To commemorate the start of Black History Month in the United States, a time when the country recognizes the historically overlooked achievements of black Americans, US president Donald Trump hosted a “listening session” at the White House yesterday with invited representatives of the black community.
H&M stores have been spreading across the world like a fast-growing mold. For at least a decade, the fast-fashion retailer has increased stores by 10% to 15% annually, sometimes squeezing them in at a preposterous density: In New York in 2015, the chain opened a 63,000-square-foot behemoth that was literally across the street from another H&M (and just down the street from still another).
Under Armour is mostly a brand for jocks. The company started in 1996 with founder Kevin Plank making sweat-wicking shirts that football players could wear under their pads. In the 20 years since, it has grown into a $4.8 billion business selling products in more than 60 countries around the world.
The word “couture” gets thrown around quite a bit in fashion. (See Juicy Couture and its velour jumpsuits.) But its meaning is quite specific, particularly in the case of haute couture, which has its own governing body in France. Generally, couture refers to dressmaking done almost entirely by hand of the highest quality, made-to-order for private clients—very wealthy private clients. A true couture dress can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The most powerful speeches aren’t always the loudest.
At a fast-fashion retailer such as H&M, a simple cut-and-sew top can cost as little as $15. At Gap, something similar might run about $45. At Elizabeth Suzann, a small fashion label based in Nashville, Tennessee, one of the brand’s minimal kimono-sleeved t-shirts, made of cotton twill, is $140.
Mary Tyler Moore blazed a bold, hilarious trail for women in entertainment.
The men’s suit used to have a clear place in the world. Men wore it to work, to dinner, and to cocktails. But times have changed. Corporate dress codes are loosening up. Regard for formality is dwindling. Can the suit remain relevant?
Consumers may believe that garment factories exploiting workers is a problem restricted to low-wage Asian nations. As long as they buy items made in the UK or US they’re safe. That’s wrong.
Americans are breaking new ground as sartorial slackers.
2016 was not a banner year for the global apparel and footwear industry, but it could have been much worse.
Today, Melania Trump, wife of soon-to-be president Donald Trump, becomes the new first lady of the United States.
When the iconic French label Louis Vuitton—the “LV” in LVMH, the world’s largest luxury conglomerate—showed its latest menswear collection in Paris today, fashion onlookers went absolutely bonkers. The show, as had been rumored beforehand, included a wide-ranging collaboration with Supreme, one of the godfathers of modern streetwear and its most influential force today.
Michelle Obama is leaving the White House. For many in the US fashion industry, and those who just loved her impeccable style, the statement is enough to start tears forming.
Bernie Sanders, style icon?
US austronaut Eugene Cernan, the last human to have set foot on the moon, died today, NASA said. He was 82.
Humans aren’t as necessary as they once were for carrying out basic tasks, manual and otherwise. Robots are doing more and more of those jobs, threatening to displace large numbers of workers and prompting experts from economists to Elon Musk to ask whether now is the time to implement a universal basic income, a social safety net that would provide unconditional cash payments to everyone.
Barack Obama knows his books. The US president and accomplished memoirist has a well-documented appetite for reading that spans literature, history, popular fiction, and more.
After a recent New Year’s Eve celebration in Bengaluru, India, turned into what eyewitnesses called a “mass molestation” of women, a few politicians came forward with a culprit for the reported assaults: “They try to copy westerners not only in mindset, but even the dressing,” said Bengaluru home minister G. Parameshwara, “so some disturbance, some girls are harassed, these kind of things do happen.”
A new shareholder wants to change things up at LVMH, the world’s largest luxury conglomerate and parent company of renowned fashion and leather-goods brands such as Louis Vuitton, Loewe, and Céline.
US president-elect Donald Trump wants you to support L.L. Bean, the Maine-based maker of odd-looking but perennially popular duck boots seen on feet across the northeastern US and beyond on rainy or snowy days. ”Buy L.L. Bean,” he urged in a tweet this morning.
American Apparel has a new owner that isn’t American at all.
The Ivanka Trump fashion and jewelry brand available in stores such as Nordstrom and Macy’s across the US will soon have little to do with the woman who gave it her name.
Clothes took over as the top-selling category online in the US, and Amazon is cornering the market. Owner of sites such as Zappos, it’s set to become the largest apparel retailer in the US in 2017. Given that its apparel margins are higher than most other categories, according to analysts, that bodes well for future profits.
