Ted Baker London, one of the fastest-growing leading lifestyle brands in the UK, is launching in South Africa come Winter 2012.
The debut collection will include; menswear, formal menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories.
Having launched as a shirt specialist of some repute in Glasgow Ted Baker quickly became the place to buy some of the very best contemporary men’s shirting around. From the beginning Ted has had a very clear, unswerving, focus on quality, attention to detail and a quirky sense of humour. This is something that gained the quickly growing brand the title of ‘No Ordinary Designer Label’.
These days Ted Baker has much more to offer. From menswear and womenswear to fragrances, watches to luggage, he’s brought his irreverent touch to every aspect of life. Not to mention every corner of the globe, soon to include South Africa.
London’s vibrant fabric is the inspiration behind Ted’s design’s hidden gems, quirky detail and lavish yet playful stores-all of which offer his loyal and devoted customers the perfect antidote to the dreary, disposable fashion available on every street. Today, everybody who matters in fashion has heard of Ted Baker and, having set the standard, everyone has come to expect something a little different…and Ted always hated to disappoint.
Ted Baker has a portfolio of stores in the UK and the USA and is also present in leading department stores. Brand Capital, Ted Bakers partner in South Africa will be launching the brand by opening its first nine concessions at Stuttafords. Each location will feature a 500 square foot dedicated shop in shop, highlighting the unique brand of retail theatre for which Ted Baker is known.
YSL CONFIRMS HEDI SLIMANE AS NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Hedi Slimane is the new creative director of Yves Saint Laurent after Stefano Pilati stepped down. Hedi Slimane, a former designer for Dior Homme is to take over as creative director at Yves Saint Laurent, YSL and its parent company PPR confirmed on Wednesday.
Slimane is "named creative and image director" and "will take on artistic responsibility for the brand and all the collections.
In parallel with his new job, he will continue his career as a photographer," a joint statement said.
The announcement, which confirmed what industry sources told AFP in February, came on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. It is Slimane's second stint at the legendary fashion house, having worked there in the late 1990s as head of the menswear collection.
Slimane, whose father is Tunisian and mother Italian, is returning to the fashion industry after several years away. He has been based in Los Angeles during an extended sabbatical from the fashion world, working mainly in photography. A lot of his work is in black and white -- and much of it features the rock milieu. He is still only 43, having made his mark at Christian Dior between 2000 and 2007, where he is generally acknowledged to have revolutionised menswear. During his time there, he made Dior Homme each season's must-see show.
A rock fan and artist, Slimane drove an androgynous look of skinny suits and tight low trousers that found its imitators not just in the fashion world but spread into the rock world that so fascinates him. Stars Mick Jagger and Pete Doherty have gone on stage in Dior Homme, while designer Jean-Paul Gaultier once said he could not do better than Slimane. Even the legendary Karl Lagerfeld shed some 45 kilos (90 pounds) to be able to slide into a pencil-thin Slimane suit.
The look Slimane developed was much copied by mass-market designers across the world and even influenced the design of women's clothes. At the height of his fame, some young followers even adopted Slimane's distinctive Tintin-like quiff
