As far as championing young brands is concerned, Barneys are doing pretty well. So with that in mind it was business as usual last night at their New York store where they celebrated the launch of their exclusive partnership with Costello Tagliapietra on the launch of their new diffusion line on their newly redecorated 8th floor.
The line, called C&T, will stay true to the spirit of the mainline but is aimed at appealing to a wider audience. 'Our collection is really a creative outlet for us, and its customer is primarily custom-order,' Robert Tagliapietra told Fashionista. 'This forces you to think in a way that’s more accessible, it makes you find a way to reach a broader audience, but our essence is still at the core of it.'
Today it's hard to find a brand that hasn't launched a diffusion line. Where sister lines were initially embraced by young brands trying to get their brand out there to the mass market through high street collaborations, more and more luxury brands are tapping into it too. Last month I spoke about Marchesa's plans to create a more affordable line and now Alice Temperley is following suit.
Yesterday the designer confirmed that she is teaming up with John Lewis to create a new line, Somerset by Alice Temperley, which is set to hit stores on September 4. The 60-piece collection is said to tap into many of the themes from the main line with prices ranging from £29 for a scarf to £1,000 for a sheepskin coat. 'I wanted it to be very much a collection of essentials and to design a collection that would provide a feminine and functional wardrobe for women in their everyday life,' she explained. 'We have spent the last ten years building our lines and Somerset will compliment our existing collections; it is a very accessible product that will take our aesthetic to a wider audience.'
All fellow Kimberly Ovitz fans, I come baring good news. Following in the likes of Victoria Beckham, Ovitz has just announced that she's working on a diffusion line that will debut for Spring/Summer 2012.
Named O by Kimberly Ovitz, the collection will feature of all the minimalist lightweight pieces that she's known for. Each season she plans to rework some of the best-selling pieces from the mainline to make sure that your favourite pieces are within budgets reach.
After much anticipation, Macy's have just released images of their 45 piece collection with Karl Lagerfeld. The collection is comprised of simple (but classic) LBDs, sheer blouses with the Kaiser's signature big white starched collars, feminine dresses and a healthy dosage of leather.
“To me Macy’s is the perfect department store in the US where everybody can find what they’re looking for without ruining their budget,” Lagerfeld said of the collection's affordable price points with pieces retailing between $50 and $170.
Erin Fetherston's much-celebrated collaboration with Juicy Couture is coming to an end but the designer revealed that she's got a lot more exciting projects in line for this year. This season, she will show a lower-priced line during New York Fashion Week called Erin.
Expect a collection that's a more relaxed than her main line, WWD Reports, and will consist mostly of day dresses, blouses, and T-shirts embellished with beads and chiffon." Like many others, Fetherston cites the economy as the main reason for her working with lower price points. “I became more aware of a large Erin Fetherston fan base that hasn’t necessarily been able to buy into the designer price point,” she told WWD.
Prices will range from $73-$250 and you'll be able to see the collection on the runway on February 12.
Oh, God no. You’re making me draw my champagne at the thought! Not initially, anyway. We’ll have agents selling it, and we’re hoping it will have kind of a global presence, and then who knows? We’ll see how it goes.
H&M can do no wrong. In the past, the high street retailer has collaborated with everyone from Karl Lagerfeld to their most recent line with Jimmy Choo, not to mention the highly anticipated lingerie and knitwear collaboration with Sonia Rykiel.
Just when we thought that was good enough, the retailer has announced that the Sonia Rykiel collection will be officially unveiled and celebrated with a big runway show in Paris on December 1, days before the collection hits stores.
The show will take place at the Grand Palais, the place of choice for Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel's runway shows, and will showcase the full line including both lingerie and knitwear.
If you cast your mind back to the star studded Stella McCartney launch and the Matthew Williamson party with Grace Jones in attendance, speculation for the font row of the show is already in full swing.
We are pleased to reveal that The Fash Pack will be attendance and will be reporting and tweeting live from the event for you so stay tuned.
We've seen numerous designer diffusion lines available for women from the likes of Target, H&M and Uniqlo. A diffusion line for men, however, always seems to sit on the sidelines while us women spend the money, leaving our poor male counterparts with less choice. Macy's is finally changing that. Hiring Ruffian design duo Brian Wold and Claude Morais to create two capsule collections for their new men's designer diffusion line, named 'Thread & Heirs', the Macy's execs plan on having various fashion designers collaborating each season.
“I think we’re not giving men enough credit sometimes, and thinking they’re just looking for a basic sweater or T-shirt.” GQ's creative director Jim Moore told The Cut in February, "Especially at a price point of an H&M or a Uniqlo, they’re going to definitely experiment a little bit more and go for something that they might not normally wear.” Taking inspiration from Williamsberg and based on layering, Morais and Wold are excited at the prospect after not designing menswear for over five years. The first collection will be hitting 200 Macy's stores across America, with garments priced from $24 to $99. Looking at the illustrations for Ruffian's Thread & Heirs collection, the men won't be disappointed, either.
Alexander Wang is officially the man of the moment. But don't be misconceived. It's not all about parties and celebrities for the Swarovski Emerging Design Talent winner. Wang has developed a business acumen that could rival several leading figures in the business today. Each season, Wang ups the ante and continues to take his brand to the next level. Fresh off his diffusion collection with Gap and the introduction of his shoe line, Wang has expanded the brand to produce a range of leather goods including bags, shoes and clothing.
After the success of her main line for House of Dereon, Beyonce has just announced that she will launch a diffusion line called 'Sasha Fierce for House of Dereon'.
It looks as if the singer is cashing in on her alter ego and current album name. The line will feature sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewellery.
The singer's recent tour definitely influenced the collection. 'When the tour started, we noticed a definite style,' said Tina Knowles. 'Thierry Mugler designed the clothes for the tour, but we really wanted to celebrate the style and interpret that into a collection.
Beyoncé says “the line really exudes a different side of my personality, which I am grateful that I can express.”
