This site is for those who think fashion is art.
This site is for those who wear pajamas outdoors.
In an email sent to members as well as a note posted on genart.org, founders Ian and Stefan Gerard announced today that Gen Art would be closing its doors, effective immediately. Facing recession-driven challenges, the hybrid nonprofit/for-profit organization cited the breakdown of a potential partnership as the ultimate cause of its demise:
During this challenging time we did everything in our power to adjust our business to these new business realities by cutting costs and seeking out alternative funding solutions. However when a major, new, corporate partnership unexpectedly collapsed a few weeks ago, we found ourselves without sufficient resources or time to overcome this sudden and substantial loss of revenue. The reality is that we had fiscally planned and relied upon the representations of this partner. Their decision had the unintended effect of pushing Gen Art over the edge. As of today we have halted all operations and had to lay off all staff.
Beyond throwing celeb-attended parties nationwide, Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion boosted the careers of then-emerging designers like Zac Posen, Philip Lim, Vena Cava, Sari Gueon, Chaiken and Rami Kashou.
Where does this leave up-and-coming designers and artists? The Gerards are somewhere between uncertain and cautiously optimistic:
We hope that where we have left off, others will step up to help fill the void.
From AFP:
German luxury women’s fashion label Escada declared bankruptcy on Thursday, contrasting with an upbeat mood after official data showed Germany had emerged from recession in the second quarter.
The company, which counts US actress Kim Basinger among its customers and whose clothes have been advertised by supermodel Eva Herzigova, employs 2,300 people around the world including around 600 in Germany.
“Management and employees hope the group will continue to exist,” a spokesman for Escada told AFP.
“Everything will depend on what form the bankruptcy will take,” he said.
The bankruptcy filing will be examined by a judge in Munich who will then appoint an administrator for the company. Negotiations with the company’s bondholders on a restructuring deal fell through earlier this week.
Another one bites the dust.
Rodarte to Design for Target’s Go International
Squeeee! And with 55 pieces! From WWD:
Designing sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy will be bringing their ethereal sensibility to a wider world when Target introduces Rodarte in December as part of its Go International series of limited collections.
The 55-piece Rodarte line for Go International will launch at most Target stores nationwide and on target.com on Dec. 20, and will be available through Feb. 6. While it may be hard to imagine translating Rodarte’s hand-wrought designs for the mass market, Target claims to have stayed true to the spirit of the luxury-priced label.
Prices for Target’s Go International Rodarte collection will range from $9.99 for knee-highs to $79.99 for a leopard print jacket.
Rodarte, which is known for evening clothes, designed “a variety of great holiday dresses,” Thomas said. “There are stand-alone pieces and pieces that can be worn together to create an ensemble by layering different patterns, textures and prints.”
With its December debut, this will be perfect for all of us who want budget-friendly gifts for our favorite fashionistas.
Photo credit: wweek.com
Really, A Skinny Jeans Workout?
From CNN:
To look at her, you’d never know Jessica Ordona, 25, has a problem with her jeans. “I don’t like the fact that when you sit down, your stomach comes over them,” she says.
A retail specialist with a commercial real estate firm in Bethesda, Maryland, Ordona knows image is part of success. That’s why she has been diligent about hitting the gym four to five times a week. But even with all her crunches and lifting, she sometimes experienced denim frustration.
Unhappy with her former gym, Ordona decided to join a national health club chain in her neighborhood. Much to her surprise, she found a class called Skinny Jeans Workout, specifically designed to get rid of those annoying little bulges and bumps. “It’s different than your typical workout class,” she says. “It’s not high-impact cardio, but you’re sweating the whole time because you’re working every muscle group.”
The Skinny Jeans Workout and other programs similar to it can be found at health clubs across the country. While the specifics of the workouts may vary, depending on the health club, the goal is pretty much the same: It’s all about zipping yourself up into the smallest jeans in your closet.
I’m not belittling the positive effects of the gym, but I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: skinny jeans are not for everyone. Believe me, nobody is more saddened by this fact than I am, but if I have to choose between wearing skinny jeans and having my skull-crushing thighs look like snausages or, um, not, I’m going to go with not.
Photo credit: Shopbop
From The Huffington Post:
Fashion, it seems, has gone out of fashion. Companies are reporting record losses for the first half of 2009, several are filing bankruptcy — the most high profile being the French couture house of Christian Lacroix, and fashion magazines are in a panic over the drop in ad page sales.
So Diane von Furstenberg, the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, held a summit of sorts in New York last week with leaders of the industry, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour, to rethink Fashion Week, the semi-annual trade-show-like event to present new offerings and drum up hype. Instead, the meeting turned into a strategy session to figure out how to stop plummeting sales and profits during the current economic recession.
There were several conclusions. Von Furstenberg argued that the period between the fashion shows and when the clothes reach the stores was too long and wants to reform the show system. Fashion designer Donna Karan declared that the practice of early delivery to retailers was the problem. Who wants to by a bikini in March or a mink in July? As a result, Karan said, consumers wait until sales to shop, and companies and retailers lose the huge mark-up that equals bigger profits. Wintour suggested following the French model of having a government-fixed day when retailers can start price reductions, but this was quickly shot down as price-fixing and illegal in the United States. “Is that something we can change?” asked Wintour. “We have friends in the White House now!”
Finally, von Furstenberg addressed the elephant in the room: “Everyone had been too greedy,” she said, “and everyone thought the party was forever.”
The article by Dana Thomas (the author of Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster goes on to describe the transition of the major design houses from family businesses to conglomerates, as well as the decline in production quality (but not garment prices).
A lot of her criticisms leveled at the fashion industry are fair; however, to say that greed dictates the fashion industry as a whole is inaccurate. Plenty of mom-and-pop boutiques (my own included) have gone out of business in the last two years because they simply couldn’t afford to sell things at or below cost in a sluggish economy anymore. It would seem that government legislation and stringent pricing guidelines set by showrooms and designers are necessary to both reform and keep the fashion industry afloat.
Tom Ford’s Directorial Debut to Premiere at Venice Film Festival
From All Headline News:
Fashion designer Tom Ford’s directorial debut is set to be screened at the 66th Film Festival in Venice, Italy. “A Single Man” is also nominated for the festival’s prestigious Lion d’Or award.
The film, based on the novel by British author Christopher Isherwood, tells the story of a homosexual college professor who struggles to find meaning in his life after the death of his partner. Ford co-wrote the screenplay and directed the project. He also produced the film through his Fade to Back single.
However, Ford, whose eponymous men’s line is a red carpet favorite by man Hollywood stars, did not serve as a costume designer for the film. He asked Academy Award-nominated Arianne Phillips to fill in the role.
Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode and Nicholas Hoult star.
The 66th Venice International Film Festival will be held from September 2 to 12, with Ford’s creation to be screened on September 11 to close out the festival’s main competition.
I guess Tom Ford’s plan to take over every subsection of the arts is coming to fruition. While the film could have been included in the festival as a mere curiosity, the fact that it’s an in competition choice speaks volumes.
Are you excited to see Tom’s directorial effort?
Tom Ford photo credit: Upscale Hype
