Gucci Group - Pressure for Profit

In the high end world of fashion where competition is fierce, new speculation has been growing that Gucci Group are putting pressure on their top designers to produce substantial profits. Both Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen are said to be expected to reach certain targets for the label or else they will be dumped.

This may be the rationale behind why so many designers are teaming up with retail giants and putting their names to large, established outlets. Doing so will enable them to have mass appeal and more exposure to the general public, and hopefully driving up their own sales.

Stella McCartney has been producing a flurry of collections lately in order to lift her profile, the latest of which is to be with Notify Jeans. Will we seen a similar rush from Alexander McQueen later in the year?

Style Scout - Street Style in London

As you know I have a kind of love for fashion and style. If you don't know, just take a look at my profile. So I spend a lot of my time on the internet looking for stuff that grabs my attention. I've already written here about The Sartorialist, and the reason why I just love his blog. This time it's the StyleScout.

Weinstein buys Halston, easy marketing ensues

Last March, film producer Harvey Weinstein purchased the has-been label Halston. Now he intends to do for it what Jean Jacques Picart more-or-less did for Louis Vuitton - reinvent it.

[Harvey Weinstein] plans to resurrect the label by opening a Manhattan storefront and dressing his actors up in the revamped designs.

This is one tactic you're probably not going to be able to employ, unless your surname is Weinstein or you wield as much as power as the man. But it's an interesting business model, almost a package deal. One which should have you thinking what you can do to package your own label, whatever your means.

Skinny Models Too Porky

Some of you may remember the skinny model debate which arose when fellow Fashionisers, Marajoara Swimwear were scrutinised by the fashion council about their size 8 to 12 models used on the catwalk.

Well, the skinny model debate has arisen again with comments at Rosemount Fashion Week by Wayne Cooper who described Aussie models as "Porky" when compared to those in Europe.

However the top designer says that the media scrutiny has been "ridiculous" and has been taken too seriously. He also stated that he sent back a model that was anorexic once and refuses to use models that are clearly too skinny. But, he does say this: "Models are the same, they are supposed to be skinny and tall".

Azzollini swimwear was accused of using models that were too skinny by some, with others saying that the models were completely healthy.

Azzollini models strut on the catwalk.