Week in Review | Scottish Knitwear, Officine Generale, Craig & Karl, Wildfang, Swarovski, Marie Claire

LONDON, United Kingdom — We live in an age when powerful forces — from technology innovation to globalisation — are reshaping industries and upending longstanding market dynamics. Today, companies need to reinvent themselves to adapt to the times.

Up in Scotland, where high-end knitwear was part of the local industrial landscape for more than two centuries before being eviscerated by cheap global competition in the 1990s, a new breed of consumer-facing, luxury cashmere and knitwear brands are emerging, a movement that was bolstered when Chanel-owned Parrafection acquired longtime supplier Barrie and repositioned it as a consumer-facing brand in its own right.

Innovation seems to be occurring at consumer magazines, as well. Magazine covers have long been the most valuable real estate for showcasing a title's content, but now magazines like Marie Claire (US) are combining experimenting with new advertising formats which have put put brands like Maybelline and Guess front and centre. As some of you have pointed out in your comments and via email, cover innovations like these are not new to niche magazines, but in the context of large consumer magazines, Marie Claire (US) is breaking new ground.

There was lots more on BoF this week, so don't miss our top stories:

Reinventing the Scottish Knitwear Industry
Decades of poor management and cheap overseas competition brought the once booming Scottish knitwear industry to its knees. Today, with a new end-consumer focus and artisanal manufacturing, there is also newfound confidence in Hawick and the border mill towns of Scotland. BoF reports on a heritage industry reinventing itself for the future.

The Ascent of Officine Generale
Officine Generale, Pierre Mahéo's much buzzed-about Parisian menswear label, has struck chord with a formula that blends simple aesthetics, high quality, affordable price points and a philosophy rooted in 'disgust towards the system.'

The Creative Class | Craig & Karl, Graphic Artists
Craig Redman and Karl Maier, university friends turned creative collaborators whose clients include LVMH and Nike, have built a transatlantic partnership rooted in a shared affinity for bold graphics and Internet culture.

With Mission-Driven Approach, Wildfang Taps Niche
This month, our Spotlight shines on three former Nike employees who founded Wildfang to address the untapped demand for menswear made for women with a savvy mission-based, multi-channel approach.

Swarovski Spins Ambitious Web Across Fashion Jewellery
The family-owned cut crystal company has already transformed itself into one of the world's leading jewellery retailers, but their ambitions have grown to keep pace with the expanding market for fashion jewellery.

Cover Stories | Experiential Advertising at Marie Claire
Marie Claire's innovative interactive magazine covers are breaking new ground in advertising real estate.

Role Call | Stella Bugbee, Editorial Director
Stella Bugbee, the editorial director of New York magazine's "The Cut," says that it's important to be very honest with yourself about who you are and what you're good at.

And don't forget to check out BoF Weekly, a week in review published with Flipboard and updated every Saturday.