Industry News – March 24th, 2016

Curated fashion industry news links for Tuesday, March 24th, 2016…

FOR TORY BURCH, THE STORE IS HER CLUBHOUSE – TheWallStreetJournal
“Tory Burch made the case for yes on a tour of the designer’s new Tory Sport store in New York City. It is the first permanent retail outpost for a fledgling brand in the world of athleisure, the fast-growing, still-confusing mode of dressing that has overtaken the apparel industry.”

HERMÈS FORECASTS DIFFICULT YEAR FOR LUXURY – FootwearNews
“Axel Dumas, chief executive officer of Hermès International, predicted that 2016 would be a difficult year for luxury, citing hurdles including stock market volatility in China, the strong U.S. dollar and a spate of terrorist attacks, including the suicide bombings in Brussels on Tuesday that killed 31 people and injured 260.”

WEST ELM TAKES ‘LOCALLY SOURCED’ TO NEW LEVEL – RetailingToday
“The retailer already offers its westelm.com/LOCAL website, which features artist profiles, studio visits and neighborhood tours. But now the portal boasts a focused advice series, “Maker Toolkit,” that includes expert guidance on a variety of topics for entrepreneurs and is an essential component of West Elm’s initiative to help makers and designers grow and scale their work.”

G’DAY, O’SHEA: WHY BRIONI’S NEW AUSSIE CREATIVE DIRECTOR IS AN INSPIRED APPOINTMENT – Vogue
“O’Shea is not a designer. The Australian is a self-taught, highly intuitive retailer with a personal passion for tailoring and a high visibility on social media. He hails from Toowoomba—a Queensland town so obscure that most fashion profilers fail to bother naming it—and spent his formative years following his mother, a hearing specialist whose work took the family to Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. His childhood involved playing a lot of Aussie Rules football.”

MONIQUE LHUILLIER PARTNERS WITH LOS ANGELES BALLET – Pret –a– Reporter
“Top fashion designer Monique Lhuillier’s whimsical confections can often be spotted on celebrity brides and style heavy-hitters, but recently they have found a new home: the Los Angeles Ballet. Lhuillier partnered with the company for its Season 10 Gala at the Skirball Cultural Center to honor beauty, dance and several visionaries who have contributed tirelessly to the arts.”