Some years ago I had the privilege of driving through Europe visiting the famous car museums there—from the less-known Rosso Bianco collection in Aschaffenburg to the Musée Nationale in Mulhouse. There’s a new one that’s a must, opening today in Stuttgart: the Porsche Museum. Delayed by a year and with its construction costing […]
Hetty Rose recycles kimono fabrics for spring–summer
We’ve had a few chats lately to readers about shoes—especially ones with prints and how they would make more of a comeback. We were very interested to see the Hetty Rose collection for the spring–summer season. Embroidery and kimono fabrics—some are vintage and recycled, sourced from Japan—are the hallmarks of this new collection. The […]
Opel Insignia wins another award
The Opel Insignia has done very well for GM—such a shame it has come while the company is in such a deep crisis. It took home the 2008 Car of the Year award from European journalists, as we reported last year. It has also won the ADAC (German Automobile Association) Gelben Engel award on January […]
There’s life in the Buick brand yet
GM announced both its 2010 Cadillac SRX and Buick LaCrosse at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), or the Detroit Auto Show, on January 9. We don’t see much point to SUVs like the SRX—and have not done for the entire decade—but the LaCrosse, admittedly, is a tidy, attractive design that shows there’s life […]
BMW reveals new Z4: first videos
The BMW Z4 came across as a far more butch sports car than the prissy Z3 that came before it, helped in no small part by the series of BMW Films starring Clive Owen. At the Detroit Auto Show, BMW reveals an all-new Z4 that’s longer and wider, with longer doors allowing for easier access, […]
The urgent measures Detroit must take
Above: One of the cars that Ford could sell in North America: the subcompact Ka, built in Poland. [Cross-posted] Earlier this year, before we found out just how bad Detroit’s financial situation was, I wrote a paper for The Journal of the Medinge Group called ‘Saving Detroit, by Not Making the Same Old Mistakes’. My […]
H&M and Electrolux discuss CSR
I’ve been preaching corporate social responsibility (CSR) for many years—indeed, most of this century—which is probably why I was invited to the Medinge Group (though its name had not then been coined) many years back. Our first book, Beyond Branding, was a call to action for companies on transparency and integrity, and centred in many […]
Mini has revealed its new convertible, based on the latest platform. Earlier this year, Lucire tested the Clubman estate, which we dubbed a fashion item for the RAV4 crowd turning away from SUVs because of their negative image in 2008. The cabriolet should equally be a winner for BMW and Mini, especially with new engines, […]
New London footwear label is a trip
We like this idea: Above + Below London, a new footwear label, uses fabrics that have been reclaimed from London buses and Underground carriages from the 1950s through to the 1990s—with the permission of Transport for London. Some are rare and will likely take wearers back to an earlier era. Central St Martin’s graduate […]
Matthew Williamson is H&M’s next guest designer
Above: Model Veronika Fasinova and Matthew Williamson, previewing one of the designs in next spring’s collection for H&M. (Photographed by Magnus Magnusson for H&M.) Continuing the idea of accessible luxury, Hennes & Mauritz has announced that its next guest designer will be Matthew Williamson. Williamson follows in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor […]
