Amazon Makes a Fashion Push
Can Amazon be an online fashion giant? That is the question the online company has been asking themselves. Amazon’s members only flash-sale Web site, MyHabit, may be revealing major brands and fashion partnerships in the near future.
In February, the site launched a designer tab along with the women’s, men’s, children’s, and home categories. Some of the brands that have been in participation on the website are Thakoon, Valentino, Costume National, Balmain, and Alejandro Ingelmo. The merchandise is up to 60 percent off!
Amazon currently owns Zappos, Shopbop and sells fashion merchandise on Amazon’s main site. Amazon is also planning to open its first brick-and-mortar store in Seattle later this year. This location with showcase mostly electronics, but there is always room for fashion.
According to Rob Willms, “MyHabit, makes that transition for Amazon, to having a destination for a particular interest. MyHabit has a pretty strong focus on youth and fairly cutting-edge fashion, whereas eBay has been broader based, with fashion outlets and a little bit of everything. MyHabit has a slightly narrower demographic”.
Nina Griscom and Carolyne Roehm are Cleaning Out Their Closets.
New York socialites, Nina Griscom and Carolyne Roehm are cleaning out their closets at a private sale on Wednesday at the Regency Hotel in New York City. The lucky few who get the invite can expect handbags, ready-to-wear, belts and shoes. Some designers for sale are Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Hermes, Scassi, Halston, Marc Jacobs and plenty others.
French jewelry designer, Kirat Young, will be selling pieces from her collection. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to charity.
Vogue Makes a Pact to Use Healthy Models
The nineteen editors of Vogue magazine have made a pact called the Health Initiative. They have banned models that have eating disorders or are younger than the age of 16. The pledge also supports model mentorship and realistic working hours.
Conde Nast International released a press release breaking down the agreement into six bullet points:
1. We will not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder. We will work with models who, in our view, are healthy and help to promote a healthy body image.
2. We will ask agents not to knowingly send us underage girls and casting directors to check IDs when casting shoots, shows and campaigns.
3. We will help to structure mentoring programs where more mature models are able to give advice and guidance to younger girls, and we will help to raise industry-wide awareness through education, as has been integral to the Council of Fashion Designers of America Health Initiative.
4. We will encourage producers to create healthy backstage working conditions, including healthy food options and a respect for privacy. We will encourage casting agents not to keep models unreasonably late.
5. We encourage designers to consider the consequences of unrealistically small sample sizes of their clothing, which limits the range of women who can be photographed in their clothes, and encourages the use of extremely thin models.
6. We will be ambassadors for the message of healthy body image.
I really hope that Vogue sticks with the healthy initiative. It will be really nice to see some curves on the cover of fashion magazines.
– Katie Schmitz
Article: WWD & NY Mag
Photo: WWD
