ABC Luxury

Burberry Group plc, the global luxury company, today announces its results for the year ended 31 March 2008.

Angela Ahrendts, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“Burberry’s 18% revenue growth and 14% profit increase demonstrate the robustness of our global luxury business in these challenging times, with consistent performance across our regions, channels and products. Brand momentum remains strong and we are investing in the future, continuing to grow and innovate our iconic outerwear, while developing exciting new businesses such as shoes, jewellery and childrenswear.”

All the press release here

The collection draws on a diverse range of inspirations, from different peoples and eras in the history of the Silk Road. Many of the prints combine tribal Central Asian (Kazakh, Mongol, Kirghiz, Uzbek and Tajik) motifs with more familiar Han Chinese elements, such as peony flowers and the “Shou” symbol. The collection has a significant focus on outerwear, with luxuriant suede and leathers, embellished with studs and jade, evoking the nomadic lifestyle, where wealth and luxury were literally worn on one’s sleeve.

Featuring models such as Liu Dan, the fashion parade was unveiled with the Ikat hand knit coat. The Ikat motif, beloved by the Central Asian tribes of Chinese Turkestan, runs throughout the collection as a unifying thread, sometimes alone, sometimes juxtaposed with disparate elements.

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Take a front-seat at the New Spring Fashion Show… Ralph Lauren’s website gives you a backstage pass by presenting exclusives behind-the-scenes video, celebrity interviews and photos from the lavish after-party. 

Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has annouced he is resigning as head of the eponymous fashion house as of January 2008 after a final ready-to-wear and couture season. This comes three months after UK equity group Permira took control of Valentino Fashion Group from the Marzotto family. The deal valued the house at €2.6bn or $3.5.

Luxury lifestyle brand Shanghai Tang and famous sports brand PUMA jointly launch the third installment of their design collaboration The Shanghai Tang Crest Logo PUMA.

Taking a bold stride from previous editions where traditional Chinese fabrics such as brocade (Shudoh Tang) and Peony print (Shanghai Tang Peony) were used as design elements, the new Shanghai Tang Crest Logo PUMA makes a sharp turn using the brand’s bright signature colors and highly-recognizable crest logo to create a modern Chinese classic.

Available in fuchsia and lime-green, the sleek, eye-catching shoe was designed with the high performance and functionality favored by PUMA fans. The upper of the shoe features a Shanghai Tang logo-ed satin offset by black suede trim. Its asymmetric eyestay, inspired by the qipao’s crossing collar, is punctuated with metal eyelet reinforcements. Contrasting shoelaces fuchsia for lime-green shoes, and vice versa - with the PUMA logo engraved in the metal lace-tips and a suede puma appliqué complete the whimsical look.

The Shanghai Tang Crest Logo PUMA will be sold in all Shanghai Tang flagship stores and selected retailers in November 2007.

Source: Shanghai Tang Press Release (Honk Konk, July 23th)