CHINA VIEW

Betty Bachz, cofounder of British eyewear brand Møy Atelier, said she has been seeing a lot of oversized sci-fi-inspired eyewear designs in China, priced at the accessible $200 mark. The brave new world may already be upon us, the future is now.

The futuristic-looking design comes with a one-piece lens design and a fluid oversized titanium frame that stretches across the forehead with triangle patterns Hadid commonly used in her works in China. If you are wearing this piece in a strong wind, you would see you are not only in style, but it functions like a windshield. This piece and three additional commercial styles will be available beginning in February in selected stores. Continue reading

TIFFANY THE BIG UGLY DEAL

The European Commission gave the now-disputed deal the thumbs-up on Monday, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Tiffany.

“All regulatory approvals required for the completion of the merger have now been obtained,” Tiffany said.

But the most important approval of all the go-ahead from LVMH chief Bernard Arnault has been withdrawn and the two sides are embroiled in a nasty court fight that’s set to go to trial in Delaware on Jan. 5.

LVMH started to back away from the deal over the summer and in September publicly said it was walking away, citing a letter from the French government.

Immediately, the case went to the courts with Tiffany accusing, among other things, that LVMH was dragging its feet over approvals. Continue reading

CAVALLI FAUSTO COPY

Roberto Cavalli Has Found Its New Creative Director, Fausto Puglisi . Roberto Cavalli has zeroed in on its new creative director, according to sources here, who believe Sicilian designer Fausto Puglisi has been selected for the job.

This isn’t the first time Puglisi’s name is associated with the brand, as he was rumored to join the company back in 2017, but Paul Surridge ended up nabbing the role, succeeding Peter Dundas.

Surridge exited last year, and the collections have been designed by an in-house team since then. Things have changed this time around as Cavalli has a new owner, Hussain Sajwani, who is looking to relaunch the brand with the help of Puglisi, sources say. Continue reading

FIRST AWARD AT 42 YEARS OLD

The designer From the flat country, I mean from Belgium for uneducated people,  Tom Van Der Borght won the Première Vision Grand Prize at the 35th edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography, which wrapped on Sunday, winning over a jury headed by designer Jonathan Anderson, founder of JW Anderson and creative director of Loewe.

In a break with its recent tradition of rewarding graduates fresh out of school, finealy. The Hyères jury selected a designer who is already established almost a retired fashion designer, It’s always better than Didier Grumler’s choices for his nights in Toulon. Van Der Borght started his fashion education at the age of 30 and established his label in 2013 after graduating from the Stedelijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten Sint-Niklaas, a fashion school located between Antwerp and his home base of Ghent. Continue reading

MISHO APPLE PLACE TO HEAR

Misho, the jewelry brand designed by Suhani Parekh, is launching the pebble pod, a set of earrings that cradle Apple AirPods. The earring range stylishly helps keep Apple AirPods in place.

Parekh was inspired to create the earrings as a reaction to her life becoming increasingly digital due to COVID-19 and finding herself on the phone and in video meetings throughout the day. Rather than taking off her earrings all day to use headphones, Parekh created a solution that enables her have both style and technology at the same time.

The range takes its cue from the brand’s pebble ring range, with three styles that range from the more sculptural perfect for a Zoom call to a smaller minimal style meant for runs, a bike ride or another activity. Continue reading

ARNAUD SUPPORT LAGARDÈRE

Bernard Arnault has again upped his stake in Lagardère SCA, as a French commercial court is expected to wade into a battle between French industry titans for control of the embattled publishing and retail company.

Acting in concert, Groupe Arnault and Financière Agache, the holding company controlled by Groupe Arnault, together with a group of companies controlled by Arnaud Lagardère, chief executive officer of Lagardère, now jointly hold 15.01 percent of the capital of Lagardère SCA and 16.93 percent of voting rights.

The move, revealed by stock market regulator AMF in a filing on Tuesday, comes as a Paris court is set to rule on Wednesday on a request from Vivendi, a media group controlled by French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, and activist investor Amber Capital for an exceptional shareholder meeting, part of their bid to gain board representation. Continue reading

SINGLE DAY J’ADIOR

Dior Releases First Singles Day Capsule for China. For the first time, a top-tier luxury brand like Dior is releasing a capsule collection exclusively for the online shopping event.

With a record-breaking 83.6 million viewership for its spring 2021 collection in China, Dior is looking to cash in with the upcoming annual Singles Day shopping festival.

The capsule, which features accessories, a lambskin vanity bag with canework motifs, and Esperella shoes from its cruise collection, will be sold on Dior’s official website and WeChat store from Oct. 15

ZELLER LEAVES DELVAUX

Delvaux breaking news the artistic director is leaving the Belgian luxury house after three years at the design head, citing personal reasons. No immediate replacement named, studio team to oversee collections for the time being.

Collections will be designed by the studio team for the time being, with Delvaux adding that Zeller will continue to work with them in some capacity until the end of the year.

Chief executive officer Marco Probst offered his warmest thanks to Christina for her exceptional dedication and for the outstanding creativity that she brought to the company, and for the strong and unique identity she forged for it.

Zeller initially joined Delvaux in 2011 as image and product director, playing a decisive role in redefining the different collections as well as the company’s brand communications, Delvaux said. She took on the role of artistic director in 2017 and in January of this year she was also placed in charge of communications. Continue reading

PERFUMES AND THE WINNER IS

A variety of independent brands joined the likes of L’Oréal, the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. and Coty Inc., taking home several awards. Diptyque, for example, won both of the home fragrance categories, and Gucci took home three awards for three different scents. Kim Kardashian West even joined the webinar to accept her award for fragrance of the year: Popular.

Among the presenters were designer Jason Wu, Rob Smith, Cher, Lionel Richie and Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera, each of whom introduced several categories.

Fragrance of the Year, Women’s Luxury: YSL Libre Eau de Parfum, L’Oréal, IFF, Anne Flipo, Carlos Benaïm. Continue reading

PUMA’S HELPS KERING

Kering is selling 8.8 million shares, representing 5.9 percent of Puma’s capital. Kering said on Monday it was selling about 8.8 million shares that it owns in Puma, representing 5.9 percent of the German sporting good-maker’s share capital, through a placement to qualified investors.

Since 2018, the group gradually reduced its stake in Puma after spinning off 70 percent of the company to its shareholders as part of a plan to refocus on its luxury division. That move left the Pinault family’s private investment arm Artémis with a 29 percent stake, and Kering with around 16 percent.

“The proceeds of this transaction will be used for the general corporate purposes of Kering and will further strengthen its financial structure,” the French luxury group said in a statement.

Kering’s share price has recovered to its levels at the start of 2020, after plummeting by as much as 39 percent in March as the coronavirus pandemic shut stores and brought factories to a halt. Continue reading

VUITTON SHOW ON ROOF TOP SAMARITAINE

It only took 15 years for Nicolas Ghesquière’s next runway venue to finally be ready: Louis Vuitton will cap off Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 6 with a fashion show at La Samaritaine.

Ghesquière will parade his spring 2021 women’s collection on the top floor of the not-yet-completed complex under a glass dome known as La Rotonde; while those tuning in to the livestream will have a completely different experience thanks to green-screen technology and other digital razzmatazz.

Nicolas’ goal is to create a connection with the guests, according to Vuitton. It is a fashion show that has been designed for digital, but based on a live experience.  Continue reading

SUKEINA OUTSIDER 2021

Omar spent his childhood traveling and living throughout Europe. Initially believing that words were the best way to communicate with the world he started studying film but later realized that he could tell more intricate and vibrant stories through fashion. “Clothing is a language within itself,” he says. Omar graduated from Parsons School of Design with a degree in fashion. In 2001, he started working for Sonia Rykiel in Paris and became Visual Director for the New York City office. He spent seven years with Madame Rykiel fostering a meaningful relationship with the designer. In 2010, he joined Christian Lacroix and spent two years with the house.

In 2012, the designer established his own fashion house called SUKEINA after his late mother, meaning “bright light.” “Light is what reconciles us with the value of everything, and without it, all goes missing,” the designer says. Omar’s passion for making women look and feel special along with a unique worldview shaped his approach to fashion in a way that is progressive, innovative, and powerful while still elegant. Continue reading

KHAITE RTW 2021

While many designers have opted for escapist, feel-good fashion or tried their best to include clothes that work for life at home, Holsten showed a compelling lineup rooted in what one might call power dressing, and worn by models whose determined attitudes approached defiance, as though they’re up to whatever challenges 2020 and beyond throws at them. Continue reading

FONDATION ELBAZ

Laurent Malecaze joins Paris-based AZ Fashions from The Webster in New York, and so Alber Elbaz Finds CEO for Fashion Startup. Laurent Malecaze as chief executive officer of his fashion startup, currently ceo of luxury retailer The Webster in New York.

Elbaz confirmed his arrival exclusively and described an instant personal and professional rapport with Malecaze, who helped The Webster accelerate and widen its digital operations. AZfashion touted the hire in a brief statement, noting the two men would develop the overall strategy of AZfashion and oversee its implementation across the venture.

The development comes almost 11 months after Elbaz announced his comeback to fashion in a joint venture with Compagnie Financière Richemont, and should accelerate AZfashion’s launch, which has been delayed due to shutdowns and slowdowns related to the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading

A CASTLE FOR CHANEL

The French fashion house plans to unveil its annual Métiers d’Art collection on Dec. 1 at the Château de Chenonceau, one of the jewels of the Loire valley. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556-1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l’Orme, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570–1576 to designs by Jean Bullant.

Traditionally a traveling show that has alighted in destinations including Shanghai, Rome, Edinburgh, Salzburg and Dallas, the Métiers d’Art show was held in Paris last December in the wake of the death of Chanel’s longtime creative director Karl Lagerfeld earlier in the year.

Chanel is expected to be one of the first major brands to return to the catwalk this fall, with its show at the Grand Palais on Oct. 6 scheduled to be one of the highlights of Paris Fashion Week, which should also see brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermès welcome guests in a socially distanced manner. Continue reading