RSCPA Caution for Fefé

Dolce & Gabbana have expanded their line of perfumes with a new scent that delivers the "warm notes" of ylang ylang, musk and sandalwood. It's for dogs. Very fashionable dogs. Luxury dogs, you might say.

 

Inspired by Domenico Dolce and partner Guilherme Siqueira’s own faithful playmate, Fefé – an adorable toy poodle and the bouquet’s namesake – it’s a fragrance mist for your four-legged friends. Developed by renowned master perfumer Emilie Coppermann and supposedly crafted with the olfactory and skin sensitivities of dogs in mind. It is even Safe Pet Cosmetics-certified.

 

Fefé sells for €99. The bottle features a 24-carat gold-plated paw so you know it's worth every penny. Thing is, the RSPCA says a dog perfume is a terrible idea.

 

"Sometimes dogs can be anthropomorphised and the lines can become blurred between what dogs like and what we, as humans, think they'll like", RSPCA senior scientific officer Alice Potter told The Guardian. 

 

"Dogs rely on their sense of smell to communicate and interact with their environment as well as the people and other animals within it. Therefore we advise that strong-scented products such as perfumes or sprays are avoided, especially as some smells can be really unpleasant for dogs".

 

My post "An Ice Cream's No-no Flavor" published August 01, 2024 refers. 

 

It seems that the Singapore Food Agency have no plans to emulate the Malaysian health ministry in banning the "Pei Pa Koa" cough syrup flavored food product, saying that "Pei Pa Koa" is a herbal remedy to soothe sore throats. 

 

It is produced by Hong Kong company Nin Jiom Group and said to contain honey among other ingredients. Also known as "Cap Ibu dan Anak" in Malaysia, referencing the image of a mother and child in traditional Chinese dress on its packaging, which is said to be an homage to the Hong Kong brand’s story.

 

In view of the low levels of each herbal ingredient in the consumable, Pei Pa Koa-flavored food products are unlikely to have any food safety issues, it is said. Chinese herbal constituents are often used in small quantities as ingredients or flavorings in various food items – besides, they are already regulated by the republic’s Health Sciences Authority. 

 

In any case, the commonsense approach is moderate consumption.

Fashion Needs to Be Seen in Real Life, Says Giorgio Armani

Ciao! Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week (June 18-22) is nowhere near the usual 40-plus schedule of 'live' shows – but anyway, it did see Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Etro putting on physical spectacles in the Italian fashion capital. 

As Italy’s second largest industry with pre-Covid turnover hitting the €100 billion mark, Armani (right) said fashion week would “be fundamental” in helping the Italian economy recover following the pandemic. He hosted his first physical fashion show in 16 months on Monday – the spring/summer 2022 menswear show. 

Like the rest of the fashion industry, due to the coronavirus, the veteran designer pivoted to showing his collections in a digital format as opposed to in front of the 200+ strong crowd he is used to – but has “realized that fashion cannot survive for long in an exclusively virtual form”. 

“I appreciate the importance of virtual presentations; they are useful and global”, he added. “[But] fashion needs to be seen in real life…”. 

“The digital fashion show is fake”, said Domenico Dolce (right) alongside his co-designer Stefano Gabbana, whose 94-model show on Saturday was their first since September. 

“It’s not a fashion show to do it digitally, between post-production and everything you lose the show. For us, the show is the moment the clothes connect with people and we [also] get a feeling of what people think about the clothes”. 

Kean Etro (left), creative director of Etro menswear, who staged his spring/summer 2022 show at an outside location on Sunday, concurred. “You can record what you want and you can stream it, but to [really] represent yourself, we need to see each other”. 

I can appreciate the sentiments expressed. 

Public speaking is the same too. As a speaker, it is vital to create connection with the audience. And nothing beats being in a real physical setting. With real people.

Blackface Backlash

Luxury fashion brand Gucci has withdrawn a woollen jumper from sale after the item was criticized for "resembling blackface".

The black "balaclava jumper" covered the lower half of the face and featured a red cut-out around the mouth. 

The item quickly prompted a backlash on social media by users who alleged the design was offensive. 

In a statement, Gucci apologized for any offence caused and said it would be removed from sale. 

The brand said it would turn the incident "into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team" and was committed to increasing diversity. 

That is the common refrain for brands which have become entrapped by their own self-inflicted foolishness. 

Blackface has a history of perpetuating offensive and racist stereotypes of African Americans dating back more than 200 years in the United States. On social media, many had criticized the design for invoking such stereotypes. 

Gucci's troubles mark the latest in a string of missteps by luxury fashion brands. 

Last month, Prada withdrew items over concerns it had depicted blackface imagery. 

The label pulled products from a line of goods called Pradamalia which appeared to resemble black monkeys with large red lips. 

In 2016, Dolce & Gabbana caused controversy when they called an item of footwear in their spring/summer collection a "slave sandal".

Accusations of racism via Twitter were lobbed at Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana – that the duo were glorifying slavery.

When I consider the above, it makes me wonder that just maybe, there are brands that are intentionally using race to capture people's attention. 

Paul MacKenzie-Cummins, managing director of Clearly PR Marketing and Communications has this to say: "It's an ultra-competitive market and the retail space has never been as competitive as what it is now. They need to do something to get their voices seen and heard".

Whether this is true or not, the fact of the matter is that we should be sensitive to things regarded as demeaning and dehumanizing to others. 

Pizza, Pasta and Chopsticks

Screengrabs of the videos in question that riled the Chinese

Dolce & Gabbana thought they were being very clever when they posted videos this week showing a Chinese model struggling to eat pizza and pasta with chopsticks. 

Chopsticks? How stupid can D&G be? 

Of course, the Chinese were distressed, upset and angry – and D&G were accused of trivialising Chinese culture and promoting unflattering stereotypes. 

That's not all. Messages purportedly written by co-founder Stefano Gabbana, which included offensive comments about the Chinese, went viral. 

The Italian luxury fashion house quickly apologized – but said it and Gabbana's Instagram accounts had been hacked. 

"We have nothing but respect for China and the people of China", a message from D&G said. 

Too late! The furore has built into an indignant crescendo. 

Local celebrities called for a boycott of the brand and their products were even pulled from Chinese e-commerce sites as the backlash against D&G grows. 

This faux pas risks alienating D&G from one of the world's biggest luxury markets. 

It is a crucial market for luxury firms. A 2018 report by consultancy Bain & Company forecast the luxury goods market in mainland China will grow by up to 22% this year. 

"Chinese consumers continue to stand out as a growth-driver for the industry", the report said. 

Already, D&G were compelled to cancel their Shanghai fashion show. 

It's not as if this incident was the first time Dolce & Gabbana have drawn controversy. 

Last April the brand posted a campaign on Weibo that showed impoverished people in run-down areas of Beijing pictured with Dolce & Gabbana models ahead of a catwalk show in the city. The pictures were flayed for stereotyping Chinese history by showing old parts of the city, rather than more modern depictions of Beijing. 

D&G also stirred trouble in 2016 when they called an item of footwear in their spring/summer collection a "slave sandal". 

Anyway, this latest controversy will hurt D&G business – but the long-term impact will depend on how they deal with the fallout. 

Yesterday, I was at the Ireka Toastmasters meeting on Level 18 of Wisma Mont Kiara in KL – there, I delivered another speech. Thank you to club president, Nor Fathiyyah for the speaking slot!

This time, it was a CC #5 Your Body Speaks titled Alive with Pain. I talked about my love for pain, LOL!

Sneakers that Marry Fashion with Sports

A model presents a creation from the Dolce & Gabbana Autumn/Winter 2018 women collection during Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 25, 2018

Luxury fashion and sports are coming together. And it looks as if they have become inseparable. 

Strange bedfellows alright but it is the in-thing now. And yielding big profits for those involved in the business. Already, both luxury groups and sports companies are looking to cash in on a booming market. 

Premium sneakers can start at around $400 but can easily go up as high as $3,000 for a pair of Christian Louboutin’s leather, crystal-embellished sneakers. 

And limited editions can even sell for well over $10,000, including the Chanel X Pharrell Hu Race Trail or Nike’s Air Jordan 3 Retro DJ Khaled Grateful. 

High-end brands such as Gucci, Prada and Balenciaga are increasingly looking to sneakers for growth, putting them in direct competition with sportswear giants like Nike, Puma and Adidas – and creating ever-more striking and swank designs. 

A Reuters report put global sales of sneakers – or trainers – to have expanded by 10 percent to 3.5 billion euros in 2017. 

For sure, sneakers are a big driver of the luxury shoe business – in fact, luxury sneakers represent the fashion industry’s fastest-growing segment. 

Bruce Pas, Men’s Fashion Director at US department store Neiman Marcus – a leading purveyor of the world's most unique luxury goods – trumpets: “It’s not really even a trend anymore – it’s become a category”. 

The rise of luxury sneakers is part of the growing influence of casual and streetwear in high-end fashion, where it is now acceptable to team sneakers with a tailored suit. 

Upmarket brands are tapping into street style to refresh their looks and young buyers are driving the shift. “Millennials” – born between the early 1980s and mid-90s – already represent a third of the luxury market, according to consultancy Bain & Co. 

It has been noted that even with intensifying competition, profits will remain very healthy. 

“There is (a) large space for prices moving up”, said Erwan Rambourg from HSBC. It seems that the ‘luxurization’ of sneakers can only impact margins positively. 

Designer footwear or luxury sneakers or couture sneakers or whatever we may wish to call them – they are a fast-growing market segment. 

Even for sportswear companies, like Adidas, fashion collaborations are not unusual. 

In fact, Adidas recognize that it is a way of expanding their company’s creative ecosystem and keeping consumers engaged and excited by the Adidas brand in a fast-moving market. “These days the pace has become so fast. People go to verticals, like H&M and Zara, and expect new products every month. Even with high fashion labels, it’s the cruise collection and pre-collections; every three months you get something new”, said Dirk Schönberger, creative director of Adidas’ sport style division. 

“We are a very commercial brand, so, of course, we have to deliver – at a minimum every week – something that excites the consumer. The verticals and the [speed of the] Internet have changed the way we do things”, he added. 

When a market opportunity presents itself, you can be sure marketing-driven companies will be in the thick of the action. It’s business, after all!

Italia is Love

Models take selfies as they walk the runway for Dolce & Gabbana during Milan fashion week. Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

Model taking a selfie of her Dolce &Gabbana wicker basket. Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

A camera bag from Dolce & Gabbana’s spring/summer 2016 collection. Photograph: Daniel Dal Zennaro/EPA

Photos: Reuters/Alessandro Garofalo

Photo: Reuters/Stefano Rellandini

 

Against a backdrop showing a 1950s Italian high street, complete with red and white stripy awnings and a fruttivendolo (greengrocer), and That’s Amore on the soundtrack, Dolce & Gabbana took fashionistas on holiday on Sunday with their Spring/Summer 2016 collection that paid tribute to the designer duo’s home country.

 

The models took selfies as they strutted the catwalk, showcasing the vibrant designs – that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana had decorated their dresses with all things delightfully Italian.

 

Entitled “Italia is love”, the collection presented a picture-postcard view of Italy over an exhaustive 90 looks.

 

Decorations on bags and dresses celebrated the country’s greatest tourist hits: Capri! Amalfi! Taormina! Rome! Portofino! There were Virgin Mary medallions dangling from shoes and appliquéd on burgundy velvet dresses.

 

Bags were fashioned after tourist’s cameras or traditional wicker baskets. Michelangelo’s David, Rome’s Colosseum, Venice’s gondolas, the tower of Pisa and Florence’s Duomo all became sequinned patches on frocks.

 

And there were lemons everywhere – embroidered into dresses, on headdresses, used as chunky plastic earrings.

Known for their use of embellishments, the celebrity-favorite designers employed an array of colors, sequins, gems, pom-poms and appliques for their fashion extravaganza.
 

For the show's finale, models changed into short dresses, made to look like postcards from cities and holiday spots across Italy from San Remo in the north to the Almafi Coast.

 

A riot of colors in a wardrobe of delectable designs! Italy rocks!

 

On Friday, I collected my office mail and this is what I received:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One ALB, two CL and two CC awards! Wow! My total tally for this 2015-2016 term, so far is 9 and I can expect to amass a collection of at least 16 Toastmasters awards this term!

 

On Saturday, I was at the Premier Advanced Toastmasters meeting. I took on the role of Speech Evaluator and I must say I was impressed with Lhavanya’s speech. I trust my evaluation had helped her to improve further. I was voted Best Table Topics speaker and yes, I deserved it!