Australia:Former spice girl Mel B adds X-Factor to Perth Fashion Festival

 

Perth Fashion Festival has confirmed that former Spice Girl and X-Factor judge, Mel B will be jetting into Perth to attend this year’s 13th annual Festival.

The new mum will be sure to spice things up in the front row with a host of events to attend including PFF’s exclusive launch party featuring one of Western Australia’s most coveted designers, Aurelio Costarella on 21 September.

Perth Fashion Festival Director, Mariella Harvey-Hanrahan said PFF is thrilled that Mel B will be attending this year’s Festival and is looking forward to introducing her to the amazing creative talents on offer in WA.

“Mel has a very unique sense of style and she’s not afraid to express herself creatively. With so many WA designers taking to the runway at this year’s Festival we’re confident she’ll be inspired by the diversity of WA’s design talent,” Ms Harvey-Hanrahan said.

“During her time as a Spice Girl, Mel was a role model for millions of girls and her international appeal will help shine the spotlight on PFF and the talented array of designers featuring this year,” Ms Harvey-Hanrahan added.

More than 130 designers will participate in this year’s Festival. Fashion Paramount, PFF’s fashion mecca, will feature stand-alone runway shows by the cream of WA’s fashion talent including Story By Tang, Ae’lkemi and S2. National designers, Yeojin Bae and Magdalena Velevska will also be joining the WA talent at Paramount this year.

Since the Spice Girls, Mel B has pursued a solo recording career, made an appearance on US Dancing With The Stars, starred in her own reality show, Mel B: It’s A Scary World and is currently fronting as a judge on Australia’s X-Factor.

The Perth Fashion Festival calendar includes over 40 free, ticketed and invitation-only high fashion events.

Perth Fashion Festival will take place from 21 – 27 September 2011.  

Australia:Apparel Group buys designer Podgornik’s fashion label

 

In one of the latest deals in the fashion boutique sector, Apparel Group Australia has bought Willow, designer Kit Podgornik’s luxury fashion and lingerie label.

There is an overall decrease in retail spending in Australia, and the country’s boutique fashion sector is witnessing a downtrend for over a year. In July this year, jeans label Bettina Liano was put into administration, followed by Belinda International in last week of August.

The present downtrend is being seen as a good investment opportunity by several larger companies and department stores, which are showing interest in acquiring valuable brands. Earlier this year, Myer acquired Sass & Bide for over AUD 40 million.

Fashion label Willow was unveiled at the Australian Fashion Week in 2003. Currently, it has three boutiques, one in Sydney and two in Melbourne. Its products are also sold globally at David Jones and other stores.

Apparel Group , the new owner of Willow, is home to the iconic Australian fashion brands Sportscraft and SABA.
 

South Africa:Joel Janse wows SA Fashion Week audience

 

A feast of local fashion is on the cards for Johannesburg in September as SA’s premier designer platform, SA Fashion Week, prepares to launch the Winter 2012 Designer Collections, its 20th seasonal showing since inception in 1997, as well as the inaugural SA Fashion Week Designer Capsule Collection with official retail partner, Edgars, a three-year partnership to showcase and promote leading local designers.

The two-week fashion blitz that kicks off on 22 September 2011 will wrap up with the Summer 2011 Designer Pop Up Shop from 30 September – 2 October 2011 in Sandton City’s Fountain Court.

The SA Fashion Week Designer Capsule Collection at Edgars is scheduled to go live on 21 September at the Melrose Arch flagship store where it will be a permanent installation of eight to ten designers housed in a specially demarcated 70sqm space.

Six permanent designers - Clive Rundle, Lunar, Colleen Eitzen, Black Coffee, Two and Chanelle will be supplemented by between two or three additional designers which will rotate every month. The ranges will be seasonal and will include accessories and hats. The SAFW Winter 2012 Collections will include top local designers such as Amanda Laird Cherry, Clive Rundle, Ephraim Molingoana, Tiaan Nagel, Naked Ape and Vesselina Pentcheva as well as bright new fashion star, Joel Janse van Vuuren who wowed audiences with his Summer 2011 collection earlier this year.

It will also include the Elle/Mr. Price New Talent Show featuring eight new designers. The Elle/Mr Price New Talent show has become a highlight of the annual fashion calendar and is generally regarded as the fashion industry’s finest talent incubator having produced several top designers such as Terrence Bray, Jacques van der Watt, Ella Buter, Tiaan Nagel and David Thlale since its inception fourteen years ago.

The SAFW 2011 student competition sponsored by Vodacom 4U, which this year tasked second and final year design students across the country with the challenge of recycling an existing denim garment into a dress, is expected to deliver an equally sparkling burst of creativity as they aim to meet the brief to deliver garments that are high design, contemporary and de-constructed and using printing, crafting or other handwork to “rework” the fabric. The winners will be announced at the SAFW Pop Up Shop on Saturday 3 September. The winners in all the categories as well as the winning colleges, will receive Apple Mac products. The prize for the winning final year student also includes an internship with a top local designer.

Having had a sneak peek at the key trends for winter 2012, shoppers will be able to stock up on all the hot items for summer from 60 local fashion and accessory designers the following week as the Summer 2011 Designer Pop Up Shop goes live for three days in Sandton City’s Fountain Court.

The SA Fashion Week Winter 2012 Designer Collections will be staged at the Crowne Plaza Johannesburg - Rosebank.  

China:International Fashion Festival to start next week

 

From September 7 to 9th, the grand 13th Jiangsu International Fashion Festival is going to be held in Hexi International Expo of Nanjing. The festival is organized by National Industry Department and Jiangsu province government, on the occasion, three exhibition halls will be used with size of nearly 45,000 kilometers. It is predicted that tens of thousands of visitors from more than 10 countries will be present.

The fashion festival has been a good platform for those dresses, textile enterprises or dress trading companies to have an idea of dress trends, and get some way of cooperation. More about promotion or publicity will be made to allow more people the chance to visit the festival and understand the traditional Chinese dress and local specials. Shenzhen Wuzhou Changlian International Trading Co. is going to attend such a grand festival to improve themselves.

As a leading dress distributor, Wuzhou Changlian always puts the customer first, and in the basis of present materials, designs, elaborate handcrafts to expand them more and more, and tried trendy styles into the dress on and on to keep up to the trend. Aiming to reach all customers with different budgets and ages, complexions, Wuzhou Changlian is offering cheap formal dresses, or for those special occasions, like cheap evening dresses or cheap cocktail dresses.

Meanwhile, elegant and luxurious dress are also available in dozens of colors. Besides, for those customers who don't want to spend more out of budget, we also introduced models of dresses which can present in different occasions, thus customer just need to alter the related jewelries to suit well.  

USA:Nolcha Fashion Week adds Fashion’s Night Out Pop-Up Shop

 

Nolcha Fashion Week: New York, now in its tenth season, has announced its’ official calendar of events for September Fashion Week, which will run September 8th to September 14th, 2011, including a pop-up shop for Fashion’s Night Out, a slew of networking events and after-parties, and the Official Nolcha Fashion Lounge and Runway Presentations.

Thursday, September 8th – Fashion’s Night Out
Opia Lounge -130 East 57th Street
Nolcha will be kicking things off on September 8th for Fashion’s Night Out with an Independent Fashion Pop-Up Shop, open 5pm – 10pm. The shop will be hosted by the New York Post, Ricardo Ralph Lopez, Farasha Boutique and GlobalFashionBrands.com. Shoppers will be treated to sales and new season exclusives, a beauty bar by Kroma Makeup and Kiss Nails, passed cocktails courtesy of Don Q Rum, and the first 100 shoppers will receive a VIP Gift Bag.

Participating designers include: Adriana-Maria, Alice Yim, Amabile, Birna, Bodyrock Sport, Carlos Luna, Elly Clay, Estela Balan, Jess Rizzuti, Jonano, Kahri, Lois Eastlund, Maleku Jewelry, Monica Macha, Moonlight Jewelry, Nora Del Busto, and Sava.

The Pop-Up Shop is benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and will be located at Opia Lounge on the mezzanine level of the Renaissance Hotel (130 East 57th Street at Lexington Avenue).

Monday, September 12th – Nolcha Fashion Lounge & Runway Presentations
Metropolitan Pavilion – 125 West 18th Street
The Nolcha Fashion Lounge will run all day on September 12th from 12pm – 8pm, including an Apparel & Accessories Exhibition, along with pampering and other perks. Participating designers include: Afia, Carrie Parry, Devon Thomas, eggcream, Maleku Jewelry, Rainbow People, Reflections African Jewelry, Soham Dave, Sonja Lang, Star by Mar, Street Star, and William Watson.

There will be three runway presentations, at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm respectively.
1pm – Runway Show (Doors, 2:30pm)
Designers: Carlos Luna | Sarahi House of Fashion | K.Borgella

4pm – Runway Show (Doors, 3:30pm)
Designers: Zula Studio with Maleku Jewelry | Amber Patton | Amelia Boland | Daisy & Elizabeth

7pm – Runway Show (Doors, 6:30pm)
Designers: Danilo Gabrielli | Guljan Yrys | Kabukiu

The Nolcha Fashion Lounge & Runway Presentations will take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th Street between 6th & 7th Avenue).

Sponsors include American Airlines, Don Q Rums, Kiss Nails, Kroma Make Up, LypSyl, Paul Mitchell, Publisher Ad Network, SpunLive, VitaBath and VitaminWater.  

USA:Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty – a powerful exhibition

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that the exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which closed last night at midnight, attracted 661,509 visitors during its run from May 4 to August 7, placing it among the Museum's top 10 most visited exhibitions. Joining other blockbusters on the list such as Treasures of Tutankhamun (1978), Mona Lisa (1963), and Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2010), Savage Beauty ranks as the eighth most popular exhibition ever held at the Met in its 141-year history, and is the most visited of the special exhibitions organized by The Costume Institute since it became part of the Museum in 1946.

"We are enormously gratified that visitors turned out in record numbers to view this powerful exhibition of McQueen's work," said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The show was an elegant tribute to the designer's artistry, and we are proud to have shared it with such a broad audience, eager to experience the breadth of his genius."

To accommodate the public's keen interest, the Museum extended the exhibition by one week, offered a special viewing hour for Members daily at 8:30 a.m., added late hours through midnight on the last weekend, and implemented $50 ticketed Mondays with McQueen so the public could see the exhibition when the Museum was normally closed. The eight Mondays when the exhibition was open attracted more than 17,000 visitors. During the run of the retrospective, more than 23,000 new Members joined at the Museum—more than double last year's comparable numbers.

The exhibition catalogue has sold well over 100,000 copies to date through the Met's book stores and website, as well as through other outlets, with distribution by Yale University Press. Popular McQueen merchandise in the Met Shops, including armadillo shoe ornaments, crystal skull paperweights, and tartan purses, sold out several times and were repeatedly reordered.

The exhibition could not be extended further because the galleries need to be turned over for the preparation of the exhibition "Wonder of the Age": Master Painters of India, 1100-1900, which will open on September 28.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty is made possible by Alexander McQueen.

Additional support is provided in partnership with American Express and Condé Nast.  

USA:Rachel Roy & David Meister join Style Week Orange County

 

Two of America’s top designers, Rachel Roy and David Meister, will present fall runway shows at Orange County’s top fashion event, Style Week Orange County. Both designers will stage their shows at Fashion Island during Style Week Orange County, which returns Friday, Sept. 30 through Saturday, Oct. 8 to Irvine Spectrum Center and for the first time, Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Throughout the event, thousands of style-savvy visitors are expected to attend dozens of runway shows, fashion festivities, cooking demonstrations and in-store events at both centers throughout the week.

Fashion Island will host a fashion presentation by Rachel Roy on Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. in the Neiman Marcus-Bloomingdale’s Courtyard, followed by a meet and greet at Neiman Marcus. Roy will showcase her Fall 2011 collection on the runway, which is highlighted by an emphasis on layering, prints and texture in pieces that transition from day to night. Fans can expect to see a chic modern take on classic silhouettes which has become synonymous with Roy’s collection.

A California native, Roy is known for her feminine and sophisticated pieces that allow women to embrace fashion with an effortless elegance and confidence. First Lady Michelle Obama and actresses Halle Berry, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow are among those who have worn her designs. In one of the fashion industries highest honors, she was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2007 and touted by Oprah Winfrey as “the next big name in fashion.”

Fashion Island will also host a runway show by David Meister on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. in the Neiman-Marcus Bloomingdale’s Courtyard, followed by a meet and greet at Bloomingdale’s. A Los Angeles resident, Meister is known for his sophisticated and body conscious lines of modern day dresses, cocktail dresses, and gowns which are carried in the nation’s top luxury department stores.

Some of the most recognized women in Hollywood have worn gowns by Meister on the red carpet, including Diane Lane, Katherine Heigl, Tina Fey, Fergie, Queen Latifah, Drew Barrymore, Sharon Stone and others. Meister is a long-standing member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and has appeared on numerous news and entertainment shows with his fashion expertise.

“With Style Week Orange County’s debut at Fashion Island this year, we are thrilled to present two of America’s most respected designers, Rachel Roy and David Meister,” said Laura Davis, Senior Marketing Director of Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum Center. “As Style Week celebrates its fourth year, this is another example of how the event is evolving to showcase both new, local talent and world renowned designers for our fashionable guests.”

Style Week Orange County events confirmed to date include:

• Rack Rave: Fri., Sept. 30, 7 to 9 p.m. at Irvine Spectrum Center -- Celebrity designer, Project Runway alumni and red carpet commentator Nick Verreos will emcee Rack Rave, a fun fashion carnival in Giant Wheel Court featuring informal modeling, interactive events, giveaways, shopping incentives, entertainment by a DJ and sweet treats.