Fashion News Alert: Another NYFW Designer Defects to LA, Carolina Herrera Sues Oscar de la Renta, and Debbie Harry Collaborates with Obey

December 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Carolina Herrera spring 2017 image courtesy of fashionisers.com

Carolina Herrera spring 2017 image courtesy of fashionisers.com

Just when you thought you had heard it all, Page Six of the New York Daily News reveals that iconic designer Carolina Herrera is suing a former member of her board for trying to oust her out her creative duties at Herrera’s eponymous brand. After failing to do that, said executive jumped ship for greener pastures at Oscar de la Renta.

Carolina Herrera’s vice president Laura Kim was offered the creative reigns at Carolina Herrera with a one million dollar salary by CEO Francois Kress; however, Kim turned the position down because she felt that Herrera would not give up total creative control. “Ms. Herrera intended to run CH as if she were the Creative Director. While Laura was supposed to be reporting to Francois Kress, Carolina Herrera frequently took charge, without objection from Mr. Kress,” wrote Kim’s attorney Neil Capobianco in the letter included in the lawsuit.

Because of tensions at Carolina Herrera, Kim left the company on July 8, taking a position at Oscar de la Renta that violated her six-month non-competition clause with Carolina Herrera. Herrera’s attorneys contend that, “Kim made it known to CH that she wanted to be creative director, in effect displacing Carolina Herrera herself.” Herrera’s legal team contends that since Kim’s departure has been played out in the press, the brand was dropped from Bergdorf’s and the fall 2017 collection sales are low.

Debbie Harry and Shepard Fairey images courtesy of yahoo.com

Debbie Harry and Shepard Fairey images courtesy of yahoo.com

Debbie Harry collaborates

Street wear clothing brand Obey has announced collaboration with music icon Debbie Harry. The collaborative effort will be available to consumers for fall 2017.

“I’ve been a Blondie fan my whole life and have collaborated with them in the past, which has been a dream come true. But working with Debbie on this project has been totally inspiring,” explained Obey founder Shepard Fairey told WWD.

This collaboration is not just in name only; Harry will be closely involved in the look and production of the garments. “She’s been very involved and hands-on for the whole process, just another display of her incredible talent,” revealed Fairey in WWD.

Rachel Comey spring 2017 images courtesy of vogue.com

Rachel Comey spring 2017 images courtesy of vogue.com

California dreamin

Brooklyn-based fashion designer Rachel Comey adds her name to the list of designers who are defecting to Los Angeles instead of showing during New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS). Comey follows in the footsteps of Tommy Hilfiger, Rachel Zoe, Rebecca Minkoff, and Tom Ford who have opted out of NYFWS in favor of showing their fall 2017 collections in Los Angeles.

Comey, who has been a constant presence at NYFWS for several seasons, expressed wanting to be more in touch with her LA audience for bowing out of NYFWS. Comey will showcase her fall collection on February 7, 2017 at the international art gallery Hauser Wirth & Schimmel before holding press appointments at her Melrose Place store the next day.

—William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Toronto Fashion Week Is Back, Public School Returns to NYFW, Zac Efron’s New Fashion Gig, and Fashion Magazines Increase Diversity in 2016

December 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

Image courtesy of torontoisfashion.com

Image courtesy of torontoisfashion.com

In July IMG parted ways with Toronto Fashion Week. However, Canucks there is no need to fear. A dynamic ownership group headed by real estate mogul Peter Freed has jumped into the fray and acquired Toronto Fashion Week.

“Toronto is a city that is experiencing exponential growth; fashion and retail have been integral contributors to this. I’ve witnessed it first-hand developing commercial and residential properties across the GTA over the past 15 years. With the purchase of Toronto Fashion Week® from IMG, we have the opportunity to create a multi-faceted program that embraces the Canadian fashion and design community, addresses today’s retail trends and consumer interests together with the creation and integration of a strong digital platform. It’s extremely exciting,” explained Freed in a recent press release.

IMG’s reason for dropping Toronto Fashion Week after four years of sponsorship was lack of local support.

Public School menswear spring 2016 image courtesy of vancouversun.com

Public School menswear spring 2016 image courtesy of vancouversun.com

Welcome back

Public School returns to New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS) after a seasonal absence. Public School will present its fall 2016 collection during NYFWS on February 12.

Since Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow’s departure from DKNY, the design duo has decided to put their energies into re-invigorated the Public School brand. Osborne and Chow took over the helm of DKNY in April 2015. In a conversation with Vogue, Chow detailed, “The hardest thing was being in one place and having to think about the other place. I remember being backstage at a Public School show and one of our head designers from DKNY was there shooting backstage, and I was like, “where are we right now?” In that two-block radius between our office and the DKNY office, you really had to switch. You know, there was a lot of talk about, “you stay in New York, it’s not like you have to go to Paris to do your duty, but that space actually could’ve benefitted [“from”?] the boundary between the two. Creating those boundaries was probably the most difficult part of it all.”

Image courtesy of instyle.com

Image courtesy of instyle.com

Zac smells purty

The Hugo Boss fragrance, Hugo Man, has a new celebrity face, Zac Efron. The deal was announced on Tuesday via Twitter.

The 29-year-old actor, who is currently starring in the new “Baywatch” movie announced his new job on his Twitter account, “Hey guys–I’m excited to reveal that I will be fronting the new Hugo man campaign next year- check it out! #BlueSteel #YourTimeIsNow.”  The digital campaign for the fragrance will launch in early 2017.

 

Image courtesy of vogue.com

Image courtesy of vogue.com

Colored girls rule

2016 marked in uptake in diversity for fashion publications. According to fashionista.com, 147 magazines featured 52 people of color on their covers. A person of color refers to non-white folks, but includes people of mixed race and Hispanics. This inclusion marked an increase of 16% compared to 2015.

Teen Vogue was the most inclusive with seven of their eleven 2016 covers being people of color. Nylon also showed improvement in 2016, moving from only one cover in 2015 of a person of color to five covers in 2016.

It is also worth noting that several publications opted to feature upcoming actors and artists over more mainstream celebrities for their covers.

—William S. Gooch

 

Fashion News Alert: Kanye and Anna Wintour Meet with the Donald, Top Brands Merge Men’s and Women’s Collection, Kate Moss’ New Gig, and NYFW: Men’s Fall 2017 Schedule

December 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Anna_Wintour_HuffingtonPost

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

 As several fashion designers have expressed no interest in dressing Melania Trump, others in the industry are meeting with president-elect Donald Trump at Trump Towers. Those two fashion elites being Anna Wintour and Kanye West who recently broke bread with “The Donald.”

Anna Wintour and Kanye West met with Trump on this past Tuesday. The word is out that Trump met with West to “discuss multicultural issues” and he met with Wintour to discuss a “range of issues.” Anna Wintour, during this presidential year was an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton, even hosting expensive fundraisers for the former FLOTUS.

Alexander Wang spring 2017 images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Alexander Wang spring 2017 images courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Is one better than two?

In a shrinking retail market, several major brands are combining the menswear and women’s collection and their menswear and women’s fashion week runway/presentation. In 2015 Marc Jacobs merged Marc by Marc Jacobs into one brand. Hugo Boss is showing both men and women shows during NYFW: The Shows and Kenzo is following suit in Europe.

Alexander Wang is not combining his menswear and women’s collection into one collection, but merging his ready-to-wear menswear and T by Alexander Wang into one collection. Bringing to tow menswear collections together helps facilitate Wang’s menswear into a cohesive lifestyle offering.

“The decision to streamline our men’s business was thoughtfully considered and reflects the way our customers already interact with the brand. Having one focused line enables us to push the boundaries of technical innovation, to elevate menswear by creating new signatures, categories, and updating the codes of the Alexander Wang guy,” detailed Wang in a recent fashionnetwork.com article.

And while Alexander Wang is combining his menswear lines, Kenzo has decided to present the menswear and women’s collection as one collection, to be presented on January 22 in Paris. Calvin Klein, Gucci and Bottega Veneta have made a similar decision.

Image courtesy of yahoo.com

Image courtesy of yahoo.com

Another one for Kate

Is it Nike or Nikkie? In Kate Moss’ case its Nikkie.

Nikkie, the Dutch retail brand, founded by Dutch celebrity Nikkie Plessen launched in 2011. Since its inception, Nikkie has expanded to 15 standalone boutiques globally. For their fall 2017 campaign, supermodel Kate Moss will be the face of the brand’s women’s wear campaign.

The 42-year old model has scaled back her modeling jobs to launch her own talent agency. That said; Moss recently shot an Elvis music video for “The Wonder of You,” that was released last week.

 

Image courtesy of fashiontimes.com

Image courtesy of fashiontimes.com

NYFWM fall 2017 schedule

The CFDA recently released the schedule for New York Fashion: Men’s (NYFWM) fall 2017 schedule. NYFWM fall 2017 runs from January 30–February 2.

A few prominent designer/brands will be missing for the fall 2017 schedule. The biggest name absent from the lineup will be Tommy Hilfiger. Joining Hilfiger, Gypsy Sport, Coach, Second Layer, and Timo Weiland. New names added to the roster include Hugo Boss, Dim Mak, Dyne, Jahnkoy, You As, Death to Tennis, Bode, Combatant Gentleman, Palomo Spain, Willy Chavarria, Represent, Matthew Adams Dolan, and Raf Simmons in his first collection for Calvin Klein. Returning designers are Patrik Ervell and Billy Reid.

Brands returning to NYFWM include Tim Coppens, John Varvatos, Robert Geller, John Elliott, Todd Snyder, Ovadia & Sons, Rochambeau, Nautica, Carlos Campos, Palmiers Du Mal and Orley.

—William S. Gooch

Weekend Fashion News Alert: Chris Brown Opens Pop-up Shop, Teen Vogue Goes the Quarterly Route, NYFW Says Goodbye to Skylight Moynihan, and Adios Complex

December 10, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

Image courtesy of vibe.com

Image courtesy of vibe.com

Chris Brown’s apparel label Black Pyramid goes across the Big Pond. That’s right, Chris Brown will launch Black Pyramid stores in London, Milan, Barcelona, and Amsterdam in 2017. The Black Pyramid pop-up store opened in Amsterdam—located at 101 Kalverstraat—on December 8 and will be in operation through December 17.

Black Pyramid, launched in 2012 in Los Angeles, features monthly collections from subculture brands. “With Black Pyramid I want to show my fans what type of clothing I really like and share it with the rest of the world by offering affordable clothing. I like to come to Amsterdam and I am happy to launch it here,” explains Brown.

Simone-Biles-Gabby-Douglas-Teen-Vogue-August-2016-Jason-Kibbler-01Teen Vogue times four

As print publications struggle with decreasing circulation and advertising sales, some hard decisions have to be made. Teen Vogue is the latest publication to go to a quarterly distribution. The December/January issue will be the last issue of the current format. New efforts will be focused on Teen Vogue’s digital format with Amy Oelkers the head of revenue for the revamped Teen Vogue.

“Amy brings an innovative digital-first approach to connecting our advertising partners to Teen Vogue’s audience of highly-influential millennials,”says Jim Norton, chief business officer and president of revenue for Condé Nast in a recent BoF article. “Investing in Teen Vogue’s digital, video and social content, and creating collectible print editions will better engage our audience where and how they consume our content.”

Teen Vogue reaches an audience of 24 million users a month across its multiple platforms. Its website traffic has doubled in the past year to 5.4 million unique visitors in September 2016, according to Comscore. Mobile traffic is up 207 percent year over year, with video viewers up 222 percent. The publication’s social presence includes 12 million followers across 16 platforms. (Stats courtesy of BoF)

V Files fall 2016 image courtesy of furinsider.com

V Files fall 2016 image courtesy of furinsider.com


NYFWS new venues

Since the demise of Lincoln Center as a venue for New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS) in 2015, IMG’s search for a suitable location has been a furtive search that has not produced a good return on the investment. Skylight Moynihan, which was one of the venues that IMG was using post-Lincoln Center, is no longer available for NYFWS. Skylight Moynihan is currently under construction, set to be the new location of Amtrak.

“Fashion is about evolution and adapting to the needs of your audience. As we strategized about next season, we decided to centralize our efforts at Skylight Clarkson Square to enhance the experience for our partners, designers and guests,” said Catherine Bennett, senior vice president and managing director, IMG Fashion Events & Properties to WWD.

That said; the IMG–approved venues for NYFWS are Skylight Clarkson, Pier 59 Studios, Industria Studios, Spring Studios, Hammerstein Ballroom, and the High Line Hotel.

Image courtesy of Complex

Image courtesy of Complex

Bye, bye Complex

Another publication bites the dust. In a world where digital publications are becoming more the order of the day, print publications are having a difficult time keeping up.

The last issue of Complex magazine, which is on newsstands, now, is the latest Hearst print publication to go the way of She, Mademoiselle, and Conde Nast’s Details. The bi-monthly magazine that launched in 2002, gave notice and credence to street wear, sneaker, and hip-hop culture. In 2007 Complex launched the Complex Media Network with Hearst investing $21 million in the media network in 2015. Hearst later acquired Complex Media in a 50/50 split with Verizon in April 2015.

With the closure of Complex magazine, Hearst will put its efforts into Complex Media Network. Layoffs at Complex magazine were announced on Thursday.

—William S. Gooch

Weekend Fashion News Alert: Designer-less Melania, Public School Duo Exits DKNY, and More NYFW Defections

December 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of fortune.com

Image courtesy of fortune.com

With all the money the Trumps have stashed away you wouldn’t think Melania Trump would need high-end designers to dress her. And perhaps she doesn’t!!

At any rate several top designers have expressed no interest in dressing the soon-to-be FLOTUS. First, Sophie Theallet informed the press that not only would she not be dressing Melania, but urged other designers to follow suit. Now, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford have thrown their hats into the ring.

Marc Jacobs recently told WWD that, “no interest whatsoever in dressing Melania Trump. Personally I’d rather put my energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters,” While Tom Ford confessed on “The View,” “I was asked to dress [Melania Trump] quite a few years ago and I declined,” … “She’s not necessarily my image,” Ford also explained that he would also not be interested in dressing Hillary Clinton. “Even had Hillary won, she shouldn’t be wearing my clothes,” Ford detailed. “They’re too expensive. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. They’re not artificially expensive. It’s how much it costs to make these things. But I think to relate to everybody, [the FLOTUS] shouldn’t necessarily [wear very pricey clothes].”

Though Tommy Hilfiger has expressed an interest in dressing Melania Trump, he appears to be in a company of one!!

Image courtesy of instylelook.com

DKNY spring 2017 image courtesy of instylelook.com

Osborne and Chow exit

Public School’s Maxwell Osborne and Dao Yi-Chow, co-directors of DKNY, have bowed out of their creative positions with DKNY. On the day of the G-III Apparel completed acquisition of Donna Karan International (DKI), Chow and Osborne announced their departure. DKI was owned by LVMH when Chow and Osborne assumed the co-directorship of DKNY. However, in July of this year, G-III Apparel offered to acquire DKI from LVMH for $650 million. DKNY CEO Caroline Brown has also resigned. Brown came to DKNY in 2015 from Carolina Herrera.

“Given the company sale and subsequent change in strategies, we have decided to step down and focus on our own business Public School,” said Osborne and Chow in a joint statement. “It’s been an unbelievable experience to work side by side with the wonderful people at DKNY, especially our amazing design team and atelier. We wish the company success in the future. 

Since Osborne and Chow took over the creative helm at DKNY there has been mixed reaction to their creative input on the brand. Sales decreased, as well as a loss of brand identity. There is no indication that these reasons influenced the design duo’s decision to leave the iconic brand.

Though G-III Apparel has not announced a replacement, there are high hopes for the Donna Karan brands. “We believe there is a need for these brands in the market and that DKNY alone has the potential to generate 1 billion dollars in annual sales,” said Morris Goldfarb, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of G-III. “Working closely with our partners and through our strong licensing network, we are confident we can quickly bring to market a comprehensive and compelling lifestyle offering that will restore the DKI brands to prominence and excite consumers We have always sought to build our business in a way that will provide us with long-term sustainable growth.”

Tommy Hilfiger spring 2017 image courtesy of beautyblog.com

Tommy Hilfiger spring 2017 image courtesy of beautyblog.com

Another one bites the dust

Another bites the dust at New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS). It was recently announced that Vera Wang and Hugo Boss won’t show their fall 2017 collections during NYFWS. Now add to the list Tommy Hilfiger.

Though Hilfiger will be showing on February 8, he will be showing in Los Angeles, two days before NYFWS on February 10. According to WWD, Hilfiger will show in Venice Beach to 4,000 industry professionals and consumers. The show will reflect a Southern California lifestyle. “Gigi and I have loved fusing elements of her California lifestyle and a musical festival atmosphere in the second Tommy x Gigi Collection,” Hilfiger told WWD.

The fall 2017 show will show the current spring 2017 collection, as well as the fall 2017 and his collaboration with Gigi Hadid. “See Now, Buy Now” will be in full effect.

—William S. Gooch

 

 

 

Fashion News Alert: Sarah Jessica Parker’s Brick and Mortar, Calvin Klein to Merge their Women’s and Men’s Shows, and Givenchy Honors Audrey Hepburn

November 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

Image courtesy of speakerscorners.com

Image courtesy of speakerscorners.com

Sarah Jessica Parker already has a few clothing brands to her credit, so that next step was to open her own brick and mortar store. And she has done just that!!

Sarah Jessica Parker’s standalone boutique will be located at the MGM National Harbor resort in Maryland will offer the designer’s eponymous collection of shoes, handbags, accessories, as well as her line of little black dresses. “Opening a standalone store has long been a dream we have been working towards,” said the actress and designer. “We feel truly privileged to be doing so with the expertise, guidance and support of our brilliant partners at MGM Resorts. It’s been very exciting to have been involved in all steps of the process, from on-site construction visits to the actual layout and design of our boutique. I’m honored to be included in this massive undertaking and I’m very much looking forward to celebrating in December. Because perhaps then I will believe it’s real.”

The MGM National Harbor is a 1.2 billion dollar venture of MGM Resorts International. The MGM National Harbor will open on December 8, 2016.

Calvin Klein men's spring 2017 Image courtesy of nytimes.com

Calvin Klein men’s spring 2017 Image courtesy of nytimes.com

No longer a house divided

Raf Simons is making some dramatic changes at Calvin Klein. One of the first major changes at the iconic brand since Raf Simons took over he helm is presenting the menswear and women’s wear collections together. The combined show will occur on February 10, 2017, location to be determined.

This comes on the heels of Bottega Veneta announcing it will also combine its women’s and menswear shows. The combined Calvin Klein shows will also showcase accessories. Raf Simons will manning the helm at Calvin Klein will present his eponymous menswear collection during New York Fashion: Men’s fall 2017 on February 1.

Image courtesy of fashionunited.com

Image courtesy of fashionunited.com

To Audrey with love

Audrey Hepburn’s relationship with the iconic Hubert de Givenchy began in 1953 and continued until her untimely death. To commemorate their unique relationship the Gemeentemuseum in Den Haag, The Netherlands, has produced the exhibit “Givenchy: To Audrey, with Love.”

Several of the couture pieces in the exhibit have been curated by Hubert de Givenchy himself and have never been seen by the public. Audrey Hepburn once said, “Givenchy’s clothes are the only ones I feel myself in. He is more than a designer, he is a creator of personality.”

Givenchy dressed Hepburn for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “How to Steal a Million.”

Fashion News Alert: Melania Mayhem, J Lo Opens New Stores, Vera Wang and Hugo Boss Exit NYFW, and Cindy Crawford Scion Lands Marc Jacob Beauty Campaign

November 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of fotoity.com

Image courtesy of fotoity.com

The public backlash and expanded beyond President Elect Donald Trump to his wife Melania. French designer Sophie Theallet has declared that she will never dress the FLOTUS to be, and encourages other designers to follow suit. Theallet in the past has dressed First Lady Michelle Obama.

“As an independent fashion brand, we consider our voice an expression of our artistic and philosophical ideas. The Sophie Theallet brand stands against all discrimination and prejudice. Our runway shows, ad campaigns and celebrity dressing have always been a celebration of diversity and a reflection of the world we live in,” confides Theallet in a letter on her social media outlets.

I am well aware it is not wise to get involved in politics. That said, as a family-owned company, our bottom line is not just about money. We value our artistic freedom and always humbly seek to contribute to a more humane, conscious and ethical way to create in this world,” continues Theallet.

“As an immigrant myself in this country, I have been blessed with the opportunity to pursue my dreams in the USA. Dressing the First Lady Michelle Obama for the past 8 years has been a highlight and an [honor]. She has contributed to having our name [recognized] and respected worldwide. Her values, actions and grace have always resonated deeply within me.”

While Theallet has taken this militant stance, Tommy Hilfiger has a more conciliatory approach. At the Angel Ball, Hilfiger told WWD, “I don’t think people should become political about it”…”I think Melania is a very beautiful woman and I think any designer should be proud to dress her,” added the designer. “Ivanka is equally as beautiful and smart, although she wears her own clothes. I don’t think people should become political about it. Everyone was very happy to dress Michelle [Obama] as well. I think they look great in the clothes. You’re not gonna get much more beautiful than Ivanka or Melania.”

Since Hilfiger’s comments were shared on social media, the public has been outraged at his comments.

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

J. Lo expansion

“American Idol” may be over, but Jennifer Lopez’s media domination continues. In early 2016 Jennifer Lopez opened the J. Lo by Jennifer Lopez store in Unicentro, Colombia. J. Lo by Jennifer Lopez is in partnership with local distributors.

Next week, the international pop artist plans to open another store in Cali. Colombia is the second Latin American country to carry the boutique.

The brand offers women’s wear items that are reminiscent of the singer and actress’ outfits and style. Jeans, party dresses, tops and leather jackets are combined in unique and glamorous ways, empowering women of all ages. J Lo intends open three additional standalone stores in Colombia by the end of 2016.

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Crawford dynasty

The Cindy Crawford fashion dynasty continues. At 50, Cindy Crawford is still going strong with a plethora of projects in the works. However, not far behind Cindy is her 15-year old daughter, Kaia Gerber.

Kaia Gerber has been pegged as the new face of Marc Jacobs’ beauty campaign. “I’m so excited and honored that my first beauty campaign is with Marc Jacobs, an icon in the fashion industry. I’m obsessed with his beauty products, and like everything else he does, Marc Jacobs Beauty makes you feel feminine and playful,” exclaimed Kaia Gerber in a fashionnetwork.com article.

This campaign stays true to the Marc Jacob aesthetic with Kaia sporting wild, red hair and dramatic blue and black eyeliner. This campaign is not Kaia Gerber’s first campaign. Kaia has posed for such major brands as Chrome Hearts, Alexander Wang, and Miu Miu.

Image courtesy of getty images

Image courtesy of getty images

Boss and Wang bow out

There is more trouble for New York Fashion Week: The Shows (NYFWS). Vera Wang and Hugo Boss have opted not to show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows fall 2017 season in February. These latest exits from two major brands continue to demonstrate that significant changes need to be made to NYFWS if the fashion week is to continue and not go the way of Miami Swimwear or LA Fashion Week.

Boss is putting most of its effort into New York Fashion Week: Men’s fall 2017 that shows from January 30–February 3, opting out of NYFWS. Wang has decided to make a short film of her fall 2017 collection to be shown in Paris on February 28, the same day Wang receives the Legion d’honneur in Paris.

In September, Sophie Theallet, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenberg, and Kate Spade chose presentations over runway shows for their spring 2017 collections. And missing from the September roster was Venexiana, Badgley Mischka, Greg Lauren, and several others.

—William S. Gooch

Fashion News Alert: Linda Evangelista’s New Job, 70 Years of Dior, Indian Factory Fire Kills 13 Workers, and Nasty Gal’s Bankruptcy Woes

November 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

Image courtesy of vogue.fr

Image courtesy of vogue.fr

Supermodel Linda Evangelista has a new job. Evangelista was recently named the new vice president and creative director of skincare brand Erasa.

“As someone who has had the amazing opportunity to work with incredible brands and industry leaders, I’m most excited and humbled to be a part of the Erasa family because it is wholeheartedly a product I believe in and stand behind based on the true and lasting improvements I have seen in my skin,” states Evangelista in a fashionnetwork.com article.

A friend introduced Evangelista to Erasa. Erasa XEP-30 is available online and is priced at $160.

Image courtesy of buzzfeed.com

Image courtesy of buzzfeed.com

Trouble for Nasty Gal

Last week the Los Angeles–based clothing brand Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy. The announcement came after Nasty Gal let go of 10% of its staff in February.

Launched in 2006, Nasty Gal has grown to a 100 million dollar empire with two brick and mortar stores in Los Angeles. In 2015 the brand tapped a venture capitalist firm for $65 million in order to roll out more brick-and-mortar stores.

Nasty Gal currently carries a wide array of brands, as well as its own private label with price points ranging from low to mid-level.

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

70 is the charm

In celebration of its 70th anniversary, Christian Dior is publishing a superb seven-volume anthology, each book dedicated to one of the seven couturiers that have been in charge of design at the Parisian luxury label since its creation in 1947. Those seven designers include Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri. The seven-volume anthology will be published by Assouline.

The seven-volume anthology will be published in 2017 and 2018 with the first volume, “Dior by Christian Dior 1947-1957” being released in December of 2016 in French, English, and Chinese. “Dior by Christian Dior 1947-1957 is illustrated with pictures by Laziz Hamani, and contains a selection of Christian Dior’s most important haute couture creations. The text by fashion historian Olivier Saillard tells the story of the eighty items chosen, including the renowned ‘Bar’ two-piece suite designed in 1947.

Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Another fire

Thirteen Indian garment workers were killed in a fire that raged through a leather factory in the Uttar Pradesh state. Another eight workers were critically injured.

We are reason to believe that it may be linked to an electrical short circuit, but we are still looking into it,” Deepak Kumar, Ghaziabad’s Senior Superintendent of Police, told reporters. “Everyone worked together to rescue the people inside the building. These included local residents, police, fire and ambulance services.”

This recent fire highlights the neglect and lack of safety regulations in so many of the garment factories in South Asia. In 2013, the Rana Plaza factory explosion killed 1,100 garment workers and in October a fire in an explosive factory killed 8 workers.

“Despite the many disasters we have seen before, and the great amount of attention to the dangerous working conditions in the South Asian garment industry, factories there largely remain unsafe. These workers were killed because they were sleeping in the factory,” said Carin Leffler of the Clean Clothes Campaign.

“The deep tragedy that took 13 peoples’ lives in Sahibabad this morning shows that there is still a long way to go before workers can feel safe.”

—William S. Gooch

 

Fashion News Alert: Pharrell’s New Job, Moschino Returns to Milan Men’s Fashion Week, and Sayonara J. Crew Bridal

November 9, 2016 by 2 Comments
Image courtesy of fashionunited.com

Image courtesy of fashionunited.com

There are a lot of new challenges for Pharrell Williams, from expecting a child to creating his first collection for G-Star Raw after being named the head of imagination for the brand in February 2016; Pharrell has a lot on his plate. Can he handle it all?

From the looks revealed at California’s ComplexCon event, Fashion Reverie says, yes!! The “G-Star Raw Ellwood X25” collection contains 25 prints from checks, camouflage, stripes and leopard print, which according to the brand, symbolizes G-Star’s “ever-present commitment to innovation and self-expression”.

“What we are trying to do is make a space for creativity and experimentation. We’re not trying to tell people what to do and what to think, but just help them to express themselves openly [, to] choose what to wear and how to wear it. This collection is about freedom of choice—it’s about adding democracy to your wardrobe,” comments Pharrell Williams.

G-Star Raw Ellwood X25 will be available in stores and online in February 2017.

 

Image courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Image courtesy of fashiongonerogue.com

Another one bites the dust

J. Crew is saying adios to its bridal wear. Once J. Crew’s current stock of bridal wear sells out, the brand will not restock.

J. Crew expanded into bridal wear in 2004, opening a Madison Ave boutique in 2010. J. Crew’s bridal wear very quickly became known for simple, yet elegant silhouettes at an affordable price. The bridal wear also was recognized as one of the first bridal brands to embrace same color, different cut bridesmaid dresses.

It is believed that J. Crew is shuttering its bridal wear because of waning sales.

Images courtesy of denimjeanobserver.com

Images courtesy of denimjeanobserver.com

Welcome back

After a three-year absence, Moschino is returning to men’s fashion week in Milan for the fall 2017 season. Milan is the company’s home turf.

Since Jeremy Scott assumed the creative directorship of the brand in 2013, Moschino has shown its menswear collection in Los Angeles, London, and as a guest of Pitti Uomo. The brand is scheduled to show in Milan on January 14, showing its women’s pre-fall 2017 collection, as well.

—William S. Gooch

 

 

Fashion News Alert: Ivanka Trump Label under Attack, Zendaya’s New Line, Andreja Pejic’s Holiday Campaign, and H&M Says Goodbye to David Beckham

November 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Image courtesy of thefederalist.com

Image courtesy of thefederalist.com

Macy’s cut commercial ties with Donald Trump months ago, is the same thing about to happen to Ivanka Trump? If social media has anything to do with it, Ivanka Trump might be feeling the sting as well.

In recent weeks, there has been a rallying cry on social media for major retailers like Nordstrom’s, Lord & Taylor and other major retailers to dump clothing and accessory brands that Ivanka Trump may be associated with, according to USA Today. And e-commerce shopping tool ShopRunner confirms a 40 percent drop in interest in the Ivanka Trump brand since the online boycott began in early October.

Still, the online social media protest does not seem to be hurting Ivanka’s brands when it comes to purchasing. The privately held company said earlier this month that it saw 37 percent growth in sales and revenue last year compared with 2014. “When it comes to Ivanka, I think people make the distinction between the political and the paternal,’’ says Robert Passikoff, president at Brand Keys, a brand loyalty consultancy company.

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Image courtesy of fashionnetwork.com

Zendaya fashion

Zendaya continues her trajectory into the fashion industry by launching a new fashion line. Daya by Zendaya that will launch on Thursday, November 3 at select retailers is an affordable collection—price points range from $18 to $158—of classic pieces and wardrobe staples. Zendaya and her long-time stylist Law Roach are the creative minds behind Daya by Zendaya.

Reformation holiday 2016 image courtesy of fashionista.com

Reformation holiday 2016 image courtesy of fashionista.com

Transitioning back

Transgender supermodel Andreja Pejic is not looking back!! Since transitioning from a non-gender conforming male to a transgender female in 2014, supermodel Andreja Pejic has scored two campaigns; Make Up Forever in 2015 and mostly recently Reformation’s holiday campaign.

Fashion pundits believed that when Pejic transitioned to trans female his meteoric career will fizzle out. And to some extent, the momentum did die down from Pejic’s heydey of modeling for Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, Richard Chai and many others, with an additional over 100 magazine covers to Pejic’s credit. Still, you gotta be who you are!! And Pejic’s career is beginning to get back on track.

The 20-image Reformation holiday campaign shows Pejic in a vintage-looking hotel, posing in the brand’s newest collection. The holiday collection features a selection of party dresses, with an emphasis on metallics, feathers, plunging necklines and sky-high hemlines. The holiday collection’s price points begin at about $128 and product is not available in Reformation stores and online.

Reformation is an environmentally friendly, Los Angeles-based fashion brand that prides itself in not increasing the global footprint with sound environmental practices. Reformation’s design aesthetic is a minimal approach to fashion to that appeals to millenials.

Image courtesy of fashionisto.com

Image courtesy of fashionisto.com

Au revoir Beckham

All good things must come to an end. And it appears that H&M is ending its long-time collaboration with European Football superstar, David Beckham after the current fall collection.

Since 2011, Beckham is been the front man for a number of collections with the Swedish mega-brand. Beckham has collaborated with H&M on outerwear to knitwear, tailoring and the Bodywear offer, as well as being the face and body of major ad campaigns in the five years since. H&M has not ruled out collaborating with the 41-year old ex-football player in the future.

—William S. Gooch

 

 

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