HERMÈS LOOKING IN THE SKY

Shares in the French luxury group closed up 3.1 percent on the Paris Stock Exchange on Friday in response to strong fourth-quarter results, as consumers flocked to surefire investments like the brand’s Birkin handbags and Chaîne d’Ancre bracelets.

Revenues rose 12.3 percent in the three months to Dec. 31, sharply outperforming its sector peers as strong growth in Asia Pacific compensated for continued weakness in Europe and a flat performance in the Americas.

Sales totaled 2.1 billion euros in the fourth quarter, representing an increase of 15.6 percent in comparable terms, sharply exceeding a consensus forecast of 8.7 percent growth.

By comparison, sector leader LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported a 3 percent decline in organic revenues during the same period, while sales at Kering were down 5 percent in like-for-like terms. Continue reading

BREXIT FASHION SAVE THE QUEEN

With Britain still in lockdown and designers grappling with complex, costly paperwork and trading post-Brexit, fall 2021 will likely be remembered as the season of choking on red tape.

London Fashion Week begins today and runs through Feb. 23 and while the showcase is coed, and open to the public, it’s an unusual time. Many big names, including JW Anderson, Erdem and Christopher Kane, are opting not to show on the calendar, and London’s biggest brand, Burberry, is releasing men’s wear only, with women’s to come at a later date.

The British Fashion Council, which puts on the shows, has secured major new sponsors in the two tech companies TikTok and Clearpay neither of which is British and is taking a slice of LFW to Seoul, South Korea, via a collaboration with multibrand retailer Boon the Shop. Continue reading

THE MANTERO ARCHIVE

The Mantero Archive has long been considered a comprehensive and extraordinary collection of textiles and an inspiration for numerous designers, with more than 10,000 volumes and 60,000 foulards from the top fashion houses, thousands of drawings and prints.

Now it has expanded further, housing the Ken Scott Foundation in Grandate, just outside Como. Italian silk specialist Mantero, which is based in Como, bought the Ken Scott brand in 2019, and has structured the foundation as an exhibition space.

We are anxious to open it up to the world, once the travel restrictions will be lifted, said Franco Mantero, chief executive officer of the family-owned company.

The Ken Scott Foundation was established in 1989 by the Indiana-born designer, who died in 1991 and became popular in the 60s and 70s with his colorful prints. Continue reading

ROCHAS VILMORIN AND H&M

Rochas has named Charles de Vilmorin as its new creative director, cementing the 24-year-old designer’s meteoric rise since launching his fashion label last April in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Three press-cutting in some tabloids and the rocket  will certainly be a wet firecracker. This announcement was made the day Rocha signed a partnership with H&M; a bad presage.

Fresh off his debut at Paris Couture Week last month, de Vilmorin, after the plagia of the muse Niki de Saint Phalle, will be in charge of designing women’s ready-to-wear for Rochas, Rochas’ boss doesn’t surely understand anything about Haute Couture to hire a young non-talented kid who plays with colors like a kid in the kindergarten.

But it is true that when we talk about perfumes, the only thing we know about Haute Couture is the smell of bad taste. Continue reading

REMEMBERING ACTOR C.PLUMMER

Legendary actor Christopher Plummer, known for films like “The Sound of Music” and “All the Money in the World,” died Friday at the age of 91. Plummer died peacefully at his home in Connecticut, according to Deadline.

Plummer was one of the industry’s veteran actors with a career that’s spanned nearly 70 years and included more than 200 movies and TV shows. One of his earliest and most famous roles was as Captain von Trapp in the beloved 1965 film “The Sound of Music,” starring alongside Julie Andrews.

The actor was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one for best supporting actor for the 2010 film “Beginners.” His most recent nomination came in 2017 for his role as J. Paul Getty in the Ridley Scott film “All the Money in the World.” Continue reading

BOYCOTT YVES ROCHER IN RUSSIA

Calls to boycott Yves Rocher are proliferating online as Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to two years detention for violating parole in a case linked to the French beauty company that dates back almost a decade.

Yves Rocher said in a statement Thursday that it has never filed a complaint against Navalny or his brother Oleg, or made legal claims against them at any time.

The case dates back to 2012, when local authorities questioned Yves Rocher Vostok, Yves Rocher’s Russian subsidiary, in a judicial investigation into the Glavpodpiska company that was owned by the brothers. Yves Rocher said clues were found making it likely fraud had been committed by Glavpodpiska against the company, whose services had been recommended after the Yarsolav post office seemed to be struggling with the volume of packages. Oleg Navalny was a senior official at the Russian post office at the time. Continue reading

MARTONE DIED AT 41

Saturday that Martone died at age 41 in tragic circumstances. She was hospitalized for a 15-minute surgery, but died suddenly due to complications during the operation.

Daughter of ICR’s Roberto Martone, she retained creative roles in the family-run fragrance manufacturing business, which develops scents for the likes of Salvatore Ferragamo and Bulgari.

There was something fascinating in being in the presence of Giorgia Martone, who was known in the beauty industry for her expertise in fragrance creation, a passion passed down by her father and Italian leading perfume manufacturer ICR’s president Roberto Martone. Continue reading

ON AURA TOUT VU

Corseted bustier in silk satin and cristals, enhanced with 100 Syringes filled with crystal vaccine, which ends in a needle whose tip is adorned with a drop-shaped pearl.
The vaccine dress … by @onauratoutvu

WORLD DOES NOT UNDERSTAND SORBIER

Franck Sorbier couldn’t start his film without paying tribute to Robert Hossein, who was a faithful friend, who saw them humming like the wings of a hummingbird, only to end up making no noise at all, because their magic often reminds us of the calm chaos of these people fighting to keep their balance, like tightrope walkers all in feathers of lightness in the deafening silence of the Paris Fashion Week that promotes young men of 23 years old with just presumed talent.

Their show sounds like caresses and glances, but  all night long I negotiate with myself and with my conscience to know to whom I will wear my couture calame on the white sheet of paper. So here it is, back to the days of the fashion carnival, this magnificent place where each one wants to run faster than the other in order to attract attention. Golden threads to warp my day; a scrap of guipure shining with colors, to the dream where I can remain a child and still be free a little, childhood found in abundance by the Master’s dresses. Continue reading

FARHAD RE GORGEOUS

Farhad Re was born in Rome and grew up between Italy and France, where he spent most of his time invested in his work as a stylist loved by stars, princesses, and jet-setting ladies such as Catherine Deneuve, Ivana Trump, Joan Collins, Brigitte Nielsen, Ursula Andress, and Princess Soraya – heads of sumptuous and marked elegance. Known for his high fashion garments and accessories that despite their modernity reflect a taste for extreme luxury.

It is difficult to classify his singular creations mixing, instinctively, baroque, punk and romanticism. Organza, satins, furs, embroidery and laces are the refined ingredients of his elaborated combinations. Without any dose of nostalgia, he knows how to combine heritage and modernity, technique and creation.

Even if his house is young, it is part of a long tradition that he respects, while not hesitating to move towards new ideas. In 2018, Farhad Re moved his Atelier and showroom from Rome to Paris… Continue reading

INTERPARFUMS POST COVID

The company, which makes fragrances for Jimmy Choo, Coach, Montblanc and other brands, saw a 3.5 percent lift in sales for the quarter ended Dec. 31, to $184 million.

European sales were up 8.1 percent year-over-year, to $129.6 million for the quarter, while U.S. sales were down 8.8 percent, to $44.4 million in the quarter.

Inter Parfums chairman and chief executive officer Jean Madar said sales exceeded expectations and that several brands did particularly well. Montblanc posted a 9.8 percent increase, Jimmy Choo posted a 13.4 percent rise, Coach saw an 18 percent increase and Anna Sui grew sales by 62.3 percent. Continue reading

DIOR HOMME PARIS 2021

To live happily, look for elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. To be fulfilled, look for inner wealth rather than pecuniary wealth; speak kindly, act frankly, in other words, let the spiritual grow through the common. For Jones, elegance is a perfume that permeates men’s heads. It is a conjugation of the body, which is measured by the way Kim wears his head, gait and military dress to enhance the whole in a martial allure.

Pleasant collection, and to stoke the fire, a collaboration with Peter Doig, this painter, who lives and works between Trinidad and London, known for his disturbing landscapes that mix reality, memories, images and references to art history that comes eco to the presentation. The militarization of dress was a central theme of his first graduation collection from Central Martins College in London in 2002. Continue reading

YOHJI YAMAMOTO ENKA

The space is black. The wave is dark like the dark chasm of the mask. There is no star in Yohji’s azure, the fascination of the night is carried away by the January winds, hoping for a glow in the twilight. This is the chromatic alchemist who is closer every day to Soulage and who plays with metal, for the heart is never so well balanced as on the cutting edge of steel.

Continue reading

BLACK YACHTS

As the name suggests, superyachts are meant to garner attention.The Black Swan for its black exterior and graceful aesthetic, the striking structure is proof of the power of simplicity.

Using the powerful image of an arrow , he tried to create an aerodynamic exterior that would give the yacht a distinctive look, while also improving the efficiency of the craft in the water,”. Continue reading

YSL VIDEO IN THE DESERT

Like a halo around the moon, a breath surrounds Vaccarello in the morning dew of a few grains that constitute a sea. I will be sand in the wind, and just by saying this word, images of dust arise immediately, which swirl with lightness, softness, and splinters of quartz, but also with the grace and sound of the wind, which whistles as if by magic on the place and makes the Little Prince of fashion appear in all its splendor. He softly whispers to us and says “Draw me a sheep,” I will give you a Bergé.

Continue reading

RE-LOOK O’NEAL

On Monday, Adidas, which owns Reebok, publicly confirmed rumors that it was exploring options for the brand. Reports have been circulating for months that the German activewear company was looking to sell the brand, which it acquired in 2006 for $3.8 billion. Last year, it reportedly wrote the value of the brand down to just under $1 billion.

It was more than a year ago that Shaquille O’Neal publicly revealed that he would “love to buy” Reebok, a brand that he had served as an ambassador for back in his NBA playing days in the Nineties. And his partnership with the deep-pocketed Authentic Brands Group could potentially make his wish a reality. Continue reading

FOOTWEAR NEWS THE WINNER IS

Footwear News, this year marking its 75th anniversary, presented its annual Footwear News Achievement Awards on Tuesday night .

André Leon Talley presented the Company of the Year award to Deckers, parent company of Teva, Hoka and Ugg. In his remarks, Talley pledged allegiance to the Ugg Boot. “I even have my own monogrammed Ugg boots, just so I feel unique. No one can take them in case I’m at the gym, but they are a size 18 so it’s not like they are going to fit everyone,” he said.

Christian Louboutin presented the Style Influencer Award to Cardi B, who he described as, “A hell of a woman, one of a kind. She stands and fights for what she believes in. She is a force, she speaks her own language…and is the opposite of politically correct.” Continue reading

MONCLER AQUIRE STONE ISLAND

Moncler SpA acquire Sportswear Company SpA, owner of the Stone Island brand. Carlo Rivetti, chairman and ceo of Stone Island, said the company’s headquarter in Ravarino “will remain the beating heart of the brand and a center of excellence that will be further enhanced and my team and I will continue, in our current roles, to do what we have been doing with great passion for many years.

The agreement was signed between Moncler and Rivetex Srl, a company referable to Carlo Rivetti, owner of a stake equal to 50.1 percent of Sportswear Company’s capital and other shareholders of SPW, referable to the Rivetti family, owners of a stake equal to 19.9 percent of SPW’s capital.

The agreement values Stone Island at 1.15 billion euros, corresponding to a multiple of 16.6 times 2020 EBITDA and a multiple of 13.5 times the estimated 2021 EBITDA. The consideration for the purchase of the shares will be paid in cash by Moncler.