The Nicholas Kirkwood Spring Summer 2019 show in London appears the apocalypse is now ! Nicholas Kirkwood certainly tapped into this mood for his first London Fashion show this season (having shown in Paris for several seasons), putting on a monster production that reverted us to Orwellian times. The “hacker” was his inspiration, specifically “a group of hacker activists rebelling against a government-enforced regime of banality and fashion monotony. Continue reading
Expanding its reach into the realm of watchmaking, Chanel has bought a minority stake in Montres Journe, the French luxury house said on Monday.
Established by François-Paul Journe, who made his first watch in Paris in the early Eighties, the company has been making high-end time pieces in Geneva since 1999. It limits production to 900 watches a year, designing and building all of the movements, cases and watch cases.
“Chanel’s stake will enable Montres Journe SA to continue its development by ensuring its sustainability, as well as its autonomy,” Chanel said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Chanel in 1998 invested in Bell & Ross and in 2011 in the Swiss watchmaking house of Romain Gauthier, who has made components designed by Chanel teams for the French house’s Monsieur watch. Chanel has not disclosed its ownership levels in the watchmakers. Continue reading
L’Oréal Paris is gearing up to stage its second fashion-beauty runway show, With a floating catwalk near the Musée d’Orsay, the display on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. at the Port de Solférino is expected to attract even more eyeballs than the high-profile show staged on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées last year.
“Everyone is invited,” Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, L’Oréal Paris global brand president, told “We wanted to choose an iconic space in the city that really reflects the true Parisian spirit.”
Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris a “celebration of beauty, fashion and diversity.” The program is done in partnership with the Chopard jewelry brand and 12 established and emerging fashion houses, including Off-White, Balmain, Jacquemus, Isabel Marant, Ami, Giambattista Valli and Elie Saab, which will be showing looks inspired by Parisian chic from their fall 2018 collections. Continue reading
Boucheron and the Monnaie de Paris have teamed to make a series of limited-edition coins, including a 1-kilo (35.3-oz.) pure gold coin in the shape of an emerald-cut stone, with references to the high jewelry house including the Place Vendôme, ivy vines and a diamond encrusted leaf.
The collaboration, which coincides with the jeweler’s 160th anniversary, is meant to celebrate French luxury traditions and follows similar projects with other prestigious French institutions including Sèvres-Cité de la Céramique, Baccarat, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and French chef Guy Savoy. Working with Savoy, the mint issued a rose-gold pan featuring a black truffle, fried egg while it reinterpreted Marie Antoinette’s milk bowl with the Sèvres-Cité de la Céramique. The Cartier collaboration resulted in a coin stamped with the Taj Mahal, complete with a diamond-encrusted dome. Continue reading
Could you imagine Virgil Abloh rappers’ friends fighting at a LVMH Paris Fashion Show? This is the story, a star-studded party ended in dramatic fashion when Cardi B and Nicki Minaj nearly came to blows at the Harper’s Bazaar Icon bash in New York City last Friday.
In one of several videos posted to Twitter, Cardi B, wearing a red dress, can be seen lunging towards Minaj before throwing a shoe at the rapper as their security teams rush to break it up.
The two hip-hop artists involved in the melee, which happened just as the red carpet shuttered. Cardi B was later photographed with a large bruise above her right eye as she left the party. The back of her dress was also torn. Minaj, who was unharmed in the encounter, was quickly escorted downstairs by Minaj’s security team. Continue reading
Burberry said early on Thursday the no-fur policy will apply to Tisci’s debut collection for Burberry later this month, and the company will phase out existing real fur products.
Over the past year, the brand has come under fire from anti-fur protestors who staged screechingly loud and aggressive protests outside its runway shows. The company also became the target of criticism in the British press for its decision to destroy new, but unsalable, merchandise each year. Continue reading
Kering is reinforcing its corporate team in Greater China in order to adapt to the fast-changing business environment in this market, which has been continuously growing in importance for the luxury industry since Gucci opened its first store in China in 1997. This new management set-up will strengthen the existing corporate structure specifically dedicated to supporting the long-term development of Kering’s luxury Houses in Greater China.
Ms. Jinqing Cai has been appointed President of Kering Greater China, starting from September 10, 2018. Her mission will be to reinforce the visibility of Kering in Greater China and to strengthen the links between the Group and its local partners. She will be based in Kering’s Shanghai office and will report to Jean-François Palus, Group Managing Director of Kering. Continue reading
On Sunday, Céline’s designer Hedi Slimane offered followers clues about the world he is fashioning for the French label on Instagram, revealing a new logo, and some explanations as well.
“The new logo has been directly inspired from the original, historical version that existed in the 1960s,” reads the first line of description, all in capital letters, as is the logo. The designer opted for a “modernist typography” that dates from the Thirties and removed the accent on the first “e” for a “more balanced proportion” evoking the label’s collection in the Sixties, the description continued.
One of the most prominent and influential fashion figures, Slimane joined the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned label in February with the mandate of broadening its scope to add men’s, couture and fragrance lines. His collection makes its debut on Sept. 28 in Paris. Continue reading
Fashion Week Stockholm, which has been showcasing some of Sweden’s most interesting brands and designers since 2005, has progressively established itself as one of Northern Europe’s leading fashion events. In part due to their renewed presence during this bi-annual event, fashion houses such as Acne, Tiger of Sweden, Filippa K, Hope, and, more recently, ATP Atelier have gained regional notoriety and brought international attention to the Swedish fashion scene. It has also enabled the so called “Scandinavian aesthetic” – often defined by its minimalism, functionality and simplicity – to be widely popularized and globally recognized.
Much like the other major fashion weeks, it also serves as a platform for emerging and increasingly established fresh talent, presenting a younger generation of designers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s expected when it comes to Nordic style and aesthetic. Here is a selection of up-and-coming designers who are launching Sweden’s fashion into the future, informed by worldly references and infused with their domestic heritage. Continue reading
Contemporary designer brand Hervé Léger, best known for its body-con “bandage” dresses, has a new creative director: Christian Juul Nielsen.
He also has served as the creative director at advanced contemporary brand Land of Distraction since November 2016. It is understood that he will continue at the startup brand while bringing a shot of energy to the Hervé Léger brand.
The latter was part of the BCBG portfolio owned by Max Azria until the company fell on hard times and found itself in bankruptcy proceedings last year. Brand management firm Marquee Brands acquired the BCBG trademarks including Hervé Léger and then sold the Hervé Léger brand to Authentic Brands Group. ABG is also a brand management firm.
Lanvin has appointed Jean-Philippe Hecquet chief executive officer, Hailing the beginning of a new chapter, Joann Cheng, chairwoman of Fosun Fashion Group and Lanvin, said Hecquet’s “extensive international experience in the luxury fashion industry, his strong entrepreneurship and his proven managerial skills” will be major assets in developing and accelerating Lanvin’s business.
Hecquet said Lanvin’s rich heritage and unique DNA, “gives us a beautiful opportunity to breathe new life into the oldest and perhaps most revered of the French fashion houses. Continue reading
China’s fashion capital is teaming with young designers, many of whom have studied in London, Paris, New York, or Milan before moving to Shanghai. Amongst this group of mainly millennials, some teamed up in pairs to drive their young labels forward. Continue reading
Ruth Finley, who created the Fashion Calendar and was a leading figure in the industry, died Saturday night at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York at age 98.
Finley, who was born Jan. 14, 1920, in Haverhill, Mass., moved to New York City after her graduation from Simmons College in Boston in 1941. She landed a job at Lord & Taylor in the visual department, and later wrote for the New York Herald Tribune. With a loan of $1,000 from a college friend, Finley launched the Fashion Calendar in 1945. She served as founder and publisher, and was a one-woman operation, keeping track of all New York fashion events, parties, benefits, and fashion shows. She ran it for nearly 70 years and sold it to the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2014.
A small private service will be held in Haverhill on Sept. 3, and a larger memorial service is being planned at the Fashion Institute of Technology in early October.
Philip Treacy has become the world’s most in demand hat designer. His hats are as popular with European aristocrats as with Hollywood royalty. Widely credited for changing the perception of the hat, he designs hats to flatter and enhance the wearer. Continue reading
The Karl Lagerfeld brand has partnered with Los Angeles-based e-tailer Revolve.com for the launch of its clothing capsule designed in collaboration with model-of-the-moment Kaia Gerber.
The Karl Lagerfeld x Kaia line will hit karl.com and Revolve.com on Aug. 30 for a period of two weeks before rolling out to a network of premium retailers internationally, including Selfridges, Excelsior, Breuninger and La Rinascente.
The launch will be accompanied by three events, kicking off with a party at the Revolve Social Club in Los Angeles on Aug. 30, with singer Charlotte Lawrence scheduled to provide the entertainment. The space is also to host an experiential pop-up shop dedicated to the capsule from Sept. 1. Up to 70 percent of revenues at Revolve are driven by influencers. It works with a network of global content creators, and is on track to surpass $1 billion in sales in 2018. Continue reading
On September 21, the auction event The Genius of Gianni Versace: A Collection of His Iconic 90s Designs will be conducted by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers and include over 350 vintage Versace items from some of the designer’s most recognized work.
This single-owner collection was carefully curated in the 1990s by a gentleman who recognized the artistry, fearlessness and talent of Gianni Versace. The trend setting designs, paying homage to Versace’s classical European roots, struck a chord with the collector who would go on to explore the many facets of the fashion house. Assembling a thoughtful representation of Versace became his passion, as is evident by this superb and rare collection of both couture and accessories, which he stored meticulously for the past twenty years. Items from Versace’s Baroque, Teatro, Bondage, Animal Print, Miss S&M, Punk and Miami collections are all represented. Continue reading
Did Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s famous pet cat, turn seven years old unnoticed? As if! The blue-eyed beauty is said to have received thousands of wishes on social media platforms including Instagram, where she counts 112,000 followers and where she shares a bit of advice alongside a photo of herself enjoying a luxurious birthday stretch. “I started my social media career before ‘influencers’ were a thing. Please refrain from using this term with moi,” the caption reads.
Of course there was a party, complete with presents (fabric toys), a single candle stuck on a plate of shrimp, and a sparkly sign on the wall crafted by her nannies. Among those in attendance were Lagerfeld’s two godsons, and his bodyguard and personal assistant Sébastien Jondeau, who posted a group shot on Instagram
Behind the Gucci-centric headlines that greet every quarter of impressive growth at Kering, there is another brand that is fueling the French luxury group Saint Laurent because of a reboot of its women’s wear offer under chief executive officer Francesca Bellettini and creative director Anthony Vaccarello.
Since she took over in 2013, the Italian executive has overseen a tripling of the house’s sales, though she’s not one to sit on her laurels. Rather, she continually drives her teams toward the next challenge, as she propels the label founded by Yves Saint Laurent toward its long-term revenue target of 3 billion euros.
Having posted sales of 1.5 billion euros in 2017, the house — the second largest brand in the Kering stable after Gucci has kept up a steady clip, though its pace is normalizing after several years of exceptional growth. Continue reading
LVMH has acquired a new perfume brand “Jean Patou”. The giant French conglomerate secretly took management control of Patou last year from Designer Parfums, a UK group based in Watford north of London, which is owned by Mehta business family.
After a couple of months the board of Jean Patou appointed Sidney Toledano to be its new chairman, replacing Nikita Mehta, the 28-year-old daughter of Dilesh Mehta, the CEO and founder of Designer Parfums.
At the time, LVMH board member, Toledano was CEO of Christian Dior. In January, he became the President of LVMH Fashion Group, which controls a series of significant fashion houses including Céline, Fendi, Givenchy, Pucci, Kenzo and Loewe. Continue reading
Interdisciplinary artist Hungry gives their audience a glimpse of an alternate reality, in which a human body was forced to adapt to new surroundings. With a variance of media in their work, including; make up, photography, modelling, tailoring and stage performance, Hungry established a new and specific aesthetic, which can also be seen in the body of Björk‘s recently released album Utopia. Mostly on international stages, Hungry uses Berlin as a base to create and perfect this unique craft, something which has been self-titled as ‘distorted drag.’ Continue reading
Brand Trump took another hit Tuesday with the shuttering of the Ivanka Trump business, underscoring that fashion and politics don’t mix and that brands linked strongly to personalities are fraught with risk. Eleven years after fine jewelry carrying the Ivanka Trump label hit the market, the New York-based brand said it was closing amid rapidly dwindling retail and consumer support.
Even though Trump officially stepped away from her company in January 2017, many continued to associate her with the brand she founded. Political rancor toward her family, a dwindling base of retail accounts, a widely vocal consumer boycott and a highly competitive apparel market all contributed to the brand’s demise. Continue reading
