Week in Review November 5-9
The Long View | Chris Anderson Says the ‘Maker’ Movement is the Next Industrial Revolution (The Long View)
“Since the birth of the personal computer and the Web, people have used relatively simple and accessible new technologies to create, connect and collaborate in ways that were previously unimaginable. For one thing, simple blogging tools and social media platforms have fundamentally democratised mass media, ending the monopoly once enjoyed by large publishers and broadcasters.”
Finding Your M.O. | Part 11: Motivating and Retaining Talent (Education)
“Any MBA programme will tell you that managing people is perhaps the biggest challenge that a business leader faces. At business school, I heard this message repeatedly. But, to be honest, it never really rang true for me.”
BoF Interviews Facebook’s Tracy Yaverbaun at Decoded London (Fashion 2.0)
“Last week, London’s digital fashion community gathered at the Decoded Fashion conference to debate and discuss the ongoing shifts in consumer technology and social media which are reshaping the fashion and luxury industry as we know it.”
What Next For Balenciaga? (Vogue UK)
“CEO Isabelle Guichot has confirmed that she has ‘a shortlist’ of potential candidates to succeed creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, following yesterday’s confirmation that he would be parting ways with the brand. The designer has acted at the helm of Balenciaga for 15 years.”
The Garbo of Fashion (NY Times)
“Ms. Moss’s bad-girl image has always been good for business, at least since the days of heroin chic and somebody-feed-her-a-cracker. Now, at 38 — an age when even the luckiest in her field have typically been tossed on the ice — Ms. Moss can boast of numerous advertising campaigns; more editorial work than any one glamour puss can reasonably handle.”
Gap Gains With Zara Responding to Fast-Fashion Fatigue (BusinessWeek)
“Call it fast-fashion fatigue. Millennials, after years of settling for apparel retailers’ downgraded fabrics and workmanship, are pushing for higher- quality clothing again, and chains are getting the message. Gap Inc., the biggest U.S. specialty-apparel retailer, and Fast Retailing Co. Uniqlo are able to charge more for better basics.”
Longchamp: A long way from pipes in Paris (Independent)
“Longchamp’s signature product is a handbag seen on the arms of hundreds of women everywhere from London to Sao Paulo and Singapore. Its Le Pliage foldable handbags launched in 1993 and the company still sells three million of them every year, helping to explain a recent 22 per cent growth in group sales. Despite its products being a common sight among the masses, Longchamp claims it isn’t out of place among Hong Kong’s ‘who’s who’ of top luxury names.”