It's time to ditch the designer goods and adopt fake fashion, say some Chinese, as "sham glam" takes the world's most populous nation by storm.

After a break of several years, Russian fashion designer Denis Simachev returned to the Moscow catwalk at the weekend with a show evoking change and upheaval to support his homeland during the financial crisis.

Italian eyewear maker Luxottica has renewed its licence agreement with luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo.

Malaysian-born luxury shoemaker Jimmy Choo is planning a network of "Couture Shoe Academies" worldwide, with the first to open in his home country, a report said Friday.

The Lebanese contingent of designers showing their couture collections this week are quietly optimistic that they can weather the current global recession.

Italian eyewear maker Luxottica SpA has won the licence to design and distribute Tory Burch and TT brand glasses, it said on Wednesday, in a deal a company source said should bring revenue of $30 million a year.

Jackie Prosser is a determined mother. Working in fashion, she says she is highly exposed to the global recession, but plans to cut back on other treats to keep her seven-year old at his fee-paying school.

Take two of the world's top men's designers and ask what is special about their trade and the answer is "millimetres and microscopic detail".

Italian designer Roberto Cavalli said he had agreed to sell a minority stake in his fashion house to private equity company Clessidra, a local business daily reported on Thursday.

Menswear designer Ferruccio Pozzoni has left Valentino, the Italian fashion house said on Monday.

Italian designer Roberto Cavalli, known for his bold animal prints, is lending some style to the other side of the retail counter.

KP Fashion Co, which is owned by Kira Plastinina, the 16-year-old fashion designer and daughter of Russian businessman Sergei Plastinin, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in a U.S. court. The Los Angeles-based company listed $9.

Italian eyewear maker Marcolin has renewed licences with Sixty Group and Fashion Box to make glasses and sunglasses for brands Miss Sixty Glasses and Replay Eyes, respectively.

Italian designer Miuccia Prada, whose trend-setting creations are worn worldwide, said she was looking at savings as the global financial crisis bites.

In couture, cut is vital, but Marie Dupuis has found it can also apply to price. Thanks to a little bargaining, a Jean-Paul Gaultier dress she had her eye on for New Year's eve was hers at a 40 percent discount.