Horyn says Paris hits redial, Forever 21 in UK, Luxury fast fashion, Serving affluents online, Saving Asian craft

Balanciaga Spring 2011 Runway | Source: Style.com

In Paris, Designers Hit the Redial Button (NY Times)

“Nicolas Ghesquiere was showing Balenciaga at the Crillon, Balmain was at the Grand, and an American, Zac Posen, was making his debut here, in the very place where Yves Saint Laurent used to show. So why did the day feel like a broken record?”

Forever 21 to launch in the UK (Telegraph)

“Forever 21, America’s answer to Primark and New Look, will be opening two stores in the UK this Autumn. The brand makes inexpensive clothing and accessories that ape up-to-the-minute trends, with new styles arriving daily in their shops.”

H&M, Zara Fast Fashion Pressures Luxury Labels to Speed Up (Bloomberg)

“Luxury companies need to improve their logistics to react more quickly to changes in consumption patterns… Burberry Group is now able to replenish stock monthly and in April introduced a limited-edition… which went from design to store in three months.”

Giving Affluents the Luxury Treatment Online (e-Marketer)

“Affluent consumers expect luxury retailers’ websites to replicate the same shopping experience they offer in their stores… Luxury retailers are challenged to mimic that experience online.”

Hermès to the rescue of Indian crafts? (Live Mint)

“If a hundred Shang Xia’s bloom, Asia’s fast-evaporating artisanal heritage will not only get a second lease of life, it will be raised to a whole new level. At their core, luxury brands are cultural products, their heritage coded and reinterpreted for contemporary times.”