LITKOVSKA PARIS 2025
This season, LITKOVSKA introduces ZHNYVA – «harvest» in Ukrainian – symbolizing the gathering of the brand’s achievements over the past 15 years. This collection reflects the concept of reaping what has been sown: a cycle of creation, reflection, and renewal, celebrating the brand’s history and its ongoing evolution.
KERING NEW DEAL
Cédric Charbit, new CEO of Balenciaga at Saint Laurent Gianfranco Gianangeli, former CEO of Maison Margiela and currently commercial director of YSL, succeeds Cédric Charbit at Balenciaga.
A return to Saint Laurent for Cédric Charbit, who was executive vice president of product and marketing when he took over at Balenciaga eight years ago, a year after creative director Demna.
Once at the helm of Saint Laurent, he will have to face a revival of sales momentum against a backdrop of slowing luxury sales, particularly in China, and as inflation and high interest rates weigh on discretionary spending worldwide.
Prior to YSL, Charbit was deputy general manager at Emilio Pucci. Previously, the Frenchman held senior roles in retail – as general merchandise director for womenswear at Harrods in London and Printemps in Paris. A graduate of ESC Toulouse, he is appreciated for his fashion instinct and his complicity with designers.
CHANEL END OF STORY
Matthieu Blazy, Chanel’s next artistic director? Chanel is no longer looking to find a new artistic director for fashion because it has found it after that negotiations with the prince of clubbing have failed. The French house, which is now English, plans to announce in June the successor to Virginie Viard, who left the house after five years.
A anonymous source said that Matthieu Blazy, who made Bottega Veneta one of the hottest tickets in Milan, has emerged as a new contender for the top job in Paris.
A Chanel spokeswoman said a new creative organization would be announced “in due course” after interviews with Pieter Mulier, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Jeremy Scott and Marc Jacobs.
He succeeded Daniel Lee as artistic director of Bottega Veneta in November 2021 after moving from a ready-to-wear designer.
Following the death of Karl Lagerfeld in February 2019, Chanel Fashion has been without a creative head since Virginie Viard stepped down in June after more than three decades at the house. Chanel’s spring 2025 collection was designed by an in-house team.
BURBERRY BASIC SPEECH
Since he joined Burberry as CEO in July, Joshua Schulman has wasted no time in trying to right the ship, with the twin brakes pressing, the slowdown in luxury demand and by past strategies that pushed the brand into territory too specialised, too fashionable and too expensive, and without ever inviting journalists.
His strategy to restore sales and profit growth is to connect the dots between the creative and marketing teams, and has revealed plans to speak to a wider customer base, particularly those left out by Burberry’s failures in the haute couture arena. There’s still a long way to go, though, as couture will require a designer.
A few hours before Schulman spoke to analysts, Burberry announced a 20% drop in retail sales.
And the company announced an adjusted operating loss of £41 million. Its plan is to fill shops and advertising campaigns with flagship products, install ‘scarf bars’ and ‘trench destinations’ in shops, capitalise on gabardine, the brand’s iconic waterproof fabric patented by Thomas Burberry in 1888, and make the brand recognisable once again to its loyal customers, who have never stopped loving the check pattern.
THE 1001 ELIE SAAB SHOW
Is it a couture presentation or a J LO show ? In any case for the thousand and one seasons of Elie Saab, Paris Fashion Week, now, seems to me a bit outdated against Riyadh which is putting the means to implement its policy and thus decentralizing the Fashion Week from the Occident to Orient. Normal for Paris where the Fashion Week is organized by dorky persons. But maybe this will give new ideas to these gentlemen of the family for their future presentations.
HARROD’S PIANO PIANA
Loro Piana is floating into Harrods on clouds of cashmere and vicuña for a grand-scale holiday takeover marking the Italian brand’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
The Workshop of Wonders, which opens Thursday and runs until Jan. 2, is a family affair, an ode to textile craft, and a moment of Christmas whimsy meant to appeal to people of all ages. Whether you’re a Loro Piana fan, a Harrods regular, or a pedestrian strolling along Brompton Road and Hans Crescent, you’ll find 36 window displays to admire.
PROFESSION OF EXCELLENCE
When I was a child, I used to hear rustling from time to time: the silent sound of craftsmen cutting, bending and filing their piece of the world’s hill. Yes, my great-uncle was a cabinet-maker. A young man who leaned upright against the trunk of an oak tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand as he caressed the marquetry. He watched his work in progress, always asking himself the question: could my hand have been even more perfect?
TRUST ME I AM A HEAD HUNTER
Chantal Gaemperle, LVMH’s Human Resources Director for the past seventeen years, has just been laid off for serious misconduct. The ousting of this protege of the lord has caused an uproar within the group, half of whose Comex is up for renewal, and confirms to the latter that only his family can be trusted.
Chantal Gaemperle, Group HR Director for 17 years, “was escorted from her eighth-floor office to the door of the 22 Montaigne headquarters by Group security guards”. The dismissal comes after an internal investigation lasting several months by the General Administration and Legal Affairs teams, who were particularly interested in the accumulation of benefits in kind received from the Group’s 75 companies (Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moët Hennessy, etc.). Chantal Gaemperle, 62, was also a member of the LVMH Executive Committee. Continue reading
ROKH GOES FASHION
After a collaboration with H&M, Rokh Hwang unveiled recycled “ribbons” of cotton and linen, taking months to shred them into fine threads and rearranging them into floral clusters on the body, like French designer Dgena and the jacket he made for rapper Yamê.
GUCCI MERCATO
At the end of December, Valérie Leberichel joined Gucci as SVP global communications, reporting directly to Cantino. Daughter of the most famous florist in Dinan, Valérie Leberichel began her career as head of public relations at Jean Louis Scherrer before becoming communications director at Issey Miyake Europe. In 2002, she joined Celine as communications director. All that remained for Pinault was to take on the general director of the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce, Catherine Leyaouanc, to stock up on Breton women from his region for his house, but as is well known, Bretons work with their compatriots.
Leberichel will “develop a strategic vision for brand positioning and create a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy designed to enhance brand awareness, strengthen emotional connections with audiences across all channels, and drive product demand.”
With Alessio Vannetti’s departure last week, Leberichel will assume Vannetti’s role as executive vice president and chief brand officer. In September last year, Vannetti returned to Gucci, replacing Susan Chokachi, who left after 25 years. Vannetti was previously Gucci’s worldwide communications director from 2015 to 2019, then spent 3.5 years at Valentino as its chief brand officer. Gucci’s chief people officer, Luca Bozzo, is also leaving.
MARINA FOR A BAG SAAB
Elie Saab is strengthening its handbag division and has appointed Marina Raphael as its new artistic and design director.
The Greek-Austrian designer, who is part of the sixth generation of the Swarovski family, will remain artistic director of her eponymous brand, which she founded in 2017. A daughter of a family, the little girl has relied on her family to shore up her handbag business. Now she will have to prove herself.
“I have long admired Mr. Saab’s remarkable vision, his exceptional craftsmanship and the meticulous attention he pays to each creation. Our first discussions about expanding the handbag category began last year, and in February in Paris, I was honored when Elie Jr. offered me this extraordinary opportunity,” said Raphael, who is based in Athens, where her brand is headquartered.
CARDI B AS OLIVIA POPE
Cardi B spoke at Kamala Harris’ “When We Vote We Win” rally in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Friday night. Having been vocal on social media and hosting conversations with Bernie Sanders in the past, Cardi wore all-white, like Olivia Pope from “Scandal,” to endorse Harris.
Olivia Carolyn Pope is a fictional character created by Shonda Rhimes for the political drama television series Scandal. This character also played a small role in the series How to Get Away with Murder on its 4th season produced by Shonda Rhimes where she plays a crisis manager who helped Annalise get her class-action case heard by the Supreme Court.
THREE BILLBOARDS IN FASHION
In Occoquan, Virginia, local authorities asked Andre Soriano, a sort of “Liberace copycat,” to remove 11 pro-Donald Trump signs from the exterior of his building. A four-story building houses Soriano’s store on the ground floor and his residence on the second floor.
His Trump signs, flags, and dress offended a woman who walked into the store looking for him. The designer, who had created a gown imprinted with the Trump-inspired slogan “Make America Great Again” for the 2017 Grammys for Joy Villa,
After the individual, whose name he never asked, complained to town officials, Soriano was told to remove them.Soriano placed a “Women for Trump” sign in his store window, sparing him a violation.
On the other hand, the 10 other signs that he had moved to the second floor were not compliant with the town’s ordinance that signs on residential properties not exceed 8 feet x 8 feet. As a result, it does not violate the First Amendment.It violates the size, material, and location of a historic district in this case.
Originally from the Philippines, the 54-year-old designer moved to the U.S. at the age of 15 and became a citizen the following year. I don’t really care whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican. I do care about being an American. Let me exercise my First Amendment right,” he said. Continue reading
NEW FRAGRANCE BOTTEGA
Bottega Veneta’s new fragrance collection, comprised of five scents, was designed to be the very essence of the house. This is the first major product launch unveiled by Kering Beauté since the division launched in January 2023.
The fragrances were developed under the creative direction of Bottega Veneta designer Matthieu Blazy. Refined ingredients and artisanal know-how go into each fragrance, which helps expand the fashion brand’s universe, “but chemical all the same.”!
The refillable bottles that recall the mouth-blown creations in Murano glass, and why Pompeii., but you will try to produce 100,000 bottles by hand, it will take you several years.
Undulating shapes that recall the Belle de Ricci, evoke the Venetian lagoon without the gigantic boats that cross it. The bottles rest on marble bases that have been used for centuries in Venice to build palaces, and are used in Bottega Veneta boutiques.
Notes of Italian bergamot and French iris butter; Acqua Sale, with notes of Spanish labdanum and Macedonian juniper oil; Colpo di Sole, with notes of French angelica oil and Moroccan orange blossom absolute; Alchemie, with notes of Brazilian pink pepper and Somali myrrh, and Déjà Minuit, with notes of Madagascar geranium and Guatemalan cardamom, all a program. Continue reading
LUXURY BULLSHIT
The more madmen there are, the more dangerous it is to laugh. Proverbs are the prophets of the professionals of prophecy. The majority of luxury brands are truly “bullshiters”, and to denounce this, the shoe company Payless, which are not of very high quality, but of good quality nonetheless, decided to do a little test in 2018: Open a new store by making believe that it is a luxury brand, and this, by selling the same shoes. This new store is located in the middle of Los Angeles, with an adequate luxury decoration. Thus, the trap will close.
DIOR THE TEMPTATION OF VENISE
Dior has announced the restoration of Venice’s Porta Magna, underscoring its ties to Venice. The answer to the Prince of Venice, its direct competitor Pinault.
In April, the French fashion house announced that it was collaborating with the Venetian Heritage Foundation on a charity ball to help fund the restoration work on the monument and ongoing renovations to the Ca’ d’Oro museum.
It has now revealed the first images of the imposing gate located in the Venetian Arsenal, a complex of former shipyards and armories. A sculpture of the Lion of St. Mark, emblem of the Venetian Republic, crowns the mid-15th-century building.
Hoping that this will be the stargate for the group, The Lord and the Temptation of Venice quite a program!
TAPESTRY SCARED INVESTORS
The Federal Trade Commission successfully halted Tapestry Inc.’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings with a preliminary injunction, likely derailing the mega-acquisition.
Capri shares fell 47.1% to $22 in after-hours trading, well below the $57 buyout price agreed to with Tapestry.
Tapestry shares, on the other hand, gained 10.9% to $49.31, likely because investors breathed a sigh of relief given the weakness in Capri’s Michael Kors business since the deal closed in August 2023.
TAPESTRY is a global house of iconic brands, the likes of which no one in Europe knows…
M 19 THE BIG BLUFF FOR NOTHING.
I don’t like the suburbs, living in the center of Paris, but I forced myself to go to the Porte d’Aubervilliers, taking the Queen Mago metro. Not taking my bike to eliminate the risk of being run over by motorists annoyed at being in traffic jams all day. Finally, the Paris “Tube” ripped me off for 2.50 euros to go see the “Lesage and 100 years of fashion” exhibition.
What a disappointment it was to see only six dresses duelling in four rooms, for 100 years of experience! You’ll admit, it’s a bit short. My disappointment was even greater when I saw a so-called Haute Couture dress by Jacquemus for the singer Beyoncé, I was the one who almost swallowed my ounce of brain, because Jacquemus has never been able to make a dress, much less Haute Couture. He wouldn’t even manage to make a fashion fart higher than the ankle of the shadow of himself.
The Métiers d’Art or the Savoir-Faire Français, a clever mixture organized by thus maintaining the confusion between the Métiers and the Arts and Letters which were given to him by our new sinister of ignorance; Madam, I dress at the couturiers for free.
FASHION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Former Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive officer Mike Jeffries was released on a $10 million bond following his arrest for sex trafficking and interstate prostitution by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. James Jacobson, another alleged associate, was released on $500,000 bond.
A sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise run by Jeffries, 80, that involved hiring dozens of men and transporting them around the world is alleged to have taken place after he left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014 after 22 years as CEO.
UJOH’S CLIMATE STROM ON THE CATWALK
The extreme weather conditions that have plagued the world this summer have given us pause. Times are changing, so is the climate and tailoring is changing. Suit jackets had cutaway sides, allowing air to circulate, their bib fronts hung loosely, eyelets and tabs of fabric helped secure them.