Industry News – March 23rd, 2016

Curated fashion industry news links for Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016…

ANDY WARHOL SHOE DESIGNS SURPASS EXPECTATIONS, FETCH $416K AT AUCTION – FootwearNews
“The listing originally estimated the sale price at between 100,000 and 150,000 GBP, which at the time equated to between 143,470 and 215,205 USD. We can now confirm the lot sold for 293,000 GBP, approximately 416,000 USD.”

URBAN OUTFITTERS GOES GEEK TO STAY COOL – RetailingToday
“Operating more than 500 stores under the Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain and BHLDN banners worldwide, Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters is removing guesswork from the complex and distributed merchandise planning and allocation process. The retailer is partnering with predictive analytics platform provider Celect to leverage customer data for optimized in-store assortment planning.”

TRAVIS SCOTT, FETTY WAP, AND MORE IN NIKELAB’S COOL NEW DESIGNER COLLABORATIONS – Vogue
“These days, everybody wants to work out with a fashion designer. As Apple picked up people from Burberry, Saint Laurent, and Gap prior to launching its watch, so Nike Women—the largest women’s athletic brand in the world, currently weighing in at a valuation of $5.7 billion—is partnering with the fashion world with the goal of gaining about $5 billion in sales by 2020. And then there are the athletes, who, in a crossover world, are rock stars.”

ARMANI WON’T USE FUR ON ITS RUNWAYS ANYMORE – NYMag
“There was no shortage of fur on the Milan fall runways. Prada featured a trimmed cape, Etro showed plenty of coats with fuzzy collars, and Fendi went full-on fur ball, down to the giant Fendi monsters who posed for pictures in the show venue. But one brand avoided the trend: The Telegraph reports that as of this fall, Armani will no longer use fur in any of its products. Instead, the brand is exploring cruelty-free options that’ll look and feel just as luxurious as the real stuff.”

THE FITNESS STORE CHALLENGING LULULEMON WITH $400 YOGA PANTS – TheNewYorkTimes
“The concept for the store was born out of her own frustrations in 2013, when recovery from a broken foot had Ms. Bandier largely sidelined and living in workout clothes. Wanting her clothes to be as stylish as the Frame Denim and Isabel Marant she prefers, she scoured the web and found smaller brands, like Toronto-based Michi and Los Angeles-based Splits59. But she couldn’t find a boutique to try them on.”