Examples of major Italian fashion houses are: Gucci, Armani, Emilio Pucci,Valentino, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Trussardi,Versace, Krizia, Etro, Miu Miu, Laura Biagiotti, Max Mara, Fendi, Moschino, Missoni, Bottega Veneta, Benetton and Brioni (fashion), to name a few. Italy also is home to many fashion magazines, such as Grazia, Vogue Italia, Amica, Flair, Gioia.

Other Italian accessory and jewelry brands, such as Luxottica and Bulgari are amongst the most important in the world.

In 2009, Milan was regarded as the world fashion capital (based upon frequency of mention in global media outlets), even surpassing New York, Paris, Rome and London .

In 2011, Milan was ranked #4, behind London, New York, and Paris.

Many of the major Italian fashion brands, such as Valentino, Versace, Prada, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana, are currently headquartered in the city.

Numerous international fashion labels also operate shops in Milan, including an Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store which has become a main consumer attraction.

Milan also hosts a fashion week twice a year, just like other international centres such as Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles and Rome. Milan’s main upscale fashion district is the “quadrilatero della moda” (literally, “fashion quadrilateral”), where the city’s most prestigious shopping streets (Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Sant’Andrea, Via Manzoni and Corso Venezia) are held.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Piazza del Duomo, Via Dante and Corso Buenos Aires are other important shopping streets and squares.

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Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic subculture that originated in African-American and Hispanic-American communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically within the Bronx.

The term often refers to hip hop music, which consists of poetry that is spoken - rather than sung - over either original or sampled instrumental recordings mixed with new original sounds from drum machines, and/or other instruments.

However, the culture has expanded far beyond its original roots, and now is considered a worldwide subculture comprising rapping, DJing, hip hop dance, and graffiti art - known collectively as “Four Pillars of Hip Hop”.

The block parties of DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where Herc would mix samples of existing records with his own shouts to the crowd and dancers, are generally considered the birthplace of hip hop. Kool Herc is credited as the ‘father’ of the art form. DJ Afrika Bambaataa of the hip-hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, B-boying and graffiti writing. Since its emergence in the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the world.

Hip hop music first emerged with Kool Herc and contemporary disc jockeys and imitators creating rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables, more commonly referred to as sampling.

This was later accompanied by “rap”, a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry presented in 16 bar measures or time frames, and beat boxing, a vocal technique mainly used to imitate percussive elements of the music and various technical effects of hip hop DJ’s.

An original form of dancing and particular styles of dress arose among fans of this new music. These elements experienced considerable refinement and development over the course of the history of the culture.

Hip hop is simultaneously a new and old phenomenon; the importance of sampling to the art form means that much of the culture has revolved around the idea of updating classic recordings, attitudes, and experiences for modern audiences - called “flipping” within the culture. It follows in the footsteps of previous American musical genres blues, jazz, and rock and roll in having become one of the most practiced genres of music in existence worldwide, and also takes additional inspiration regularly from soul music, funk, and rhythm and blues.

At its best, hip hop has given a voice to the voiceless and poverty-stricken worldwide, particularly in inner cities and neighborhoods suffering from urban blight, and showcased their artistic ingenuity and talent on a global scale. At its worst hip hop has mirrored the worst aspects of the mainstream culture that it once challenged: materialism, sexism, homophobia, an internalized racism and an apathy towards intellectualism (the most crucial element in the culture according to the pioneering Afrika Bambataa…

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Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories. Some work alone or as part of a team. They attempt to satisfy consumer desire for aesthetically designed clothing; and, because of the time required to bring a garment onto the market, must at times anticipate changing consumer tastes.

Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They must consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and a wide range of colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear falls within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions, such as evening wear or party dresses.

Some clothes are made specifically for an individual, as in the case of haute couture or bespoke tailoring. Today, most clothing is designed for the mass market, especially casual and every-day wear.

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Yōji Yamamoto is an award winning Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris.

He is considered to be among the master tailors whose work is thought to be of fashion genius and has been described by Julie Gilhart, fashion director for Barney’s New York as probably the only designer you could name who has 60-year-olds who think he’s incredible and 17-year-olds who think he’s way cool.

His more prestigious awards for his contributions to fashion include the Japanese Medal of Honor, the Ordre national du Mérite, the Royal Designer for Industry and the Master of Design award by Fashion Group International…

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Shiseido Company is a major Japanese hair care and cosmetics producer:

- It is the oldest cosmetics company in the world and the fourth largest cosmetics company in the world.

 Arinobu Fukuhara, former head pharmacist to the Japanese Imperial Navy, established the Shiseido Pharmacy in 1872.

After a visit to the United States and Europe, Arinobu added asoda fountain to the store. This later grew into the Shiseido Parlour restaurant business, and eventually led to the introduction of ice cream in Japan.

The name “Shiseido” can be translated as “praise the virtues of the earth which nurtures new life and brings forth significant values”.

Shiseido was the first to develop the softening lotion, a lightweight liquid of toner-like consistency.

The oldest softening lotion is named Eudermine, which is still marketed and sold at all Shiseido counters.

The softening lotion was developed in response to lead poisoning, as the Japanese women used makeup based on white lead.

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Cute fashion

Tomoyuki Sugiyama 杉山奉文 , author of Cool Japan, claims cute fashion in Japan can be traced back to the Edo Period with the popularity of netsuke.

Because of this growing trend, companies such as Sanrio came out with merchandise like Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty was an immediate success and the obsession with cute continued to progress in other areas as well. The 1980s also saw the rise of cute idols, such as Seiko Matsuda, who is largely credited with popularizing the trend.

Women began to emulate Seiko Matsuda and her cute fashion style and mannerisms, which emphasized the helplessness and innocence of young girls. The market for cute merchandise in Japan is driven by Japanese girls between 15 and 18 years old.

No longer limited to teenagers, however, the spread of making things as cute as possible, even common household items, was embraced by people of all ages.

Now there are airplanes painted with Pokémon characters on the side, and each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, the Tokyopolice, and even the public broadcaster NHK all have their own cute mascots.  

The L’Oréal Group is the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company. 

With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics.

Concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfumes and hair care, the company is active in the dermatological, tissue engineering and pharmaceutical fields and is the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States.

Clichy , sometimes unofficially Clichy-la-Garenne) is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 6.4 km (4.0 mi) from the center of Paris.

The headquarters of the L’Oréal Group, the world’s largest company in cosmetics and beauty, Bic, one of the biggest pen producers in the world, and Sony France, a large electronics and media company, are located in Clichy.

Clichy was the capital of the Merovingians during the rule of Dagobert I.

In 1830, part of the territory of Clichy was detached and became the commune ofBatignolles-Monceau. On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. Most of Batignolles-Monceau was annexed by the city of Paris, and now forms the major part of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, although a small part of the territory of Batignolles-Monceau was returned to Clichy.

On 11 January 1867, part of the territory of Clichy was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Neuilly-sur-Seine to create the commune of Levallois-Perret.

L’Oréal is a listed company, but the founder’s daughter Liliane Bettencourt and the Swiss food company Nestlé each control over a quarter of the shares and voting rights.

Liliane Bettencourt , born 21 October 1922) is a French heiress, socialite,  businesswoman  and philanthropist. She is one of the principal shareholders of L’Oréal and, with a fortune estimated at US$23.5 billion, is one of the wealthiest people in the world.

Nestlé S.A.  is the world’s largest nutrition, health and wellness company. 

Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri Nestlé.

The company grew significantly during the First World War and again following the Second World War, eventually expanding its offerings beyond its early condensed milk and infant formula products. Over 29 of Nestlé’s brands bring in more than 1 billion Swiss francs (about $ 1.1 billion) annually, such as Nespresso, Nescafé, KitKat, Smarties, Nesquik, Stouffer’s, Vittel, and Maggi. Nestlé is also one of the main shareholders of L’Oréal, the world’s biggest cosmetics and personal care company.

In 2011, Nestlé was listed No. 1 inthe Fortune Global 500 as the world’s most profitable corporation.] With a market capitalization of $ 200 billion, Nestlé ranked No. 13 in the FT Global 2011. The company has 449 factories, operates in 86 countries around the world, and employs more than 328,000 people.

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