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Primark is working on a long-term compensation plan for victims of the recent Bangladesh factory collapse. The British retailer was one of several high street brands known to use the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka.

It was confirmed last month that the company would donate immediate aid to victims and their families – including those who worked to supply the other labels that were manufactured in the building – which will be delivered over a six-week period.

These initial donations will be on a short-term basis, while a second long-term compensation plan is formulated based on the company receiving a reliable list of those who worked in the factory (which is currently not available); plus the ability of the victims to work in the future; their loss of earnings, and the needs of their dependents. The third stage will see Primark continue to deliver food aid to around 1,000 families a week.

“The company was the first brand to acknowledge that its suppliers were housed in the Rana Plaza complex. The company was the first brand to commit to paying compensation to workers and their dependents. And the company was the first UL brand to sign up to the Accord on Building and Fire Safety,” read a statement from Primark. “The company is now extending to help workers who made clothing for its competitors. The company is working as fast as possible to devise a scheme to provide long-term, secure assistance to workers in its supplier factory.” 

The fire safety accord – with the aim of supporting and protecting Bangladesh’s factory workers in the future – has been signed by leading retailers including H&M and Zara, alongside Primark.

H&M has generated big buzz by casting Jennie Runk, a size 12 American model, to front its plus-size swimwear campaign this season. “Our aim is not to convey a certain message or show an ideal,” H&M spokeswoman Jennifer Ward tells Quartz.com, “but to find a model who can illustrate this collection in an inspiring and clear way.” Just two years ago the brand was blasted for Photoshopping the heads of real models onto the computer-generated body in different skin tones for its online shop.

Adweek reports that the new campaign is already receiving praise for promoting a healthy body image. Commenters left notes that read “REAL woman <3″ and “Wow. She is absolutely gorgeous and has a normal body. How Refreshing.” on a slide show of the campaign on Ford Models’ blog. Runk is actually smaller than the average American woman, who wears a size 14. The praise comes from how “normal” her body is despite the fact that she’s a plus-size model fronting a plus-size swimwear campaign.

The retailer got similar press in 1993 when it put busty Playboy centrefold Anna Nicole Smith in lace corsets and bras on billboards across the world as part of its lingerie campaign; the ads caused traffic accidents for several distracted drivers. High-end designers, fashion magazines and major brands have began using fuller figure models in several high-profile campaigns. In 2005, Jean Paul Gaultier closed his Paris show with Crystal Renn, then a size 12 model. Just last September, Robin Lawley became Ralph Lauren’s first plus-size model. Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign went viral after it’s launch in 2004, promoting real women instead of professional models. Yet if the reaction to H&M’s latest campaign is any indication, there needs to be more plus-size models in the fashion industry.

IMG Source – The Citizens of Fashion

Two years ago ex-Victoria’s Secret bombshell Miranda Kerr was quoted saying that she “will not go a day without coconut oil”, pointing out that she typically ingests about 4 tbsp of it each day and since then the sales of coconut oil have gone up quite a bit. As someone who swears by yoga and eats raw or organic food, Kerr caught the attention of the beauty world when she launched her own all-natural skincare line, KORA Organics – a 21 piece lineup of face and body essentials – that is as eco-luxe as it gets. “The range is exactly what I was looking for myself but was unable to find,” says Kerr. “I receive daily testimonies from customers all over the world who have firsthand seen the benefits of using KORA,” she insists – although good luck getting your hands on the products if you live outside of Australia.

All that is about to change though. This week, Kerr has announced an exclusive partnership with Net-A-Porter, whose newly launched beauty section will now stock select KORA products for a broader, American and European audience. “I personally love to shop at Net-A-Porter. It’s an easy, luxurious experience,” Kerr admits, adding that her Revitalizing Body Pack is a great place to start if you’re new to the line. “It includes my essentials for radiant, glowing skin for your body; Exfoliating Cream, Energizing Citrus Mist, Enriched Body Lotion and Luxurious Rosehip Body Oil. The [oil] is one of my all-time favourite products.”

Beyond maintaining a great skin regimen, Kerr has found that balance is key to have the body of a VS angel. “I live by the 80/20 rule. Moderation is key and essential. I try my best to fill my body with healthy organic food when I can, but enjoy a little indulgence every now and then! I believe if we choose to fill our bodies with healthy food, our minds with healthy thoughts, and nurture our spirits with rituals we can enjoy, it can lead to a solid foundation of happiness.”

Rihanna is reportedly suing high-street brand Topshop for $5 million (£3.28 million), for selling T-shirts that bear pictures of her face allegedly without her consent. According to The New York Post, the star’s management team have been negotiating with the store to try and resolve the situation for the last 8 months. Proving to be unsuccessful, they have now hired international law firm Reed Smith to deal with it.

“Rihanna’s management asked Topshop a number of times to stop selling her image and we were told: ‘We do what we want,”a source told The New York Post. “Even though the UK laws don’t protect the artist, she has decided to move forward and sue Topshop. She has spent almost $1 million in litigation at this point. She says it’s the principle, and wants to make a statement about it. They are taking advantage of artists. It is just exploitation. What they are doing is wrong.”

A spokesperson for Topshop declined to comment on the reports, although a source told The New York Post that the  T-shirt in question was provided by “a third-party supplier” and that the label is aware that the piece was the “subject of litigation”.

Indie rocker band Deerhunter is making noise in the fashion world because of their unlikely collaboration with New York womenswear brand Proenza Schouler. For Bradford Cox, lead singer, being outlandish is his claim to fame. Recently the band performed on Jimmy Fallon and he wore a black shag wig with a bloody tourniquet wrapped around his fingers. The collaboration came about due to admiration on both sides. “It’s some of the only really new music we listen to,” designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez said. “Bradford sent us an early copy of Monomania, and it’s pretty much on repeat in the studio these days.” The two met the band after a performance at MoMa PS1 in Queens a few weeks before their fall runway show and invited them. “When I saw the clothes, I was immediately struck by how much they fit into a certain aesthetic consciousness that I so often subscribe to on this new record. A sort of futurism but using quite nostalgic patterns. They seem to evoke a sense of white noise. I think they’re incredibly suggestive of a certain sound. It’s a perfect match for what we were trying to achieve.” The day following their show, Deerhunter called Proenza and asked them to dress them for their cover shoot.

The designer duo didn’t know what to expect from the shoot but called it “a very long and very interesting evening”. “It was totally off the cuff. It wasn’t all about the clothes, which for us was a first, but more about having fun and playing around. It was totally outside any fashion context, which we loved.” Safe to say, Cox felt the same way. “Honestly there was nothing in fashion that interested me – only the clothing of Proenza Schouler showed me anything work looking at. I think they honestly are the most artistic and the most liberated of all the designers.”

Monomania is out now.

Nicole Kidman is the new face of Jimmy Choo. The Oscar-winning actress will star in the brand’s autumn/winter 2013-14 campaign – the first since Sandra Choi took over the helm as creative director.

The images were shot last month by photographer Mikael Jansson and is described as having “a cinematic feel that hints at the power and seduction of the Jimmy Choo woman”. The adverts will premiere globally in August issues of Vogue.

“I’ve always loved fashion and often use it as a way to get into character,” said Kidman. “There is a lot of complexity, mystery, and femininity to the Jimmy Choo woman.”

“I’m such a great admirer and feel enormously honored to be working with Nicole Kidman,” said Choi. “Nicole is one of the finest actresses in the world, who I knew could convey the empowered glamour of the brand. But she is also nuanced and refined; she brings an attitude of defiance, strength, sensuality and elegance.”

Keep your eyes peeled for which dazzling Jimmy Choo’s Nicole will be wearing to represent her new fashion family.

Nicole wearing Jimmy Choo's in 2011 at the BAFTA Brits to Watch event

Lara Stone for CK one mascara

CK Calvin Klein will undergo a rebranding later this year. The accessories and clothing label will be renamed simply as Calvin Klein, to be featured on a platinum label. The process will begin in autumn, starting with watches and jewelry. The fragrances will remain named CK and CK One. The move is part of a wider strategy to unify the Calvin Klein brands under one umbrella.

“I believe that this rebranding, and the efforts we are taking to enhance our own bridge apparel and accessory offering, will benefit the brand image and result in the enhancement and expansion of the Calvin Klein lifestyle,” Tom Murry, CEO of Calvin Klein told WWD.

The brand’s mainline, Calvin Klein Collection, remains unchanged – and will sit alongside two other categories: Calvin Klein platinum label, a “bridge” tier for sportswear and accessories; and Calvin Klein white label, the “base” tier of sportswear and accessories – that also includes Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear. Each of the three categories will have its own advertising and distribution.

Rihanna has designed her second collection for UK high street brand River Island and you get to see the pop star discuss and analyze her sophomore collection through a behind the scenes video. She and designer Adam Selman chat about last minute changes (like making a hood “stiffer”) and why she chose the tie dye and “gangsta” floral print.

Rihanna seems to have created the collection with herself and her friends in mind. The collection is very cute and summery. “I made a piece for everybody in my crew. We all have different body types and different tastes,” she says in the video. “I needed to make clothes for fat days. I just wanted to make stuff that I want to wear. I was being selfish.”

Watch this video to hear Rih talk about the collection:

Rana Plaza building collapse

As someone who has been enthralled by fashion for years, it devastates me to see that the conditions garment factory workers work in is unsafe. On April 24th, the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed. As of today, the death toll has reached 1,126. Only a little while after, another garment factory fire broke out which killed 8 more people. These factories were making clothes for dozens of US and European retailers, including JC Penney, Benetton, and Cato.

Factory workers at the collapsed building were denied their right to refuse dangerous working conditions and were told they would lose a month’s pay if they didn’t report to work the day after deep and alarming cracks appeared in the walls of the building. This tragedy at Rana Plaza is now the deadliest incident in the history of the garment industry.

Rana Plaza collapse

These major players in the industry could have aided in the prevention of this factory disaster, says Arif Ullah. Arif created a petition on change.org to call on JC Penney, Gap, and other companies to make immediate safety improvements  in their supplier factories and to put an end to the murders of garment workers in Bangladesh once and for all. Arif thinks that if the companies had addressed previous tragedies and protected the workers lives via unions and labor rights groups, this could have been prevented.

In December 2010, 29 workers perished in the factory fire at That’s It Sportswear, where workers sewed clothing for JC Penney and Gap Inc. Last fall, a fire at Tazreen, a Walmart supplier, took the lives of 112 garment workers. Walmart nor any of the other US buyers offered compensation to their victims. In May 2011 the factory was flagged with an ‘orange’ grade by the Walmart ethical sourcing official for ‘violations and conditions which were deemed to be high risk.’ The notice said that any factory receiving three assessments in two years would not receive Walmart orders for a year. The orange rating was the first the company had received and was followed by a ‘yellow’ medium risk rating the following August which pertained to the factory where the fire had occurred.

Tazreen factory remains

fire at the Tazreen factory

The fire at Tazreen started on the ground floor of a 9 story factory, trapping workers. The three staircases in the building all led to the ground floor, making them unusable in the fire. Witnesses reported that the workers couldn’t escape through the narrow exits and the fire department operations manager stated that the factory lacked emergency exits. Their fire certificate had expired in June 2012, months before the fire.

You must always find a light at the end of the tunnel though and a new one has come about today.

Bangladesh’s government plans to raise the minimum wage for garment workers. A new minimum wage board will issue recommendations for pay raises within three months, Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiky said. The Cabinet will then decide whether to accept their proposals. The wage board will include representatives of factory owners, workers, and the government. Officials also say that the owner of Rana Plaza illegally added three floors and allowed five garment factories into the building to install heavy machines and generators, even though the structure was not designed to support such equipment. The owner and eight other people, including the owners of the garment factories, have been detained. The Textiles Ministry has also begun a series of factory inspections and has ordered about 22 closed temporarily for violating safety and working standards.

East meets west when LA’s favourite streetwear line, Joyrich got together with New York’s own Gerlan Jeans. This collection is high energy and super colourful. Flipping through the hard copy of the lookbook made me feel like I was back in grammar school and I loved every second of it. Accented with monochromatic Dr. Martens the looks came alive and made me want to add more colour and maybe a backpack to my wardrobe. I really want that ‘lined paper’ crew neck too.

Check out the full lookbook below!