#the ft

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FT.com (Financial Times have dense content explaining how to raise complaints and request global opt-outs of services in Europe and US and instructions on how to block cookies from within the web browser.

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Joffe says that one of the things Kawakubo has taught him is: “Never answer a question directly.” Or, rather, to answer any question “the way you want”, which is to say: not necessarily in a way that responds to what was asked. And even though I know we are talking theoretically, this makes me pause with a piece of beetroot halfway to my mouth.

Vanessa Friedman sits down with Adrian Joffe for the FT. Also, I had no idea Adrian was born in South Africa. Cool.

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Christian Dior's numbers are up for 2011, despite being down a designer. Ousted designer John Galliano's very pubic anti-Semitic statements in March seemed not to impact sales of the brand in the remainder of the last 9 months. According to Vanessa Friedman of The FT, revenue is up 21 per cent to €705m against the same period in 2010 and retail revenue rose by 27 per cent, further proving that all press is good press.

Click through to read what Friedman calls the moral of this story.

[emilyjfox-blog-blog]

In a Recession, Less Labels, More Luxury

It's common knowledge that when the economy hits a rough patch, people go back to basics.

According to Jim Shi at The FT, the fashion world takes its own spin on this old adage.

There are still consumers who are in the market for luxury goods despite the recession, though they may be able to afford a new handbag once every two years instead of once each season. When there is less money to spend, people spend their money on timeless and quality, rather than trendiness and visible branding.

It's less about labels and more about luxury, Shi explains.

Shi writes:

In a world devoid of logos the product itself accentuates personality. During the downturn, high-end brand Hermès known for timeless bags rather than a new, trinket-laden style every season – has thrived. It posted an increase of 50 per cent in its first half profits this year and is looking to hire 400 staff to boost production.

...Designer Tomas Maier has always steered clear of in-your-face designs. “When I joined Bottega Veneta, I immediately eliminated everything that distracted from our focus on the product,” he says, admitting that it was a drastic course of action but the right one. “Bottega Veneta’s strengths have nothing to do with short-lived trends.”