San Francisco Frontiers - Fashion industry in 'precarious moment', says Vivienne Westwood supremo

Kronthaler, the Austrian widower of Vivienne Westwood who took over after her death, found inspiration from African fabrics and his own penchant for night gowns for the typically whimsical designs of his SS27 collection called "Body and Soul".

A piece of African fabric bought at the Barbes market in Paris was one starting point, as was his decision to start wearing his night gown outside in the street during this summer's searing heatwaves.

"I just lived my life in it, and I went on my bicycle and shopping and what not. And people really liked it," he told AFP. "And I thought that's nice, my life shirt."

"Orange Is the New Black" actress Natasha Lyonne headed down the catwalk wearing an animal print jacket with nothing underneath, as former supermodel Heidi Klum and actresses Rose McGowan and Paris Jackson looked on from the front row.

Asked about the commercial environment for fashion labels, with many creative directors under pressure, Kronthaler acknowledged the generally difficult trading conditions.

"We (Vivienne Westwood) are independent, and there are good sides to this, and of course there are hard sides to this. But it's okay," he told AFP. "We are living in a very precarious moment because things are not so secure in fashion."

Several top designers from Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent, Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga and Chemena Kamali at Chloe have been linked to possible exits in recent news reports, although none of the labels have commented publicly.

Elsewhere on Saturday, French luxury house Hermes presented its women's collection in the courtyard of the elite Republican Guard police unit in Paris, making the zip its leitmotif and the ultra-fine strap an accessory.

Zips were used to modulate the length of skirts, they ran across leather jackets and down a flared blue pair of trousers.

The family-controlled maker of the famous Kelly bag, which generates nearly half of its sales from leather goods and saddlery, is also going through a rough patch, even though it is holding up better than the rest of the sector.

On July 29, the group saw its share price plunge by as much as 11 percent during the session on the day it released its half-year results. Shares are down 39 percent since the start of the year.

Chief womenswear designer Nadege Vanhee will present the brand's first haute couture collection in January during Paris Couture Week.

At the same time, British designer Grace Wales Bonner will make her runway debut as artistic director of Hermes menswear.

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T.Rivera--SFF