1. style and fashion
2. beauty
3. cosmetics

RALPH BUILDS
HIS TEAM
FURRY
FRIENDS
FASHION BRANDS ARE
TURNING TO DOGS AND
CATS TO HELP BOOST
THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA
PRESENCE. PAGE 9
WWD
RALPH LAUREN PROMOTES
CHRISTOPHER H. PETERSON
TO PRESIDENT OF
GLOBAL BRANDS. PAGE 2
BEAUTY ON THE BLOCK
EUROPEAN PERFUMERY CHAIN DOUGLAS IS FOR SALE
AND COULD FETCH MORE THAN $4 BILLION. PAGE 8
AUGUSTO MAZZOLARI
MAZZOLAR, BALDELLI AND FERRARI PHOTOS BY PAOLA PANSINI; L’ORÉAL AND KOREA PAVILION BY DAVIDE MAESTRI; ALL OTHERS BY ANDREA DELBÒ
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY
AGONIST AT UNSCENT
CINZIA BALDELLI
THE KOREA PAVILION AT COSMOPROF
BEAUTY IN ITALY
March Madness
THE L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONAL PAVILION AT COSMOPROF
March may be known for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in the U.S.,
but late March in Italy is synonymous with another sport — the game of
beauty. For a two-week stretch, the attention of the Italian cosmetics and
fragrance industry turns to three expositions, first the huge Cosmoprof trade
fair opens in Bologna, then it is time for the Esxence and Unscent exhibitions
of niche and artistic perfumery in Milan. For more, see pages 4, 5 and 8.
Belk Eyes Strategic Alternatives
By ARNOLD J. KARR
and DAVID MOIN
BELK INC. SAID Thursday its retention of Goldman, Sachs & Co. is part
of an open-ended, five-year strategic
planning process, but market sources
are already playing “The Match Game”
by speculating over prospective buyers
or merger partners.
Macy’s Inc. and Dillard’s Inc. might
have too many overlapping locations
to make sense and Hudson’s Bay Co.,
owner of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord
& Taylor, “has plenty on the table already,” said one source.
There is also a lot of talk about private equity jumping into any possible
bidding for the Charlotte, N.C.-based
Belk. “But it’s not a fixer-upper; it’s a
very well-run company that doesn’t lend
itself to being bought, optimized and
sold,” said Antony Karbus, chief executive officer of the HRC Advisory unit of
Hilco Global. “The third generation of
family management under [ceo] Tim
Belk has been very forward-thinking,
looking to create value for shareholders
with big investments in omnichannel, infrastructure and the differentiated marketing and merchandising strategy of its
“Modern. Southern. Style.” campaign.
SEE PAGE 3
DARIO FERRARI
UNE NUIT À BALI AT ESXENCE
NEW CHIEF AFTER 15 MONTHS
Major Changes at Saks:
Metrick In, McKee Out
By DAVID MOIN
IN A SURPRISE shake-up at Saks Fifth
Avenue, Marc Metrick on Thursday was
named president, replacing Marigay
McKee, who is leaving the company.
Metrick was executive vice president
and chief administrative officer of the
Hudson’s Bay Co. McKee was president
of Saks Fifth Avenue for just 15 months,
joining from Harrods in London.
Unlike McKee, Metrick is not a merchant. But he takes the Saks reins as
a former insider who understands its
people and culture, having spent 15
years at the store before joining HBC
three years ago. Current and former
colleagues characterize Metrick as very
analytical with a deep understanding
of merchandise allocation and planning processes, data mining, financial
controls, business development and
marketing, though he has experience
in merchandising. He is also very witty.
Getting the right brands and the right
amount of merchandise has been a
challenge for Saks, which has fleet of
stores of varying sizes, demographics
and merchandise needs around the
country. Saks also competes most directly for brands against the stronger
Neiman Marcus.
“Marc is really a fantastic guy,” said
Richard Baker, governor and executive
chairman of Hudson’s Bay, told WWD.
“He worked his way up at Saks for last
15 years and about three years ago we
hired him and he has been a top part
of our team. He was very involved in
the process we went through to acquire
Saks [two years ago] and has been very
involved in the operations of the Saks
business. We are excited to let him do
his magic.”
McKee’s magic didn’t work, but
sources said her early departure was
SEE PAGE 12
2
WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015
WWD.COM
Peterson Elevated at Ralph Lauren
By LISA LOCKWOOD
NEW YORK — Ralph Lauren Corp. has promoted
Christopher H. Peterson to president, global brands.
The position is a new one, and reporting to Peterson
will be the global brand presidents, the chief financial officer, global real estate and investor relations.
Peterson joined the company in 2012 from Procter &
Gamble Co., where he held several senior corporate
and operational roles. He will continue to report to
Ralph Lauren, chairman and chief executive officer.
Peterson’s promotion was one of several management changes aimed at more effectively aligning senior leadership roles with its previously
disclosed organization shift to a global brand management business model.
According to the company, Peterson’s experience
in strategically transforming business and operating models from regional- and market-driven organizations to global brands during his tenure with
P&G will enable him to play a key role in directing
Lauren’s organizational transformation.
Jackwyn Nemerov remains president and chief
operating officer and a member of the company’s
board of directors. Reporting to Nemerov will be
the group presidents for Europe, Asia-Pacific and
the Americas, in addition to wholesale, retail, ecommerce and licensing. Nemerov joined the firm
in 2004, was named to the board in 2007 and will continue to report to Lauren.
Valérie Hermann remains president of Ralph
Lauren Luxury Collections, also reporting to
Lauren. She joined the company in April 2014, having worked at Reed Krakoff, Christian Dior and
Yves Saint Laurent. Reporting to Hermann are
the Ralph Lauren Luxury and RRL Global Brand
teams and U.S. Luxury and RRL Retail formats.
Mitchell A. Kosh, previously executive vice president of human resources, has been elevated to executive vice president and chief administrative officer.
He will lead the integration of key functional areas to
align with the new organizational structure. Reporting
to Kosh will be the global heads of human resources;
information technology; legal, corporate services and
facilities; internal branding and communications, and
corporate social responsibility. Kosh, who joined the
company in 2000, will continue to report to Lauren.
Robert L. Madore, previously senior vice president
of finance, has been promoted to senior vice president
and chief financial officer. During his tenure at the
company, he has held several key financial and operational roles. Reporting to Madore will be the accounting, finance, treasury, tax and internal audit functions.
In addition, he will share oversight and management
of divisional financial operations. He joined the company in 2004 and will continue to report to Peterson.
“I have tremendous confidence about the future
of this company and the opportunities for our brands
around the world,” Lauren said. “We have an experienced and proven management team in place. As we
move to a new global organizational structure, these ex-
ecutive leadership changes will allow us to maximize
the potential of our brands and drive global growth.”
Omar Saad of Evercore ISI wrote in a research note
Thursday that he viewed the key management changes
“positively” as Lauren continues to radically change
its operating structure. “We are very encouraged by
the moves, as they signal acceleration in the company’s critical organizational transformation which we
believe is necessary to succeed in today’s global omnichannel environment,” the note said. He wrote that
Lauren was shifting to a platform centered around
brands and consumer segments from one built around
channels and regions, “and it reminds us of the transformation Nike began eight to nine years ago, shifting
from product categories to sport-specific divisions.
“We are fully confident in Chris Peterson’s ability to
execute and lead this transformation and position the
company for a renewed phase of growth,” Saad wrote.
He pointed out, “We recognize that we are likely
to see a couple of quarters of relatively choppy performance as these changes are implemented, particularly as Ralph is confronting some significant
macro and company-specific headwinds. The company is undergoing a significant amount of change
at a time when the business has slowed and is facing increased volatility as a result of FX headwinds,
weaker factory outlet traffic, and sluggish U.S. fullprice retail comps. Ultimately, these organizational
changes are critical to properly aligning the company with the future of consumer behavior and should
meaningfully accelerate shareholder value creation
over time, but the positive impacts may take a few
quarters for the market to see and fully appreciate.”
Christian Buss, an analyst at Credit Suisse, said,
“I think Ralph Lauren has been engaged in a multiyear rationalizing of their organization. We think
what they’re in the process of doing is taking a regionalized business and turning it into a centralized
business, with brand and back office control in New
York.” He believes it will unlock operating margin
in the business. Buss considers Peterson’s elevation
a good move. “It’s important to appreciate he was a
part of one of the largest SAP implementations” at
P&G. “He has experience managing a rationalization of a corporate organization,” Buss said.
During its conference call in February, Lauren
revealed a few details about its new global brand
management operating model, which it said could
yield $100 million in annualized savings once fully
implemented. The move was said to help offset external issues down the road, especially if currency
pressures continue and store traffic remained a risk
for the company. For the third quarter ended Dec. 27,
the company posted a rare miss on profits and revenues, and lowered the fourth-quarter bar with its
second guidance revision downward in the past year.
Peterson said the company bought back a number
of licenses — both by geographic region and product category — and had begun investing in systems
to view its data on a global basis. He said the new
structure would unleash the power of the company’s
different brands and provide brand consistency.
DIGITAL BRIEFING BOX
FOR MORE COVERAGE, FIND US ON WWD.COM, SOCIAL AND MOBILE.
Top Men’s wear Instagrams of the Week: See our picks for
the best posts from the world of men’s wear.
Jil Sander
ON WWD.COM
Kate Spade
Fall 2015 Accessories:
WWD scouted the season’s
best shoes, handbags, jewelry,
eyewear and more — direct
from the runways and designers’
showrooms in New York, London,
Milan and Paris.
Mary Katrantzou
Valentino
The Kooples Said to Be Drawing Interest
By MILES SOCHA
PARIS — Hot French fashion chain The Kooples is
the latest “affordable luxury” property to get private equity players into a lather.
According to sources, General Atlantic’s chief
executive officer William E. Ford met with Kooples
executives in Paris last month, and private equity
fund Permira has also kicked the tires.
Reached on Thursday, Kooples ceo Nicolas
Dreyfus told WWD he has met with many private equity funds that are attracted by the retailer’s strong
results and growth prospects, confirming the meetings with General Atlantic and Permira. But he said
there is no official sale process and no bank has
been given a mandate to explore a possible sale.
Founded in 2008 by brothers Alexandre, Laurent
and Raphael Elicha, The Kooples is ramping up expansion in the U.S. and tracking double-digit growth.
In a recent interview, Dreyfus said the brand
was logging same-store sales growth of 9 percent in
the U.S. and the brand was on track to finish its fiscal year ending Aug. 31 with sales of $28 million in
the U.S. and Canada.
The company is forecasting total sales of 220 million euros, or $267.4 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.
Dreyfus predicted earnings before interest,
taxes, depreciation and amortization of 38 million
euros, or $46.2 million, for the period, and this will
help fund the firm’s expansion.
In 2011, the Elichas sold a 20 percent stake in
the company’s capital to private equity fund LBO
France, the first of many transactions involving fastgrowing French labels with a high fashion quotient
and an “affordable luxury” positioning.
LBO declined to comment Thursday. It is understood the fund has also received expressions of interest, but not launched any formal process.
TA Associates acquired a 30 percent stake in Zadig
& Voltaire in 2012, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts &
Co. bought a 65 percent stake in SMCP, parent of the
Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot chains, in 2013, signaling heightened investor interest in the segment.
Alongside BDT Capital Partners, General
Atlantic made a minority investment in Tory Burch,
an American fashion brand with attainable positioning, in late 2012.
The Kooples recently opened its fifth American
boutique on SoHo’s Mercer Street, its second store
in New York. The brand — whose preppy clothes
have a rock ’n’ roll slant and are aimed at couples — is also carried by Saks Fifth Avenue and
Nordstrom, as well as specialty stores.
The Kooples operates about 150 wholly owned
stores in Europe and boasts a total of 360 sales
points worldwide.
CORRECTION
The Louis Vuitton cruise collection will be shown in Palm
Springs, Calif., on May 6. This was incorrect in a Fashion Scoop
on page 6, Thursday.
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WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 3
WWD.COM
Isetan Salone Opens in Tokyo Ruffian Designers Launch Wolk Morais
TOKYO — As it continues to shift its
focus to include not only traditional
department stores but also smalland medium-sized concept shops,
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings is opening a new multibrand boutique in
Tokyo’s Roppongi district.
The store, called Isetan Salone,
is set to open Friday at the Tokyo
Midtown luxury mixed-use complex
and is about 9,700 square feet of selling space on two levels. It will stock
a selection of women’s fashion, accessories, beauty products, jewelry
and gift items from about 90 brands.
Hiroshi Onishi, president and chief
executive officer of Isetan Mitsukoshi
Holdings, said while, product-wise,
the store is almost like a mini version
of one of its large-format department
stores, the company hopes to use it to
attract new customers.
“There actually aren’t that many
people from this area who go to our
Shinjuku store,” Onishi said. “So this
time we wanted to create a store where
people from around here who like
fashion can come to find things that fit
into all aspects of their lifestyle.”
The Roppongi neighborhood was
seen as mostly an entertainment
district until just over a decade ago,
when the Roppongi Hills complex
opened, bringing the area its first
luxury shopping destination. Tokyo
Midtown followed a few years later,
and the area is now known not only
as a retail center, but also as a business and cultural hub. It is home to
many wealthy residents, from business people and diplomats to artists
and creative types.
The interior of Isetan Salone
was designed by well-known photographer and architect Hiroshi
Sugimoto. It was his first retail project, which he said was challenging
because the standards and requirements are so exacting. Sugimoto
used mainly traditional Japanese
materials, but applied them in unexpected, modernized ways. The wall
behind the staircase, for example, is
covered in overlapping round pieces
of galvanized tin, which was used
on the exterior of buildings at the
beginning of the 20th century due
to its fireproof properties. Another
wall is covered in hammered aluminum, which was traditionally used
to make Japanese kettles. Other elements include Japanese rice paper;
natural, unfinished Japanese cedar,
and tiles baked specially by a centuries-old workshop that normally fills
orders from Buddhist temples.
The product selection at the
store is eclectic but luxury focused.
Sportswear by Adidas Originals
By MARCY MEDINA
PHOTO BY YUKIE MIYAZAKI
By KELLY WETHERILLE
Inside Isetan’s
new boutique.
hangs near clothing by Carven and
Sacai. There are shoes by Valentino,
handbags by Fendi, casual tops
by No. 21, perfumes by L’Artisan
Parfumeur and Penhaligon’s, cosmetics by Nars, and jewelry by
Franck Muller and Georg Jensen.
Onishi said he hopes to open
more of these smaller-format, fashion-oriented boutiques, ranging in
size from roughly 10,000 to 50,000
square feet. One such store is being
planned for the central Japanese
city of Nagoya, with a targeted opening of next spring. At about 32,000
square feet, Onishi said the store
is large enough to include not only
fashion and beauty products, but
also interior and lifestyle goods. He
added if the company finds the right
locations, it could open up to 10 of
these kinds of stores over the next
three years.
The opening of Isetan Salone coincides with a handful of other store
openings within the Tokyo Midtown
complex, including Aesop, Tasaki
and Bamford.
DESIGNERS BRIAN WOLK
and Claude Morais are still
in the honeymoon phase of
their Los Angeles love affair. Inspired by their recent move from New York,
the Ruffian designers will
launch a new line called
Wolk Morais on April 13,
which marks the one-year
anniversary of their arrival in Hollywood. Focused
on the pre-seasons rather
than spring and fall, the
line will offer a dressier
take that Wolk calls “luxury
sportswear with evening elements” meant to be worn
year-round. It will be shown
in October and April annually. All pieces are sourced
and produced in Los
Angeles and will retail between $795 and $4,995.
“When we moved here
there was a dramatic climate
change in our native New
York and it gave us a new perspective on the way women
dress. The pre-seasons make
{Continued from page one}
investments in stores, e-commerce
and infrastructure reduced net income by 7.8 percent to $146.1 million. Fourth-quarter profits grew
8.4 percent to $104.4 million while
quarterly sales rose 5 percent to
$1.39 billion, with comparable
sales up 4.8 percent and half of
8.4%
BELK’S FOURTH-QUARTER
RISE IN PROFITS.
that increase coming from a 42.2
percent rise in online sales.
“That’s a pretty good track
record in a retail environment
you’d have to be generous to call
‘choppy,’” said one retail source.
But even with sales growth,
the challenge of keeping up with
the competition in an increasingly tough retail environment
is formidable.
and activewear and more by
Old Hollywood designers like
Adrian and Norman Norell.
“We saw a need for luxury
sportswear and what better
place to flex a new muscle?
Women here aren’t afraid
of color so you’ll see that as
well,” Wolk said. “We’re also
starting to dress a whole new
world of celebrity that we’ve
never explored before.”
The designers worked
with stylist Elizabeth
Stewart on the collection,
and count Stewart’s daughter, Ivy Bragin, as one of
their muses. They also just
dressed one of Stewart’s star
clients, Jessica Chastain. “We
live in a world of Instagram
where news comes out quickly, and we wanted to ensure
we were 100 percent ready
with this line,” said Wolk of
the short-lead announcement, “But we’re still about
two weeks ahead of resort
season.” As for Ruffian, the
designers said they haven’t
decided where to show
the spring 2016 collection
come September.
Apparel Tops Fed Counterfeit List
By KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON — Federal
officials made 7,922 seizures
of counterfeit apparel and
accessories — making it
the top commodity classification — valued at $113.6
million, in fiscal year 2014,
a year-end report released
Thursday showed.
The number of seizures was down 5 percent compared with fiscal
year 2013, when officials
snagged $116.1 million worth
of bogus apparel and accessories, according to the
report by U.S. Customs and
Border Protection and U.S.
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement’s Homeland
Security Investigations.
“Protecting intellectual
Belk Inc. Exploring ‘All Options’
The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.,
which itself expanded through
acquisitions in the last decade
and had sales of $2.76 billion
but a loss of $7 million last year,
is struggling to return to profitability. Still, one department
store executive said its regional
reach across the Middle Atlantic
and Midwest “would be a perfect fit” with Belk’s Southern
presence and pedigree.
“There is no geographical
overlap and they are so similar
in terms of the type of customers they appeal to,” the source
said. “They’re very middle market. They have similar matrixes.
All the major vendors at Belk
are major vendors at Bon-Ton.”
Belk has distinguished itself
through disciplined management
that has generated excellent profits and lots of cash, despite major
investments in infrastructure, ecommerce and both the building
and renovation of flagships.
Last year, Belk’s sales rose 1.8
percent to $4.11 billion, even as
the most sense because they
have the longest shelf life and
been most financially successful for our retailers.”
The duo says they moved
West to have creative freedom outside of the traditional New York fashion system,
and showed Ruffian’s spring
2015 collection at Gavlak
Gallery in Hollywood. This
time, they’ll debut Wolk
Morais at Kohn Gallery, fitting because it was the minimalist West Coast painters
known as the “Cool School”
who inspired the collection.
“Like painters, we work on
various canvases simultaneously. We find the gallery
scene really inspiring and
the city has a wonderful art
scene that has really migrated out here. That freshness,
and the youth culture really
inspired this line,” Wolk said.
Morais described the line as
“youth couture. It’s unfussy
and useful, very appropriate
for a young modern woman.”
Unlike many of their contemporaries, the designers
are inspired less by street
“Macy’s and Nordstrom are
big competition and Kohl’s appears to be coming back,” said
one former retailer who’s now
engaged in retail consulting,
“and Penney’s would still be a
challenge if not for its detour
a few years ago. You know the
members of the Belk family
like to go to work in a place that
has their name on it, but you do
wonder if they’re thinking that
maybe it’s time to harvest what
they’ve planted, or at least take
some money off the table.”
Gilbert Harrison, chairman
of Financo, commented, “The
Belks have done an outstanding job competing in a difficult
environment where the large
players dominate the retail
landscape. There are a host of
companies that certainly we believe would be proud to partner
with them. Today, to survive in
this world, you need volume,
and the quickest way to get volume is to buy.”
Sources mentioned the possibility of an overseas buyer es-
property rights is a critical
part of CBP’s trade enforcement mission and critical
to protecting American consumers,” said commissioner
R. Gil Kerlikowske. “In 2014,
$113.6M
VALUE OF COUNTERFEIT
APPAREL SEIZED IN 2014.
strong partnerships with our
federal enforcement counterparts, effective targeting
of high risk shipments and
frontline interceptions of
cargo at America’s ports of
entry produced more than
23,000 seizures of fake products worth an estimated $1.2
tablishing a U.S. beachhead with
Belk. They also pointed to less
conventional strategic alternatives, all facing obstacles, such as
a public offering; the acquisition
of another retailer, possibly one
deeply involved in e-commerce
or a smaller regional operation
like Stage Stores Inc., or the sale
of its real estate assets to a real
estate investment trust, as retailers such as Hudson’s Bay Co. and
Sears Holdings Corp. have recently explored.
Belk owns about a quarter of
its fleet of 297 stores stretched
across 16 Southeastern states,
owns buildings under ground
leases for another quarter and
leases slightly more than half.
When Belk confirmed
Thursday that it had retained
Goldman, as Reuters had reported earlier in the day, the
retailer noted that its five-year
plan would be assembled as it
competed in a “rapidly changing industry. We are coming
off a successful fourth quarter,
have a strong financial position
and are enthusiastic about our
future. We also believe that we
have an obligation to consider
billion that could have cheated or threatened the health
of American consumers.”
The apparel and accessories segment includes
clothing as well as hats
and belts. In categories
that are broken out separately, CBP and ICE officials seized $375.3 million worth of counterfeit
watches and jewelry in the
year. Officials also seized
$342 million worth of fake
handbags and wallets.
Seizures of bogus footwear
were valued at $49.5 million.
China continued to be
the number-one source of
counterfeit and pirated
goods, accounting for 63
percent, or $772 million of
the value seized. Hong Kong
ranks second with $310 million or 25 percent.
whether there are alternatives
to our current plans that would
provide a better return for our
shareholders.
“As such, we are performing due diligence for our stockholders,” the company said, “to
carefully explore all options for
our future.”
One retail consultant noted,
“When I think about Belk, what
really strikes me is the combination of their respect for the past
as well as their respect for the
future. They’ve never resisted
the changes in retailing and new
management under Tim Belk
brought a very solid modern
view of the retailing to a business with more than a 125-yearold heritage.”
Tim and his brothers John and
H.W. McKay Belk are the sons of
Thomas Belk, former president
of the company and the son of
William Henry Belk, who founded the company in 1888.
“I never thought they’d sell
the company, and I’m still not
sure they’re going to,” the retail source said. “But you don’t
get involved with the people at
Goldman unless you’re serious.”
4
WWD Friday, april 3, 2015
beauty
Beauty Blooms Once Again in Italy
BoLoGna, italy — after nearly a decade of balance sheets squeezed by
highly unfavorable currency translations, italy, along with the rest of
europe, is breathing more easily, thanks
to the current devaluation of what was
once termed “the super euro.”
that was evident during a series of interviews with attendees and exhibitors at
the Cosmoprof trade show that ran from
March 19 to 23 here, as well as with key
beauty industry players in Milan and fragrance exhibitors at that city’s esxence
and Unscent fine fragrance shows.
Whether in corporate showrooms and
offices, on selling floors or in the cavernous pavilions of the Bologna fairground,
there was talk of expanding, adding factories, investing in licenses, opening
stores and cranking the export machine
to a higher pitch.
a perceptible sense of confidence was
beginning to emerge in late March, which
has become beauty time in italy, thanks
to the confluence of industry events.
“europe is back,” declared Dario
Ferrari, founder and president of
intercos, speaking at company headquarters in agrate Brianza, italy. “We do have
an incredible opportunity because of the
[strength of the] dollar, [dropping price
of] oil, because we are finally doing what
we should have been doing for the last
five years — quantitative easing.”
speaking of the president of the
european Central Bank, he said: “Mario
Draghi is finally printing money and buying
bonds. and so the first two, three months
of this year — wow, everybody is making
money. everybody is more optimistic.”
roberto Martone, vice president
of itF and president of iCr, said he
was adding 100,000 square feet to his
466,670-square-foot iCr factory in Lodi,
italy, by the end of 2016, and keeping an
The Nail Pavilion at Cosmoprof.
del Duomo closed 2014 with a “very positive” performance in beauty sales, up
7.5 percent on-year, according to Cinzia
Baldelli, La rinascente’s head of home,
media and travel, beauty and children’s
wear. and that’s despite the floor having
lost 2,222 square feet of selling space to
watches and jewelry.
exports have been driving this newfound optimism. in 2014, sales abroad
were up 4.9 percent over 2013, comprising 35.6 percent of total italian cosmetics
— Dario Ferrari, intercos
care and coloring company Framesi,
said: “We need to work on the identity of
the event for the new millennium.”
“it’s a little bit more geared toward the
salon professional sector, [whereas] i’m
a retailer and looking for brands,” said
Greg tappan, senior buyer for skin care at
hsn, who was returning to the show after
an eight-year absence. “they’re looking
for a distributor…and find out i’m a retailer and are not as interested.”
Cosmop rof ’s
p ackaging
arm
Cosmopack was making a strong push,
and the nail pavilion was easily the liveliest part of the fair — mobbed to the
tune of amped up rock music.
L’oréal made a startling comeback
in Cosmoprof ’s main central hall. the
French beauty giant returned with all of
its professional product brands, a hairstyling competition in conjunction with Vogue
and a showcase of its salon emotion concept that is meant to help the growth of
europe’s hairdressing industry. it involves
three main steps, including training and
raising awareness of services; personalized advice and guidance to modernize salons, and simplified financing.
at Cosmoprof, L’oréal was showcasing
“the perfect journey” for people in salons
— including the welcome, diagnosis and
back-bar experiences. in italy, the company inked a partnership with samsung for
hyper-creative, multidimensional digital
components. these include a flat screen
in salon windows, which functions as an
interactive touch point for the consumer.
Connected with an application, the screen
allows people to book appointments, see
products available at the salon and what
looks it can create, for instance.
L’oréal was not the only one thinking about the future. intercos recently
opened an office in Culver City, Calif.,
and an innovation center in Korea, said
Ferrari in agrate Brianza.
“We are in the middle of this big
change….We identify more than 130
emerging brands [that are] very successful
globally, but [in the West Coast of the U.s.
alone] you have 35,” he said. “and they
are really creating some problems for the
big guys, which are suddenly too slow.”
’’
’’
Europe is back.…Wow, everybody is making
money. Everybody is more optimistic.
eye out for new fragrance licenses. in
January, spanish Gruppo angelini completed its acquisition of itF, having already bought a 60 percent stake in 2013.
While silent on the subject, another
fragrance powerhouse, euroitalia —
which registered 2014 wholesale revenues of 679.3 million euros, or $902.8 million at average exchange — is rumored to
be shopping for another major designer
brand to add to its portfolio of licenses
that includes Versace and Moschino.
augusto Mazzolari, owner of Milan’s
Mazzolari premier perfumery, said he
aims to open a new unit in another
choice section of the city “by the end of
this year or next year,” working with one
of his daughters.
noting business this year was off to a
solid start, Mazzolari said in addition to
his long-standing Milanese clientele, a
steady stream of Middle eastern customers were now outnumbering the russian
and Chinese visitors at his store.
“People want quality, they want experience, they want to feel good inside a store,
with service on a silver platter,” he said.
La rinascente is at work on a new flagship in rome, slated to open in February
2017. the existing Milan flagship in Piazza
Photo by DaviDe Maestri
By Cynthia Martens
and Pete Born
industry revenues of 9.36 billion euros,
or $12.4 billion at average exchange for
the year, according to Cosmetica italia.
Fabio rossello, president of the italian
cosmetics industry trade association, tied
the fate of the italian beauty industry to
the task of retooling the Cosmoprof trade
show. as far as he is concerned, the fair
needs to ignite exports.
For companies, “there needs to be a
minimum return on investment in terms of
capability to export,” rossello said. “each
company that comes here comes not for
the internal market, but for the exports.”
in all, 248,000 visitors attended
Cosmoprof this year, a 20 percent jump
over 2014. of that, 79,000 people came
from outside italy, representing 30 percent more than the prior year.
seventy percent of Cosmoprof ’s 2,493
exhibitors were foreign, with many of
them presenting their products in the
fair’s 27 country pavilions.
While show organizers have gone to
great lengths recently to add features
such as panel discussions, seminars and
expanded visits by retailers, some industry leaders maintain that more needs to
be done in renewing Cosmoprof ’s purpose. Fabio Franchina, president of hair
Ferrari also singled out Koreans as
new market leaders. “the game is speed.
What do the Koreans do very well?”
Ferrari continued. “they are fast, and at
the same time, they have a lot of creativity and they work on concept.”
“the Korean wave is really, really big
right now,” agreed anita yuen, director
of beauty at harvey nichols’ beauty division in hong Kong. she attributed the
success of Korean beauty products to
their slick public relations links to popular culture, such as Psy, the singer who
put “Gangnam style” on the map.
Myun W. Lee, a professor of ergonomics in seoul, experienced an epiphany
when Koreans were shunned from tradeshow exhibition halls because they had
the reputation of being “copycats.”
“Money made by copying things doesn’t
get any respect,” he said at his Cosmoprof
booth. “We need to contribute.”
Lee’s contribution was the creation of
four innovative hair-related machines,
the most recent of which is the patented
WinkMagic for eyelash extensions, applying lashes with 0.1-millimeter precision.
“it’s our turn to let other people copy
us,” Lee said.
Korean brand it’s skin was making its
debut at the trade show and seeking to
boost its european distribution, according to Cheol-Woong Lee, a member of the
company’s global business development.
the skin-care company with 700 stockkeeping units retails in freestanding
stores, shops-in-shop and travel retail.
another Korean label seeking increased european distribution was ami
Cosmetic, which has five skin-care lines.
the company was trying to push its
Pureheal’s brand in pharmacies, said
sunny Lee, assistant manager in the
firm’s overseas business division.
hanwoong was featuring its masks to
be used in three-step treatment processes for different parts of the face. Jungyeon Lee, deputy general manager of
the company’s sales and marketing team,
explained hanwoong primarily manufactures private-label masks.
hsn’s tappan highlighted another
trend he had detected: mesotherapy,
WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 5
WWD.COM
Fabio
Rossello
Rekha
Chaudhari
Anita
Yuen
Roberto
Martone
David
Moràn
Sunny
Lee
Peter
Yang
Fernando
Fischbach
Davide
Bollati
Myun
W. Lee
Paolo Bevegni and
Daniela Sarcedote
Cheol-Woong Lee
Enrique Arturo Lerma
Cordero and Christian
Cuadra Estrada
JungYeon
Lee
Greg Tappan
Eli and
Samy Saadia
MARTONE AND BEVEGNI PHOTOS BY PAOLA PANSINI; ALL OTHERS BY DAVIDE MAESTRI
typically a medical procedure practiced going retailers’ program. She distributes
by doctors and trained beauticians, which luxury brands in the country’s spas and
educates their staff.
was being offered in home-use versions.
Chaudhari noted salons in India are
“They make tiny little injections, and it’s
hyaluronic acid and multivitamin concoc- growing quickly, with a 25 percent increase
tions, and they inject it into the skin,” he in the past three years, and both the men’s
explained. “The idea is they’re stimulating and antiaging categories are on the rise.
“This was not in the Indian culture at
the fibroblast to produce collagen. But it’s
different from dermal fillers, where they’re all, but now it has developed very well,”
filling a wrinkle. Everyone’s trying to get she said.
Other segments are gaining steam
this deeper-penetration story in skin care.”
One professional brand, called Fusion in Mexico.
“A lot of women are changing their
Mesotherapy, is produced by Spain-based
Oxynergy Paris. Its treatment, often used lifestyle and turning to dermo-cosmetic
in sports medicine, consists of injecting brands” that are supported by medical
a cocktail of 70 active ingredients and vi- research, said Enrique Arturo Lerma
tamins into the mesodermis, located be- Cordero, senior buyer for dermatologic
pharmacies and spa at Liverpool, where
tween the dermis and the epidermis.
“It’s skin rejuvenation,” said Raphael bestsellers include Vichy, La RocheDuérinck, director of Oxynergy, which is Posay and Avène.
The retailer’s top seller in masstige is
distributed primarily to doctors’ offices in
Europe, Russia, the Middle East and U.S. NYX, added Christian Cuadra Estrada,
The brand sells one million treatments a senior buyer personal care at Liverpool.
For Group Uniderma, banner brands inyear, which can cost $100 to $150 each, and
a half million vials of preparation, which go cluded Dr. Murad, DDF and Tweezerman.
“Sun protection is very big in
for 10 euros, or $10.70 at current exchange.
The palpable presence of California Mexico,” said Samy Saadia, director
labels at Cosmoprof underscored Ferrari general of Uniderma.
Like elsewhere, Sephora is on a growth
of Intercos’ assessment of the West Coast
track in Mexico, according to David Morán,
as a new hot spot.
Among the Golden State brands was marketing and merchandising director at
Emani, an eight-year-old wholly vegan Sephora Mexico. He said within five years
beauty company whose products are sold or less the retailer would like to have 25
in upscale drugstores, spas and through stores. There are now 10 units operating,
with six of them in Mexico City. Another
home shopping in 13 countries.
“I wanted to create a makeup range unit is now being opened in Maya Riviera.
At Sephora Mexico, about 60 percent of
that is an extension of your skin care,”
said Michelle Doan, founder and creator business is rung up by makeup, 25 percent
of the brand. She also sits on the board of skin care and 15 percent fragrance. In color
cosmetics, best-selling brands include the
the California Trade Alliance.
“I think California really does embody a Sephora private label, Urban Decay, Make
different state of mind and a different state Up For Ever and Benefit. For skin care,
of beauty,” she said. “When we come to the Peter Thomas Roth, Dr. Murad and Dr.
fair, we want to raise the awareness of what Perricone figure among top sellers.
Back in Italy, the current beauty renaiswe do. It would be nice to get new distributors, but we really want to bring green cos- sance is largely driven by the spurring of
exports with a massive “Made in Italy”
metics to the forefront.”
Most California brands hoped to ex- campaign, and the stabilization of the dopand their European retail reach while mestic market.
At Cosmoprof, Davide Bollati, foundat Cosmoprof. Free Your Mane, a prestige
er of the Davines and
line of health and beauComfort Zone profesty products positioned
FOR MORE COVERAGE OF
sional brands, was showto celebrate the beauty
ITALY’S BEAUTY BASH,
casing his newest range,
of diversity, was lookCHECK
OUT
WWD.COM
FOR:
Essential Haircare.
ing for distribution in
Composed of nine prodGermany and the U.K.
■ New faces in the
uct families, it culls inAfter hair care, the
Extraordinary Gallery
gredients from around
Los Angeles-based brand
at Cosmoprof.
Italy, working with smallwas launching its body■ New innovations from
scale farmers in a deal
care line and gearing up
the Cosmopack section of
with the country’s Slow
to premiere a bathing
the sprawling Bologna fair.
Food Foundation for
range in Anthropologie’s
Biodiversity.
upcoming expanded
■ The Unscent exhibition
In Italy, “there are as
beauty concept. The
in Milan.
many as 400 [small-scale
dozen sku’s will first be
■ The highly regarded
farms], but we picked
introduced to the recosmetics trend forecast
only the ones that have
tailer’s top five locations
by
Intercos.
some sense in the beauty
before rolling out in all
■ The latest with Cosnova.
industry,” Bollati said.
of its stores.
■ Cosmoprof’s hot spot:
“It’s not new that the
“The whole concept
beauty industry takes
of the line is bringing
the nail pavilion.
plants, but here the selecbathing rituals from
tion has been done, and
the four corners of the
world,” said Israel Segal, founder of Nola everything has been done, under the prinIndustries, the parent of Free Your Mane. ciple that biodiversity is increasing the rich“It will be a very holistic experience” and ness of the planet.”
In Milan, a timid but growing sense
include items such as tea, incense and
of confidence is given life by the coming
bath salts.
La Femme Cosmetics, of El Monte, Calif., of the World Expo, which is expected to
was at Cosmoprof for the first time and attract 20 million people to the city besearching for new European clients, as well. tween May and October. The Milanese are
“Our product lines are geared toward betting this will be a boon for business:
professional makeup artists,” said Peter Collistar, for instance — Italy’s numberYang, owner of the company and also its one makeup and treatment brand in the
resident chemist. He said most of his selective market for 12 years running — is
customers, including Disney, are part of creating a special welcome campaign for
California’s entertainment industry and visitors in English, Russian and Chinese.
As it holds on to the pole position in
interested in La Femme’s blushes, lip
stain and semipermanent lip liner be- difficult economic conditions, the firm
cause of the products’ lasting, high-sat- has managed to increase its share of exuration intensity, which is important on ports to 40 percent of sales.
“Even in the worst moments, beaucamera. La Femme also offers refills.
“We’re not really in Europe yet, which ty had an appeal. We hope to get to the
is why we are at the show,” said Fernando levels of a few years ago,” said Paolo
Fischbach, vice president of sales for Bevegni, the company’s international diCalifornia Mango, a professional salon rector, referring to the domestic market.
Said the firm’s chief executive officer
vegan hand and body care brand with all
Daniela Sacerdote: “It seems that a betof its products boasting a mango scent.
Buyers from around the world were ter period is beginning; I’m optimistic,
certainly on the prowl. Rekha Chaudhari, and I think we can do better.”
spa and wellness expert for JCKRC in
— WITH CONTRIBUTIONS
India, was at Cosmoprof as part of its onFROM JENNIFER WEIL
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8
WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015
WWD.COM
beauty
A Douglas store.
The Niche Roars: Esxence in Milan
and Pasiòn Choco, a fruity, oriental scent with a
touch of dark chocolate.
Among the Italian exhibitors, My Inner Island
MILAN — Artistic fragrances have grown so was back for the fourth year. “In Italy we’re
quite well distributed; we’d like to become betpopular, they’ve outgrown their niche status.
“I don’t think that it still is niche — it’s ter known abroad,” founder Valentina Giordano
something parallel. We have old luxury, and we explained, citing the Middle East and Russia as
areas of interest.
have new luxury,” said George
With a lab near Pisa,
Davidov, chief executive ofTuscany, and natural inficer of the Giorgio perfumery
gredients from places like
in Rostov on Don, Russia. He
Madagascar and Zanzibar,
was cruising the stands at the
Africa, Giordano said My Inner
seventh edition of Esxence,
Island fragrances are highly
Milan’s annual artistic perconcentrated — at 30 percent
fumery show, held this year
juice — and meant to be soothin a roughly 64,580-squareing on the skin. In Italy, a 50-ml.
foot space in the trendy Porta
bottle sells for 85 euros, or $92.
Nuova district.
Palmiro Péaquin, cofounder
Nearly 6,500 people visited
of Uèrmì Fragrance Collection
Esxence this year, almost a six
(pronounced “wear me”) said
percent uptick over 2014. About
the brand interpreted “the conhalf were retailers and distribunection between textiles and
tors, and 51 percent were from
perfume, through smell.”
outside Italy. Of the 165 exhibHe and partner Aurora
iting brands, 30 percent were
Carrara brought three experiItalian; 82 had been at Esxence
enced noses on board — Philippe
before; 74 were considered
Bousseton, Jean Jacques and
“emerging”, and nine were
Antoine Lie — to develop olfacpart of Esxkin, the first area
Nishane’s Wùlòng Chà fragrance.
tory definitions of suede, velvet,
dedicated to niche skin-care
denim and cashmere, among
and cosmetic products — a catother textiles. Each 75-ml. eau de
egory Maurizio Cavezzali, ceo of
parfum sells for approximately
Equipe International, which or115 euros, or $125.
ganizes Esxence, said is booming.
“Our ideal retailer is either
“The serious brands could
a clothing store, or a selective
see significant expansion,” he
perfumery,” Péaquin said, addsaid. “In three or four years,
ing he has his eyes on Japan
this could become a dual fair.”
and the U.S.
He added that while the spotStefania Squeglia left a calight often shines more brightly
reer in entertainment induson large-scale Italian trade
try event planning to create
shows, niche fairs respond to
Mendittorosa, a fragrance line
the needs of a specific audience,
she called “beyond niche,” with
and are irreplaceable.
ingredients from Grasse and
Noting that mass market
handmade artisanal packaging
fragrances are subject to countfrom Italy.
less rounds of testing before
Fewer than 100 specialthey reach stores, Alexandra
ized stores carry the brand, in
Cubizolles, ceo of Une Nuit
Europe and the Middle East.
à Bali, a French brand at
One of Mendittorosa’s scents,
Esxence for the first time, said
called Le Mat, is a tribute to
consumers were tired of this
the unnumbered fool’s card in
formulaic approach. “If you
the Tarot of Marseilles deck; it
want something a bit original,
features ceramic caps made by
in niche what’s great is people
sculptor Alessandro Reggioli.
can say ‘I like it’ or ‘I hate it,’”
At Esxin, Philab, a unisex
she noted. “If everyone likes
Laboratoires Didier Rase's Integrall
Greek skin-care label, was
something, it’s not a good sign.”
all-in-one premium men's treatment.
showcasing a complete line of
Une Nuit à Bali began as
antiage creams, cleansers and
a line of all-natural skin-care
scrubs — the most expensive
products and has since exof which sells for 130 euros, or
panded to include three fra$140 — in dark packaging degrances: Fleur des Fleurs,
signed to prolong product shelf
Suma Oriental and Mr. Vetiver.
life after opening. Fabio Rulli
The first retails for 85 euros,
De Simone, sales director for
or about $92 at current exStefano Saccani Retail Europe,
change, and the other two sell
which distributes Philab,
for 95 euros, or $103, at consaid it was performing well in
cept stores such as Colette
Eastern Europe and Germany.
and Nose in Paris, as well as
Barcelona-based Ami Iyök
Liberty in London.
Ecosmetics, launched in 2014,
“The idea of the brand is
also favored dark packaging
‘one night in,’ and maybe we’re
for its line of eco-friendly prodgoing to change destinations [in
ucts. Founder Elena Alarcòn
the future],” Cubizolles said.
Pueyo said the brand is presNishane, a Turkish brand
ent in Spain, France, Germany,
also new to Esxence, was gearHong Kong and Macau, and taring up for its domestic debut
geting new “niche perfumeries,
this month at Harvey Nichols
concept stores, luxury spas and
and other department stores,
some pharmacies” worldwide.
said cofounder Murat Katran,
Uèrmí Fragrance Collection’s
Laboratoires Didier Rase, a
adding that the line of 16 uniLatex scent.
French men’s brand primarily
sex scents sprang from an idea
available at upscale spas and salons, was preof Istanbul “as the bridge between cultures.”
Spice Bazaar, for instance, is composed of senting its Integrall all-in-one treatments for
juniper, yuzu, rosemary, ginger, cedarwood, the face and hair, which contain a patented molcinnamon, cumin, black pepper, saffron and ecule that prevents the loss of testosterone.
The fair, said Integrall sales director Dali
vanilla — evoking a stroll through the Istanbul
marketplace for which it is named. Other juices Khiri, was an excellent place “to get better visiinclude Wùlòng Chà, inspired by Chinese tea; bility,” because of overlap in the target for niche
Afrika Olifant, a tribute to the savannah wilds; fragrance and premium skin-care treatments.
Advent Seeks Buyers for Douglas
By JENNIFER WEIL
PARIS — Douglas, one of the
biggest perfumery chains in
Europe, could change hands
soon, perhaps by midsummer.
The German retailer has
been put on the block, said
Isabelle Parize, general manager of Southern Europe at
Douglas Group and chief executive officer of Nocibé, which
was acquired by Douglas in
February 2014.
Speaking at a press conference here Thursday, she said
Douglas’ valuation is upward
of 10 times its earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation
and amortization, which in
2014 was more than 300 million
euros, or $398.9 million at average exchange for the year. That
values Douglas at more than 3
billion euros, or $3.25 billion at
current exchange.
“The shareholders would
like to exit,” said Parize, con-
’’
PHOTOS BY ANDREA DELBÒ
By CYNTHIA MARTENS
player — either a retailer or a
beauty manufacturer.
“Many people are looking
at Douglas,” said Parize, who
added a deal could be closed by
the end of July.
She did not say specifically
which players have been actively studying the retailer. But
she hinted at the type of companies that might, mentioning
U.S. drugstore giants such as
CVS and Walgreen Co., L’Oréal,
Marionnaud and Sephora — although a marriage with the latter
two is seen by numerous sources
as particularly unlikely, especially due to competition issues.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis
Vuitton — Sephora’s owner —
does not comment on rumors, a
company spokeswoman said.
In France, Nocibé — which
has integrated Douglas’ domestic units under its own name
— is the first-ranked perfumery chain doorswise, with 617
units. It places second behind
Sephora in terms of market
’’
There are numerous options. Today
everything really is very, very open.
— ISABELLE PARIZE, DOUGLAS GROUP
firming reports that circulated
in March.
Private equity firm Advent
International acquired an 80
percent stake in Douglas in 2012
and is seeking to get out of the
firm definitively.
Under Advent, Douglas Group
has been busy spinning off noncore assets. Last year it sold the
Hussel confectionary business
and Christ jewelry chain. The
German press has speculated
that Thalia, the group’s book retailer, and AppelrathCüpper, its
fashion chain, are also headed
for divestment, as Douglas is
focused ever more tightly on its
perfumery activity.
Meanwhile, Douglas’ founding Kreke family, currently with
a 20 percent stake, plans to remain a shareholder and possibly
invest further in the company.
“There are numerous options,” Parize said of Douglas’
future. “Today everything really
is very, very open.”
She outlined three main possibilities looking ahead. These
include an initial public offer
for the company, which already
was listed before, on Frankfurt’s
DAX until December 2012.
Douglas could also be sold to
another fund or to an industry
share with about 25 percent,
versus 32 percent, according to
NPD Group.
Nocibé’s sales last year rose
3 percent at constant parameters to 980 million euros, or
$1.3 billion at average exchange
for the period. That’s compared
with France’s overall perfumery
sales, which were estimated to
gain 0.5 percent.
Nocibé most recently integrated 43 franchised Douglas
perfumeries formerly run by
Clin d’Oeil and sold 13 stores to
the company Athénaïs.
In Europe outside of the
U.K., Douglas boasts a 16 percent market share; Sephora, 11
percent, and Marionnaud, 7 percent, industry sources said.
Douglas has 1,700 stores in 19
European countries.
Douglas Holding posted net
sales up about 2 percent to 3.3
billion euros, or $4.48 billion
at average exchange, in its fiscal year ended Sept. 30. Those
revenues do not include sales
from Hussel or the Swiss section of Thalia that operates as
a joint venture.
Banks involved in a possible sale or listing of Douglas
include J.P. Morgan and reportedly Goldman Sachs.
WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 9
WWD.COM
Social Media’s Best Friend Target, Pulitzer Tandem Gets App
campaign for April Fool’s Day, promoting the launch of the “Man’s Best Freds”
menu at its restaurant, Freds. The retailer
BRANDS LOOKING FOR a boost are tapped some of social media’s most wellturning to four-legged talent and, appar- known dogs to celebrate the arrival of
ently, man’s best friend is good at con- dog-themed delicacies “for canines with
good taste.” The photos hit the retailer’s
necting with consumers online.
In some cases, pets are even more pop- Instagram account and Web site.
Images of pups like Chloe the Mini
ular than their masters, including Marc
Jacobs’ bull terrier Neville, who has 122,000 Frenchie (@chloe_theminifrenchie), Fred
followers on Instagram (although to the de- (@livefredtastic), Pumpkin Sunshine (@
signer’s defense, he only joined the picture- ps.ny), Pica the Pom (@pica_the_pom) and
Lulu Nasty (@lulunasty) were
photographed with dishes
from the highbrow menu for
pups that included “Tuna
Arfarfe,” “The Fido Wedge”
salad, “Bark’s Madison
Avenue Salad” and “Polletto
Alla Muttone.”
Barneys started posting images from the shoot on April
1, as did many of the dogs
involved in the faux menu
launch. Pumpkin Sunshine
has the most followers of the
group — over 66,000 — followed by Chloe with 27,400
Fred @livefredtastic
and Pica with 26,300.
in a photo for Barneys
Working with animals
New York’s “Man’s Best
poses its own challenges.
Freds” campaign.
“Booking celebrity animals is as hard if not harder
sharing social media network last week and than booker actual celebrities and models. It was almost easier to book Karlie
already has 59,000 followers).
“I see more and more brands reach [Kloss],” Lucky Magazine editor in chief
out about animals. You’ve got the Mr Eva Chen said, recalling a shoot the
Porter editorial that just used animals. publication did last year with Toast and
They are fairly top of mind,” said blogger Grumpy Cat, who has 639,000 Instagram
directory Fohr Card cofounder James followers. “There’s the logistics — and
Nord about the increase in demand for
non-human talent online. “The pet food
and supply industry is a $53 billion dollar a year industry.”
Today, Fohr Card is rolling out “Fur
Card,” the first service designed to help
brands work with the most influential
animals on social media. Just like their
human counterparts, each animal will
have their own profile page, ranked by
Instagram followers (stats from other social networks will be added soon). The
directory contains almost 400 animals
that have a combined total reach of 30
million followers per month.
Four pets in the directory have over
one million followers. Siamese and
Tabby cat Nala, @nala_cat, is the top
animal influencer, boasting 1.87 million
followers. The other three that have
surpassed one million fans are all dogs:
Maru (@marutaro), a Shiba that has
nearly 1.49 million followers; Tuna (@
tunameltsmyheart), a Chiweenie with
1.3 million followers, and Marnie (@marniethedog), a New York City-based Shih
Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette.
Tzu with 1.2 million followers.
Jacobs’ dog, Neville, is ranked 28th in
the directory and The Fat Jew’s Cavalier you have to stagger the arrivals of the
King Charles Spaniel, Toast (@toast- animals because they can’t all be in the
meetsworld), is ranked 16 with 211,000 fans. room at the same time. You can’t have a
Brands are finding increasingly creative parrot and a cat on the set.”
Animals were the subject of Lucky’s
ways to work with famous pets online.
Barneys New York rolled out an online April’s Fools prank as well.
Chen teased a Lucky Magazine “100+
Stylish Animals” issue on Instagram at
Chanel’s Salzburg-set Métiers d’Art show
in New York Tuesday night. Posing alongside Karl Lagerfeld and his famous cat
Choupette — also the “cover girl” of the
issue — Chen told followers the issue
would hit newsstands on April 8.
While the Stylish Animals issue might
be a joke, Choupette’s celebrity is not.
Choupette rose to social media stardom in 2012 after Ashley Tschudin
started the Twitter account @
ChoupettesDiary. The cat now has almost 47,000 followers on Twitter and
53,000 on Instagram. It’s been reported
that Lagerfeld has been on board since
the beginning.
In addition to updating Twitter and
Instagram regularly, Tschudin writes
blog
posts in Choupette’s voice and supToast, The Fat
ports all of the cat’s projects digitally,
Jew’s Cavalier
from clothing collections to a make-up
King Charles pup.
line to a book launch.
By RACHEL STRUGATZ
TARGET IS TURNING to technology to
promote its upcoming collaboration with
Lilly Pulitzer.
The retailer has created its first-ever
app for the initiative that will launch in
stores on April 19. A television, digital
and social campaign will hit on April 12.
Print ads started running in
April magazines, but they
feature some of the exclusive Lilly Pulitzer prints
from the collaboration, not
the actual product.
Target x Lilly is the
company’s largest designer
collaboration to date. It
will feature more than 250
items, ranging in price from
$2 to $150, and will include
apparel, accessories, home
goods, beach gear and travel pieces for women, men
and children.
The campaign, created
by Chandelier, recreates one of Lilly
Pulitzer’s legendary Sixties-era parties
in Palm Beach, Fla., and features actor
Chris Noth, Los Angeles Laker Nick
Young, actress Bella Thorne and model
Alek Wek. The 60-second video shows
women and girls in the bright dresses
and swimsuits as well as the colorful
glasses, tea sets, nail polish and chairs
created for the collaboration.
Todd Waterbury, senior vice president, creative at Target, said the campaign “was inspired by Lilly herself ”
and expresses “a sense of style that is
optimistic, accessible and inventive —
creating a feeling of inclusivity where
everyone is invited, feels welcome and
surprises happen.”
Scenes from the commercial will be
used for the app, which will be accessible through desktop computers and mobile devices. It allows customers to click
on scenes from the party to get more
information about the merchandise offered. Although the app is not shoppable, the merchandise can be purchased
An ad from the campaign.
on the Target Web site once it becomes
available later this month. The digital
component of the campaign was created
by Olson.
“We invite viewers into a fun-filled
party that starts on television and extends into a digital experience where
parallax views allow the guests to explore the party from their vantage point
and connect them directly with the Lilly
product in each room,” Waterman added.
Richard Christiansen, founder of
Chandelier, said: “Lilly lived life to the
max. She also believed that life was a
party, and was very democratic and allinclusive, like Target. We worked with
Target to bring her legacy to life on television, print and mobile with a wink.”
— JEAN E. PALMIERI
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NEW DAILY DIGITAL EDITION!
On April 29th, the print edition of WWD will re-launch in a
weekly glossy format. The final edition of the daily newspaper
in its current format will be on April 24, 2015.
Beginning with the April 27th issue, we’ll produce a curated
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WWD_QuarterPgAd3.indd 1
3/27/15 5:02 PM
10 WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015
Four-Alarm Tommy
Rita Ora
in Tommy
Hilfiger.
Behati Prinsloo
and Olivia Palermo
Tommy and
Richard Hilfiger
PHOTO S BY STÉPHANE FEUGÈRE
Virginie
Ledoyen
a wailing alarm. “It’s a four-alarm
party,” Tommy Hilfiger smiled as he
greeted French actresses Ludivine
Sagnier, Leila Bekhti and Marie-Ange
Casta, plus model Behati Prinsloo.
Later, a smaller pack repaired
to Les Bains Douches for more
cocktails and a three-course
dinner. Hilfiger noted he
has a lot of history with the
famous nightclub, which he
described as the Studio 54
of the French capital.
“When Dee was
modeling in Paris, she
used to go there all the
time,” the designer said.
“Every single
weekend,” Ocleppo
piped in.
Virginie Ledoyen said she
recently wrapped the film
“Rabid Dogs” in Canada,
in which she plays “a young
woman taken hostage by bank
robbers” opposite Lambert
Marie-Ange Wilson. Next up is a role
Casta
in Spanish director Koldo
Serra’s “Gernika.”
The 7,800-square-foot flagship
store at 43 Boulevard des Capucines
opened in late February, and
sits bang across the street from
landmark concert hall L’Olympia,
dovetailing nicely with Hilfiger’s
rock-influenced collections.
Gang’s All Here
“JACK AND LAZARO asked me if I would
come have dinner with them,” Liv Tyler
purred from her hideout, a darkened
corner of the Down Town Association’s
sprawling home on Pine Street. Of
course, this wasn’t your typical Tuesday
night dinner party. It was Art Production
Fund’s annual gala, which this year
was “Gangs of New York”-themed and
honored Proenza Schouler designers
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez
as well as the artist Haim Steinbach.
The event spanned four floors of
the building, built in 1859 as a club for
maritime lawyers — which explained
the stained glass windows with images
of boats and the sea. For the social
set, who have partied at nearly every
venue in the city, the unfamiliar space
was like unearthing a hidden gem.
“Actually Yvonne [Force Villareal] came
here for a Burning Man event,” said
Art Production Fund director Casey
Fremont. Come again? “My husband is a
big Burner, and I am, too,” explained
Villareal, the fund’s cofounder. “About
a year ago we came to this crazy party
here. And I thought if they allow an
outrageous Burning Man party they’ll
certainly allow an art party.”
Even an art party that involved
S&M-like tassels hanging from light
fixtures and a temporary tattoo station
by the artist Sean Landers. Tyler adhered
to the “On the Fringe” dress code in a
Proenza Schouler skirt with cascading
fringe down the front — an item she
repurposed from the brand’s spring 2015
film, though in that go-round she wore
it as a top, letting her very pregnant
belly poke through. (She added that new
baby Sailor is “so cute, very cute.”) Claire
Distenfeld paired a lace-up Givenchy
bodysuit with a Rosie Assoulin skirt. “I
think everyone started with Googling the
movie,” she said, referring to the Martin
Scorsese film. “Then once you got past
Cameron Diaz, I basically clicked out of the
Google image page and I closed my eyes
and I was like, what do I remember?”
“We like to give themes that are sort
of easy to interpret many different ways,”
said Fremont. “We were thinking about
being on the fringe of society. There
have been whips, there have been hard
core gangsters and then there’s just
straightforward fringe. Anything goes.”
Also spotted in the crowd: A feather
headpiece, a couple of lace eye masks
and a handful of harnesses.
Artists including Rachel Feinstein,
Cindy Sherman, Marilyn Minter and model
Jacquelyn Jablonski snaked past Will
Cotton’s makeshift photo studio, where
he shot Polaroids of people in his
candy crown creations. On the
second level, Steinbach had
installed a metal structure
with a poem affixed to the
front (“I went looking for
peaches and came back with a
pair”) and Proenza Schouler
shoes resting on the shelves.
“Fashion designers are very
much involved with all the
visual aspects of experience,
materials and appearance,
and invention and play. I
mean, this is totally what
artists do. They are just
working a different side of
the field,” said Steinbach,
who also worked with the
designers in 2009 for a
special project at Pitti W.
“[His art] is just
so sophisticated and
so restrained and so
conceptual and hard
to wrap your head
around, you don’t quite
understand what’s going
on but something about
it kind of pulls you
in,” said Hernandez,
bronzed after a recent
getaway in Cuba. “But
I don’t know, he’s just
one of those people
we’ve always looked
Lauren Santo
at and admired.”
Domingo in
And with that,
Proenza
dinner was served.
— ALLY BETKER
Schouler.
— MILES SOCHA
Liv Tyler in
Proenza
Schouler.
Lazaro Hernandez,
Yvonne Force Villareal,
Doreen Remen, Casey
Fremont and Jack McCollough.
FOR MORE PHOTOS, SEE
WWD.com/eye.
Sofia Sanchez
Barrenechea with
Victoria Traina in
Proenza Schouler.
Jacquelyn Jablonski
in Proenza Schouler.
PHOTOS BY LEXIE MORELAND
eye
WITH HIS ARRESTING green hair
and famous girlfriend, Richard Hilfiger
made quite an entrance at the
cocktail Tuesday night to fete
his father Tommy’s second Paris
flagship store.
Photographers and selfieseekers mobbed him and Rita
Ora as they posed as a couple
and family style with Tommy
Hilfiger and his statuesque
wife Dee Ocleppo.
“It was my favorite look
from the collection,” Ora
said, spinning around to
show off her dramatic,
red leather parka, as
roomy as a boxing robe.
She noted she would be
releasing a new single
next month — and
heading to Disneyland
Paris in the morning.
Ocleppo remarked
on the exceptionally
synthetic tinge of Richard
Hilfiger’s cap of hair. “I
change it all the time,” the
rapper, who is also learning
to play the guitar, said of his
shamrock locks.
Are they hard to take care
of? “Well, sometimes when my
hair gets wet, the color drips
down my face,” he shrugged.
The thumping music had
a strange accompaniment:
WWD friday, april 3, 2015 11
WWD.COM
Fashion scoops
World Cup finals in Las Vegas, the
HORSING AROUND: Hermès is to host the
Hermès event is expected to attract
sixth edition of its Saut Hermès event in
riders such as world number-one Scott
Paris. The three-day event, held under
the soaring glass-and-steel roof of the
Brash, Edwina Tops-Alexander and firstGrand Palais, is scheduled for April 11
timer Jessica Springsteen.
to 13, with the Saut Hermès competition
— LAURE GUILBAULT
(featuring mixed pairs of riders) and the
prestigious Grand Prix Hermès show
CAROLINA BOSTON-BOUND: Carolina Herrera
jumping competition being broadcast in
is gearing up to open a CH Carolina
replay and live respectively on April 12
Herrera store in Boston this summer
on a giant screen in front of
in Copley Place. The new
For
more
Paris City Hall. The broadcast
location will be the label’s
scoops,
see
will be accompanied by a mini
first in New England.
pony club set up on the square.
are 124 CH Carolina
WWD.com. There
In addition to the
Herrera stores worldwide
competition, this year’s
including 20 in the U.S. The
edition will feature an
Boston boutique will be
equestrian display by Alexis Gruss of
near Stuart Weitzman in the 75-store
tony shopping center which houses
Cirque National.
outposts for Neiman Marcus, Barneys
Forty of the world’s top riders are
New York, Tiffany & Co. and Jimmy
to vie for prize money totaling 665,000
euros, or $715,600 at current exchange, Choo, among others.
Another newcomer to Copley Place
including the Grand Prix Hermès on
will be Moncler, which plans to bow
April 12. Set to run just three days
this fall. In the meantime, a few of the
before the dressage and jumping
MeMo pad
RUBENSTEIN SIGNS ON AT AD:
Architectural Digest is bringing Hal
Rubenstein and Cynthia Frank on board.
Rubenstein, who was a founding editor
of InStyle, where he later served as
fashion director and editor-at-large,
joins the Condé Nast-owned title as
a special projects editor. Meanwhile,
Frank, who was poached from Elle
Décor, will join the magazine as
contributing design editor on April 20.
Editor in chief Margaret Russell
said Rubenstein would bring a mix of
content, video and print, to the AD Web
site and magazine. She pointed to a
recent video, in which Rubenstein gave
his favorite picks at AD’s Design Show.
“He will be doing [video] shoots and
writing for the Web,” Russell told WWD.
“He’s a huge foodie. His videos will be
about lifestyle topics. He will do one on
a Ralph Lauren project coming up, too.”
While Rubenstein will help lead
the charge into video, Frank will
bring her experience as an editor to
the magazine’s pages through visuals.
“Frank loves being behind the camera.
She’s been doing this 50 years as an
editor,” Russell said. “She’s so well
connected and has more energy than
half of my staff.”
The editor in chief, who will fete
her fifth year on the job in the fall, said
she’s focusing on video and bringing
stories that help people “live better,”
which differs somewhat from the
magazine’s high society bend.
Russell said online stories include
information on home renovations,
decorating and celebrity. The May issue
hits newsstands in New York and Los
Angeles on Tuesday. The issue is up
37 percent in advertising pages with a
total of 110 pages over last year, which
according to a company spokesman,
marks the AD’s best May issue since 2008.
— ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
FASHION TECH FORUM PART DEUX: Karen
Harvey’s Fashion Tech Forum is gearing
up for its second conference on June 11 at
Pier 36 in New York City. Speakers lined
up so far include Theory cofounder and
chief executive officer Andrew Rosen; Coach
ceo Victor Luis; Into the Gloss and Glossier’s
Emily Weiss; Sheree Watson, ceo of Nasty Gal;
Lisa Gersh, ceo of Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle
site Goop; designer and retailer Steven
Alan; Jodie Fox, founder of Shoes of Prey;
Nikki Kaufman, ceo of Normal; Amber Venz
Box, president of LiketoKnow.it; Yael Aflalo,
ceo of Reformation; Thomas Thurston of WR
Hambrecht Ventures, and CNN anchor
Poppy Harlow.
— WWD STAFF
ALLURING NAIL POLISH: Allure is no longer
content to simply write about beauty
— now editor in chief Linda Wells and
her team want to create it, too. In the
ever-expanding world of magazines
as brands — and attempts to find new
revenue streams beyond advertising
and circulation — Allure has linked
up with Butter London to develop a
limited-edition nail color collaboration
launching in August. Called the Arm
Candy collection, the assortment will
include seven stockkeeping units.
Six, each 0.4-oz for $15, are individual
shades; a seventh sku is a set of four
shades, each 0.2-oz. and sold together
for $30. All will bear both the Butter
London and Allure names.
“We’ve done collaborations before,
but they were very much one-offs for
anniversaries and such,” Wells said.
“What we wanted with this collaboration
was really to have a partnership, not
just put our name on something for a
moment and have it disappear.”
The six freestanding shades are Nude
Stilettos, a sheer pink-nude; Statement
Piece, an opaque orange-red; I’m On The
List, a metallic rose-gold; It’s Vintage,
an opaque rust; Disco Nap, a glittery
charcoal, and Lust or Must?, an opaque
charcoal-brown. The set lacquers are
So Major!, a shimmery loden green;
The Sweet Spot, an opaque dusty pink;
Violet’s Revenge, an opaque blue-purple,
and Front Row, an opaque wine.
The lineup will be sold in about
2,500 doors, including Sephora, Ulta,
Nordstrom, Macy’s and butterlondon.
com, from Aug. 1 through March
2016. Wells declined to discuss sales
projections — or how beauty brands
might feel about Allure not just covering
them, but also competing with them.
Industry sources estimated that the
lineup could do $2 million at retail in its
six months on counter.
— JULIE NAUGHTON
NEW AT FERRAGAMO: Michela Ratti will
join Salvatore Ferragamo as director of
communications on Tuesday, filling the
role formerly held by Andrea Tremolada,
who is now at Roberto Cavalli. Ratti’s
hire was confirmed by Ferragamo chief
executive officer Michele Norsa. Ratti
had worked for Procter & Gamble
since 1995. She began her career there
as a product engineer, and worked
her way up to global director of
communications for the P&G Prestige
beauty unit, overseeing strategic
management for a sizeable portfolio
of brands, including Dolce & Gabbana,
Gucci and Alexander McQueen.
In her new role at Ferragamo, Ratti
will be based in Milan.
— CYNTHIA MARTENS
existing tenants will be busy expanding
their locations there. Tory Burch,
LK Bennett and Eileen Fisher will
each be in larger units in the coming
months, according to a Copley Plaza
spokeswoman.
— ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
CRYSTAL CLEAR: British fashion label
Blaak is getting into the science of
healing denim — launching jeans with
crystals attached to the interior of the
waistband. It starts with lapis lazuli.
“Lapis lazuli makes you feel more
grounded,” explained
cofounder Aaron Sharif.
A look from
And more mundanely,
Blaak denim
these stones don’t
featuring
break in the washing
lapis lazuli.
machine, unlike
crystals such as coral,
he noted.
“We wanted
to go back to the
root of when we
started Blaak,”
explained Sharif,
who cofounded the
label in 1988 with
Sachiko Okada. Initially
a denim label, the
brand changed its
offer to ready-towear, presenting during London Fashion
Week between 2001 and 2004 and in Paris
between 2004 and 2011. “We stopped
rtw in 2012 and started researching the
stones’ technique.”
While the company is based in
London, the jeans are developed in
Switzerland, woven in Japan and made
in Portugal.
There is on style for men in three
colors — indigo, black denim and
overdyed black denim — retailing for
250 British pounds, or $371 at current
exchange (and 225 British pounds, or
$324 for the version without stones.)
Blaak denim is to be sold on the
label’s Web site at the end May —
coinciding with its relaunch with an
e-commerce component — as well as in
Wrong Weather in Porto, Portugal and
Head Porter in Tokyo, before rolling out
to other stores.
— L.G.
SPACE SCARVES: Slow Factory and
the World Wildlife Fund have joined
together to release a limited-edition set
of sustainably produced silk scarves.
Each “Petit Atlas” scarf, hand-printed
and finished in Como,
Italy, features highresolution NASA
imagery of some
of the earth’s most
unique endangered
wildlife and natural
land formations.
Slow Factory
has committed to
donating 10 percent
of the proceeds
from the 1,000-scarf
collection to vital
WWF ocean and
forestry projects,
timing the project
to coincide with
Earth Day on April
22. All Slow Factory scarves are
made by a fair trade, family-owned
Italian business using 100 percent silk
twill. All dyes and inks used in the
printing process are eco-friendly, and
all imagery is sourced and licensed
exclusively from NASA image files.
Slow Factory is part of Manufacture
New York, a hybrid fashion incubator
and factory for independent designers
that’s housed in the Manufacturing
Innovation Hub for Apparel, Textiles
& Wearable Tech in Brooklyn.
REACH THE
FASHION INDUSTRY’S
TOP TALENT
WWD CAREERS.COM
PRINT & ONLINE PACKAGES AVAILABLE
Contact Tiffany Windju at 310.484.2537 or [email protected]
— ARTHUR FRIEDMAN
12 WWD FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015
WWD.COM
McKee Replaced After 15 Months at Saks
the door opens for attracting new talent.
The search for the a new chief merchant
has already begun. “A more comprehensive and detailed approach [to the
search] will begin in full rigor tomorrow,”
Metrick said. He also said he would immediately begin developing relationships
with designers and vendors to give them
a sense of “comfort” that Saks would “remain steadfast” in elevating the image.
Marc Metrick
and fierce and unfiltered in the office.
When she joined Saks, attracted lots of
media attention with her rapid-fire, upfront and often refreshing observations
about anything and everything — from
the appeal of the Rockettes, which she
hired for last year’s Christmas windows
unveiling, to her Azzedine Alaïa outfits
and the costs of massively upgrading
the Saks fl agship. She’s been candid
and, by her own admission, “usually too
honest for my own good.”
At Harrods, she headed up the beauty division and ascended to chief merchant, where she transformed the emporium into an international, au courant
attraction. Between the cap and gloved
doormen she stationed at the Saks flagship, and the Champagne bar she installed on the fifth floor, she did bring
some showmanship to the setting with
lots of visual changes.
She’s leaving without seeing the fruits
of her labor or some big projects take root.
The retailer’s owner Hudson’s Bay plans
to spend $250 million for a thorough renovation of the Saks flagship, though some
people familiar with previous renovations
at the site believe it will cost more.
In an interview marking a year on
the job, when asked what’s been the
biggest surprise, McKee replied, “It
hasn’t been the long hours — New York
never sleeps. I get that. It wasn’t that
the work is hard. It wasn’t the size of
the pie. I definitely thought getting new
brands would be among the toughest
things, the brand matrix. But as a Brit coming to America, it’s the
culture. Fitting into the
culture. Having people
understand you. Not
second guessing. Trying
to understand. How
to best fit in. We speak
the same language, but
we are separated by an
ocean and a different
sense of humor.” The
first year, she acknowledged, was “not as much fun,” but it
was beginning to become fun, and that
she believed she was understanding the
culture and trying very hard on the job.
With Metrick on board, the atmosphere will change.
“Marc has a strong background,” said
Steve Sadove, the former Saks chairman and ceo. “He knows the company
and now there’s the opportunity to
marry him and the skills he has with a
new merchant.” Sadove noted Metrick’s
skills would be complementary to those
’’
’’
It just wasn’t a good fit.… In the final
analysis Marigay, Jerry and I really
believed it was time for us all to do
something different.
— RICHARD BAKER, HUDSON’S BAY
“I’ve got to get out there and get to
know them, so they could get to know me
as well,” he said.
McKee had been spearheading a significant culling of vendors that generated
little or no profit for the business, which
did shake up the industry. She once
called the Saks matrix of 2,227 brands
“impossible,” and said merchants would
cut 35 percent.
McKee was never one to mince
words, and projected an aura of being
both luminous and charming in public,
Marigay
McKee
PHOTO BY STEPHEN LEEK
{Continued from page one}
less about how Saks was performing or
the direction she was taking the business, and more about her management
style. The flamboyant and often outspoken former Harrods chief merchant set
out to reinvent Saks with greater aspirational and luxury product. Nobody
doubted her taste level or sense of showmanship. She believed Saks had to be
more experiential and distinctive and
not just a landlord for brands. “Retail
has always been about theater, excitement and fantasy,” she said last year.
Considering her short run, it’s unclear whether she was taking Saks in
the right direction. “If anything, the
strategy will only accelerate,” stressed
Jerry Storch, chief executive officer of
Hudson’s Bay Co. “We will continue to
elevate the brand, continue with the
significant investment in New York with
the flagship store, continue with entry
to Canada next and all the work on the
digital paradigm.”
Metrick will report to Storch.
With McKee, “There was never a question of taste level or where she wanted
to take the business. She is a very smart,
talented lady,” said a source close to
Saks. “Culture and fit were the challenge.
They saw that almost from day one.”
“I’m sure she’s devastated, but this is
probably a relief in the organization,”
said another retail source.
“It just wasn’t a good fit,” admitted
Baker, who was very involved in recruiting McKee. “Marigay
brought great vision to
the company and really
helped upgrade our experience and move up
our luxury platform.
In the final analysis
Marigay, Jerry and I really believed it was time
for us all to do something different.”
Leadership
was
McKee’s Achilles heel.
Her tenure saw a significant turnover of staff. “She was tough on
talent,” said a source. “A lot of very good
people, merchants and other functions,
left. Stylistically, it just didn’t work.”
Another source said sometimes people would come out of meetings with
McKee crying. She once acknowledged
she’s been called crazy lots of times and
that she doesn’t scare easily.
Among the departures were Jennifer
De Winter, the retailer’s chief merchant,
who joined Tiffany earlier this year.
With McKee gone, effective Thursday,
of a chief merchant. “Saks is extremely
complicated and every store has a different matrix,” Sadove added. “Getting the
right product to the right store, and having the right mix of ‘good, better best’ is
extremely complicated. Certainly, that’s a
challenge for every retailer, but Marc has
a good sense of it.”
Asked what his primary areas of responsibility will be, Metrick replied, “I
will focus on everything from a customerfacing standpoint.”
Most recently, at HBC, Metrick developed corporate strategies for all of
the company’s banners — Saks, Lord &
Taylor and Hudson’s Bay — and sat on
HBC’s executive committee.
Metrick has long been a key player on
Baker’s team, playing an instrumental
role in HBC’s 2013 acquisition of Saks
for $2.9 billion and subsequently focusing with and McKee on developing the
retailer’s strategic plan, which entails
elevating the brand experience, building
saksfifthavenue.com as part of a seamless all-channel offering; expanding
the Saks store base in the U.S., as well
as Canada beginning next year; and integrating Saks into the HBC business to
realize more than $100 million in synergies. He joined HBC in 2012 as executive
vice president and chief marketing officer, where he oversaw both the marketing and the e-commerce businesses for
Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor.
Metrick spent the first 15 years of his
career at Saks, rising to chief strategy
officer. He began his career in Saks’ executive training program in 1995 before
moving into senior roles in both merchandising and strategy.
Sandro Prepares to Expand Retail Presence in China
By PAYAL UTTAM
BEIJING — Paris-based label
Sandro is ramping up its retail
presence in China, one of its
fastest-growing markets.
The brand will roll out
10 stores across the country
this year and plans to open a
large flagship in Hong Kong’s
Causeway Bay district by
September. “Considering the success we have had in the Mainland
we want to continue to invest,”
said Jean-Philippe Hecquet,
Sandro’s recently appointed chief
executive officer. “Everywhere
we opened we are in line with
[projections] or above.”
The brand kick-started its
expansion plan by opening two
stores last month in Beijing’s
Shin Kong Place and Chengdu’s
Daci Temple, bringing its total
number of stores in China to 17.
“Chengdu is, of course, a huge
market. Even though it was a soft
opening, it’s already very successful,” said Hecquet. “It’s our
largest store in Asia and almost
in the world.” Spanning 2,153
square feet, the boutique carries
the men’s and women’s ready-towear lines as well as accessories.
The Hong Kong flagship will
also carry both lines, with a new
focus on the brand’s men’s collection, which has been well
received in the region. While
Hecquet stressed the ongoing
significance of the city as “a
vitrine, or window, into Asia,”
with a sophisticated customer base, he observed that the
Mainland clientele is catching
up. “The first-tier cities in China
are a bit more like Hong Kong.
They know [different] brands
quite well,” he said. “Now you
see more people mixing brands
from mass to luxury. And that’s
Jean-Philippe Hecquet
where we have a card to play.”
He has noticed that in both
men’s and women’s wear, many
customers in China are taking
risks instead of defaulting to safe
looks. “But what they still ask for
is help with styling,” Hecquet
said. “So they go to your store for
your product but they also go for
the advice.” He believes there is
a growing need for skilled store
teams that can guide clients, and
cites such services as a way that
Sandro differentiates itself.
Currently, the brand is concentrating on opening in firsttier Chinese cities. Macau is
also top of mind: “It’s a booming market as well to reach the
Mainland,” he said, revealing
that boutiques in the Galaxy
hotel, the One Central Macau
mall and The Parisian Macao resort are in the pipeline.
Southeast Asia is another
target market where he has noticed potential. Sandro will cut
the ribbon on a second store in
Singapore in Marina Bay Sands
by the end of the year. Hecquet
is also eyeing Korea and the
Middle East, which he describes
as a “healthy and wealthy market.” Earlier this month, the
brand made its first foray into
Australia with shops opening in
Sydney and Melbourne, and he
is looking to open 10 new stores
in the country by mid-2016.
While more than 70 percent
of Sandro’s business was once
conducted in France, global expansion has been a major focus
since 2013 when private equity
firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
& Co. acquired a majority
stake in SMCP Group, which
owns the brand. Last year, 41.5
percent of the group’s revenue
came from outside France and
they plan to further speed international growth.
Asked what’s next, Hecquet
said the brand is bumping up its
accessories range, particularly
its shoe and bag offerings. “It’s a
big decision for us,” he said. “The
full rollout with a strong collection will be summer 2016 and fall/
winter 2016 but we are already
getting the ball rolling.”