NAMILIA TITS TILTE

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Fashion Weeks are a real opportunity for new designers to make them known. Unfortunately, often we attend to presentation which will never be produced and are better suited for a conceptualized student show than one from a brand trying to sell product. It is a real debate which has been on for quite some time over the traditional fashion week runway format.

Namilia designers Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl seemed far from thoses concerns and have presented a collection inspired of the XVI/XVII centuries.

Therefore not only these clothes cannot be sold and technically there is a real lack of know-how. Those two designers should go back to a fashion school. Continue reading →

PAUL KA AND PARTNERS

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Change Capital Partners has sold a majority stake in French fashion brand Paule Ka to businessman Xavier Marie, and the brand will be parting ways with its chief executive officer and creative director.

Marie, founder and former ceo of furniture and home decor company Maisons du Monde, has acquired an 80 percent stake in Paule Ka, with Change Capital retaining the remaining 20 percent, a spokeswoman of the label said on Wednesday.

Catherine Vautrin, chairman and ceo of the house since February 2015, is leaving to explore new opportunities in Italy. Creative director Alithia Spurri-Zampetti will also be leaving the company after a two-year collaboration.

Paule Ka will not be presenting a spring collection during Paris Fashion Week. Instead, a capsule collection designed by its in-house studio will be shown to buyers at its showroom between Sept. Continue reading →

RICHARD RENÉ AND GUY LAROCHE

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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 →

DESIGUAL GOULD DEAL

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Desigual has hired French artist, filmmaker, jean-Paul Goude as a creative director for the Spring Summer 2018 season.

Jean paul Goude, best known for his fashion illustrations and his work for Esquire Magazine, joins the Spanish brand . His debut as creative director will take place during New York Fashion Week on 7 September 2017, where he will present the first collection styled and selected by him.

The show will demonstrate Goude’s creative vision for Desigual, and will mark his arrival to the brand as creative director for the Spring Summer 2018 season. “I like challenges and helping Desigual on the process of updating its image while keeping faithful to its DNA it is extremely exciting.” said Goude. Continue reading →

NY FASHION WEEK

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Plenty of major names have skipped out of New York Fashion Week; Tommy Hilfiger is off to London for his show and the season has been shortened by one day. Nonetheless, despite, a five-brand departure.

Many designers have felt the allure of Europe; truly major global brands Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Tory Burch are still firmly committed to New York.

Proenza Schouler moved to Paris for the couture season in July. While Thom Browne took his menswear show all the way to the Beaux Arts. New York has also suffered the departure of Joseph Altuzarra who will take his spring 2018 show to the French capital. But Altuzarra’s is French nobody is perfect. Continue reading →

LA REDOUTE NO DOUBT

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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

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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 →

FIRST COVER FOR FIRST LADY

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In Austria, Brigitte Macron showed once again that she is unafraid to experiment with fashion. Walking through Salzburg with Eveline Steinberger-Kern, wife of the Austrian president, Macron debuted a new red dress by Louis Vuitton, her go-to design house.

Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as France’s youngest ever President at the age of 39 in May, and credits his wife- and former teacher- Brigitte Trogneux (who has taken on his surname since they became France’s first couple) as one of his closest advisors.

Now the 64 year-old has become France’s “First Lady” (although there will be no official title for her) since Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife Carla left the Elysee Palace in 2012 – and she’s showcasing a wardrobe which proves she’s making the role her own. Continue reading →

VANS AND KARL COOPERATION

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Vans and Karl Lagerfeld have just signed a cooperation to design a footwear and apparel capsule set to be launched worldwide on September 7.

The two brands have fused their respective universes, the Vans’ hallmark checkerboard pattern is revisited using a cameo motif depicting Lagerfeld’s iconic profile.

There will be six interpretations of Vans footwear classics include the Sk8-Hi laceless platform and Old Skool laceless (old school, Karl knows well about it) styles outfitted in leather with the quilted letter-shaped detail atop white platform soles, and a solid black leather Classic Slip-On — also with the quilted letter K. Continue reading →

HAMESBRANDS AND CURVY WOMEN

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Hamesbrands love curvy women and after a year-long of research, the brand has developed new bras, panties and shapewear to meet their clients requirements.

“Curvy” is the new term, and the most preferred one for women  of all age being overweight.

Maidenform brand is introducing Maidenform Curvy shapewear, and the iconic full-figure Playtex brand is introducing the Playtex Love My Curves line of bras and, for the first time, matching panties.

The shapewear, which is offered in new 1X to 4X sizes, fits women that wear US dress sizes 16 to 30 and can be found at major department stores and online starting at $44. Continue reading →

LVMH LAND PARIS

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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 →

LVMH MASTER OF THE WORLD

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LVMH powered ahead in the second quarter thanks to “outstanding momentum” at its cash-cow Louis Vuitton brand, but reiterated its cautious outlook for the second half as it starts to face tougher comparatives, particularly in Asia.

The parent of brands including Fendi, Sephora, Bulgari and Hennessy said revenues, including for the first-time German luggage maker Rimowa, rose 15 percent year-over-year to 9.83 billion euros in the three months to June 30.

Organic growth was 12 percent, above a market consensus forecast of 10 percent growth. The group said it benefited from a favorable comparison base in Asia as well as France, where activity last year was affected by the impact of terrorist attacks, adding that current trends could not be extrapolated for the full year. Continue reading →

CÉLINE IN TUSCANY

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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 →

VUITTON NET OF THRONES

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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

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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 →

NO ARM BANDIT FOR LINKS

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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

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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

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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 →