Industry News – January 20th, 2017

Curated fashion industry news links for Friday, January 20th, 2017…

ALIBABA THROWS HAT INTO THE OLYMPICS SPONSORSHIP RING – ChainStoreAge
“Through the agreement, Alibaba will provide online computing services and data analytics throughout the Games; create a marketplace for official merchandise, and help develop an online video channel for Chinese viewers, Bloomberg said.”

ON MEN’S RUNWAYS, SOMETHING UNEXPECTED: WOMEN – TheNewYorkTimes
“The men’s wear shows, which kicked off in London at the start of the month and move on to Paris this week, have seen a seismic stylistic shift: Men and women are walking the runways together.”

FIT TO OFFER MFA IN FASHION DESIGN BEGINNING FALL 2017 – PRNewswire
“The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) will launch a Master of Fine Arts degree program in Fashion Design in the fall 2017 semester. A program of the School of Graduate Studies, it is the first MFA in Fashion Design within the State of University of New York system, of which FIT is a part, and incorporates elements that distinguish it from similar graduate programs in the United States and Europe.”

AUGHTS PROM FAVORITE BCBG IS CLOSING STORES AND RESTRUCTURING – TheCut
“According to a Bloomberg report, the brand plans to close many of its stores (it has 175 in the U.S.) and instead focus on e-commerce, licensing, and wholesaling to other retailers. The company has “too large a physical retail footprint,” a spokesperson told Bloomberg. And, like its peers, it’s competing with the twin lures of fast fashion and e-commerce. So if they can’t beat them, they might as well join them.”

INAUGURAL FASHION, INDUSTRY POLITICS ARE INTERTWINED THIS TIME – TFL
“What’ll she be wearing? It’s a question that fascinates fashion-watchers — and lots of others — every four years: Which designer will the new U.S. first lady choose to wear on Inauguration Day and, more importantly, on Inauguration Night?”