International Briefs

No change at Barneys
UNITED STATES: The new owners of New York-based department store Barneys - home to several Australian brands including Ksubi - have denied speculation they intend expanding into international markets. The chief executive of Dubai-based Istithmar, which recently signed a deal to purchase Barneys for $US825 million ($A975 million) from Jones Apparel Group, said his firm's role was to help Barneys grow - confirmed his firm would not make any radical change to the company's business strategy. He admitted international expansion would be a great opportunity but argued "the core business has to work as an existing business before it can be opened in a stand-alone tourist compound".

Crocs big bite
UNITED KINGDOM: Global footwear retailer Crocs has announced plans to increase its retail portfolio while also diversifying into apparel in time for the northern hemisphere spring 2009. The announcement follows the news the plastic clogs business has more than tripled its global profits. For autumn 2008 the brand will showcase a womenswear footwear range featuring knee-high leather boots with plastic detailing. The first apparel range is expected to include a men's lifestyle collection, a childrenswear line and a diffusion accessories range. Price points will range from UK pound 20 to 50 ($A47 to $118). 

Cavalli joins queue
UNITED KINGDOM: The man famous for redesigning the bunny costume for Hugh Hefner's Playboy has joined the growing queue of designers to collaborate with Swedish fashion retailer H&M. Like Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf before him, Roberto Cavalli will create a one-off collection for the chain. The collection, which will feature 20 pieces of menswear and 25 pieces of womenswear together with lingerie and matching accessories, is expected to hit about 200 select H&M stores worldwide on November 8.

Lee's new line
FRANCE: French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has teamed with London-based Lee Cooper jeans to launch a new collection. Dubbed 'JCDC Denim Edited by Lee Cooper', the collection is themed around '60s British rock icons. Targeting a younger clientele, the first collection features de Castelbajac's signature colourful aesthetic applied to slim-fitting jeans and also utilises whimsical prints on denim. The denim line for women and men will be distributed in 250 Lee Cooper stores in 70 countries, as well as in Jean-Charles de Castelbajac flagship stores.

Designer death
UNITED STATES: The designer behind multibillion dollar global apparel brand Liz Claiborne has died. Claiborne, aged 78, died in a New York hospital earlier this month following a long battle with cancer. The Brussels-born, New Orleans-raised designer got her first break in the fashion industry  after winning a design contest in Harper's Bazaar magazine as a young woman. After working at various Seventh Avenue sportswear and dressmaking firms, she founded her own company in 1976, with husband Art Ortenberg, a textile industry veteran, and two others. The company - whose current portfolio includes more than 40 brands including Juicy Couture, Narciso Rodriguez and Lucky Brand Jeans went public in 1981. Claiborne retired from active management in 1989.