Category Archives: BREAKING NEWS
LÉGER BEYONG THE BANDAGE
Hervé L. Leroux, the French designer famous for creating form-fitting bandage dresses that were the uniform of Nineties models, died at the age of 60. Leroux, who was born in Bapaume in northern France, started his career as Hervé Léger but lost the commercial use of his name in 1999 after BCBG Max Azria bought the brand.
He began his career as a hairdresser before seguing into hats. In the early Eighties, he met Karl Lagerfeld, with whom he worked at Fendi and subsequently at Chanel. It is Karl Lagerfeld who first suggested him the name “Léger” and subsequently came up with the name Leroux, he told Canadian web site Canoe.com last year.
Leroux founded his ready-to-wear label in 1985, developing the signature bandage technique that sculpted the body like shapewear. Under the Leroux brand, he specialized in draped jersey, creating glamorous gowns that heightened the wearer’s natural assets, which he preferred on the curvy side. Continue reading
HERMÈS DARE THE UGLY
The Spring-Summer ready-to-wear 2017 has the smell of an old sadler. The new artistic designer Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski failed with the code of Hermès. It seems that when she conceive the collection, she completely forgot who were the clients and in due fact the clients will forget Hermès.
The ugliness of the collection reflects the ill-being of the firm. More than an ill-being, it the industrialization and the change of economic model which disrupts the culture of the company. When the culture of a firm is not respected, the group becomes a MacDonald or in Vuitton. That’s the way it is.
In my opinion, the cocktail which consists to continuously give more money to the shareholders on less quality products is a cocktail which will lead the company to an end. It cannot happen in a brand like LVMH where brands in deficit rely on profitable brands. That cannot happen in a mono brand like Hermès. Continue reading
FATIMA LOPEZ PARIS 2018
The 38th Parisian collection of ready to wear created by Fatima Lopes get its inspiration by the amazing and magical aesthetic of Birds.
Enchanted by the harmony and the elegance of the colours association, often unexpected but always graceful, the designer created aerial and colourful silhouettes which combine lightness and nobility because of the choice of the fabrics, and strong architecture of the pattern which remind the steep lines of bird’s beaks.
The colours embrace each other in an explosion of bright and fruity colours such as raspberry, grapefruit, emerald green, red and so on.
Important is as well the utilisation of more neutral ones as nude and black, bringing balance to the palette through them pureness.
Among Beach and Cocktails, the superposition of silk’s chiffon layers plays with the transparencies and engage the clothing into a game a see through which show only lightly the body shapes.
MABILLE ENIVRE NOTRE MÉMOIRE
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
For their second runway collection, the two designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia wanted to pay tribute to Oscar de La Renta, the house founder.
Tachism or not, derived from the French word tache, stain) is a French style of abstract painting popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The term is said to have been first used with regards to the movement in 1951 It is often considered to be the European equivalent to abstract expressionism, although there are stylistic differences (American abstract expressionism tended to be more “aggressively raw” than tachism) that is the choice of Laura and Fernando.
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG 2018 NEW YORK
RICHARD RENÉ AND GUY LAROCHE
Richard René will be the next Creative Director for Guy Laroche, a veteran of brands including Hermès and Jean Paul Gaultier, has taken the helm of the label Guy Laroche and is slated to show his first collection on Sept. 27 during Paris Fashion Week. He succeeds American designer Adam Andrascik, who had held the post since 2015.
René began his career in 1994 at Hermès as assistant to then-creative director Claude Brouet. Between 1997 and 2004, he worked at Jean Paul Gaultier as assistant on haute couture collections and accessories. He returned to the brand from 2007 to 2011 as designer of men’s collections and women’s pre-collections.
This follows recent changes in creative direction at Lanvin, Givenchy and Chloé — all of whom will be presenting collections by new creative directors in the fall. Continue reading
LA REDOUTE NO DOUBT
Amazon will be in France the new digital retailers. That is why Galeries Lafayette announced on Thursday its control over the French clothing and home furnishing catalogue, La Redoute.
It is the start of a move of Department stores to face Amazon. Department stores like Galeries Lafayette are the right balance between physical stores and digital offerings.
La Redoute, which historically belonged to Kering, is a household name in France, selling a broad selection of clothing and furniture. Kering exited the business in 2014 as part of a broader strategy to focus on brands with global appeal, selling the company to La Redoute managers. Continue reading
CHANEL NEGATIVE RESULT
Unlike its main competitors, LVMH and Kering, which last year both posted record growth, in 2016 Chanel suffered a fall in sales and profits. After years of steady growth, Chanel indeed continues to slow down. As in 2015, last year the French fashion label, led since 1983 by Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld, saw its net income plummet by 34.8%, down to $874 million (€736 million), while its revenue lost 9%, reaching $5.67 billion (€4.77 billion).
According to the group, the downturn is chiefly explained by the sale of its Chanel Limited UK subsidiary, which accounts for approximately 11% of sales, to another Chanel-owned corporation. “On a like-for-like basis and at constant exchange rates, the results were on par with 2015,” wrote the group in its yearly report, noting also how, among other reasons, in the first part of the year Chanel was affected by the terrorist attacks in Europe, which “had a negative impact on tourist flows and consequently sales.” Continue reading
FENDI HAUTE FOURRURE PARIS
LVMH LAND PARIS
The luxury goods giant and a leisure industry partner want the historic Jardin d’Acclimatation to join the ranks of France’s top three amusement parks.Louis Vuitton and ski resort operator hope to propel a 150-year-old Parisian leisure park to the future with a 60 million-euro rejuvenation. Located in the French capital’s western greenbelt, the Bois de Boulogne, the park will stay open during the works, LVMH said in a statement Friday. With the help of a team of architects and landscape planners, the pair plans to build an ecological promenade, restructure the park’s digital offering with a new web site, rebuild the mini farm and the install 17 new carousels in a steam punk-inspired ambiance.LVMH plays an active role in urban renewal projects in its home city and has operated the park since 1984. Continue reading
CÉLINE IN TUSCANY
Several days after announcing the launch of a leather goods training course in partnership with Polimoda, the luxury giant has returned to Tuscany, a region known for its expertise in leather, to unveil a new atelier dedicated to its brand Céline, which will see the light of day in 2019.
The brand, created in 1945 by Céline Vipiana and now helmed by creative director Phoebe Philo, will double the number of its production entities in the Italian region with this latest venture.
With an atelier already opened in Greve, near Florence, the Maison has inked a partnership with the Tuscan to install a new centre in Radda, in the province of Siena. The agreement, which lasts for five years, proposes training on site, as well as research and development. The goal is to develop an industry 4.0 model, over some 2,000 square metres of space dedicated to production, according to local press. Continue reading
RALPH LAUREN WOMEN PERFUME
After having played a major role in the men’s fragrance planet, Ralph Lauren has chosen the american actress Jessica Chastain to represent the new Ralph Lauren’s fragrance of eau de parfum “Woman”.Woman is the first women’s franchise the brand has launched in nearly a decade. Continue reading
VUITTON NET OF THRONES
Last week, Louis Vuitton joined the online market likes of Burberry, Gucci and Michael Kors still dominated by local China giants such as Tmall and JD.com.
“This was expected and somewhat overdue — clearly a good sign that the European megabrands are finally entering the Chinese luxury digital market,” said Luca Solca, head of luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas.
Rogerio Fujimori, analyst at RBC Capital Markets, agreed it was a logical move, since Chinese consumers are increasingly making luxury purchases at home, taking advantage of narrowing price differentials and Chinese government initiatives to streamline customs procedures for e-commerce.
“There is a structural trend toward repatriation in general, and within China, like in any other market, there is a shift to omnichannel, a shift to mobile,” he said. “You have the Millennial segment that is more digital-influenced, that will grow older and they’ll carry on those habits, so I think they’re adapting.” Continue reading
TALENTS QUIT FASHION HOUSES
Famous designers are treated like European Premier League football managers: No matter how talented you are. Fashion Industry observers and those who work with designers say it is a sign of these digitally driven times, where the pressure is on to deliver multiple capsule collections and substantial sales growth season after season, to maintain the buzz around a brand and to keep shareholders happy.
Others believe many of those famous talented designers have been too far. They have big ego, ask for outsized salaries, require too much creative control for the brands. Therefore it’s no surprise that some big names have been replaced by younger, hipper and less expensive talents who don’t necessarily feel the need to control every aspect of a brand’s identity. Continue reading
GEORGES CHAKRA COUTURE
NO ARM BANDIT FOR LINKS
Links of London is opening its fifth U.S. boutique at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Links is offering an interactive experience both in the stores and online because “personalization and storytelling are at the core of the Links of London DNA” said Leela Petrakis, president of FF Group North America, the company that owns the brand.
The store will feature displays that incorporate elements unique like the Sweetie collection — bracelet and whimsical charms — that will be showcased in a display reimagined to look like a roulette table. You will also find an Engraving and Customization Bar which will allow customers to custom design their charm bracelets. Other services at the store include in-house engraving, restringing and polishing. Continue reading
THE FRANCO-ITALIAN LVMH CONNECTION
Louis Vuitton is extending its vocational training model to Italy through a partnership between the Institut des Métiers d’Excellence (IME) and the Italian fashion and design school Polimoda, aimed at training leather-goods artisans.
Founded in 2014, the IME program is involved in schooling more than 200 young people in areas including jewelry, dressmaking, winemaking, leather goods, culinary arts, watches, luxury retail and design together with partner institutions in France and Switzerland.
They include BJO Formation in Paris for jewelry, the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne for fashion and the Ferrandi Paris school for gastronomy. Polimoda becomes the first Italian school to join the initiative, beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. Continue reading
GEORGES KERN QUITS RICHEMONT
The recent management shake-ups at Richemont Group just took an unexpected turn. The luxury conglomerate, which owns brands the likes of Cartier, IWC and Vacheron Constantin, announced earlier today that its head of watchmaking, marketing and digital, Georges Kern, has resigned, effective immediately.
Kern, who has been with the Swiss luxury group for 17 years, only assumed this latest role less than four months ago.
He has also stepped down from the Senior Executive Committee and the Group Management Committee, and will no longer be standing for election to the Board of Directors of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA at the forthcoming annual general meeting of shareholders. Continue reading
STEPHANE ROLLAND COUTURE PARIS
LAPIDUS AND LANVIN
Olivier Lapidus from latin ‘lapideus’, meaning ‘made of stone, 59 years old, is a french designer quite known in France but almost unknown in the world has been appointed on Monday as the new artistic director of Lanvin.
He is expected to present his first Lanvin collection in September for the spring 2018 women’s ready-to-wear season,.
The company, founded by Jeanne Lanvin in 1889, has been majority owned since 2001 by Taiwan-based media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang. It has seen sales erode for several years which has been leading to financial difficulties.
Besides the minority shareholder Ralph Bartel and investment banker Pierre Mallevays of Savigny Partners, both board members, have submitted letters of resignation to disassociate themselves from Wang’s decisions and governance as Wang did not go through a proper process using professional advice from a talent search firm. Continue reading
ALEXIS MABILLE COUTURE PARIS
LANVIN FIRED BOUCHRA JARRAR
Shaw-Lan Wang, the owner of the brand Lanvin which is in great financial difficulties has just decided to fire the actual artistic director Bouchra Jarrar after having fired the renowned designer Alber Elbaz
Bouchra Jarrar was very weakened by the lack of success of his collections. His departure had been acquired for a while already, “said the Reuter’s source.
The stylist was only appointed 15 months ago at the head of the artistic direction of the women’s fashion label. There will be no collection for the upcoming spring-summer season (scheduled for late September), said the source.
Taken in the turmoil since the departure of its former artistic director Alber Elbaz, Lanvin saw its sales fall by 23% in 2016, to 162 million euros, and recorded a net loss of 18.3 million, after a profit of 6.3 million in 2015. The trend was further aggravated in early 2017, with sales falling 32% in the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2016,