Nicola Formichetti Hits Hollywood for Latest Diesel Tribute

WEST HOLLYWOOD — Nearly two years after joining the brand as artistic director, Nicola Formichetti is doing everything possible to live up to his pledge to make Diesel the coolest brand on the planet. On Friday at H. Lorenzo in West Hollywood, Formichetti marked the launch of his latest Diesel Tribute capsule collection that fuses modern activewear to Diesel’s styles dating from the Nineties. He also brought along a wily digital app called Meerkat to conduct some social media surveillance. Tucking his iPhone into a Diesel-branded case strung around his neck, with the camera facing outward, he surreptitiously filmed the shindig so that his fans on Twitter and Meerkat could watch it live, as if they were wading through the well-wishers — who included stylist Johnny Wujek, actor Sterling Beaumon, model Ellie Stuart Hunter and musician Jesse Boykins 3rd — with him. “It’s mind-blowing,” said Formichetti, who arrived in Los Angeles after checking out the tech confab in Austin, Tex., at South by Southwest. “There is no barrier between me and you. Like everything I do from the design process to all this traveling, it’s totally real. “In a way, it’s a little bit sick to broadcast your life and stuff. But it’s

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U.S. Consumer Spending Stays Weak

The latest government data confirm what apparel retailers have been experiencing since the beginning of January: Consumer spending remains soft. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, consumer spending was weaker than what economists expected for February — posting a 0.1 percent increase, which followed two months of declines. Real personal spending (adjusted for inflation) clocked a 0.1 percent decline. Lousy weather and gas prices that have inched up were to blame, said analysts and economists. Meanwhile, personal income and disposable income both had gains of 0.4 percent while savings, wages and salaries all experienced increases. The savings rate in particular saw a considerable rise as it jumped to 5.8 percent in February, which is up from 5.5 percent in January and well above November’s rate of 4.4 percent. Wages and salaries could be better, though, said National Retail Federation chief economist Jack Kleinhenz in an interview. “Salaries and wages are not growing as fast as it needs to be,” he said adding that the outlook is still positive. “The numbers continue to show that there’s spending power out there. And they are spending, but not on goods.” Instead, Kleinhenz and others say consumers are doling out hard-earned dollars at restaurants and other services.

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