Diego Segura

This is where so-called limits insurers come in, offering coverage to firms with annual revenues of $1 million to $20 million.

Euler Hermes, a limits underwriter, recently introduced a plan called Simplicity, aimed at helping businesses with $1 million to $5 million in sales. Another insurer, Coface, offers the International Policy, an industry... See more

Sykes also nails fashion-speak, a way of describing a look or mood by using an obscure film or style reference, usually preceded by "very": "very Ali MacGraw in Colorado"; "It's all very 'Lost in Translation' "; "Lee Radziwill on holiday in Capri in the 60's."

the image maker of the future will probably be the person who has the most highly sought-after taste and always gets it right.

Arnault has never acquired a business with back-office synergies on his mind

Merely stocking us, or any young brand, in your store doesn’t equal support. As a young designer you need structures and advice. Stores often have an ego because they stocked you first. But they need to do more. Where is the storytelling? How do you help us grow? Stocking a young brand is a huge responsibility many stores take too lightly. We,... See more

The good news for Arnault is that he’s raised a highly accomplished group of five children—all of whom are in the business and doing well, by many accounts—from which to choose a successor. There is Delphine , his only daughter, who is 48, a member of the LVMH board and executive committee and the C.E.O. of Christian Dior Couture. Her brother,... See more

Commercially, this season of Helmut Lang may sell better than it ever has for Fast Retailing. Walking out of the show, I asked a store owner if she planned on buying the collection, and she seemed keen on the blazers and jeans, which are reasonably priced. (Reasonable, in this case, means between $300 and $600.) And then, a shop-and-copy master... See more

In April, after the Fashion Trust U.S. awards, she estimated her debt to be about $90,000. Her creditors include factories that are starting to get mad, she said, but also people central to her team, like the designer Andrew Curwen, who is owed a few months’ worth of invoices.

Ultimately, Proenza’s fortunes unravelled for many of the same reasons so many of its peers are no longer in business: misallocation of funds, disagreements with investors, seismic shifts in the industry at large, and a fashion ecosystem that did a poor job of preparing young designers for the realities of entrepreneurship.