Fashion News Alert: Barney’s Bankruptcy, Victoria’s Secret’s First Transgender Model, and the 2020 Pirelli Calendar Conjures up Shakespeare’s Juliet

August 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment

 

Image courtesy of Getty Images

Barneys New York, Inc has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on this past Tuesday.  The luxury department store chain is up for sale and filed for bankruptcy due to soaring rents and a decline in sales. The rent in its flagship Manhattan store increased from $16 million to $30 million.

Barneys will close stores in Chicago, Seattle, and Las Vegas, along with five smaller stores and seven Barneys Warehouse locations. The Madison Avenue store in NYC and four flagship stores will remain open. “Barneys New York Board and management team have taken decisive action by entering into a court-supervised process, which will provide the company the necessary tools to conduct a sale process, review our current leases and optimize our operations,” said Daniella Vitale, chief executive officer.

According to The New York Times, Barneys is currently looking for a buyer and there are several parties, that are not retailers, that have expressed interest. Barneys has listed $100 million to $500 million in liabilities and assets which was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Image courtesy of jetss.com

Valentino Sampaio has a new gig

Amidst a decline in sales and growing criticism of the brand, Victoria’s Secret has hired its first transgender model.  Brazilian transgender model Valentina Sampaio has signed a contract with Victoria’s Secret, confirmed her model management company Premier Model Management. Valentina Sampaio has appeared on the covers of Vogue Paris, Vogue Brasil, and Elle Mexico,

Victoria’s Secret has experienced a dramatic decline in sales as consumers have opted for less-expensive lingerie from retail competitors.  Also, the brand has come under intensive scrutiny due to comments from parent company’s L Brands’ marketing chief Ed Razek who stated that he would not hire plus size or transgender models for Victoria’s Secret’s annual, televised runway show. Razek announced his retirement from L Brands in an undated email to staff earlier this week.

“There are few with Ed’s passion and talent in this industry,” L Brands’ chief executive Les Wexner said in an accompanying note, as reported in fashionnetwork.com. “But I have faith in our incredible teams, talent and product, and I look forward to the future as we grow and change.”

Image courtesy of pinknews.co.uk

Backstage at the 2020 Pirelli calendar

Italian tire company, Pirelli, has released behind-the-scene images of its annual fashion calendar. Nine actresses—Emma Watson, Kristen Stewart, Claire Foy, Mia Goth, Indya Moore, and Yara Shahidi, singers Chris Lee and Rosalia, and artist Stella Roversi—portray a diverse, modern version of Shakespeare’s Juliet.

The ‘Looking for Juliet” 2020 Pirelli calendar was photographed by Italian fashion photographer Paolo Reversi.  “I am still searching for my Juliet and I will be searching all my life. Because Juliet is a dream,” said the photographer in a statement.

The Pirelli calendar has been published since the 1960s.  Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Sorrenti, Karl Lagerfeld, and duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, among many other photographers have photographed the iconic, annual calendar.

—William S. Gooch

 

 

Fashion News Alert: Meghan Markle’s Fashion Line, Ferrari Disassociates with Philipp Plein, and Pyer Moss’ New Gig

August 1, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of thefashionlaw.com

When Philipp Plein is not making news with hip-hop-inspired fashion collections, he is making headlines with controversy and outrageous behavior. Earlier in 2019, Plein created a buzz by being hustled out of a million dollars by a Kanye West wannabee. There has also been controversy with Plein using a hip-hop band for his winter 2019 collection that used the N-word several times during their performance. Additionally, Plein made headlines by threatening to sue a fashion editor for a bad review of his fall 2019 collection.

This time around, the controversy centers around Plein posting an image on Instagram of his $800 sneakers on the hood of his green $350,000 812 Superfast Ferrari. Ferrari claims that Plein posted the Instagram image for promotion of his brand, contending that the Plein brand, “tarnishes the reputation of Ferrari.”

Additionally, Ferrari sent a restraining letter to Plein demanding that he remove the said image from his Instagram post. According to pagesix.com, Ferrari states that Plein’s Instagram post aligns Ferrari “with a lifestyle [that is] totally inconsistent with [its] brand perception, in connection with performers making sexual innuendos and using Ferrari’s cars as props in a manner which is per se distasteful.”

Plein has responded by threatening legal action against the luxury car brand, stating that, “I can’t even put in words how disappointed and disgusted I am.” Plein claims that he has bought four Ferraris over a ten-year period.

Image courtesy of vogue.com

Meghan Markle’s foray into fashion

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has branched into fashion. First, she has been assigned a guest editor position for the September issue of British Vogue, and additionally Markle is working on a fashion collaboration with Misha Nonoo, Mark & Spencer, Jigsaw, and John Lewis & Partners on a workwear series of suitable interview apparel for women.  This collaboration will benefit Markle’s royal patronage, Smart Works. Smart Works assist women who are re-entering the job market with suitable interview clothing and interview coaching sessions.

“When you walk into a Smart Works space, you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes,” the Duchess reportedly writes in the digital issue of British Vogue, as detailed in fashionnetwork.com. “Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colours, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes. To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friend, the designer Misha Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe.”

For each workwear garment that is purchased from these collaborations, one garment will be donated to Smart Works. The fashion line will be released later in the year.

Image courtesy of hypebeast.com

Kerby Jean-Raymond and Reebok

Pyer Moss’ creative director Kerby Jean-Raymond has created a new fashion line for Reebok. With major competition from Puma, Nike and other global sportswear brands, Reebok has been struggling of late to gain market traction. Reebok is hoping that this collaboration with Jean-Raymond will help revitalize the brand. Jean-Raymond will serve as creative director for a new division of Reebok, Reebok Studies.

Pyer Moss came to prominence in the New York fashion market in late 2015 during New York Fashion: The Shows spring 2016 season. Often the brand’s collection depicts and draw inspiration from African American culture, taking on at times a political slant.

Though Adidas acquired Reebok in 2005, the sportswear brand continues to struggle. Shares of Reebok fell by 3.05 percent in 2018.

—William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Will Project Runway Bite the Dust?, Sonia Rykiel Liquidates, Donna Karan Is Back, and NYFW: The Shows Spring 2020 Preliminary Schedule

July 24, 2019 by Leave a Comment

PROJECT RUNWAY — Season:17 — Pictured: (l-r) Brandon Maxwell, Karlie Kloss, Christian Siriano, Nina Garcia, Elaine Welteroth — (Photo by: Miller Mobley/Bravo)

In case you were not aware, “Project Runway” season 17 had the lowest rating of all the previous seasons.  Even with the addition of Christian Siriano and Karlie Kloss as the hosts, the show received no 2019 Emmy nominations, a first in 15 years. “Karlie is a delight, but without Heidi [Klum] and Tim [Gunn], it just changed the dynamic of everything,” says an insider.

Karlie only has another year on her two-year contract and with the show’s low ratings, it is up in the air if she will return. Remember, Karlie is a supermodel and her busy schedule keeps her working all the time.

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn left their hosting jobs at “Project Runway” to launch their Amazon show “Making the Cut” with Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Carine Roitfeld, and Joseph Altuzarra. “Project Runway” was revamped by a move from the Lifetime channel back to Bravo with new hosts Karlie Kloss and Christian Siriano and new judges Elaine Welteroth, and Brandon Maxwell.

When asked for a comment on the state of “Project Runway,” a Bravo spokesperson detailed that there is, “no truth” the show will discontinue. “Ratings were strong and grew week after week, and there continues to be major support for the show from the network. We are excited about the next season, which is currently in production, and for many more after that.”

Image courtesy of internationalnews.com

Bye, bye Sonia

The French fashion house, Sonia Rykiel, is folding. After having difficulty finding a buyer, a French commercial court is liquidating the company. Head designer Julie de Libran left the company in March and the company went into receivership in April.

Established in the late 1960s, Sonia Rykiel was known as the “Queen of Knits,” making it fashionable for Parisian women to be seen in less formal styles of dress. Her “Poor Boy” sweater was made popular by film icon Audrey Hepburn.

Sonia Rykiel died from Parkinson’s Disease in 2016 at the age of 86. Five years before her death, her company was acquired by First Heritage Brands. Victor and William Fung, the Hong Kong billionaires that backed the acquisition, pumped millions of dollars into Sonia Rykiel, but the company continued to lose money.

With there being only one lone bidder for the iconic French fashion house, a commercial court judge rejected the lone bidder, forcing the company to liquidate its assets.  Additionally, the company’s archives, intellectual property, and its six stores across France and Monaco will all be sold.

Image courtesy of vogue.com

Donna Karan teams up with Kenneth Cole

Just when we thought Donna Karan was done with fashion and putting her efforts into designing her urban furniture collection, Urban Zen, Karan puts her foot back into the fashion pool. Karan has teamed up with Kenneth Cole to design a limited-edition, 10-piece shoe collection that sheds light on Haitian artisans.

“We’re bringing Haiti’s rich artisan culture right to your soles,” Cole announced via Instagram, unveiling the collection on Instagram. While Karan wrote: “Kenneth and I share our heart and soul with Haiti and now Soles.”

Local workshop owner Pascale Théard Créations has brought this collaboration to life by bringing Haitian leather-making traditions combined with Kenneth Cole’s comfortable soles. The shoes will also feature such details as fringing, embroidery and braided straps.

“Hopefully it becomes an ongoing sustainable business,” Cole told Vogue, as detailed in fashionnetwork.com.  We’re making these in very limited quantities to start. We want them to be a vehicle for telling the story of this community.”

Image courtesy of ubmfashion.com

A reduced NYFWS

The CFDA has released its preliminary calendar for New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS) spring 2020 season. And it is slim pickings.

Incoming CFDA Board Chairman Tom Ford has reduced NYFWS from eight days to six days. “We listened to feedback from both the domestic and the global fashion industry to tighten and strengthen the Official New York Fashion Week schedule,” said Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA. “I am excited for the strong September lineup which will continue to showcase and celebrate the creativity and diversity of American fashion.”

The 75-plus designers that will be showing is a major reduction from the 400-plus fashion designers/brands that would present during NYFWS ten years ago. Missing this season from the roster is the large amount of Asian emerging brands that had become a mainstay of NYFWS. Also missing from the lineup is Monique Lhuillier, John Varvatos, Nanette Lepore, Zang Toi, Tadashi Shoji, Public School, Tracey Reese, Milly, Thakoon, Philip Plein, and many others.

Back on the roster for the spring 2020 season is Vera Wang and Tommy Hilfiger after a few year’s absence. Hilfiger will present his ‘TommyNow’ fashion explosion at the famed Apollo Theater on September 8. Marc Jacobs will close NYFWS on September 11.

New York Fashion Week: The Shows runs from September 6 through September 11.

—William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Matt Dillon’s New Job, Kate Moss Collaborates with Zadig & Voltaire and Norma Kamali Unveils Skincare Line

July 11, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Menswear Italian Brioni has a new actor as the face of their winter 2020 Tailoring Legends campaign. Matt Dillon will appear in the brand’s winter 2020 campaign in black and white images photographed by Gregory Harris. As the face of Brioni’s fall 2020 campaign, the 55-year old Dillon is succeeded by Samuel L. Jackson, Pierce Brosnan, and Anthony Hopkins.

Founded in Rome in 1945, Brioni has been worn by such iconic actors as Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, John Wayne, and Gary Cooper. Brioni suits have been worn by Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan in several Bond films. Since 2002, Brioni has been owned by Kering, the French luxury group.

Image courtesy of fashionunited.com

Kate Moss’ new gig

Zadig & Voltaire has a new muse, supermodel Kate Moss. Kate Moss will collaborate with the French apparel brand on its new rock n’ roll fall 2019 campaign.

Moss will not just be the face of the brand’s fall 2019 campaign but will also collaborate with Zadig & Voltaire’s creative director Cecilia Bönström on bags, shoes, and possibly apparel.

Zadig & Voltaire has ramped up their retail presence with 199 stores in France and 260 stores globally. The brand has recently opened new location in Nice and Porto.

Image courtesy of robbreport.com

Norma Kamali expands

If being an icon in the fashion industry is not enough, Norma Kamali adds to her long list of accomplishments by unveiling a new direction in her career by releasing a skincare line. As reported by Vogue, Normalife: The Skinline, includes a skincare collection spanning cleanser dubbed ‘Clean,’ an exfoliator titled ‘Smooth,’ a color enhancer called ‘Glow’ and a moisturizer, ‘Soft.’

“I am sharing everything I do, everything I use and all the information I have gathered in the last 40 years!” the designer promises. “Normalife is democratic inclusive for men and women of all ages, skin color and types!!,” explained Kamili in an Instagram post. “The skinline was first developed as I was approaching 50 and I decided makeup was not working on my skin anymore and that if I showed my bare skin it would be a better alternative but it had to look good,” continues Kamali on the NormaLife site.

Normalife can be used by both sexes and contains natural and understandable ingredients, such as charcoal, ground olive pits and fermented sugar beets. The line is free of parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrances, and preservatives. Normalife launches this week.

—William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Zendaya and Lancome, Gigi Hadid’s New Gig, Alber Elbaz Is Back, and Kenzo’s New Creative Director

July 3, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of marieclaire.com

For those who’ve wondered were Alber Elbaz would end up after his departure from Lanvin four years ago, wonder no more. Elbaz has created a capsule collection of Italian brand Tod’s. Entitled, “Happy Moments,” the capsule collection is inspired the turbulent four years of Elbaz’s life after being fired from Lanvin.

“It’s been a while. Four years. Some happy moments and some not so happy moments. But that’s life,” added Elbaz in a fashionnetwork.com article. For different reasons … All we do is make everyone else happy, but we are not. We are the second skin of the world and we lose our own skin,” continued Elbaz.

This shoe capsule collection has moccasins and of course, sneakers with ergonomic soles. “Given the traffic at shows, maybe sneakers are the new cars. All I wanted to do was change the soles at Tod’s—not the soul of Tod’s,” quipped Elbaz.

Image courtesy of ellecanada.com

Gigi smells good

Supermodel Gigi Hadid can add Michael Kors’ fragrance Wanderlust to her impressive list of modeling jobs. Today, Michael Kors announced that Gigi Hadid would be the new face of the Wanderlust fragrance.

Wanderlust contains a bouquet of almond milk accord, Italian bergamot, Sicilian mandarin, and pink pepper, followed by dianthus, jasmine grandiflorum absolute, jasmine sambac absolute, heliotrope fragrances. This bouquet is set off by dry notes of sandalwood Sri Lanka, cashmeran wood, and benzoin siam.

The summer 2019 Wanderlust fragrance campaign was photographed in Turks and Caicos by Inez & Vinoodh.

Image courtesy of gotceleb.com

Zendaya’s new job

Speaking of smelling good, Zendaya has been slated to be the brand ambassador for Lancome’s new fragrance. Lancome’s ‘Idôle’ was created to appeal to millennials.

We are excited to be able to create a fragrance for a new generation of women questioning the status quo, breaking free from tradition and re-defining the meaning of success,” added Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme Global Brand President. “Collective and beneficial for all women, this new confidence is inciting them to raise the bar a little higher every time.”

“Idôle is a perfume that has meaning,” Zendaya says. “I like the fact that it’s fresh and light. I am very particular about perfumes, and Idôle smells absolutely beautiful and I love it.”

This new Lancome fragrance contains sustainably sourced Isparta Rose Petal Essence from Turkey made exclusively for the brand. It also features notes of bergamot, accords of pear, India Jasmine Grandiflorum, and a new ‘clean and glow’ accord. It will be presented in a slender bottle that measures just 15mm in thickness. Idôle goes on sale globally on August 22.

Image coutesy of gotceleb.com

Kenzo has a new creative director

All rumors about the new creative director of Kenzo have been confirmed. LVMH, which owns Kenzo, has announced that Felipe Oliveira Baptista is the new creative director of Kenzo. Baptista was the former creative director for Lacoste, serving in that post for eight years before departing in 2018.

Baptista will join Kenzo in the beginning of this month, debuting his first fall 2021 collections for Kenzo in Paris in early 2020. “His contemporary, innovative creative vision and his extremely comprehensive design approach will enable the label to deploy its potential while respecting its unique heritage,” said Sylvie Colin, general manager of Kenzo.

The 44-year-old Baptista is a native of the island of Azores, and a fashion design graduate of London’s Kingston University. Baptista began his fashion career with Max Mara and later working at Cerruti and Christophe Lemaire. Baptista is credited with rejuvenating Lacoste, making it a go-to brand for young consumers.

—William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Ralph Lauren Knighted, the Bolshoi Ballet Celebrates Coco Chanel, and Paris Bids Farewell to Karl Lagerfeld

June 20, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of townandcountry.com

On Wednesday, Ralph Lauren received an honorary knighthood from the United Kingdom. Lauren is now an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Because he is not a British citizen, he cannot be deemed Sir Ralph Lauren. Still, Ralph Lauren has received an honor that few will ever receive.

Ralph Lauren is the first American to become an honorary knight. The insignia was signed off by Queen Elizabeth, but he received it from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Additionally, Lauren was awarded the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal, “[honoring] his lifetime contributions as a great American and his leadership role in the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner.”

Photo courtesy of bolshoiballet.ru

Coco Chanel in tights

Bolshoi Ballet’s prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova will star in a new ballet that celebrates Coco Chanel’s love of Russia. The one-act ballet, “Gabrielle Chanel” is choreographed by Yuri Possokhov and will feature 85 costumes using Chanel designs.

“She loved Russian ballet, Russians and Russia,” Zakharova said. “She helped Russian aristocrats who were forced to flee Russia. She loved Russian models.” 

“It will be a celebration of friendship between ballet and fashion,” Zakharova told reporters ahead of the performance, as reported in fashionnetwork.com. “But this will not be a fashion show, it will be a genuine spectacle.”

“Gabrielle Chanel” will feature Coco Chanel opening her first boutique, her love affair with Boy Capel and her relationship with the Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. “Gabrielle Chanel” opens on Saturday in Moscow.

Photo courtesy of thefashionspot

Final Farewell

At Grand Palais, Paris bid farewell to fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld with a tribute that featured readings and performances from Helen Mirren, Tilda Swinton, Cara Delevingne, Pharrell Williams, Fanny Ardant and Lang Lang. This memorial of sorts was paired with videos of Karl Lagerfeld, accompanied by witty sayings and Lagerfeld-isms that, though sometimes funny, bordered on sassy, comeback snips.

This tribute also gave some renowned fashion designers the opportunity to pay their respects to the late, great Lagerfeld. Silvia Venturini Fendi, Stella McCartney, Alber Elbaz, Haider Ackermann, Valentino, along with Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, all flew in for the occasion.

This “Karl Forever: A Celebration” was also attended by Princess Caroline, Charlotte Casiraghi, Carole Bouquet, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Claudia Schiffer, all seated in the front row. The opening video featured Anna Wintour who praised Karl for succeeding “not just as a designer, but also as a linguist, photographer, interior decorator, film maker and philanthropist. He was the original multi-tasker, a man who did everything at once … It is his human presence that we all mourn and celebrate.”

The tribute closed with Pharrell Williams performing, calling everyone to stand as a video montage of Lagerfeld taking bows at the brands he helmed—Chanel, Fendi, and Karl Lagerfeld—played behind Pharrell. Final farewell, Karl!!

— William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Taylor Swift Collaborates with Stella McCartney, Carolina Herrera Accused of Cultural Appropriation, and Virgil Abloh’s Museum Exhibition

June 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of fashionista.com

Though Virgil Abloh’s fashion transcendency has been brief, he is already making a global impact on the fashion industry. In 2013 Abloh founded the fashion brand Off-White and in 2018 Abloh became the men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton. Additionally, Abloh has collaborated with Nike and scores of celebrities, including Serena Williams and Kanye West.

With this including accumulation of accomplishments in a short seven years, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has debuted an exhibition of Virgil Abloh’s work. The exhibition opened on June 10 and will run through September 22.

The Virgil Abloh presentation offers “an in-depth look at defining highlights of Abloh’s career including a program of cross-disciplinary offerings that will mirror the artist’s range of interests across music, fashion, architecture, and design,” details a Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

There is a Virgil Abloh pop-up store, Church & State, attached to the exhibition. The Church & State pop-up will offer visitors a retrospective of best-selling Off-White product and new, exclusive collections inspired by the exhibition.

Image courtesy of nytimes.com

Carolina Herrera’s Mexican controversy

All fashion brands are inspired by and reference motifs, ideas, and design elements from a variety of cultural influences and countries. That said; when is this injection of cultural influences cultural appropriation or a respectful homage.

This dilemma has come into question, once again, with Carolina Herrera’s resort 2020 collection when creative director Wes Gordon drew inspiration from Mexico’s rich indigenous cultures.  Founder Carolina Herrera is a Venezuelan native and always injects Latin culture into her collections. But this time around things may be different.

In a press release from the Puig Group which owns Carolina Herrera, “Carolina Herrera’s [r]esort 2020 collection takes on the playful and colorful mood of a Latin holiday, from a sunrise in Tulum, the waves in José Ignacio and dancing in Buenos Aires to the colors of Cartagena.”

Hmm, that explanation was good enough. The Mexican government has accused Wes Gordon of misappropriating Mexico’s indigenous cultures in Carolina Herrera’s 2020 resort collection. Mexico’s Secretary of Culture Alejandra Frausto sent a letter to the brand, requesting “an explanation for the use of designs and embroidery belonging to native peoples.”

The artisanal design in question is a long white dress with animal and floral embroidery, which Frausto said come from the community of Tenango de Doria in Hidalgo. “In these embroideries is the history of the community itself, and each element has a personal, family and community meaning,” says Frausto in the letter, as reported in fashionnetwork.com.  Frausto continues, “It is a principle of ethical consideration that forces us to draw attention to an issue that can’t be ignored any longer: we must promote inclusion and make those who are invisible visible.”

Wes Gordon has responded by explaining that the collection has, “an undeniable Mexican presence”. “It’s something that jumps out at you and I always intended it to be something latent as a way of showing my love for this country and for all the incredible work I’ve seen there.” Gordon continues, “My admiration for the artisanal work has only grown as I have travelled to Mexico over the years. With this new collection, I have tried to highlight the importance of this magnificent cultural heritage.”

Still, is this paying homage or cultural appropriation. Let the people decide!!

Image courtesy of fashionunited.com

Swift and McCartney pair up

Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney are teaming up for a new clothing line linked to Swift’s latest album, “Lover.” The “Lover” album is set to release on August 23 with the clothing line hitting the market around the same time.

On an Instagram live video Taylor Swift detailed, “[Stella McCartney] been a friend for a really long time and also just a woman that I respect so much. I respect what she creates, how she creates it. There’s so much whimsy and imagination and romance to the clothing that she designs. I’ve worn a lot of her stuff recently, and she’s heard the new album, and this new collaboration is inspired by the album.”

There will be other product linked to the “Lover” album the clothing collaboration between Swift and McCartney. Most of the product is in the vein of tradition product that goes alongside product linked to music albums; however, the McCartney/Swift clothing will be more luxury fashion.

William S. Gooch

Weekend Fashion News Alert: Kate Moss Fronts Armani Campaign, Bernie Sanders Confronts Walmart, Miley Cyrus and Marc Jacobs Get Political, and Jennifer Lopez Wins CFDA Icon Award

June 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of cnn.com

There were many significant winners at the recent 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards. Brandon Maxwell beat out Marc Jacobs, and others for the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Rick Owens beat out Virgil Abloh, Thom Browne, and others for the Menswear Designer of the Year Award, and Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen of The Row won the Accessory Designer of the Year Award.

Perhaps, the most exciting and notable winner of the evening was Jennifer Lopez, winning the Fashion Icon of the Year Award. Lopez was attired in a red Ralph Lauren shirt with red turtleneck crop top embellished with 43,000 crystals.

“I loved fashion since I was little girl, growing up in the Bronx and to be here and among all these designers and to be honored is just a dream,” the singer and actress said on the red carpet, as reported on cnn.com, adding: “I’m wearing Ralph Lauren, a fellow Bronx native.”

According to the CFDA, Lopez was awarded the 2019 Fashion Icon Award for her “long-standing and global impact on fashion.” Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, and Beyoncé have all received the CFDA Fashion Icon Award.

Image courtesy of people.com

Kate and Giorgio

Kate Moss is the new face of the Armani fall 2019 campaign. The 45-year-old Supermodel is sporting a new bob and bangs hairstyle for the campaign.

Looking very sophisticated and stylish, Moss is attired in different shades of blue that mirror the brand’s “Rhapsody in Blue” fall 2019 collection. The campaign has been photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott in black and white, as well as in color. Similar to Armani’s fall 2019 fashion show with included women and men’s collection, the campaign includes male models Daisuke Ueda and Thijs Stenneberg.

Image courtesy of cnn.com

Bernie Sanders decries Walmart

When Democratic Senator and candidate for the 2020 presidency Bernie Sanders talks about raising the minimum wage it’s not just campaign rhetoric. Sanders has gone after Walmart, the biggest retailer in the US, whose workers pay is so low that some receive SNAP benefits just to make ends meet.

At the Walmart shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday, Sanders presented a proposal to raise workers’ wages to $15 and hour and stated, “despite the incredible wealth of Walmart’s owners” the company pays “starvation wages.” Sanders added, “Walmart’s CEO is making a thousand times more than the average Walmart employee.” Sanders has also urged Congress to raise the minimum wage above the current $7.25 an hour.

Walmart currently pays workers $11 an hour which is above the minimum wage of $7.25, but way below what Walmart executive and CEOs make. In 2018 Walmart’s CEO received a 23.6 million dollar pay compensation package.

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Miley and Marc Jacobs Collaborate

Miley Cyrus and Marc Jacobs are getting involved in politics. On Wednesday, Jacobs and Miley Cyrus launched a limited-edition pink sweatshirt hoodie with an image of Miley Cyrus holding two grapefruit halves over a naked breast. The caption on the pink sweatshirt hoodie says, “Don’t F*ck With My Freedom.”

Proceeds from the sale of the pink sweatshirt hoodie will go to reproductive organization like Planned Parenthood. The pink sweatshirt hoodie comes on the heels of the release of Miley Cyrus, new album, “She Is Coming.” “She Is Coming” was released last week accompanied by a new line of sex-positive merchandise.

William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Marc Jacobs’ New Line, Cara Delevinge Collabs with Balmain, Jean Patou Rebrands, and Slim Pickings for NYFW: Men’s Spring 2020 season

May 29, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of bustle.com

Everyone is aware of Marc Jacobs struggles since 2015. At one time, Jacobs was the darling of that fashionista set of the early 2000s for who Jacobs could do no wrong. Think “Sex and the City’s” Cara Bradshaw, who was a Marc Jacobs’ devotee.

Those days are long ago. And Jacobs is in need of new invigoration and re-introduction of his design aesthetic and genius to the new fashionista at lower prices.

The Marc Jacobs, Jacobs’ new line, hopes to do that. With The Marc Jacobs, Jacobs’ is revisiting collaborations, archives and collections from the past.

“It’s not so much about trying new product categories as it is about communicating them, packaging them and making the experience a little bit different for this day and age,” Jacobs says, as reported in fashionista.com. “If that [means] it has to be more appealing online, or if it has to be more appealing in reality through a different form of retailing than we’ve ever done before … We always put stuff out in the store, then if people wanted to buy, they bought it. I don’t know if that cuts it anymore.”

The Marc Jacobs launches on Thursday.

Image courtesy of instyle.com

Cara and Balmain

Supermodel Cara Delevinge, after taking an absence from fashion and appearing in three films, stuck her foot back into the fashion pool, so to speak, last September opening Balmain’s spring 2019 show. Delevinge’s love affair with Balmain continues as she is now set to collaborate with the iconic French fashion house on a leather goods capsule collection, BBags.

Balmain creative director Oliver Rousteing has designed three leather bags for this small capsule collection with Cara decorating and deciding on the metal details of the leather bags. The inspiration for these bags came from the rocker influence in Balmain’s fall 2019 show.

“She has attitude. She’s a troublemaker and she doesn’t care. She’s provocative, but it’s a paradox–she can be gentle and romantic, an angel or a devil. She can’t be categorized,” explained Rousteing. 

The BBags will launch on May 29.

Image courtesy of pittimagazine.com

A deflated NYFWM

Saying that New York Fashion Week: Men’s (NYFWM) spring 2020 season is on a diet, is an understatement. Realizing that NYFW has very little traction on the international fashion scene, the CFDA moved NYFWM from the second week of July and paired with New York City’s resort collections.

Though launched with much fanfare in 2015 with John Varvatos, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Nautica, and Perry Ellis presenting their collections in the inaugural season, many esteemed menswear brands quickly defected and chose to present their menswear in more esteemed men’s fashion weeks in Europe and Asia. Now, NYFWM is down to a three-day event, populated with mostly emerging menswear designers and the few menswear diehards who continue to support the flailing men’s fashion week.

This season saw the defection of some New York-based menswear designers to Paris. Namely, Sies Marjan, and Bode, with Palomo Spain returning to Paris, after a much-heralded fall 2019 collection shown in NYC in February.

Maybe incoming president Tom Ford can find a way to inject some much-needed energy and corporate dollars into NYFWM’s before it fades into recent memory. Good Luck, Tom!!

Image courtesy of neimanmarcus.com

Jean Patou simplifies

In the fashion industry name recognition is everything, well almost! In an era where fashion brands come and go as quickly as the season, it is so important for a brand to have a simple name that is easily remembered.

Many famous couture houses over time reduced their brand name from the name of the designer to just name or a combination of names. Coco Chanel became Chanel. Yves Saint Laurent became Saint Laurent, and Christian Dior became Dior.

Jean Patou now follows suit. LVMH took control of the French luxury house and is looking forward to the house relaunch as Patou. “Onomatopoeia that we love to repeat. A recognizable appeal, a je-ne-sais-quoi that resembles you. Patou is Patou!” wrote the label.

Patou will also have a new logo in large black letters on a white background. “A new logo inspired by the house’s archives, to see the label enter into a new era.”

William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Rihanna Drops Debut Fenty Collection, Aquaria Collaborates with NYX, H&M and Giambattista Valli, and Jason Wu Designs for Kohls

May 22, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Getty Images

Well, it’s finally here. Rihanna’s clothing, Fenty Maison, the first new clothing brand under the auspices of LVMH since 1987 debuted today in Paris.

Though the collection received positive notices for the most part, there was criticism that the Fenty price points were much higher than Rihanna’s previous fashion and beauty lines. According to interview conducted with Bloomberg, Rihanna wanted to “keep prices as accessible as possible while still using luxurious materials and techniques”. Rihanna added: “I hope I can reach a broad audience. I can’t wait to walk outside and just run past someone who’s wearing it. I think that’ll be a huge moment for me.”

Still, those price points are way out of league for most consumers.

Inspired by menswear, fanny packs, and denim, this debut collection includes suits, jackets, dresses, and some great separates. LVMH pulled designers from some of their most esteemed brands to help design Fenty Maison’s debut collection.

“To support Rihanna to start up the Fenty Maison, we have built a talented and multicultural team supported by the group resources. I am proud that LVMH is leading this venture and wish it will be a great success,” explained Bernard Arnault, LVMH chairman and chief executive.

Fenty Maison officially launches on May 29.

Image courtesy of elitedaily.com

Aquaria gives face to NYX

NYX has its first celebrity collaboration with drag artist Aquaria. The Aquaria X NYX  Professional Makeup Palette will contain ten vibrant shades ranging from canary yellow to navy blue in a range of matte and metallic finishes. The Aquaria X NYX Professional Makeup Palette will drop on May 30.

For those not familiar with Aquaria. Aquaria aka as Giovanni Palandrani was a contestant on the 10th season of “Rupaul’s Drag Race.” In recent months Aquaria has had an immersive on-site glitter experience at the recent Coachella, and last year Aquaria launched a sweet treat-themed makeup collection with My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream and Uber Eats last year.

“I’m very inspired by the dark colors I see at night and all the bright personalities I get to see at the clubs,” Aquaria elaborated in an interview with Allure. “We just wanted it to be kind of slimy, oily, and dark, but also fun and bright. The colors totally represent that.”

Fashion collaborations have become a norm at H&M. Mostly, the collaborations have been with household name luxury brands. Not true this time around!!

Image courtesy of dailyfrontrow.com

H&M and Giambattista Valli

Enter Giambattista Valli. Giambattista Valli is one of the most European sought-after brands and in recent years has made significant traction on red carpets in the US.

True to form, there will be lots of frothy fantasy. Top models Kendall Jenner and Chiara Feragni gave a sneak peek at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

“I am excited about this collaboration: H&M gives me the opportunity to bring my vision of style and my celebration of beauty to a wider audience,” said Valli in a press release. “The goal is to share my love for beauty and to be able to be part of everyone’s “happy moments”, to help create love stories all around the world.”

Price points will range from $18 to $649. This limited-edition Giambattista Valli X H&M will drop on May 25 and will be available on the H&M website and in 10 select H&M stores. The complete collection will be in stores on November 7.

Image courtesy of richarmagazine.com

Can Jason Wu lift Kohls’ declining sales?

This week seemed to be a week of collaborations. It was announced on Tuesday that Jason Wu will be designing a holiday collection for Kohls. The holiday collection will be inspired by Hollywood glamour.

The holiday collection will contain dresses, jackets, jumpsuits to be sold on Kohls’ online site and stores nationwide, launching in stores in early November. “I am excited to bring my designs to the Kohl’s customer and give her beautifully designed pieces that will add dimension to her wardrobe,” Jason Wu told WWD.

All this comes on the heels of Kohls producing very weak first quarter sales.  First quarter sales declined by 2.9 percent. CEO Michelle Gass in a statement explained that Kohls is “actively addressing the opportunities that impacted our first quarter sales and we have strong initiatives that will enhance our sales performance in the second half.

Jason Wu now joins Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen’s Elizabeth and James, who signed a deal last month to sell Elizabeth and James exclusively at Kohls. In the past Kohls has partnered with Lauren Conrad and Vera Wang to boost sales.

William S. Gooch

 

 

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