FASHION INDUSTRY NEWS – FRIDAY

Good morning designers!  The Friday edition of the StylePortfolios.com Daily Fix is up and ready for your reading pleasure.  What are you waiting for?  Get a coffee, sit-down and get your day started-off right with the The Daily Fix…

BEBE TURNAROUND EFFORT INCLUDES FORMER CEO – RetailingToday
“Bebe stores has replaced its CEO and COO as the retailer embarks on a corporate restructuring plan. The fashion retailer announced that Manny Mashouf has rejoined Bebe’s management team as chief executive officer and that Walter Parks has rejoined as president, chief operating officer and interim chief financial officer. The company also announced that former CEO and board member Jim Wiggett and former CFO Liyuan Woo are no longer with the company.”

APPAREL SUPPLIER EXPANDING RETAIL FOOTPRINT AGAIN – RetailingToday
“The combination of 80 new stores and a 20% increase in e-commerce is expected to drive double digit growth of VF corp.’s business in 2016. The company, best known for brands such as Timberland, North Face, Lee, Wrangler and Vans, has become a major retailer in its own right and it likes what it sees. It ended last year with 1,520 stores – up from 1,401 the prior year – which combined with a rapidly going e-commerce business, accounted for 34%, or $1.2 billion, of VF’s fourth quarter revenue of $3.4 billion. That compares to 32% in the fourth quarter the prior year. For the year, the direct-to-consumer combination of stores and e-commerce accounted for 27%, or $3.3 billion, of VF’s total revenues of $12.4 billion.”

UNIQLO MADE A TINY CHANGE TO THE SHIRT THAT MADE IT FAMOUS — AND FANS ARE FURIOUS – Yahoo!
“When a company changes a favorite item, fans notice — even if the change is tiny. Uniqlo’s Oxford Slim Fit Cloth button-down shirt is well regarded in certain circles as having the very best bang for your buck. It’s the perfect intersection of fit, quality, and price, and we’ve written about how it shows why men love to shop at the Japanese chain. Well, it was the perfect intersection, anyway. One of those pillars has fallen with the company’s introduction of last season’s update to the shirt, which slightly loosened its fit.”

THE LINGERIE BRAND THAT REFUSES TO AIRBRUSH MODELS JUST TOOK ANOTHER STEP TO BE MORE RELATABLE TO WOMEN THAN VICTORIA’S SECRET – Business Insider
“Aerie, the American Eagle lingerie brand that refuses to airbrush its models and has seen sales soar in recent months, has taken another step to set it apart from the competition. On Thursday the underwear brand, launches a new push in support of the National Eating Disorders Association’s (NEDA) National Eating Disorders Week. It’s the first time a big brand has partnered with the organization.”

LADY GAGA STUNS IN MARC JACOBS NY FASHION FINALE – FashionMag
“Lady Gaga walked the runway for American design legend Marc Jacobs in a triumphant finale to New York Fashion Week following collections from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Jacobs, the darling of the US fashion scene, prides himself on closing out the twice yearly Big Apple fashion bonanza by putting on extravagant spectaculars — and Thursday was no exception.”

ADIDAS ENLISTS FORMER LULULEMON CEO – FashionMag
“Adidas wants to step up the pace on women’s products. The tip of the iceberg in this strategy has recently been revealed with the launch of the ‘I’m Here to Create’ campaign. From marketing to retail, the three stripes’ brand intends to better respond to sportswomen’s expectations.”