Image courtesy of thetodayshow.com
H&M has announced that it will close 240 stores globally. This is a bit of a surprise because first quarter financials for the megastore, though below pre-COVID-19 levels, were substantial.
The store closures come on the heels of H&M opening 95 new stores. The new stores will be opened in what H&M calls “growth markets,” while the closures will be in established markets.
H&M has had to shutter 185 stores because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia was H&M’s sixth largest market, accounting for 4% of its sales.
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Workers unite!!
It has finally happened. Condé Nast’s employees have formed a union with NewsGuild. Nearly 500 employees from editorial, production, and video have asked that management recognize the union. That includes staff from Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Bon Appétit, Glamour, Architectural Digest, and other Condé Nast brands.
The Condé Nast employees’ bargaining representative is from NewsGuild which also represents The New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, and Pitchfork. This would the biggest infusion of employees ever with the biggest new unit.
“The current workplace culture at Condé Nast allows many people of color and women to be consistently silenced by management. It’s no longer enough to play-act a commitment to diversity or apply [band-aid] solutions to issues of discrimination,” said Epicurious social media staffer Kaylee Hammonds in a statement, as reported in the Hollywood Reporter. “[We are] unionizing today across the company so that this hypocrisy that currently thrives at Condé Nast can be remedied.”
“Workers at Condé Nast have organized hundreds of their colleagues with one shared goal: to raise standards and fight for better working terms and conditions,” says Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “This is an opportunity for Condé Nast management to work more collaboratively with employees and be held accountable in addressing long-standing concerns about equity, inclusion, fairness, and diversity. I’m excited to welcome these workers into the Guild and proud to join them in their fight to improve their workplace.”
Image courtesy of yahoonews.com
Au revoir Patrick
If you have ever watched the film “The Devil Wears Prada,” you will probably remember that fictional editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly always asking for famed fashion photographer Patrick DeMarchelier. They had a fantastic congenial relationship in the film and in real life. Of course, in real time, Miranda Priestly was modeled after Anna Wintour.
That said, all good things must come to end. And the closure of those good times makes us very sad. The entire fashion industry mourns the death of famed fashion photographer Patrick DeMarchelier.
DeMarchelier moved to Paris from Le Havre at the age of 20 and worked as a photographer’s assistant before getting his big break at American Vogue, before moving to New York City. Demarchelier formed a long-time relationship with Vogue creative director Grace Coddington at both American and British Vogue. One of his most memorable photographs is the one taken of Linda Evangelista for the September 1992 issue Harper’s Bazaar.
DeMarchelier shot campaigns for Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, and Giorgio Armani, and personal photos of Princess Diana. DeMarchelier also photographed the Pirelli calendar in 2005, 2008 and 2014.
Patrick DeMarchelier is survived by his wife and three sons. DeMarchelier was 78 years old.
William S. Gooch
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