Swiss luxury goods group Richemont has bid to acquire Net-a-Porter in a deal which values the UK online fashion retailer at about £350 million ($531 million).

Richemont already owns a 29% stake in the British company and is looking to acquire the remainder of the company from other shareholders. It includes Natalie Massenet, a former fashion journalist and the founder of the retail website who holds a 18.2% share.
Up to now, neither Richemont nor Net-a-Porter have commented on the subject. But if the deal was to be closed, Net-a-Porter, one of the fastest-growing private companies in Britain, will be part of …

One of the Italian fashion designer Pierre Cardin closest associates, Jean-Pascal Hesse, has just released a book celebrating the contribution of the designer not only to the fashion world but also to the art world.
While we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Pierre Cardin couture house, this book comes as a retrospective of his work.
The Italian born Cardin is famous for his avant-garde style and his innovative designs (like the “bubble dress” in 1954). He introduced an architectural fashion with a futurist sensibility through his geometric shapes and motifs. The avant-garde designer advanced into unisex fashions, and was a …

Luxury goods group Burberry has hooked up with social networking company Facebook to launch a Web site celebrating its trench coat, becoming the latest retailer to use social media in a bid to boost its brand.
The Web site, artofthetrench.com, will allow members connected via Facebook to submit images and stories about Burberry trench coats and share them with one other.
First designed by Burberry founder Thomas Burberry for British army offices in 1914, the trench coat is still one of the company’s top-selling garments.
The move puts Burberry among a procession of retailers using social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to …

Zug, Switzerland – March 27
Swiss Hawk AG portfolio company Motion Network Holding Plc (”MNH”) is involved in launching the first Chinese TV shopping program dedicated to European luxury brands with Happigo, through its group company Ante Time Productions.
Happigo was founded by Hunan Broadcasting Group, the biggest private media group in China, and the Hunan Satellite TV Station, one of the most famous Chinese TV stations. Happigo started operating on March 17, 2006 and up to now, Happigo is the one and only live TV transmission home shopping company in mainland China that produces 10 hours’ continuous live home …

Saville Row Co Formal Suit ($ 400 at Savile Row)
Currently the BBC is delighting British tailoring fetishists with a three-part BBC documentary that goes behind-the-curtains with London’s finest tailors Saville Row. The documentary on the bespoke tailors from London features among others Richard Anderson to the blokes from Henry Poole.
Some of the BBC Saville Row documentary highlights are watching Row vets look on in horror as Abercrombie & Fitch opens its English flagship down the street, only to come around after A&F owner Mike Jeffries stops by Norton & Sons for a suit—wearing flip-flops, of course. Unfortunately there’s no word …