quarter century, and what do you think the future holds? [Robin Givhan] The biggest change so far has been the move towards fashion becoming a global business. I was enthusiastically covering the Gucci vs. LVMH brouhaha in early 2000- it was a period where fashion was transforming into an industry with a real corporate structure. It was increasingly the case that independent designers would not be able to build the kind of businesses that were previously possible- to go from the tie-maker like Ralph Lauren and transform it into a massive global brand. I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing, it depends on the structure and desires of the individual corporation. Going forward it seems that globalisation is the thing. It allows those businesses to continue to grow and begs the question as to how big these businesses will get, just how many bags can Louis Vuitton really sell!? It also makes you wonder how those other markets will affect the way that designers design, the way that models look, the way that we define beauty and the way we understand power. We're opening the door to so many new cultures, and these influences will change the industry. It's not like designers haven't been travelling- but there's a big difference between a designer going on safari and coming back with an African Masai themed collection and a designer actually having a store in Nigeria, and having customers they must relate to- understanding their lives, their past-times and cultures.