CITIZEN KANE FALL

Christopher Kane Shutters Namesake Company. One of London’s most renowned and talented designers is closing his label, and hoisting a For Sale sign. The company said the board of Christopher Kane Ltd. has recently resolved to file a notice of intention to appoint FTS Recovery as administrators to wind down operations. Continue reading

SETCHU RTW SPRING 2024

A presentation in the outskirts of the city doesn’t make for the most convenient of appointments to squeeze into a packed show schedule, but the fashion crowd freed up a spot on their agenda pronto for Setchu, especially after Satoshi Kuwata received the annual LVMH Prize earlier this month. Continue reading

FENDI FACTORY

No black nightie for sleepless nights at Fendi, and in Benito’s country, we discover workers lost in the intricacies of work attire… Admittedly, my conception of man dates more from the Neanderthal than from Homo sapiens and, consequently, the one presented to me has none of my values or references. But is it really necessary to choose and to want at all costs to make us drink out of a Caterpillar dildo of a Henri III mignon or a Païva, in the masculine form, and not complain?

Silvia Venturini Fendi a few days ahead of the luxury brand’s show at its factory in Capannuccia, Bagno a Ripoli, a 30-minute drive from Florence.

  Continue reading

JAQUEMUS LIKE PUTIN IN VERSAILLES

Jacquemus, the French brand known for its cinematic runway shows in spectacular locations such as a lavender field and a salt mine, will visit the Château de Versailles for its next fashion show on June 26, as part of a brand elevation strategy that includes plans for an international retail rollout.

Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, known for his Mediterranean aesthetic and deft use of social media, follows in the footsteps of major brands such as NafNAF and Zara. What could be better than a king’s castle for the king of tartuffery?

To be able to do a fashion show at Versailles has always been a childhood dream,” declared the couturier, who can neither draw nor sew a dress.

But Jacquemus CEO Bastien “Dag-Usant” has his work cut out for him! The initiative is part of a long-term strategy to elevate the brand somewhere.

Chiquito handbags, the brand’s best-sellers, start at 490 euros, the company’s cash cow. At 5.2 cm long and 8.7 cm high (with handle), it can only hold the letter “J” in the Jacquemus logo. It’s worn hanging from a ridiculous finger.

Continue reading

FASHION THE PRICE WE PAY

According to three people with direct knowledge of the matter, EU antitrust regulators are investigating how Kering’s (PRTP.PA) Gucci and other fashion firms set prices of handbags and leather goods for distributors.

Reuters reported previously that the European Union raided Gucci’s Milan site, which makes such products, at dawn in response to a Reuters report. Kering confirmed at the time that Gucci had cooperated with EU regulators.

An EU competition watchdog is investigating whether the companies are imposing consumer prices on multi-brand retailers selling their products and threatening not to sell to them if they don’t.

EU antitrust laws prohibit such practices, and breaches can result in fines of up to 10% of a company’s global revenue.

Guess, a U.S. clothing company, was fined 40 million euros ($43 million) for preventing retailers from setting the retail price of its products independently.

FARRELL DIED AT 89

David C. Farrell, died June 5 in St. Louis. He was 89. Farrell served as May Co.’;s chairman and chief executive officer for 19 years until retiring in April 1998. He’s credited with shaping the modern-day department store, pioneering matrix buying that requires vendors to meet strict sales and profit targets, thereby narrowing the list of vendors that make it into the stores, and running highly productive and tightly managed department stores.

He was at the forefront of big brand marketing, acquisitions, consolidations and aggressive cost management.

The late Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, once called Farrell the best retailer in the country.He was a great merchant and mentor to so many retail leaders through the past 40 years.

Farrell was a workaholic who micromanaged and had an authoritative management style, often labeled dictatorial. He set a strict culture at May Co.

RADIANCE IS A SERIOUS MATTER

When Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, unveiled the new Bulgari Hotel on Thursday, he expressed his enthusiasm for the world’s 9th luxury hotel BULGARI, which has special significance because of its location in Rome, where Bulgari is based, marking as well as its historical significance.

With six floors and over 151,000 square feet of space, plus an additional terrace offering breathtaking views of Rome from the Vatican to the Villa Medici, there was no shortage of superlatives. The Pope himself is said to have blessed the luxury lord’s new flagship from his bed.

Zendaya and Priyanka Chopra attended the opening party, as did Serge Brunschwig, CEO of Fendi, and Toni Belloni, Managing Director of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. All the inteligentia of the LVMH group for an inauguration worthy of French luxury.

COACH RESORT 2024

Designed to appeal to a younger audience, the resort collection offers a variety of silhouettes and eye-catching colors. During a preview of the collection, Vevers said he doesn’t believe his client goes on cruises or to resorts. The collection continued to build Coach’s legacy through the eyes of the next generation. Continue reading

HEARST QUITS CHLOÉ’S HEART

Gabriela Hearst is to leave the house of Chloé after three eventful, and above all acerbic years with the influential newspaper magazine Canal Luxe.

Hearst planned a collaboration between Chloé and actress Angelina Jolie, who recently announced her intention to launch a new fashion house. Naturally, Angelina Jolie, who knows nothing about couture, is taking on a designer who knows nothing about it either. Great evil spirits always meet, too.

The Uruguayan-born designer of the low-impact Nama sneaker, it is normal as she sew like a foot. She thought she’d invented upcycling: what a lack of modesty! The Lord of the Luxury group finally realized that it deserves better than a pseudo designer. Perhaps the next one will come from the chat GPT. It is far better than a “Cat on a hot tin roof”.

A VISIONARY IN EYEWEAR

Safilo’s industrial plant in Longarone, Italy may have found its white knights. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Marcolin are in advanced discussions with Safilo to take over the plant and its employees whose future, as reported, is uncertain.

The eyewear manufacturer, licensee for brands including Boss, Dsquared2, Missoni and Tommy Hilfiger, among others, said that it had “given the management a mandate to explore alternative solutions for the Longarone plant.”

A total of 468 employees are based at the storied Longarone site, in Italy’s Veneto region, one of the country’s key eyewear manufacturing hubs.

Antonio Belloni sharing the luxury conglomerate’s willingness to hire 250 people currently employed at the Longarone plant through its Thélios eyewear manufacturing company. Continue reading

LUXURY GOODS SECTOR FALLS

Paris Stock Exchange and its luxury goods sector reacted badly to Chinese data on Wednesday May 31. The leading CAC 40 index was down 0.54%, or 39.05 points, at 7,170.27 points at around 10am.

Chinese data weigh on luxury sector. Paris Stock Exchange retreated on Wednesday, May 31, showing little satisfaction with the latest Chinese economic statistics, which once again point to a less vigorous economic recovery than expected, weighing on luxury goods stocks.

The leading CAC 40 index was down 0.54%, or 39.05 points, at 7,170.27 points around 10 a.m., again at its lowest level since the end of March. On Tuesday, it had fallen sharply by 1.29%.

CONVERSE HAS A NEW BOSS

There is a new leader at Converse. The Nike-owned company has named Jared Carver president and chief executive officer. Carver’s promotion is part of Nike’s leadership realignment last week. He succeeds G. Scott Uzzell, who was named vice president/general manager for North America of Nike. Continue reading

CHANEL THE HEROES OF MONEY

With revenues growing 17 percent last year to $17.22 billion, Chanel’s operating profits grew 5.8 percent to $5.78 billion, closing in on luxury’s ultra-exclusive $20 billion threshold.

Announcing double-digit growth across all product lines, the French fashion house said retail teams cultivated local clienteles during pandemic restrictions, alluding to China’s lockdowns last year that hurt luxury sales.

After adjusting for currency fluctuations and changes in company structure, Asia Pacific revenues increased 14.3 percent to $8.65 billion. In Europe, revenues increased 29.6% to $4.72 billion, while in the Americas, revenues increased 9.5 percent to $3.86 billion.

Chanel unveiled its cruise 2023 collection in Monte-Carlo last year, then repeated the show in Miami later in the year, along with its lavish ready-to-wear and haute couture displays in Paris. In the Senegalese capital of Dakar, the brand unveiled its Métiers d’Art collection, making history as the first European luxury brand to do so.

VUITTON 2023

The assets of Bernard Arnault, who holds a little more than 40% of LVMH shares, have thus melted by 11.2 billion dollars. The reason is not the latest Vuitton Cruise collection, but the German banks believe that “it is time to be more selective” in its investment choices. Continue reading