This week Fashionista's Lauren Sherman managed to sit down with Anja Rubik ahead of the Victoria's Secret show. Rubik revealed that 25, the magazine she set up with her boyfriend last year, is moving base from Vienna to New York and is only getting bigger moving from a side project to a fully blown operation. For those of you anxiously waiting for the next issue, the model revealed that it should be released within the year. “We really wanted to have it for September fashion week" she said "but there's just too much to do.”
Despite a not so positive economic climate of late, things are finally on the up, and reaping the benefits of this recovery is Austrian leg wear label Wolford, who despite seeing a minor 2.2% fall in sales have recorded a whopping 104.5% increase in operating profit. The average pair of tights from Wolford might cost around £30, but there is a reason women worldwide are parting with their hard earned money in favour of some slightly more expensive hosiery, in comparison with competitors.
"A few years ago, I decided that I was bloody sick of dealing with rips in my stockings. I decided I was going to risk sinking $52 and buy a pair of black Wolford 80 denier matte tights," Lauren Sherman of Fashionista explains. "You know what? It was worth it. I only buy Wolford now, and one or two new pairs a year instead of ten. I've figured I'm actually saving money. And my legs look way better." Reason enough to pay the extra money, then? It seems Wolford deserve the increase in profit, and if more women find out the secret behind tights minus the ladders, we expect to be reporting something similar this time next year, too.
Part and parcel of wanting a job in the fashion industry comes with the knowledge that it will probably be necessary to complete at least a few unpaid internships, in order to get the big break you require for a successful career. It also comes as common knowledge that many interns working for free are handed the menial tasks of fetching coffee, sorting returns in the closet and working long, and often unfulfilling hours.
For this reason, labour officials in many states of America are arguing the legality of unpaid internships, and are pressing to enforce a law that ensures all interns are paid minimum wage. Whilst this might sound fantastic for all of those budding fashionistas awaiting a career, the enforcement of a law like this could have serious consequences on the fashion industry as a whole. The majority of creative industries rely on unpaid interns to make things run smoothly, and the fashion world is no different.
The critically acclaimed, New York-based hip brand Phi have announced they will cease trading in the New Year. Although the label is adored by the likes of Vanessa Traina and Dree Hemingway, and is backed by Susan Dell, wife of computer giant Michael Dell, the company revealed the sad news this week and put it down to the current economic climate.
