In honor of the 500th anniversary of Leondardo Da Vinci’s death, the Musée du Louvre and Virgil Abloh’s Off-White label announced a special collaboration in tandem with the “Leonardo da Vinci” exhibition, on display until February 24, 2020, the Louvre said Monday. Continue reading
Category Archives: BREAKING MODE
BAG OR NOT BAG ?
Now, more than a decade later, the idea of one bag having it all has dimmed. According to an October report from The NPD Group, the handbag business is down 20 percent in the first eight months of 2019, compared to 2016.
Using the amount of bags on the spring runways as an indicator, the category is still a key driver of business and buzz for brands, but the entry points have expanded over the last five years. The rise of the resale market where prestige names like Chanel and Hermès, two brands that sit atop the status food chain, can be bought at reduced prices is beginning to chip away at market share. New brands are building buzz on social media and offer an entry-level contemporary price.
Consumers; attitudes about the resale market have shifted. Once the favorite of thrifty college students and hipsters, the resale accessories market now offers a buy-in on luxury handbags with marquee names that telegraph a level of social capital. Continue reading
ZEGNA HELLO GOODBYE
After six seasons of impactful presentations at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Z Zegna is making a soft comeback to Milan in January.
The Italian brand, which is focused on delivering smart and elegant men’s wardrobes fusing a sophisticated fashion aesthetic with high-tech innovation, will unveil its new fall 2020 lineup with one-on-one appointments at its Milanese showroom located on via Savona.
“After several seasons when Zegna presented its two collections, Ermenegildo Zegna XXX and Z Zegna, in Milan and Florence, respectively, we decided to focus on Milan and its fashion week, in a moment where the city returns to be the most important international destination for men’s fashion,” said Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori, explaining the decision.
While Sartori will meet journalists through personal appointments to illustrate the new Z Zegna collection, he will continue to stage a runway show to present the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX luxury men’s wear line. The show will take place the first evening of Milan Fashion Week, on Jan. 10 and it will immediately follow the Dsquared2 runway event, marking the Canadian-Italian brand’s 25th anniversary.
LIAIGRE DIERE DU LUXE
It doesn’t matter if you have style, reputation or money, if you don’t have a good heart, you’re worthless. Under heavy rain and despite the strikes, we arrive at Villa Liaigre at 71 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré where we are greeted by Anne Schumacher with a Ferrari body. In front of us” the Hotel Bristol, the palace of all the palaces, and this showroom created a year ago and a set of pieces “Master of art” of what France can give best in its heart, on the land of the Duke of Noailles sold to Jean François Sandrié, contractor of the King’s buildings, market garden of 60 ha on which is built the hotel and its surroundings.
Tribute to the works of Constantin Brancusi, for a cast iron stool imitating eben wood, a bedside table in bronze. I wanted to buy everything and do like that rich Chinese man in the roman of Marguerite Duras l’amant, who probably ordered a turnkey apartment for himself, to go live across the street while waiting impatiently for Liaigre to build his palace. Continue reading
RADIO STAR
A soft symphony that sounds like silk that scratches the symbols of a bygone era, and even if the way of listening has evolved, nothing is lost, everything is transformed to return like this pendulum, so well adjusted, which returns, after excess, to its starting point, of the traditional machines that played with the past and the present.
Is producing less amputated sounds with TSF tubes an ethical approach? Probably, because reconditioning these old posts of our grandparents will remain for a long time to come an object of the future past. His wood cracks from these memories like lightning flashes that smash from the sky on earth. She listened to Radio London and its litany of long sobs of autumn violins that rocked our hearts, in a monotonous languor, for the hope of a better life.
I met the Héleore company, in a small shop in Paris, where a group of craftsmen came from this beautiful region now called Occitania and their singing accent of Carcassonne, a city with medieval architecture restored by Viollet-le-Duc and thus inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Continue reading
CHRISTIE’S HYPE AUCTION
Christie’s brought in more than $2.1 million in its Handbags online auction, thanks in part to an Hermès matte white Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Birkin 30 and a Louis Vuitton x Supreme Monogram Malle Courrier 90 Trunk, which both doubled their low estimates and sold at $125,000 each.
While an overall total of 89 percent of the pieces were sold during the auction, Supreme merchandise exceeded that number, selling 95 percent of its pieces including an Everlast Boxing Group that sold for $17,500, Stern Pinball Machine for $32,500.
This auction successfully captured luxury as it is defined today, the sale further cements skateboards, handbags and consumer products as collectible assets comparable to art pieces. Continue reading
ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH 2019
In our American show, leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia show significant work from the masters of Modern and contemporary art, as well as the new generation of emerging stars. Paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are on display in the main exhibition hall. Continue reading
DELL’ACQUA LEAVES ROCHAS
After six years, the fruitful collaboration between Rochas and Alessandro Dell’Acqua is coming to an end. The contract between the brand owned by Interparfums and the Neapolitan designer, who had been running its women’s ready-to-wear line since 2013, will not be renewed. Continue reading
MONCLER OBSCURE
Moncler shares climbed 10.64 percent to 42.96 euros by noon Thursday on the Italian Stock Exchange following a Bloomberg report that Kering is holding exploratory talks to buy the luxury brand. That Kering is seriously thinking of a takeover of Moncler. It has the liquidity and it is already discussing the deal with a number of banks.
The deal could be in the range of 13.5 billion to 14 billion euros, a 30 to 40 percent premium on a capitalization of 10 billion euros. could take a matter of days, perhaps two week he forecast, viewing the deal as a response to the recent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton proposed acquisition of Tiffany. Continue reading
CHANEL METIERS D’ART
Virginie Viard on Wednesday showed her first Métiers d’Art line for Chanel. She chose to bring the collection back to Paris, after recent forays to New York and Hamburg, and titled it “31 Rue Cambon” in reference to the brand’s historic address, which also inspired the set codesigned by director Sofia Coppola, who sat in the front row alongside Kristen Stewart, Penélope Cruz and Lily-Rose Depp. Continue reading
BIAGIOTTI AND BALMAIN LOGO
LB Monogram. Designed by Laura Biagiotti in 1975 was reproduced in a maxi and mini version on sneakers, on combat boot and boots. Shoe laces and embroideries become shoe buckles. Both logo Balmain and Biagiotti are very confusing but money solves every problem and especially with the Quatari. Rousteing will then carry on copying every brands and everything and the Quatari will pay for it till they will be fed up and will change of designer. Continue reading
AND THE WINNER IS…
We all saw them coming at the British Fashion Awards 2019. Lee’s ability to generate hype is remarkable,
Bottega Veneta was the big winner. Daniel Lee stated: “My job is to really make Bottega Veneta part of the fashion conversation, but this is a true heritage house, and that is something that moves a lot slower and in a very different way to something that’s ‘fashion’, “Trying to change this house into a fashion brand is a huge task.”
Change was a theme also reflected in the winner of the Urban Luxe category: Fenty, Rihanna’s namesake label launched last May and it represents the first major brand LVMH has founded from scratch.The collection is diverse, size inclusive and price conscious in a competitive market. “I really appreciate that LVMH is flexible enough to allow me to have a different perspective on how I want to [do] things,” she said of her financial backer.
Model of the Year Adut Akech has been a trailblazer from day one, calling out racism that still slips through the cracks, and converting her personal success story into a parable for refugees. I want to be known as someone who made a positive impact,” she told Vogue in the September Forces for Change issue, which she fronted with 14 other inspirational women. “It’s an honour to be used as an example of what diversity looks like [but] I want to be more involved with charities that are changing people’s lives.”
BALMAIN CEO RESIGNATION
Massimo Piombini, who joined Balmain in April 2017 and piloted the brand through an expansion phase, is leaving the firm. Balmain confirmed that Piombini is leaving for personal reasons, and added that a new chief executive officer would join the company in February.
"Under his leadership the company has experienced a significant growth and organizational evolution, setting a solid basis for further growth of the brand in the next years, Balmain said in a statement. The house wishes him well on his future endeavors."
It is understood that turnover at the Paris-based house almost doubled over the past three years. During Piombini’s tenure, Balmain opened boutiques in Paris, Hong Kong, Moscow, São Paolo and Miami, and it signed a lease for a New York flagship, which is slated to open in the first half of 2020. Continue reading
FORMULA ONE FRAGRANCE
Formula One is breaking into the fragrance business, capturing the scent of wet asphalt and leather seats for its debut collection that will hit stores in the summer of 2020. It has partnered with Designer Parfums on the venture, although the terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Continue reading
ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS
Despite a recent contraction in fine art sales and fluctuations in jets and yachts, demand for luxury continues to grow. The global luxury market is expected to reach 1.26 trillion euros in 2019, up 8 percent compared with the previous year, or 4 percent at constant exchange rates. Expectations of 3 to 5 percent annual growth at constant exchange rates through to 2025 for personal luxury goods, with sales reaching between 335 and 375 billion euros.
In 2019, China is showing a 30 percent growth, confirming Chinese customers & purchases redirected locally, followed by the rest of Asia and Japan. Impacted by social unrest, Hong Kong is declining by around 2 billion euros compared with 2018. The Chinese are leading 90 percent of growth in 2019.
The Millennials (the Y generation) and the Z generation contributed to 100 percent of the market growth in 2019. Gen Y is expected to reach 50 percent of market value in 2035. And it is in China and in South East Asia that they show they are most dynamic and attracted by the personal luxury goods. Continue reading
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI PARIS 2020
GIVAUDAN ACQUIRE INDENA
Swiss fragrance and flavors supplier Givaudan said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to acquire the cosmetics business of Italian company Indena.
Headquartered in Milan, Indena is specialized in the identification, development and production of high-quality active ingredients derived from plants, to be used in the pharmaceutical, health food and personal-care industries. Backed up by almost a century of botanical experience, the company counts four manufacturing locations employing around 800 people, sales activities in more than 80 countries and holds more than 100 primary patents.
According to Maurizio Volpi, president of Givaudan’s fragrance division, this operation will be strategic for the company as Indena has “an excellent reputation in the market, thanks to the quality of their ingredients, their strong focus on innovation as well as the mastering of their supply chain. Continue reading
DROUANT HAS REOPENED
Opened in 1880, Parisian restaurant Drouant is open. The historical 1,475-square-foot establishment, which sits just next to the Opera Garnier in the second arrondissement of Paris, needed to be finished in time for the Goncourt Prize, a prestigious French literary ceremony that has been held in a private salon on the upper level of the restaurant every year since 1914.
The race was completed on time. On Nov. 4, author Jean-Paul Dubois was honored in a freshly redecorated Goncourt salon, following the footsteps of previous laureates Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir and Leïla Slimani, who won the prize in 2016 for her haunting novel “Lullaby.” The restaurant, helmed by chef Emile Cotte, officially reopened to the public on Nov. 12. Continue reading
YOEYYOU 2020 SHANGHAI
WHAT AN INFLUENCER ACTUALLY
As the fashion sector struggles to define what an influencer actually is, organisations like the Federal Trade Commission in the United States are cracking down on false influencer advertising. In other words, if an influencer has been paid to wear a brand’s clothing, they will now be obliged to say so.
On Wednesday, Carlo Capasa, the head of Italy’s fashion chamber, said the time has come for “influencers” to specify whether or not their clothes have been borrowed or gifted to them in exchange for monetary retribution.
According to a Eurostat survey from 2017, the uses of hashtags and promotion of brands through influencers on social media has significantly increased since 2013.
Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana published a report last week entitled “Influencer Guidelines and Interpretive Rules for Influencers.” Continue reading
MCM INTERPARFUMS
MCM will soon have a new fragrance, thanks to a licensing deal with InterParfums Inc. InterParfums has signed a 10-year worldwide licensing agreement with Jean Madar, chairman and chief executive officer of InterParfums, revealed plans to reinvent the fragrance category via the MCM partnership, the first launch of which is slated to be in stores in 2021.
We think that MCM the positioning, their territory does not compete with anything we have in our portfolio. We have brands that are in the luxury segment, but new school luxury, it’s more of an attitude.
Sung-Joo Kim, founder, chairman and chief visionary officer of the Sungjoo Group and MCM Holdings AG, purchased the German accessories brand in 2005, becoming the first Korean to buy a heritage European luxury brand.
IN THE MOOD FOR YVES
Saint Laurent will launch the fifth edition of its ongoing Self project here this week, this time inviting Hong Kong’s best-known film director Wong Kar Wai and the acclaimed photographer Wing Shya to co-create a film.
The series, launched a year ago, sees Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello work with various creative figures to capture different aspects of the Saint Laurent personality through art and social commentary. Previous projects have partnered with Daido Moriyama, Vanessa Beecroft, Bret Easton Ellis, and Gaspar Noé. Continue reading
TAG WE ARE WATCH IN YOU
Tag Heuer has opened its first store in Canada, at the Yorkdale shopping mall in Toronto. Tag Heuer is investing in retail more than ever to ensure we are engaging with our customers through exceptional service and a rich brand experience.
Like many of its Swiss watchmaking peers, the label is focusing on bulking up its own network of stores, a strategy for gaining tighter control over customer relations and distribution channels, at a time when the industry is challenged by competition from the Apple watch.
The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned label has nine stores in the U.S., including in New York, two in Texas, two in Florida and one in Las Vegas. LVMH’s watch division has had changes in leadership over the past year, now headed by Stéphane Bianchi, who succeeded industry veteran Jean-Claude Biver. Continue reading
VUITTON J’ADORO VENICE
With floodwaters reaching their highest level in 50 years, the Italian government has declared a state of emergency in the city, where the iconic Piazza San Marco has been closed to the public and its Basilica seriously damaged.
On Thursday, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the government will set up emergency measures, including the allocation of 20 million euros for the most urgent repairs.
Since Tuesday, dramatic images have been circulating on global media showing how water has seriously damaged not only boutiques including the Celine store, which was submerged but also iconic destinations such as The Gritti Palace hotel.
Reached by phone on Friday, Edoardo Caovilla, creative director and chief executive officer of Venetian footwear label René Caovilla, described the situation in the city as dramatic.
“Being from Venice, we are particularly in pain for what is happening,” he said. “Venice must be considered a museum like the Uffizi in Florence and needs to be managed that way.” Continue reading