Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
WWDPretty ToughDelivered in a palette of
milky pastels, these
studded stunners work
a girly motif without
an ounce of saccharine.
For more spring
accessories trends,
see pages 4 and 5.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012 WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY $3.00
PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON-ESCRIOUT
Authentic BrandsEyes HMX Rescue
By VICKI M. YOUNG
WILL IT WORK the second time around?That is the question hanging over HMX Group and
its related operations, which on Friday filed a volun-tary Chapter 11 petition for bankruptcy court protec-tion in Manhattan — the second time in four years the company has gone into bankruptcy. While a deal is in place that could keep factory jobs in the U.S., there’s no guarantee that plan will come to fruition and, if it doesn’t, the venerable men’s wear brand could once again find itself a political issue in a presiden-tial election race centered around the economy and American jobs. Both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney are known to wear the firm’s brands.
According to the Chapter 11 petition, the compa-ny listed assets of up to $50,000 and liabilities of be-tween $50 million and $100 million.
The company’s Canadian affiliates are not part of the bankruptcy filing.
HMX — which owns as its core brands Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx — also has up to a $65 million debtor-in-possession credit facility with Salus Capital Partners, its pre-petition lender.
As part of the bankruptcy filing, HMX signed an agreement to sell the company to Authentic Brands Group, with the firm’s U.S. factories, showrooms and other assets of the operating component to be sold to a new entity, or Opco, that will be owned and man-aged by existing management. As the licensee, Opco will be required to pay a royalty to Authentic Brands.
The agreement, with Authentic Brands as the “stalking horse,” is subject to better offers in a bank-ruptcy court auction.
HMX faces significant hurdles even under the plan unveiled Friday.
Authentic Brands, with the backing of Leonard Green & Partners, is seeking to buy the company’s brands. But it is not funding the operating division
SEE PAGE 6
Versace’s New Concept
SEE PAGE 3
By LUISA ZARGANI
MILAN — It is no secret that Donatella Versace has a soft spot for New York and the Versace store opening today in SoHo hinges on this affection while sticking to the brand’s roots.
“The brand has a rock soul. The store is a small jewel and fits with this area and its young, bohemian mood,” said the designer a few days ahead of her trip there for the opening. “New York is the city I love the most in the world, where I had a home for 12 years, and where I count more friends than in Milan.”
The opening of the concept store, located on Mercer Street, will be marked by a cocktail event on Wednesday. The blueprint was conceived by Donatella Versace and English architect Jamie Fobert.
The 1,785-square-foot store launches a new project: A number of curators, from designers to artists, hand-picked by Versace, will offer their personal visions or interpretations of the brand through a collection of limited-edition products. Christopher Kane, who de-signs the Versus collection with Donatella Versace, is the first curator. He will offer items including T-shirts with archival Versace images, golden earphones em-bellished with the brand’s iconic Medusa head, and a board game titled “Medusa & Greca.”
Versace also underscored the relevance of associat-ing with and catering to young customers. “Through the H&M [collaboration] and [designing outfits for ] Lady Gaga, I’ve met so many young people. They inspire me and they are really important for me,” she explained.
Christian Louboutin’s patent leather pump, Anton Heunis’ acrylic, brass and glass crystal necklace and Valentino Garavani’s Lucite and metal clutch.
CHAPTER 11 FILING
ARTY TOUCHLOUIS VUITTON TAPS ARTIST RETNA TO
DECORATE ITS MIAMI POP-UP. PAGE 12
BIG BASH
BERGDORF GOODMAN
PACKED THEM IN AT THE
PARTY FOR ITS 111TH
ANNIVERSARY. PAGE 9
WWD.COM2 WWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
Carrefour Sells Colombian Operations
LVMH Readies Samaritaine Project
Study Offers Closer Look at Online Shopping
TO E-MAIL REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS [email protected], USING THE INDIVIDUAL’S NAME. WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2012 FAIRCHILD FASHION MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 204, NO. 84. MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in May, June, October and December, and two additional issues in February, March, April, August, September and November) by Fairchild Fashion Media, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive Officer; Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., President; John W. Bellando, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer; Jill Bright, Chief Administrative Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 886549096-RT0001. Canada Post: return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Cre, Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615 5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008, call 800-289-0273, or visit www.subnow.com/wd. Please give both new and old addresses as printed on most recent label. For New York Hand Delivery Service address changes or inquiries, please contact Mitchell’s NY at 1-800-662-2275, option 7. Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. If during your subscription term or up to one year after the magazine becomes undeliverable, you are ever dissatisfied with your subscription, let us know. You will receive a full refund on all unmailed issues. First copy of new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions requests, please call 212-630-5656 or fax the request to 212-630-5883. For all request for reprints of articles please contact The YGS Group at [email protected], or call 800-501-9571. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild Fashion Media magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OR LOSS OF, OR FOR DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO, UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.
ON WWD.COM
Bekah Jenkins at the Bergdorf Goodman party.
EYE: Bergdorf Goodman celebrated its 111th birthday at The Plaza with designers, models and socials, including Michael Kors, Jason Wu and Coco Rocha. For more photos, see WWD.com/eye.
PHOT
O BY
STE
VE E
ICHN
ER
‘Statement Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685 showing the Ownership, Management and Circulation of WWD, published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in May, June, October and December, and two additional issues in February, March, April, August, September and November for October 1, 2012. Publication No. 019-241. Annual subscription price $129.00.
1. Location of known office of Publication is 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. 2. Location of the Headquarters or General Business Offices of the Publisher is 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. 3. The names and addresses of the Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor are: Publisher, Will Schenck, 750 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017. Editor, Edward Nardoza, 750 Third Avenue, 10017. Managing Editor, Pete Sadera, 750 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017. 4. The owner is: Advance Magazine Publishers Inc., published through its Fairchild Fashion Media division, 750 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017. Stockholder: Directly or indirectly through intermediate corporations to the ultimate corporate parent, Advance Publications, Inc., 950 Fingerboard Road, Staten Island, New York 10305. 5. Known bondholders, mortgagees and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities are: None
6. Extent and nature of circulation Average No. Copies each issue Single Issue nearest during preceding 12 months to filing date
a. Total No. Copies 33,725 29,014b. Paid Circulation (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid 17,798 16,537 Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (2) Mailed In-County Paid 0 0 Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (3) Paid Distribution Outside the 10,441 10,412 Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS® (4) Paid Distribution by Other 83 0 Classes of Mail Through the USPS c. Total Paid Distribution 28,322 26,949d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (1) Free or Nominal Rate 2,114 152 Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 (2) Free or Nominal Rate 0 0 In-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 (3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies 0 0 Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (4) Free or Nominal Rate 1,794 659 Distribution Outside the Mail e. Total Free or Nominal Rate 3,908 811 Distribution f. Total Distribution 32,230 27,760g. Copies not Distributed 1,495 1,254h. Total 33,725 29,014i. Percent Paid 87.87% 97.08%j. Paid Electonic Copies 25,725 27,941k. Total Paid Print Copies(line 15c) 54,047 54,890 +Paid Electronic Copies l. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) 57,955 55,701 + Paid Electronic Copies m. Percent Paid(Both Print & 93.26% 98.54% Electronic Copies) 7. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. (Signed) John W. Bellando, Vice President
By MILES SOCHA
PARIS — As Bernard Arnault often says: Luxury takes time.
That’s certainly the case for his Right Bank retail jewel Samaritaine, which is now eyeing an opening in mid-2016, some 11 years after the department store was forced to close because it was deemed a safety hazard.
Yet it’s easy to see why Samaritaine president Jean-Jacques Guiony brims with ex-citement about the multiuse proj-ect, which will also incorporate a luxurious Cheval Blanc hotel.
During a tour of the site on Friday, Guiony showed off the views of the Seine River and Paris monuments future hotel guests will enjoy, and the glass-domed area under one court-yard, which is ringed by an Art Nouveau mural depicting pea-cocks and an intricate band of ironwork incorporating bunches of grapes.
A century ago, merchants profited from the sun-drenched space to display hats and fine apparel. The next-generation Samaritaine will use it to house restaurants in order to help lure the surging pedestrian traffic on Rue de Rivoli to explore the en-tire block-long complex.
Guiony, who is also chief fi-nancial officer of Samaritaine’s parent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, acknowledged that the complex site, an agglomera-tion of buildings straddling sev-eral centuries and architectural
styles, presented multiple chal-lenges and encountered numer-ous administrative snags.
When construction work final-ly begins, likely in mid-2013, the building fronting Rivoli is to be demolished, with Japanese archi-tecture firm SANAA plotting an ultramodern facade of undulat-ing glass that will invite shoppers to traverse through three court-yards and discover some 280,000 square feet of retail space.
Other parts of the building are landmarked, from the Art Deco facade and signs facing the river, to the intricate railings in the Art Nouveau sections, framed by hulk-ing steel beams incorporating deli-cate curlicues rendered in plaster.
Guiony pointed out that the floors were originally composed of glass bricks to funnel sun-shine down to lower levels at a time when artificial lighting was poor. While most will be removed
for safety reasons related to fire risks, “it’s a very important ele-ment of the building that we will keep to some extent,” he noted.
The project also spans 95 units of affordable housing, a day care center for 60 children, and 215,000 square feet of offices.
At a time of intense one-upman-ship for Paris hotels, the future Cheval Blanc promises to dazzle, with most of its 80 rooms and suites offering spectacular views of Paris landmarks. The seventh floor, boasting high ceilings and edged with balconies, is to be dedicated to the hotel restaurants and bars. Architect Edouard François has been contracted to design the hotel.
The Samaritaine department store — a stone’s throw from the Louvre museum — was founded in 1870, with LVMH acquiring a majority stake in 2000. The new project is expected to create some 2,400 jobs.
PARIS — Shares in Carrefour SA rose 5.9 percent on the Paris bourse Friday after the retail giant said it had sold its opera-tions in Colombia for an enter-prise value of 2 billion euros, or $2.62 billion at current ex-change rates.
Carrefour said the Chilean group Cencosud, which operates in Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Colombia, would take over its 72 hypermarkets, 16 conve-nience stores and four cash-and-carry units. Excluding sales of gasoline, they are said to gener-
ate annual revenues of about 1.5 billion euros, or $1.96 billion at current exchange.
Carrefour, the world’s sec-ond-largest retailer behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc., characterized the disposal as in line with its new strategy of “focusing on geographies and countries in which it holds or aims to devel-op a leading position.”
The transaction with Cencosud should be finalized be-fore the end of the year.
Carrefour said sales rose 2.1 percent in the third quarter,
driven by emerging economies as Southern Europe continued to struggle.
Turnover in Latin America rose 5.2 percent during the quarter, with sales in Brazil — Carrefour’s second-largest market — edging ahead by 0.1 percent.
Analysts had hailed the bet-ter-than-expected results as a sign that the reforms being put into place by new chair-man and chief executive officer Georges Plassat are beginning to bear fruit. — M.S.
The vaulted glass ceiling and Art Nouveau mural at Samaritaine.
By KRISTIANO ANG
FASHION IS the second-most-popular product category when it comes to online shopping and consumers are increasingly using mobile phones and tablets to make purchases, according to an upcoming study of online consumption behavior in Asia, Russia and Africa.
For its e-Commerce Consumer Monitor Research 2012 study, Visa worked with market re-search provider TNS to survey more than 8,000 respondents, all of whom were between 18 and 55 years old and used the Internet at least once a week. The respon-dents were located in Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Visa offered to WWD an exclu-sive preview of the study, which will be released later this month.
The survey suggests signifi-cant growth in the number of
people conducting online pur-chases in the three regions. Ninety percent of respondents had made online payments re-cently, as opposed to 67 percent a year ago. The most popular product category for online shop-pers was physical books, CDs and DVDs (45 percent) while 37 per-cent of digital purchases were for fashion-related items.
According to the study, custom-ers have become more willing to shop digitally because of the grow-ing perception that online shop-ping is secure. They attributed this to security measures such as Verified by Visa and MasterCard’s SecureCode service.
Ninety-two percent of re-spondents indicated that they expected to make online pur-chases in the next 12 months, suggesting exponential growth may have slowed. However, pur-chases on portable devices such as smartphones and tablets are expected to become increas-
ingly popular in mature Asian markets like Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. In Hong Kong, 13 percent of online purchases were made on smartphones and 11 percent on tablets.
“The prevalence of smart-phones and tablets translates to easier online access for consum-ers to retailers anytime, any-where,” said Paul Jung, Visa’s head of e-commerce solutions for Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We ex-pect to see more people browsing and shopping on-the-go.”
Another takeaway for retailers: Ensure you have an informative Web site. Ninety-eight percent of those surveyed indicated that they browsed online for more prod-uct information before making purchases. Sixty percent said the main reason they browsed the Web was to find out more about pos-sible purchases while 55 percent of respondents use the Internet to decide where to buy products.
WWD.COM
Referring to Fobert, whom she described as “an artist,” Versace observed: “He has a very different approach from my design. I like to sur-round myself with people who have different ideas.” She highlighted his exploration of di-verse materials and his “conceptual” mind-set. “The blueprint is not too far from the DNA of the brand and reflects who I am today, bridging the past with the future,” she said.
Versace was impressed by Fobert’s research of Byzantine mosaics in Syria and Jordan through a series of extensive trips. A marble mosaic, which was inspired by a Roman one that dates back to 800 A.D., sits as the main element in the store. “Photos of floors of an-cient churches were reminiscent of the style of Gianni’s houses,” said Versace, whose brother was a collector of antiquities.
Versace credited Fobert with the idea of showing how the brand is projected into the fu-ture while mindful of the past. “The mosaic appears as if it was dug up, as if it was being discovered,” she said.
The new era of the brand is reflected in the Plexiglass and brass elements that are suspended and not directly placed above the mosaic, which rep-resents the roots of the label.
The designer said the color palette of the mosaic revolves around white, black, gray, brown and red. The intended effect is that it should “look like it’s been trod on for a long time.” Curved walls add a feminine touch.
“The conversation was more about cul-ture and not about lighting or materi-als,” said Fobert, who previously worked with Givenchy and Selfridges. “Donatella Versace is shaping the renaissance of the company and we discussed how the store should manifest that and where the brand should place itself in retail. There is a tension between the past and the dynamic future she is creating, and this ten-sion is positive.”
The opulent mosaic harks back to Gianni Versace “without being a copy,” it is “deeply Italian, but not a cliché,” and will be the center-piece in every new store, said Fobert.
He noted that an “instant rapport” was formed with Versace. “She is unbelievably sharp and really understands architecture.”
The boutique will offer Versace women’s and men’s apparel and accessories, watches, a selec-tion of home pieces and jewelry.
The new store concept will be extended to the Paris flagship on Avenue Montaigne in the first quarter of 2013.
Chief executive officer Gian Giacomo Ferraris said the SoHo store is “a strategic opening, balanc-
ing downtown with the Fifth Avenue boutique.”
He said the com-pany is enjoying dou-ble-digit growth in the U.S. “As of the end of September, retail sales are up 41 percent on a like-for-like basis,” noted Ferraris.
There are 11 Versace stores in the U.S., one Versace Collection in Beverly Center in Los Angeles, two outlets and a Versus corner in Las Vegas’ CityCenter. Versace brands are available in 200 multi-brand stores in America.
Ferraris said while last year sales were evenly split between retail and wholesale, the latter now account for 40 percent of rev-enues, as the company invests in building its network of stores worldwide.
Growth in estab-lished markets like the U.S., as well as in new regions from Brazil to Asia, helped Versace return to profit in 2011, posting earnings of 8.5 million euros, or $11.8 million, compared with a loss of 21.7 million
euros, or $28.6 million, in 2010.Revenues last year rose 16.4 percent to 340.2
million euros, or $472.6 million.Retail investments in 2012 include the open-
ing of 10 units in Greater China and Southeast Asia, a Versace Collection store in Milan and four new stores in the Middle East — in Beirut, Kuwait, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
3WWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
’’
’’Versace Vibe Comes to Downtown NYC
{Continued from page one}
The blueprint is not too far from the DNA of the brand and reflects who I am today, bridging the
past with the future.— donatella versace
Looks inside the new store.
phot
os b
y Jo
hn A
quin
o
w22a003a;8.indd 3 10/19/12 6:48 PM10192012184923
4 WWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
Spring 2013 SO MANY ACCOUTREMENTS,
SO LITTLE TIME. HERE, THREE
OF THE SEASON’S TOP TRENDS.
FOR A COMPLETE ROUNDUP
OF SPRING’S KEY ACCESSORIES,
SEE WWD.COM/ACCESSORIES. Accessories— ROXANNE ROBINSON-ESCRIOUT
Getting Graphic
Bold patterns in black and white
pack a statement-making punch.
▲ AQUAZZURA
MARC JACOBS
▲
▲ LOUIS VUITTON
▲ BALENCIAGA
▲ DRIES VAN NOTEN
▲ BALMAIN
▲ JIL SANDER
WWD.COM5WWD monday, october 22, 2012
So many accoutrementS, So little time. Here, tHree
of tHe SeaSon’S top trendS. for a complete roundup
of Spring’S key acceSSorieS, See wwd.com/acceSSorieS.
brian atwood
furla
marnioScar de la rentaSaint laurentStella mccartney ancient greek SandalS for marioS ScHwab.cHriStian louboutiniSa tapia
nicHolaS kirkwood
bottega Veneta
donna karan
nine riccipierre Hardyprada
— roxanne robinSon-eScriout
Sherbet Scoop
I scream, you scream, we all scream for these luscious
shades of sherbet.
s
ss
s louiS Vuitton
s mulberry
dior
fendi
alexander mcqueen
prada
s roberto caValli
VerSace
pucci
s tory burcHs manolo blaHnik
SwaroVSki
s
s
call of the wildGo exotica with Chinese dragons, Brazilian birds and lots of fringe.
s
Dior, McQueen anD Van noten photos by XaVier Granet; pucci anD Versace by DaViDe Maestri; blahnik by John aQuino
This week: for an exTensive look aT spring’s accessories
from new York, london, milan and paris, see
WWD.com/accessories.
each daY of The week
w22a004a(5);9.indd 2 10/19/12 4:54 PM10192012165629
WWD.COMWWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 20126
although it will keep production at the loss-making plants. That means HMX chief executive officer Doug Williams will need to find an investor who can help him buy and fund the operating division. Some financial experts believe that could be a tall order, given that it typically is hard to get financ-ing for a new entity, Opco, that doesn’t have a prov-en track record in terms of profitability.
According to James “Jamie” Salter, chair-man, president and ceo of Authentic Brands, his firm plans to use its marketing expertise to help the company reach a younger customer. Other key points to his strategy include divesting the Canadian factory, acquiring other brands that are synergistic and will help keep the American fac-tories full, and taking the labels international.
“We’re not changing the model,” Salter told WWD. “Doug and his management team will be the licensee. Doug will keep the two factories in America and another strategic partner will take the Canadian factory.” He said he’s currently ne-gotiating with two companies, both of which cur-rently operate their own production facilities. He declined to identify the two prospective buyers.
Salter said Williams has already lined up the fi-nancing to create an operating company. “But he’d like to have better financing so he’s shopping the deal he has,” Salter said.
Williams declined to comment about the specif-ics of the Authentic Brands deal.
Salter said one of the key selling points for Authentic Brands’ bid is that “we like that it’s American-made. We think there’s a play there. The brands are really good, we just need to put some life back into them.”
He said Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx appeal primarily to men over 35. “But we’re really good at social media and the ce-lebrity end and we will focus on making them more hipster. The styling is great, we just have to bring them to life.”
Authentic Brands’ most recent deal was in June when it ac-quired the IP assets of Sportcraft Ltd., through which it said it planned to reenergize the rec-reational sports indus-try. The company, which seems to favor the ac-tion sports and enter-tainment and celebrity licensing sphere, owns the intellectual property assets of Marilyn Monroe, Silverstar and Tapout.
Salter also believes there’s an opportunity to bolster the brands’ sportswear offering. “If we can get the mix better, we believe we can grow this company.”
Williams emphasized that there’s interest in keeping HMX’s operations intact because speed-to-market issues, higher labor costs over-seas and shipping costs worldwide give the firm a competitive advantage by manufacturing Stateside. “American manufacturing is more competitive today than it has been in a long time,” he noted.
Williams also disclosed that Opco won’t be going forward with the special markets group, which pro-duces the Pierre Cardin and Austin Reed labels. While the business is substantial, it’s not profitable, the ceo said.
But the overriding question remains: What’s going to happen to the factories? “That’s the mil-lion-dollar question,” one source said.
“There’s no question mark about the facto-ries,” said Williams. “There’s no question in my mind that the company moving forward will op-erate factories.…We believe in our people and our factories.”
He said he plans to visit the factories in person this week to update them on the situation.
WWD also has learned that Authentic Brands’ bid might not have been the highest offer re-ceived by the company, although it was the one that supposedly allowed for the continuation of the operating division. And that’s where the components of the bids got interesting, sources said. As reported, all potential bidders, including Authentic Brands, were interested in the IP as-sets of HMX.
It is believed that Authentic Brands’ bid in-
cluded just the valuation of the IP assets, and not other HMX assets, since those are considered part of the going-forward operations. The other bids were said to have included valuations for the IP assets, and for other assets not needed when there is no going-forward operation, such as HMX’s real estate, inventory and accounts receivables. That might mean that the sum of those parts equaled to a higher bid than the one Authentic Brands put on the table.
Politically, it made sense for HMX to choose Authentic Brands since it gives management a fight-ing chance to try to keep factory jobs in the U.S.
There’s a question of whether Authentic Brands as licensor could terminate the licensing ar-rangement and at some point move jobs overseas. According to Williams, that’s not possible.
“The license agreement provides for a long-term license,” he said, adding that there’s no provision in the contract where Authentic Brands has the op-tion to end the license early.
Noel Beasley, president of the union Workers United, said he is aware of the Authentic Brands bid, but not with the specific details such as how the operating company will be funded.
“That will be disclosed [in the bankruptcy] and reviewed by the court,” he said.
There are union contracts at each of the three factory locations. “We would certainly anticipate that anyone buying the company would assume the contract,” Beasley said.
The union president also said there could be a renegotiation of the union contract, and that the union is prepared to negotiate if needed. But would obligations under the old contracts, such as pension benefits and health care, go by the wayside?
Not necessarily, Beasley said, adding, “We would bargain on behalf of our members. We’ve
been down this road a lot of the time with [garment manufacturing]. We’re not particularly worried. We’re looking for buyers with deep pockets who can fund the operation.”
And if it looks as if there might not be solid funding in place for a new HMX op-erating company?
“That’s when we start the boycott process. We’ll do whatever we need to do,” Beasley said.
The union already had revealed a plan to step up political pressure over the factories, and had reached out to Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. about bid-
ding for HMX. Both Williams and the union president said
they’ve had the requisite support from lawmak-ers. They include lawmakers on Capitol Hill — Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), Rep. Louise Slaughter (D., N.Y.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) — and local politicians Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn and Mayor Martin Moylan of Des Plaines, Ill., where the shuttered Seaford Clothing Co. plant was located.
For the immediate future, it’s business as usual. The DIP facility will “allow HMX to flow fabrics
to finished goods and ship the orders on time to the retailers,” Williams said.
“We are pleased to provide a DIP facility to HMX Group that provides the company with the liquidity, time and a runway to effectuate a transaction that seeks to maximize value for all of the company’s constituencies — its employ-ees, management, shareholders, vendors and the estate,” said Andrew H. Moser, president of Salus Capital.
HMX’s predecessor, Hartmarx Corp., filed for bankruptcy court protection in 2009 in Chicago, and the operating division was acquired out of bankruptcy by Mumbai-based firm S. Kumars Nationwide Ltd., which holds a 90 percent stake in the renamed HMX Group. London-based in-vestment firm Emerisque Brands owns a minor-ity interest.
Meanwhile, HMX bankruptcy counsel will be in front of Manhattan Bankruptcy Court Judge Allan L. Gropper today to finalize first-day orders and obtain permission to continue with day-to-day operations.
— WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM JEAN E. PALMIERI
6
By KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON — “I have known Zandra Rhodes since.…” mused Vogue contributing editor André Leon Talley during a pri-vate dinner held in Rhodes’ honor Tuesday night at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design here.
“Since we were children,” Rhodes chirped.“I was going to say since the Civil War. We were vampires,”
Talley responded.Such was the offbeat rapport between two Diana Vreeland
protégés who met when Talley was an assistant to Andy Warhol and who have known each other the better part of 40 years.
Rhodes, who will receive an honorary degree from MassArt next year, came to celebrate the opening of her traveling show, “Zandra Rhodes: A Lifelong Love Affair with Textiles.” Talley came to emcee the evening. The two sat beside each other at the front of the room: Rhodes, tiny with pink bob and frothy scarlet gown, and Talley, colossal in a black eyelet robe.
“You can’t survive in fashion without an original point of view,” Talley said, adding later that Rhodes’ authenticity “drove her to the top.”
Rhodes is forever defined by her flair for visual drama. In college, she designed a head scarf printed with hand-drawn curls. When she wore it, she’d use eyeliner to doodle a few more trompe l’oeil tendrils on the sides of her face. In the same period, she began experimenting on her “boring brown” hair. Green streaks, her first foray with dye, looked fabulous but left stains all over her sheets.
Vreeland got Rhodes her first sales commissions at Henri Bendel and Sakowitz in Houston, moves that helped her to open her own London store.
After admiring Elsa Schiaparelli’s collaboration with Salvador Dalí to produce fabric with “rips” drawn on it, Rhodes
tore her own fabrics and fas-tened them back up with beaded safety pins.
The run of torn dresses was a “fiasco for my shop. It frightened cus-tomers,” she recalled. But the look earned her the moniker the “Princess of Punk” and
became iconic enough that the pieces are collectors’ gems. Talley’s Vogue colleague, Hamish Bowles, said he recently pur-chased a jersey punk dress from its original owners.
Talley asked her about the way ideas reverberate through the industry now — fast-fashion chains iterating runway looks in a six-week turn and bloggers reporting by the minute. (“Bloggers blogging on the street corner photographing them-selves blogging,” said Talley.) Rhodes said designers shouldn’t be worried about being elbowed out of the process.
“A designer is someone who comes up with a new idea,” she said. “There’s always a place for originality.”
The show, which celebrates Rhodes’ skill as a colorist and is a tribute to her conscientious archiving, is staged so that fabric panels sit behind the garments constructed from them. Rhodes, who considers herself foremost a textile designer, doesn’t use patternmakers. Instead, she relies upon cleverly designed repeats to “engineer” garments. She’ll print a motif she wants on a neckline as a platter-sized circle so the fabric can be simply cut out at the center and draped over the head. For a 1971 dress, she cut out individual chiffon banana leaves, layering long, dangling pieces over another printed banana leaf fabric so the dress sways like an actual plant.
“We’ve had our digital textile class through to study how Zandra works,” said Lisa Tung, MassArt’s director of curato-rial programs and professional galleries. “Because we are an educational institution, it’s so important to have opportuni-ties like this to study great work up close.”
HMX Group Files Chapter 11
Looks from the traveling show.
André Leon Talley and Zandra Rhodes
Rhodes on the Road
There’s no question in my mind that the company
moving forward will operate factories.…We believe in our people
and our factories.— DOUG WILLIAMS
HMX GROUP
{Continued from page one}
PHOT
O BY
FAB
IOLA
MEN
CHEL
LI
FAIRCHILDP H O T O S E R V I C E
866.689.2106 | [email protected]
New image licensing service
3,000,000+ images
More than 80 designer archives
High-touch, full service expertise
EXPLOREARCHIVESthe
fairchildphotoservice.com
now online
WWD.COM8 WWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 20128
accessoriesBy KATYA FOREMAN
PARIS — Traceability and craftsman-ship were among buzzwords for buyers attending the recent Première Classe Tuileries accessories trade show, with premium European accessories brands enjoying a strong presence at the event. Buyers are willing to pay for savoir-faire and tradition, exhibitors said, but they are placing small orders and imposing un-reasonably short delivery times.
Exotic skins were in rich supply, from a new line of python belts at Maison Boinet to glistening black stingray iPad holders at Manufacture Jean Rousseau, a French luxury watch straps specialist, which launched a leath-er goods line six months ago. The brand, which has its own tannery and manufac-turing site based in France’s Franche-Comté region, which borders Switzerland, had an on-site artisan creating card hold-ers at its stand.
“We are looking for classics, items that promote craftsmanship. It’s important to explain to people how and where designs are made,” said Sandy Bontout, a buyer for Zalando Group.
Nicole Sewall, apparel and accessories buyer for the Anthropologie-owned wed-ding and special occasions e-commerce site, Bhldn.com, echoed: “For our custom-er, she wants to know who the designers are. We always set aside a budget for this
salon as you get better design, better qual-ity and creativity.”
She especially liked the ceramic ani-mal jewelry creations by Spanish new-comer Andres Gallardo, and the “graphic but fine” handmade filigree designs by Mallarino. The latter brand is based in Paris but works with artisans in Colombia from where sibling founders Lucia and Isabella Bueno-Mallarino hail.
Sophie-Charlotte Van Robais, direc-tor of heritage Bordeaux, France-based hunting brand Alexandre Mareuil, which launched its leathergoods line three sea-
sons ago, said clients appreci-ate the fact the company has its own atelier. Highlights from the spring-summer 2013 collection included a leather bucket bag with a canvas closure and a silk scarf decorated with hunting il-lustrations by Esther Bonté.
For bags, general trends in-cluded pastels, metallics, safari, camouflage and mixed media. Jewelry fell into two camps: either ultrafine or
big, colorful and clunky, with rose gold and ceramic among continu-
ing themes.“Handbags are still clas-
sic, with a lot of pastel colors,” said Kusule Ushe, a buyer for
Isetan, Japan.Naomi Bartee, an accessories
buyer for Barneys Co-Op in New York, said: “I’m seeing longer lengths on necklaces and there is more colorful jewelry, incorporating colored stones. For bags, the minimalist look is still key — Dear Celine is still setting the tone.” For materials, she saw a lot of patch-working and plays on surface contrast, such as leather with canvas or solids mixed with print.
Buyers were competing for exclu-sives for cult London costume jewelry brand Mawi’s just-launched line of loud bejeweled glitter clutches.
“Everybody wants light and easy but interesting, and bags that close,” commented Doris Pang, sales director at Jérôme Dreyfuss, which continues to raise the bar in terms of textile re-search. New styles included a mixed-media bag combining croco-effect calf, elaphe water snake and canvas. “Buyers are going for extra special pieces, there are no more seasons, the leopard designs are still strong,” added Pang.
Jocelyn Whipple, a specialist in sus-tainability who was sourcing for Livia Firth’s green concept store, Eco Age, which is based in West London, lauded the oversized eco-friendly hand-woven totes by Antonello, which is based in London but works with cottage industry weavers based in Sardinia. “What I look for is attention to workmanship and cel-ebration of craft,” said Whipple.
While many of the show’s small ac-cessories designers were concerned with going upscale, it didn’t always play in their favor, with buyers at times balk-ing at prices.
Lingering in front of a classic-shaped handbag in camouflage canvas by Italy’s
IP & Mr Famous, Naohiro Takeda, owner of Baycrews that co-owns Madame Figaro, a Tokyo-based multi-brand store, said: “By the time we con-vert the price it will bring it up to $900. You can buy a Miu Miu bag for that.” Business is still tough in Japan, he said.
Likewise, Dania Ghandour, a buyer for Cream, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, loved Austrian brand Andy Wolf ’s “on trend” sunglasses range but was put off by the price tag. “They’re the same price as Prada and Chanel,” she exclaimed.
Livia Stoianova, co-founder of On AuraTout Vu, said buyers were more hesitant than usual about placing or-ders, pushing for discounts and request-ing very short deliveries. “People no longer want to order for the long term. Some want deliveries in two to three weeks. I’ve even had a few clients want-ing to take product away with them, and that’s new. It puts huge pressure on de-signers for production.” Demand was still strong for high-end product, how-ever, she said, such as a crystal cuff re-tailing at around $1,000.
“It’s tough out there and summer was slow with the Olympics but we’ve seen strong sales growth,” commented Katie Wade, buyer for accessories, lin-gerie and swimwear for Cocosa, an on-line designer discount store owned by
Mohamed Al Fayed.First-time exhibitors at the
salon included hosiery designer Nicholas Messina, who had just launched his Bar-a-collants.com e-commerce platform for his France-made collection of tights and stockings with handmade seams. Messina presented col-laborations with fashion and foot-wear designers Steffie Christiaens and Fred Marzo on two designs, with new hook-ups to be intro-duced each season.
“Since the Eighties, not much has happened in the hosiery uni-verse. I wanted to introduce my
take on it,” Messina said.
Craftmanship Key at Première Classe
A mixed-media bag by Jérôme Dreyfuss.
A camouflage canvas bag by Italy’s IP & Mr Famous.
Stingray iPad holders
by Manufacture Jean Rousseau.
A handwoven bag by Antonello.PHOT
OS B
Y DO
MIN
IQUE
MAI
TRE
WWDDigFall12.FORA.tv
ON-DEMAND VIDEO
SEPHORAJulie Bornstein
THE NEIMAN MARCUS GROUPAaron Shockey
TARGETDustee Jenkins
BARNEYS NEW YORKDaniella Vitale
USE CODE 12DIGFALL FOR 20% OFF
{Continued on page 11}
PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER
MEMO PAD
WWDSTYLE
Tight NightNEW YORK — Bergdorf Goodman went all out for its 111th anniversary celebration, commandeering
the ballroom at The Plaza and stocking its Fifth Avenue neighbor with plenty of socials, designers
and models, including Jason Wu and Erin Heatherton. For more, see page 10.
BARE NECESSITIES:
Dree Hemingway
was among the
art lovers at The
New York Academy
of Art’s annual
Take Home a Nude
auction. PAGE 11
POLITICALLY CORRECT?: The 25th-anniversary issue of Spanish Marie Claire boasts 322 pages and a famous guest editor, Karl Lagerfeld, who even shot the cover image: a portrait of models Heidi Mount, Jon Kortajarena and Kati Nescher.
But it’s Lagerfeld’s admonishment of France’s new Socialist government and its antirich attitude — exemplified by a 75 percent tax rate on incomes over 1 million euros — that’s getting most of the attention. Over the weekend, a slew of international media seized on Lagerfeld’s use of the word imbécil (idiot, in English) to describe French President François Hollande — which Marie Claire notes is misleading.
“I confirm that the declaration (and the word ‘imbécil’) was taken out of context. Karl Lagerfeld was referring to Hollande’s policies, especially those connected with the taxes pertaining to large fortunes,” editor in chief Joana Bonet told WWD over the weekend.
During an interview, Bonet said to the designer, “I hear Hollande hates the rich,” to which he replied, “He’s disastrous. He wants to punish them and, of course, they’re leaving (the country). Nobody is investing. Foreigners don’t want to invest any more in France — and this is not working. Besides, France — apart from fashion, jewelry, perfume and wine — is not competitive. Nothing else sells. Who buys French cars? Not me.”
Lagerfeld addressed the furor on national TV in France Sunday night. He denied to France 2 interviewer Laurent Delahousse that he used the term idiot. “Of course I never said that! I don’t speak Spanish, I speak a little of Italian but no Spanish,” he said. “I saw him [Hollande] on TV and I found him very fun, spiritual and intelligent,” adding, “The luxury business is an industry that makes a lot of money and should not be considered like something we should be ashamed off.”
If Hollande is indeed stung by Lagerfeld’s remarks, perhaps he should consider the designer’s advice about barbs in the press, revealed in the magazine’s “guest star” introduction.
Lagerfeld says, “I don’t care if people I admire criticize me because their opinion is valuable to me. But with those I don’t care about, it makes no difference (what they say), good or bad, because I don’t read them.”
—WWD STAFF
A GEM OF A GIRL: Model Ruby Jean Wilson, who opened and closed the Marc Jacobs spring show in New York and channeled a modern-day Edie Sedgwick vibe, will also appear in the American designer’s next campaign. “She’s the girl we chose,”
10 WWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
FOR MORE PHOTOS, SEE
WWD.com/eye.
Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli.
Carolyn Murphy in J.Mendel with Gilles Mendel.
Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel.
Legendary former Bergdorf chairman Ira Neimark with wife Jackie.
A Very BG B-dayON THURSDAY night at The Plaza, Zac Posen and Coco Rocha were among a tightly packed crowd angling toward a second-floor ballroom as they talked about a YouTube gem they had recently discovered.
“I just tweeted and Coco re-tweeted about a week ago [a video] of Barbra Streisand performing...” Posen said.
“In Bergdorf,” Rocha chimed in, finishing her date’s sentence.
In the clip, filmed for a 1965 television special, a very young Streisand parades around an empty Bergdorf Goodman sampling the luxury retailer’s wares while performing “Second Hand Rose.” Given Thursday night’s occasion — a lavish 111th anniversary party for the store at its equally luxe Fifth Avenue neighbor — the short, and its generations-crossing, social media-aided discovery, seemed an appropriate topic of conversation.
“It was quite amazing,” Rocha concluded.
In honor of Bergdorf ’s visually compelling, if not numerically round birthday, party planners lit the ballroom in the store’s trademark purple tint. Cotton clouds hung from the ceiling. Oversize model animals and mannequins dotted the room’s exteriors. At times it felt that the crowd, which skewed toward designers, models and socials, occupied every square
foot of available space. Those on hand included Michael Kors, Karolina Kurkova, Roberto Cavalli, Carolyn Murphy, Gilles Mendel, Hilary Rhoda, Olivier Theyskens, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Thom Browne, Prabal Gurung, Peter Dundas, Tabitha Simmons and Joseph Altuzarra.
As the bold-faced names bottlenecked around the entryway, Burt Tansky, the former president and chief executive officer of Bergdorf ’s parent The Neiman Marcus Group, and former Bergdorf ceo, surveyed the room.
“How do you like this crowd here tonight?” he asked with a smile. “And they just keep coming. It hasn’t stopped for a minute.”
The crush was a tribute to the sway of the retail destination, which lifelong luxury class New Yorker Olivia Chantecaille summed up neatly early on in the proceedings.
“I grew up very close, just a few blocks away,” she said of the store. “My mother worked across the street. As an institution it was the ultimate in chic, in taste, in choice — there’s such an array of things. You knew you would always find something for everybody in the family.”
The party peaked a little before 11 p.m. when the store’s executive team, including president Joshua Schulman and senior vice president Linda Fargo, joined a handful of designers onstage while the
classical singer Sasha Lazard sang a rock-operatic version of “Happy Birthday.” Rubix Cube, a white-suit-sporting cover band, followed it up with a set of Eighties hits as soluble as the purple cotton candy then being passed around the room.
Before the presentation, Jason Wu had been standing on a small staircase with his three dates for the evening — Erin Heatherton, Meghan Collison and Zuzanna Bijoch.
“My first-ever store was Bergdorf ’s” the designer said, recalling his earliest memories of the retailer. “I moved here 11 years ago. I decided that this was the store that I wanted to be in. And six years ago I got in it....It’s so glamorous and it’s the best store. I mean that’s New York and that’s luxury.”
And what did making it in New York, and at Bergdorf ’s, mean?
“I might be able to make it in Paris afterwards,” he said with a smile. — MATTHEW LYNCH
eyePH
OTOS
BY
STEV
E EI
CHNE
R
Bergdorf brain trust, past and present: Jim Gold, Karen Katz, Burt Tansky and Joshua Schulman.
Coco Rocha in Zac Posen with the designer.
Rita Ora in Pucci.
Michael Kors and Tabitha Simmons Carly Cushnie, Michelle Ochs, Eddie Borgo,
Linda Fargo and Prabal Gurung.
Alana Zimmer and Hanne Gaby Odiele
WWD.COM11WWD MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
FASHION SCOOPS HAIDER’S STAR: Karl Lagerfeld is adding more star wattage to this week’s Fashion Group International Night of Stars gala. He has been tapped to present Haider Ackermann with a Star award at Thursday’s event. Lagerfeld joins presenters Renée Zellweger, Viola Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker and Tory Burch, among others. No word, though, on whether the designer plans to bring along his famed kitten Choupette, who would surely be the belle of the ball.
— MARC KARIMZADEH
EURO VISION: Jean Paul Gaultier is parting ways with Aeffe SpA, the Italian manufacturer that has produced his signature collection since the mid-Nineties, WWD has learned. According to market sources, publicly traded Aeffe could announce a separation as early as today. Gaultier’s plans for his top line could not immediately be learned.
Aeffe recently struck a deal with Emanuel Ungaro to produce and distribute its women’s clothing and accessories. Aeffe controls the Alberta Ferretti, Moschino and Pollini brands and also produces the Cacharel and Cédric Charlier labels. — WWD STAFF
LAUNCHING IN JAPAN: Greeted with a heavy downpour and a swirl of Tokyo Fashion Week activity, David Lauren and his wife, Lauren Bush Lauren, hosted a party Wednesday night at the Ralph Lauren flagship on Omotesando Avenue to fete the launch of the brand’s Japanese e-commerce site. Tomoyasu Hotei, one of Japan’s most famous guitarists, performed a mini-set of tracks including his hit “Battle Without Honor or Humanity,” best known from the soundtrack for “Kill Bill,” which sent many guests into
appreciative head bobbing mode.The new Web site, ralphlauren.
co.jp, features a style guide devoted to trends and signature items and houses a Japanese version of RL Magazine, a quarterly lifestyle publication. David Lauren said elements of the high-tech site will be incorporated into the brand’s other e-commerce properties in the U.S. and Europe over the next few months. “This is almost like a prototype of the future,” he said.
Bush Lauren is taking advantage of her first trip to Japan to promote her charity-focused brand Feed Projects. Before the Ralph Lauren event, she made a trip to the Rooms trade show, where Feed bags are on display. “Just the way people dress is so hip and so unique,” she said of the city. “The quality of design is just so cool.” — AMANDA KAISER
TEMPORARY TEXAN: After two days of public appearances, photo ops and cocktail parties, Christian Louboutin ended his Houston stay in sophisticated Texas style, compliments of designer devotee and philanthropist Becca Cason Thrash.
Unlike the crowds who stood in line for hours at Saks Fifth Avenue so Louboutin could sign their red-bottomed stilettos, the scene at Thrash’s Memorial manse was downright cozy, with just 26 people invited to her Tex-Mex themed dinner. The dress code was Texas cocktail casual, which translated to boots, jeans, pearl snap Western shirts and chaps, although a few pairs of Louboutin heels were spotted in the mix.
“Christian doesn’t get to Texas all that often, so his public appearance at Saks was supposed to end at two, but at five there was still a line of people waiting. He’s turned into a Texas rock star,” Thrash said.
Asked about the red-sole trademark dispute between Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent, he was succinct. “It’s over.”
Talking about the busy days in Houston, Louboutin was much more loquacious. “I get so much positive energy from the women who come and see me. I like it when people tell you their story. It creates a sense of community,” he said. — HEATHER STAIBLE
To the Naked EyeTHE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF ART’S annual Take Home a Nude auction may have been a bit of a misnomer on its 2012 go-around on Thursday night.
“It’s interesting because there are many pieces here that have no relation to nudity,” gourmand Daniel Boulud said, standing on the 10th floor of Sotheby’s, where artwork up for silent auction hung on every wall. “I guess you have to interpret the meaning?”
Art-minded guests including Jamie Tisch, Anh Duong, Eddie Borgo, Maureen Chiquet, Thakoon Panichgul, Padma Lakshmi and Jennifer Creel drifted through the five gallery rooms, eyeing the varied works. Though a healthy dose of exposed flesh was on display, there were plenty of PG-13 rated pieces as well, including a 1983 Maripol Polaroid of Madonna; a David Armstrong gelatin silver print of a shirtless drifter, circa 2003, and Aliene de Souza Howell’s “Ursa Major Lost at Sea,” a 3-by-7-foot linocut print of what appeared to be a bear doggy-paddling through water. The cub proved to be a hit.
“I like that a lot,” said Liev Schreiber, who beelined toward the frame shortly after arriving. Upon closer inspection, the actor realized the piece had already
been snatched up by a fellow bidder, to the tune of $2,800.
“We’ll pay more than that, a lot more than that,” he playfully protested to Eileen Guggenheim while Schreiber’s wife, Naomi Watts, in a Victoria Beckham structured frock, looked on smiling. Watts proved to be a less impulsive shopper, keeping her paddle in her lap during the live auction, intermittently applying Rosebud Salve to her pout and texting on her iPhone. Highlights from the 10-piece auction included “Grisaille in Pink,” a watercolor painting from Francesco Clemente (who, though he was being honored by the charity, didn’t make an appearance until the post-auction dinner); a poured glass sign spelling the word “Nude” from Rob Wynne, and Will Cotton’s “Lollipop Tiara Study,” the latest take on his signature confection-headwear hybrid. The night racked up more than $775,000 for the arts academy.
Though Dree Hemingway, who nuzzled on beau Phil Winser’s arm much of the night, wanted to pitch in to the charity, the model wasn’t exactly in the buying mood. “I’ve been really bad,” Hemingway, in a red Valentino floral dress, said. “I need to make another round and really take a look at the work.”
Winser came to his girlfriend’s aid: “We already have a few nudes at home.”
— TAYLOR HARRIS
Naomi Watts in Victoria Beckham with Liev Schreiber.
PHOT
OS B
Y ST
EVE
EICH
NER
Dree Hemingway in Valentino.
Jacobs told WWD, noting that photographer Juergen Teller shot the ads, as usual. — MILES SOCHA
KRISTINA’S NIGHT OUT: On Thursday, a day after she was named editor of WSJ. magazine, Kristina O’Neill was at the magazine’s flagship shindig, the Innovator of the Year awards. She had the best seat in the house: right next to Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson, who introduced her from the stage to a crowd that included Wendi Deng Murdoch, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Ray Chambers, the United Nations’ special envoy for malaria, and Anna Wintour.
O’Neill, who had spent the last 12 years at Harper’s Bazaar, most recently as executive editor, was still a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. “Did I think, one day after being announced for the post, I would be on a red carpet? No,” she said.
She still hasn’t even moved from Hearst Tower to Avenue of the Americas. On Friday, she still had to clock in at Bazaar. Her first day at the Journal is Oct. 29.
“Emotionally, obviously I’m moving to WSJ. But physically, I’m still at Bazaar,” she said.
Thursday was the first time she got some social face time with Thomson,
who surprised her.“He has a wicked sense of humor,”
she said. The boss, in a skinny suit and retro
horn-rimmed eyeglasses, sat right in front of the stage between O’Neill and Chambers, an investment banker who made his millions in private equity and is one of the owners of the New Jersey Devils.
She did not know who Thomson was wearing. “My money’s on Prada,” she said.
Overall, it was a good night for nerds. Awards went to Dorsey and architect Wang Shu. Malcolm Gladwell was seated next to Julianne Moore and Linda Evangelista.
But it was also auspicious for O’Neill.
“It was loaded for symbolism for me,” she said. “I hope it signifies what’s to come.”
Though O’Neill doesn’t know what the magazine will look like yet — “too early to really say” — she said there will be some continuity from the Deborah Needleman days thanks to Ruth Altchek, who was promoted to editorial director, in charge of overseeing Off Duty and the magazine. But won’t that mean that the magazine will look a lot like what Needleman is planning for T: The New York Times Style Magazine? O’Neill said she hasn’t even thought about the competition yet.
“The biggest distinction right now is that we have two more letters in our title,” she said. — ERIK MAZA
MEMO PAD{Continued from page 9}
eye
David Lauren and Lauren
Bush Lauren
COMMERCIALREAL ESTATE
Spaces
(800) 423-3314, or email [email protected]
For more career opportunities log on to WWDCareers.com.
Showrooms & LoftsBWAY 7TH AVE SIDE STREETS
Great ’New’ Office Space AvailADAMS & CO. 212-679-5500
PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS
Full service shop to the trade.Fine fast work. 212-869-2699
DESIGNER WANTEDDesigner for NJ based Clothing Firm:Design clothing & accessories. Createoriginal garments or design garmentsthat follow well established fashiontrends. Create sketches & samples ofapparel or accessories and write speci-fications using current technologies.Develop the line of color and kinds ofmaterials. Apply w/2 copies of resumeto HR, Grey Matter Concepts, Inc. 107Trumbull Street, Bldg. #F6, Elizabeth,NJ - 07202
PRODUCT DVPMT UP TO $90KHome Fashion, Kohl’s
Jennifer Glenn SRI Search [email protected]
Sales / Production Assistant Men & Women’s cut & sew knit mfrseeks manager assistant to help withsales, production coordination &admin duties. May require workingwith overseas offices in different timezone. Good writing & client communi-cation skills, detail-oriented, apparelmerchandising experience preferred.Email: [email protected]
WWD.COM12 WWD monday, october 22, 2012
Louis Vuitton Takes Arty Approach in Miami
Fake Swiss Watches Seized Lacoste President Talks StabilityBy Alex Wynne
PARIS — Despite the drama surrounding her September nomination as nonexecutive president of lacoste SA, Sophie lacoste Dournel said it’s busi-ness as usual at the firm best known for its polo shirts with a crocodile logo.
Her principal focus going for-ward will be to grow the brand’s women’s business and improve synergies between lacoste’s man-ufacturing partners, she said.
lacoste Dournel’s election made headlines in France due to a conflict between the family that controls the firm — some 20 mem-bers of the lacoste family from three generations make up the ad-visory board, and own 65 percent of lacoste SA — pitting her head-to-head with her older cousin, Marie-Beryl lacoste Hamilton, and dividing the family.
It seems the conflict was large-ly generational. The 36-year-old lacoste Dournel has been on the company’s board since 2005, is part of the second generation of the current family shareholder structure and is a granddaughter of founder René lacoste. Her fa-ther, Michel lacoste, who was the previous president, has resigned from the board and is threaten-ing to take legal action against his estranged daughter’s nomina-tion. He had taken over from his brother Bernard in 2005, after the latter, who had been at the helm of the firm since 1963, became ill.
Asked whether the conflict and resulting attention bother her, she replied: “I am concen-trating on the company, so that our employees and our partners
are reassured, and so that the brand can develop in the most stable, continuous way possible.”
Her plans include a con-tinued focus on building the brand’s women’s business, for which Felipe Oliveira Baptista was named creative director in September 2010. His first collec-tion for the brand was presented in new york in September 2011.
“Felipe’s collection has had a real impact, creating impulse purchasing,” she said. While the designer’s role is principally about clothing, he is also in-volved in its image as a whole. “Felipe is at the heart of the system, creating synergies for women. The result is something very lacoste, for which we had been searching for some time.”
Other growth priorities in-clude the live! franchise for younger consumers, and an in-creasingly premium positioning.
Going forward, lacoste Dournel — who will work hand-in-hand with chief executive of-ficer Christophe Chenut in his more operational role — hopes to increasingly reinforce syner-gies within different segments.
This is not a straightforward task, given lacoste’s unusual business model, in which all its product categories are li-censed out to different part-ners. The largest of these is ap-parel licensee Devanlay (owned by Switzerland’s Maus fam-ily), which owns 35 percent of lacoste SA.
“We want to solidify the li-censes we have and allow them to work together to give more harmony and efficiency to our system,” she said.
lacoste is already performing
well: The company expects 2012 wholesale turnover of 1.8 billion euros, or $2.3 billion, up 12.5 percent year-over-year, lacoste Dournel said. Its apparel sales in the first half increased 20 percent, while shoes climbed 50 percent and watches 60 percent. Clothing accounts for about 60 percent of group sales.
About 90 percent of lacoste’s business is done in international markets, with its largest country being the U.S., accounting for around 18 percent of revenues.
As to media suggestions that supporting lacoste Dournel’s nomination was a covert take-over attempt by the Maus family, she seems convinced that lacoste will remain a family firm.
“Our results of the past few years are strong and encouraging, and our aim is to go even further, all the while ensuring the conti-nuity of the family’s control over the company,” she said.
By ReBeCCA KleInMAn
MIAMI — louis Vuitton is get-ting into gear for the long haul in South Florida.
Preceding its permanent Miami proper store due in 2014, the brand opened a temporary location Friday at 170 n.e. 40th Street in the Design District, formerly occupied by the Tomas Maier boutique. It chose to work with an existing layout rather than follow a prototype, ac-cording to Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet, president and chief ex-ecutive officer of louis Vuitton north America.
“The look will be unique among our doors,” said Chapoulaud-Floquet, who jazzed up the property’s plain white ex-terior with a vibrant mural by los Angeles-based artist Retna. “It made sense given the context of being in an arts district.”
It’s the first time louis Vuitton has commissioned artwork for a facade versus traditional place-ment throughout interiors. Retna, whose paintings are already dis-played on warehouse walls in nearby Wynwood, based his latest local work on a scarf he designed for the house using his signature letters. The mural’s “Miami Vice” palette of hot pink, teal and azure blue pays homage to the tropical city he calls his second home.
“This piece is much more col-orful, layered and painterly than my usual flat, graphic style in a single color,” he said, almost in disbelief that a graffiti writer who came up in los Angeles’ gang culture could be working with a luxury brand like louis Vuitton. “It shows how people are more accepting of this niche of art that wasn’t highly regarded a short while ago.”
Chapoulaud-Floquet said the house originally reached out to Retna to mentor inner-city chil-dren as part of its charity com-mitment to the Overtown youth Center in Miami. In addition to the facade and scarf carried at the Design District store, he cre-ated three works for the second-level’s gray-and-white VIP salon filled with natural light.
The entrance’s original, sec-tioned-off area was transformed into the Travel Room decorated with brass accents, Parisian an-tiques and teak furniture. The same materials are used in the women’s department, whereas men’s wear is enveloped by dark mahogany walls. A full assortment of accessories, eyewear, shoes, costume jewelry and textiles is represented. Sales will determine whether capsule collections for ready-to-wear are expanded.
“We didn’t want to overload the space, and no one knows the Design District’s potential. It’s
still in its discovery stage,” said Chapoulaud-Floquet, who omitted fine jewelry and watches for the launch as well. “I don’t think they will capture this neighborhood’s trendy, young clientele as much as shoes and ready-to-wear.”
The brand’s Miami demo-graphics have evolved since opening its first U.S. store outside new york in 1981. Along with a strong local base, Brazilians have become more prominent among a generally increased latin
American clientele. Chapoulaud-Floquet said Russian and Chinese tourists don’t frequent Miami as much as other major U.S. cities, though she expects the latter to arrive eventually. Though similar items sell con-sistently worldwide, she has high hopes for Miami, which already ranks in the top five U.S. markets.
“For decades, it’s been a pio-neer city for us and still has a lot more potential to grow,” she said.
In February, the permanent
store opens at Aventura Mall fol-lowing its temporary location launched last year. The consider-ably larger retail experience fea-tures two floors linked with an in-ternal staircase and a prominent exterior facade.
Chapoulaud-Floquet said there aren’t immediate plans for more stores beyond the Design District and Aventura.
“As the market grows stron-ger, though, we’ll look at other opportunities,” she said.
Sophie Lacoste Dournel
The temporary Vuitton store in Miami.
By ARTHUR FRIeDMAn
U.S. IMMIGRATIOn AnD Customs enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, working with Paraguay’s cus-toms and law enforcement agen-cies, said Friday they have made two major counterfeit busts.
On Tuesday, Paraguayan au-thorities, working in collabora-tion with HSI, seized counter-feit watches under the Swiss brands Patek Philippe, Tissot, Tag Heuer, Bulgari and Hublot, with a manufacturer’s suggest-ed retail price of $34 million.
The investigation began Oct. 11, when Paraguayan au-thorities received information about counterfeit products being smuggled out of Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asunción by a criminal orga-nization attempting to smuggle these goods out of the coun-try, possibly destined for the U.S. In addition, about 12,500
counterfeit Samsung cellular phones were discovered and also seized by law enforcement.
This followed an opera-tion on Sept. 26 in which Paraguayan Customs, work-ing with HSI, identified and searched a shipment of con-tainers sent to Ciudad del este, Paraguay, from Uruguay. The three containers and their contents included coun-terfeit xbox, PlayStation and nintendo gaming systems. The shipment, with a retail value of $741,041, was seized by Paraguayan authorities.
The seizures are the result of HSI’s Illicit Pathways Attack Strategy. Over the last two de-cades, transnational organized crime has transformed in size, scope and impact — posing a significant threat to national and international security, the agency said. TOC networks are proliferating, striking new alli-ances and engaging in a range of illicit activities.
Doneger Shifts Ghize to Tobe DivisionleSlIe GHIze has been named executive vice president of the Tobe division of The Doneger Group. She succeeds Catherine Moellering, who has left the com-pany. Ghize, who continues as se-nior vice president of Doneger and oversees the company’s Creative Services division, mar-keting, public relations, art and editorial efforts, will report to Abbey Doneger, president.
At Tobe, she will be respon-sible for building and main-taining client and industry re-lationships and directing the day-to-day business activities,
strategic plans and new busi-ness initiatives.
In addition, Roseanne Morrison, who is the fashion director of Doneger, a position she has held since joining the company in 2006, had previ-ously worked for Tobe for 20 years and will now oversee the fashion for Tobe as well.
Moellering had been with Doneger since early 2010. Doneger bought Tobe, which has provided fashion, trend and retail analysis since 1927, in 2005.
� —�JEAN�E.�PALMIERI
phot
o by
JM
Lub
rano
w22a012a;5.indd 12 10/19/12 6:54 PM10192012185524
