Looking Back to Move ForwardBrioni creative director Brendan Mullane delves

into the brand’s archives for inspiration. Page MW2

January 10, 2013

In an homage to Savile Row tailoring, Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton rearranged classic pinstripes into an elegant patchwork of intersecting lines. “It feels right to focus on Savile Row for our first-ever McQueen men’s wear show in London,” said Burton. “This collection is full of tailoring traditions and subtle references to English style.” McQueen was one of many labels that put a fresh spin on classic suits and heritage fabrics at London Collections: Men, the three-day showcase that took place earlier this week at a variety of venues around town. For more, see pages MW4 and MW5.

Chalk It Up

FOUR DAYS IN FLORENCE

{Continued on page MW6}

by KATYA FOREMAN and GORDON SORLINI

FLORENCE — Despite the patchy econom-ic environment, a feel-good energy pulsed through the Pitti Immagine Uomo trade fair here, reflecting an optimistic outlook from vendors for 2013. The four-day event, which wraps up Friday, got off to a slower-than-usual start due to fog-induced transport disruptions and an overlap with London Collections: Men.

With designer brands ruling the men’s market, messages from retailers to luxury vendors included a call to sharpen the scis-sors, with fit among the key issues.

“Without question, the taste level of the luxury exhibitors is exceptional; however, it is geared for the local market more than international,” said Tom Kalenderian, ex-ecutive vice president and general mer-chandise manager of men’s wear at Barneys New York. “The sportswear is the biggest issue. We would be able to buy more if it was styled in a more contemporary way. There is tremendous opportunity as there is a great audience for luxury and good taste, but while the product is beautiful, with ex-quisite materials and details, they haven’t been able to translate it into a modern life-style. When you think about what Brunello Cucinelli, Massimo Piombo and Zegna, who is not showing here, have been able to do…it’s about filling this void; the younger guys really do appreciate luxury, but they still want it to fit in a modern way.”

Underscoring its global stance, the Brunello Cucinelli collection integrated a spectrum of iconic international style codes. Tailored clothing carried traditional British men’s wear patterns such as Prince of Wales and glen plaid; the American biker jacket was revisited in Spanish shearling, and a capsule line of pants and jean shirts was built from luxury Japanese denim.

The firm’s namesake founder and chief executive officer said that he was “very posi-tive” on the prospects for the luxury goods sector in 2013. In 2012, sales at the company, which listed on the Milan Stock Exchange last spring, jumped 15 percent, to 279 mil-lion euros, or $368.3 million at average ex-change rates for the period.

Treading the workwear route, Andrea Canè, creative director of WP Lavori, which holds the worldwide licenses for the Woolrich John Rich & Bros., Woolrich Woolen Mills, Baracuta, B.D. Baggies and Avon Celli brands, as well as various distri-bution rights for Barbour and Blundstone, revealed the company is in the final stages of acquiring an undisclosed heritage American brand, which it plans to keep in the U.S.

Luxury Sportswear Draws Retailers At Pitti UomoHeritage patterns in suits, technical outerwear and creative knitwear seen as key opportunities for fall.

Photo by GiovAnni GiAnnoni

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Men’s WeekMW2 WWD thursday, january 10, 2013

by LUISA ZARGANI

ROME — Think of Brioni and the words “daring and innovative” may not be the first ones that spring to mind.

But Brendan Mullane, the company’s first creative director, believes the brand has the potential to shake off its sedate image. To do so, Mullane is actually looking back to Brioni’s early days, to the Fifties and Sixties, when the label was considered a trendsetter.

“Brioni stands for the ultimate level of perfect harmony of craftsmanship and qual-ity,” said Mullane in an interview at the com-pany’s offices in central Rome opposite its luxurious and historic boutique. “What you don’t immediately see, the level of that qual-ity, is even more. Brioni pushed boundaries in the Fifties, it was driven and innovative and it’s wrong for the brand to be perceived as anything else,” said the British designer, who joined the company in July.

Brioni is forging its future under the ownership of PPR, which took control of the men’s wear firm in 2011, and will unveil the first collection designed by Mullane on Monday in Milan with a presentation at the neoclassic Palazzo Serbelloni.

“It’s been a good year, it started with the decision to interrupt the women’s line, but we’ve recovered with the men’s division and the most significant step was the arrival of Brendan,” said Francesco Pesci, chief ex-ecutive officer of Brioni. In August 2011, the company said it planned to close its women’s business, severing ties with that line’s creative director, Alessandro Dell’Acqua. “Historically, there’s never been a creative director for men’s, and this change has been very well received. It’s a signal that communicates the intention of Brioni to move in a different way,” said Pesci. “Brendan is not reinventing the brand, but he is putting it in contact again with its original spirit.”

He said that in the 1945 to 1960 pe-riod — at a time when the market was dominated by Savile Row and British style — Brioni was known not only for its artisanal quality, but also for its “provocative” streak. “Brioni was al-most blasphemous; it was the Christian Dior of men,” he said. Brioni was founded in 1945 by Nazareno Fonticoli, the master tailor, and Gaetano Savini, the original fashion coordinator.

Mullane’s fall collection will be “graphic, sartorial, with high-end fab-rics, and more contemporary, architec-tural shapes,” he said, noting that he wants the brand to be “recognizable with a twist,” with a “sartorial palette,” to which he “injected color — fearlessly.”

The story behind the collection is based “on the idea of a journey an Italian man has taken, noting in his diary what’s happened on the trip, what he did at different stages.” He views Brioni more as a lifestyle brand than a fashion one, repositioned “in the su-

per-high, luxury category.” He un-derscored that he is “not anticatwalk,” but that a presentation would be an appropriate first step for the brand, in order to show how “diverse and multi-faceted” Brioni is.

Mullane was previously senior head men’s wear designer at Givenchy,

working with artistic director Riccardo Tisci on the runway col-

lections, and he was also respon-sible for pre-collections and lines specifically for the Asian market. Prior to Givenchy, he held various positions in men’s wear design at Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Alexander McQueen. Mullane studied at Kingston University, where he obtained a B.A. in fashion, and at the Kingsway College of London, where he gained a BTEC Diploma in art and design.

“I was happy with my life in Paris. I was going to move only if it felt right. I knew Brioni as the ul-timate sartorial brand, but I was

not prepared to see craftsmanship in such a powerful form — it was a pleasant surprise,” said Mullane. “It’s the nearest thing to doing a male version of couture.”

The company’s manufacturing facilities are in Italy’s Penne, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Rome, and the designer praised the artisans there for their passion and skills. “They never say no to a request, their first answer is always: ‘OK, let’s try,’” he said. Mullane said it was “important” to spend time in Rome and Penne, where Brioni also has a tailoring school, to be close to “the heart” of the company. “I am in constant com-munication with the artisans, we cut every canvas for each fabric, it’s a lengthy working process,” he explained. Mullane, who is cre-ating his own design studio, said Rome also helps his creativity. “It’s very cultural, and everyone here is so nonchalant about how beautiful the city is,” he marveled.

Pesci said the Italian men’s wear brand, known for its high-end tailored suits, is increasingly developing categories such as outerwear and sportswear, foot-wear and accessories, and is also targeting a younger customer.

“Brioni has the know-how and exper-tise to cater to different kinds of men, who

can be 60 or 35, who think differently about themselves and see themselves in a different light,” said Mullane. “There’s nothing wrong with feeling sexy or desirable, men are opening up to this idea and Brioni can give them this desire factor.”

Pesci concurred, saying that the market has changed significantly, and that men are evolving in a much more competitive arena, underscoring how PPR, which controls labels including Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney and Puma, is willing to grow and repo-sition Brioni. He noted that the French group’s support is not only financial, but much more comprehensive, in the nego-tiation of media costs, indirect services, real estate and supplies. Although each brand is “autonomous within a well-de-fined frame,” Pesci pointed to the “ex-change of information,” which he felt was “very important” to Brioni’s future.

“The definition of a brand’s plat-form, the binding mission, and ours is the aspiration to be unquestionably the reference point for men’s elegance. This is our mission and our claim is to be one of a kind,” said Pesci.

The market is becoming increasing-ly more global and Pesci said the company has responded efficiently to the significant “growth in casualization.”

Brioni’s nontailored division now ac-counts for 45 percent of sales. Pesci identi-fied the U.S., Russia and the former Soviet Union countries, as well as China as Brioni’s main strategic markets. “Europe is very im-portant for its capacity to attract customers from outside the continent that have a high spending power. On the other hand, I won’t conceal my worries for the constant weaken-ing of local spending power,” said Pesci.

Brioni has “expansion plans” for the U.S. as well in 2013, with the opening of stores, but Pesci declined to provide further details. The company is also taking direct control of retailing in China, where it already counts 16 franchised stores, including Macau and Hong Kong. Globally, there are 36 directly operated stores and 47 franchised units.

In terms of categories, in addition to strengthening its eyewear, footwear and leather goods, Brioni is expanding its knit-wear. Toward this end, he noted that the company, which also works with special-ized, outside laboratories in Italy, is opti-mizing efficiency and its industrial struc-ture in Penne.

Now owned by PPR, brand preps for first collection under men’s creative director Brendan Mullane.

A sketch from Brendan Mullane’s first men’s collection.

Francesco Pesci and Brendan Mullane

Brioni to Highlight Quality, Innovation

by DAVID LIPKE

JA APPAREL CORP. is aiming to elevate its Joseph Abboud brand into the de-signer arena with the launch of a new Red Label collection of sportswear, tai-lored clothing and accessories. The line, manufactured in partnership with Italy’s Cipriani SpA, made its debut at Pitti Uomo in Florence this week and will be spotlighted in a runway show there on Thursday at the Stazione Leopolda.

Prices for Red Label product are more than double the core Joseph Abboud Blue Label offerings that are carried at Nordstrom and other specialty retailers. Red Label suits will retail for $1,200 to $2,500, unconstructed blazers for $950 to $1,900, woven shirts for $225 to $595, knit shirts for $180 to $375, cloth outerwear for $750 to $1,500 and leather outerwear for $1,500 to $5,000.

By comparison, Blue Label suits retail for $695 to $1,000, woven shirts for $98 to $120 and outerwear for $300 to $600.

The push into higher price points fol-lows Joseph Abboud’s return to the run-ways of New York Fashion Week last year after a seven-year absence. The initiative

showcased the designs of creative director Bernardo Rojo and signaled the brand’s intention to compete in the luxury arena.

“We think it’s the natural evolution of the brand under Bernardo’s leader-ship and the success we’ve had with two runway shows in New York,” said Tony Sapienza, chief executive officer of JA Apparel Corp.

The Red Label collection will launch exclusively at Harrods in London this spring and then expand to doors in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia and the Middle East in the fall. The new brand-ing, labels and hangtags incorporate an oxblood-red color scheme to set it apart from Joseph Abboud Blue Label product.

“We want to reinsert ourselves as a design leader in America,” said Kenton Selvey, president of Joseph Abboud Brand Group, the division that oversees design, marketing and licensing at JA Apparel. “We have lots of room to grow at the upper end. We’re looking to break into higher-end retailers and get back into key specialty doors that help define a brand among opinion leaders.”

Sportswear is the key focus of the collection, with about 200 stockkeeping

units, including each style’s various color and fabric options.

“There’s a bit of an edge but it’s men’s wear that is very wearable. It’s not a lot of bells and whistles, there’s a purity of line to the collection,” said Rojo of his latest designs. “I’m mixing materials like bonded Neoprene with leather and a cashmere car coat lined in technical fabrics.”

Selvey asserted Red Label is expected to become a “significant” part of the over-all Joseph Abboud business. The com-pany’s Blue Label tailored clothing busi-ness posted a 35 percent sales increase in 2012, according to Sapienza.

Red label will sit atop a Joseph Abboud brand pyramid that encompass-es Blue Label, a White Label line that is sold primarily at Men’s Wearhouse, the Joe Joseph Abboud brand sold at J.C. Penney and the Joseph Abboud Boys business licensed to Peerless.

“This manufacturing collabora-tion brings together an American de-sign house and Italian manufacturing expertise,” said Roberto Cipriani, ceo of Cipriani, which also produces the Ermanno Scervino brand under license.

Joseph Abboud Goes Upscale With Red Label Launch

The Joseph Abboud Red Label line is an outgrowth of the brand’s runway looks, seen here.

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by SAMANTHA CONTI

LONDON — It’s rare that a G-8 leader happily takes to the mi-crophone to talk about fashion — including the Marks & Spencer underpants he’s wearing — but earlier this week, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron did just that — and no one took the gesture more seriously than the British Fashion Council.

“Fashion is not just some sort of accessory, you’re not an add-on,” he told industry fig-ures including Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, Richard James, Jonathan Saunders and Patrick Grant during a reception at Number 10 Downing Street. An ultraenthusiastic Cameron told his audience that he wants to see more high-end goods manufactured in Britain as part of an overall strategy to “reindustrial-ize” the country. “You have my 100 percent support, so just go for it.”

The BFC, which staged its sec-ond, three-day showcase of men’s fashions this week, has been push-ing hard for London’s designers to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts in Milan and Paris. Cameron’s pep talk — entirely his idea — left much of Monday night’s crowd abuzz. “There could not have been a bet-ter start to the New Year,” said Natalie Massenet, the new chair-woman of the British Fashion Council. “There is enormous po-tential here, and the stage is set.”

But there are also many chal-lenges: Some buyers and members of the press were forced to cut short their trips to London to at-tend Pitti Uomo in Florence, which began Tuesday, the second day of London Collections: Men. The timing also forced some to termi-nate their post-Christmas holidays earlier than usual, with designers and their teams rushing during the

holiday season to get samples made and shows organized.

“I mentor young designers, and I was nervous about the shows taking place so soon after Christmas, and that they wouldn’t be ready,” said Stephen Ayres, head of fashion at Liberty. “But they were ready, and the deadline gave them the confi-dence to cope under pressure.”

Ayres said he believes London is making a name as the city that supports emerging men’s talent. “If Milan is about the superbrands and Paris is about the avant-garde, it’s London that’s supporting young designers, and the shows are im-perative to their future,” he said.

Still, Richard Cohen, vice pres-ident of business development at Saks Fifth Avenue, said it will take time for London to make a name as a men’s wear capital. “This sea-son was a good start, and there is no question that London is — and could be — something,” said Cohen, who left for Pitti halfway through the London shows.

“It will take time — two or three seasons at least. It’s not something you do in five minutes. And I was disappointed not to see more buy-ers,” added Cohen. “I’d like to see more American buyers in London. The organization of the shows was well done, and there’s lots of cre-ativity and energy in the city.”

The American stores attending, in addition to Saks Fifth Avenue, were Bloomingdale’s and Opening Ceremony. About 17 stores from outside the U.K. attended London Collections: Men from markets in-cluding China, Italy, France, Japan and South Korea.

Ford, who with Alexander McQueen was one of the two biggest names on this season’s calendar, said his decision to show men’s wear in London — he’s also showing his women’s wear with a runway event next month — was a natural one.

“I’ve had a house here since 1997, my design studio is here, and I love it. In many ways it’s my home, and my taste in men’s wear has al-ways been a mix of Anglophile with the lightness of the Italian hand. And English men’s wear is at the root of contemporary men’s wear, so it makes sense. We’re committed to London for the near term, and as long as we can attract the press we need, we’ll stay here. Ultimately, that will be the test,” he said.

The shows themselves were professional, polished affairs. Among the major trends to emerge were explosive colors; the reinven-tion of traditional suits with patch-work and paneling; a play on pro-portions for outerwear and suits, and lots of statement knits, many of which were worn layered under suits, in place of shirts.

The Alexander McQueen show — an homage to Savile Row with lots of dramatic flourishes — em-bodied many of the ideas that were floating in the London air. The

brand’s creative director, Sarah Burton, took the dark pinstripe suit — with its nipped waist and signa-ture McQueen raised shoulder — and tore it to bits. She reformed the fabric into a patchwork that resem-bled white pick-up sticks scattered across a black canvas.

The show also featured an im-pressive lineup of evening jackets crafted from an elegant patchwork of velvet, satin, grosgrain and jac-quards, some with flourishes of gold embroidery. Other suits were made from artful patchworks of Prince of Wales and other checked fabrics, while long, sweeping coats were fashioned from rectangular panels of black and red wool re-sembling cardinals’ cassocks.

Lou Dalton, Richard Nicoll and Oliver Spencer also toyed with suit fabrics, cutting, splicing and reforming traditional shapes. Dalton fashioned her suits from stiff, thick fabrics and layered con-trasting dark panels onto pocket flaps, around waists, and on the flanks and sleeves of boxy blazers. Nicoll favored slim, two-tone suits in a collection that he described as “preppy, sporty and clean,” while Spencer’s suits bore thick, contrast-ing stripes from shoulder-to-toe.

Color — the more intense and nature-inspired the better — was another major story, with Hilfiger’s new tailored clothing collection a rainbow of turquoise, forest green and aubergine, while Richard James — long known for a deft touch with bold shades in everything from suits to knits and shirts — used a

rich, berry red inspired by band-stand players’ uniforms. He closed his show with a trio of shimmery tuxedos in grape, emerald green and midnight blue, worn with matching crystallized velvet slippers.

Knitwear played a starring role in many collections, not the least of which was at Tom Ford, which showed off luscious cashmere Fair Isle sweaters in lighthearted pastels such as lilac. “I hadn’t de-signed a Fair Isle sweater since the Eighties. But I think it looks really good again,” said Ford dur-ing a presentation at his showroom. He paired his Fair Isle knits with checked trousers, loafers and suede coats for a sporty, Sixties Saint

Men’s WeekMW4 WWD thursday, january 10, 2013

Agi & Sam

Alexander McQueen

Topman Design

Jonathan Saunders

For Full reviews and run-oF-show images, see

WWD.com/menswear-news.

London Men’s Shows Finding Their Footing

Nicole Farhi

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Moritz look. But Ford didn’t limit himself to patterns. He also layered solid-colored roll-neck sweaters under checked three-piece suits — in tune with the collection’s col-legiate, Anglo-American vibe.

Christopher Kane took his knits in a completely different direc-tion: His cardigans were fashioned from fuzzy chenille yarns, while others had a spongy feel that came from 3-D patterns that resembled a leopard print in relief. At Hackett London, Jeremy Hackett mixed and layered tailored pieces with patterned knitwear in the form of sweater vests, V-neck pullovers and scarves. Nicole Farhi’s new creative director, Joanna Sykes, offered up beautifully executed knits in rich textures — waffle, rib, cable and intarsia. Jonathan Saunders’ three-tone textured knits gave depth to his sophisticated collection, while his inventive, camouflage-printed knits complemented the collection’s angles and graphic shapes.

London designers also played with proportions, pumping up out-erwear in the spirit of the Michelin Man, and sending out roomy suits that looked as if they were borrowed from a father or older brother. At Topman, there were chunky, over-size parkas with fur-trimmed hoods, while Agi & Sam, a label that took part in the Man collective show, sent out puffy plaid jackets with big state-ment collars — not unlike the one on Count Dracula’s cape.

Margaret Howell played a more subtle game of proportions. Her collection was packed with slightly oversize looks inspired by work-wear — the sort of clothes a young man might borrow from his dock-worker father’s closet. There were wool car coats in sober shades of navy, gray, or army green, often worn with ribbed and nubby knits or striped sweaters. For more for-mal outings, Howell favored tone-on-tone, softly constructed suits and roomy jackets with patch pockets.

Men’s Week MW5WWD thursday, january 10, 2013

Tommy’s TimeTommy Hilfiger landed in London with a bang on Monday morning, in a day that took him from breakfast at the private members’ club 5 Hertford Street and the presentation of Goodwood Sports & Racing by Belstaff, to a cocktail party at Number 10 Downing Street, the British prime minister’s residence.

In between, Hilfiger un-veiled the revamped and expanded Tommy Hilfiger Tailored, a collection load-ed with color and attitude. Formerly under license with Holy Fashion Group but now in-house, Tailored features day, evening, work and week-end wear, in addition to a full range of quilted or leather out-erwear with detachable lin-ings, and accessories.

Suits range in price from 400 euros, or $524 at current exchange, to 700 euros, or $917, the more expensive of which feature fabrics from mills including Ermenegildo Zegna and Loro Piana. During an exclusive walk-through at the brand’s London showroom, Hilfiger said that he and the team started with one question in mind: “What do we want to wear? Everybody’s a bit tired of navy, gray, black and brown, and we wanted to have some fun and we wanted to be dif-ferent,” he said, adding that

he’s cut the jackets shorter and made the trousers slim-mer than in the past.

The palette pops in shades of bright blue or forest green for corduroy trousers; eggplant for velveteen peak-lapel jack-ets, and red, white and blue in American flag-inspired prints for blazer linings. There are cream-colored dinner jackets and burgundy corduroy suits, tartan tuxedos with black satin lapels and green smoking jackets. Hilfiger said color is a major, evolving story for the brand, with chinos in bright hues selling faster than ever before. “Colored bottoms — red in particular — are flying off the shelves,” said the designer.

Hilfiger’s day ended at a party to fete the new collec-tion, with guests including the stars of the “Doctor Who” and “Sherlock Holmes” TV shows. Matt Smith, the actor behind the ultrasuccessful, time-trav-eling TV doctor, and Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Holmes, joined fellow actors, including Riz Ahmed and Kayvan Novak, at The Zetter Townhouse in Clerkenwell.

And while his year may have begun on a professionally hectic note, Hilfiger’s top 2013 resolution has nothing do with work. “I always want more time with my family,” he said. — S.C.

Tommy Hilfiger with models sporting the fall collection.

Christopher Kane

Christopher Shannon

Oliver Spencer

Richard James

Margaret Howell

Lou Dalton

Hackett London

For Full reviews and run-oF-show images, see

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Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013MW6

A WP Store, stocking its port-folio of brands, is planned for New York in fall 2014, based in a building on Bond Street, which will also serve as the headquarters for its U.S. subsidiary. In the same year, the firm plans to introduce Woolrich John Rich & Bros. to the Canadian market in partnership with Wool Can., Canè said, adding that distribution there will focus on wholesale.

But from the buyers’ perspective, there was no major shift in trends across the Pitti Uomo collections.

Tancrède de Lalun, merchan-dise manager for men’s and wom-en’s wear at Printemps, comment-ed on the avalanche of outerwear, notably down jackets and parkas, be it from sportswear, contempo-rary or classic brands. Volumes were either supersized or fine and slim, with a number of fitted down jackets, à la Uniqlo. Creative knits will be among the season’s star items, he predicted, with key pant styles including the “winter

chino,” in the season’s key “sober” shades of caramel, gingerbread, bordeaux and bottle green. Suits, de Lalun believes, will be usurped by interchangeable separates that “can take you from the office to casual occasions.” He saluted the Hardy Amies diffusion line for its balance of affordability and cre-ativity. “There’s a whole new mar-ket there.”

Matthew Singer, men’s fashion director, Neiman Marcus Group, said he was excited to see the mar-ket using more patterns in cloth-ing and sportswear. “Isaia and Brunello Cucinelli are great exam-ples of this. Fabrics feel nostalgic and have a sense of heritage.”

Maurizio Purificato, owner of Antonia Uomo, said he was look-ing for items featuring a “classic, very clean style.” He singled out the Camoshita by United Arrows collection, “which was very sarto-rial, chic and elegant;” TS(S) for its incredible fabrics; Nanamica, “which showed very beautiful camouflage windstoppers,” and

the classic Neapolitan shirts by Salvatore Piccolo, which “were great and featured interesting fab-rics, very Japan-oriented.”

Provenance, performance, inno-vation and luxury were among the watchwords for vendors, with a con-tinued blurring of classifications.

“The key [direction] is ‘New Elegance,’” said United Arrows men’s buyer Shoji Uchiyama cit-ing the “dressed-up look” mixing in the season’s key trends. It’s all about authenticity and tradition in casualwear, using high-quality fabrics and textures, sometimes folding in avant-garde elements, he said.

Tailoring players reported healthy business across the board, with a continuing divergence be-tween high-end and low-end. “The typical consumer is buying less, in general, going either upmarket or down,” said Giancarlo Isaia, chairman of Isaia. “Those of us who moved upscale managed to do well, for our customers are con-sumers who are more informed and attentive. In our showroom, we explain to customers how the prod-uct is made. The consumer wants to be taught about this.”

The company — whose 2012 sales increased about 18 percent, to nearly 33 million euros, or $43.6 million — is seeing strong growth continue in markets like the U.S. (which alone represents some 50 percent of sales), Japan, Russia and Ukraine. The company is also making a push into China, where it recently opened stores in Beijing and Shanghai. “Feedback has been positive,” Isaia said, adding that another three stores are planned:

a second Beijing location, a second Shanghai store and a new location in Shenzhen.

The company forecasts further growth in 2013 propelled by sports-wear, which represents around 30 percent of sales and is expected to grow to 50 percent in the next three to four years. “Men these days choose to wear casual most of the time, so the company is follow-ing the business.”

Belvest has broadened its offer to include shirts, knitwear and even jeans (like the B5 — its five-pocket line). “Men [in the U.S.] are dressing less formally — except for

East Coast bankers,” said Roberta Cocco, president of the company’s North American unit.

At Florentine luxury label Stefano Ricci, the company’s ceo Niccolò Ricci confirmed the firm is still eyeing a stock-market flota-tion. “In the next couple of years we should decide among three op-tions: keep Stefano Ricci a family-owned business; sell some shares to private equity, or do an IPO.”

In 2012, the brand opened flag-ships in Vienna, Zurich, Saint Moritz, Switzerland, and Abu Dhabi and saw a 54 percent in-crease in sales versus 2011.

Hybrids Continue to Gar {Continued on page MW1}

Kiton Ra-Re

Isaia

Want Les Essentiels de la Vie

Belvest

Men’s Week MW7WWD THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

Italian high-end formalwear maker St. Santandrea said it expects signifi-cant volume increases in 2013, boosted by strength in foreign markets, such as Russia and Kazakhstan.

The firm is looking to boost its own brand’s development, with its private label business — which includes customers like

Ralph Lauren — representing some 70 per-cent of sales.

The heritage trend still has a lot more mileage in men’s wear, meanwhile, though for labels with true legacies it doesn’t equate with vintage product. Instead, the market’s dinosaurs are looking to stay relevant by de-livering product with a contemporary edge.

“The point is how the company itself lives up to the new challenges of contemporary lifestyle,” said WP Lavori’s Canè, whose col-lection included a slim-fit three-piece suit in an authentic buffalo check tricked with wa-terproof zips.

“If you’re going down the provenance route, it’s about fact not fiction,” said John

Sugden, marketing director of Mackintosh. “We’ve got the name, and we’re known as a heritage brand but I wouldn’t say that the range is necessarily geared towards solely heritage, we’re bringing out all sorts of inter-esting designs, we’re not doing a worn look.

“It’s amazing the amount of people who have come knocking on our door because of the heritage trend, and they don’t take it very kindly when we say, ‘No,’” he continued. New customer Celine made the grade, though, with Mackintosh producing some coats in rubberized fabrics for the brand’s fall col-lection, he said. Mackintosh is also in talks to collaborate on a “big heritage push” by Mulberry for this fall and next year. Around 15 to 20 percent of Mackintosh’s sales come from manufacturing for other brands.

— WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALESSANDRA TURRA

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Brunello Cucinelli launched a line of formal shoes with cap toes, the firm’s signature gray cash-mere trim inside and com-pany logo on the sole.

Woolrich John Rich & Bros. has revived an outdoor performance gear capsule, The Teton, which was first launched in the Seventies. Highlights include a waterproof Blizzard Teton Parka with the brand’s iconic square quilting, a coyote fur-trimmed hood and high neck. The brand also present-ed its first full women’s col-lection, designed by Monica Lardera, which encompasses feminine versions of house classics, such as a pastel take on its Arctic parka and a tweed skirt and jacket inspired by an archive hunting suit. Lardera also worked with Porselli on a collection of ballet flats that are handmade in Milan using wools from the Woolrich mill in Pennsylvania.

G-Star will launch a new cam-paign next week at the Bread &

Butter trade show in Berlin in the form of a Pixar-produced animated short

movie featuring the brand’s re-cently adopted mascot, “Skeleton

Dog,” as the main hero. “You see the whole story of denim,

so you see the cotton plants moving to the threads, you see how they weave it into denim and the in-digo dips, and then at the end there’s a kind of jacket and the skeleton

dog slides into the jacket and starts running,” said G-Star’s Remco de Nijs, adding that the soundtrack is by cult DJ Skrillex. The film will be available on the brand’s Web site and screened in theaters in Europe, the U.S. and Japan starting in February.

Baracuta, which will launch an e-commerce site in early February, introduced a range of accessories, including bow ties, watch straps and braces, made in collaboration with

traditional British mills, such as Abraham Moon.

Jack Spade, which introduced a line of suit separates at the show, in February will launch a made-in-USA denim col-

lection produced by Cone Denim, with a watch line due to hit the market in March.

British swimwear brand Orlebar Brown, which this summer will operate pop-up stores in Merci in Paris and Santa Eulalia in Barcelona, introduced its first coat, a waterproof trans-seasonal mac.

Sweden’s The White Briefs, which at the fair presented its first range of winter ba-sics in heavy and fine-ribbed merino wool, is working on a conceptual capsule cloth-ing collection with New York-based indus-trial designer Stephen Burks.

Norwegian Rain is launching a bag line this season, with footwear to follow soon.

Cruciani chief executive officer Luca Caprai unveiled an ongoing “spontaneous collaboration” with Psy. The Korean rap-per, who reached international fame with the “Gangnam Style” hit, is among the fans of Cruciani’s signature macramé brace-lets, which were launched in August 2011. “During his birthday party in New York’s Times Square on Dec. 31, Psy got a few bracelets from a girl and he immediately fell in love with them,” Caprai said, adding that the rapper has already ordered one featuring four-leaf clovers and a heart in the middle in 30 different colors.

Pitti Uomo guest designer Kenzo hosted

a pop-up store at the show, peddling vi-brant T-shirts, socks and bags.

Marc Newson put in an appearance at the G-Star Art of Raw Gallery in the his-toric Sala Ottagonale venue for the pre-sentation of a giant Taschen-published book, “Marc Newson: Works,” featuring a retrospective of his works, as well as his latest apparel capsule for the brand. The line includes a reversible bomber, a cheeky T-shirt with a Fifties-style illustra-tion of a man being slapped in the face, and an architectural sweatshirt bearing a flocked-velvet grizzly bear with a fish in its stomach. “We’ve been plugging away slow-ly, slowly and I think the collection now is in a much better place than it’s ever been. We’re now having a lot of commercial suc-cess, which we didn’t in the past. I feel now we’ve really identified the consumer,” said Newson, who, separately, is working on a range of office furniture for Knoll in the U.S.

With chinos and colored jeans long hog-ging the spotlight, denim exhibitors hailed the return of the blue jean. “This season there’s a return to indigo,” said Matthew Saam, J Brand’s men’s design director. The premium denim maker offered a glimpse into its future development at Pitti, where it launched a black leather biker jacket with slim sleeves and a firm body. “We’re not just a denim brand. We’re evolving into a fashion brand,” said Saam, who con-firmed the company is looking to make a push into men’s ready-to-wear with a full collection planned for “sometime in 2014.”

This and That From the Show

ner Interest at Pitti Uomo

G-Star Raw

Brunello Cucinelli

Salvatore Piccolo

FOR A LOOK AT MILAN INSPIRATIONS, SEE

WWD.com/menswear-news.

Men’s WeekMW8 WWD THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

by JEAN E. PALMIERI

You couLd hAvE heard a pin drop in the jam-packed Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel Tuesday night when Lanvin artistic director Alber Elbaz stepped up to the podium to accept the 50th anniversary Geoffrey Beene Fashion Impact Award at the 2013 YMA FSF Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship Awards dinner.

Elbaz proceeded to mesmerize the crowd, which numbered more than 900, with reminis-cences of the seven years he spent working for Beene at his design studio in New York city.

he started by relating how he “tried for three years to get an interview with Mr. Beene,” but was put off time and time again, being told: “honey, we don’t have an opening.” That rejection also resulted in a lifelong friendship with Beene’s telephone

operator. “her name is Joyce and she’s here tonight,” he said, prompting sighs of “ahh,” and applause. But thanks to an introduc-tion by former Bergdorf Goodman executive dawn Mello, Elbaz was finally introduced to Beene and managed to snag “the job of my life. It was a dream that came true,” he said.

Like many dreams, the reality was some-what different. Elbaz said when he reported to work the first day, there was “no place for me in the office or in the studio.” ultimately, he was put in a dressing room with a coffee table as a desk. “I sat there sketching for a week and no one even said hi to me,” he said. he was also told that those sketches “‘were not very Geoffrey Beene.’ I cried and I wait-ed to be fired,” he said. But Beene, who was out getting cataract surgery during Elbaz’s first week, came to the rescue when he re-turned. “he saw my work and said to give it to

charlie, his head of atelier, which is the first time that had ever been done. It was a huge honor.”

It also opened up what he called a “speechless dialogue” between the two men, one where words were not spoken but the message was clear. “I would do a sketch, leave it on his desk, he would res-ketch it,” etc. “I was like a little dog waiting for his master.”

Following his speech, Elbaz told WWd that the recollections he shared were personal because “they had to be personal. We had a very special rela-tionship and some very beautiful moments together. Everything I know, he taught me. It was a very good school and like a home away from home. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve worked with Mr. Beene and Mr. Saint Laurent, the very best.” When asked what Beene would have thought of Elbaz’s ascent in the fashion world, he thought for a moment and said: “I

think he would have been very happy, proud and content.”

The evening also honored retired Pvh corp. president Allen Sirkin with the Lifetime Achievement award, and Michael Balmuth, chief execu-tive officer of Ross Stores, who was presented with the Retailer of the Year award. It raised $1.9 million to support YMA’s schol-arship, mentoring and intern-ship programs, making it the

second-most successful dinner in the orga-nization’s 76-year history and celebrated the 125 college students from around the country who received $5,000 scholarships from YMA. The evening also included the presentation of four $30,000 Geoffrey Beene National Scholarships and another four $10,000 runner-up scholarships to students who had lobbied for the money by creating a variety of pop-up shops.

by LuISA ZARGANI

MILAN — Lapo Elkann, founder of Italia Independent, is hoping to develop the brand globally and is considering either a public offering or selling a stake to a “foreign group or individual,” he revealed during an inter-view in his spacious office here, filled with personal memorabilia, palm trees and Fiat 500-inspired seats and tables.

“To sustain growth and international ex-pansion, I am looking at the AIM [Alternative Market of capital] segment of the Milan Stock Exchange, which would allow the brand to either list in Milan or in London, or to sell a part of the holding to a foreign investor. I don’t want to ever be indebted. There are good possibilities on both fronts, and I will make a decision this year,” said Elkann, who also founded the Independent Ideas cre-ative agency, both under parent company LA holding SpA. “I have been in contact with banks for the past year but, at this moment, they are not supporting small and medium-sized firms in the medium and long period.”

The group is a minority shareholder in denim brand care Label and in music cre-ative factory Sound Identity, and has a 50 percent stake in I-Spirit vodka.

Last year, the company reported sales of 15 million euros, or $19.2 million at average exchange, and it has plans to hit 30 million euros, or $39.3 million at current exchange,

by 2015. There are six Italia Independent stores and 40 shops-in-shop in Italy and the brand is carried in 40 countries outside Italy. Last year, the company opened subsidiar-ies in France, Spain, Germany, Japan and the Middle East, and Elkann plans to open branches in hong Kong and in South America “soon,” he said. Italia Independent, which of-fers men’s apparel, also counts collaborations with luxury vertu phones; Borsalino; Smeg kitchen appliances, and Ferrari for a tailor-made service, among others.

“We are growing on all fronts and our goal is to grow more,” said Elkann, wearing a light green T-shirt and green jeans, tanned and well toned after a vacation in uruguay. “It is important to keep raising the bar and to have big goals,” he said, pointing to his aspiration to compete with brands such as Ray-Ban with Italia Independent glasses. Eyewear remains a key focus for Elkann, who highlighted the brand’s offer of 200,000 customized variations of five models.

The young entrepreneur praised his team for helping him develop the brand and tout-ed the potential of being part of a big group. “From my point of view, a single person in charge of all relevant positions within a com-pany is a mistake — even though there are some relevant examples and I tip my hat off to them, but this is not the future,” he said.

Elkann, who is an heir to Fiat’s Agnelli family, said he felt it is time to “shake things

up in Italy.” his first book, “Le regole del mio stile” (“The rules of my style”), hit bookstores after christmas and through its 192 pages, all in color, Elkann, known for his stylish and sometimes quirky approach to fash-ion, offers his vision and advice on the subject. The book also provides insight into Elkann’s life, his globe-trotting, women (his rela-tionship with vionnet owner Goga Ashkenazi recently ended), his passion for soc-cer (his beloved Juventus team) and cars, and the in-dividuals he’s met and been influenced by, from henry Kissinger, the clintons and Shimon Peres to his aunt, diane von Furstenberg.

“This is not an autobiography; at 35 it would be arrogant, I am no sports cham-pion, didn’t win a Nobel Prize or an oscar,” he said, noting that he hoped to appeal to a diverse readership, men and women alike. “I don’t want to teach or determine what should be done. The book is not only about style in clothing, but it’s about beauty. Beauty is Italy’s and Europe’s strength and we should go back to that to relaunch the

country, whose image has deteriorated over the past 20, 30 years,” said Elkann, a staunch supporter of Made in Italy. he urged his peers to show a united front, with a clear vision and innovative creativity.

“I was less interested in politics before, but now, in this economic world context, you can-not not look at politics. I am an entrepreneur and there are families and individuals that work with me. I am a share-holder in one of the big-gest companies in Italy [Fiat], a proud Italian citizen and I realize how

Italy is perceived abroad. Italy needs changes, new laws, new struc-tures and a new organization,” he said, while dismissing any idea of a more active role in politics. “It’s not all bad, and we should highlight what we have and show a united front. French and German entrepreneurs do it, and young people are more supported abroad. our youngest designers here are 50, there is a fear of competition, but to compete is a way to grow.”

Isaia to Offer New Collection

The coach of the national champion University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team seems to be channeling a look from the Eighties hit movie “Working Girl” with his light-colored suit and pastel furnishings. However, with the hint of a tan and the manly receding hairline, he strangely can pull it off.

Nick SabaN: b-Man ofTHE WEEK

The windowpane pattern with the subtle pink stripe is too matchy-matchy with the pink shirt, but on its own it’s an elegant print.

a collagen-infused mask would help reduce the puffiness and deep wrinkles.

He may have filled out the jacket back in the Eighties, but now he should opt for a much slimmer silhouette.

Too much pink. a flat white pocket square would be more contemporary.

The pants fit him correctly and are at least a more narrow cut compared with the billowy blazer.

The shirt and tie combination works great; however, with the rest of the pink accents, it proves a bit too much. a simple burgundy striped tie would have been a better choice.

ISAIA IS launching a new label.The luxury men’s brand said it will introduce Eidos, a younger-skewed and lower-priced tai-lored clothing and furnishings collection, for fall 2013. Eidos will be designed by Antonio K. ciongoli, who has joined the company as creative direc-tor. For two years, ciongoli has been deputy creative director for Michael Bastian’s designer collection as well as the Gant by Michael Bastian line.

James Shay, president of u.S. and South America for Isaia, said: “We think Antonio is fan-tastic and we’re very excited he’s going to be joining our team.”

he stressed that Eidos will be a “standalone” collection that will be shown independently of the company’s flagship Isaia brand. Although Isaia is showing at Pitti uomo in Florence, Eidos will not be unveiled until it is shown to retailers at the com-pany’s offices in New York city beginning next week.

Shay characterized Eidos as a “Neopolitan-inspired col-lection” that is being produced in a “more approachable way.” Price points for the clothing,

which will be manufactured in Italy with full canvas construc-tion, will be $1,595 to $1,795, about half the price of an Isaia suit, which retails for begin-ning around $3,000. Shirts and ties, which will also be pro-duced in Italy, will retail for $245 to $275 and $150 respec-tively, he added.

Plans call for expanding Eidos to a full lifestyle collection by 2014, Shay said.

Shay said the initial offering from the brand will be targeted to “a handful of specialty stores” and the company will also have discussions with some larger high-end stores such as Barneys New York. “We will show it to our existing Isaia partners and then decide where it will be placed,” he said.

The name Eidos is based on the Greek word meaning “form” and the Italian word meaning “idol.” The logo for the collec-tion depicts the chariot allego-ry from Plato’s Phaedrus. Shay said it is a name that Isaia had used about a decade ago but the collection was only offered in Europe.

— J.E.P.

Elkann Mulling IPO for Italia Independent

The tasseled embellished shoe with the stumpy toe cap is one of the most annoying shoes out there. Go for a more modern style.

The cover of “Le regole del mio stile.”

Elbaz Honored at YMA Dinner

Alber Elbaz

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