Louboutin in the closet even if it’s a piece of make-up. Does this cosmetic range have instant success written all over on it? … We think so.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Could this brief muse romance between Giorgio Armani and Rihanna be detrimental to Emporio Armani?

Rihanna & Giorgio Armani 2012 collaboration.

We often refrain from writing a whole article on pop stars on this forum however we think in this instance we may have to. The Barbados born R&B singer Rihanna is to set to design a collection for the Italian fashion house Armani and also for their underwear department Emporio Armani.

Early design sketches have surfaced on the Internet and they seem to have a boyish and a dressed down style which is often the style donned by Rihanna.

Giorgio Armani has expressed that her “personality, charisma and energy” was qualities that attracted him towards her. He also had said that “She captures the young and contemporary essence of Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans perfectly, it is very clear that Giorgio Armani has taken a little liking towards her.

It’s been said that she has already designed tees, denim pieces, a leather jacket and a canvas bag and they will be part of the joint Armani and Rihanna collaboration and that similar designs will be also implemented as part of Emporio Armani underwear collection.

Our note: It seems that Giorgio Armani is infatuated by Rihanna. It must be said that the designs sketches seem very out-dated, could this legendary designer’s judgement be clouded because of his new muse, well we hope not. The cost of producing a single design in the quantity that Armani produces goes into the hundreds of thousands we hope this range doesn’t hit the wallet too hard if it’s not successful.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Louis Vuitton issues a legal case to battle rogue websites selling counterfeit goods..

LV & Chanel issued a legal case to battle rogue websites.

Louis Vuitton has taken a legal stance by using the Stop Online Piracy Act (S.O.P.A) to help disable rogue websites that are selling counterfeit goods. The introduction of the bill was a result of an increase in infringement of copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.

Louis Vuitton have lodged a case to the Florida Federal Court not just to simply ask for an order restraining these websites from infringing their trademark but to completely abolish them from the internet. The case has stated that companies (located in the US) that offer web domain names to revaluate their system so that it does not ensure anyone using the trademarked names without consent.

This is not the first time a fashion house has used S.O.P.A. as a means to infiltrate the counterfeit industry, Chanel had issued a similar case to Nevada’s Federal Court. The federal judge had repeated granted injunctions that forced domain registrar and web hosting company Go Daddy and search engine giant Google to participate in the enforcement.

Our note: The ironic issue here is that many have opposed bills like S.O.P.A and P.I.P.A but these sanctions  are here to protect the consumer’s rights, you wouldn’t like to pay full retail price on a good only to find out that it is counterfeit.

We are always for in finding new means to fight against counterfeit products however the introduction of the S.O.P.A and P.I.P.A. legislation seems to allow brand owners private powers that may not be sanctioned by US law. This is the worrying bit if brand owners are given private powers this will be unfair as they will have the ability to set rules and legislation that will benefit themselves only, this will give them an unfair advantage in the ecommerce world.

We feel that S.O.P.A. and P.I.P.A. are laws that benefit those that are established and they should be rightly protected however it seems that those that they are protecting seem to abuse this system. We feel these legislation need to be revaluated because even blogging about these companies may be illegal aswell.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

p.s. under the S.O.P.A and P.I.P.A legislation this blog is technically illegal as we are "infringing content" but what the heck you CAN NOT STOP FREE SPEECH.

Why are we Brits paying more of our hard earned money compared to our European friends?

Companies are over charging the British nearly 60% for their clothes

The latest figures published by retail analysts have suggested that we Brits pay an additional 60% on clothing compared to other European countries selling the same attire. Clothing companies such as H&M, Zara and Mango put an additional percentage when retailing in the United Kingdom and this is not just on their high-street shops but also on their online website (and the increase of price is even more astonishing in their online shops).

In comparison to Zara’s international websites, you will see the United Kingdom differs more substantially in price more so than its European counterpart, if you were to compare prices to the Spanish version of Zara Online you will see that you are paying a lot less for an item.

Now if you were to look at the links below for a female coat sold on an European scale by Zara you will notice that on the UK version of the website the price of the attire is £119.95 whearas on the Spanish version of the website the price is set at €99.5. If we were to convert the Euro figure into Great British pounds (based on the conversion rate set by www.xe.com) it comes to a total of £80.3592 so based on this figure presented on the Zara websites it is far cheaper to buy from Zara Spain then Zara United Kingdom.

So why are we paying extra? Retailers often look at a country individually and they come to the notion that they may or may not charge more for that country, the prices of clothes are set by how much consumers are willing to pay for that item, companies such as H&M, Zara and Mango feel that they can charge more in the United Kingdom.

Our note: We at frontpose find this utter BULLS**T (sorry for the language but this has really annoyed us in every way), these companies feel that they can milk us Brits out of extra money, this is frankly immoral in every ways. 
Their excuses for this price hike is cause they feel they pay higher rent, rates, staff costs and taxes but wait a second they sell products via the internet (many of the above excuses doesn’t come into practise) and even then the prices of products are way too high for the UK and being an online retailer we can say that their excuses are ridiculous.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

We have posted the links here (please check it out yourselves if you don’t believe us):

http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/uk/en/zara-S2012/189502/802007/FANTASY%2BCOAT%2BWITH%2BSTUDDED%2BCOLLAR

http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/es/es/zara-S2012/189502/802007/ABRIGO%2BFANTASIA%2BTACHUELAS%2BCUELLO

Bargain hunters be aware H&M may announce its next high-end fashion collaboration and we have a feeling that this one may stir the biggest commotion.

Could a collaboration be in the books for Tom Ford?

The rumour mill has been turning its clogs in overdrive as of recent and the news from above is that legendary designer Thomas Carlyle also known as Tom Ford may be (and that is a ‘maybe’) producing an exclusive range for the thrifty store, H&M.

Earlier hints of this collaboration came from the den mother of H&M Margareta Van Den Bosch she quirkily hinted ‘I can say, I wouldn’t mind’ when asked whether H&M would do a collaboration with Tom Ford.

However it may seem that this notion may already have a spanner in the works as the man himself had stated 'I've never had a conversation with H&M. I'm really happy doing what I do... What excites me now is the very best:  the best stitching, the best fabric, the best quality. And unfortunately, or fortunately, that does tend to cost money.'  It seems that Tom Ford is not to going to compromise on quality on anything that has his name behind it even if it is a limited range for H&M.

Our note: There are some designers that you hope that they would never hit the high street and we feel that Tom Ford is one of them. Tom Ford is one of those designers who had truly went through the hardship of this industry, he has had numerous ups and downs especially during the period he was with Yves Saint Lauren, for that reason we believe Tom Ford should not come off his high pedestal the fact is that he has earned this great recognition as one of the great American designers. If Tom Ford was to do a collection with H&M we feel he would compromise everything especially his struggle.

We also feel that this continual use of famous designers to promote H&M is damaging the company’s image because as of recent all we’ve heard about H&M is not their money saving deals but more of the fashion elite doing collaborations.

In addition as the H&M group intend to enter the luxury fashion sector with their new venture “& Other Stories” we as consumers will be thinking can  H&M’s designers be able to create luxury fashion because all we’re seeing is other designers coming in. Unless this is a ploy by H&M to collaborate with elite fashion designers and then steal all of their fashion knowledge… if this is what H&M are planning well I guess they need a little slap on the wrist.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Who’d ever thought the notion of ‘Sustainable Fashion’ would come so far?

British Actress and Model Lily Cole doing her part to raise and promote sustainable fashion awareness. 

The notion of sustainable fashion a decade ago was considered a joke, many dismissed the concept as just a phase and some thought it was just a ploy for companies to seem more ethical in there practises but as of recent consumer’s ideology of retail has been altered, the concept of sustainable fashion has transformed from being the butt of the fashion industry’s joke to a fruit that is near its bloom.

The Nordic Fashion Association held its second gathering of fashion professionals and leaders from 27 countries in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Copenhagen 2012 summit is considered the world's largest conference on sustainability in the fashion industry.
The aim of the conference was to identify methods and solutions that the global fashion industry as a whole can implement in ensuring the protection of the Earth. If there were to be a statement that was made clear from this gathering was that the fashion industry is seen as one of the most polluting and socially challenged industries.

One of the key concepts that many of the speakers of the summit empathised on was trying to focus ways to involve and engage consumers in ‘Sustainable Consumption’.
So what does this term ‘Sustainable Consumption’ mean we believe it’s a system that encourages societies to be made more aware of how and where the products they purchase come from, this undoubtedly mean that consumers will be aware of the resources being used whether the materials are made from renewable resources, the amount of pollution created as a result of these products and so forth.

A great leap had taken place on the day of the summit, those attending the fashion industry would have been aware that as a result of their actions the fashion industry created a framework for engaging consumers in sustainable consumption of fashion. These outlines had been handed over to the Danish EU Presidency and the European Commission. The dossier will be presented at the Rio+20 UN conference where world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups will gather to discuss several issues on sustainable development.

Our note: Being part of the fashion world we are greatly concerned with the issue of maintaining a sustainable form of fashion however we must raise the issue that within our own company we have no concept of where the big hitters from the fashion industry create their garments and how (and this is because they keep this information very very very hush hush). At least with the commission of the Copenhagen 2012 summit report and it being presented at Rio+20 to European Government delegates at least this will increase the profile of this issue and maybe it may even cause these heavy hitters to address these issues as well. Well we hope that they do….

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Is Amazon about to wipe small online fashion businesses out of commission?

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon has admitted in an interview that they intend to extend their fashion lines on the online site and to gear the company into the high-end fashion sector.

The company has as of recent tired courting fashion labels such as Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood, Jack Spade and Tracy Reese and they are still continuing to entice more fashion labels to join the mega-online store.

Amazon already has the likes of Calvin Klein, Armani Exchange, Levi’s in their portfolio. If they were to succeed in gaining the high end fashion sector it will no doubt leave other online companies such as Asos, Macy’s, Urban Outfitters in a dire situation. Amazon has the ability to offer these labels millions of sales per month through its website this will eventually mean leaving other online retail companies in dust as they won’t have the buying or selling capability of Amazon. To be more frank Amazon will have the ability to set its own prices this is a hugh threat to other brands.

Our notes: Having started as an online bookstore Amazon has achieved monumental leaps as an online store, the company itself is worth in excess of $8 billion dollars. The company has monopolized the electronic retail market and now it intends to monopolize the apparel market.

Can you imagine how a movement like this will have an effect on all clothing stores that sell garments online, it will be like battling a GIANT against an ant in a boxing match (unfair battle). We hope that the high-end fashion sector doesn’t fall for the high sales and keep to their own form of retail. There should be a globalized institute that helps keeps monopolistic competition at bay.

Please try to spread the word because if Amazon can get a hold of the fashion industry what is it to say that they will not venture onto other markets. Amazon is a business killer.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Five drops of Chanel No.5 and now you’ll get a drop of Brad Pitt aswell …

Regarded as one of the most feminine products to ever grace the shelves, Chanel No.5 is still seen as the vanguard for femme fatale ever since its first release 90 years ago.  This image of seduction and desire that Chanel have created for this famous perfume has been endorsed by many highly successful  women such as the likes of Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman and not forgetting the everlasting Marilyn Manroe who in a 1954 interview, when she was asked what she wore to bed, the movie star provocatively responded “five drops of Chanel No. 5.”

So in history it is noted that Chanel No.5 is the essential product that a woman should have in their closet but looks like the world famous perfume line is shaking things up. Having catered their marketing campaign to women for the past 90 years they have announced that they will be endorsed by its first ever male celebrity and who none better than Brad Pitt.

Our note: When we think of Chanel No.5 you always picture a timeless beauty (don’t get us wrong Brad’s an endless beauty) but you envision a woman holding the renowned bottle. Do we think that this is a right move on Chanel’s part, Coco Chanel had often said “Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress”, if we follow in Coco Chanel’s ideology what is about to happen is that the woman and the dress is to disappear but that being said we are living in a different age compared to Coco.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

The Asians are attacking the West on all fronts … the fashion front that is!

When you picture Asian attire you think of colourful silks, heavily laden with elaborate embroideries with psychedelic designs however there seems to be an artist that is revolutionising the stereotypical image of the east. Dubbed the “Indian’s Galliano” Manish Arora is a prominent member of the Paris Fashion Week, with many celebrity clients that are regarded as the top of the music spectrum  such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj are all among his followers.

Manish Arora has been often described as the Indian version of John Galliano (which we feel is a compliment as Galliano did change the fashion industry). Arora has earned great recognition in the European Fashion industry for his inventive and bold cuts. A note that suggests that his designs are well acclaimed is that 70% of his clients are from overseas.

Our note:  The Asian Fashion market as of recent has become a highly coveted sector, with the likes of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy group and Hermes Boutiques trying to implement themselves in the regional industry shows that Asia has great financial and creative potential. Manish Arora may be the forefront for the Asian Fashion Industry however he often spoke that it is difficult to enter the overseas market but it does seem that he is doing something right because he is ensuring that he has the cat-walk in Paris Fashion Week year-in-year out.

We’ve often spoken of how fashion is not subjected to just the Western  world, it would be great to see an emergence of fashion designers from other regions, there are some that have great vision, creativity and innovation. We feel that this is the next step that fashion should be taking to increase the exposure of such designers like Manish Arora and such influences would propel the fashion industry to its next phase.    

article written by: www.frontpose.com

This is truly a first for the fashion world ‘Vogue’ magazine (as a whole) pledges not to use models younger than 16 or those they believe have an eating disorder. There magazine consists of 19 worldwide editorials all under the ‘Vogue’ name.

In Vogue’s June edition it will be stated under the ‘health pact’ that they intend not to use models under the age of 16, or those they believe have an eating disorder this is an attempt that is jointly agreed upon by all editors of Vogue to encourage a healthier attitude to body image within the fashion industry and among their readers.

The ‘health pact’ will consist of information on how the Vogue establishment will ensure fashion models are taken cared for and given advice on how to maintain a healthy wellbeing.

This attempt on humanizing the modelling industry has been hotly anticipated, with high profiled models such as Natalia Vodianova and Kate Moss publicly addressing and glamourizing the unhealthy stick look. The fashion and modelling world was in dire need from an organization such as Vogue to address these life threatening issues.

Alexandra Shulman Vogue editor for the United Kingdom branch has stated “As one of the fashion industry’s most powerful voices, Vogue has a unique opportunity to engage with relevant issues where we feel we can make a difference.”

Our note: We at frontpose feel that it is rightly so that Vogue as a worldwide voice should address such a matter. The majority of models start their careers before the age of 16 and can you imagine how the glamourizing of the ‘stick look’ would affect those adolescent models, they would think that this is the look that is socially accepted when in fact it is not. It is a great shame that it has taken so long for the fashioning world to address this issue but we say that it is better than never.

Hope Vogue can stick to their word.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Vogue Editor Anna Dello Russo to create exclusive line for H&M

It’s been reported today that Italian fashion director of Vogue Japan, Anna Dello Russo is following in the footsteps of the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli and Donatella Versace by creating an exclusive range for the Swedish clothing company H&M.

It has been indicated that she will produce a range of accessories which will consists of her “over the top” and “unabashedly glamorous” style, the range will comprise of jewellery, sunglasses, shoes, bags in her signature maximalist style.

Anna Dello Russo was quoted “As a stylist I know accessorization is essential: it is the personal touch to any outfit”. She further quoted that “With these pieces (made specificially for H&M) everybody can have fun, turning an ordinary day into a fantastic fashion day”.

our note:  It’s great that many of these big fashion names can identify that there are people out there that can not spend thousands on a single piece of clothing, in an ideal world what would be great is if they can provide an affordable range for those who do not have disposable money lying about without tarnishing the stature of these fashion houses like Versace and Cavalli.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Foreign investment helps keep British heritage company to stay afloat.

The British fashion house Aquascutum has had great news today, the Chinese based company YGM Trading situated in Hong Kong have come into an exclusive agreement with FPR advisors (who specialises with companies that are in distress) to obtain “the on-going business and assets” for an undisclosed sum. If this goes without a hitch YGM Trading will acquire a company that has been a British institute for over a century.

The FPR advisors have stated that the wheels have already been turning and that the exchange is prominent. A financial commitment has been obtained and that both parties (Aquascutum and YGM Trading) are focused on dealing with the legality of the process of transfer.

It was reported that an excess of 70 bids from around the world were made, however the deadline for bids had passed last Friday and the Hong Kong trading group seemed the likely pick as they also hold the licences for the Aquascutum brand in Asia. It must be said that the Brits did try their upmost to keep the heritage company in Britain. James Eden who runs the UK clothing manufacturer Cooper & Stollbrand whose business interest also includes the Private White VC menswear brand had made an offer but was extremely disappointed with the outcome, he said that he was “extremely disappointed” that Aquascutum would “no longer [be] under British ownership”.

Our note: We are extremely happy that the company Aquascutum will still be operating but at the same time we feel disappointed by the fact that a company that is so British could not uphold itself within Britain and also that it was not be protected by a British Governing body. As a British based company we feel a bit apprehensive and angst-ridden when we had heard news of trouble in the Aquascutum camp. Britain as a whole seems not to want to help fashion houses stay afloat, we hear news from other countries that their government help to thrive their heritage fashion houses and its quite depressing to hear not of news of Britain’s governing body helping but more disheartening that a fashion institute can go adrift overseas.

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer

When it comes to fashion there are a few headlines that are always written in the papers such as ‘models being too thin’ and how ‘fashion is damaging the environment’ and so on, the articles written on the frontpose blog does to a certain degree revolve around these issues as well (so please do not think we are hypocrites because we have mention that we do have the clichéd headlines). Even though these headlines do appear often, there are a few fashion related headlines that seep into pages that are more than worthy of mention and also portrays the fashion industry as a whole in a better light, take for example Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.

It is stated that breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United Kingdom and it is also said that 50,000 women and 300 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. There are several types of breast cancer and the disease can be diagnosed at different stages of development and can grow at different rates.

The organisation ‘Fashion Targets Breast Cancer’ aim in improving the health services by finding new and better treatments through research and these principal goals still remain the same for the last 16 years. 

Big names such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Jerry Hall, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Pixie Geldof and many more are great patrons to the noble cause.

It is fantastic to see great leading woman in the fashion world being part of a cause which affects many woman.

Cancer is one of those diseases that not only affects an individual but those around them, having lost a family member because of cancer it is quite soothing to know that there are people who have great influence among many and that they are able to set an example by supporting a cause that fights cancer.

There are many ways in which you can help support such a worthy cause wither by shopping, donating or even fundraising. We have provided the link so show your support:

http://fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org.uk/get-involved-with-ftbc/

article written by: www.frontpose.com

Desperate Scousewives banned from Liverpool Fashion Week.

One of the few guilty pleasures that we have at frontpose.com is that we enjoy a bit of reality TV none is cheesier or meretricious than that of the Desperate Scousewives. Overtly used false tan, hair extensions and plastered with make-up is a look that many of these stars have adopted and the term the ‘Liverpool Look’ has been conjured up.

Many of these reality shows that depict life in Great Britain such as ‘Geordie Shore’, ‘Made in Chelsea’ and ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ have come into perdition because of the success ‘The Jersey Shore’ has had in the US, fashionably the British have followed suit.

Although we enjoy watching these reality programmes, the people behind these shows do not understand the overall effect that their shows has. The characters they portray stigmatise the overall population of that area. The success of these shows would leave an everlasting effect on young adults and children or anyone as a matter of fact, viewers would constantly be exposed to these reality TV character’s look and think that it is the norm for that geographical area, we doubt that anyone would approve a ten year old going for a tan and being plastered with make-up.

It seems that we are not the only one that is concerned with this issues, the casting organiser of Liverpool Fashion Week Amanda Moss has expressed that models that are emulating the ‘Liverpool look’ will be banned. This is a testament to the view point of many stagnant members of the fashion community in Liverpool. Shows like ‘Desperate Scousewives’ have infringed the Liverpudlian fashion culture.

Our note: We don’t mind that these programmes exists but what we do not want is to go into an area of the United Kingdom and see that everyone looks the same that would be too surreal.

article written by: www.frontpose.com