Japanese fashion designer Junya Watanabe showed off his latest collaboration with Spanish luxury label Loewe in Tokyo.  The famous Spanish luxury brand Loewe is celebrating 400 years of Hispano-Japanese bilateral relations with a new capsule collection of bags and ready-to-wear, created with Japanese designer Junya Watanabe of Comme des Garcons.

By Astrid Wendlandt and Phil Wahba PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most men might balk at spending $600 on a pair of Dior sneakers but for U.S. shoppers like Ephraim, an upbeat 30-year-old, such indulgences are becoming increasingly commonplace. Ephraim is the kind of man who gives luxury goods makers high hopes that the U.S. market can fuel future growth, as China runs out of steam and demand in Europe sags.

The British shoe designer has become a red carpet favorite with Hollywood's A-list and this year opens his second store in the US.  Nicholas Kirkwood has unveiled a new 1,400-square-foot store located in Las Vegas' Wynn hotel. It is the designer's second opening in the United States after his New York City flagship.  The designer also took the opportunity to unveil the relaunched Nicholas Kirkwood website and e-commerce platform.  Alongside the main lines are a number of exclusive Vegas styles that Kirkwood has created especially for the occasion.

Swaziland's albinos have called on the government for protection ahead of elections expected later this year, fearing their body parts will be harvested by candidates seeking good luck. "Those in authority must make sure that our safety is guaranteed," Skhumbuzo Mndvoti, an albino community leader living in the southern town of Nhlangano told AFP. "I can warn both adults and parents of albino children to take extra care during these election days," Mndvoti said.