1. style and fashion

COMING
CLEAN
BEACH
BOY
MICHAEL KORS
HEADED SOUTH
FOR AN EVENT
IN PALM BEACH.
PAGE 10
WWD
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY
Rare
Avis
Genuine fashion
has been on the
endangered
COLLECTIONS
species list
this season. A
rare sighting
FALL 2015
came at
Givenchy,
where Riccardo
Tisci drew from a
pair of disparate influences
— Victoriana and the
aggressive flamboyance of
Latin American chola girl
style — for a collection that
was an exquisite expression
of moody chic. Here, his
peacock print beauty.
For more from the shows,
see pages 4 to 7.
PARIS
PHOTO BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI
VANESSA’S
VIEW
THE NATIONAL RESOURCE
DEFENSE COUNCIL’S CLEAN
BY DESIGN PROGRAM IS
EXPANDING. PAGE 9
VANESSA SEWARD GETS
SET TO UNVEIL THE FIRST
COLLECTION UNDER HER
OWN NAME. PAGE 12
BIDS $22.4 BILLION
A Megadeal for Malls:
Simon Chases Macerich
By DAVID MOIN
SIMON SAYS it wants Macerich for $22.4 billion —
but Macerich says not so fast.
“They are a long, long way from a deal,” said one
developer, who requested anonymity. “Nothing is
going to happen unless the Macerich board believes
it’s a compelling situation and there’s nothing compelling with what’s being offered now.”
“They are going to fight it. They are going to fight
it hard and may even call the FTC [Federal Trade
Commission] to get into it,” said retail analyst Walter Loeb.
On Monday, the Simon Property Group got a cool
response from Macerich Co. in response to a letter from chairman and chief executive officer David
Simon offering to buy Macerich for $91 a share in cash
and stock. Macerich advised its shareholders to take
no action at this time and stated that its board will review the proposal with its financial and legal advisers,
which could be code for formulating a defense strategy.
Macerich and Simon officials were not available
to comment.
Simon, based in Indianapolis, and Macerich, based
in Santa Monica, are the largest and third largest mall
companies in the U.S., respectively. If Simon prevails
in its takeover attempt, the combined company would
create a property juggernaut with nearly 290 properties with 243 million square feet, including some the
biggest and healthiest shopping centers in the country.
At Simon properties, sales per square foot rose to $619
last year, versus $582 in 2013. The occupancy rate rose
to 97.1 percent from 96.1 percent. Macerich reported
$587 in sales per square foot in 2014 versus $562 the
year before. The occupancy rate was 94.4 percent last
year, compared to 94.6 percent in 2013.
The total value of the proposed transaction is $22.4 billion, including the assumption of
Macerich’s $6.4 billion of debt. Macerich shareholders would receive 50 percent cash and 50 percent
SEE PAGE 8
Apple Watch Lines Up
Fashion Retail World
By KARI HAMANAKA and MILES SOCHA
SAN FRANCISCO — The Apple Watch is here at last
— and the fashion retail world is getting firmly behind it.
The company unveiled details of the long-awaited
— and much-hyped — smartwatch, its first new product since the release of the iPad five years ago and its
first true fashion item, at a media event here Monday
that also included a slew of other product announcements, apps and an update on retail growth in China.
The mere revelation in the fall that Apple was planning to enter the category sent other watch brands
scurrying to compete and could prove the catalyst
that the yet-to-take-off wearables sector needs.
None of that will be clear until after April 10,
when the watch is available for preorder. It begins
shipping April 24 to select countries, including the
U.S., U.K., France, Japan, Australia and Canada.
While the initial frenzy over the device is likely to
be immense, the question remains whether it will be
seen as a tech product, a fashion one — or both.
“I’m not predicting [sales numbers] today, but I’m
really confident,” Apple chief executive officer Tim
Cook said as he walked past reporters out of the company’s demo area following the media presentation.
Apple Watch will be available to preview at
Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo and
Selfridges in London on April 10. It is understood
those doors will host shop-in-shops in high-visibility
locations custom-designed to support high service
SEE PAGE 12
WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
WWD.COM
Bangladesh Factories Get Funds
By KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON — The Alliance for Bangladesh
Worker Safety said it has reached a breakthrough
in providing affordable financing to hundreds of
its garment factories in Bangladesh that are undergoing extensive remediation to comply with
new fire, building and electrical standards.
“Our goal is to create a credit facility of $20
million to $35 million via five local banks,” the
Alliance said in an 18-month progress report released Monday.
The Alliance, which includes Wal-Mart Stores
Inc., Gap Inc., VF Corp. and Target Corp., said
it will work in partnership with international fi nance institutions to provide fi nancing to
Alliance factories through the new credit facility. To “encourage” the banks to provide loans
’’
’’
Our goal is to create a credit
facility of $20 million to $35
million via five local banks.
— ALLIANCE FOR BANGLADESH
WORKER SAFETY
to member factories, the Alliance said it will
provide technical assistance to the financing organizations on remediation progress and cover
administrative and start-up costs and up to $2
million in a “first-loss guarantee.”
“Although this facility is still in the start-up
phase, it represents an important breakthrough
in providing access to affordable financing,” the
Alliance said.
The proposed financing comes at a pivotal
time for the group, one of two industry initiatives
launched in the aftermath of two factory tragedies
that claimed the lives of more than 1,240 people
and cast a global spotlight on Bangladesh’s garment industry. Remediation of the factories and
training is a massive undertaking. One official
at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association put the price tag of remediation at about $3 billion for about 1,000 factories
that will be required to relocate.
In its updated progress report on Monday,
the Alliance said it has nearly tripled its staff to
address remediation challenges and efforts in
Bangladesh after completing the inspection of 587
factories used by its member companies in July.
The Alliance said four of its members have
launched their own supplier financing arrangements, while low-cost remediation loans have
been issued to an initial group of suppliers.
Suppliers not covered by bilateral financing programs will have access to the new credit facility
that was announced.
On the remediation front, the Alliance said it
has conducted more than 100 verification visits
to factories and approved nearly 300 corrective
action plans to the factories where its members
source. It also said 10 percent of the factories
will undergo final inspections by July 9 and expects to complete 100 percent of fi nal inspections by July 2017.
To date, the Alliance has brought 19 “immediate risk” cases to a Bangladesh government-established review panel that determines whether
a factory should be closed or continue operating under reduced capacity. The panel has fully
closed five of those factories, partially closed 12
factories and allowed two to operate with reduced
loads. It has also trained more than 1.2 million
workers for fire safety, and it will review training
for new and existing workers with a target date of
rolling out new review training programs by July.
Security guard training is also slated to be completed by July.
The alliance also said it expects 100 percent of
all factories to be trained on a worker help line,
where workers report problems and imminent
risks, by July 2016. To date, more than 500,000
workers in more than 300 factories have access to
the help line.
Another commitment involves teaming in a
project with the ILO to pilot Occupational Safety
and Health Committees in 10 factories by June.
Ellen Tauscher, independent chair of the
Alliance, said despite the progress, “The Alliance
is concerned that our efforts have been slowed
during the current violence, turmoil and uncertainty in Bangladesh. We call upon all parties
who are committed to a vibrant and successful
Bangladesh to resolve differences through dialogue rather than violence….We are committed to
meeting our ambitious goals and will continue to
do our part to protect workers, upgrade factories
and help build a sustainable and safe ready-made
garment sector.”
Urban Outfitters Q4 Sales Rise 12%
By SHARON EDELSON
URBAN OUTFITTERS INC. is beginning to see
some positive signs in its namesake business.
But the retailer still has work to do. Fourthquarter net income declined 9 percent to $80 million from $88 million in the 2014 quarter, and 18
percent to $232 million for the year ending Jan. 15,
compared with $282 million in 2014.
Earnings per diluted share were 60 cents in the
fourth quarter, beating analysts estimates of 58 cents
a diluted share. EPS for the year came in at $1.68.
Fourth-quarter sales rose to $1.01 billion, a
12 percent increase over the prior-year period.
For the year, total company net sales increased 8
percent to a record $3.3 billion from $3.08 billion
in 2014. Comparable retail segment net sales advanced 2 percent and wholesale segment net sales
increased 27 percent in the fourth quarter.
By business, comparable retail segment net
sales increased 18 percent at Free People, 6 percent at Anthropologie Group and 4 percent at
Urban Outfitters, while wholesale segment net
sales rose 21 percent.
Richard Hayne, chairman and chief executive officer of Urban Outfitters Inc., said double-digit sales
gains in Web and mobile full-priced selling contributed to a strong start to fiscal 2016. But consumer demand has shifted from higher to lower-margin categories, so to continue operating at profitable levels,
the business must avoid excessive markdowns.
The Urban Outfitters brand reported a 10 percent
gain in net sales to $438.4 million in the fourth quarter from $398 million in last year’s fourth quarter. For
the year, the division logged a 1.47 percent increase
in sales to $1.38 billion, from $1.36 billion in 2014.
“The Urban brand is in a much better position
than this time last year,” said Tedford Marlow, ceo
of Urban Outfitters Group. “We’re still a work in
progress. We’re beginning to see the fruits of our
labor. We realized quarter-to-quarter improvement,
culminating in positive comp performance in the
fourth quarter. While it’s true that our comparisons
were easier in the back half of the year than the
front half, we have seen improving rhythm. I have
cautious optimism for 2016, versus a high level of
concern at this time last year.”
The poor performance of the Urban brand in the
third quarter was the primary reason for the company’s gross profit rate decline of 295 basis points
in the three months ending Oct. 31 and 233 basis
points in the nine months ending Oct. 31, driven
by Urban’s lower initial merchandise markup followed by higher markdowns.
Elsewhere, “Free People delivered another excellent quarter,” Hayne said, adding that the division posted record fourth-quarter results, double-digit sales gains and record operating profits
with wholesale revenue growth 21 percent ahead.
Free People’s newest category introduction, footwear, gained significant traction, with Nordstrom,
Bloomingdale’s, Galeries Lafayette, Isetan and the
Bay among the retailers selling the product.
Anthropologie also posted record sales and profits, according to Hayne, with 14 “highly profitable”
new stores generating strong consumer demand.
BHLDN, an Anthropologie Group brand, “had
a breakout quarter and year in each of its distribution channels with double-digit sales gains,”
Hayne said. A BHLDN shop-in-shop is slated
to open in Atlanta and a pop-up shop will be unveiled in London on Kings Road. “The power of the
Anthropologie brand is a testament to the multicategory strategy,” Hayne said, adding that the division is focused on expanding its home business.
Anthropologie dropped a home-only catalogue last
year and has several planned for 2015.
THE BRIEFING BOX
IN TODAY’S WWD
They Are Wearing:
Paris Fashion Week.
For more, see
WWD.com.
PHOTO BY KUBA DABROWSKI
2
The Simon Property Group got a cool response from the
Macerich Co. in response to a letter offering to buy Macerich for
$91 per share in cash and stock. PAGE 1
The Apple Watch was revealed at a media event Monday that
also included a slew of other product announcements, apps
and an update on retail growth in China. PAGE 1
The National Resources Defense Council’s Clean by Design
program is causing an evolution in textile manufacturing, fabric
dyeing and finishing. PAGE 9
The Kooples is slated to open its fifth American boutique on
SoHo’s Mercer Street on March 22, its second store in New
York. PAGE 9
At a Sunday night screening of “Cinderella,” Lily James, the
actress playing the title role, was gushing and gushing about
her leading man, Richard Madden. PAGE 10
Citizens of Humanity has acquired a made-in-Japan men’s
line called Fabric-Brand and renewed its focus on niche
women’s label Goldsign. PAGE 11
Jamie Bill has been named executive director of Condé
Nast Global Development, a new post similar to the one Gina
Sanders held until earlier this year. PAGE 11
Bally plans to tap into the leather crafting skills of sister firm
Zagliani, taking over the latter’s renowned Milan atelier to boost
its own production of high-end bags and accessories. PAGE 11
Camuto Group has made several key leadership changes
following the death of Vince Camuto, founder, chief creative
officer and chief executive officer. PAGE 12
Vanessa Seward went for a decidedly retro-inspired mood for
the first ready-to-wear collection designed under her own name,
slated to launch today. PAGE 12
ON WWD.COM
PARIS TAW: Statement outerwear was the predominant
fashion story in Paris as brisk temperatures hit the fashion
capital. For more, see WWD.com.
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WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
Paris Collections
Fall 2015
Givenchy: Riccardo Tisci’s
soft-spoken manner belies
a tenacity of will and vision.
He finds inspiration in often
gritty stimuli and if such
triggers controversy, so be it.
Enter his fall chola girl, whose
“aggressive aesthetics” cited in
his program notes provided half
of a culture clash created in
juxtaposition with elements of
moody Victoriana.
Through a seedy,
meandering set cluttered with
arcade games and motorcycle
helmets, the models walked,
their hair in tight, braided
loops with exaggerated curls
plastered onto cheeks and
foreheads, framing facial
jewelry that replicated
piercings and tattoos. They
looked beautiful and fierce.
One of the great things
about fashion is that it can be
(should be) gloriously resistant
to accuracy; in the mind, the
Latin toreador and Victorian
gentleman have little in
common. But on Tisci’s runway,
short, trim jackets over sleek
pants transitioned seamlessly
to tailcoats, some with peplums
or double cutaways; some piped
in un-Brit scarlet. The superb
tailoring was sensual but seldom
arch, with considerable diversity
within the sphere. For example,
while most jackets veered sleek,
a pair of jeweled stunners
featured dropped shoulders and
short, cocoon-like sleeves.
Lovely dresses came mostly
in velvets — cut, printed,
crushed — some corseted,
some almost medieval in their
fluid lines and Byzantine
palette. One loose-fitting
outlier: a sapphire gem with
openwork bodice and full,
rounded sleeves. Tisci also
showed a peacock print, no
doubt a deliberate choice
representative of both
dandyism and street cred.
Backstage, Tisci’s pal Kanye
West proclaimed it “the best f-king show!” Though perhaps a
more raw appraisal than might
first come to mind, in expletive
veritas. It was fabulous.
Whether cultural critics
deem it so remains to be seen.
If some in the Latin American
community take umbrage at
what they consider opportunistic
invocation of a particular, hard
element of Latin culture, who
is any of us on the outside to
tell them they’re wrong? If I’m
insulted, hearing that something
wowed the fashion crowd is
not a plus. But fashion has
always looked to other cultures,
sometimes marginalized
cultures (Saint Laurent’s
gypsies), not only for inspiration
but for context. Trivializing
a culture in the interest of
delivering a nifty frock isn’t
a good thing. That doesn’t
make dealing with challenging
issues in a creative context —
something once considered an
essential role of fashion — a bad
thing.
— BRIDGET FOLEY
Saint Laurent: Over the past
several years, a new template
has emerged in fashion. While
not the only major house
template, it’s becoming the
dominant one. This template
is marketing-driven, with
genuine fashion secondary (at
best) to broad-based stylistic
accessibility and a cool image.
Nowhere has this template
Givenchy
been put into effect more
efficiently or with greater
immediate success than at Saint
Laurent during Hedi Slimane’s
still-brief creative tenure,
which, from the standpoints
of marketing and bottom line,
must be considered brilliant.
Slimane has orchestrated
the explosion of what is
essentially a red-hot-highticket-item business around
an image of familiar-looking
disaffected youth. His shows
are variations on a theme:
elaborate, electronic-gadget set;
retro bad girls, too-cool-for-you
music; clothes you remember
from high school, whether your
own stint or somebody else’s.
Here, the retro pilfered
more recent turf than some of
Slimane’s prior outings, more
Nineties than usual, on girls
who, in their black-crayon eye
makeup and unimaginatively
ripped fishnets, ranged in type
from wayward street urchin to
hooker. Yet, whether a function
of upgraded clothes or fashion’s
old “the eye adjusts” truism,
they played as less irritating
than in the past. And some of
their clothes impressed.
The girls walked to a
version of a song called “Pretty
Boy,” done for the show by
The Felines. You’ve got the
title, you’ve pretty much got
the lyrics and an obvious
connection, intentional or
otherwise, to the looks on the
runway, as Slimane reprised
for women the skinny men’s
wear on which he made his
reputation. Some of the pants
will fly out of the stores;
others were too tawdry for the
tackiest ladies of whichever
“Real Housewives” franchise
is tackiest. While one hopes,
perhaps against hope, that the
slick floozy dresses remain
a runway-only wink-wink,
other items should do huge
business, specifically, the coats
and jackets. Slimane made a
big, merchy show of them —
mannish overcoats, blazers,
motorcycle jackets — some
good, some great wardrobe-core
basics, and one, a fun over-thetop intarsia fur.
But do good, basic pants, even
the best basic pants, and a spiffy
topper, belong on the runway?
That topic — the decline of
fashion expectation on the
runway — has been fodder
for significant conversation
throughout the season, yet no
one anticipates a sea change
anytime soon. Once upon a time,
a designer put such basics on the
runway in the context of a larger
piece of sartorial storytelling.
With two days left to go in the
fall season, more often than not,
the story has been, here’s the
merch; we hope it sells. At Saint
Laurent, if recent history is an
indicator, the merch should sell
like crazy.
— B.F.
Stella McCartney: For fall, Stella
McCartney entered the season’s
discussion about pragmatic
sensuality, especially as it
applies to day clothes. There
was a sense of exhale, of letting
go, of examining whether a
woman can reveal her sensual
side, embracing innate rather
than pat ease while still
dressing in ways that work.
McCartney’s conclusion: a
resounding yes. An engaging
sophistication permeated the
Saint Laurent
FOR MORE IMAGES, SEE
WWD.com/
runway.
collection in which she both
pushed and relaxed her specific
parameters of femininemasculine plays and deftly
manipulated classics. Thickknit sweater dresses worked on
a slant and half open at the side
over languid underpinnings
bared an arm, a shoulder, a
glimpse of leg. Bustiers in
lightweight wools delivered
discreet allure, matching
trousers and long-sleeved shirts.
McCartney loves her Savile
Row references and here
delivered them with new
femininity. Even at her most
streamlined, she incorporated
ladylike flourish: charming
godets punctuating the hems
of cropped pants under a chic
belted coat; mannish tweeds
turned a shade gentle but
unfussy in coats and dresses
cut lean through the waist
before erupting into a swing
of handkerchief points. The
graceful ease continued for
evening as McCartney made
seemingly casual use of
lush metallic jacquards and
brocades, incorporating swirling
insets into ivory dresses for a
lovely, quietly sexy effect.
Lovelier still: her fab no-fur
furs. After much consideration,
McCartney introduced the idea
for pre-fall and continued it
here. The coats looked great
and indicated not a shift in her
thought process — she remains
vehemently antifur — but
WWD Tuesday, March 10, 2015 5
WWD.COM
Sonia Rykiel
Photos by Giovanni Giannoni
Stella McCartney
growth in her problem-solving
acumen. Her process is not
unlike those faced daily by her
constituency of working women,
which is why she relates so well
to their needs.
— B.F.
Sonia Rykiel: Julie de Libran
arrived at Sonia Rykiel last
spring with a firm handle — but
a light touch — on the personal
aspect of the brand. Sonia
Rykiel is not just a label, but a
woman with a shiny personality
that’s she passed down to her
daughter and granddaughter,
both still actively involved in
the business. It’s part of the
charm. De Libran has taken
great care to capture that
intimacy in her collections,
the clothes and the runway
atmosphere.
As with spring, the fall
show took place in the SaintGermain-des-Pres store, which
was transformed into a darling
literary cafe pop-up (two more
are planned for London and
Tokyo) filled with 50,000 books
with titles on visual arts and
erotica for the dressing rooms,
where mirrors encourage
self-discovery, as show notes
pointed out. The Rykiel muse
desires intellectual and visual
stimulation.
De Libran’s collection
delivered the latter by
referencing the looking glass.
“Mirrors never lie,” she said
during a preview. “You have the
reflection, and you get so much
light.” She turned the concept
literal on sassy silver leather
flared jeans, a grommeted
miniskirt and an apron dress
in silver and black snakeskin
stripes. On the reverse, loads
of rich, light-absorbing velvet
brought an attitude of depth
and mystery. Some of the best
looks came in deep navy, green
and brown velvet, such as a
printed jumpsuit and cape
ensemble and variations on
tabards worn over skinny pants.
Flashier than spring,
and not just because of the
theme, the collection included
gorgeously glam fur knits and
sequined knit dresses, both
done in stripes, that were not
so innocent. These were clothes
made for flirting, perhaps with
the cute boys on the runway
who wore new versions of the
classic Rykiel unisex striped
sweaters.
— JESSICA IREDALE
6
WWD Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Hermès: Perhaps there is no
more careful a custodian
of brand image in fashion
than Hermès. The house
is synonymous with and
defined by the highest level of
impeccable taste and classic
luxury that actually fits the
definition of “timeless,” a word
most overused in this industry.
Surely Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski
was fully briefed on the finer
points of the company values
when she accepted the position
of women’s creative director
last year. In fact, it seemed
like management drilled the
message into her.
“I wanted to go back to the
roots of the house, which is
saddle-making, and within
that, it’s all about expertise in
leather,” said Vanhee-Cybulski
after the show. “When you go
to a house like Hermès, you
have to work on leather. I
really wanted to pick up the
heritage, the ancestral tradition
and bring them along to a
contemporary woman.”
The runway displayed
all of what the house holds
sacred: Leather craftsmanship
flaunted on sparely cut riding
coats in blue/black lambskin
and slim, straight-leg pants
in vertical strips of different
leathers and suedes; the
iconic scarves retuned as a
silk sailor top and invertedpleat skirt, both in saturated
pimento red; equestrian
codes worked as navy blanket
coats with burgundy and light
blue stripes, and the pockets
on a coated quilted jacket
done in exaggerated saddle
shapes. The overall look was
minimal, with tradition guiding
everything to a tasteful place
on the luxury spectrum, where
decorum took the blue ribbon
and fashion was a distant
runner up.
The most enticing,
directional things in the lineup
were worn for the final look: An
ivory high-necked dress with
a shirtfront and a beautiful,
crafty necklace in rose gold,
diamonds, navy suede, and
orange, blue and yellow
sapphires, and the skinny belts
with a minimal, deconstructed
take on the “H” buckle. VanheeCybulski joined Hermès with
an impressive pedigree from
Céline and The Row, two labels
that take pride in minimalism
but do so audaciously. Now she
knows the Hermès rulebook.
Hopefully she’ll remember
some of what she learned
earlier in her career going
forward.
Hermès
Giambattista Valli
Sacai
COLLECTIONS
PARIS
FALL 2015
— JESSICA IREDALE
Giambattista Valli: The most
striking thing on Giambattista
Valli’s fall runway was not his
trippy floral treatments and
graphic motifs that brought
to mind midcentury interiors
deliberately clashed according
to the ugly/pretty formula of
bad taste gone good; it was the
plethora of pants. The majority
of the collection was shown
with flared trousers, lean and
elongated through the leg —
the silhouette Valli favors,
though he typically doesn’t
send it out in such numbers.
Change is good.
The designer known for
his PYT dresses seemed to be
diversifying, embracing the late
Sixties/early Seventies shapes
of his spring collection — shifts
and tunics over pants — with
increased vigor, putting the
focus purely on daywear, or at
least what qualifies as daywear
in fashion shows. The pants
had a great line. Too bad Valli
obscured it under shift dresses,
or extralong tunics depending
on one’s point of view.
Separately, the pants and
tops were done in simple,
wearable shapes, which the
designer went out of his way to
offset with psychedelic colors
— pink, acid green, black-andwhite splashed with graphic
red — and prints. Many of the
dresses had wavy embroidered
yokes or lavishly ruffled high
necklines and blouson sleeves
for a folkloric effect. At times
the jarring pattern plays and
exuberant decorations were
excessive, though that was the
point. Affixing a gold bird to the
collar of an embroidered shift
and matching pants in a pink,
green and black wallpaper
print, for example, was not a
gesture of understatement.
— J.I.
Sacai: Chitose Abe has proven
she’s not hemmed in by her
signature hybrid silhouettes.
If anything, it seems her
commitment to crossbreeding
multiple garments into one
has forced her to be more
experimental, that constant
quest to keep it fresh. It’s
an admirable quality in any
designer, even if some of the
experiments don’t result in
success.
For fall, Abe pushed a harder
line than in past collections,
particularly with the outerwear,
which was expertly constructed,
as always, but bulky. She
blended plain, utility-driven
masculine tailoring with
couture shapes, yielding volume
and rigidity. Oversize tailored
coats in hefty wool had stiff
funnel necks and exaggerated
sleeves trimmed in long, shaggy
fur. Some were detailed with
quilted inserts or aggressive
moto-leather trim that
progressed into more elaborate
colorblocking on ivory and navy
leather and fur coats.
The finale was a series
of parkas trimmed in linear
patterns of red, blue and
brown fur.
The styles were impressive
yet imposing, apparently
built to withstand the most
extreme weather. The grand
proportions and heavy
fabrications might have been
good for looking chic on
the tundra, but you had to
wonder if the models had any
breathing room under there.
Softer and more manageable
were the electric Bajas and
spliced sweater looks in
variations on Nordic knits as
well as crafty compilations
of cable knits and military
WWD Tuesday, March 10, 2015 7
WWD.COM
Karl Lagerfeld
Fall 2015:
Roger Vivier
Veronique Branquinho
Hermès, Valli, sacai and BranquinHo pHotos By GioVanni Giannoni; laGerfeld and ViVier By dominique maître
AFTER A DECADE as creative
director at Roger Vivier, Bruno
Frisoni still has plenty of
rich house history to explore.
For fall, he made a play on
the buckle following a visit
to a Vienna museum, where
works by Austrian architect
Josef Hoffmann inspired him
to overlap rectangle shapes
on a series of shoes, bags and
jewelry.
For more images, see
WWD.com/
runway.
thermals. Done in turtleneck
dresses and coats with flared
skirts, the shapes were worn
with relative ease. — J.I.
Karl Lagerfeld: So the big news
is that Choupette is in love.
Karl Lagerfeld’s pet Birman
is depicted on tote bags and
T-shirts — hearts in her eyes
in lieu of pupils — sidling up
to a cool-cat suitor who wears
sunglasses like the man of
the house.
More substantial and
serious clothes in Lagerfeld’s
fall range included stadiumlength cocoon coats in a
bold bouclé — the main
alternative to the maxi this
Paris season — along with
tweed cardigan jackets and
lamé dresses the color of
pink champagne patched
with black velvet circles,
leather squares or sparkly
stars. These details added
that thrum of rock ’n’ roll that
defines this contemporary
range, as did mainstay pieces
like biker leather jeans and
perfectos, this season in an
offbeat Army green.
Accessibly priced leather
goods — a cornerstone of the
business — included a new
range of small saddlebags
with pin-lock closures and a
boxy acrylic clutch with one
of those wry messages known
as a “Karl-ism”: Luxury is a
discipline.
— MILES SOCHA
Veronique Branquinho: Leave it
to Veronique Branquinho to
incorporate lines of Emily
Brontë into a Fair Isle sweater.
That item captured the
brooding, yet romantic spirit
of her fall collection, where
sweet and demure shapes
collided with acres of paperthin black leather and nubby,
thrift-shop tweeds.
This was a fine, backto-the-roots effort for the
Belgian designer, revisiting
her long, accordion-pleated
skirts paired with lacy
blouses or silky ones with
bow ties. Flaring maxi coats
and dramatic, billowing
leather cloaks yearned for
the wiley, windy moors — or
some hip district like the one
blossoming around Antwerp’s
Museum aan de Stroom,
which Branquinho talked
about backstage.
The granny tweeds in
browns and rust looked cool,
mounted as pockets and panels
on technical mesh — or as a
bib-front on a blouse or long
silken dress in offbeat colors
like daffodil and mint. The
dignity, finesse and quiet
melancholy of the clothes
added up to a tender fashion
moment.
— M.S.
Frisoni also channeled the
mystique of Catherine Deneuve
in the film “Belle de Jour”
with the Belle Vivier pump
and stretch-leather thigh-high
boot. The house is recognized
as having pioneered stretchvinyl boots — Brigitte Bardot
memorably wore them as she
posed atop a motorcycle in 1967
— and the designer’s update
featured a new trumpet-shaped
heel. He further refined the
buckle and constructed the boot
so it appeared to be a pump
with a leather stocking leg.
To appeal to a younger
customer, Frisoni introduced
a crossbody pouch to his
Prismick line. Available with
fringe or studs, it came about
after a visit to a Parisian
disco with a friend who was
wearing a diminutive bag. “It
was important to address the
new contemporary girl and
her style,” he said. “We had to
update the Vivier woman. We
have to face it, no? Something
changed in the fashion world
and how we dress and live.”
A more youthful vibe was
also evident in what Frisoni
called his “T-shirt line,” a group
of shoes and bags printed with
bold stripes and dripping paint
à la Jackson Pollock, as well
as shearling ballerinas and
rubber-soled boots designed for
urban environments in winter.
— ROXANNE ROBINSON
8
WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Could Macerich Takeover Aid Failing Mall Industry?
PHOTO BY BRENDAN HOFFMAN/GETTY IMAGES
{Continued from page one}
Simon common stock, utilizing
a fixed exchange ratio.
Simon noted that its offer represents a 30 percent premium
over Macerich’s closing stock
price of $69.88 on Nov. 18, the day
before Simon disclosed its 3.6
percent investment in Macerich,
which is equivalent to 5.71 million
shares. The investment triggered
speculation that Simon would bid
on Macerich in light of Simon’s
track record as a consolidator.
Simon’s bid represented
about a 5 percent premium
on Macerich’s stock close last
Friday at $86.72. Macerich’s
stock jumped 7 percent, or $6.04,
to $92.76 on Monday on news
of the bid, suggesting investors
think Simon will raise its offer.
There’s also a side deal on
the table, which would reduce
the number of properties in
the combined Simon/Macerich
entity. Simon said it reached
an agreement in principle to
sell selected Macerich assets to
General Growth Properties Inc.
in connection with the closing of
a Macerich acquisition. Simon
and GGP did not disclose which
properties would be involved.
By doing the side deal involving unloading certain properties,
Simon eliminates a potential
rival bidder for Macerich and
could ease some FTC concerns.
A megatakeover could be just
what’s needed for the ailing mall
industry. While it does flag the
difficulties malls are having with
losing traffic and sales to the
Internet, and with declining property values, the proposed deal
also points up to the possibilities.
By buying Macerich, Simon
would gain a bigger foothold in
California, which is dominated
by Macerich and Westfield Corp.,
another leading mall owner and
operator. Simon would have
greater clout in negotiating
leases with retail tenants and
An acquisition by Simons Property
Group of Macerich would include
Tysons Corner Center in Virginia.
could create bigger partnerships
with retailers across larger footprints, faster and with greater
efficiency. Simon could also roll
out some of its new “omni” oriented technologies and marketing strategies across Macerich
properties as well as its own.
Simon, a former banker who
took over the reins of the family business in 1995, has been
aggressive about putting the
real estate company on the acquisition trail. It has purchased
Premium Outlets, The Mills
and a 28.9 percent ownership
interest in Klépierre, which
has shopping centers in 13
European countries.
Last January, Simon completed the acquisition of Jersey
Gardens in Elizabeth, N.J.,
which was renamed The Mills at
Jersey Gardens, and University
Park Village in Fort Worth, Tex.
Just last month, Simon formed a
joint venture with Hudson’s Bay
Co. for property acquisitions and
to strengthen owned properties.
Risk.
Simon’s bid for Macerich
furthers speculation that some
malls, in the age of the Internet,
are undervalued.
Still, Simon’s overtures
haven’t always been met with
open arms. A hostile $1.68 billion
bid for Taubman Centers in 2002
was thwarted after the governor
of Michigan, where Taubman is
based, signed a law to protect
REITs from unwelcome offers.
Starting in 2009, Simon made
several bids for the-then bankrupt GGP, but threw in the towel
when an investor came in with a
recapitalization plan.
In his letter sent to the
Macerich board, Simon wrote:
“Notwithstanding multiple attempts, including meetings in
December 2014 and February
2015 following the disclosure
of our investment in November
2014, Macerich has thus far refused to engage in discussions
with us regarding the merits of an
acquisition by Simon. Considering
the substantial benefits our offer
provides, we are confident that,
given the opportunity, Macerich’s
shareholders would accept our
proposal. In fact, many of our
overlapping shareholders have
voiced enthusiastic support to us
for a potential combination since
we publicly announced our stake
in Macerich. We urge Macerich
to forego entrenching defensive
tactics that obstruct the will of its
shareholders and instead engage
in serious discussions with us. It
is our strong preference to work
with Macerich to reach a mutually beneficial agreement, and we
are available immediately to meet
with Macerich and its advisers.”
Simon owns or has interests in
228 retail real estate properties,
representing 189 million square
feet including many of the nation’s
biggest and most productive malls,
among them the Roosevelt Field
mall in Garden City, N.Y.; Copley
Place in Boston; Dadeland Mall
in Miami; The Forum Shops at
Caesars in Las Vegas; the Houston
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Risk_Reformat.indd 1
3/3/15 3:03 PM
in Pennsylvania; Sawgrass Mills
in Sunrise, Fla.; Town Center at
Boca Raton, Fla., and Woodbury
Common Premium Outlets in
Woodbury, N.Y.
Macerich, with 54 million
square feet of property, acquired
Westcor Partners in Phoenix in
2002 and three years later, bought
Wilmorite Properties, based in
Rochester, N.Y. Among the biggest and most productive malls in
Macerich’s portfolio of 60 properties are Queens Center and
Kings Plaza Shopping Center in
New York City; Tysons Corner
Center in McLean, Va.; Scottsdale
Fashion Square in Arizona, and
Santa Monica Place in California.
“There is a general malaise
on the subject of the mall businesses, but all of the mall guys
have been talking about ways to
support their tenants and their
visitors,” said Mortimer Singer,
ceo of Marvin Traub Associates.
“You can support both by making the experience more interactive, more omnichannel. The
best players aren’t just doing
business as usual. They are trying to create initiatives that will
counterbalance the malaise.
Is the mall relevant to the 21st
century? I think it still is.”
He also said he believes a
Simon/Macerich combination
would open additional opportunities for retailers, like swifter
rollouts across the luxury, midmarket and value-oriented shopping centers that Simon has.
Loeb believes Simon could
command higher rents as a byproduct of a Macerich deal.
“Maybe that will happen, but I
don’t think that’s the main reason
behind this,” he said. “This creates
[greater] efficiency. It’s more about
being partners with retailers in the
new economy and allows Simon to
be quite progressive. Simon has
done well with its acquisitions. The
properties have prospered under
Simon…But there is a problem
these days: Simon needs tenants,”
Loeb added, noting that many retailers, including Abercrombie &
Fitch, Wet Seal, Sears, Gap and
others have been closing doors.
“Replacing them is difficult these
days,” Loeb said. “There are few
great new vehicles. It keeps them
[mall operators] from being exorbitant in their pricing. Prices will go
up, though this puts a damper on it.
They have to watch that they don’t
price themselves out of business.
Every year, retailers expect
to see rents rising but it has to
be done with an understanding
of the marketplace.”
Simon said his company has
“consistently delivered outstanding returns to its shareholders
and, for a decade, has outperformed Macerich in virtually
every key operating and financial
category…We are confident our
proposed transaction provides a
highly attractive value proposition to Macerich shareholders.”
The mall mogul also cited
“a successful track record of
integrating and optimizing acquisitions, having successfully
orchestrated nearly $40 billion
of corporate real estate M&A
transactions in 21 years as a public company. Macerich’s assets
represent a strong strategic and
geographic fit for Simon, and
we believe this is an attractive
opportunity to create long-term
value for Simon shareholders.’
WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015 9
WWD.COM
TEXTILES
Clean by Design Takes on China Mills
“We have launched sustainability programs in
the last several years that have very ambitious policies and standards, and measurable objectives,”
NEW YORK — The National Resources Defense Claquin said. “From the very beginning, the apCouncil’s Clean by Design program is causing an proach was a holistic one that includes social and
community. We have a strong commitment to womevolution in textile manufacturing.
Clean by Design, which presents solutions en’s empowerment. As for the environment, we try
through a set of efficiency improvements for fabric to work on every aspect of the supply chain.”
The French group made public its 2016 sustaindyeing and finishing that save money and reduce the
environmental footprint, has made inroads at sup- ability targets in 2012. Among them are reducing carbon emissions, waste and water usage by 25 percent;
plier factories in China and is set to expand.
At a panel discussion last week at the Colony Club eliminating PVC from all collections; sourcing gold,
here, Linda Greer, director of the NRDC’s Health and diamonds, leather, precious skins and fur from reEnvironmental Program, opened by showing a video sponsible, verified and sustainable mines or farms,
of polluted waterways in China and remarked: “It’s and switching to paper and packaging that is 100 peroften said that you know the color of the fashion for cent sustainable and made from at least 50 percent
recycled content. The firm also aims to phase out hazthe next season by the color of the rivers in China.”
Greer said when she started working in China, she ardous chemicals from all production by 2020.
Now, Kering has designated 25 mills in Italy to
realized that she couldn’t use the method of pushing
the government to more strictly enforce environmen- work with the Clean by Design initiative, “so we’re
tal laws like she might have in the U.S., for example, engaging with the suppliers, which is critical, but
because the Chinese government wasn’t interested. it’s also just the first step.”
Adam Mott, director of sustainability at The North
So she approached the private sector.
“We’ve introduced the program now to about 200 Face, said, “We worked with NRDC in China and
were able to increase resource efficiency at some
of our top mills by 20
percent, and now we’ve
taken those learnings
and are adapting them to
other countries.”
Mott said the other
key area that North Face
has focused on is chemical management.
“Chemical responsibility is really important
at [parent company] VF
Corp. and specifically
to us at North Face,” he
said. “We didn’t see a
program out there that
Linda Greer, Laurent Claquin, Adam Mott, Scott Hahn and Angela Lindvall.
addressed chemical responsibility on a global
scale, so we decided to
mills and have carefully tracked implementation to create one ourselves. We’ve been testing the proabout 50 of them,” Greer said. “It’s not just a mat- gram for the past year, year-and-a-half and now are
ter of educating the mills, but tracking them and rolling it out on a bigger scale this year. And hopemaking sure pollution actually goes down. We have fully rolling it out to the industry as a whole.”
Mott noted that North Face’s connection to envifound that the program works pretty much across all
kinds of mills — big, small, old, new; knit, denim, ronmental stewardship used to be focused on conwoven, the whole suite of mills — and in the best servation, then shifted to Life Cycle Assessment,
case…our mills have achieved as much as 40 per- working from design concept and raw materials to
end-of-life cycle of the product, where it found that
cent reduction in their water and energy use.”
This has been achieved, she said, through a 10- 65 to 70 percent of the environmental impact was in
step best practices program that is practical, low- the manufacturing supply chain.
This caused a shift in resource development that
cost and easy to implement, and pays the mills back
now has the polyester that goes into its signature
quickly, usually within a year.
“In the past year, we reduced the program to 100 Denali jacket made from 100 percent recycled polymills, tracked 33, undertook 200 improvement proj- ester made from plastic bottles.
“Then we started to look at how we process the
ects and reduced, in total, 3 million tons of water,
26,000 tons of coal, 36 million kilowatt hours of elec- product — dyeing and finishing — and the next
tricity and 400 tons of chemicals,” Greer said. “The thing that we changed was how we dye the prodstar performers — six mills — further reduced about uct,” Mott said.
Noting that the dyeing process for fabrics is
20 percent of their water and 10 percent of their energy usage. Cost savings have been similarly very im- chemical-, water- and energy-intensive, North Face
switched to yarnpressive — more than
dyeing from piecehalf the mills saved
dyeing, which saved
$150,000 a year or
50 percent of the enmore, five of the mills
ergy and water. Then
saved $800,000 a year
North Face looked
and the best mill saved
into fabric pattern
$3.5 million a year in
waste and began
these programs. Next
using scrap waste in
year, the goal is to track
the yarns.
100 mills and then exMott, who is also
pand into other manua member of the
facturing categories.
Sustainable Apparel
But it’s not like a hot
Coalition, told WWD
knife through butter.
he’s involved in
The key to the kingdom
working toward crefor us is to work harder
ating industrywide
with buyers to make
— LINDA GREER, NRDC
standards that are
them require it of their
certifiable using the
factories, while we
Higg Index, a suite of sustainability assessment
work harder in introducing the programs.”
Greer said the future goals are to expand the tools that evaluate impacts through facility, brand
textile program to other countries and more mills, and product, as a guide.
Scott Hahn, ceo of Loomstate, which uses 100 perwhile adding more categories such as leather, coscent organic cotton, said, “The concept of sustainabilmetics and electronics.
Laurent Claquin, head of Kering Americas, said ity is shifting to the idea of supply chain and comFrançois-Henri Pinault, the parent company’s chair- modity to community, not just being concerned about
man and chief executive officer, “has a strong con- the supply chain’s impact, but how are the communiviction for sustainability because he thinks a sus- ties that are making these products doing with education, with child care, with human health issues.”
tainable business is a smart business.”
The Kooples Ramping Up
North American Presence
By ARTHUR FRIEDMAN
PARIS — The Kooples is forging ahead with its U.S. expansion.
The French contemporary brand is slated to open its fifth
American boutique on SoHo’s Mercer Street on March 22,
its second store in New York. Its first stand-alone Stateside
opened last July in Los Angeles. That store was followed by
boutiques in San Francisco, Santa Monica and New York
City’s Meatpacking District.
The brand launched in the U.S. via concessions in
Bloomingdale’s stores a little more than two years ago.
“We will finish this fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31, with
sales of $28 million in the U.S. and Canada,” said chief executive officer Nicolas Dreyfus.
“In the first half, we saw same-store sales growth in
the U.S. of 9 percent, better than our objectives,” he
said.“Meatpacking, in the first half, was in our top-three
stores worldwide.”
The brand is also performing better than expected in
wholesale in the U.S., where it is now stocked at Saks Fifth
Avenue and Nordstrom as well as specialty stores.
’’
’’
’’
It’s not just a matter of
educating the mills, but
tracking them and making
sure pollution actually
goes down.
By ALEX WYNNE
’’
In the first half, we saw
same-store sales growth in the
U.S. of 9 percent, better
than our objectives.
— NICOLAS DREYFUS, THE KOOPLES
“Wholesale will account for 20 percent of U.S. sales this
year,” Dreyfus said. “Nordstrom, with the summer collection,
to date has already sold 50 percent of stock, which is very rare.”
All this is without advertising, which has played a key
role in the company’s success in Europe with its branding
focused on selling a concept aimed at couples. “We did a
fly posting campaign in New York and we work with bloggers, but we are thinking about how to do an original ad
campaign in the U.S.,” he explained. “The success of The
Kooples is also its communication. The day we attribute
a communications budget in the U.S., I believe the sales
growth will follow.”
Over the next five years, Dreyfus is targeting a total of 20
stand-alone stores and 10 outlets in the U.S. The first two of
the latter are set to open before September, which will also
see the launch of e-commerce in the U.S. and Canada. The
brand’s first three stores in Canada, where it is stocked at
Holt Renfrew and Hudson’s Bay, are scheduled to open in
late 2015 or early 2016.
In the same time frame, a third store in the Los Angeles
area, as well as boutiques in Miami, Chicago and Hawaii,
should open their doors.
Dreyfus is anticipating total sales of 220 million euros,
or $243.1 million at current exchange, this fiscal year, which
represents 20 percent growth year-on-year in reported
terms and a same-store sales increase of 9 percent. He
predicts earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization of 38 million euros, or $42 million, for the period, and this will help fund the firm’s expansion, he said.
For the 2019/2020 fiscal year, Dreyfus is targeting total
revenues of 550 million euros, or $607.8 million, of which 30
percent should stem from North America.
But while the U.S. is The Kooples’ priority right now, the
seven-year-old brand is also growing in other markets.
It recently moved its headquarters from Place Vendôme
here to an expansive private mansion just off the prestigious Parc Monceau, where a giant atrium space filled
with modern art and imposing taxidermy creations serves
as the brand’s showroom for the eight collections it now
produces each year.
A fi rst international boutique for casual line The
Kooples Sport, launched in 2012 and now representing
25 percent of company sales, opens this week in Berlin.
Canary Wharf in London will get its own boutique in
two months’ time. Four new French stores are also set
to open shortly, and the brand is expanding its existing
stores on London’s Carnaby Street and in the Marais district of Paris.
The Kooples has 150 wholly owned stores in Europe. It
has a total of 360 sales points worldwide.
Its first store in the Middle East, in the Dubai Mall,
opened last October and is performing well, Dreyfus said.
Next month, stores are set for Marina Mall, also in Dubai,
Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi as well as boutiques in Doha, Qatar,
and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Asia is also another expansion zone, but mainly for
wholesale, with which the brand is present in South Korea,
Singapore and Thailand. It is looking at opening its first
Asian store in Hong Kong, potentially next year.
10 WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
A Taste of Havana
de Cuba closed in 2011 (due to
restructuring of Morgans Hotel
Group, a partial owner), it was
known more for its celebrity
patronage than its plantains.
Guests included Michael
Jordan, Lady Gaga and
Bradley Cooper — more than
enough high-profile names to
ensure regular mentions in the
gossip columns.
The revamped restaurant
opens today in NoHo and aims
to refocus attention on the
food rather than next-tablerubbernecking. Chodorow sought
out Pous after reading an article in
the Miami Herald about talented
Cuban chefs (at the time, he was
working at The Dining Room of
Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, in
the Florida Keys), and hired him
to bring some authenticity to the
relaunch. “I want people to have
fun, but I want them to come here
because they like the food,” says
Pous. “I hope people don’t come
here just to look good.”
The chef has created a menu to
entice even the fussiest of Social
Swans: tuna tartare with avocado
seviche; “Chino Latino” made with
Guava cheesecake.
slow-roasted pig, jasmine rice,
bean sprouts, egg and edamame;
snapper with vegetable escabeche,
yucca dumplings and bok choy in
a coconut curry broth. All dishes
are based in traditional Cuban
fare, but have been updated to
be made more modern and, of
course, health-conscious. “Food
culture has changed; people eat
differently now,” says Chodorow.
“When Luis came in, I gave him
four or five things that I thought
our existing customer base really
related to. I said, ‘You don’t have
to do it exactly the same, but if you
change it, make it better.’ ”
For Pous, the dishes had to
appeal to an American fine-dining
palette while retaining the charm
of Cuban street food. For example,
savory churros are served in a
ceramic container meant to look
like a leftover condensed-milk can.
And chicharrones (fried pork rinds)
will be plated on simple brown
paper. “They’re chicharrones, take
it easy,” says Pous. “I don’t want
people to take me too seriously.”
The cuisine may be playful, but
the décor is decidedly not. Designed
by Rafael de Cárdenas, Chodorow
says of the space, “You couldn’t
walk into the restaurant and know
what type of restaurant you were
in — it could be Italian.” Tiled floors,
leather banquettes and a mirrored
bar make up the rather staid interior
— but like the old location, this Asia
de Cuba is windowless, making it the
perfect date-night spot for celebs in
the know.
— ALLY BETKER
The bar at Asia de Cuba.
Scallop ceviche with
grapefruit, ahi and
chicharrones.
PHOTOS BY JOHN AQUINO
IN 1997, CHEF Luis Pous
emigrated from Cuba to
Miami to put his training
from the National School of
Culinary Arts in Havana to
use in America. That same
year, restaurateur Jeffrey
Chodorow opened the
original outpost of Asia de
Cuba in Manhattan. It would
be more than a decade later,
though, when the two finally
met to reinvent the brand.
“From a culinary standpoint,
here’s the opportunity to do what
I never really had the chance to
do,” says Chodorow. “I did the first
menu for Asia de Cuba, though I
can’t cook — I imagined it. We had
a no-name chef because I couldn’t
find [a notable] one.”
That menu was based
on Havana’s Chinatown
neighborhood; when Chinese
immigrants came to Cuba to
work on the sugar and coffee
plantations in the late 19th
century, the cooking techniques of
the two cultures melded to create
a version of Nuevo Latino cuisine.
While the food was certainly
part of the draw, by the time Asia
Asia de Cuba
415 Lafayette Street, New York
212-726-7755
asiadecuba.com
Hours: Mon.-Wed. 5:30 to 11 p.m.
Thu-Sat 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Lily James and Richard Madden
Palm Beach Formal
Patti Smith
and Charlotte
Gainsbourg
WHILE MUCH of the country
lay paralyzed in a deep freeze,
Michael Kors was throwing
a luncheon in sunny Palm
Beach for The Boys’ Club of
New York. A bronzed Kors
looked right at home on Friday
afternoon lording over a scene
that seemed ripped from the
pages of a Slim Aarons book.
Cochairs Muffy Miller, Lourdes
Fanjul and Victoria D’Agostino,
plus Jamee Gregory, Jo Carole
Lee Daniels and
Harvey Keitel
CINDERELLA WAS SWEPT off her feet all right.
At a Sunday night screening of the new film
adaptation of “Cinderella,” Lily James, the actress
playing the title role, was blushing and gushing
about her leading man, Richard Madden.
“The thing I love about Richard is — he’s an
obvious choice for the role because he’s so good
looking — but there’s so much more to him,”
she said. “He’s deep, he’s funny, he’s sexy, he’s
charismatic.” What can’t this Prince Charming
do? Best known as the dreamy Robb Stark, may
he rest in peace, on “Game of Thrones,” this is
just Madden’s fifth movie.
For his part, Madden was attracted to the
challenge of interpreting a character who was in
PHOTOS BY STEVE EICHNER
Disney
Dreamboat
only a few scenes in the original animated film.
“I just wanted to make a character,” the actor
explained. “In this film, he’s so fleshed out. We
get to see a real young guy.”
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Ethan Hawke and Patti Smith
were among those in attendance at the Cinema
Society-hosted screening at the Tribeca Grand
Hotel, but this being a Disney screening a
number of actors, like Gina Gershon and Edie Falco,
brought their kids along.
“I have the real Disney Cinderella heirs with
me,” said Stacey Bendet, pointing out her two
daughters, whose grandfather is Michael Eisner, the
former chief executive officer of Disney. “My kids
just absolutely love fairy tales.” — KRISTEN TAUER
Michael Kors and
Aerin Lauder
Lauder and Sydie Lansing, were
among the 80 guests noshing
on crab cakes and key lime
pie out in the garden of a local
private residence.
“Palm Beach is a lot like my
clothes. It’s glam and low-key
— bikinis and jewels, paddle
boarding and black tie,”
Kors said. Next to him was
Aerin Lauder, who wore a shift
printed in yellow roses from
his spring collection. “Seeing
Aerin in this yellow
dress makes me smile.”
Having met at a
charity benefit in the
Nineties, the longtime
pals share many causes
including God’s Love We
Deliver and The Boys’
Club, where Lauder sits
on the board.
“New York’s a
tough place to live,
so anything you can
do is a plus for the
whole community and
taking a young man
and enriching his life
is what the city is all
about,” he said. Before
the luncheon, the
designer staged what
was only his second
ever local show, a
presentation of his
spring collection.
“Days like this show
you can have fun and
give back,” he said.
— REBECCA KLEINMAN
WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015 11
WWD.COM
own production of high-end bags and
A GLOBAL CITIZEN: Citizens of Humanity
accessories. An announcement is
is expanding its denim world. The
expected today.
Huntington Park, Calif.-based
Bally will have exclusive use of
company has acquired a made-inZagliani’s Milan atelier, which houses
Japan men’s line called Fabric-Brand
30 artisans recognized for their
and renewed its focus on niche
technical know-how with soft, luxury
women’s label Goldsign.
leathers and exotic
At the center of this flurry
skins. The production
of activity is Jazmin Kim, who
FOR MORE
of Zagliani branded
joined earlier this month
SCOOPS, SEE
bags will be paused
from rival AG as Goldsign’s
as a result. “Our
creative director and the
WWD.com.
women’s segment
design director for Fabricis accelerating,
Brand’s first women’s
and this is
offshoot, which will launch in
one of the finest handbag
spring 2016. Founded by Simon Miller,
ateliers in the world,”
who’s also Citizens of Humanity’s men’s
said Frédéric de Narp, chief
creative director, Fabric-Brand uses
Lou
only Japanese denim for its men’s jeans
executive officer of Bally.
Doillon
that are cut, sewn, washed and finished
He added that five years
in Japan and retail from $250 to $495.
from now he expects
Kim said she’ll continue that process
the women’s handbag
with the women’s lineup, which will
business to generate 15
include crewneck T-shirts, shirt jackets
to 20 percent of overall
and boyish jeans. With Goldsign, which
sales. “There will be
had been designed by a team following
a major focus on exotic
the 2013 departure of founder Adriano
skins, and made-to-order
bags for men and women,”
Goldschmied, Kim aims to appeal to the
said de Narp.
older, sophisticated customers who
buy the jeans, which retail from $198
Giovanni Torchiani,
to $308. While Citizens of Humanity
who joined Bally’s
declined to disclose annual sales or the
executive committee as
purchase price for Fabric-Brand, the
vice president, global
company hopes the bigger portfolio will
manufacturing in October,
give it an international boost. Kim’s
will spearhead the
experience working on collaborations
integration of the atelier
with “It” girl Alexa Chung and stylist
and the production of the
special accessories.
Cher Coulter at AG can open other doors
Bally and Zagliani both
to new design projects. “It is very
belong to JAB Holdings, which
possible,” she teased.
— KHANH T.L. TRAN is also the parent of Jimmy Choo
and Belstaff.
BALLY DEAL: Bally aims to tap into
— SAMANTHA CONTI
the leather crafting skills of sister
firm Zagliani, taking over the latter’s
FULL CIRCLE: It’s hard to tell which
renowned Milan atelier to boost its
comes first at Saint Laurent — the cool
MEMO PAD
longtime communications director of
Arcadia Group and a company stalwart,
has been named marketing and
communications director at Selfridges.
Foster-Brown, who will also become a
member of Selfridges’ executive board,
will join the company in June. She
fills a position left vacant by Richard
Taylor, who left at the end of 2013, and
will report to Selfridges’ managing
director, Anne Pitcher. Foster-Brown
joined Arcadia Group, parent of brands
including Topshop, Topman, Bhs, Miss
Selfridge and Evans, as public relations
director in 2000, and in 2002 her role
expanded to include corporate relations
and strategy. In 2007, she was promoted
to p.r. and communications director.
Before joining Topshop, she was
head of p.r. for what was then known
as the Asprey Group, and has worked
for Mappin and Webb, Watches of
Switzerland and Condé Nast.
From September until January of
this year, Sanders’ title was president
of global development. The former
president and chief executive officer of
WWD parent Fairchild Fashion Media,
Sanders was set to work out of New
York and Paris. In January, Sanders
confirmed her role had changed, and
she’d remain in New York to be part
of a team working on “developing
investment strategies.”
The global development headquarters
also moved to London from New York.
Bill will report to the senior management
of Condé Nast International and in the
U.S., which is headed by Jonathan Newhouse.
“Jamie is one of the most experienced,
effective publishing executives in the
organization, with the drive and knowhow to get things done. He is just the
right person to take on this important
challenge,” said Nicholas Coleridge,
president of Condé Nast International.
Bob Sauerberg, president of Condé
Nast U.S., said Bill is known and
respected on both sides of the
Atlantic, and called him “a publisher
of high caliber.”
— S.C.
CALLING BILL: Jamie Bill has been named
WEATHER GIRL: American photographer
Amy Arbus encountered almost every
SELFRIDGES-BOUND: Tania Foster-Brown, the
— SAMANTHA CONTI
executive director of Condé Nast Global
Development, a new post similar to the
one Gina Sanders held until earlier this
year. Bill has been publishing director
of British GQ and GQ Style since 2004,
and serves on the board of Condé Nast
Britain. He was previously publisher
of Condé Nast Traveler, and before
that had held a variety of roles at the
National Magazine Co., now Hearst U.K.
He will be based in London, with the
job of generating new business across
borders, platforms and categories, and
coming up with creative opportunities
and bespoke solutions. The company
said his successor at GQ would be
named shortly.
kind of weather last December when
Marina Rinaldi commissioned her for a
special shoot of its fall 2015 collection
in Central Park. “We were rained out
one day because there were 40 mile-anhour winds. We also had a snow day. It
was a real potpourri,” she related.
The images, showing real-people
models and plus-size women cast from
the street, are to eventually go on
display in New York after earlier being
on show during Milan Fashion Week.
Arbus, daughter of photographer
Diane Arbus, is known for her posed and
portrait-like street photography, and
her style page in the Village Voice in
the Eighties. — MILES SOCHA
PHOTOS BY STÉPHANE FEUGÈRE
FASHION SCOOPS
kids in the audience or their
Mark Ronson
alter-egos on the catwalk.
and Joséphine
They fed off each other in
de la Baume
a virtuous circle at creative
director Hedi Slimane’s show
in Paris on Monday, where
members of rising local bands
were joined by established
stars like Jake Bugg and Nicolas
Godin from electronic duo
Air. Model-turned-musician
Irina Lazareanu, fresh from
performing with fellow guests
Joséphine de la Baume and Mark
Ronson at a party a few days
earlier, was another case
I am still writing the songs the same
in point. “This is my favorite show
way and it’s still the same feelings that
of the week. I love Hedi, I love his
motivate me to write, so that won’t
universe, so maybe when I grow
really change.”
up, I’ll be that girl,” she said — all
Among the other guests were Jessica
the while, projecting a distinctly
Saint Laurent attitude in her
Chastain, Salma Hayek, François-Henri Pinault,
black trouser suit.
Pierre Bergé, Betty Catroux, Alber Elbaz,
Lazareanu recently helped
Azzedine Alaïa, Elodie Bouchez and Lou Lesage.
launch Signature International,
— JOELLE DIDERICH
a new Web site dedicated to
the arts that lists her as “poet
and editor.” The first volume of
HOLD IT OR FOLD IT: Jane D. Hartley, the
the online publication, edited
United States Ambassador to France,
by former Vogue Paris stylist
took in the Giambattista Valli show
on Monday. “My daughter’s visiting
Mélanie Huynh and consultant
and she works in fashion,” she said,
Rosalie Miller, is devoted to
motioning to the blonde on her right
actress Emmanuelle Seigner.
in a sharp-shouldered Balmain jacket:
Lou Doillon, who appears
in the advertising campaign
Kate Schlosstein, who works in digital
for French contemporary
marketing at Loro Piana in New York.
brand Maje for the second
“Luxury is really important because
consecutive season, said she
luxury creates jobs on both sides of
was working on a follow-up to her
the Atlantic,” noted Hartley, who had
critically acclaimed first album
borrowed her daughter’s studded Isabel
“Places,” due to be released next
Marant jacket. Rebecca Carcelle took in
fall. “It’s going to be a little more
the show wearing a black and navy
ambitious in the sense that now,
Fendi made of fur strips mounted on
I am comfortable with the status
chiffon. As cozy as it looks, she said it
of singer-songwriter and I will be
“folds into an envelope and you can put
involved with producing on the
it in your handbag.”
next one,” she explained. “But
— MILES SOCHA
REACH THE
FASHION INDUSTRY’S
TOP TALENT
WWD CAREERS.COM
PRINT & ONLINE PACKAGES AVAILABLE
Contact Tiffany Windju at 310.484.2537 or [email protected]
12 WWD TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
Apple Watch Fuses Fashion and Tech Exec Moves
{Continued from page one}
quotients, with Selfridges putting the smartwatch in its
Wonder Room, Isetan on
its ground floor and
Galeries Lafayette
on its first floor amid
European brands.
The size of the
installations could
not be learned, but
are to incorporate bespoke tables that display the watches under
glass with special lightThe Apple
ing and animations. Sales
Watch.
specialists are to assist customers in discovering and trying
on different models, also ensuring
the setup so they are fully operational
when they leave the shop.
In tandem with the April 24 launch,
select specialty stores will sell individually chosen selections of the Apple Watch:
Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market
in London and Tokyo, Maxfield in Los
Angeles and The Corner in Berlin. It is
understood 10 Corso Como in Milan will
also get the product at a later date.
In addition, Hong Kong-based specialty retailer Lane Crawford is to preview
the Apple Watch in its personal shopping
Platinum Suites from April 10 in Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu locations.
“The experience of shopping for an
Apple Watch is a deeply personal one.
The department stores and specialty
stores that we’re working with are some
of the best in the world at offering such
experiences, so it was natural for us to
see our product there,” said Paul Deneve,
Apple’s vice president of special projects
who joined the tech company after years
helming fashion houses including Yves
Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Nina Ricci.
“Given the very focused distribution
that we’ve pursued for this launch, every
door that sells Apple Watch will provide
a unique experience for every customer
that walks in.”
Leveraging Deneve’s deep relations
with international retailers, Apple started its charm offensive with the fashion
community in September, when it unveiled the smartwatch at Colette, later
hosting a dinner for retail, luxury and
editorial elite at Azzedine Alaïa’s Marais
headquarters.
Seeing its watch as a item for personal
expression, and not only a piece of technology on the wrist, it was important for
Apple to showcase it in high-profile stores
known for fashion leadership.
As further proof that Apple wants the
watch to have fashion cred, the company
recruited an original supermodel —
Christy Turlington Burns, once the face of
Calvin Klein — to test it and speak about
her experiences with it at Monday’s event.
Turlington Burns, who began training
for the Virgin Money London Marathon,
is chronicling her experience using the
watch to prepare for the upcoming race
in a blog on Apple’s Web site that will be
updated weekly.
“Apple Watch is going to help me get
there,” she told the crowd.
Having been waiting for almost as
long as Godot, the actual unveiling
of the watch caused barely a ripple
on Wall Street. Apple shares closed
Monday up 0.4 percent to $127.14, which
still makes the company the world’s
most valuable with a market capitalization of $740.56 billion.
Exhibiting its tech chops, the watch
was built to perform a number of tricks,
from reading and responding to text messages and taking calls, to a new feature
called Digital Touch. The technology allows Apple watch wearers to connect
their devices to one another so friends
can grab each other’s attention with a
screen tap or share a sketch.
The watch, which promises all-day battery life, also tracks fitness metrics, works
with Apple Pay and can even unlock a
hotel room, allowing users to bypass the
registration desk.
A new workout app lets wearers track
metrics, such as calories burned or distance traveled, as they exercise.
The fashion aspect is evident in its
three styles: the Apple Sport Watch, starting at $349; the Apple Watch, starting at
$549, and the Apple Watch Edition, starting at $10,000. Two face sizes are available, 38 millimeters and 42 millimeters.
The Sport case is made of anodized
aluminum and comes in silver and space
gray to be paired with a sport band, made
in five colors.
The midpriced Apple Watch offers polished stainless or black stainless-steel
cases and strap choices that include three
leather offerings, stainless steel link,
Milanese loop or a sport band in black or
white.
Edition — with cases made from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys
and a sapphire crystal display — pushes
Apple and the smartwatch category into
new territory as it melds technology, fashion and high-end luxury.
The watch, which has been at the center of media reports and speculation for
some time now after being unveiled last
year, is viewed as a barometer of con-
sumer appetite for smartwatches and the
broader wearables category.
Late last month, the ceo’s of three
Swedish watchmakers met in San
Francisco to reveal their own partnership with a recently formed joint venture, Geneva-based Manufacture Modules
Technologies, to make smartwatches using
MMT’s MotionX technology platform.
Ronnie Bernheim, ceo of Mondaine,
one of the watch companies partnering
with MMT, told WWD he was against an
LCD-screen watch from the start and
instead wanted to focus on a smartwatch that still looked like a timepiece
and could be passed down from generation to generation. Ceo’s from the
other two watchmakers involved in the partnership,
Frederique Constant
and Alpina, echoed
that sentiment.
“We are in the
watch business; we
are not in the tech
business,” Bernheim
told WWD at the time.
“It’s very subtle so you
don’t destroy the fashThe Apple
ion by overriding it with
Watch Edition,
this technology.”
starting
at
The
success
of
$10,000.
Mondaine’s watches could
open the door for the company’s affiliate Marlow Group to make
smartwatches under fashion brands it
holds licenses to, including Givenchy,
Esprit and Puma.
Apple didn’t waiver in its watch’s ability to be a game changer.
“We continue to innovate; we continue
to push forward,” Cook said.
The smartwatch unveil was the last in
a bevy of announcements made by Cook
and other Apple executives Monday.
The company is rapidly expanding its
presence in China with a total of 21 stores —
six of those having been opened in the last
six weeks. Apple has plans to have 40 stores
in China by mid-2016, according to Cook.
The company’s also looking to continue to make waves on the medical
research front with software called
ResearchKit, of which five apps have
already been created and are now available. Those apps include mPower, which
lets users take Parkinson’s disease-related tests on their iPhone that can then be
sent to researchers. The actual software
will be released next month.
A new MacBook, coming in at two
pounds and 13.1 millimeters at its thickest point, begins shipping April 10 with a
starting price of $1,299.
Atop Camuto
By LISA LOCKWOOD
NEW YORK — Camuto Group
has made several key leadership
changes following the death of
Vince Camuto, founder, chief creative officer and chief executive officer. The 78-year-old Camuto died
Jan. 21 of cancer.
Alex DelCielo, formerly president and chief operating officer,
will become ceo of Camuto Group.
Louise Camuto, the founder’s widow
and former creative director and
president of marketing, has been elevated to chief creative officer. She
will continue to oversee marketing.
In addition, Julio Martini, previously senior vice president of global
sourcing, has been named chief operating officer and will undertake
all global operational responsibilities. Ed Ferrell, formerly chief
merchandising officer, will become
president of Camuto Group. He will
retain his merchandising duties.
Jeff Howald continues in his role as
chief financial officer.
Camuto, Martini, Ferrell and
Howald report to DelCielo, a
founding member of the firm. Prior
to joining Camuto, DelCielo was
executive vice president of operations at Nine West, where he
worked from 1988 to 1999. Vince
Camuto cofounded Nine West and
sold it to Jones Apparel Group in
1999 and two years later founded
Camuto Group.
Headquartered in Greenwich,
Conn., Camuto’s global operations include the Vince Camuto
collection of footwear, accessories, clothing and fragrances, as
well as brands VC Signature Vince
Camuto, Louise et Cie, Two by
Vince Camuto and a men’s wear
line. Camuto is also the master licensee for Jessica Simpson and
holds the footwear licenses for
such brands as BCBGeneration,
BCBGMaxAzria and Lucky Brand.
The company’s portfolio includes
the sourcing of Tory Burch footwear and a partnership with
Bernard Chaus. Camuto and its
partners operate 95 retail locations globally and its products
are sold in more than 5,400 doors
worldwide.
Vanessa Seward’s ‘Pedestrian’ Take
By PAULINA SZMYDKE
PARIS — “Remember when
Jerry Hall was dating Bryan
Ferry in the Seventies? English
country meets American glam?
I love that style,” said Vanessa
Seward, pointing to the retroinspired mood board of the first
ready-to-wear collection she has
designed under her own name,
slated to launch today.
There is an image of Bianca
Jagger in a white-and-black ensemble that Seward referred
to as “gaucho-chic,” as well as
an old picture of her Argentine
mother stretching in an English
tweed jacket. “My father was
a diplomat and we moved to
London in the Seventies. There
was plenty of fox-hunting going
on, and my mom hated it, so she
would always dress in high boots
and a nice skirt and sit by the
fire,” Seward recalled, noting
that the aesthetic stuck with her.
“I don’t do it on purpose, but it’s
just a part of me, and when you
start a new label, you need to
put your own [stamp] on it.”
With the 28-piece lineup,
Seward, who learned the ropes
assisting Loris Azzaro, said she is
aiming for a certain neutrality. “I
don’t like it when you can tell what
tribe the girl belongs to — is she a
boho or a rock chick?” the designer
said. “I always say I make fashion
for the pedestrian woman who has
to walk a lot, hop on the metro and
take her child to the playground.”
Consequently, the line is
built on basics — much like
the ones she designed as a capsule for APC for the past three
years — only slightly more upscale and mixed with clues from
her personal archives, which
are said to be overflowing with
vintage items from her time at
Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel,
where she was in charge of accessories. “What I like about
vintage is that it’s not overdesigned. It’s more about the cut
and the fabric. Sometimes it’s a
cuff or a sleeve that gets me inspired. I need these pieces close
to me,” Seward said.
The debut collection will feature A-line skirts, high-waisted
raw denim pants, tweed cape coats
and silk blouses printed with patterns from the Abraham archives,
which had also been frequented
by Saint Laurent and Hubert de
Givenchy. Prices will range from
$265 for a shirt to $780 for a coat,
with only a few more extravagant
items such as a long evening dress
($1,250) and a shearling number
($3,380) as outliers.
“There is no trick,” said Jean
Touitou, APC’s creative director,
who is also the majority shareholder of the Seward brand,
about the niche-price value. “We
work as an army of people with
the right know-how.” His other
secret is production. Touitou
said although he could not afford
to have the line made in France,
he charmed a connection at
French high-end manufacturer
Marty into using its co-owned
A look from
Vanessa Seward’s
first namesake
collection.
atelier in Eastern Europe.
Connections also landed
a soundtrack for the show. It
was composed for Seward by
her husband, music producer
Bertrand Burgalat, and features
a track called “Vanessa’s Way,”
with lyrics and vocals from April
March. “We’re taking the holistic approach,” mused Touitou.
Touitou and Seward’s joint
venture (she is also chief execu-
tive officer) gives a solid structure
to the young label. Unlike with
other brands, where last-minute
changes are routine, the Seward
line has been ready for months;
it was shown in January to retailers, including Net-a-porter, Le
Bon Marché and the Maria Luisa
boutique at Printemps. A precollection is slated to be in stores by
June, with the main line available by July when the brand’s
Web site will launch.
Seward has also designed a
range of accessories, including
six shoe styles, five bags and
jewelry done in collaboration
with Edgard Hamon. The leatherwork on the saddle-shaped
bags is especially noteworthy,
having been hand-painted and
hand-rolled by Tuscan specialists to achieve a rippled effect.
Two Paris flagships are slated to
open by September: One in SaintGermain and the other in SaintHonoré, with a third boutique to
open in January in New York’s
SoHo. Noted Touitou: “We would
be happy if the brand reached the
same level as APC,” which in 2014
had sales of $55 million.