XU ZHI AW20 VIRTUAL PRESENTATION from Xuzhi on Vimeo.
Designers taking part in London’s first all-digital showcase, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, have been delving deeper into their respective cultural backgrounds as they navigate the challenges of telling their stories online and in film formats. Continue reading
Facebook and Instagram are opening up their temporary ban on nonmedical masks on their platforms to allow people to advertise them and post in IG shopping listings and marketplace.
In March, the platforms temporarily banned ads and commerce listings for masks on their apps to help protect against scams, misleading medical claims, media supply shortages, inflated prices and hoarding. Since then they have continued to monitor trends and activity around COVID-19 to better understand how people are using their platforms and advertising tools during the pandemic.
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, governments and authorities around the globe have evolved their guidance on the need to wear masks. Many health authorities now advise wearing nonmedical masks, and in some places, masks are required for activities such as taking public transportation or going inside a store. Continue reading
The former design director of Calvin Klein under Raf Simons, Matthieu Blazy, has joined Bottega Veneta.
According to sources, he quietly started in a senior design role several weeks ago, reporting to Bottega Veneta creative director Daniel Lee.
Blazy spent two years and seven months at Calvin Klein working on men’s and women’s collections and was part of the inner circle that Simons brought with him to New York. That circle also included Pieter Mulier, Simons’ longtime number two who carried the title of creative director at Calvin Klein and joined Simons for runway bows. Continue reading
A recently released study reveals that, between 2003 and 2013, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service seized thousands of products made by Gucci, Michael Kors and others. As the fashion industry scrambles to reinvent itself during the Covid-19 pandemic, it must not forget animals.
More than 5,600 fashion products made from illegal wildlife, including these reptile skin boots, were seized by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service between 2003 and 2013.
A report makes it clear that efforts to more thoroughly understand the complex trade in reptiles are often hindered by large information gaps made worse by criminals in the supply chain who forge permits, fudge paperwork and smuggle or launder animals through ranches.
But efforts to protect animals are also muddied by industry-appointed scientists who idealise the trade in reptile skins with overstated claims on conservation and job benefits. Continue reading
Stores across the borough including Chanel in Soho and Coach in Midtown were targeted by unruly protesters in the fourth night of demonstrations over the death of Floyd. The police kept an eye on the Chanel Boutique, Probably Afro-Americans with no taste.
Surprisingly, the boutique Vuitton has not been affected by riots, probably because the brand is the only one to have two Afro-Americans in its design team. Continue reading
It is understood board members of the luxury giant are concerned about the impact of not only the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives in America and wreaked widespread economic damage, but also the growing social unrest over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
In addition, these sources said, LVMH board members voiced concerns about Tiffany’s ability to cover all its debt covenants at the end of the transaction, which was expected to be concluded mid-year.
A woman walks at Tiffany & Co. and designer boutiques of Manhattan and Paris are feeling the chill of a Chinese economic slowdown that has hammered automakers and other industries. That is jolting brands such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co that increasingly rely on Chinese customers who spend $90 billion a year on jewelry, clothes and other high-end goods. The industry already is facing pressure to keep up as China’s big spenders shift to buying more at the spreading networks of luxury outlets in their own country. Continue reading
The artist Christo, known for wrapping buildings including Berlin’s Reichstag, and also swathing areas of coast and entire islands in fabric, has died aged 84.
Born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria, Christo studied in Sofia and then defected to the west in 1957, stowing away on a train from Prague to Vienna. Two years later he met Frenchwoman Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who would become his artistic partner and wife until her death in 2009. Continue reading
Alderys develops innovative approaches to the micro-organic biological engineering of profitable chemical compounds from renewable plant resources.
Maurizio Volpi, President of Givaudan’s Fragrance Division said: “The acquisition of Alderys aligns with our long term strategy for Active Beauty and more specifically, their expertise in biotechnology is fully complementary to our Fragrance and Active Beauty businesses. It will allow us to expand our portfolio of natural and biosourced products, thanks to their strong research and development bio-engineering platform. It will be an additional tool to drive our future development and innovation in the active cosmetic ingredients space and beyond. It will also reinforce Givaudan’s capabilities to support our customers in developing sustainable, performant and safe products.” Continue reading
Richemont’s and the Rupert View again, “We are lucky in that we prepared for an economic downturn,” said Johann Rupert, Richemont’s chairman and founder. “COVID-19 merely sped up what was probably going to happen in any case.
Diamonds are forever, as are other jewels made from precious rocks and minerals, and their long-term appeal will outlast any damage that COVID-19 may inflict on sales of hard luxury. So says Compagnie Financière Richemont’s Johann Rupert, who is paving the way for better years ahead.
The short- to medium-term may be grim but, as usual, Richemont’s founder and chairman is taking the long view. He believes his company, home of brands including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Montblanc, is run with enough "caution and cash" to emerge in a much stronger position post-pandemic. Continue reading
A Coco in Vuitton. Return to Vuitton for Coca, who started his career as a leather goods designer at Vuitton from 1996 to 2000. Adding more design muscle to a linchpin category, Louis Vuitton has snared acclaimed leather goods designer Johnny Coca.
Johnny Coca acclaimed leather goods designer, who recently exited as Mulberry’s creative director after a successful five-year stint, is also known for his work under Phoebe Philo at Celine.
Born in Seville to Spanish parents, Coca later moved to Paris, where he studied art, architecture and design at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Malaquais and École Boulle in Paris, respectively.
The hire further reinforces the upscaling drive spearheaded by Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Michael Burke and adds to a steady addition of top creative.
It’s with great pride that I join Nicolas Ghesquière and the Louis Vuitton teams to further develop the women’s handbag collections. Continue reading
As with many fashion executives the world over, Joann Cheng the chairwoman of Fosun Fashion Group, had a litany of urgent challenges brought to her desk by the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The owner of fashion brands including Lanvin, Caruso, St. John Knits and Wolford, among others, was facing widespread production delays, order cancellations from multiple wholesalers, not to mention a general plunge in retail sales as mandatory stay-at-home orders were issued across numerous countries.
It’s a challenge honestly, said Cheng, sitting in her office on a high floor of the Bund Finance Centre here.
The country was first hit in January by COVID-19 but four months later, the nation is largely recovered and life looks remarkably a lot like it did pre-virus in Shanghai. Traffic jams have returned, and masks are no longer required by the government to be worn by people out and about. Shoppers are creeping back incrementally, she observed. Continue reading
Sephora on Tmall the specialty beauty retailer is launching cross-border on Tmall with cloud shelves stocked with products from new-to-China brands like Natasha Denona and Sunday Riley. The store will carry 25 international brands, including Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Bon Parfumeur, Farmacy and Dermalogica, and more than 600 products.
Based on our long-term relationships with global beauty brands, we are glad to cooperate with Tmall Global to introduce overseas brands into [the] China market," said Benjamin Vuchot, Sephora Asia president, in a statement. This initiative is very special to Sephora, as we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Sephora in China this year. The opening of the Sephora Tmall global flagship store offers a great opportunity for Sephora to continue reinforcing its commitment to the China market by catering to the Chinese consumer’s ever-changing trends and evolving needs to enhance their beauty power. Continue reading
