Industry News – March 30th, 2016

Curated fashion industry news links for Wednesday, March 30th, 2016…

JANE BIRKIN RETURNS TO FASHION WITH SAINT LAURENT – Vogue
“There is no living person more referenced in the world of fashion than Jane Birkin. The chanteuse and actress has been beguiling designers, stylists, and photographers with her bell-bottoms, semi-transparent dresses, and wicker baskets since the ’60s, and a cool 50 years later, her brand of unstudied nonchalance has lost none of its luster. In addition to her oft-referenced personal style, the Hermès bag to which Birkin lent her name is unquestionably the most famous purse on the planet. But for all her style cred, Birkin has magically remained mostly outside of the fashion system. ”

LULULEMON IS EXPANDING WITH A CLOTHING LAB – Nylon
“Lululemon, the iconic yoga workout wear label is going in a new direction. The brand, known for their colorful designs worn by every urban teen and mom is moving toward athleisure that’s not intended just for the gym. And it’s incredibly chic, at that. Today marks the opening of the brand’s 11th New York City store, and you can expect a very different array of pieces. The new concept store, Lululemon Lab, has set up on Manhattan’s Bond Street and features experimental designs that are functional yet sophisticated—kind of like a less expensive, more minimal version of Y-3 or Nike Lab. This is the second store of its kind, with the original in Vancouver, Canada.”

FOOT LOCKER TO JOIN THE S&P 500 – FashionMag
“After strong financial growth, particularly in FY15, Foot Locker announced on Monday that it will replace Cameron International Corp. in the S&P 500. Specifically, Foot Locker will be added to the S&P 500 (Global Industry Classification Standard) Apparel Retail Sub-Industry index.”

HOT BRAND OPENING POP-UPS IN HOTELS – RetailingToday
“One of the most buzzed-about retail brands is setting up shop—temporarily—in some hip hotels. Canadian apparel retailer Kit and Ace is opening a series of pop-ups  in collaboration with luxury hotels in major cities across the globe. The pop-up, called “The Carry-on,”  will make its debut in April, at the Hotel Zetta in San Francisco (for full listing, see end of article). It will offer a selection of easy-pack, carry-on essentials from Kit and Ace. The initiative will also have an online component.  Digital visitors can access travel-friendly resources, including itineraries of places to visit in each city curated by local influencers, and wardrobe essentials.”

ETHICAL FASHION BRAND’S POSTERS BANNED FOR ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ IMAGE OF YOUNG MODEL – The Guardian
“Posters for an ethical fashion brand have been banned for being “irresponsible” and sexualising models who appeared to be children. One of the bus shelter ads for the brand Nobody’s Child featured a female model wearing a black jumpsuit and heeled shoes, sitting on the arm of a sofa with one leg bent resting on the sofa. It had text reading “nobody’schild.com”.”