New Stores

In August, GLOSS reported that Abercrombie & Fitch had announced plans to open its first store in Asia, in the Ginza district of Tokyo. Since that time, a South Korean brand, Who.A.U., has announced plans to expand into the United States. The brand, whose clothing is geared toward the teen and young adult shopper with a passion for the California lifestyle, plans to open between 12 and 18 stores in its first year in the US. In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily,Daniel Pang, executive vice-president of US operations for the South Korean company, said, “Who.A.U. could eventually be as big as Hollister.” Interesting, considering each company is jumping the pond to expand its presence in the other’s market. A new, friendly rivalry, perhaps?

Almost a Whole New Saks

n mid-August, Debra Messing performed ribbon-cutting honours at Saks Fifth Avenue’s new shoe floor, dubbed 10022-SHOE for its expansive, own-zip-code-requiring size. According to Fashion Wire Daily, the floor — a shoe fetishist’s ultimate dream — will feature over 100,000 pairs of shoes from such designers as Roger Vivier, Jimmy Choo, and Christian Louboutin, and will be displayed on sculpture-like pedestals.