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PARIS FASHION WARMED UP

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Paris Fashion Week will go ahead this fall with 88 brands on the official calendar, although it is not yet known how many of them will be holding physical shows and presentations.

Among the major brands revealed to be missing from the schedule this season are Celine, Alexander McQueen, Comme des Garçons and Off-White. As reported, Saint Laurent and Valentino are also skipping the Paris season.

The list of absentees also includes Sacai, Lacoste, Lemaire, Junya Watanabe, Noir Kei Ninomiya, Rochas, Atlein, Guy Laroche and Kwaidan Editions. Rochas has been without a designer since last December after parting ways with Alessandro Dell’Acqua, and Lemaire showed its coed collection during the men’s week in July.

The spring 2021 collections for Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe and Noir Kei Ninomiya will be unveiled during mini shows or presentations in Tokyo between Oct. 19 and 23 as part of Comme des Garçons’ seasonal showroom there. And Franck Sorbier for a physical Show in Paris Downtown. Continue reading →

MEN MORE CASUAL OR NOT ?

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Now, as businesses across Europe and the U.S. begin to reopen, the question is raging as to whether those men going back to their offices are prepared to return to their dress wardrobe and ditch the casual look. Meanwhile, the fall collections shown nine months ago seemingly ancient history are just hitting stores.

The world has changed a lot since we saw the fall 2020 men’s wear collections in January. We’ve seen a seismic shift in the landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantines that have shifted the fashion focus to things more comfortable and relaxed.

“We’ve seen classic pieces like the cardigan sweater in all of its iterations take on new importance as a comfortable, versatile jacket option that gives polish to a more casual look

No one could have predicted we were about to embark on a global crisis in January, when much of the fall collections were focused on tailoring and the new suit for the everyday working man. We’re seeing men are excited about updating their wardrobes for fall but leaning into pieces focused on quality, design and function. Continue reading →

CARDI B LIKE BELFEGORE

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Cardi B as Belfegor comes to haunt the Louvre. Beyoncé and Jay-Z took over the Louvre in Paris for the shoot of their “Apes–t” video in 2018. Cardi B is taking it to the next level with the unveiling on Tuesday of a giant billboard on the side of the museum featuring her debut in a Balenciaga advertising campaig, the quatari from brittany don’t know how to recognize vulgarity

The “WAP” singer, sporting a sleek black bob, is shown reclining on fake grass surrounded by bright yellow kids’ toys, wearing a slinky, black evening gown with an asymmetric cleavage cut low over one breast. Among the objects scattered on the ground is a pristine white version of Balenciaga’s new Neo Classic handbag, the slogan could be, throw your bag Piggy in the midle of the Louvre.

The image is part of the Kering-owned label’s (For the Owl Kering) winter campaign, which it said was self-styled and self-produced during lockdown by its network of friends, which also include American artist Eliza Douglas, a regular on the Balenciaga runway. Continue reading →

TEN UNKNOWN LABEL IN PARIS

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Ten labels have been added to the upcoming Paris fashion week, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode said Monday, listing them as Ami, Cecilie Bahnsen, Enfants Riches Deprimés, Ester Manas, Gabriela Hearst, Mossi, Situationist, S.R Studio LA.CA, Vejas and Wales Bonner. Ten unknown labels in Paris Fashion week, and that nobody knows who has chosen them.

The spring-summer 2021 collections are expected to be a mix of digital and physical shows in Paris from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6, in conformance with requirements from local health authorities. Ami has said it plans to stage a physical show in the French capital, but outdoors.

French officials recently tightened measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus as people return from summer vacation and head back to work and school, requiring the public to wear masks in offices and on the streets.

Earlier this summer, the federation canceled physical shows for couture and men’s fashion week, and set up an online platform for designers to showcase videos for their collections. Continue reading →

ORANGE IS THE NEW VUITTON

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The second drop of Louis Vuitton LV2 collection, the collaboration between men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh and Bape and Human Made founder Nigo, has arrived with a temporary residency in New York City, 116 Greene Street : SoHo NY New York.

The SoHo storefront has been transformed as well with a bright yellow facade with drip effect, as well as large sculptures of the LV Made duck, which is the symbol of the collection, turtle rugs inspired by Nigo’s Human Made rugs, customized drum sets at the entrance, oversized mannequins and custom Marshall and Louis Vuitton speakers with LV x Nigo logos all in bright yellow.

LV2, which is Abloh’s first collaboration for Louis Vuitton, was revealed in December 2019 and launched in June. The second drop that launched today is also available on the Louis Vuitton web site. Continue reading →

BOARD OF CARTIER IS ON THE DOCK

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The coronavirus crisis delayed changes to the board of Compagnie Financière Richemont as well as its business strategy, according to the group’s chairman Johann Rupert.

“The new profile of the board must reflect the opportunities and challenges that we’re facing, evolving tastes, consumption habits, digital, Chinese clientele, cyber criminalities, diversity and inclusion matters, training needs, change management,” Rupert said.

“So we will be changing the board and we would have started this year but we need time to also transition the committees,”.

Noting that he had urged caution early on in the coronavirus crisis when it became clear that the group’s cash flow was being “badly affected,” by the drop in consumption, the executive said that at the end of August, there remains uncertainty over when a treatment or vaccine might emerge to prompt consumers to resume traveling and spending money. Continue reading →

FAN RECOVERS HER FANS

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Chinese actress Fan Bingbing is back, two years after being fined nearly $130 million for a highly publicized tax-evasion scandal and avoiding the limelight as a result.

Now, she has a global contract with LVMH prestige beauty brand Guerlain, and appears in its Chinese Valentine’s Day campaign to promote the limited-edition Rouge G lipstick, which comes with pink heart motifs on the packaging.

Fan was ranked as China’s best-paid actress four years running, according to Forbes, and places among the world’s best-paid, with more than 130 endorsement contracts, including Louis Vuitton, Montblanc and De Beers at the height of her stardom.

She is also expected to star in the period drama;Win the World,a $70 million television series, and Universal Pictures upcoming spy film alongside Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o and Sebastian Stan. Continue reading →

THE LORD OF LOUIS MING DYNASTY

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Louis Vuitton’s Biggest Shanghai Store Sees Record-High $22M in August Sales. Louis Vuitton is on track to make sales history in China amid a strong COVID-19 rebound.

Its flagship in Shanghai’s Plaza 66, the largest in China, is expected to make $22 million in August, usually the sales at the store come in between $11 million and $13 million.

Local press said showgoers flocked to the Plaza 66 store to pick up head-to-toe new season looks for the event of the summer, which helped send sales up. Fortunately it was not at 666 the number of sales devil.

The Chinese Valentine’s Day, were also key factors driving up August sales. The event has been a national phenomenon, with shoppers queuing outside luxury stores in recent weeks to get a hold of limited-edition items brands have released exclusively for the world’s biggest luxury market. The lords of luxury become the lord of the Louis ming dynasty. Continue reading →

RISE AND FALL FOR MASSIMO

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Mossimo Giannulli, Lori Loughlin Sentenced to Jail Time in College Admissions Scandal
Fashion Designer Mossimo Giannulli received five months jail time, while “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin received two months.

The fashion designer was sentenced to five months in prison Friday morning for his part in the nationwide college admissions scandal, just hours before his wife, “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin, learned her own fate. Loughlin, who was believed to have a less active role in the crimes, received two months of jail time.

The sentence was a clear message from U.S. District judge Nathaniel Gorton that college admissions cannot be bought. Giannulli also received two years of supervised release, 250 hours of community service and a $250,000 fine, while Loughlin received two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service and a $100,000 fine. Continue reading →

CLEOPATRA OIL

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Cleopatra used to keep her skin radiant and glowing, Egyptian Magic cream has become a Cultural treatment all over the world. Olive oil is having a moment, both in and out of the kitchen. Whether induced by quarantine cooking or consumers’ growing predilection for all things clean, olive oil has found its way into baked confections and skin-care products alike. Lifestyle brand Poosh even recently collaborated with a Los Angeles-based bakery on a variety of olive oil cakes.

Furtuna is one of the brands capitalizing on the ingredient’s buzz. “It’s high in antioxidants and it also includes vitamins A, D and K, as well as E. It’s amazing what olive oil can do for your health. Furtuna Skin, founded by Luczo and Kim Walls, offers a range of products all enriched with Italian olive oil sourced from a 700-acre farm in Sicily. Continue reading →

THE DREAM OF ARNAULT BELGIUM

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It hopes that humor can serve to energize the local shopping scene, Le Bon Marché is filling the store with Belgium-themed merchandise starting Aug. 29, with an emphasis on the country’s cartoon tradition.

The Smurfs, Marsupilami and Gaston Lagaffe are among characters decorating the selling space as well as merchandise throughout the tony, Paris Left Bank department store and its neighboring food hall, La Grande Épicerie de Paris and even spilling out into the street, with stands selling beer and fries. I’d have preferred Balthazar Picsou.!!!

Retailers have been struggling to draw shoppers into stores even before the coronavirus crisis hit  it’s hard to compete with the convenience of online purchases turning to events and temporary, exclusive offers to drum up consumer interest. The store called on comedian Stéphane De Groodt to take part in the Belgium theme, resulting in hoodies, T-shirts and pouches with word play in French. A box of matches, for example, which are called “allumettes” in French, is stamped “allumeuses,” which means “teasers.” The theme runs through Oct. 18. Continue reading →

MASK THE FACIAL CUMSPOT

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These days, when my family ventures into town to pick up groceries, we see people wearing a rainbow of creative face masks. The facial coverings are a practical way to stem to spread of COVID-19, but they also reflect our personalities and outlook on life.

On my Instagram feed, people are wearing masks made of everything from repurposed designer hand bags to aprons. In 2020, masks aren’t just medical devices; they’re fashion.

According to Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, people have used protective facial gear throughout history to send a message to those around them. In the 1600s, doctors wore masks with long, pointed beak-like extensions at the nose, which could be stuffed with incense, since people believed that the plagues were transmitted through foul smells. “They clearly didn’t work,” Steele says. Continue reading →

THE DETOX MARKET

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Natural beauty retailer The Detox Market has acquired Clementine Fields, a Canadian natural beauty and wellness e-commerce business.

Clementine Fields was founded by Ingrid Doucet and Tom Barnett in 2013. The business sells beauty and personal-care products from Alpyn Beauty, Captain Blankenship, John Masters Organics, Vapour Beauty and a variety of other brands.

The Detox Market plans for the acquisition to help cement its position as a leader in North American natural beauty retailing, and to bolster its e-commerce business. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Continue reading →

VIRTUAL FASHION FOR VIRTUAL CLIENTS

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August Getty’s couture is going virtual with the help of a new digital fashion shop, the Institute of Digital Fashion in London.

Created by Leanne Elliott Young, founder of creative hub CommuneEast, and Cattytay, founder of the Digi-Gxl network of women, trans and nonbinary 3-D artists, the company aims to animate the tactile vision and creativity of designers with AR and VR, while thinking about ways to push inclusivity, diversity and sustainability in fashion.

Their first high-profile client is the Los Angeles-based designer, whose eveningwear has been worn by sister-in-law Gigi Gorgeous, as well as by Kim Kardashian West, Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, Since the couture institutions no longer invite them to Europe.

Cattytay and her digital atelier; are building an online world called Tinnitus, similar to a gaming world, in which Getty will debut his new collections. Continue reading →

HERMÈS IN THE STORM

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Shares in Hermès International dipped in morning trading in Paris on Thursday after the French luxury house reported first-half results that fell below analysts’ expectations, as the widespread closure of stores due to the coronavirus pandemic sharply impacted its business and profitability.

Like other French luxury companies that reported second-quarter results this week, Hermès saw revenues plummet despite strong growth in mainland China and robust online sales. Its sales declined 41.3 percent to 982.5 million euros in the three months ended June 30, representing a drop of 41.5 percent in comparable terms.

Net income in the first six months of the year fell 55.6 percent to 335 million euros. Operating profit was down 53.2 percent to 535 million euros, with the operating margin sliding to 21.5 percent from 34.8 percent in the same period a year ago, weighed down by the fact that the company manufactures many of its goods. Continue reading →

CELINE NOT TIK BUT TOK

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Celine is new to the TIkTok platform, with about 5,000 followers, and livestreamed its spring men’s wear show, a slick production with models hoofing it around an old motor-racing track near Marseille, some wearing sparkly helmets.

Hedi Slimane paraded seemed aimed squarely at Gen Z, no matter if some users of the app don’t seem to have a clue that Celine is a luxury French fashion brand and that Slimane is known for commissioning a single track of music and stretching it over 15 minutes. “Change the song,” countless TikTokers urged as the number of viewers quickly thinned out. Continue reading →

KERING SAID …

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Kering said net profit fell 63.4 percent in the first six months of the year after the coronavirus pandemic.

Group revenues in the three months to June 30 fell 43.5 percent to 2.17 billion euros, representing a decline of 43.7 percent in comparable terms. This came on the heels of a 15.4 percent drop in the first quarter.

In percentage terms, the decline was greater than the one recorded by sector leader LVMH, which on Monday reported a 38 percent drop in second-quarter sales, but was below a consensus of analyst estimates, which called for a 48 percent fall.

Kering flagged an “encouraging” recovery as stores reopened, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and saw a 72.4 percent jump in online sales in the second quarter. But organic sales at its cash cow brand Gucci fell 44.7 percent during the period, compared with a 23.2 percent drop in the prior three months. Continue reading →

LVMH NET PROFIT DIVES 84 % IN CHINA

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LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton said net profit plummeted 84 percent in the first six months of the year, although it forecasts a gradual recovery in the second half, supported by a strong recovery in China during the second quarter.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, said the group had shown “exceptional resilience” during the health crisis. “While we have observed strong signs of an upturn in activity since June, we remain very vigilant for the rest of the year,” he said in a statement.

“Thanks to the strength of our brands and the responsiveness of our organization, we are confident that LVMH is in an excellent position to take advantage of the recovery, which we hope will be confirmed in the second half of the year, and to strengthen our lead in the global luxury market in 2020,” he added. Continue reading →

A ITALIAN FOR MARGIELA

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Gianfranco Gianangeli joins the Paris-based fashion house Margiela after stints at Givenchy, Prada and Bottega Veneta

Gianangeli joins the Paris-based fashion house from his family-owned, namesake knitwear manufacturer in Perugia, Italy. Before that, he was global retail director at Givenchy and associate international director at Prada. He also worked for several years at Bottega Veneta in various merchandising positions and as that brand’s regional vice president in Japan.

Gianangeli joins a fast-growing brand powered by the creative vision of John Galliano, who recently documented the making of his wet-look Margiela couture dresses and diced-and-spliced tailoring in a mesmerizing 50-minute film with Nick Knight. Continue reading →

MILAN FASHION WEEK 2020

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Milan Digital Fashion Week Scores Highest Among European Fashion Capitals. The combined earned media value generated online by the London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks amounted to 10.7 million euros.

The first edition of Milan Digital Fashion Week closed on July 17 with a bang. Although observers have been pointing the online traffic generated by the London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks sent a reassuring message to the industry, forced to forgo physical events for the most part at least until September.

In particular the Milan showcase, which kicked off on July 14 and featured brands such as Prada, Ermenegildo Zegna and Gucci, among others, had the highest impact amassing 6.24 million euros in EMV, followed by Paris, with an EMV of 2.68 million euros and London Fashion Week that generated 1.81 million euros, or 17 percent of the total. The study took into consideration the July 9 to 13 period for Paris, excluding the previous days dedicated to haute couture collections. Continue reading →

INFÉRE PARFUMS URBAN HERO

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Inter Parfums Inc. posted an 18.7 percent net sales decline for the quarter ended March 31, the company said on Wednesday. While declines were broad, the Coach and Guess brands still grew.0 During the quarter, Coach and Guess both grew, helping to offset declines from most of the other brands. Coach launched Coach Dreams, which boosted brand sales by 35.9 percent.

Net sales were $144.8 million, down from $178.2 million in the prior-year period. European-based sales were down 20.6 percent, to $114.1 million, and U.S.-based sales were down 10.9 percent, to $30.7 million.

We have taken steps to minimize expenses and protect cash flow said Jean Madar, Inter Parfums chief executive officer in a statement. Our operating cost structure, of which variable costs accounts for over two-thirds, should enable us to minimize the impact of reduced sales until 2021 and moved related advertising and promotion expenses to 2021 as well.  Continue reading →