1. style and fashion

MCQUEEN RETURNS
“ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY” OPENS
AT THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM IN THE LATE
DESIGNER’S HOMETOWN OF LONDON. PAGE 10
WWD
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY
Lace Is
More
What might have graced a
collar or cuff instead became
an entire dress. Valentino’s
Maria Grazia Chiuri
and Pierpaolo
Piccioli made
COLLECTIONS
elegant use of
yards of lace in
retro Seventies
FALL 2015
colors to create
crafty stripe and
chevron patterns on
this high-necked number.
For more, see pages 4 and 5.
TREND
PHOTO BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI
MARC
GOES MOD
BUFANO’S
PLAN
MARC JACOBS UNVEILS
HIS NEW FRAGRANCE,
MOD NOIR, WITH A
LITTLE TOUCH OF HIS
PAST HITS. PAGE 7
BON-TON STORES INC. CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER KATHRYN
BUFANO UNVEILS HER FIVE-YEAR
TURNAROUND STRATEGY. PAGE 2
A TOUGH INDUSTRY
Krakoff Suspends Biz,
Seeking New Investor
By LAUREN MCCARTHY
and MISTY WHITE SIDDELL
NEW YORK — Reed Krakoff ’s rumored growing
pains have come to a head.
On Thursday, the designer revealed he is suspending operations of his five-year-old brand as the company attempts to “refocus on the accessible luxury
segment of the accessories market.”
The news was first reported on WWD.com
Thursday afternoon.
In a statement, the brand said “the company will
suspend all future design and production, while continuing to operate its Greene Street and Woodbury
Commons stores, as well as the reedkrakoff.com ecommerce site. In addition, the company is reviewing
all strategic options for the brand, which may include
production and distribution partnerships or a sale of
the business and the brand.”
The label’s Madison Avenue store will close in the
near future — about three weeks, according to sources. Nearly 30 employees will remain with the company to help with the transition.
Another source stressed that the brand still has inventory for its stores and Web site and new products are in
the pipeline. The aim is to find a new investor as quickly
as possible, the source, who requested anonymity, said.
No liquidation sales are planned, as the brand
plans to operate on a typical retail schedule through
the summer. A decision regarding fall season merchandise and what will become of Reed Krakoff stores during that shipment window has yet to be made.
WWD first reported instability within Krakoff ’s
brand in December, when rumors of layoffs and restructuring spread throughout the industry. At the
time, a spokesman for the brand said “a restructuring is in process that will shift the primary focus of
the brand positioning and product categories.” In
early January, the company tapped Harlan Bratcher,
SEE PAGE 12
As Buyers Leave Paris,
Hopes for Strong Fall
By WWD STAFF
PARIS — Something for everyone.
That seemed to be Paris designers’ strategy for
fall, and it left retailers almost breathless in their
praise of the season as they lauded the city’s creativity and showmanship that trumped other fashion
capitals. A wide range of trends and styles stirred
buyers’ hopes that the several-years-long drought
in women’s designer ready-to- wear sales at retail might finally be coming to an end. Karen Katz,
president and chief executive officer of Neiman
Marcus Group, in reporting higher 2014 profits, said
Tuesday, “We believe there is going to be a reason to
buy ready-to-wear. We feel pretty positive about the
kinds of trends we are seeing.”
In trends for fall, retailers pointed to a wealth of
outerwear — particularly maxi coats, capes, fur and
bathrobe styles — along with cropped pants, tall boots
or short booties, lace dresses, turtlenecks, high-neck
blouses, tunics, Mod footwear and bold earrings.
“Once again, Paris was the highlight of the season,” said Harrods fashion director Helen David.
“Paris has slowly been taking more and more of our
open-to-buy allocation, and now accounts for approximately two-thirds of our budget.”
“Paris has given us the strongest season out of
all cities. In fact, it is one of the strongest seasons in
years: Every major house has pulled out winning collections,” concurred Sarah Rutson, vice president of
global buying at Net-a-porter.
Ken Downing, fashion director and senior vice
SEE PAGE 6
2 WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
WWD.COM
Bufano’s Blueprint for Bon-Ton
“Turnarounds are not as quick as you’d like them
By DAVID MOIN
to be, but we have the goals set and a lot of the
team is very energized.”
Among the tactics ahead:
THERE’S HOPE for a rebound in the heartland.
The Bon-Ton Stores Inc., which last quarter ■ Increasing advertising that’s more brand-equity
won with sales momentum but lost ground on and fashion-focused, to create a better balance with
margins, has a comprehensive turnaround strate- big price promotions. This fall, Bon-Ton will launch
gy — from adding brands to the selling floors such new brand positioning and will be more “mindful”
as Under Armour and Vera Bradley, to bolstering of how deep the promotions go.
key-item presentations and furthering localiza- ■ Buy-online, pick-up-in-store service starts to be
tion efforts, while seeking to reduce debt and phased in this fall.
balance some of the promotional cacophony with ■ A new 700,000-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center opens this fall in West Jefferson, Ohio,
image branding.
“There is a lot of opportunity not only with the for greater efficiency and inventory control.
profitability, but also in terms of merchandise ini- ■ Furthering localization efforts, with seven retiatives,” Kathryn Bufano, the regional department gional merchandise managers added in August,
store’s president and chief executive officer, told “Regional merchandise teams can be much, much
closer to the demographics and can have
a very big influence in terms of creating
the assortments,” Bufano said. “Our goal
is to become the hometown store provider
of great fashion.”
Bon-Ton is also developing productivity targets by tier of stores — small, medium and large — and recently designated
stores into subgroups like college town
stores, Midwestern rural stores, those in
suburban affluent or ethnic areas or communities shaped by military bases.
On Thursday, the York, Pa.-based retailer reported that net income for the
fourth quarter ended Jan. 31 rose 17 percent to $71.7 million, or $3.55 a diluted
share, compared with net income of $61.3
million, or $3.04 a share in the year-ago
period. The quarter’s results included income of 53 cents a share associated with
WWD. “Things just drifted away” after Bon-Ton the gain on an insurance recovery, of which about 9
purchased the 142-unit northern department stores cents was attributed to profit recovery and 44 cents
of the former Saks Inc. in 2005 and grew its store to asset recovery. Adjusted earnings before interest,
base as well as its debt load and lost its way. “There taxes, depreciation and amortization were $104.3
was an erosion of the business,” Bufano said. “The million, compared with $103.7 million in the fourth
company was at $3.4 billion. Now we are targeting quarter of fiscal 2013.
Comparable-store sales increased 4.3 percent in
$2.8 billion for 2015.”
On Thursday, just after Bon-Ton reported fourth- the quarter. Increased promotional activity to drive
quarter results, Bufano unveiled her turnaround traffic as well as higher delivery expenses associatstrategy for the company, which last year lost ed with omnichannel operations resulted in a gross
money. In the six months she’s been the retailer’s margin reduction of 130 basis points to 35 percent
ceo, Bufano has been busy conducting focus groups, of net sales.
For the year, the company
visiting stores and learning what
lost $7 million, or 36 cents a
Bon-Ton’s midmarket and smalldiluted share, compared with
town customers want.
a prior-year loss of $3.6 mil“I think the economy is defilion, or
19 cents a share.
nitely better, which is helpful. In
Comparable-store sales inour small-tier markets, there is a
better mind-set. We were running NET INCOME GROWTH FOR FOURTH creased 0.2 percent, with total
sales reaching $2.76 billion.
behind in the first three quarters,
QUARTER ENDED JAN. 31.
The Bon-Ton operates 270
but we really had a very strong
stores, including nine furnifourth quarter.” Middle-market
customers, Bufano said, “want more fashion. They ture galleries and four clearance centers, in 26
are looking for more style. They want more color. states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great
Up north, they don’t like just all dark. People think Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston
a small town is not fashionable, but these people Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and
Younkers nameplates.
want a broader assortment.”
Apparently, investors like the shape of things
She said customers are just as readily shopping Bon-Ton’s opening prices, comparable to Old to come. The stock rose 25 percent, or $1.18,
Navy’s, as they are Michael Kors shoes, handbags to close at $5.87. In revealing the game plan,
Bufano, who was formerly president of Belk Inc.,
and apparel sold at Bon-Ton.
The moderate business has turned for the bet- said, “A significant percent of our sales increase
ter largely because the company orchestrated a was driven by the additional expansion of highkey-item buildup for the fourth quarter that’s ongo- er fashion brands such as Chaps, Ralph Lauren,
ing. Some key classifications, like sweaters, T-shirts Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. We’ll continue
and shorts, had “atrophied” but are being restored, with intensification and rollout of these brands
to additional doors in 2015. We’re expanding our
Bufano noted.
The ceo also cited contemporary labels such as fashion offerings in our young contemporary
Jessica Simpson and Hippy Laundry as performing and young men’s business to more stores as well.
well last quarter, and said the company saw a big Growth will come from vendors such as Hippie
Laundry, Jessica Simpson, Democracy and
turnaround begin in denim in December.
Bon-Ton is forecasting a comp-store sales in- Celebrity Pink.”
Under Armour will be rolled out fast, with men’s,
crease of 2 to 3 percent for the year, with the second six months representing “a bigger opportunity” women’s and kids to all be sold at 100 doors right
as merchandise initiatives kick in and some ben- off the bat. Vera Bradley will be more gradual. With
efits from the new fulfillment center are seen, and private brands, “We plan to build upon the success
2015 earnings per diluted share ranging from a loss achieved in 2014 through brand extensions like the
new Ruff Hewn Grey, Ruff Hewn Home Decor and
of $0.25 to earnings of $0.25.
Among the turnaround objectives to be achieved special sizes in Exertek,” Bufano said.
“The one thing I learned from Belk is that rewithin the next five years:
■ Growing e-commerce to more than 10 percent of gional department stores can thrive and grow,
which Belk has done nicely,” Bufano said.
total volume from just over 6 percent currently.
■ Raising private-brand penetration to 25 percent “There’s a huge amount of loyalty and affection toof total volume from 18 percent currently. Ruff ward hometown stores. People still mourn the loss
of Rich’s in Atlanta, Marshall Field’s in Chicago
Hewn is the lead private brand in the stable.
■ Increasing sales per square foot from the present and Abraham & Straus in New York. We just have
to do a better job of differentiating who we are in
$122 to $145.
“Those are the targets we need to achieve to the marketplace.
“Bigger is better, I agree. But certainly Bon-Ton
make our company more profitable. They’re
reasonable and achievable,” Bufano said. can get back to historic profitability,” she added.
17%
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4 WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
Alexander
McQueen
Maison
Margiela
Lace Is
More
With lingerie-style dresses
that flaunted dainty trim,
sheer catsuits that exposed
satin briefs, and a mountain
of fabric tied mummy-style
into pants, designers showing
during Paris Fashion Week
said Je t’aime to lace.
COLLECTIONS
TREND
FALL 2015
Yohji Yamamoto
Balmain
Comme des
Garçons
Nina Ricci
Chloé
Sharon
Wauchob
Alessandra
Rich
WAUCHOB PHOTO BY DOMINIQUE MAÎTRE; ALL OTHERS EXCEPT RICH BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI
WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 5
WWD.COM
of
d
s
k
ad.
r
i-
of
n
lof
e
WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
WWD.COM
Buyers Hope Paris Fashions Spark Rtw Sales
{Continued from page one}
president of Neiman Marcus, could hardly contain his enthusiasm.
“Once Paris kicked in, it was sensational,” he said, classifying the season’s
fashion message as “that whole schizophrenic style that defined the Seventies
— psychedelia, bohemia, folkloric, the
Victorian reference and the early emergence of punk in 1976.”
Collections widely lauded by retailers
included Chanel, Dior, Dries Van Noten,
Givenchy, Haider Ackermann and Maison
Margiela, where John Galliano made his
rtw debut and a return to the Paris catwalk after his flameout and conviction
for anti-Semitic remarks in 2011.
Valentino was also a favorite, with
Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson walking
in the finale to announce the sequel to
their cult comedy “Zoolander.” “How
can we not mention the Blue Steel moment?” said Downing. “This supersophisticated collection with a supersilly
ending. It was great.”
“The Paris season for fall was exceptionally strong,” echoed Colleen
Sherin, vice president and fashion
director at Saks Fifth Avenue, adding
that “the strong American dollar is
making the European collections even
more enticing.”
Given the strong dollar, Beth
Buccini, cofounder of Kirna Zabête
in New York, noted that her budget
for Paris is up 20 percent. “We feel it
for the first time this season, which is
thrilling, because the customer is very
price-conscious nowadays, regardless
of how much money she has,” Buccini
said, projecting sales in designer rtw
will go up this year.
“We absolutely loved Paris,” she
said, mentioning Valentino, Lanvin,
Dior, Chloé, Saint Laurent and
Givenchy among highlights. “These
shows are the reason why we come to
Paris. They’re inspirational and we do
our best business here.”
Kelly Golden, owner of Neapolitan
Collection in Winnetka, Ill., said her
Paris budgets will be up, too. “We are
adding new lines, more categories from
current collections and, with the strong
dollar, prices will be more attractive
for our clients. Our business continues
to grow and Paris is a key driver in that
growth,” she said.
Sebla Refi g Devidas, women’s buying director at Turkey’s Beymen, said
more budgets would be allocated to
Paris as it had scaled back somewhat
on pre-collections.
“I feel more confident about the show
collections and the most positive aspect was that the collections were more
down-to-earth, wearable and easy to
create stories,” Devidas said. “That perfectly matches with the client who still
wants to spend on luxury, but wear it
multiple times.”
New discoveries for the retailer included Ellery, Vanessa Seward, Kolor,
Sacai and Pallas.
Charlotte Tasset, general merchandise manager, women’s apparel, lingerie, beauty and children’s apparel at
Printemps, said her budgets were up
again this season.
“It was a fairly dark season with
quite a heavy atmosphere in the choice
of colors, fabrics and silhouettes: a lot
of jacquard, a return of velvet, a lot of
tweed and thick bouclette wool,” she
said. “Austere attitudes underlined the
general impression,” she added, noting
feminine touches came in the shape of
fur, lace and embroideries.
“The overriding mood in Paris was
darkly feminine and very, very sexy.
Women love this look. Whether it be neogrunge or a romantic Victoriana vibe,
there are so many new items for all our
customers to embrace and drive sales.
Black is back, what can be easier than
that?” said Suzanne Timmins, senior
vice president and fashion director at
Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor.
“When you get to Paris, there’s not
one clear message: You get so many
original options,” said Jeffrey Kalinsky,
executive vice president of design merchandising at Nordstrom. “I thought
Chanel was spectacular. You had so many
choices there with one collection.”
Kalinsky said Paris offered an array
of compelling outerwear and rich tex-
Balenciaga
with midlengths, chunky heels and the
blouses. You can’t miss cropped pants,
T-necks, velvet, lurex, lace or shearling
varietals,” she added.
“Designers explored the idea of what
it means to be empowered and strong, yet
feminine and sensual,” said Brooke Jaffe,
operating vice president of fashion direction for women’s rtw at Bloomingdale’s.
“With millions of viewers watch-
Chanel
Dries van Noten
Maison
Margiela
Valentino
Haider Ackermann
tiles including velvets and brocades. “I
think our customer is going to have the
same emotional reaction to them that I
did,” he said.
“Overall, the fall season between
New York, London and Milan was lacking some clarity and direction, perhaps
due to the amount of change at numerous houses. But Paris crystallized the
season for us with an impressive succession of powerful collections,” said
Linda Fargo, senior vice president and
fashion and store presentation director
at Bergdorf Goodman.
“There was a lot of diversity of vision, there were also enough unifying
specific trends, such as the curiosity in
gender-blending, dips into the Seventies
PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI
r
r
vn
d
ht
ez,
n
d
o
e
6
ing live-streaming and Instagramming,
designers need to make their viewers
dream about fashion, start a dialogue,
disrupt the norm and push everyday
dressing into the future,” said Barbara
Atkin, vice president of fashion direction at Canada’s Holt Renfrew. “Paris
succeeded by offering up purposeful
collections with crystal-clear concepts.
Collections were powerful, romantic,
sumptuous and bold, with a sense of
freedom as women are now in control of
their individual self expression.”
Natalie Kingham, buying director for Matchesfashion.com, said “the
mood of the season is a woman undone with raw edges, different to the
bohemian trend that is also a strong
theme. There is also a strong presence
of bold color in collections from red to
green, blue and pastels. This season
feels ideal for a woman who embraces
strong and diverse color, often offset
with tones of camel.” While most were
in agreement that the Paris shows offered something for everyone, others
saw this as a lack of vision.
Detractors included Kazuyoshi
Minamimagoe, senior creative director
at Beams in Tokyo. “Generally speaking,
there were no outstanding new trends,”
he said. “Luxury brands shifted their collections more toward real clothes, thus
allowing buyers more to choose from.
Maison Margiela and Carven, both with
their new designers, will probably match
the Beams clientele.”
But this sentiment was rare.
“We’ve seen opposing ideas and differentiated aesthetics that coexist beautifully within collections: rough and refined, tough and romantic, dressy and
casual, fluid and fitted, shiny and matte,”
said Tomoko Ogura, senior fashion director at Barneys New York.
“The unexpected mixing of these elements and taking inspiration from different decades [and] centuries and modernizing them for today’s audience feels
fresh and exciting,” she said.
Macy’s group vice president and
fashion director, global forecasting
Nicole Fischelis liked the pairing of
romantic, feminine ruffles and sheers
with more masculine coats, as well as
tuxedos and high-end hippie styles.
“There are a lot of great items to capitalize on,” she said.
Stylebop.com fashion director Leila
Yavari predicted, “Come fall, a sumptuous dark romanticism will reign supreme.
Amidst all the drama and fin-de-siècle
embellishment, the mood was surprisingly upbeat — and the layering provided plenty of wonderful options that will
translate from runway to real life.”
Yavari said her customers gravitate toward strong statement pieces.
“We hope to encourage growth in that
sector by investing in one-of-a-kind
buys, of which there were plenty.
Transitional dressing is also a key market segment — and designers certainly
addressed this with many versatile
pieces that move seamlessly between
climates,” she said.
Jennifer Cuvillier, style director at
Le Bon Marché, said the Paris season
was strong on creativity and salability.
“Accessories were strongly represented
in this season’s shows, especially jewelry, which had long been absent from the
catwalk, so that is a good commercial
opportunity,” she noted.
“It’s been incredible,” said Ikram
Goldman, owner of Ikram in Chicago. “I
found that in a pool of so many designers, there was a precision in each designer’s voice that we looked at. The designers were very clear in their message.
This season was like a pure understanding of the story.”
She praised the variety of pants
shapes on offer. “It’s a sailor pant. It’s
a high-waist pant. It’s a low pant. It’s a
wide pant,” she said — a sentiment mirrored by several buyers when it came to
skirts and dresses, too.
“We are optimistic about the autumn
ahead with the rich textures, feathers,
quilting and satin all pointing to luxurious wardrobing of strong and rich pieces with an abundance of fur (or fake fur
as seen at Stella), which will increase
desirability, and automatically raise
ticket prices,” said Averyl Oates, commercial director, fashion divisions at
Galeries Lafayette.
“The bohemian look will continue
from spring into fall, but she will be
much more luxurious. The haute bohemian will reign, adorned with suede
and silk fringes, beautiful embroideries
and elaborate macramés,” summed up
Golden of Neapolitan Collection.
WWD friday, march 13, 2015 7
WWD.COM
beauty
Jacobs Talks Scents, Fashion
By JULie NaUGHToN
WHiLe He LiKes to break new
ground, marc Jacobs is including a bit
of his past in the launch of his newest
fragrance, mod Noir.
The scent, which is exclusive to freestanding sephora doors in the U.s. and
Jacobs’ own boutiques in June and globally in July, is based around gardenias, the
bloom that was the focus of the very first
fragrance Jacobs did with former fragrance
licensee LVmH more than a decade ago.
Coty, Jacobs’ current licensee, acquired the
license from LVmH in may 2003.
Despite being immersed in the scent
business for more than 10 years, Jacobs
said the perfume business never gets old
for him. “every time i go to an airport or
open a magazine [and see one], i think,
‘Wow, i’m a real designer. i have a perfume,’” he told WWD.
in fact, Jacobs admits to being surprised by the number of fragrances he
has. “i have the same basic attitude toward everything — i get very excited
about doing new things and projects,”
he said. “When fragrances first started, i
was superexcited about being able to do
it, and i thought, ‘Well, we’ll see how it
goes. if it works, then we’ll do more, and
if it doesn’t, we’ll try again to do something else.’ The best test is the customer.”
The customer, by the way, may soon be
able to purchase shares of the designer’s
stock; it has been rumored, but not confirmed, that Jacobs is eyeing an initial
public offering.
The new floral interpretation, which
Jacobs created with Jean-Claude Delville
at symrise, has lush green top notes,
a heart of gardenia and a drydown of
creamy musks, and the fragrance’s packaging also gives a tip of the hat to the
retailer in which it will be sold — mod
Noir’s bottle is in graphic black-andwhite, sephora’s signature colors.
eaux de parfum in two sizes will be
offered: 1 oz. for $70 and 1.7 oz. for $90,
as well as a $28 rollerball, noted Lori
singer, group vice president of global
marketing at Coty inc. singer added that
Raymond meier shot the brand visuals,
The brand visual.
which will be used in-store and digitally, and that a comprehensive sampling
campaign is also planned. While neither
Jacobs nor singer would discuss numbers, industry sources estimated that the
scent could do $10 million at retail in the
U.s. in its first year on counter.
The designer is equally as enthusiastic about the color cosmetics collection he’s created with Kendo, sephora’s
product arm. The line launched in
august 2013. “[Color] runs parallel to
the fragrance experience,” he said.
“The idea of beauty, for me, is fra-
David Beckham’s Fragrant Decade
By NiNa JoNes
a maze of mirrors, a
mediterranean garden and a
meditation session were all
part of the immersive experience that Coty inc. and David
Beckham created for the
press launch of Beckham’s
instinct Gold edition fragrance at a London events
space Thursday.
The fragrance marks
Beckham’s 10th anniversary
of working with Coty, a span
that began with the former
soccer player launching the
original instinct in 2005. since
then, Beckham’s fragrances have gone on to become
the best-performing celebrity brand in Coty’s portfolio,
which includes fragrances
by Beyoncé, Katy Perry and
Jennifer Lopez. “it was the
goal at the start.…i wanted to
be part of something that in
10 years’ time, we could look
back on and [it would]…not be
perceived as old-fashioned,”
said Beckham, who held a
question-and-answer session
in a room done up to resemble
his own stylish study (the event
was designed to mimic the sensory “journey” of creating the
fragrance.) Yaël Tuil-Torres,
vice president of global marketing, celebrities and fashion
division at Coty, said over the
past 10 years, instinct has sold
more than 10 million bottles.
Together with the original
instinct, there have so far
been seven editions of the
fragrance, with instinct Gold edition
the eighth. “With each fragrance, we’ve
put something in that means something
to me — the notes that i like, the smells
that i like,” said Beckham.
The fragrance, created by perfumer aliénor massenet of international
flavors & fragrances, combines top
notes of lemon oil, bergamot oil and basil
grand vert; a heart of cardamom LmR,
Juniper berry oil LmR and rosemary
oil LmR and base notes of cedarwood
’’
’’
I think it’s important that
children have their own ideas
on style and individuality.
— david beckham
During the event, Beckham —
who was sporting a beard and a
slim-fitting dark suit — also chatted
about his ever-changing style, and
his children’s rising fashion-plate
status. His eldest son, Brooklyn,
has even taken to helping himself
to clothes from his father’s closet,
Beckham admitted. “i had a pair of
saint Laurent leather trousers that
i’d never worn, and Brooklyn found
them and wore them — they were
my trousers and they’re definitely
not anymore,” he said. and he noted
that his four children’s senses of
style is “all themselves” — even his
three-year-old daughter Harper’s.
“We let them make their own decisions in what they wear,” he said.
“Harper’s wearing Victoria’s heels
every single day. she’ll literally walk
into the house and put her ballerina
outfit on and a pair of heels — but
she’s very funny, because she always
puts the boys’ football boots on as
well,” he said. “i think it’s important that children have their own
ideas on style and individuality,”
he said, noting that he predicts his
son Romeo will take on his mantle
as a style icon. But Beckham was
happy to admit his own fashion record isn’t perfect. “i do look back
and think, ‘What was i thinking?’
But at the time it was great — or i
thought it was great,” he said with
a grin. The fragrance will be priced
at 26.50 pounds, or around $40. The
limited edition — which Tuil-Torres
said is designed as a collectors’
item — will be sold solely as a 50ml. eau de toilette. it will launch at
department stores and pharmacies
in europe, australia, the far east
and south africa this month and
remain on counters through June.
While Coty declined to provide sales estimates for the fragrance, industry sources predict that the limited edition could
generate $4 million in retail sales while
it’s on counter.
following the Gold edition launch,
Coty is working with Beckham on what
Tuil-Torres called a new “blockbuster”
fragrance, that’s set to bow in august or
september. While instinct Gold edition
won’t launch in the U.s., the upcoming
major launch will be sold there.
oil, patchouli and vetiver. “You want to
give people something that they feel is
new and modern, but also with that timeless effect,” Beckham said. massenet
pointed out that while bergamot, vetiver
and cardamom were notes in the original instinct, the Gold edition is more
“aromatic” and “deeper.” “in the Gold
[edition], you have a bit more contrast
and sensuality,” said massenet. The new
edition is also in a gold lacquered version of instinct’s flasklike bottle.
grance, color and eventually, hopefully,
skin care. it’s very much like designing a collection — it’s just a different
medium. it’s about materials, it’s about
creating a certain spirit, assembling
the elements, putting them together,
and opening up a dialogue. What i love
about fashion, accessories and beauty,
is that they’re part of a ritual which is
such a luxury, and a luxury that i think
women — at least all the women i know
— enjoy, making those choices and enjoying that ritual in the morning, deciding what you’re going to wear and how
you’re going to present yourself. That’s
olfactive as well as visual.”
Jacobs also isn’t afraid to deviate from
the norm, as he proved when he signed
sixtysomething actress Jessica Lange
as the face of his color cosmetics collection in the spring of 2014. “i’m a big fan
of hers, and i always have been,” he said.
“i felt that it was really necessary, early
on with the beauty, to establish that you
should come to expect what you don’t expect, not to get into kind of a formula. so
[we decided] to go from edie [Campbell,
who was featured in the previous campaign] with a very heavy, very glamorous
beauty look to Jessica, just a beautiful
woman who is somebody very, very different and extraordinarily beautiful and talented. it wasn’t about doing an age thing
or anything like that. it’s just me trusting my instincts. Beauty comes in many
shapes and forms and sizes and ages.”
L’Oréal USA, Powa
Ink Partnership
L’oRéaL Usa aND Powa Technologies have
formed a strategic partnership intended to
drive sales with a high-tech mobile program.
Powa Technologies, a U.K.-based
commerce firm, creates technologies
intended to simplify purchasing and
enhance consumer loyalty to the brand.
The technology L’oréal will be using is
the company’s flagship product, a mobile
platform called PowaTag that is intended
to transform any consumer touchpoint
— from bricks-and-mortar, print and
TV advertising to social media — into
a platform for mobile transactions and
promotions on customers’ smartphones.
Dan Wagner, chief executive officer and
founder of PowaTechologies, noted the
technology will interact with print and
electronic advertising and will enable
instant purchases through PowaTag both
on smartphones and desktop computers.
The company is reportedly also using the
technology with such corporate giants as
Reebok, adidas and Carrefour.
“PowaTag provides a way for consumers to deepen their engagement with their
favorite brands,” Wagner said. “Being
one of the world’s largest advertisers, the
possibilities of what can be achieved for
L’oréal through a smartphone are endless. mobile devices have become the go-to
method for people to explore and connect
with brands and PowaTag is rapidly becoming the standard for the world’s leading companies.” The company, founded in
2007, aims to “remove the final barriers to
instant global transactions through a revolutionary instant mobile payment technology, the first fully integrated tablet Pos
platform, and advanced cloud-based ecommerce solutions,” he noted. Before beginning Powa Technologies, Wagner founded online information database Dialog,
and Venda Ltd., said to be the world’s largest provider of on-demand e-commerce.
marie Gulin-merle, chief marketing
officer for L’oréal Usa, noted her company has an “unrelenting drive to innovate for our customers.”
“Through this exciting partnership
with Powatag, we see a new way to merge
the online and off-line worlds of our customers, adding value to their lives and
bringing ease and convenience to their
mobile shopping experiences,” said
Gulin-merle.
— J.N.
8
WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
WWD.COM
beauty
‘A Real Guy’ for Kenneth Cole
Revlon Sales Jump 30.2%
cent to $115.6 million in the consumer
business and more than tripled, to $16.3
million, in the professional group. Sales
LORENZO DELPANI said he is seeing from Colomer’s retail brands are includearly signs that the repositioning of ed in the consumer segment while those
both the Revlon and Almay brands is sold in professional channels are attributed to the professional segment.
beginning to work.
While it’s early into both the Revlon
Delpani, Revlon’s president and chief
executive officer, noted that the launch of and Almay repositioning efforts,
Delpani
said he was encouraged by
Revlon’s “Love Is On” campaign in late
2014, followed by this year’s introduction initial market results.
The company’s stepped up marketing
of Almay’s new tag line Simply American
are part of the company’s efforts to battle spending in 2014 by $38.1 million, reprefor lost market share and grow the com- senting a 10.8 percent increase over the
prior year. Asked how he gauges success,
pany’s top and bottom lines.
During the firm’s earnings with Wall he said, “I like to rely on a very simple
Street analysts call on Thursday, Revlon measure: Are we growing market share?”
At the same time, the company will
Delpani referred to 2014 as a year of
“significant change and transformation.” continue to focus on “fewer, better”
“We integrated [The Colomer Group] product launches, as well as “fewer,
into the company and delivered the ex- better” people, Delpani said. “We want
pected synergies and related cost reduc- people who are achievers.”
tions,” he said. “We
Delpani said the
company has exredesigned our orgatended the Love Is
nization and signifiOn campaign to its
cantly increased our
corporate culture, but
investment to build
clarified that “corpoand support our key
rate love” is not interbrands. We launched
REVLON’S ADJUSTED EARNINGS
personal or uncondiour Revlon Love
FOR 2014.
tional. It does speak
Is On campaign in
to the organization’s
November 2014 and
our Almay Simply American Campaign core beliefs, such as the desire to win,
in January 2015. Thanks to our strategy celebrate talent and promote diversity.
of value creation and the integration
For the year, net income was $40.9
synergies, our 2014 financial perfor- million, or 78 cents a diluted share, compared with a loss of $5.8 million, or 11
mance was the best in many years.”
In the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, cents, in the year-ago period. Adjusted
Revlon reported net income of $2.7 mil- earnings before interest, taxes, deprecialion, or 5 cents a diluted share, com- tion and amortization rose 32.3 percent to
pared with a loss of 33.1 million, or 63 $375.2 million from $283.7 million.
Sales for the year gained 30.2 percents a share, in the prior-year period.
Adjusted earnings before interest, cent to $1.94 billion, compared with
taxes, depreciation and amortization $1.49 billion the prior year, boosted by
rose 18.2 percent to $108.7 million from the acquisition of TCG in October 2013.
On a pro forma basis — in which
$92 million.
Total company net sales for the pe- Colomer was accounted for as it had been
riod gained 1.9 percent to $501 million part of Revlon one year ago — and exfrom $491 million. Its consumer seg- cluding the impact of foreign currency, the
ment’s sales fell 1.8 percent to $383.3 company said sales gained 4.7 percent.
Delpani reiterated that integration
million in the quarter while the professional segment of the business recorded of Colomer was on track to deliver ana 17.1 percent sales increase to $117.7 nualized cost reduction of $30 million
million. Segment profit was up 8 per- to $35 million by the end of 2015.
By MOLLY PRIOR
32.3%
Ulta Hits $1B in Revenues
ULTA BEAUTY reached and surpassed
$1 billion in quarterly sales for the
first time, capping off a stellar year in
which profits surged nearly 27 percent.
“Our best comparable sales increase
of the year was driven by accelerating
traffic growth, continued strength in
prestige and mass color cosmetics, a
successful holiday selling season, execution of more effective marketing and
CRM strategies, a double-digit comp in
our salon business, and a 55 percent
comparable sales increase in our ecommerce business,” said Mary Dillon,
Ulta’s chief executive officer, during the
company’s fourth-quarter earnings call
on Thursday evening.
The Bolingbrook, Ill.-based retailer said its net income in the quarter
gained 23.5 percent to $87.3 million, or
$1.35 a diluted share from $70.7 million,
or 1.09 cents, in the year-ago period.
Sales for the three months ended Jan.
31 gained 20.7 percent to $1.05 billion
from $868.1 million. Comparable sales
increased 11.1 percent, driven by 7.7
percent growth in transactions and 3.4
percent growth in average ticket size.
Dillon named IT Cosmetics, Tarte,
Urban Decay and Too Faced among the
top performers in its prestige business,
with NYX and lip products driving
mass sales.
reflect his journey and
his life as a dad and as a
veteran. Consumers today
really see and feel the difAUTHENTICITY HAS inference of a truly authencreasingly won the heart
tic campaign.”
of consumers. Between
Priced at $72 and
beauty vloggers’ product
launching in April at
critiques and celebriMacy’s, Dillard’s, Belk, Bonties investing in brands
Ton Stores, Kenneth Cole
because they truly love
stores and kennethcole.
them, shoppers are atcom, Mankind Ultimate
tracted to companies that
blends citrus accord with
deliver legitimacy.
cucumber, a heart of cashFor the first time,
mere wood and vetiver root
Kenneth Cole and his frawith a base of sandalwood,
grance licensee Parlux
oak, moss, tonka crystals
has tapped a “real guy”
and musk.
to star in its newest
“When I met Kenneth
campaign for Mankind
The Mankind Ultimate campaign.
Cole, he asked what I
Ultimate, a limited-edition scent that represents the modern man wanted to leave as my legacy,” Galloway
said. “I mentioned whatever I could to
— driven, persistent and compassionate.
Cole met 33-year-old Alabama-based make sure my family was taken care of and
Noah Galloway, a war veteran, double- that I left them something to be proud of.”
Galloway’s family has more than one
amputee, personal trainer and motivational speaker, when he won the search reason to be proud of him. Besides scoring the campaign, Galloway will appear
for the Ultimate Men’s Health Guy.
“I wanted to help tell the story of this on the next season of “Dancing with the
remarkable man,” Cole said. “Despite his Stars,” premiering on Monday.
“I have no dance experience at all,” he adpersonal obstacles, he remains both physmitted. “[My dance partner Sharna Burgess]
ically and mentally fit.”
The campaign, which will run in Men’s tells me the type of dance we’re doing and
Health’s April issue coinciding with the I’m like, ‘I don’t know what that means or
annual search for the Ultimate Men’s what you just said.’ But if I dance well, it’s all
Health Guy, illuminates Galloway’s jour- credited to Sharna and I told her if I do bad,
then I’ll blame her. No, I’m just kidding.”
ney with a black-and-white collage.
Although executives wouldn’t talk finan“We really wanted Mankind Ultimate to
push the limits of traditional advertising,” cials, industry sources estimate that Mankind
said Angela Budd, global vice president of Ultimate could do $8 million to $10 million at
marketing at Parlux Ltd. “Those images retail during its limited-edition run.
By JAYME CYK
She noted that Ulta’s loyalty program
had grown to reach 15 million active
members by the end of the fourth quarter.
Its store base continued to grow.
During the quarter, Ulta added 10 doors,
and closed one, to end the three-month
period with 774 stores, which translated
to a 14 percent increase in square footage compared with the year-ago period.
The company also announced several executive changes. Dillon said
Janet Taake, chief merchandising officer of Ulta, plans to retire after six
years at the company, effective May 1.
She and her team are credited with
adding 100 major brands to Ulta’s assortment, according to Dillon. David
Kimbell, Ulta’s current chief marketing officer, will assume merchandising
in the newly created role of chief merchandising and marketing officer.
For the year, net income gained 26.8
percent to $257.1 million, or $3.98 a diluted share, compared with $202.8 million,
or $3.15 a share. Sales increased 21.4 percent to $3.24 billion from $2.67 billion.
The company said it plans to achieve
comparable-store growth of approximately 6 to 8 percent, including its ecommerce business; increase total sales
in the midteens percentage range and
expand square footage by 13 percent with
the opening of 100 net new doors. — M.P.
Shiseido Gains Lutens Trademark
SHISEIDO CO. LTD. of Tokyo has acquired
the trademark of Serge Lutens’ fragrance and
color cosmetics brand, according to Carsten
Fischer, corporate senior executive officer
of Shiseido. The Asian beauty giant was expected to have disclosed the deal in a press
release issued this morning, Tokyo time.
Lutens will remain head of the brand, which
had been distributed by Shiseido.
The iconoclastic image maker, photographer and product developer has
been a pioneer in the now-budding artisanal, niche fragrance movement. His
relationship with Shiseido started in
1980 when he was hired to create an
international image for the company,
which was then little-known outside of
Japan. He shot advertising, designed
makeup and created packaging. In 1982,
he was commissioned by the company to
create Nombre Noir.
In 2000, Lutens created his own company,
Parfums-Beauty Serge Lutens. Shiseido has
acted as the distributor.
According to market sources, Shiseido is
considering plans to give the prominent brand
more of a lifestyle positioning. Shiseido does
not break out sales projections, but industry
sources indicate that Shiseido could more
than double the size of the business in 10
years. Sales are now estimated at more than
$15 million at retail.
“I am happy that we can bring our cooperation with Serge Lutens to a new stage. The
creativity and the style of the brand are unmatched,” said Fischer.
— PETE BORN
Surratt Gears Up for Growth
nation with Japanese beauty
TROY SURRATT’S preproducts, the line includes
occupation with the dea system of shapes that
tails is paying off.
allows women to create
The makeup artist —
personalized palettes,
who is often called “beaualong
with items such
ty otaku” (or someone
as Smoky Eye Baton and
with an obsessive inAutographique Liner.
terest in makeup) when
“Women have really retraveling in Japan to tend
sponded to the customizato the creation of his nametion aspect of the line,” said
sake collection Surratt — is
Surratt. He has already exgearing up for growth.
Some of the products.
panded shade ranges across
Surratt will soon expand
the cosmetics brand to Sephora, Net-a-porter, certain items, and there’s also a new complexion product slated for fall.
Harrods in London and Mecca in Australia.
Heleyne Tamir, chief executive officer of
The line will launch on sephora.com
on March 17, and then on April 20 roll out Surratt, said, “In our first year, sales have
to 27 Sephora doors with plans to end the exceeded all forecasts. Our initial launch at
year in 40 doors. Sephora will house the Barneys resulted in immediate sell-outs of
products and our opening at Liberty is said
collection along two three-foot gondolas.
“Sephora is the vortex of beauty and to have been their most successful color
makeup. It’s a candy store where you can launch to date. This coupled with consumer
lose yourself,” said Surratt. The line is excitement over the new Artistique Brush
also slated to launch at Net-a-porter and collection has propelled the numbers. With
Harrods at the end of March, and at Mecca the new strategic retail partnerships in
in July. It is currently sold at Barneys New place for 2015, we anticipate growth of ten
times our current sales volume.”
York and Liberty in London.
As for how Surratt maps out its retail
After spending four years on research
and development, Surratt launched a sizable distribution strategy, the makeup artist said
collection of 106 items at Barneys New York he asks a simple question, “Is it a place
in October 2013. Inspired by Surratt’s fasci- that I would like to shop myself?”— M.P.
BEAUTY’S
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10 WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
eye
‘Savage Beauty’ Reborn
LONDON IS POISED for six months of
magical thinking with a fresh take on the
“Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty”
exhibition set to open this weekend at the
Victoria and Albert Museum. The show is
a window into the restless, labyrinthine
mind of the late designer, who considered
London not only his home, but also his
fountainhead of inspiration.
“Alexander was a London boy, and
what can I say? He’s back in town,” said
Philip Treacy, whose dramatic creations
feature in the exhibition. Treacy was
among a crowd that included Sarah Burton,
Kate Moss, Stella Tennant, Erdem Moralioglu,
and David and Victoria Beckham, who
gathered at the V&A on Thursday night to
celebrate the opening of the show. Asked
to compare the London show with the
one at New York’s Metropolitan Museum
of Art in 2011, Treacy said London
offered a more heightened experience.
Burton said she was reluctant to
attend the press view for fear she’d
burst into tears. “I’m terrible. I would
have been in bits. Lee lived London, and
this show feels really personal, really
intimate,” the designer said.
Tennant talked about the impact of
wearing McQueen. “The clothes make you
feel indominable. There’s a soft side to them,
too, but the feeling you have is one of power.”
Katie Grand opted to leave her sole
McQueen piece in storage. It was a
jacket she swiped from the designer’s
home in Essex, England, after traveling
to visit him with Isabella Blow. “It had
been buried underground and the color
The Romantic Gothic gallery.
had oxidized. Now I think it even has
gotten moldy,” she said.
“Savage Beauty” is the biggest and
most ambitious fashion exhibition ever
staged by the V&A — the archives of which
McQueen would plunder for research and
inspiration. “It’s the sort of place I’d like
to be shut in overnight,” he once said. The
show has already been extended by two
weeks, with 70,000 tickets sold.
While it may follow the template of
the original one staged at the Met, the
V&A production is bigger, more polished
and with greater emphasis on McQueen’s
native city. “It is all about coming home,”
said Martin Roth, the museum’s director.
“My first thought when I saw the show at
the Met was: ‘McQueen has
to come home.’”
The retrospective,
which opens to the
public on Saturday
and runs until
Aug. 2, features 66
additional garments
and accessories —
including a sculpted
white feather gown
from the Horn of
Plenty show; a blood
red ballet dress
from The Girl Who
Lived in the Tree,
and early pieces
from the wardrobes
of old friends and
colleagues including
Annabelle Neilson, Katy
England, Aimee Whitton
and Janet Fischgrund.
FOR MORE PHOTOS, SEE
François-Henri Pinault
and Salma Hayek
WWD.com/eye.
Jamie Hince and Kate Moss
It opens with an homage to McQueen’s
London, featuring looks from his midNineties shows — the slashed leather
pieces, dresses made from corroded lace,
and ones bearing tapestry flowers that
bleed into streaks of paint. Next door,
there’s a short, saucy frock coat with tulle
underskirts from his 1992 master of arts
graduate collection, and a deconstructed,
kimono-style dress that McQueen would
use to dress up one of the limited-edition
gold cards he designed for American
Express, one of his earliest sponsors, and
a supporter of the V&A show.
There is a lineup of bumster skirts
and trousers — inspired by the looks
McQueen witnessed on the streets of
his city — and a host of tailored pieces
highlighting his training on Savile
Row, first as a teenage apprentice for
Anderson & Sheppard and later for
Gieves and Hawkes. “Everything I do
is based in tailoring,” reads one of
the many McQueen quotes that run
alongside the displays.
The Cabinet of Curiosities, which
features accessories by jeweler Shaun
Leane and milliner Treacy, longtime
McQueen collaborators, is twice the size
of the one at the Met. It’s housed in a
double-height gallery and interspersed
with film footage of nearly all of the
designer’s shows.
Meanwhile, the ghostly hologram
of Kate Moss, the woman in white silk
organza, is bigger this time around.
“In New York, we had her the size
of Tinkerbell, while here, she’s much
bigger — child size,” said Andrew Bolton,
who created the original show with
the support of Harold Koda, and was
consultant curator of this one, working
alongside the main curator Claire Wilcox.
The Met show had been produced “on
the fly, in nine months, so there were
some chinks in the armor. Here, the
creases have all been ironed out,” he
said, adding the London-themed room
in particular stood out because of the
“rawness, spontaneity, lack of selfconsciousness and modernity” of the
looks on display.
During a walk-through of the Cabinet
of Curiosities, Nadja Swarovski, whose
company sponsored the show, discussed
how McQueen operated on another
plane. Pointing to a crystal mesh top
with an executioner’s-style hood, she
recalled how the garment came to be.
“We could never figure out what to
do with crystal mesh, which comes in
sheets like fabric,” said Swarovski,
whose family company had created it in
1993. “People would use it for handbag
trimming. But he asked for five sheets
of it, and that’s what he did,” she said
of the top. “Crystals were never an
afterthought with him.”
McQueen would go on to work with
crystal mesh for skirts, dresses and other
pieces and Swarovski said that once
McQueen got going with it, everyone
wanted to use it. “We couldn’t produce
enough of it — that was a phenomenon
we had never experienced before.”
As with the Met, the show is molded
around McQueen’s dark — and exciting
— preoccupations over the years: The
Victorian Gothic tradition; death everlurking; nature in all its splendor, horror
The Romantic Nationalism gallery.
and decay; his own Scottish heritage, and
parallel worlds in the past and future.
The journey is wondrous, sinister,
and otherworldly, and the only real
drawbacks are the sometimes hard-toread captions at the foot of the displays,
and the discreetly laid-out descriptions
of each room’s theme. Visitors would do
well to study up beforehand on McQueen,
or ignore the captions altogether and
allow the clothes to work their magic.
— SAMANTHA CONTI
• • •
MCQUEEN MARK II: Alongside the Victoria
& Albert Museum exhibit, London’s Tate
Britain is also paying homage to the
late designer. Tuesday saw the opening
of “Nick Waplington/Alexander McQueen:
Working Process” at the gallery, which
showcases more than 130 photographs
by Waplington that chart McQueen’s
process of creating his fall 2009
collection, “The Horn of Plenty.”
Waplington’s images chronicle what
the gallery describes as McQueen’s
“intense and theatrical working
process,” following the collection
from the designer’s first sketches to
the Paris runway show. Waplington,
whose subjects have in the past run
from families living in the West Bank
to the British post-punk movement, has
contrasted the images from McQueen’s
studio with images from landfill sites
shot around east London, where both
he and the designer lived, highlighting
what the gallery called the “raw and
unpolished side of the fashion world.”
Before McQueen’s death in 2010, he and
Waplington had together created a photo
book of the images, called “Alexander
McQueen: Working Process,” which
was published by Damiani in 2013. The
exhibition runs until May 17.
— VIVIANA ATTARD
PINAULT AND MOSS PHOTOS BY TIM JENKINS
The Platos Atlantis gallery at “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.”
WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 11
WWD.COM
FASHION SCOOPS
FRESH SIGHT: Victoria Beckham is placing
new emphasis on her sunglasses
collection. The designer, who launched
eyewear in 2009, has enlisted a fresh
roster of manufacturers to help “spice”
up her collections. The collection was
previously manufactured in partnership
with Cutler and Gross. She will continue
to use their services along with a bevy
of other “specialists,” including lens
Victoria Beckham
will launch a
capsule aviator-style
sunglass collection.
producer Zeiss. “It was important for
me to evolve existing styles and develop
new pieces for my retail partners and my
own store and Web site and we now have
the ability to do this,” Beckham said.
“For me, it is about the line continuing
to expand and incorporating the best
materials and techniques possible. It is
an exciting time for the category.”
Beckham will debut her new
manufacturing initiatives with a capsule
collection of colorfully lensed aviator
styles that incorporate Zeiss’ handiwork.
They will exclusively retail at Barneys
New York for $550 for basic styles up to
$1,255 for aviators laden in 18-karat gold.
A spokeswoman declined to specify
other factories that Beckham has begun
working with this season but said they
are all located in Italy’s Valdobbiadene
region. Further details will be unveiled
when Beckham’s new collection
launches at eyewear trade show Silmo
Paris in September.
— MISTY WHITE SIDDELL
SPANX TO SPADE: Jan Singer, chief
executive officer of Spanx, has been
nominated to the board of Kate Spade.
The company said Thursday that Bernard
W. Aronson and Kay Koplovitz will not be
standing for re-election at the company’s
2015 annual shareholders’ meeting
on May 19, when Singer will stand for
election. Prior to being named ceo of
Spanx last July, Singer was with Nike
as corporate vice president of global
apparel and corporate vice president
of global footwear. Earlier, she was vice
president and general manager of global
product, merchandising and marketing
for Reebok International Ltd.’s women’s
business. She has also held key
marketing and global communications
roles at Chanel, Calvin Klein and Prada.
— LISA LOCKWOOD
STRIKE A POSE: It was a snap-happy
frenzy at Fendi’s Avenue Montaigne
store in Paris Monday evening as the
label gathered fur-clad fans to celebrate
its sunglasses collaboration with Thierry
Lasry, complete with a Twitter Mirror
for maximum social-media impact.
Anna Cleveland, who appears in the ad
campaign for the capsule collection,
couldn’t wait to try on the colorful retro
styles again. “Any chance to get them
on, I will,” said the model, who has a
preference for outsize
eyewear. “It’s important
Lovers +
to have some color in life,
Friends
and these sunglasses do
will unveil
just that.”
swimwear
Also spotted at the
for spring.
cocktail party were Kris
Jenner, Caroline Vreeland,
Louis-Marie de Castelbajac,
Silvia Fendi’s youngest
daughter Leonetta Fendi,
Miroslava Duma, South
Korean model Irene
Kim, the music duo
comprising AaRON, Helena
Bordon and blogger
Kristina Bazan.
When it came to
the collaboration with
Fendi, his first, Lasry
dove deep. He scoured
some 20,000 images
from the company’s archives going
back to 1966, looking not just at runway
photos, but Karl Lagerfeld’s old mood
boards, as well. His concept was to
“bring art to the sunglasses because
Fendi is very linked to art,” according
the designer, who set about to custommaking patterns. Patterns are Lasry’s
trademark, and he developed two
different motifs in two silhouettes,
working alongside Silvia Fendi.
Contrasting colors are also
Lasry’s specialty, and for the Fendi
shades he combined navy blue,
burgundy and yellow.
The designer is already developing
styles for spring 2016 for the Fendi and
Thierry Lasry collection.
— ROXANNE ROBINSON AND ALEX WYNNE
POOL TIME: Los Angeles-based
contemporary brand Lovers + Friends,
cofounded in 2011 by Raissa Gerona and
Mitch Moseley, is branching out with
swimwear for spring.
“It felt like the most
natural new category
to add to Lovers +
Friends,” Gerona said of
the launch. “We wanted
the swim collection to
be an extension of our
main line by including
vibrant prints, crochet
and lace textiles and
sexy bodies for every
girl.” The 16 looks,
which include onepieces and bandeau,
halter and triangle
bikini styles, come
in colorful striped,
tropical and python
prints. Ranging from $62
to $160, the collection
hits retail next month
on the brand’s e-commerce site as well
as Revolveclothing.com.
— KRISTI GARCED
FRAGRANCE BUFF: Responsible
for fragrances like Estée Lauder
Pleasures for Women, Ralph Lauren
Safari for Men and Tommy by Tommy
Hilfiger, Annie Buzantian, master
perfumer at Firmenich will be
honored as the perfumer of the year at
The Fragrance Foundation Awards on
June 17 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln
Center. Along with Carlos Benaim of
International Flavors and Fragrances
and Alberto Morillas of Firmenich,
Buzantian is the third perfumer to
receive this award.
MEMO PAD
Dior’s “Secret Garden” video series is
slated to feature Rihanna. The film and
print campaign, shot this week by Steven
Klein in Versailles, is scheduled to run
this spring, Dior told WWD exclusively.
The third installment has logged more
than nine million views on Dior’s official
YouTube channel, showcasing a trio of
models whisking through the chateau and
its vast grounds wearing an array of the
French house’s fashions and leather goods.
— MILES SOCHA
CRESSIDA’S DANCE: Mulberry launches the
first of three short films in its new digital
stories series today, a dance project
featuring British actress-model-aristocrat
Cressida Bonas. To celebrate the brand’s
spring collection, which, per tradition,
was inspired by an English garden, set
designer Michael Howells, choreographer
Martin Joyce and up-and-coming director
Ivana Bobic concocted a magical world
inside an 18th-century Clerkenwell
courthouse with copious amounts of grass,
sunlight and mirrors. Set to ESG’s catchy
“Dance” track, Bonas enters the house
PHOTO BY UZO OLEH/COURTESY OF MULBERRY
Cressida Bonas will appear in
Mulberry’s digital stories series.
wearing the Buttercup dress, and begins
grooving her way up the stairs and into a
mirrored room containing a handbag.
“It was so much fun. I had a
choreographed routine, but a lot of it
Rihanna will appear in the fourth
episode of Dior’s “Secret Garden.”
was improvised because the music just
makes you want to dance naturally,”
said Bonas, who trained at the Trinity
Laban Dance Conservatoire in London,
and will make her feature film debut
in “Tulip Fever” later this year. Bonas,
the former girlfriend of Prince Harry, is
the youngest daughter of Lady Mary-Gaye
Curzon and has acted in several plays in
London’s West End.
“Cressida is such a natural on
camera, and I always like to leave
a little room for improvisation with
any project,” Bobic said. The
writer-director, who studied
at Central Saint Martins and
is working on an improvised
thriller feature, said she’s
embracing the digital world
as a forum for exposure. “It’s
amazing how many people
around the world can see your
work, although I am still a fan
of old-fashioned film.”
British actor Freddie Fox
also has a cameo in the short,
although he conceded, “Cres
is the real star.” Although
Bonas says she’s not much of a
clotheshorse as she prefers long skirts
and trainers, she is a fan of Mulberry’s
handbags and offered, “I’d wear some
of their longer dresses with trainers.”
— MARCY MEDINA
PHOTO BY KATIE JONES
SECRET SERVICE: The fourth episode of
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12 WWD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015
{Continued from page one}
formerly president and chief
executive officer of A|X Armani
Exchange, as ceo.
Krakoff hinted at restructuring at the opening of his Greene
Street store during New York
Fashion Week in February.
Rather than hold a runway
show or presentation, he said he
would no longer be launching
new designs in the typical industry format. He added that a
secondary brand concept was in
the works and that his current
ready-to-wear model and brand
ethos were under review.
Krakoff launched his own
label in 2010 while he was still
working as executive creative
director of Coach Inc., which
provided initial financial backing of the endeavor and which
he and then-chairman and ceo
Lew Frankfort propelled into a
multibillion-dollar juggernaut
that became the leading accessories brand in the U.S.
The Krakoff label’s first few
rtw seasons received mixed reactions, with early reviews citing a “utilitarian, uniform aesthetic” and general “growing
pains.” At times, his minimalis-
Reed
Krakoff
tic designs were cited for overreferencing category kingpins
like Helmut Lang and Céline.
While rtw was never a critical success, Krakoff naturally
found his stride in the accessories category, handbags in
particular. Retailers such as
Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman
Marcus quickly picked up his
handbag offerings (both department stores carry the label and
reported a steady performance).
During this time, Krakoff
In 2012, Krakoff received the
award for Accessory Designer amassed a substantial celebof the Year from the Council of rity following, with fans includFashion Designers of America ing Julianne Moore, Allison
for his own brand. “The idea Williams and Kyra Sedgwick,
is really about a new luxury who frequently sat front row at
which can mean a lot of different his runway shows. Arguably the
things, but to me is always some- most notable of his followers was
thing that’s about a combination First Lady Michelle Obama, who
of design credibility, materials wore the designer on several
and construction,” he told WWD high-profile occasions, includthat August in speaking of his ing on the cover of Vogue, in her
company, adding: “The luxury second official White House pormarket is really competitive, and trait and at her husband’s secyou’re competing on design and ond swearing-in ceremony.
But all the while, Krakoff ’s
desire. That’s it. You really need
brand appears to have
to create something that peobeen plagued by retailing
ple fall in love with.”
woes. The company operKrakoff left Coach in
ated a store in Tokyo’s
April 2013 to focus on
Aoyama neighborhood
his namesake brand.
while it was still
Four months later, in
under Coach Inc.’s
August, he purchased
Krakoff had
purview, but that
the label from the
found his stride
unit closed shortly
leather goods megaat one time in
after Krakoff and
house in a buyout
handbags.
his investors took
deal estimated at $50
control of the label.
million. The designer
In September, the designer told
took the largest stake in
the company, while Washington, WWD of his big retailing plans:
D.C.-based entrepreneurs Mark “There are somewhere between
Ein and Mitchell Rales and cer- 10 and 15 key cities where we
tain funds managed by T. Rowe will begin to open stores. As
those stores open, we’ll start
Price also invested in the brand.
looking at secondary locations.”
At the time, he said a Paris
location would open the following month, but it has yet to do
so. In the past, Krakoff has also
publicly alluded to plans for a
Washington, D.C., store, which
never materialized.
Beyond the fashion world,
Krakoff is widely known for his
interest in the art world. In 2012,
he created an installation of 99
chairs, titled “Reed Krakoff: One
Chair” at Salon 94 in New York;
in 2013, “Women in Art: Figures
of Influence,” a coffee-table book
of his black-and-white portraits,
was published by Assouline.
Krakoff ’s New York stores were
laden with tailor-made art including pieces from Memphis
Design Group co-founder Ettore
Sottsass’ design firm Sottsass
Associati. “I see myself in design,
but I don’t see myself as a fashion
designer,” Krakoff said at a 2014
luncheon where he was honored
by the American Federation of
Arts. “I have done that for 24
years, but I look at what I do as
much more than creating a design, but creating an aesthetic…
I guess in a way, I’m more of an
auteur than a fashion designer.”
Swatch Unveils Smartwatches Andretta Named
tery as replacement. And the new
Swatch range was far cheaper.
“There are simpler solutions
CORGÉMONT, Switzerland — Let that bring much more practical advantages to the customer,” he said.
the smartwatch battle begin.
Swatch Group on Thursday is- “We want to give consumers techsued its long-awaited response to nology at an accessible price.”
Swatch has taken an extremely
the new Apple Watch with a family
of touchscreen “smart” timepieces focused — and niche — approach to
aimed to appeal to a range of spe- its smartwatches. For example, the
cialist interest groups. Starting with Swatch Touch Zero One, a sporty,
the Swatch Touch Zero One, going rectangular wristwatch and perforon sale by the summer, the family mance tracking device, will focus on
will launch with five models, each beach volleyball, with features that
expected to sell between 500,000 to go down to measuring the calories
1 million units, predicted Swatch consumed in clapping. The watch
will sell for 135 Swiss francs, or $134
chief executive officer Nick Hayek.
In introducing Swatch’s own at current exchange — the same as
smartwatch, Hayek took a jab at expected for the rest of the range.
The Zero Two, due for the winter
rival offerings — while praising
season, is geared to skiers; the Zero
Apple’s new version.
Three, expected next spring,
Speaking at the group’s
will target surfers, and the
annual media conference,
Zero Four will appear in
Hayek stressed Swatch
time for next year’s Rio
was not in the business of
Olympic Games, of which
producing slimmed down
Swatch is a major sponsor.
mobile phones, but rather,
A fifth product, also due in
extending the use and
2016, will feature special
practicality of timepieces.
The Swatch
cooking applications. Each
“We don’t do the reducTouch
product will contain special
tion of the mobile phone
Zero One.
sensors appropriate to its
to the wrist. We’re not
targeted
audience.
in consumer electronics.
Initial reactions were posiOther people do that. We are a
tive. “It’s a really interesting first
watch company.”
Asked specifically about the step,” said Jon Cox, watch analyst
Apple Watch, which some analysts at Kepler Cheuvreux. “We just
think will cut sales of conventional don’t know how the market will
Swiss timepieces, Hayek heaped develop. But there’s room enough
praise on the California-based to go around.”
Hayek also raised the possibility
company. “They did a very nice
smartwatch if you compare it to that Swatch’s new watches — and
Samsung, Sony and all the others.” many of the group’s existing meBut he argued Apple’s product chanical and electronic timepieces
was an opportunity, not a threat, — could soon incorporate so-called
given the growing tendency of young near field communications techpeople, especially in the U.S., not to nology — vastly broadening their
wear watches at all. “It’s a fantastic functionality. That would stem from
opportunity for us. Let Apple do the incorporating know-how from some
of the group’s microelectronics and
work: I congratulate them.”
While not criticizing Apple, battery subsidiaries, which are
Hayek emphasized the practical- among leaders in their fields. That
ity of Swatch’s new products. They innovation would build on radiowould have a battery life of at least frequency identification technolnine months, probably a year, were ogy, used in stock tracking in retail
waterproof and could have their and industry. Swatch’s original
batteries changed by anyone, using Access watch — which could be
a standard, low-priced Swatch bat- loaded with a ski pass — was proBy HAIG SIMONIAN
duced more than a decade ago.
The arrival now of broad industry standards has made NFC technology — and its incorporation in
watches — more commercially appealing. The technology is being
used wisely in contactless retail payments, but also has a vast range of
potential other applications, which
could be loaded via computer onto a
suitably equipped watch.
“It can be personalized and
configured to your own needs,”
the ceo said.
Hayek said future group
products could be made NFCcompatible for as little as an extra
2 Swiss francs, or $1.98, in manufacturing costs apiece. He hinted
the new technology could be seen
in products surprisingly soon.
As a foretaste, he said Swatch
Group had already reached agreement with China UnionPay, the
Chinese payments operator, an unnamed Swiss bank, and a leading
world credit card company. Hayek
declined to name the latter, but said
it was also a top Olympics sponsor
— pointing inevitably to Visa.
Also on Thursday, Hayek revealed group sales in the first two
months of 2015 had been “excellent” despite disruption following
the Swiss National Bank’s surprise
abolition in January of its ceiling for the Swiss franc’s exchange
rate against the euro. The move
prompted a steep rise in the franc’s
value against the euro, though the
impact has been less severe against
the dollar, pound sterling, and some
other major currencies.
“In local currencies, the Swatch
Group sees very good results everywhere in the world. That is not
only in terms of sales, also profits,”
Hayek said. The upbeat trading
news and new product announcements lifted Swatch shares by 2.35
percent to close at 430.80 Swiss
francs, or $429.24 at current exchange, in trading on the Zurich
Stock Exchange Thursday.
“The outlook for Swatch Group
in 2015 is excellent. It will be a
very dynamic, a very good year,”
he added.
CEO of Mulberry
By SAMANTHA CONTI
LONDON — Shares in
Mulberry Group edged
down Thursday following
the announcement that
longtime luxury manager
Thierry Andretta would
take up the role of chief executive officer.
Shares fell 0.4 percent
to 8.57 pounds, or $12.88 at
current exchange, on the
London Stock Exchange
after Mulberry said Andretta
would start work on April 7,
succeeding Godfrey Davis,
the brand’s chairman who is
serving as interim ceo.
Mulberry, which has rebooted its strategy following a tumultuous period
for the company under the
former ceo Bruno Guillon,
looked close to home for
this latest appointment.
Andretta, who was most
recently ceo of the Italian
jeweler Buccellati, was
named an independent,
non-executive director at
Mulberry last year. Prior
to Buccellati, he held top
roles at Lanvin, Moschino,
Kering and LVMH Moët
Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
More than a decade ago,
Andretta served as ceo of the
LVMH-owned Céline, which
is also the former employer
of Johnny Coca, Mulberry’s
new creative director, who
will take up his role in July 8.
Davis will revert to his
role as company chairman
when Andretta takes over.
Andretta, whose background is in luxury leather
goods, pointed to Mulberry’s
“unique manufacturing
base in the U.K.,” located
in Somerset, England, and
said the brand has great
international potential.
Andretta will carry on
Davis’ work over the past
year to tweak Mulberry’s
market positioning, reconnect with its core British female customer, and consolidate its recent moves into
international markets.
Guillon stepped down
as ceo last March after
two dramatic years at the
company. His tenure was
marred by a rapid and illfated move upmarket, multiple profit warnings, the
resignation of creative director Emma Hill, and the
collapse of the company’s
share price. Since Guillon’s
departure, Davis has lowered some key price points
in order to woo back the
core customer, who drifted
away after Mulberry adopted a pricing structure that
was too heavily focused on
the high-end.
There is now a wider
spectrum of prices, and in
December, Davis told WWD
the company was seeing
“an increase in the number
of items bought.” The company said in the nine weeks
to Nov. 29 retail revenue
was up 8 percent.
Over the past few years,
Mulberry has also pushed
further into international
markets. It has opened a
raft of new stores in North
America, Europe and the Far
East, and plans to cut the ribbon on a Paris flagship store
in the spring, which will
mark the end of its accelerated investment program.
Mulberry is majority
owned by Challice Ltd., a
company controlled by Ong
Beng Seng and Christina
Ong. They own 56.2 percent, while the rest is listed
on the AIM division of the
London Stock Exchange.
PHOTOS BY STEPHEN SULLIVAN
Reed Krakoff Suspends Business, Seeks Investor