A lot has changed since Project Runway debuted 10 seasons ago on Bravo. For a start, it's no longer on Bravo — and TV is no longer a one-way, passive experience but more about hybrid TV/social viewing these days, of course. So P.R.'s TV home, US women's cabler Lifetime, is leveraging visual social platforms Pinterest, Instagram, Piictu and Viddy ahead of the 10th season debut on July 19. 

While still maintaining Facebook and Twitter marketing, Lifetime's "Make it Work" season launch campaign — a reference to P.R. mentor Tim Gunn's catchphrase — asks viewers “to share images and videos that inspire fans to showcase their fashion choices and encourage armchair designers nationwide to share their style" to spur buzz and tune-in.Continue reading...

The Liz Claiborne brand name was sold in November to J.C. Penney so it was inevitable that its parent company, Liz Claiborne Inc., would shed the brand from its name. The inevitable is now official. The 34-year-old fashion company is changing its name to Fifth & Pacific Companies, and will start trading under the ticker symbol FNP in mid-May, in addition to replacing its zippy liz.com corporate domain with fifthandpacific.com.

Claiborne unloaded its Mexx brand in September and then sold its namesake brand to J.C. Penney, along with its Monet brand, two months later for $267.5 million. It also got rid of its Kensie and Dana Buchman brands this fall as it attempted to right its own financial ship. Now FNP is left with three core brands in Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Kate Spade, and a sibling in the mens fashion/accessory brand of Jack Spade line, to focus on.

The new corporate identity may recall Gap's Forth & Towne, Gilt's Park & Bond, and Nordstrom's Treasure & Bond, but CEO William McComb argues that the name is a perfect synthesis of the east coast/west coast stable of brands, as it's "where California cool meets New York chic."Continue reading...

Liz Claiborne Inc. hasn’t turned a profit since 2006 so it’s no surprise that the company finally reached a tipping point of sorts and decided to massively shake things up. In the last of five deals that are focused on the company ending up with only its higher-priced brands, Claiborne sold off its namesake brand as well as the Monet brand to J.C. Penney Co. on Nov. 2nd.

Liz Claiborne CEO William McComb stated, "We are very proud of the value we have unlocked from our Partnered Brands group. What remains of that segment is a private brand jewelry design and development group that will continue to serve J. C. Penney, via our exclusive license for the Liz Claiborne and Monet brand jewelry lines. It will also continue to market Trifari and Marvella, as well as serve Kohl's with a license for Dana Buchman jewelry. Our jewelry capability is a profitable niche that was worth retaining, and will add to our earnings profile."

McComb continued: "With this announcement, the company has completed the last in a series of five transactions that in total have raised $471 million, allowing the company to meaningfully de-leverage and transform its balance sheet — while creating a portfolio focused on growth. ...We are now focused on our three global lifestyle brands — Juicy Couture, kate spade and Lucky Brand — and seeing the high growth and high margin opportunities they offer come to fruition as well."Continue reading...

OK, so the 83rd Annual Academy Awards was a bit of a snoozefest, with Colin Firth and Natalie Portman winning the best thespian categories (as expected) and The King's Speech sweeping the night.

On the commercial front, while the Oscars may not have "the Super Bowl for women" that some thought in terms of the caliber of the ads, there were some new campaigns — but also a lot of repetition and reprisals of Super Bowl spots.

What did you think of the commercials, if you caught them during the telecast on ABC? To jog your memory:Continue reading...

Weight Watchers has always been a heavyweight among weight-loss programs, and it keeps swinging. Recently, it has introduced its revamped program, Points Plus, with Jennifer Hudson on board as spokeswoman, and now it has signed on Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame, adding an intriguing fashion aspect to its promotions.Continue reading...

The It Gets Better video campaign is the brainchild of writer Dan Savage. His goal: encourage everyday folks and celebrities alike to upload videos on YouTube sharing their thoughts and experiences in messaging directed at LGBT youth at threat of cyber-bullying and suicide, and point them to resources such as The Trevor Project.

The movement has attracted more major endorsements in the past 24 hours, including Google staffers (above) and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Today has also been dubbed Spirit Day, with people (such as Canada's Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff) donning purple literally and virtually, including turning social profile pics purple, to show support for the cause.Continue reading...

The realm of brand extensions just became a little more fashionable, as television is taking one of its most popular brands into the world of gaming.

Emerging designers can now create their own collections for a virtual fashion show. A “Project Runway” video game launches today where aspiring fashionistas create their own looks to compete in a runway challenge. Players have the ability to choose makeup and a hairstyle to complete each look. On the Wii Balance Board, players can also strut their stuff.Continue reading...

Can exclusive partnerships revive a brand? Depends on your partner.

After disappointing results with fashion insiders Tim Gunn and Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Claiborne has changed course and jumped to the other end of the fashion spectrum: JC Penny and QVC.

Starting in Fall 2010, the Liz Claiborne line will be sold exclusively though JC Penney. Isaac Mizrahi-helmed collection, Liz Claiborne New York, will be sold on QVC. The brand expects to return to profits in 2010, with forecast sales of $100 million on QVC and $1 billion in Penney stores.

The agreement shifts all Liz Claiborne's sourcing, marketing and distribution and their costs to JC Penney, while they retain control of design and brand management. The partnership will shelter Claiborne Inc.'s margins from department store markdowns. Instead, the company will receive a share of royalties based on profit.Continue reading...