CaliforniaApparelNews.net

Andreas Kronthaler, creative director for the Vivienne Westwood label and husband of the venerable English designer, was dressed as you would expect a creative director to be. Plaid pants, polka dot shirt, tweed blazer and a navy-blue hat to accent his blue eyes.

Kronthaler was in Hong Kong to attend Hong Kong Fashion Week, where the company's Anglomania line, a more price-conscous version of the company's other labels, was going to be on the runway on Wednesday, Jan. 20. The Austrian designer noted that Asia has become a big draw for the company. Japan is the No. 1 foreign market for the venture, with Hong Kong another important venue. There are 12 Vivienne Westwood stores in Hong Kong and one in neighboring Macau.

Kronthaler revealed that the English enterprise has joined forces with Lee's jeans in the United States to launch a Lee's capsule collection that will appear in stores in July for Fall 2010. The jeans will retail for $85 to $180. "It will be a Lee's jeans with great fit and a lot of details that you have to discover. It will have a lot of metal work," Kronthaler said, noting that Lee's approached them about working together.

Kronthaler was feeling a little jet lagged. He came to Hong Kong from Milan, wrapping up a fashion show there and then going directly to his plane to land in time to be one of the judges of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers' Contest.