WHILE ENVIRONMENTALISTS have been preoccupied with soaring oil prices and carbon footprints, fashionistas this season have been busy with their own Three R's - revive, relaunch, rebrand. No longer just applicable to the cyclical nature of trends in the industry, the Three Rs have taken over this autumn/winter with a handful of the biggest fashion brands of decades past set to make a comeback.
Leading the pack in the reinvention game is Halston, a name synonymous with the flower-power era of the 10970s. 'You are only as good as the people you dress,' Roy Halston famously said and indeed at the height of Halston mania, the designer put needle to thread for style mavens Jackie Onassis, Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger. But the brand lost credibility in the mid-1970s when the name was sold to US department store chain J.C. Penney. It went mass-market and alienated the high-end crowd he once catered for.
Last year, Halston was bought by a powerhouse panel that includes movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and Tamara Mellon of Jimmy Choo. 'The relaunch of Halston stemmed from a relatively simple revelation,' says Mellon. 'We remembered the strength and impact of the US luxury house and recognised a gap that has been evident in the fashion world for many years. We're not trying to revive a brand name, we're trying to pay homage to the man himself.'
Marco Zanini, ex-head designer at Versace, was appointed creative director and given the task of revising the brand while staying true to the Halston heritage. Zanini's debut collection pays tribute to the legacy, keeping to the simple silhouettes and neutral tones - with only a smattering of colour in coppers and ochres - that transformed American style, paving the way for designers such as Calvin Klein.
Women's Wear Daily recently reported that Zanini had parted ways with the company, although this does not seem to have impacted the hype that surrounds the collection in Europe and Asia. British online fashion establishment Net-a-porter.com signed a deal with the brand to sell key catwalk looks as soon as the show had debuted. The shirt-dress sold out within an hour, making it the fastest-selling item in the site's history. In Hong Kong the collection is exclusively available at Lane Crawford.
Across the pond, another name attempting to re-establish itself is Ossie Clark. One of the most influential designers in British history, Clark pioneered the free-flowing scoop-neck silhouettes and colourful romantic prints that continue to inspire today.
