s s EYE: Designer parties in New York, page 12. FiNANciAl: American Apparel earnings fall, firm’s covenants eased, page 14. s NEWS: Avon buys Liz Earle brand in the U.K., page 10. s BEAUTY: Apparel retailers rush into beauty, page 6. WWDFRIDay Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • March 26, 2010 • $3.00 Beauty New Wave Giorgio Armani drew inspiration from the seductive power of the sea with Acqua di Gioia, his newest scent for women. Set for a June launch, the fragrance will be available in about 2,200 U.S. doors and could do as much as $100 million at retail globally. For more, see page 4. ExclUSivE Photo by GeorGe Chinsee; styled by lexie Moreland Building Toward Launch: Tom Ford in Key Hires For Women’s Collection By Miles Socha PARIS — Tom Ford women’s wear is getting closer to reality, despite a hush-hush approach uncharacteristic for a designer known for his marketing razzle-dazzle and celebrity appeal. According to sources, Ford is quietly assembling his design team, having recently tapped Caroline Tixier, a women’s ready-to-wear designer at Givenchy, and Pablo Coppola, an accessories designer at Alexander McQueen. Asked about the hires, a Tom Ford spokeswoman had no comment Thursday. Domenico De Sole, Ford’s longtime business partner, also declined comment. Speculation in Europe is mounting that Ford is plotting a fall 2011 launch for See Ford, Page 13 10 WWD, FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2010 The HBA Report Avon Acquires Liz Earle Skin Care By Brid Costello LONDON — avon Products inc. has acquired liz earle Beauty co., which manufactures the liz earle naturally active skincare brand. the acquisition moves the avon company into more channels, including television shopping and a limited network of retail stores. the purchase of liz earle might not have a large financial impact for the $10 billion directselling giant, but it has significant implications. “it sounds like avon is opening its mind to other avenues, including new geographies and pricing,” said caris & co. analyst linda Bolton Weiser. she said the company named acquisitions as its first priority over the existing share repurchasing program. the last brand avon acquired was discovery toys in 1997, which it later sold. avon said the all-cash deal for 100 percent of the company would not have a material impact on its earnings. other terms of the deal were not disclosed. liz earle will operate as a freestanding brand based in ryde, on the U.k.’s isle of Wight, with its founders liz earle and kim Buckland at its helm, according to statements issued by the companies. “We are delighted to welcome liz earle naturally active skincare to avon, and we see this new partnership as a perfect fit for both companies,” stated andrea Jung, avon’s chairman and chief executive officer. “liz earle’s tightly edited range of award-winning, Items from Liz naturally active skin care products Earle Naturally is highly complementary to avon’s Active Skincare. antiaging skin care and broader beauty portfolio. it also represents a long-term opportunity to develop a stand-alone liz earle direct selling representative channel.” as reported in June of last year, earle and Buckland tapped financial advisory firm Baylor klein to explore investment options. at the time, Buckland said the goal was to find a partner that could “add value” and noted the brand needed help with its distribution. the 15-year-old company is believed to have generated roughly $60 million to $100 million in sales in 2009, according to industry sources. liz earle naturally active skincare’s lineup runs the gamut from foot scrub to fragrance. the brand is particularly known for its cleanse & Polish hot cloth cleanser, which retails in the U.s. at $40 for a 6.7-oz. tube. other products include the superskin line, which includes superskin moisturiser. “We are very excited to be joining forces with an iconic global beauty brand like avon,” stated earle, a former beauty journalist who has written 30 books on beauty, health and lifestyle. “We believe the liz earle naturally active skincare philosophy and extraordinary brand loyalty we have built in the U.k., when combined with avon’s presence in more than 100 countries around the world, will create an outstanding opportunity for international expansion for our company.” the brand is sold via mail order, online, QVc and in stores, including studio Beautymix in the U.s. and John lewis in the U.k. it also has a boutique with treatment rooms located close to london’s storied king’s road as well as a door on the isle of Wight. avon’s last stab at retail was called Becoming, sold in J.c. Penney, but the direct seller abandoned the effort in 2003. — With contributions from M.P., New York SNIPPETS NICOLE NAILS MASS: OPI Products Inc.’s mass line, Nicole by OPI, is gaining momentum. A little more than a year after its launch, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI executive vice president and artistic director, said the brand this month expanded its presence in Target by around 50 percent and in Wal-Mart by around 100 percent. For the first time this spring, WeissFischmann created 14 exclusive Nicole by OPI shades for Wal-Mart and 12 exclusive Nicole by OPI shades for Target. “Wal-Mart and Target want to make it an experience in their beauty sections,” said Weiss-Fischmann of the rationale behind the exclusive shades. “They want shoppers to stay there and really look for something.” At both retailers, Nicole by OPI is priced at $7.99 per polish. KINERASE DIRECT: After three rounds of testing, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International-owned skin care brand, Kinerase, is planning to officially launch an infomercial centered on C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment next month. According to Kinerase product manager Kelcy Heringer, the two-minute and 60-second spots produced by Caudill & Associates Inc. are intended to draw customers that might pass on C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment’s $98 retail price with a 30-day trial offer for $15. She emphasized the infomercials, which mention that C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment is a bestseller at Sephora, are expected to drive traffic to stores, where Kinerase is working to help customers understand the brand better by segmenting it into categories that include pigment and wrinkle control. To piggyback on the infomercial campaign for C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment, Kinerase will also release a new eye product for $68 called C8 Peptide Under Eye Treatment in June at Sephora. WWD.COM Killing Wrinkles With Kindness By Molly Prior Wrinkled foreheads don’t scream kindness, apparently. allergan inc., the maker of Botox cosmetic, launched its philanthropic effort, my expressions of kindness, with a panel discussion tuesday, where the topic veered from the good deeds of three charitable organizations to certain panelists’ efforts to eradicate their “elevens,” insider speak for smoothing frown lines between the brows with an injection of Botox. Panel moderator and celebrity journalist laurin sydney told of the time George clooney approached her after an interview to ask, “Why don’t you believe me.…i always give it to you straight,” she recounted, adding her frown lines had inadvertently given the oscar-winning actor the wrong impression. enter Botox. “now, every time i bump into mr. clooney he knows i believe him.” television personality didiayer snyder, who serves as a Botox brand Didiayer Snyder, Dress and campaign ambassador, for Success’ Joi Gordon, told the gathering of jourChildren’s Action Network’s nalists she decided to seek Jennifer Perry and Tom out Botox after a director Darden of Make It Right. asked her, “are you feeling ok?” the cheerful snyder said her face looked angry and did not reflect how she felt inside. “for me to be kind to myself was to take care of my elevens.” one reporter found it nearly impossible to refrain from staring at the foreheads of the hosts and attendees, each of whom were offered free Botox on the spot. to support the fund-raising effort for my expressions of kindness, people can visit expresskindnesscampaign.com, where they will be asked to complete a profile, detailing kind gestures the respondents have recently experienced. Participants are asked either when the last time they used Botox or if they are considering having a treatment. Upon completion, users can direct a $25 donation from allergan to one of the three participating organizations, namely make it right, which builds eco-conscious and safe homes in new orleans lower ninth Ward; dress for success, which provides disadvantaged women with career tools or children’s action network, which supports and finds homes for foster children. for every person that links their profile to facebook or twitter, allergan will make an additional $5 donation in its aim to raise $250 million, which will be distributed across the three charities. the campaign runs through June. MORE SMILES: Go Smile has entered into a partnership with brand management group Lantz-a-Lot Inc. to help boost sellthrough at retailers that carry the tooth-whitening brand. Nada Lantz Krasnow, owner of Lantz-a-Lot, plans to focus on stores in Go Smile’s top 12 markets, which account for 60 to 70 percent of the brand’s business. “The retailers get that this is viable, and there is room for it,” said Lantz Krasnow of toothwhitening products. “The biggest challenge we have in the whitening category in prestige [beauty] is that they don’t really yet have the language for it at the store.” Go Smile is in around 700 doors, including Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta and Saks Fifth Avenue. The brand, which is owned by private equity firm JH Partners, is also developing an infomercial that could launch as early as this year. President and chief executive officer, Leslie Faust, said she anticipated that Go Smile would record double-digit growth for 2010. “We have huge expectations,” said Lantz Krasnow. WEST SIDE STORE: Sephora will open a 5,602-square-foot store at 97th Street and Columbus Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The doors are scheduled to open on April 16, according to the company, adding that a total of 13,000 products will be stocked and 200 brands featured. Kinerase C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment PROFILER: London-based luxury fragrance house Ormonde Jayne has introduced a “perfume portrait” service, which is meant to help the brand’s clients find their perfect scent. The system works around a fragrance organ, which comprises ceramic blotters doused in raw ingredients and finished scents. The service is available in Harrods, where Ormonde Jayne was recently introduced. It will also bow in the brand’s Royal Arcade boutique starting in mid-April. THE BREAKFAST CLUB: Percy & Reed has both croissants and coifs on its menu. The London-based hair salon launched a Breakfast Blowdry Club earlier this month, meant to be a time-saving service that allows its clients to snack as they’re styled. People can preorder their breakfast from a menu online. The service is priced from 25 pounds to 55 pounds, or $38 to $83 at current exchange. TIME FOR TAN: Lee Stafford is branching out into bronzing. The London-based hairstylist is this month introducing Fake My T@n, a line of eight sunless tanning products, into Boots stores in the U.K. “I’ve always liked a sun-kissed look,” said Stafford, who has a number of eponymous salons. “I felt there was a gap in the market for something that you can spray on and wash off.” The line comprises Magic Potion Tanning Lotion in matte and shimmer versions, Brown My Bits Tanning Spritz and Just One Use Tanning Mousse. Each product comes in both light-to-medium and dark versions. Prices range from $13.54 for a 150-ml. bottle of Tanning Spritz to $15 for a 150-ml. bottle of Tanning Mousse. BODY OF WORK: Illamasqua, the London-based makeup brand designed to help people unleash their alter egos via color cosmetics, will add body products to its lineup in April. They include two shades of Illumine Oils, tinted shimmering dry body oils that are priced at 32 pounds, or $48.20 at current exchange, for a 100-ml. bottle, and Gleam Cream, which may be used as a face-and-body highlighter, that will retail for 22.50 pounds, or $33.90, for a 36-g. tube. BUMPS AWAY: Satin Smooth, a professional depilatory product maker, is launching Res-Q Ingrown Hair Treatment Mousse and Advanced Ingrown Hair Treatment Pads, both meant to treat ingrown hair, razor burns, bumps and skin irritation resulting from waxing, shaving, electrolysis and laser hair removal. The mousse will sell for $11.99 and the pads will sell for $14.99, beginning in May. Combined, the items could generate as much as $1 million in first-year sales.