Fashionista investigates green . . . .

Fashionista has been reading about sustainability in the fashion world and is interested to know the thoughts of her fellow fashionistas on this topic. So please click here to let Fashionista know your views on the importance of sustainability for recessionistas and for fashion companies planning for a new world post-recession. Just how relevant is this for consumers . . . . . ?

McCartney childrens range for Gap announced

With so many of Fashionista's colleagues and friends having babies at the moment, Fashionista was thrilled to read the article from Reuters today about Stella McCartney's planned new range for selected GapKids and babyGap stores.

It's another fantastic celebrity and high street store partnership which certainly sorts out the question of what presents to buy whilst promising to make Fashionista look the most fashionable of doting aunties ever.

The range is expected to launch at the end of this year so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for delivery annoucements and waiting lists nearer the time to ensure you don't miss out.

Jaeger: dressing women 125 years on

Originally the choice of adventurers on exploration to the Antarctic, Jaeger is now the choice of fashionistas on exploration to find a luxury brand which is fashionable, functional, fun, elegant, timeless. Jaeger has stood the test of time and for this it has much to celebrate as it reaches its 125th anniversary. The brand originally focused on the benefits of clothing made from natural fibres, and Jaeger (named after Dr Gustav Jaeger, professor of zoology and physiology and who poineered the benefits of animal hair in clothing) remains true to this thinking today, sourcing the purest cotton to the softest cashmere. Fashionista is thrilled to see that one of Britain's oldest brands is doing so well and not only fighting off the competition, but challenging and directing it.

There is much to be said for a birthday fanfare. In the current economic doom-and-gloom, it is refreshing to see a brand with something to celebrate. The psychological message is strong: this is a brand that is not buckling under the pressure of the economy. Its longevity is a testament to the strength of the brand, reinforcing its reputation as a serious player in the fashion world and increasing customer appeal. If the brand sends out such an encouraging message, customers will surely be encouraged by what the brand provides. After all, surviving 125 years in an industry where the customer is faced with immense choice and loyalty can be fickle suggests that Jaeger is doing something very right.

To celebrate its 125th birthday, Jaeger is honouring its heritage with the help of fashion curators Amy de la Haye and Judith Clark from London College of Fashion, who hosted an exhibition at the London College of Fashion earlier this year showing pieces from Jaeger's archives and who have co-authored the book "Jaeger 125". Fashionista turned the pages of the book with fascination, as she was taken on a journey illustrating the history and development of this iconic brand and documenting its success. Jaeger has also launched the 125 Collection - a capsule clothing collection drawing its inspiration from the brand's archives and putting a modern spin on a few key designs from the 60s: the defining era in Jaeger's history.

For the Fashionista-at-Law Birthday Q&A, Fashionista was lucky enough to speak with Shailina Parti, Buying Director for Jaeger, and asked:

(1) What is the Jaeger brand?

Jaeger is an iconic, stylish lifestyle brand stretching from womenswear to mens, to fragrance, to home - built on luxury, quality, style and wit. Whimsical and fun, it does not take itself too seriously. It is confident and bold with clean lines and fabulous fabrics.

(2) Who is the Jaeger customer and how has she changed over the years?

A confident woman of 35 and older who wants beautifully made and well fitted contemporary fashion. At first, she touches the fabric. If it feels wonderful, she'll try it on. She wants to look and feel fabulous in what she wears. It used to be that the brand was perceived to be for mothers and fathers. But with Jaeger appearing at London Fashion Week alongside Topshop and other youth brands, and lowering the price point for certain products, it is now appealing to the younger fashionista, so that mothers and daughters have a one-stop shop for their fashion needs. Jaeger dresses women, certainly. But the menswear collection does surprisingly well amongst young men who, armed with their first big paycheque or bonus and wanting to treat themselves to a great quality suit, are increasingly heading to Jaeger. Menswear is hardly advertised. There is no PR drive. The quality and fit of the suits are the selling point.

(3) What inspires Jaeger?

Everything around us: vintage markets, films, art. Exhibitions at London museums are a regular source of inspiration. You can guarantee that if there is a Byzantine exhibition in a museum, you will see Byzantine inspired pieces appearing on the market shortly after. Importantly, Jaeger's own archives are a great inspiration, showing that great designs transcend time.

(4) What does the future hold for the brand?

Further development of the luxury lifestyle values. The Internet has provided an incredible sales platform, allowing the brand to reach a far wider audience and attracting: new and younger customers; those who may not otherwise have entered a store; customers who are time-pressed but know they can rely on the quality, design and fit of Jaeger clothes; and - importantly - "Rural Fashionistas" who may be after catwalk items which are only available online or in the Regent Street flagship store. An online presence goes hand-in-hand with the brand's international expansion and Jaeger's plans to broaden the range of products, introducing a larger range at a more accessible price point to rival top end high street favourites such as Hobbs and Reiss, together with expanding the Jaeger Black demi couture range for that ultra-special piece.

Fashionista happily remembers raiding her mother's wardrobe as a little girl and dressing up in beautiful Jaeger pieces. A few decades later, and Fashionista is raiding her own wardrobe to dress up in her own beautiful Jaeger pieces. In the words of one of the iconic brand's early advertising slogans: "We don't sell clothes, we dress women". Fashionista says: Happy Birthday Jaeger, and thank you for dressing us so well!

The Whispering rebrand

According to Drapers online, UK high street supplier Rajan Group is searching for brand acquisitions or licences now that it has rebranded its business as Whispering Smith. The group reckons that recession-struck young fashion brands are ripe for the picking. Group sales rose 10% to £60 million for the year to year-end 31 March, with net profits rising 43% to £250,000 -- a sign of how slender profit margins can be in the cut-throat market for fashion goods.

Fashionista has been listening to the financial pundits and agrees that Whispering Smith may find that now is the right time for a shopping spree. And although a good name counts for a lot in some circles, Fashionista is less sure that the name of a holding company is that important. Perhaps the trendy young brands in Whispering Smith's sights may prefer to be bought by a group with an interesting name but ultimately survival, especially in this market, will be uppermost in their throughts.

Primani turns to Beckham for inspiration

Although, hand on heart, Fashionista can't say with absolute truth and certainty that she has never set foot inside Primark, she can say that-- as a keen reader of the Urban Dictionary -- she knew the bargain basement retail brand was nicknamed "Primani" for its ability to turn out designer fashions at high street prices.

People who are rude about soccer-celebrity-turned-fashion-icon David Beckham will probably sneer that he'd think Primani was the name of the manager of the Italian football team. Dashing David might just have had some ground for grievance against the chain -- had it not already been kind enough to enter into an out-of-court financial settlement following claims by Superdry that key features of its Beckham-driven signature Brad leather jacket had mysteriously appeared on jackets sold by Primark. According to Fashionista's source,

"The worn-in leather jacket with double collar costs £175, and has become something of a classic since Beckham first stepped out in it in 2007, with 70,000 sales to date and 25,000 on order for this autumn".

Source: Guardian.co.uk, 28 May 2009.

New improved design law down under

Fashionista has received word from her Antipodean friend and fellow fashionista Lisa Lennon at Gilbert & Tobin of some interesting test cases under the new Australian designs law. Under the new legislation, designers can register fashion designs that are new and distinctive. Designs are simple to register as applications are immediately registered, but must be certified (examined) before they can be used to stop others from copying the design. The new law replaces the older system, which was considered toothless when confronting actual copycats – according to Lisa, the saying went that under the old law all designs were valid but never infringed. One of the notable changes is the requirement to give more weight to similarities than to differences when comparing a copy to a registered design. Minor changes will no longer get copycats out of hot water. All of this sounds like great news for fashion brands - but does the law work in practice?

Women’s fashion chain, Review, decided to roadtest the new law and sued three companies for allegedly copying one of their dress designs. In the Review cases, the Court found that two of the defendants had infringed Review’s design of a sleeveless cross-over dress (see above image). While the Court did not award Review damages for lost sales (on the basis that that women who bought the copy dresses were unlikely to have bought the more expensive Review dresses in any case) it did award compensation for damage to its reputation for originality - us ladies hate to see a copy of their latest designer purchase for sale at less than half the price.

Review was awarded damages of AU$17,500 in one case and AU$85,000 in the other. However, the deterrent effect on other would-be copiers is probably worth many times these amounts to Review. Lisa has heard that other designers are starting to take notice and she is aware of another designer who is considering similar action in relation to a discount copy of her dress design.

Fashionista would be interested to hear from its readers about their experiences of enforcing their rights in Australia - are they now more likely to take Court action under the new system?

Oasis online marketing results in domain name loss

Brand owners tend to have a high success rate at recovering domain names featuring their trade marks where they are registered by cybersquatters or domainers. However, Fashionista has come across a recent decision of the Appeal Panel of Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) overturning its earlier decision requiring the transfer of the domain name oasis.co.uk. to the retailer.

At the outset, the case appeared to be typical: The registrant was using the domain to point to a parking page displaying sponsored links which, amongst several other links relating to women's fashion, included links to Oasis' official website. Oasis filed a complaint with Nominet DRS arguing that the registration and use was "abusive" and seeking a transfer. The Respondent failed to respond, and given the evidence filed by the retailer, the Nominet expert found the registration abusive and ordered a transfer of the domain name.

The registrant subsequently appealed and asked the Appeal Panel to accept late evidence as his Reply (He argued that the paper copy of the Complaint had been sent to an old address and he had overlooked the email copy). The new evidence included a statement from Imodo.com (a domain parking company) explaining that the sponsored links appearing on the website accessed via the domain name were automatically generated based on, among other things, the keywords purchased by third parties for the domain name. Since Oasis the retailer had purchased keyword advertising with Yahoo for the terms "oasis.co.uk" and "oasis.com", it was the retailer's own action which had caused the parking page to link to clothing retailers including their own website. The registrant claimed not to have been aware of Oasis the retailer when he originally purchased the domain name, and said he had plans to use the domain for a financial services site.

When considering this new evidence, the Appeal Panel did some of its own research and found that the retailer's website used metatags which included the domain name. It concluded that "this information tends to confirm the thrust of the allegations made by the Respondent - namely that the Complainant (the retailer) is itself seeking to use the domain names oasis.co.uk and oasis.com to attract traffic to its own site". Further, although additional evidence is not normally admissible in the course of an appeal, in this case the Appeal Panel was prepared to use its discretion to admit the evidence since to do otherwise would deprive the registrant of a valuable asset.

This is the first case Fashionista has seen where a registrant has relied on the brand owner's actions to overturn a negative decision. The messages are clear: (1) try to secure the key domain names for your brand at the outset, and (2) before you take action to recover a domain, ensure your legal team knows the full extent of any marketing activity surrounding the domain, whether as a metatag or keyword before any complaint is filed.