Today’s Fashion Headlines. February 8, 2012

American Apparel back on the rise, Madonna gets Vogue and Miu Miu releases more handbags in time for NYFW

American Apparel Back on the Rise

In the brand that just won’t die, American Apparel keeps on ticking. American Apparel Inc. continues to show sales gains and is expected to report today an 11 percent increase in same-store sales for the month of January. Online sales rose 39 percent in the month and wholesale sales jumped 21 percent, for a total sales increase of 14 percent to $41.4 million. Same-store sales have been on an upswing since September.

“We are managing the assortments on the store floors more precisely, making sure managers adhere to standards and we don’t have the distractions — like labor issues at our factory — that we had in previous years,” said CEO Dov Charney. The company is in negotiations for new financing deal to help assuage its massive debt load, which could be finalized in a few weeks, said sources.

Glamour at the Super Bowl

You may have noticed during Madonna’s halftime show, two minutes into her classic hit “Vogue”, the screens flashed the Conde Nast title… same font and all. This was no accident. Apparently, Madonna had been in talks with Anna Wintour since January to use the rights of the magazine title. Vogue, which has a long-standing relationship with the pop icon, immediately cooperated and authorized the use of its trademark. There was no charge.

“We’re so very grateful to Madonna to have been part of such a spectacular performance,” Wintour said, not surprisingly — when does a magazine get free publicity in front of 100 million TV viewers? As Wintour said, “We naturally expect a new audience of football fans.”

Miu Miu Launches Bags for NYFW

Miu Miu is celebrating the four most important international fashion weeks — New York, London, Milan and Paris — with a limited edition collection of bags. The bags, which are embellished with the brand’s iconic and embroideries, are sold with an ID card and a mini book showing the complete collection and will range in price from $1,495 to $2,795.

Hitting the fashion capitals’ flagship stores the first day of each of their shows, the handmade, retro-inspired 46 bags feature 17 different combinations of precious materials, such as crocodile, ostrich and python, which are mixed with brocade, linen and sable.

- Taneisha Jordan

Source & Photo: WWD