Top Fashion Cities of 2008 Named in Annual Survey (http://www.languagemonitor.com/?page_id=13)

July 14, 2008

The Top Fashion Cities of 2008 have been named by the Global Language Monitor (www.LanguageMonitor.com) in its annual global survey. Topping the list for 2008 are New York, Rome, Paris, Milan, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Las Vegas, Berlin and Tokyo. Madrid (No. 15), Stockholm (No. 20), Cape Town (No. 23) and New Delhi (No. 24) broke into the Top 25. Falling off the list were Sao Paolo and Bangkok.

Other notable movement included Sydney moving up five spots to No.7 and Dubai jumping up twelve spots to No.12.

“Our yearly rankings clearly reinforce recent trends: the Big Five (New York, Rome, Paris, Milan, and London), far and away dominate the world of fashion, especially in the eyes of the print and electronic media, as well as on the internet. At the same time, the second tier of the cities in the world fashion rankings are coming on strong,” said Millie Lorenzo Payack, Fashion Correspondent and Director of the Global Language Monitor. “And, by the way, money spent on media outreach can, indeed, make a difference; witness Dubai." The world ‘rag’ business is estimated to be close to one half trillion USD. Regional rankings are provided below.

This exclusive ranking is based upon GLM’s Predictive Quantities Index, a proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the blogosphere. The words and phrases are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets.

The Top Fashion Cities, 2008 ranking, last year’s rank, and commentary follow.

1) New York (1) - No. 1 for the fifth year running.
2) Rome (2) - The Eternal City, again, a strong No. 2.
3) Paris (3) - Perhaps No. 1 in the world’s hearts and mind - but not the media’s.
4) Milan (5) - Overtakes London in this survey.
5) London (4) - The Elite Five far outdistance the rest.
6) Los Angeles (7) - LA knocks on the door of the Elite Five.
7) Sydney (12) - Sydney makes a huge move, breaking into the Top 10.
8) Las Vegas (9) - The intense media spotlight improves Vegas’ ranking.
9) Berlin (11) - Berlin continues its very strong presence.
10) Tokyo (6) - Tokyo remains the capital of the Asian Fashion Industry.
11) Hong Kong (8) - Threatening to move ahead of Tokyo.
12) Dubai (24) - Massive marketing fueled by petrodollars can make an impact.
13) Shanghai (14) - Vies with Hong Kong for the lead in China.
14) Singapore (10) - Significant fashion infrastructure keeps its ranking strong.
15) Madrid (New) - Reasserts the Iberian fashion lead over Barcelona.
16) Moscow (16) - Firmly ensconces itself in the Top Twenty.
17) Santiago (19) - Leads Latin America.
18) Melbourne (15) - Take a second seat to a high-flying Sydney.
19) Stockholm (New) - First Scandinavian on the list.
20) Buenos Aires (22) - Traditional leader in fashion continues to move up the rankings.
21) Johannesburg (23) - Joburg improves two spots.
22) Mumbai (18) - Mumbai again leads the Subcontinent.
23) Cape Town (New) - Joburg’s rival is new to the list.
24) New Delhi (New) - New Delhi makes the List, but still is outpaced by Bollywood.
25) Barcelona (13) - Still in the Top Twenty-five though Madrid has strong lead.
26) Miami (New) - Makes the list on its leadership in swimwear.
27) Krakow (25) - Share the neo-Bohemian spotlight with Prague.
28) Prague (New) - No neo about this rising center of fashion.
29) Toronto (New) - First Canadian city on the list; Montreal just missed the rankings.
30) Rio de Janeiro (20) - Strong Latin American No. 3 outpacing Sao Paolo.

Others in the rankings included Copenhagen, Montreal, Sao Paolo, and Bangkok.

Regional Rankings

Asia and Oceania: Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Melbourne (Bangkok)

Europe: Rome, Paris, Milano, London, Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm, Barcelona (Copenhagen)

India: Mumbai, New Delhi

Latin America: Santiago, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro (Sao Paolo)

Middle and Eastern Europe: Moscow, Krakow, Prague

Middle East and Africa: Dubai, Johannesburg, Cape Town

North America: New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Toronto (Montreal)

This exclusive ranking is based upon GLM’s Predictive Quantities Index, a proprietary algorithm that tracks words and phrases in print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the blogosphere. The words and phrases are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets.


The ratings make complete sense when you take into consideration this is how they were decided. I still think Vegas shouldn't be on the list, but it makes sense that there would be plenty of "trackable words and phrases"/hype about fashion in Vegas (the city sure knows how to promote itself).

Also, I like how they say "the Elite Five far outdistance the rest" and then "LA knocks on the door of the Elite Five." Are we knocking with a really long arm or what?

And one more thing... This is one list where you'll never, ever, see San Francisco listed.

I love it when New York takes but is nervously hesitant to give... :)'Project Runway': Still in Fashion for Season 5? http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/heidi-klum_l.jpgJames Dimmock
Heidi Klum and her reality hit have one season left on Bravo. Then everything changes: new network, new producers, new coast. Are fans in or out? Though Project Runway plans to change networks next year, she insists ''I'm not already with one foot over at Lifetime''

By Missy Schwartz

abridged:
You can't really blame Klum for playing up her kind image, given the big, ugly storm that's currently brewing in the Runway universe. The same day The Weinstein Co. revealed that Lifetime would be airing season 6 and the four cycles beyond, Bravo's parent company, NBC Universal, fired back with a lawsuit claiming that the Weinsteins' deal with Lifetime (worth an estimated $150 million) was a breach of contract. And the drama didn't end there. A few weeks later, word came that the sixth season of the New York-based show would take place partly in Los Angeles, and that Runway's longtime producers Magical Elves, who many insiders credit with giving the show its addictive flair, would not be following the show to Lifetime. Season 6 is, after all, slated to kick off in Los Angeles — a wallop of a change for a series in which NYC has effectively been a character from episode 1. The show's makers know the West Coast relocation has fans panicked, even if the finale will take place at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, as always. Exec producer Cha just asks that people give it a chance. ''We've spent five seasons in New York, and a little changeup is not a bad thing,'' she says. ''L.A. gives us Hollywood, red-carpet fashion, and more context for our challenges involving celebrity culture.'' For Klum, who denies reports that the coastal jump was motivated by her wish to be closer to her husband Seal and three kids, the locale shouldn't matter anyway. ''The designers are in the Project Runway world — they don't go anywhere apart from the house or Parsons or [the fabric store] Mood,'' she says. ''You can do that anywhere. You could do it on Mars, really.''

Additional reporting by Lynette Rice and Tanner Stransky ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

I can't help but imagine a conference room full of gay guys coming up with this list :D

Wow. It's good to see L.A. ready to jump into the number 5 spot. Although they mentioned how they consider the rakings for this list, what is it about L.A. specifically that is causing us to move up in the fashion world?

And Dubai is on the list?! They weren't even on last years list, what exactly did they do to jump up to number 12 like that?

Makes sense.....LA's Garment industry is the largest in the North America. Raking in almost $40 billion a year compared to New York's $25 billion.....Lately, many LA area based designers have become the toast of NY's fashion Week---Monique Luhlier, Rodarte, Philip Lim, Louis Verdad, Trina Turk, Jojovich, many more I can mention later...also major brand-name boutiques have opened up shop here more than anywhere else in the US, check out the LA Times article:

World-class designers are changing the geography of L.A.

"....Unlike Milan, Paris or New York, this is a town where you can launch a media campaign curbside. Rachel Bilson or Kate Hudson carrying a Helmut Lang bag in a gazillion tabloids is better marketing than a full-page ad in Vogue."

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-stores13-2008jul13,0,1077507.story

So "Project Runway", Welcome to L.A.!

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40869445.jpg
Chanel’s new store on Robertson Boulevard is decidedly upscale, with a black-and-white motif that
recalls the classic Chanel No. 5 perfume packaging.

World-Class Designers Are Changing the Geography of L.A. (http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/image/la-ig-stores13-2008jul13,0,1709847,full.story)

From Balenciaga to Alexander McQueen to Alberta Ferretti and Catherine Malandrino, it's the attack of the brand names.

By Emili Vesilind, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 13, 2008

THERE'S Balenciaga, with its space-age interior and minimalist cactus garden out front. Down the road at Alexander McQueen, a larger-than-life metal nude is suspended in the skylight. Martin Margiela's exterior shimmers like a disco ball in the sun, while Comme des Garçons' outpost hides behind an unmarked doorway on a gritty alley.

Nevermind all the remarkable clothes -- L.A. is in the midst of a designer boutique boom that's as much about statement-making architecture and one-upsmanship as it is about selling bags and boots.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40868263.jpg
Phillip Lim’s new store on North Robertson Boulevard features a stately facade of rounded stone tiles.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40868178.jpg
Spiky foam coated in elastic white paint lines the curvilinear walls inside Phillip Lim 3.1.

Phillip Lim opened a sculptural flagship on Robertson Boulevard last month. Alberta Ferretti is about to open its first U.S. flagship on Melrose -- not Madison -- Avenue. Lanvin is jockeying for real estate next to Oscar de la Renta on Melrose Place. And there are more on the way: Catherine Malandrino, Sportmax and Vera Wang are poised to roll out luxe new stores by the end of the year. Even Tom Ford is said to be looking. Once defined by shopping malls and denim-clad Valley girls, L.A. is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic places in the world to shop, even as the economy flags.

"They're coming because L.A. is the most fashionable city in the world," said veteran L.A. retailer Tracey Ross. "It may never be a runway capital, but it's a style inspiration capital."

The creative spaces are concentrated on three retail rows -- Melrose Avenue, Melrose Place and Robertson Boulevard -- and they represent a far cry from the '90s way of selling designer goods. Back then, designers such as Ford built global luxury brands by ensuring the retail experience was identical around the world. After a while, a kind of luxury fatigue set in, and one-of-a-kind boutiques such as Opening Ceremony and Colette began to have more cutting-edge appeal.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40868281.jpg
A set of wide, wooden steps welcomes shoppers
to Prada’s gargantuan Epicenter store in Beverly
Hills.

Prada was the first to turn things around, opening experimental "Epicenter" stores in New York, Beverly Hills and Tokyo. The $30-million Epicenter on Rodeo Drive, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, opened in 2004 and quickly became a magnet for tourists and fashion lovers. It brims with strange and wonderful architectural details, but most notably, it's missing a facade -- the entire front of the boutique is open to the street.

"L.A. seems more open in terms of pushing the envelope," said Brooklyn-based architect Dominic Leong, who designed Lim's new store. "The fabric of L.A. is more varied and more eclectic, so it inherently lends itself to a multiplicity of identities and styles, whereas in New York, the fabric is so strong that any difference has a very big impact on public opinion. Also in L.A., the building envelope isn't so constraining."

A year after Prada debuted, Marc Jacobs single-handedly turned Melrose Avenue and adjacent Melrose Place into a designer fashion district when he opened a flagship and a Marc by Marc Jacobs store on the two streets. The real estate experiment might not have worked had it been any other brand, but Jacobs is one of the most influential designers of his time -- and of course, the fashion world followed. Marni, Temperley, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera soon opened on Melrose Place, and landlords have since hiked monthly rents on both streets from $3 to $5 per square foot to upward of $16.

Jay Luchs, retail Realtor with C.B. Richard Ellis, said designer accessories maker Lambertson Truex signed a lease for $20 per square foot last year. Luchs, who's been touring Lanvin around town, recently placed Catherine Malandrino in a two-level, 6,000-square-foot building on La Cienega Boulevard and brokered the deal for the Sportmax store on Melrose Place, set to open in December.

The character of the districts has changed with the storefronts. Shabby-chic antiques stores, knit shops in A-frame houses and rundown mercantile spaces have morphed into gleaming monuments to the world's top fashion brands.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40868610.jpg
Balenciaga’s new boutique in West Hollywood
boasts an otherworldly-looking succulent garden
out front.

Walking into the new Balenciaga on Melrose Avenue feels like boarding a spaceship. Lights shaped like Tetris pieces illuminate bejeweled tunics and sculptural skirts hanging from industrial-looking racks. Some walls are texturized metal, NASA-style. Want the new City bag? Watch that you don't get punctured on the way in by the spindly cactuses lining the property like a sinister picket fence.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40868568.jpg
Alexander McQueen on Melrose Avenue,
designed by British architect William Russell,
is the epitome of minimalist chic.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40868431.jpg
A sculpture of a nude man by artist Robert Bryce Muir is suspended in a skylight at McQueen’s new digs.

Down the street at Alexander McQueen, Robert Bryce Muir's nude skylight sculpture is the centerpiece of the all-white store, which was designed to feel as though it had been excavated out of a solid mass of material. Curved, cathedral-like archways help erect built-in shelves that look as if they were hollowed out of walls with an oversized ice-cream scoop.

Over on Melrose Place, nothing touches the floor at the new Ports 1961 store, which looks like a cavern swathed in richly hued velvet fabrics. Clothes hang from suspended bars that resemble giant metal licorice whips or are neatly folded inside near-translucent, sculptural shelves. Michael Gabellini, who designed that store and is currently designing two for Vera Wang on Melrose Avenue, said designers outside of L.A. are keen to try new things here architecturally.

"They have the sense that it's naturally a culture that is very open to outside influences," he said. "There is an effervescence and sense of freedom that may not exist in more established fashion capitals."

All About the Brand

HAS FASHION forgiven us for the Uggs phenom so soon?

Apparently so. Celebrity endorsements -- whether impromptu or paid -- have become integral to modern fashion marketing. Unlike Milan, Paris or New York, this is a town where you can launch a media campaign curbside. Rachel Bilson or Kate Hudson carrying a Helmut Lang bag in a gazillion tabloids is better marketing than a full-page ad in Vogue.

And with the rise of the stylist in Hollywood, designers are far less afraid than they used to be of seeing a celebrity dressed badly in their clothes (remember when Ford asked if there was a way Gucci could stop Victoria Beckham from wearing his designs?).

The avalanche of designer retail is also about keeping up with the Joneses. "When we're driving around looking at available spaces, the companies are definitely looking at the names on stores," Luchs said.

Robertson Boulevard built its name on its high-wattage specialty stores, including Kitson, Curve and Lisa Kline. The street was ground zero in the paparazzi-tabloid explosion that kicked off a few years ago, and international brands took notice, eventually supplanting shallow-pocketed local retailers -- including Chan Luu and Harari -- as rents rose from around $5 per square foot per month to the current $25.

Now the global fashion crowd is moving in. Intermix opened a glossy new shop across from Ivy Restaurant last year, and Chanel recently debuted an elegant two-level store -- the first in what the company hopes to be a series of boutiques merchandised with the local shopper in mind.

The demand for space on hot retail streets is still high, Luchs said, because there are very few storefronts left. And "branding yourself seems to be more important to fashion companies here more than anywhere else," he said, "so location is really important."

And what better way to brand yourself than by opening a sprawling, shiny shrine to your brand? Especially when Demi, Reese or Halle could drop by at any moment.

Red-Carpet Treatment

ALBERTA FERRETTI said the success she's had from dressing celebs for the red carpet was a major factor in opening her first U.S. flagship in L.A. "That all these boutiques are opening now in L.A. is a reflection of the power of celebrity and proof in the marketing that red-carpet dressing and celebrity sells clothing," added a spokesperson for the company. "There has been an increased interest in fashion in Los Angeles as the movie industry and fashion have become mutually beneficial for and to each other."

Actresses aside, "L.A. is really rocking fashion," said Tony Alcindor, vice president of public relations and marketing for Ports 1961. "It's not like it used to be. It kills me that people have this perception of L.A. as this kicked-back flip-flop town. I'm like, 'No, that's wrong. It's serious here.' "

That many of L.A.'s buildings are stand-alone and -- depending on the landlord -- available for renovation from the outside in also lends itself to innovative architecture.

"There are less-protected buildings than in Milan or London," said London-based architect William Russell, who designed McQueen's most recent boutiques, including the new outpost in L.A. "It's a bigger room to maneuver in." He added, "I think the L.A. boutique is the best so far because we got to mold the shape of the exterior."

A wall outside the Maison Martin Margiela in Beverly Hills is covered in thousands of silver paillettes. Inside, the quirky brand lets its freak flag fly: Shoes are displayed on a conical shelf created from stacked crystal stemware; walls are covered in photo-printed wallpaper depicting ornate, classical door frames and moldings (there's even a window covered in a transparent image of a window); floors are covered in photo-printed paper to affect a well-worn hardwood; and bags are displayed on Lucite shelves riddled with nails.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-07/40869552.jpg
A sculpture of old grocery carts defines the
decor inside Comme des Garçons.

But making a major statement doesn't always cost millions. The tiny Comme des Garçons guerrilla store downtown opened inside a former art gallery tiled from floor to ceiling in hardware-store bathroom tile, hand-cracked to look old. The shop's pièce de résistance is a sculpture made of old grocery carts.

But despite the influx of flashy statement stores, it's debatable just how many fashion addicts are shopping these new temples of retail.

Visit a smattering of designer boutiques on various days of the week -- and times of the day -- and you'll find sales staff twiddling its well-manicured thumbs. And despite the blockbuster names, the foot traffic on Melrose Place is nonexistent. Of course, there's no guarantee that if you build it they will come.

some of the greatest fashion shopping in LA can be found in Santee Alley downtown. All the fake rolexes, pradas and jimmy choos you can find

^ Yup. It's LA's version of Canal St. :D

Perhaps that's why LA and NYC are two of the world's greatest shopping destinations. Your options really range the spectrum.

yep, a lot of foreign people come to LA just to shop at Santee alley, then go back to their country and sell off all this fake stuff as real for three times the price. And the people who buy it, they don't care that it's fake. It looks exactly like a Prada, has the Prada logo, heck that's good enough for them.

I still think Vegas shouldn't be on the list, but it makes sense that there would be plenty of "trackable words and phrases"/hype about fashion in Vegas (the city sure knows how to promote itself).


I completely agree unless they consider wife beaters with sandals and brown socks to be high fashion. Having Dubai and Vegas on this list hurts its credibility.

Los Angeles Has Serious Designs on Fashion (http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSN2538023820080403?sp=true)

By Alexandria Sage
Apr 3, 2008

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As the morning sun pours into his studio, designer Robert Rodriguez shows off luxurious lace dresses and silk tops with cascading flowers, a far cry from the street wear so prevalent on the Los Angeles streets outside.

His modern showroom and atelier reflect the upscale aspirations of this city's apparel industry, which is yearning to raise its profile -- even though it already dictates what much of the world wears every day.

"It would be nice for people to be more open-minded about designers in L.A.," said Rodriguez, whose creations are sold in famous retailers like Neiman Marcus and Harrods. "They're surprised the collection is from L.A."

Los Angeles fashion insiders are tired of playing second fiddle to New York, which they describe as slow-moving and staid. Today's fashion, they say, thrives in this city of palm-lined streets whose lifestyle is coveted the world over.

The City of Angels has carved out a niche for itself as a host for casual brands like American Apparel and as a manufacturer of quick-turnaround "fast fashion" and small orders for emerging designers.

Fashion is the city's largest manufacturing industry, and employs more people here than in New York, they note.

"We are the merchandisers of the world at this point -- not Paris, not the runways, and certainly not New York," said Ilse Metchek, Executive Director of the California Fashion Association.

"What the people are wearing on the street -- if leggings are in or out -- is determined by California."

'COOL, HIP, HAPPENING'

Hundreds of makers of jeans, swimwear, surfwear or contemporary lines are here, drawn by a big talent pool from local design schools, cheap space, zippers, buttons and trim at the ready and relative proximity to Asian markets.

While 30,000 sewing machines whir away on any day, the city has no illusions about taking on Asian manufacturing giants like China. The bulk of manufacturing went offshore with the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 and today only 20 percent of goods are actually made here.

And while the number of people working in L.A. apparel manufacturing has declined by nearly half since 1997, sales from the industry have grown over 60 percent.

That's because Southern California is now home to the creators, whether elegant dressmaker Sue Wong, street wear bad boy Christian Audigier, premium denim line True Religion or surfwear giant Quiksilver. When outlying areas are included, L.A.'s $23 billion in sales rises to $37 billion a year.

And behind them are legions of pattern makers, distributors, warehouse workers and advertising, marketing and sales staff.

For budding designers, small orders are easily handled by L.A.'s manufacturers. The same goes for fast fashion, where waiting for goods to arrive from Asian factories is no option -- up-to-the-minute styles need to be in stores yesterday.

Allen Schwartz, a designer who left New York 30 years ago before launching his A.B.S. brand in Los Angeles, says L.A. hasn't been properly recognized because of "New York horsepower and bully mentality."

"There's a fashion culture here that could never exist in New York. L.A. represents cool, hip, happening," he said.

NOT SO FAST

Not so fast, says New York, home of such giants as Liz Claiborne. Los Angeles may have street smarts, but its $23 billion in sales are just half of New York's, its fashion calendar is way behind the curve, and most of its design work is for casual wear.

Fashion Week here comes weeks after its equivalents in Europe and New York, meaning that serious buyers head east for their first runway looks and bypass Los Angeles. Rodriguez, for example, shows in New York.

That means L.A. runway shows often include collections by B-level celebrities of dubious design talent that are attended by Hollywood wannabes drawn by a free bar.

This year, L.A. Fashion Week included a line by Robin Antin, founder of burlesque troupe Pussycat Dolls, while porn star Jenna Jameson did a promotion on the sidelines. Established names like Louis Verdad and Kevan Hall stayed away.

"They have a quantum leap to go," said David Wolfe, creative director of trend forecasters The Doneger Group, which has offices in both New York and L.A. "They have a largely inflated ego that's not deserved yet."

Citing the fashion calendar as a major hurdle, Wolfe said Los Angeles fashionistas have an identity crisis.

"They aren't happy with what they are. What they are is great -- moving real merchandise and dressing the world," he said. "They want to be commercial and cutting edge at the same and there's no such beast."

Sensing a void, IDG World Expo, the trade show organizers behind Macworld, is launching "REVEAL Los Angeles," a series of semi-annual events debuting next March to showcase talent for global buyers while elevating the industry's stature.

The fashion community needs to better leverage its relationship with Hollywood, Metchek said, and create something organic that doesn't seek to duplicate New York.

"It can't be a runway in a tent with a single model on the runway. That's old news," Metchek said.

Long-term growth will depend on how successfully this city markets its brands internationally. But in the short term, there's that respect issue.

"We're getting the recognition. Whether we get the respect or no," said Henry Mandell, president of the Christian Audigier companies. "We'll get grudging respect because we're successful and, in the end, that's what counts."