Two months after legendary designer Azzedine Alaia's sudden death plunged the fashion world into mourning, an exhibition in homage to the "King of Cling" opened Monday in his studios in Paris.

The Tunisian-born designer, renowned for the way his clothes hugged the body, died suddenly in November aged 82, reportedly of heart failure after falling down the stairs at his home.

The diminutive maverick, who ignored fashion week convention by showing when and where he wanted, in July produced his first couture collection in six years to rapturous reviews.

Now some of his most iconic dresses are going on display in the glass-roofed gallery next to his studio and home in the Marais district where he used to show his creations.

It includes the dress worn by supermodel Naomi Campbell, his longtime friend and muse, when she led his last collection down the catwalk.

The pair were so close Campbell called the designer "Papa", and she was inconsolable at his funeral in Tunis.

Alaia studied to be a sculptor and used his fine art training to sculpt with needle and thread.

Fashion historian Olivier Saillard, who has curated the show which runs until June, said Alaia's famously flattering cut was timeless.

To hammer the point home, none of the dresses in "Azzedine Alaia: I am a Couturier" have a panel explaining when they were made.

"I defy anyone to distinguish between a dress made in 1981, 1995 or 2017," he told AFP.

Instead curious visitors must consult a catalogue at the door.

'Last of the couturiers'
Saillard described Alaia as the "last of the couturiers", capable of doing everything himself and making his mastery invisible.

"Like Balenciaga and all those who knew how to cut and sew, he moved further and further away from making an obvious show of his brilliant technique."

He said his clothes "didn't shout, there was nothing bling about them", instead he went for an eternal style that never went out of fashion.

Almost all the dresses in the show -- including ones he made for pop star and actress Grace Jones -- are in black or white.

"Alaia used to say that you can make an idea more precise in black and not dilute it," Saillard said.

The famous hooded dress he made for Jones and the fire brigade-red zip one he created for pop superstar Rihanna are among the 41 classic dresses on display.

Although his private life was always a mystery, the designer kept an open house in Paris during fashion weeks as celebrities rubbed shoulders with students and waifs and strays at his large kitchen table where he cooked for all comers.

Alaia moved to Paris at the height of the Algerian war of independence, where he soon got a job with Christian Dior, only to be let go because he did not have the right immigration papers.

Despite the setback, he moved on to work with Guy Laroche and Thierry Mugler before going out on his own with his own wealthy clientele.

A foundation has now been created to safeguard his work, and will also hold regular exhibitions from his vast personal collection of couture.

A retrospective of his work, "Azzedine Alaia, The Couturier", will open at the Design Museum in London in May, when his brand will also open its first British boutique.

Source: AFP

Hedi Slimane, the designer who pioneered the skinny look at Dior and Saint Laurent, is to take over at Celine, the brand's owners said Sunday.

The 49-year-old French-born creator is one of fashion's biggest and most enigmatic names, and his future has been surrounded by speculation since he walked away from Saint Laurent last year.

The luxury giant LVMH, which owns Celine, has given Slimane complete control of the brand's images and creative side in order to sign him up -- a concession which put him alongside Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld as one of the most powerful designers in fashion.

They are also letting him create a menswear line at the label, which up until now only made clothes for women.

Announcing the surprise appointment, Bernard Arnault, the owner of LVMH, said: "He is one of the most talented designers of our time.

"Hedi will oversee and develop all creativity for both women's and men's fashion, but also for leather goods, accessories and fragrances," he added.

Slimane fell out with Saint Laurent reportedly because of his frustration at not being able to control its perfume and cosmetics arms.

Slimane's skinny and rock star chic looks made millions for both Dior and Saint Laurent, and were much copied by mass-market brands.

Lagerfeld, who famously shed 41 kilos (90 pounds) in order to squeeze into Slimane's skinny jeans, was the first to cheer the news of his move.

"I am enchanted, what a great choice," he told Women's Wear Daily. "It will be great."

- Friend of the stars -

Like Lagerfeld, Slimane is a renowned photographer, and he has spent the last seven years living in Los Angeles, where he had moved his studio at the end of his reign at Saint Laurent.

The designer drew much of his inspiration from the LA rock scene, which he tirelessly documented with his photographs and in his blog.

A mysterious and intensely private figure, he nonetheless has struck up close friendships with many A-listers including pop star Lady Gaga.

AFP understands that he will continue to live in the city while he designs for Celine, and start work within 10 days.

Slimane borrowed many of the elements of his grungy, androgynous look from the world of rock, with his skinny style initially influenced by British indie bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines.

The Libertines bohemian frontman Peter Doherty became a friend and muse, and figured prominently in his 2006 photo book, "London Birth of a Cult".

- 'The Sultan of skinny' -

Arnault, who is known to be close to the designer, said Slimane will use his "global vision and unique aesthetic virtuosity in further building an iconic French fashion house."

He will make his first bow for Celine during Paris women's fashion week in September, when he will show a co-ed collection with clothes for both men and women.

"I am delighted to join Bernard Arnault in this all-embracing and fascinating mission for Celine," Slimane said.

"I greatly look forward to returning to the exciting world of fashion and the dynamism of the ateliers."

Slimane will also be reunited at Celine with Sidney Toledano, one of fashion's most influential backroom figures.

The pair were a formidable team at Dior where Slimane was a huge trendsetter until his departure in 2012.

Dubbed the "Sultan of skinny", Slimane designed for the late rock star David Bowie, with his skinny silhouette dominating men's style for more than a decade.

He takes over at Celine from the highly-rated British designer Phoebe Philo who quit last month after a decade at the helm.

She had created a cult following at the label for her hip minimalist and very modernist style.

Philo had also lately embraced the oversized trend which Slimane is credited with kickstarting at Saint Laurent with his long gorilla-sleeved jackets.

While his designs have made millions, Slimane's immigrant origins are modest. He was born in a working-class district of the French capital to a Tunisian father and Italian mother, who worked as a dressmaker.

He first wanted to be a journalist before slipping into fashion after he became an assistant to Jean-Jacques Picart, one of the founders of the haute couture house Christian Lacroix.

Celine, which has a turnover just shy of one billion euros ($1.2 billion), was founded by Celine Vipiana in Paris just after World War II.

Source: AFP

Thigh-high Ugg boots, post-Weinstein men paraded as dogs, pigs and dinosaurs and a tartan army of plaids and check -- as Paris men's fashion week ends Sunday, we look back on the big trends and talking points:

- Men are pigs -

This was the week when the fashion industry had its Weinstein moment with allegations that two star photographers had harassed and assaulted models.

Julien David, Walter Van Beirendonck and Comme des Garcons caught the air of the times by putting dog, pig and dinosaur heads on their models, while the American Rick Owens ripped his "clothes in anger... It's draining to watch unhealthy cycles repeat themselves, behaviourally and historically, and it is hard to suppress a howl of rage," he said, with his own president also in his sights.

Sacai designer Chitose Abe and French brand Etudes also took a stand against Donald Trump by using the New York times "The Truth is Hard" slogan on their clothes to support media outlets Trump has accused of "fake news".

- Ugg ugly no more? -

They have been called "Australia's joke on the rest of the world", and many thought they had been confined to fashion Alcatraz. But no, Ugg boots are back and this time they are thigh-high.

Uber hip Y/Project designer Glenn Martens tried to turn the sheepskin slippers into fetish objects of desire -- although the jury is out.

Martens described wearing them as putting your "feet in warm butter" and said bringing them to the crotch "keeps your thighs as well as your feet warm".

More conventional Uggs turned up in the Sacai show with designer Abe admitting "I wear them myself in winter... even outdoors."

- Check out the tartan -

There was no doubting the dominant pattern for next winter. The skirl of tartan and check ran through three quarters of the Paris collections, making fashion week sometimes feel like one extended Burn's Night.

From street style brands like Facetasm and Andrea Crews to White Mountaineering, Henrik Vibskov, Sacai, Agnes b, Thom Browne and the romantic classicism of Alexander McQueen, a tartan army was one the march.

No more so than with the "Prince of Prints" Dries Van Noten, whose beautiful use of Stewart tartan may have finally rescued it from clutches of Bay City Roller kitsch.

Ironically, the British heritage brand Dunhill's debut Paris show was a tartan-free zone, proposing instead the shiny leather business suit.

- Man bags -

With so much to be money to be made, it is no surprise that fashion keeps insisting that men need the equivalent of handbags. Rare was the show this week that did not have a model holding a manbag, swinging a sack or shoulder bag slung nonchalantly over one arm.

Even Van Noten, who is normally above such things, included one. While a cat-shaped, highly strokable clutch bag was also spotted on one front row, Loewe won the originally prize for its elephant-shaped manbag which sits on the knee. Clearly a must for the man who cannot fit everything into his trunk.

- Boots with suits -

Whether it is the influence of the television series "Peaky Blinders" or to man-up more fey androgynous looks, robust boots walked all over every other form of footwear on the catwalk. Dr. Martens were omnipresent with even Dior paying homage with their own versions of the butch work boots, while Rick Owens won many new fans with his suede "hover bovver" boots with extended soles.

Boots were almost the rule under well-cut of suits, with John Galliano debuting a male version of the Tabi boot at Margiela as did wunderkind Demna Gvasalia rather cheekily at Vetements.

And Officine Generale went hell for leather with their vintage Mexican police boots, which designer Pierre Maheo said "became a reference for narco culture when many (officers) crossed over to the dark side."

Source: AFP

Thigh-high Ugg boots, post-Weinstein men paraded as dogs, pigs and dinosaurs and a tartan army of plaids and check -- as Paris men's fashion week ends Sunday, we look back on the big trends and talking points:

- Men are pigs -

This was the week when the fashion industry had its Weinstein moment with allegations that two star photographers had harassed and assaulted models.

Julien David, Walter Van Beirendonck and Comme des Garcons caught the air of the times by putting dog, pig and dinosaur heads on their models, while the American Rick Owens ripped his "clothes in anger... It's draining to watch unhealthy cycles repeat themselves, behaviourally and historically, and it is hard to suppress a howl of rage," he said, with his own president also in his sights.

Sacai designer Chitose Abe and French brand Etudes also took a stand against Donald Trump by using the New York times "The Truth is Hard" slogan on their clothes to support media outlets Trump has accused of "fake news".

- Ugg ugly no more? -

They have been called "Australia's joke on the rest of the world", and many thought they had been confined to fashion Alcatraz. But no, Ugg boots are back and this time they are thigh-high.

Uber hip Y/Project designer Glenn Martens tried to turn the sheepskin slippers into fetish objects of desire -- although the jury is out.

Martens described wearing them as putting your "feet in warm butter" and said bringing them to the crotch "keeps your thighs as well as your feet warm".

More conventional Uggs turned up in the Sacai show with designer Abe admitting "I wear them myself in winter... even outdoors."

- Check out the tartan -

There was no doubting the dominant pattern for next winter. The skirl of tartan and check ran through three quarters of the Paris collections, making fashion week sometimes feel like one extended Burn's Night.

From street style brands like Facetasm and Andrea Crews to White Mountaineering, Henrik Vibskov, Sacai, Agnes b, Thom Browne and the romantic classicism of Alexander McQueen, a tartan army was one the march.

No more so than with the "Prince of Prints" Dries Van Noten, whose beautiful use of Stewart tartan may have finally rescued it from clutches of Bay City Roller kitsch.

Ironically, the British heritage brand Dunhill's debut Paris show was a tartan-free zone, proposing instead the shiny leather business suit.

- Man bags -

With so much to be money to be made, it is no surprise that fashion keeps insisting that men need the equivalent of handbags. Rare was the show this week that did not have a model holding a manbag, swinging a sack or shoulder bag slung nonchalantly over one arm.

Even Van Noten, who is normally above such things, included one. While a cat-shaped, highly strokable clutch bag was also spotted on one front row, Loewe won the originally prize for its elephant-shaped manbag which sits on the knee. Clearly a must for the man who cannot fit everything into his trunk.

- Boots with suits -

Whether it is the influence of the television series "Peaky Blinders" or to man-up more fey androgynous looks, robust boots walked all over every other form of footwear on the catwalk. Dr. Martens were omnipresent with even Dior paying homage with their own versions of the butch work boots, while Rick Owens won many new fans with his suede "hover bovver" boots with extended soles.

Boots were almost the rule under well-cut of suits, with John Galliano debuting a male version of the Tabi boot at Margiela as did wunderkind Demna Gvasalia rather cheekily at Vetements.

And Officine Generale went hell for leather with their vintage Mexican police boots, which designer Pierre Maheo said "became a reference for narco culture when many (officers) crossed over to the dark side."

Source: AFP

Luxury jewellery brand Azza Fahmy Jewellery has announced its UK store launch on 1 March at Mayfair's Burlington Arcade. Azza Fahmy has collaborated with Julien Macdonald, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Matthew Williamson and created bespoke collections for The British Museum. The concept store forms part of the Egyptian brand’s international retail network expansion plans and will reflect elements of their latest Galleria 40 store in Cairo which marked the direction of future designs

Source:diarydirectory.

UK natural and organic brand ORGANii has launched its new Arica Gel. Certified COSMOS Organic and certified vegan, the 50ml tube is an extension of its personal care range and can help to cool and relax tired muscles and joints, as well as offer relief for muscle pain, bites and stings, bruises, sprains, swelling and stiffness. The gel is now available to buy from selected stockists at £3.95.

Source:diarydirectory

UK natural and organic brand ORGANii has launched its new Arica Gel. Certified COSMOS Organic and certified vegan, the 50ml tube is an extension of its personal care range and can help to cool and relax tired muscles and joints, as well as offer relief for muscle pain, bites and stings, bruises, sprains, swelling and stiffness. The gel is now available to buy from selected stockists at £3.95.

Source:diarydirectory

Push PR has been appointed to handle the press and publicity for pop-up hairdressing concept Chop-Chop London. Chop Chop London offers quick, convenient and quality dry styling and cutting for all races, genders and hair types. 

Source:diarydirectory

Footwear brand Malone Souliers has appointed Charlotte Wickenden as Junior Press Assistant. Additionally, Lucy Rumble has been promoted to Head of Communications.

Source:diarydirectory

Julia Sugden PR has been appointed to handle the press and publicity for shoe boutique My Fashion Tribu. Established in 2013 founder Jane Galland combined her passion for accessories, fashion and travel to bring together a carefully curated collection of shoes for women and children.

Source:diarydirectory

Diesel Parfums has unveiled actor Alex Pettyfer as the face of the brand's upcoming Only the Brave fragrance campaign. In his soon-to-be-unveiled first campaign for Only the Brave, Alex will lead and unite a global squadron of young and influential braves.

Source:diarydirectory

My Market Insight, the company for data, commentary, and analysis across various media platforms, has revealed its weekly beauty insight today with a focus on PR performance of skincare across, print, online and social channels in 2017. The report focuses on trends throughout the year as well as identifying brands that have performed well against key metrics i.e. mentions, earned media value (EMV) and social engagement.

In 2017, skincare received 28% of all beauty PR. It was the 2nd largest category in terms of both PR mentions and EMV, led only by cosmetics. Skincare EMV was worth £110 million or 16% of the total beauty market. The largest proportion of skincare PR mentions came from consumer magazines; delivering 22% of all skincare mentions. Whilst YouTube created just 10% of all skincare PR mentions, it generated 57% of the category’s EMV.

Undeniably Social Influencers, particularly on YouTube, are a driving force for the beauty industry. We highlight ways in which Social Influencers shaped the skincare category in 2017, from brand and Influencer collaborations to promoting brand exposure.

Content Summary:

Kiehl’s Since 1851 achieved online EMV worth £400,569, the greatest online EMV performance by a skincare brand in 2017.

Whilst Glossier only launched in the UK in October 2017, Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanse, was the most popular product on YouTube in 2017, receiving 372,089 likes.

FleurDeForce generated the greatest number of Skincare PR mentions on YouTube in 2017. Fleur's YouTube skincare content also ranked in first place for skincare engagement.

Standout Performance:

Pixi Beauty collaborated with skincare expert Caroline Hirons to create “Pixi by Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse”. In 2017, Double Cleanse was the most mentioned skincare product across print, online and social combined. In addition to this, Double Cleanse achieved the third highest skincare EMV, worth £896,565. Also, Pixi Glow Tonic was the 2nd most mentioned skincare product in 2017, achieving 263 PR mentions.

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask achieved a lot of buzz in the media when it launched in January 2017, due to its revolutionary concept. The Dry Sheet Mask was the 5th most mentioned skincare product in 2017, receiving 172 PR mentions across print, online and social combined worth £433,836 EMV. The largest proportion of EMV for the mask came from Lydia Millen’s YouTube channel worth £47,806 EMV.

In 2017, Kate La Vie was in the top 10 Social Influencers for Skincare Instagram engagement, achieving 114,704 likes. Skincare coverage on Kate’s YouTube channel also generated 60,530 likes and 1,952,179 views worth over £200,000 EMV. Katelavie.com also featured 76 skincare PR mentions. Altogether, Kate featured 116 skincare different products across her platforms. Glossier Priming Moisturizer was Kate’s most mentioned product in 2017, producing 15 PR mentions.

If these insights interest you, call for more information. You can gain access to My Market Insight's data for as little as £750 and DIARY directory Subscribers receive a 20% discount.

Leo Eckley, leonora.eckley@mymarketinsight.com / 020-8831 7570.

Source:diarydirectory.

Dominique Gardiner, previously Acting PR Manager at M&Co has announced that she is going freelance. Dominique will continue to work on her personal fashion and travel blog, It's A Style Thing, and would like to hear from fashion and lifestyle brands who need PR, events and Influencer engagement support. Dominique has worked in PR and events for 10 years, prior to working at M&Co she was Senior Press Officer at Schuh. 

The year 2018, barely underway, has already dealt a series of disheartening blows to the quest for an Alzheimer's cure.

Within the first three weeks, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer abandoned the costly and frustrating field of dementia drug development, and two promising treatments stumbled in patient trials.

Alzheimer's support groups are putting on a brave face, but the collective disappointment is palpable as the global cost of caring for some 50 million dementia sufferers is set to reach $1 trillion (819 billion euros) this year.

"It's very fair to say that progress is slow," David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, a charity, told AFP.

"Companies have put a lot of time, effort and money in over the last 25 years, and there haven't been any new medicines launched in this area for 16 years now."

Experts say it takes 12–15 years, on average, and more than $2 billion to develop a single drug.

According to the Alzforum website, which gathers data on candidate drugs, fewer than 300 have made it to Phase II drug efficiency trials so far.

Only five have ever been approved to treat symptoms such as memory loss associated with Alzheimer's, first identified more than 100 years ago.

With a clinical trial failure rate of over 99 percent, there is still no licenced drug that slows the condition's progression, or cures it.

Today, about 100 candidate dementia drugs are enrolled in trials, compared to over 1,000 for cancer, according to Reynolds.

One reason is that "pharmaceutical companies ultimately are companies. They are beholden to their investors," he said.

"A return on investment is really: How much time and money do you put into getting a new medicine versus how much money can you make once you've actually got it? In this area, success has been very difficult to come by."

- Mysterious brain -

The stakes are high.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 10 million people per year are diagnosed with dementia, with Alzheimer's disease accounting for about two-thirds of cases.

By 2030, the number of sufferers is projected to reach 82 million globally, and by 2050 some 152 million.

The medical, patient-care, and economic costs are enormous.

A heavy burden falls on family members, the majority of care providers worldwide. Many have to give up their jobs.

Alzheimer's affects mainly older people -- about one in four over-85s is a sufferer. And numbers have soared as lifespans have lengthened thanks to medical advances in other fields.

With cardiovascular disease and cancer the biggest killers in the 1960s and '70s, that is where most of the research money went.

"In dementia, that investment wasn't there. So the amount of knowledge... about the disease is at a much, much earlier stage, and arguably the brain is a much more complicated organ" than the heart, said Reynolds.

To this day, scientists don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's, leaving drug developers stumped.

On January 6, Pfizer announced an end to its "discovery and early development efforts" for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's dementia drugs.

Two days later, Danish company Lundbeck reported its idalopirdine compound did not "decrease cognitive loss" in patients, and on January 12, biotech firm Axovant announced the end of the road for its offering, intepirdine.

- Slow, but not backwards -

Experts say every failure of a drug reveals something new about Alzheimer's disease, which is thought to be associated with a buildup of protein "plaques", and "tangles" in the brain.

One important recent realisation was that an effective treatment may have to begin long before symptoms appear as protein build-up likely starts decades before disease sets in.

This, in itself, presents a research challenge.

"How do you find these patients?" when they are in middle age and symptom-free, explained French neurology professor Bruno Dubois. "How long do you treat them?"

Drugs in development today are targeting several tracks.

Some use antibodies to mop up proteins in circulation, or enzymes to inhibit their production.

Another experimental approach is vaccination: training the body to produce its own antibodies to attack disease-causing proteins.

"We are not moving backwards," insisted Reynolds.

Yet, he was "by no means certain" that a goal set by the G8 in 2013 to develop a cure or treatment for dementia by 2025 can be met.

"Even knowing the obstacles, we have never been as optimistic as we are today," added James Hendrix, a director at the US-based Alzheimer's Association, one of several non-profit research funders.

"We will not slow down in our fight against this terrible disease," he vowed.

"We are steadfastly committed to both advocating for further increased federal funding for Alzheimer's and dementia research, and increasing our own level of research funding to get us to where we ultimately need to be -- a world without Alzheimer's disease."

Source: AFP

The year 2018, barely underway, has already dealt a series of disheartening blows to the quest for an Alzheimer's cure.

Within the first three weeks, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer abandoned the costly and frustrating field of dementia drug development, and two promising treatments stumbled in patient trials.

Alzheimer's support groups are putting on a brave face, but the collective disappointment is palpable as the global cost of caring for some 50 million dementia sufferers is set to reach $1 trillion (819 billion euros) this year.

"It's very fair to say that progress is slow," David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, a charity, told AFP.

"Companies have put a lot of time, effort and money in over the last 25 years, and there haven't been any new medicines launched in this area for 16 years now."

Experts say it takes 12–15 years, on average, and more than $2 billion to develop a single drug.

According to the Alzforum website, which gathers data on candidate drugs, fewer than 300 have made it to Phase II drug efficiency trials so far.

Only five have ever been approved to treat symptoms such as memory loss associated with Alzheimer's, first identified more than 100 years ago.

With a clinical trial failure rate of over 99 percent, there is still no licenced drug that slows the condition's progression, or cures it.

Today, about 100 candidate dementia drugs are enrolled in trials, compared to over 1,000 for cancer, according to Reynolds.

One reason is that "pharmaceutical companies ultimately are companies. They are beholden to their investors," he said.

"A return on investment is really: How much time and money do you put into getting a new medicine versus how much money can you make once you've actually got it? In this area, success has been very difficult to come by."

- Mysterious brain -

The stakes are high.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 10 million people per year are diagnosed with dementia, with Alzheimer's disease accounting for about two-thirds of cases.

By 2030, the number of sufferers is projected to reach 82 million globally, and by 2050 some 152 million.

The medical, patient-care, and economic costs are enormous.

A heavy burden falls on family members, the majority of care providers worldwide. Many have to give up their jobs.

Alzheimer's affects mainly older people -- about one in four over-85s is a sufferer. And numbers have soared as lifespans have lengthened thanks to medical advances in other fields.

With cardiovascular disease and cancer the biggest killers in the 1960s and '70s, that is where most of the research money went.

"In dementia, that investment wasn't there. So the amount of knowledge... about the disease is at a much, much earlier stage, and arguably the brain is a much more complicated organ" than the heart, said Reynolds.

To this day, scientists don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's, leaving drug developers stumped.

On January 6, Pfizer announced an end to its "discovery and early development efforts" for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's dementia drugs.

Two days later, Danish company Lundbeck reported its idalopirdine compound did not "decrease cognitive loss" in patients, and on January 12, biotech firm Axovant announced the end of the road for its offering, intepirdine.

- Slow, but not backwards -

Experts say every failure of a drug reveals something new about Alzheimer's disease, which is thought to be associated with a buildup of protein "plaques", and "tangles" in the brain.

One important recent realisation was that an effective treatment may have to begin long before symptoms appear as protein build-up likely starts decades before disease sets in.

This, in itself, presents a research challenge.

"How do you find these patients?" when they are in middle age and symptom-free, explained French neurology professor Bruno Dubois. "How long do you treat them?"

Drugs in development today are targeting several tracks.

Some use antibodies to mop up proteins in circulation, or enzymes to inhibit their production.

Another experimental approach is vaccination: training the body to produce its own antibodies to attack disease-causing proteins.

"We are not moving backwards," insisted Reynolds.

Yet, he was "by no means certain" that a goal set by the G8 in 2013 to develop a cure or treatment for dementia by 2025 can be met.

"Even knowing the obstacles, we have never been as optimistic as we are today," added James Hendrix, a director at the US-based Alzheimer's Association, one of several non-profit research funders.

"We will not slow down in our fight against this terrible disease," he vowed.

"We are steadfastly committed to both advocating for further increased federal funding for Alzheimer's and dementia research, and increasing our own level of research funding to get us to where we ultimately need to be -- a world without Alzheimer's disease."

Source: AFP

British designer Kim Jones is to quit Louis Vuitton after he shows his final men's collection for the label on Thursday, the brand said Wednesday.

His departure from one of the plum jobs in men's fashion is likely to set off a fresh round of musical chairs, with speculation mounting that he may be on his way to Versace.

The 44-year-old has led the luxury French brand since 2011 after he was poached from British heritage house Dunhill, which he dusted down and gave a new lease of life.

Vuitton said that Jones "has been the driving force behind some of the house's most successful projects and collaborations", with eye-catching hook-ups with hip New York streetwear brand Supreme and the iconoclastic British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman.

Jones brought his passion for wildlife and for exotic travel to his ultra luxurious collections for Vuitton, mixing a lingering nostalgia for British colonial chic with a streetwise edge.

Vuitton's chairman Michael Burke praised Jones' ability to "set trends" and for making the label "the leading brand in luxury menswear today.

"All of us who have been fortunate to work with Kim wish him continued success in his next venture," he added in a statement.

Women's Wear Daily, the fashion industry bible, had reported that the designer was in talks with Versace in September, but the Italian brand would not comment on the rumours.

WWD praised the Briton in September as one of the "small clutch of marquee designers who can straddle the luxury and streetwear worlds, which is why Versace might have come knocking."

Jones could also be a contender for the British brand Burberry which has been looking for a creative director to replace Christopher Bailey, who is leaving in March.

Source: AFP

Why should women get to wear all the pretty dresses? Why can't men also flounce about in the feathers, lace or fine embroidery if they fancy? These are the questions being posed by the daring young Spanish label, Palomo Spain, whose flamboyant show kicked off the Paris men's fashion week late Tuesday.

Designer Alejandro Gomez Palomo told AFP he wants nothing less than to "liberate" men from the straitjacket of convention.

The 25-year-old is one of a new wave of young designers for whom gender fluidity is not just a fashion statement but a way of being.

"Chanel liberated women (after World War I) by dressing them in male fabrics like tweed," Palomo said. "And when Yves Saint Laurent put women in dinner jackets it was an absolute revolution.

"I am doing the opposite," said the Andalusian-born creator, whose men show their legs, wear plunging necklines and silk suspenders and proudly sport transparent dresses embroidered with pearls and sequins.

"It all comes naturally to me," said Palomo, whose look owes much to the over-the-top world of Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.

The director's muse Rossy de Palma has even walked the catwalk for Palomo, who struck gold in July when pop megastar Beyonce wore one of his spectacular flowery dresses to present her newborn twins to her 110 million Instagram followers.

Miley Cyrus also sported a Palomo Spain unisex white frilly silk basque in the video for her number one hit, "Malibu".

- 'Liberating' men -

Palomo said his style is about personal "liberation", and rejects all comparison with a gay or transvestite aesthetic often attributed to him.

"It is just a way of giving guys who might want to, the possibility to wear really sophisticated materials, and certain shapes and silhouettes that used to be associated with women's wardrobes," he told AFP before making his Paris debut.

"I am not the first and the only person to do this," he said, citing Jean Paul Gaultier -- who put men in skirts in the 1980s.

Palomo is, nevertheless, the most theatrical and extravagant of a growing wave of designers who are blowing away gender boundaries.

One of the highlights of London fashion week earlier this month was a raucous show by the Loverboy label in which men and women with made-up white faces and blonde wigs heckled the models and swigged wine.

Loverboy designer, kilt- and beret-wearing Scottish rebel Charles Jeffrey, finished his previous show with a man in a princess wedding gown after putting his male models in miniskirts and a woman in a striped business suit.

Like several other young London-based creators, he questions the relevance of gender at all, describing it as a "bit of an eye roll".

- Generational shift -

Punk veteran Vivienne Westwood and rising young Turk JW Anderson at Loewe also regularly blur the lines. The movement has already filtered down to the British high street, with big retail chains such as John Lewis and Selfridges experimenting with gender neutral clothing lines for both adults and children.

Palomo, who trained at the London College of Fashion, sees himself as part of this generational shift which refuses to define people in binary terms.

His debut Paris show had all his usual cheeky panache: A line of Renaissance court dandies in silken doublets, dresses and hunting attire, full of delicious double entendres.

It built to a final flourish of imperial camp -- a feathered cape, plumed hat and thigh-high boots with white knickers.

Palomo is far from alone in mining the cross-gender vein at Paris fashion week -- American avant-gardists Thom Browne and Rick Owens are old hands -- and transgender models are now commonplace.

Rather it's the exuberance of Palomo's clothes which prompted the French Fashion Federation to invite him into the prestigious Paris fold, the only Spanish designer at style's top table.

"We want creativity, diversity and a bit of disruption, and he brings the lot," a spokesman for the federation said.

Palomo's independence of spirit also extends to where he feels most at home. Instead of one of the big fashion capitals, Palomo has set up his studio in his birthplace, Posadas, a small town of 7,000 people near Cordoba.

Yet he has been dreaming of the Paris catwalk since "I was five years old and making clothes for Barbie dolls. It's a huge honour for me," he said.

And he hopes his irreverence can put a bit of spark back into Spain fashion, so long dominated by safe mass markets brands like Zara.

"Spanish fashion is a little stuck, a bit rank," he admitted. "But I have something to bring to the table."

Source: AFP

Beach House PR has been appointed to handle the press and publicity for Three Little Words (TLW). The strategic communications agency will handle TLW’s public relations efforts for the company.

Made exclusively in Melbourne, Three Little Words (TLW) is hair care developed for consumers with busy lives who demand multifunctional products. With names like Winter is Coming and Let’s Get Tacos, each product in the line is designed to prolong the life of your style, while reducing drying time, minimizing the need for washing too often, improving the condition of the hair, and giving salon-quality. The multifunctional hair care line is free of sulfates and parabens and is never tested on animals.

Digital publications I The Stylist has announced the following team updates. 

Laura Bradbury has been appointed lifestyle features editor. Her role will involve helping to oversee the look of the publication - choosing themes, organising new features and working on social media. Laura's day-to-day is mostly spent emailing PR and editing wellbeing articles.

Joana Ascenso, who also works as a make-up artist, has been appointed beauty editor and will be overseeing the beauty team. Joana will speak to PRs routinely, source samples, market the beauty section and edit articles from contributors. In addition, she will play an active role in confirming themes and new concepts.

Versace has released its newest fragrance pour femme Dylan Blue. The scent, a fruity-floral woody contains notes of green apple, forget-me-not, eglantine rose, jasmine, peach white woods and musk The bottle of the fragrance is an expression of innovative design. Its elegant curves bring to mind an amphora, evoking Greek culture and mythology. The fragrance is available to buy from £52-£99 and is currently exclusive to Harrods and will launch nationwide 26 February.

Specialist textile companies, A.W Hainsworth, has announced its collaboration with new premium clothing supplier, Community Clothing.

Community Clothing was launched in 2016, and designs garments for both men and women. The clothing range is built around classic wardrobe staples, stylish pieces designed to wear forever. The collection is all made in Britain and the brand is part of a growing movement within sustainable fashion.

A.W Hainsworth has been manufacturing premium quality woollen cloth at its Yorkshire mill for over 200 years. Today, Hainsworth integrates the traditional qualities of craftsmanship with innovation and product development to meet the needs of a growing and diverse global customer base.

The London Fashion Agency has relaunched as LFA (Lifestyle & Fashion Agency). Since 2013, The London Fashion Agency has been supporting fashion brands. Over the past few years, their portfolio has grown into homeware and lifestyle brands. Their re-launch reflects the diversification and growth of the agency. Their new website can now be found at lfa.agency.com. 

Today, Ailsa Miller joins weekly magazine Stylist as fashion editor. Alisa was previously shopping editor at Tatler.

b. the communications agency has been appointed to handle the UK & US PR for Lord & Berry, the makeup atelier from Milan. Dedicated to creating style, Lord & Berry’s extensive line up of expertly developed formulations and modern textures empower makeup artists and contemporary beauty lovers alike across the world.

Luxury men's fashion and lifestyle magazine The Rake has announced a series of editorial updates. Charlie Thomas has been promoted from online editor to deputy editor. Jess Beresford has been promoted from editorial manager, e-commerce to managing editor, online. Benedict Browne has been named online editorial associate. Benedict was previously editorial associate.

The billionaire family that owns Dutch clothing retailer C&A is on the brink of selling the chain to Chinese investors, a German media report said Sunday.

The deal is close to being finalised, Der Spiegel weekly said, citing "insider sources".

C&A, founded in the Netherlands in 1841 by the German-Dutch Brenninkmeijer family, has over 1,500 stores across Europe employing some 35,000 people.

The chain, which focuses on offering affordable clothing for men, women and children, also has a smaller presence in China, Mexico and Brazil.

The reclusive Brenninkmeijer family owns C&A through the Cofra Holding company headquartered in Switzerland.

C&A declined to confirm or deny the mooted sale when contacted by Spiegel, the magazine said.

The Cofra holding company told the magazine in a statement that C&A was looking into growth opportunities in all regions.

"The ongoing restructuring of C&A also includes exploring different ways to pick up the pace in growth markets like China and in the digital area, and could potentially include partnerships and other kinds of additional, external participations."

Believed to be worth some 20 billion euros, the Brenninkmeijer family is one of Europe's wealthiest and most secretive, according to Spiegel.

It is also large, comprising some 1,000 family members whose shares in C&A are bundled into the Cofra Holding company based in the Swiss town of Zug, Spiegel added.

Source: AFP

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana put on a show fit for a king Saturday with its regal-inspired men's range modelled by some of the scions of the social media age in Milan.

The show, "King's Angels", featuring sharp tailored suits embellished with patterned lapels and gold embroidery, took place under an enormous crown with regular appearances of the celestial beings on sleeves, sweatsuits and suede moccasin slippers.

The Italian label has made millenials (those born between 1980 and 2000) its target market and used several of the generation's more prominent members to show off its latest creations at Milan Men's Fashion Week.

Internet celebrities such as Kevin Chaplin, grandson of Charlie, Dylan Jagger Lee, son of actress Pamela Anderson and drummer Tommy Lee, Paris Brosnan, son of actor Pierce, and Christian Combs, son of rapper Puff Daddy all took to the catwalk.

They were joined by the likes of Neels Visser -- he of 2.7 million Instagram followers -- video microblogging app Vine star Cameron Dallas, and musician and actor Austin Mahone.

Earlier Saturday, the doyen of Italian fashion Giorgio Armani, 83, showed off new creations for his Emporio Armani streetwear brand with a unisex show full of dark block colours and sharp tailoring.

Donatella Versace introduced riffs on Scottish tartan, also displaying women's outfits at Men's Fashion Week.

Source: AFP