Coach is looking to expand its empire by selling its handbags and other accessories in Brazil and Vietnam. The American fashion house has inked multi-year deals in both countries, and plans to open stores in the territories within the next year.

Coach signed a deal with the Aste Group ...

Judith Leiber has promoted its design consultant Jana Matheson to creative director as part of the company's brand expansion.

Matheson will now oversee all aspects of design, including the look of the company's famous handbags and its marketing and branding. Matheson says she hopes to give Judith ...

London-based mergers and acquisitions company Permira has sold its stake in Proenza Schouler to a team of investors led by Theory chief executive officer Andrew Rosen and his business partner John Howard.

Permira bought Valentino Fashion Group, including its 45% share of Proenza Schouler, in 2007. Rumors ...

The accolades just keep on coming for Mulberry. After its stocks rose by a staggering 527% in the past 12 months, the British brand has been named the world’s best performing luxury fashion retailer by financial news and data service Bloomberg.

No doubt a large chunk of that ...

It seems the personnel are deserting Halston faster than rats from a sinking ship. Just days after the news broke that Sarah Jessica Parker was on the out, Women's Wear Daily has reported that Harvey Weinstein and Marios Schwab have followed suit.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has held ...

Sarah Jessica Parker has reportedly parted ways with Halston Heritage. The actress served as the president and chief creative officer of Halston's diffusion label since January 2010.

Details are very scant at the moment, but the always reliable Women's Wear Daily reports that the Sex ...

Junior lifestyle brand YMI is adding handbags, small leather goods, and footwear to its fashion collection. The label will work with Blank Generation's Noir Empire division on its new accessory line.

Deke Jamieson, the executive vice president of marketing and licensing for YMI, says he feels ...

Mulberry has posted a whopping 385% increase in profits during the last year, defying global economic sales trends.

The jump was no doubt inspired by the opening of nine new stores in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia. Online sales also played their part, with an increase in ...

There's been a changing of the guard at Chinese Laundry, with M. London taking over the licensing from Viewmark.

M. London's certainly got the experience and vision needed to take the affordable handbag label to the next level. It's been in the fashion business for ...

German luxury goods company Labelux has beat the competition to secure accessories fashion house Jimmy Choo. The acquisition expands Labelux's already impressive fashion sector, which includes Bally, Derek Lam, and Solance Azagury-Partridge.

It's unknown exactly how much Labelux paid for the Tamara Mellon helmed company, but ...

Maura James has been named the new president of Carlos Falchi IP, LLC, the company which manages all aspects of Carlos Falchi's brands.

James brings to the position 30 years of experience in retail merchandising and store management. She began her career as a ...

Brown and black may be a controversial color combination, but on the One Stop tote it manages to work.

I think the success of this tote lies in the fact that, largely, it is just a simple black patent purse. The brown is only a detail, a contrasting trim ...

Chloe has parted ways with its creative director Hannah MacGibbon. Pringle of Scotland's Clare Waight Keller will replace her on June 1.

MacGibbon worked for Chloe for the past decade, including the last three years as head designer. However Chloe decided not to renew her contract, although it's a ...

Reports are flooding in that Olivier Rousteing will fill Christophe Decarnin's shoes at Balmain.

Balmain severed ties with its creative director after he failed to appear at the company's fall show in Paris. Rumors suggested that Decarnin was suffering from depression at the time.

A source ...

With Christian Dior remaining tight-lipped on John Galliano's replacement, the fashion industry rumor mill is in a frenzy. Women's Wear Daily reports that advisers to LVMH's Bernard Arnault have submitted a star studded list of candidates for consideration.

The list features such industry heavyweights as Riccardo ...

Christophe Decarnin has been shown the door at Balmain, leaving the French fashion house searching for a new designer. Decarnin is rumored to be suffering from mental illness, and while Balmain has not confirmed this it's thought the disorder led to his dismissal.

According to ...

Jimmy Choo wants his company back. The shoe designer hasn't been involved with his namesake label since 2000, but he's offering £500 million to take the reins once again.

British private equity firm TowerBrook currently owns the majority of the company, but word is that they're keen ...

Fashion developer and marketer R.G. Barry Corp is expanding its accessories interests with the purchase of casual handbag label Baggallini.

Company chief executive officer Greg Tunney says the acquisition will see the company grow from a one-dimensional slipper label to a multi-faceted accessories brand.

The numbers certainly suggest that R.G. ...

As most of the world is concerned about aftershocks, tsunamis, and radiation poisoning as a result of the recent Japanese earthquake, the fashion industry is worried about its bottom line.

Luxury labels including Coach, Cartier, Tiffany, and Montblanc have already seen their share prices dip as investors anticipate a ...

Sue Whiteley has taken over the reins at Givenchy.

Sue Whiteley is certainly no stranger to the world of luxury fashion. Prior to this appointment she was Louis Vuitton's managing director, overseeing the French label's operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scandinavia. She's also worked as the buying ...

Christian Dior has severed ties with its creative director John Galliano following a second anti-Semetic rant.

In the latest released tirade, filmed last year, Galliano was captured abusing a couple at Paris' La Perle cafe. The intoxicated designer declared "I love Hitler. People like you would be dead. Your mothers, ...

Jill Granoff has stepped down as chief executive officer of Kenneth Cole. The decision came about "by mutual agreement," according to Women's Wear Daily. Her resignation is effective immediately, and includes resignation from the Kenneth Cole board.

There's no word yet on her replacement, but Kenneth Cole will do ...

Kooba has been snapped up by Accessory Network Group, the company that oversees other handbag labels like Nicole Miller, LeSportsac, and Bisou Bisou. The group bought Kooba from Swander Pace Capital, who acquired the label in 2007, for an undisclosed sum.
"We are very excited ...

They say that as one door closes another one opens, and that old saying is certainly true in New York City's fashion world. Just days after Kenneth Cole announced its flagship Rockefeller Center store would close up shop, Michael Kors has swooped in ...

Mundi Westport is adding evening bags to its portfolio, thanks to its recent acquisition of R.P.L. Designs' evening bag and accessories division.

The move sees Mundi Westport take the reins of labels including Jessica McClintock.
"The acquisition provides us with a running start into a brand new ...

The French stock market regulator, the AMF, has quashed any suggestions of a LVMH takeover of Hermes International.

At the request of the French fashion house, the AMF has ruled that LVMH cannot purchase any shares from small independent shareholders. This will ensure Hermes can group ...

New York based Filipino designer Rafe Totengco was recently named the new creative director of Nine West's handbag division.

His name should be familiar to BagBunch readers, as he's the brains behind the Rafe accessories line, a collection which is sold in more than 60 stores ...

LVMH, the company responsible for Louis Vuitton, has taken a larger slice of the Hermes International pie. The brand bought 17.1% of the company in October, but recently upped its stake in the French luxury brand to around 20.21%.

LVMH originally insisted it had only ...

Anya Hindmarch has signed on as the non-executive director of the British Fashion Council. She takes over the role from Hilary Riva, the former director of Rubicon, who stepped down late last month.

The British Fashion Council is responsible for organizing London Fashion Week, managing ...

Hermes continues to go from strength to strength, with the luxury French brand posting a 30% increase in revenue for the year's third quarter.

The greater sales figures are credited to the success of the label's famous accessories, including silk scarves, timepieces and, of course, handbags. While It bags ...

LVMH, the company behind Louis Vuitton, has reportedly bought a 14.2% stake in Hermes International worth some $2 billion.
According to Women's Wear Daily, LVMH will make an announcement about the business dealings on Monday. It's believed the company will say it intends to "be a ...

Coach is making a play for the dollars of the British bag loving public with the opening of up to 15 UK stores over the next three years.

The first will open at west London's Westfield shopping center in the first half of 2011. A flagship store on London's ...

Steve Madden has taken charge of Betsey Johnson's fashion label after buying its debt.

The agreement sees Johnson pay back Madden rather than a large faceless lender, and the company's big wigs couldn't be happier.
"Whenever you come out of a situation with a good partner, cash coming into ...

The fashion rumor mill is buzzing that Stefano Pilati may soon receive the boot from Yves Saint Laurent. The New York Post and Fashion Wire Daily both report that the creative director's spring 2011 line will be his last for the brand.

Pilati succeeded Tom ...

It seems that everyone's mad about Mulberry, with the fashion brand posting a massive sales increase of 79% in the last ten weeks compared to the same time in 2009.

The British label enjoyed particularly strong sales in the Far East, and at its new flagship store in ...

The rumor mill is buzzing with word that Tamara Mellon is set to sell her famous Jimmy Choo label. Sources suggest that Mellon could earn £100 million if she parts with the iconic fashion house.

If the rumors are true, I can't help wondering what will happen next. As chief executive ...

If you've had your eye on a Chanel handbag, now might be the best time to take the plunge. The industry is buzzing with the news that the French fashion label will increase its prices by a whopping 20% on August 1.

Apparently Chanel is concerned that it's becoming a "main ...

Hermes might charge an arm and a leg for its iconic handbags and stylish scarves, but that hasn’t scared shoppers off in the last few months. The French fashion house has seen a sales increase of 23% in the first six months of the year.

While most of are still smarting ...

French label Givenchy is scrapping its famous catwalk shows in favor of more personal showings.

The brand's artistic director Riccardo Tisci says he will distill the collection into ten key looks, which will then be shown at an 18th century townhouse in Paris. Individual clients and editors can make appointments to ...

We've gone gaga for the latest handbags and clutches from Jimmy Choo, so it's sad news to hear that the company's accessory design director Alvaro Gonzalez is leaving the nest.

Gonzalez joined Jimmy Choo as a freelance designer eight years ago, and has since risen up the ranks. His role as accessory ...

Gucci is making good on its pledge to reduce paper use with the introduction of all new eco-friendly packaging and practices.

The new packaging is made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified paper which is fully recyclable. The FSC certification guarantees the paper is not sourced from natural forests ...

The former president of Valentino USA, Bruce Hoeksema has just been named as the new creative director for British luxury label Asprey.

Bruce Hoeksema built a relationship with Asprey over the past few years through his consultancy work with the firm, and he designed the label's iconic 1781 and ...

Alexander McQueen's right-hand girl Sarah Burton will step into his very big shoes at the brand's new creative director. It's a bittersweet promotion for Burton following McQueen's suicide earlier this year.

She's put in the hard yards though, joining the British fashion house in 1996, a year before graduating from ...

After seven years of service, Jean Paul Gaultier will be stepping down as creative director of Hermes. He will show his final collection, the spring 2011 line, in Paris this October.
"After seven fruitful years of creative partnership, Hermès and Jean Paul Gaultier artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear, have decided ...

After weeks of speculation, Giles Deacon has just been confirmed as Ungaro's new creative director.

Deacon has an impressive resume, working in the past for Bottega Veneta and Gucci before launching his own line. He's known for his vibrantly colored avant garde designs which play with prints and ...

Well here's some unexpected news. After launching her own company in 2004, Devi Kroell is stepping down as chief executive officer and creative director. She'll remain a shareholder and board member, but will have no involvement with the day-to-day running of the business which bears her name.

Details for her decision ...

Just as the world is wondering whether Greece's financial woes will translate into another international crash, Hermes has released some promising sales figures.

The French fashion house increased its first quarter sales by 19%, which translates to a jump of around $651 million. It was even better news at Hermes' ...

Louis Vuitton is the most valuable luxury brand in the world according to a study released by market research company Millward Brown Optimor. The research says the French fashion house has a value of almost $19.8 billion.

Louis Vuitton took the top spot from Hermes, with a value of ...

It seems the Chinese can't get enough of luxury fashion items. China now has the second luxury market in the world, behind the United States, but the sector is growing by 15% each year.

Not even high luxury taxes and increased prices due to piracy can stem the increasing demand. Shoppers are ...

Coach's decision to slash handbag prices has paid off. The brand has posted a 37% profit increase for the first quarter of the year.

Some might have seen Coach's strategy to cut handbag prices by 12% and price more purses under the $300 mark as a risky one. However, it seems ...