Kors To Stop Hunger!

Michael Kors is putting the fight against world hunger at the core of his philanthropy.

The designer is launching an exclusive, long-term partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme, which aims to help solve the international hunger crisis with food assistance for those in need, especially mothers and children.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

“We wanted to contribute in a way that would make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Kors. “Joining forces with the World Food Programme enables us to do that. The fact is, hunger is a solvable problem and I’m proud that we can be a part of the solution.”
As a cause, feeding the needy has been dear to Kors for a long time. He has been a supporter of God’s Love We Deliver, the New York-based nonprofit that delivers daily meals to people with severe illnesses, for more than two decades and made a $5 million donation to the organization last October.


While Kors’ financial commitment to the U.N. program was not disclosed, he plans to raise millions through a series of campaigns, events and special products, including two unisex watches launching this March as part of a “Watch Hunger Stop” campaign. The watches come in two sizes, with the smaller one retailing for $295 and the larger for $325. Each watch sold will allow for 100 children to be fed through the WFP. In addition, Kors is launching a text-to-donate program to raise further funds.

Kors is also releasing a public service announcement, which features several celebrities, including Bette Midler, Seth Meyers, Patti Hansen, Kyle MacLachlan and Karolina Kurkova.

The PSA is available on Kors’ various social media platforms, including destinationkors.com.

“Over the years, I’ve had the great fortune of traveling the world and experiencing new cultures and people,” Kors said. “And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that millions of people all over the world are struggling to feed themselves, and their families, every day. I want to lend my voice and my efforts to this international cause.”

WFP executive director Ertharin Cousin added that by working with the designer, “we will generate more attention as well as much-needed resources in support of WFP’s efforts to end world hunger. Our vision of the future is a world where every person has access to the quality and quantity of food required to not only lead a healthy life but to also reach his or her full human potential.”

Blackberry "On Fire"

The greatest Fashion Accessories for the Falll may be the Blackberry.
During its BlackBerry 10 launch event, CEO Thorsten Heins announced a new Global Creative Director for the company: Alicia Keys.

“I’m fascinated by technology. I've always wanted to work directly with a technology company,” said Keys. “I wanted to do something where I could grow professionally and personally.”
Keys says she is going to be working directly with developers and carriers on the platform, as well as with other artists. Previously a BlackBerry user, she spoke on stage about experimenting with other smartphone platforms over the past few years — she talked about being an 'iPhone Junkie' on Google+ just over a year ago — but now that BlackBerry has been "working out" she's excited to get back together.

“Now we're exclusively dating again, and I’m very happy,” she said.
Keys took to Twitter — somewhere it appears she had been posting via iPhone just a few days ago — to express her excitement over the position:

Calvin Klein Superbowl Ad

Calvin Klein Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp., will run the first Super Bowl commercial in its history. The 30-second ad is slated to run at the end of the first quarter and will introduce Calvin Klein Concept, the latest offering from Calvin Klein Underwear. The provocative commercial depicts model Matthew Terry in a modern “man versus machine” creative inspired by the 360-degree seamless technology construction of the new underwear line. Calvin Klein will be adding even more sex appeal to this Sunday’s Super Bowl. Really!?! Is this how we get more woman to watch? Just saying

Kors Focus on Men's..Game ON!

Michael Kors is placing a new emphasis on its growing men’s wear business, with plans to dedicate an entire floor to men’s product in a trilevel SoHo flagship that will open at the end of the year. The men’s presentation will represent the first retail space dedicated to the full range of Michael Kors men’s wear.

The new store at 520 Broadway, which will displace a Club Monaco unit, will be the largest Michael Kors store in the world, at 17,000 square feet of total space. Men’s will be housed on the 5,000-square-foot concourse level. The 4,500-square-foot ground floor will offer the company’s cash cows of women’s accessories, footwear, jewelry, watches, eyewear and fragrance. Women’s ready-to-wear will be carried on the 5,000-square-foot second floor, including the world’s largest assortment of the better-priced Michael Michael Kors label. A basement level for storage rounds out the space.

“This is the first opportunity for us to present the men’s collection in a complete format, featuring tailored clothing, shirts, ties, sportswear and accessories, in one of our stores,” said John Idol, chief executive officer of Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. “We view adding men’s wear to our existing lifestyle store format as an opportunity to gauge the potential for an expansion of our retail concept. Retail is the key component of our overall growth strategy and we are [pleased] to incorporate our growing men’s wear business into that strategy.”

The new SoHo store will be more than twice the size of the Michael Kors flagship in Rockefeller Center, which at 7,165 square feet is currently the brand’s largest retail unit. In addition, Michael Kors operates five smaller stores in Manhattan, including two on Madison Avenue and units in the Flatiron District, Greenwich Village and SoHo.

The company will keep open the neighboring SoHo store at 101 Prince Street and elevate its positioning with a focus on Michael Kors Collection product

.

Salvatore Ferragamo Goes Hollywood

It feels like a family dinner,” said Jacqui Getty, surrounded by friends Demi Moore, Rosanna Arquette, Brigette Romanek, Linda Ramone, Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor on Thursday night as she hosted a presentation of Salvatore Ferragamo’s spring collection at Chateau Marmont. “Gia, stop laughing at your mother,” she implored Coppola, who was seated at the kids’ table with Nathalie Love, Emma Roberts and Zoe Sidel.


In an effort to mix up the by-now-familiar Chateau fashion event, Ferragamo started the evening with poolside cocktails, then shepherded everyone into the long and narrow sunroom of Bungalow One, which had been transformed into a catwalk with banquettes on both sides. “You know I die for every look in that show,” said Rachel Zoe to husband Rodger Berman. Sitting across the runway, Nicole Richie, Hedi Gores and Kelly Patricof nodded in approval. Dinner was served at two long tables set up in the living room, where Peggy Lipton mused of the over-the-knee open-toe boots: “Those were some amazing shoes, but what would you wear them to?” Moore, of course, was sporting a pair for dinner.
 
 
 
 

Elie Tahari Names Bob Galvin as CEO

Elie Tahari has brought in Bob Galvin as his company’s new chief executive officer.

Galvin, who started Monday, was previously president at The Camuto Group, where he played a significant role in its transformation into a diversified branded lifestyle company. He left Camuto last January.

Galvin is joining to Tahari at a key moment. The designer in 2013 is marking his 40th year in business. Over the past few months, the Elie Tahari company has also undergone a reorganization with several strategic hires, and Galvin’s appointment is a key one to strengthen and position it for further growth.

“I am at a point in the business where I need to concentrate on the product, and after 40 years, I know what I am not good at, and I am not good at running a company,” Tahari said, with surprising honesty, during an exclusive interview with Galvin at his West 42nd Street office here. “When I look back at when the company was running the best, it was when it was run by good management, and not by me.”

Tahari was, until now, chairman as well as ceo. While he can now focus his efforts on product, Galvin will spearhead wholesale, retail and international sales for both women’s and men’s collections, as well as areas such as accessories, merchandising, marketing, licensing, product development and production.

Galvin called the brand’s potential “unlimited. It’s focusing on the future and different areas where we’re not, where we are, and where we see so much potential.”

At Camuto, where he spent the past five years, Galvin was also in charge of commercial activities, including expanding the business globally. He worked on other brands associated with the company, like Tory Burch, BCBG Max Azria, Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand and Sanctuary Clothing. Before, he served as chief operating officer and managing director of Fila, and, prior, was executive vice president at Nine West.

Coach Met Its Match at Michael Kors...I Told You So!

Kors and Tory Erode Coach

I remember when Coach was 80% of the handbag market in department store. This days are long gone as Michael Kors, Kate Spade and Tory Burch erode Coach's dominance. 


Shares of Coach Inc. slid 16.4 percent Wednesday to $50.75, after the handbag maker said sagging holiday demand and increased competition in the accessories market contributed to lower-than-expected second-quarter earnings. The New York-based brand also registered negative comparable-store sales in North America for the quarter, marking only the third time in 11 years that it recorded a negative comp. Chairman and chief executive officer Lew Frankfort told analysts on the conference call that the company experienced “weakness” in its women’s business here and globally, due in part to “heightened promotional activity,” which “built throughout the quarter” and “became aggressive” in department stores.
Coach introduced Legacy, a dual-gender, upscale footwear, accessories and apparel collection last year, which is a sort of precursor to a fuller expression of the brand’s evolution.


“We’ve been strengthening our teams to enhance and build out the Coach experience through product, retail environments and integrated marketing,” the ceo noted. “This holistic approach will continue to add excitement and cachet to the Coach brand. We’ve demonstrated the ability to offer a lifestyle assortment, including categories such as outer wear, shoes, jewelry, watches, eye wear and fragrance.”

The evolution, which will be in full bloom by holiday 2013, puts the company in even more direct competition with other lifestyle brands such as Michael Kors and Tory Burch, both of which have chipped away at Coach’s still-dominant share of the North American handbag market.

Coach said the lifestyle push won’t impact future earnings, as it has “built in sufficient capital to address store renovations and new store concepts, and improved and different fixturing.”

I'm glad Coach has stopped the snobish behavior.

Heremes On The Table...

As if men’s and couture were not enough for them, Paris fashion houses have also been busy on other fronts. Both Hermès and Christian Lacroix chose the hectic January period – when the Maison et Objet home ware show also takes place in the French capital – to reveal new tableware items. Hermès saw in the New Year and its “A Sporting Life” theme for 2013 with a vintage-style porcelain collection designed by Benoit-Pierre Emery, who has previously created carré silk scarves for the brand. Inspired by the “Chaine d’ancre” link style used on straps for certain of Hermès’ leather goods, the Rallye 24 collection’s design resembles a colorful racing track on 49 different tableware pieces. With a very different theme, Christian Lacroix Maison’s first porcelain line is a mix-and-match offer with four themes, including watercolor stripes and a parade of butterflies.

Items from Hermès’ Rallye 24 tableware line

Bluefly Still Around?

Well I was on the web and I noticed that Bluefly.com was still around. WOW!! So what has Mr. Scott A. Erdman, Senior Vice President of Merchandising at Bluefly Inc. since June 2012, and Joe Park, CEO done with the company? Nothing! the stock price is down (.72 cents as of 1/14) and when you bring in 5W PR it's a sign that you are on your last leg.

I Had To...

Uniqlo Is On The Move

Uniqlo USA is shaking up its executive ranks as it accelerates retail expansion.

Nobuo Domae, senior executive group officer at Tokyo-based Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., has assumed the chief executive officer post at Uniqlo USA. Shin Odake, who had held the title of Uniqlo USA ceo, will take charge of Uniqlo USA’s efforts on the East Coast, while former chief operating officer Yasunobu (Kenny) Kyogoku will handle them on the West Coast.


For Domae, the ceo job at Uniqlo USA is familiar. He was in the role from around 2005, the year the retailer initially dipped its toes in the U.S., to 2007, when he returned to Japan to oversee Uniqlo’s international development. Domae, who will remain in Japan, started at Fast Retailing in 1998.

Uniqlo USA has also named seasoned retail executive Larry Meyer coo. Meyer spent 11 years as executive vice president, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Forever 21. Prior to Forever 21, where Meyer’s responsibilities extended from store development to finance, he was cfo at Gymboree, cfo international at Toys ‘R’ Us and held various positions at PepsiCo.

“We welcome Larry Meyer to Uniqlo and the company’s senior management team, and we look forward to tapping into his expertise,” said Tadashi Yanai, chairman, president and ceo of Fast Retailing. “Larry’s addition to the Uniqlo USA leadership team is a further indication of the global organization’s commitment to the important U.S. market.”

Meyer said, “I’m very excited to join Uniqlo and to be a part of the company’s next phase of growth in the U.S. Uniqlo’s unique commitment to clothing innovation through technology offers distinct opportunities for growth.”

Meyer is uniquely positioned to assist a fast-fashion company’s U.S. growth. During his tenure at Forever 21, the Los Angeles-based retailer went from roughly 100 stores to more than 500, including its first store in New York, and inaugurated different formats such as the larger XXI Forever and the accessories-­oriented For Love 21.

Uniqlo has five stores in the country, the newest in San Francisco’s Union Square, but has outlined a goal to open 200 stores in U.S. shopping malls. It launched mall retail here in September with a store at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J. Uniqlo USA’s sixth and seventh American locations will be in Palisades Center in West Nyack, N.Y., and Ridge Hill in Yonkers.

Serge Jureidini is GONE!

Serge Jureidini has resigned as president of Lancôme in the U.S. to become president and chief executive officer of Arcade Marketing.

L-R: Georgina Chapman, Serge Jureidini, Suzan Bymel, Kerry Diamond

Jureidini succeeds the late Debra Leipman-Yale, who was president of Arcade Marketing and a beauty industry veteran when she died suddenly in December 2011 of a brain aneurysm.

“I’m [pleased] to be going to an organization with such a rich heritage of innovation, quality and service, which has allowed it to become the dynamic leader in its field,” he said of Arcade, a pioneer in the use of scented strips. Jureidini added, “I’m grateful for the 20 years at L’Oréal, the fulfilling experiences the company gave to me around the world. I will especially miss the talented people, the competitive spirit and the unique portfolio of aspirational brands.”

Jureidini is a longtime L’Oréal employee who joined the group in 1992 as a sales manager for the Luxury Products Division. In 1995, he became account manager for Lancôme’s North American travel retail business. In 1997, he was appointed general manager for the Travel Retail Division in Asia. He was named general manager for Giorgio Armani in the U.S. in 2000 and was promoted to president of the designer fragrance division in 2006. He has held his current role as president of Lancôme in the U.S. since May 2008, reporting to Carol Hamilton, president of L’Oréal Luxe USA.

While at L’Oréal, Jureidini oversaw key launches in the U.S., including Giorgio Armani’s color cosmetics line and Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf.

“We thank Serge for his many contributions to the Luxe Division in his years with the company,” said Hamilton. “We respect his decision and are fully committed to taking the Lancôme brand to even greater heights in the years ahead.”

Jureidini’s successor has not yet been named. In the meantime, the brand will report directly to Hamilton.

Laura Giulini Accused of sexually harassing female assistant and 'dropping her pants' in New York office'

This is why I need to start a HR Fashion reality show. You can't make this stuff up!
 Female Armani fashion boss accused of sexually harassing female assistant and 'dropping her pants' in New York office'
*Executive assistant Kelle Azzopardi claims she endured months of harassment from ex-boss Laura Giulini
*She filed a wrongful-termination suit at the Manhattan Supreme Court
*She claims Giulini dropped her trousers and exposed herself to Azzopardi in a private office
*Giulini left Armani in October last year to become MD of French luxury goods company Zadig & Voltaire.

An ex-employee is suing the Giorgio Armani Corporation, claiming the company ignored her sexual harassment complaints against a female boss who she claims dropped her trousers and exposed herself to her in a private office. Executive assistant Kelle Azzopardi claims she endured months of harassment from ex-boss Laura Giulini, who was then senior vice president for wholesale apparel at the luxury brand.
In a wrongful-termination suit filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, Azzopardi claims Giulini summoned her to a private office, closed the door, ‘then proceeded to take off her pants and expose herself.’ When Azzopardi turned her head away, Giulini told her: ‘You don’t have to do that. I’m not a prude,’ according to the suit.

Former Armani SVP Laura Giulini,

Azzopardi says she repeatedly complained to the human resources department at the company's Fifth Ave. offices in Manhattan, New York about Giulini’s behavior, but her complaints were ignored.

She was eventually fired in November and claims it was as a result of her complaints.
Giulini had left Armani the month before to become managing director of the French luxury goods company Zadig & Voltaire.

Azzopardi claims Giulini began harassing her soon after she joined the company in October 2011 as an executive assistant and ‘ramped up her unconscionable behavior’ after the episode of exposing herself in the private office.
In her wrongful-termination suit, Azzopardi claims that Giulini ‘trumped up negative reports’ about her work. She also says she was forced to sign a report ‘confirming’ Giulini’s claim that her work was not up to scratch.

Azzopardi claims that the harassment continued even as Giulini was leaving the company.
At a going-away party last October for Giulini, which was widely attended by Armani employees, Giulini called Azzopardi to her side, reports the New York Post. Giulini ‘brazenly gestured to (Azzopardi) and announced to everyone that she tried to have Ms. Azzopardi fired,’ the suit claims.
Azzopardi, who claims she received 'stellar' evaluations from other Armani executives, was eventually put into 'performance counseling' for 30 days and then fired, the suit charges.

Valentino Starting Men's Line

With a new financial backer to support its growth, Valentino is developing its men’s wear business with plans to open dedicated stores around the world.

After putting their design stamp on the brand’s women’s and couture divisions, creative designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli have been applying their touch to the men’s category in order to convey the same Valentino message. Accordingly, the designers have elected Paris as the location for their fall men’s show and will unveil it on Wednesday at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, after two seasons in Florence at the men’s trade show Pitti Uomo.
“Florence was fantastic, but Valentino is connected to Paris historically, it’s always shown there and we want to offer a global vision of the brand,” said Chiuri in an interview here, where the company was holding an event to present its Camouflage capsule collection with artist Liu Bolin during Men’s Fashion Week.


Valentino’s men’s division accounts for between 7 and 8 percent of total sales, and Sassi said he was looking to expand the category so that it would account for 10 to 15 percent of sales in three to five years. “Through a very qualified distribution, we plan to retrieve a consistency and credibility that was lost,” said Sassi, revealing that there are plans to introduce a men’s fragrance soon.

Harry Winston SOLD!

Swatch Group Ltd. has acquired Harry Winston Inc. for $750 million plus the assumption of up to $250 million of pro forma net debt.
 
Swatch purchased the brand and all the activities related to jewelry and watches, including 535 employees worldwide and the production company in Geneva.

The acquisition doesn’t include Harry Winston Diamond Corp. mining activities.


.

Missoni Plane May Have Been Found

According to a report from Caracas, Venezuela, on Italy’s wire service Ansa on Saturday morning, a blip on a Venezuelan Army radar “can identify the location” where the twin-engine plane “may have suddenly lost altitude” en route from the Los Roques archipelago to Caracas on Jan. 4.

Ansa attributes the assertion to the Italian embassy in that city. "It is an area where the ocean floor reaches a depth of 2,000 meters, considered too many for the instrumentations momentarily available,” the Italian embassy said. 


"The Venezuelan and Italian authorities are coming to an agreement to continue the search beyond the expected eight days, focusing resources on a defined area and through means that may be more useful.”

Oscar Nominations 2013

Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Original Screenplay
Amour, Michael Hanake
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Flight, John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal

Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo, Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin,
Life of Pi, David Magee
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell


Best Animated Feature:
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Cinematography
Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins

Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood

Best Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Best Film Editing
Argo, William Goldenberg
Life of Pi, Tim Squyres
Lincoln, Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty, Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour, Austria
Kon-Tiki, Norway
No, Chile
A Royal Affair, Denmark
War Witch, Canada

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Hitchcock, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Best Original Score
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Lincoln, John Williams
Skyfall, Thomas Newman

Best Original Song
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, music and lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted, music by Walter Murphy; lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi, music by Mychael Danna; lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Best Production Design
Anna Karenina, Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
Les Misérables, Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi, Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Lincoln, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Best Animated Short
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Paperman

Best Live Action Short
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow
Henry

Best Sound Editing
Argo, Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained, Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi, Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Zero Dark Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Sound Mixing
Argo, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi, Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

Best Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
The Avengers, Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
Prometheus, Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
Snow White and the Huntsman, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Holt Renfrew Builds Team

Holt Renfrew, in an expansion of its management, has named Kimberly Grabel senior vice president of marketing and customer experience.

K. Grabel (left)

The position opened up following the promotion of Alix Box to senior vice president of retail channels, which involves leading the strategic development and implementation of new selling channels and business initiatives. Box was senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Holt Renfrew will be launching a secondary chain for contemporary sportswear, called hr2, next year. The company is also overhauling its store in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre into a prototype for future store renovations and expansions.

Grabel, formerly senior vice president of marketing at Saks Fifth Avenue, left that company in April. She was involved with Saks’ full-line stores and Off 5th outlets, as well as consumer research, brand strategy, advertising, database and direct marketing, customer development, loyalty programs, public relations and special events. She joined Saks in 1995 and earlier was director of international trade for The Leslie Fay Cos.

Sears CEO to Step Down

Investors did not seem pleased with the changing of the guard at Sears Holdings Corp.

Shares of Sears fell 6.4 percent Tuesday to close at $40.16, following the announcement the night before that Sears Holdings’ chief executive officer, Lou D’Ambrosio, will step down due to “family health matters.”

Sears CEO - L. D'Ambrosio

He is set to leave on Feb. 2, when the fourth quarter ends. D’Ambrosio will remain on the board until the next annual meeting of shareholders held in May.

Edward S. Lampert will assume the role of ceo. Lampert is already chairman of Sears’ board. The hedge fund executive is also chairman and ceo of ESL Investments Inc. Lampert is the majority stakeholder in Sears via his personal stake in Sears’ shares, as well as those owned by ESL.

Lampert took Kmart Corp. out of bankruptcy in 2003 by buying the discounter’s debt to gain a controlling stake. He then engineered the acquisition by Kmart of what was then known as Sears, Roebuck & Co. in 2004, renaming the combined firm Sears Holdings. Sears continues to operate stores under the Sears and Kmart nameplates.

Separately, the company said it expects a net loss attributable to shareholders for the quarter ending Feb. 2 of between $280 million and $360 million, or a loss of between $2.64 and $3.40 a diluted share.

On an adjusted basis, excluding the $450 million related to a noncash charge for pension items, net income is expected to be between $132 million and $212 million, or between $1.25 and $2 a diluted share.

Although the generally accepted accounting principles result for the quarter will mean three consecutive quarters of losses, that’s still an improvement from the year-ago quarter for fiscal year 2011 when Sears posted a $2.4 billion loss, or $22.63 a diluted share. In spite of the losses, Sears still managed to rack up $41.6 billion in annual volume in 2011.

In 2012, Sears partially spun off its interest in Sears Canada, as well as completed a rights offering for its Sears Hometown and Outlet stores.

Sears expects to report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 28.

Men's Sales Stay Strong

MILAN — Designers and retailers continue to court male customers in both new and established markets, catering to their increasing thirst for looks that blend fashion trends and sartorial quality.

According to Bain & Co.’s latest study, the years 2011 and 2012 saw “a strong men-ization of the market,” and men’s wear sales worldwide are expected to increase 10 percent to reach 26 billion euros, or $34.3 billion, in 2012 compared with the previous year.

“We are pushing our men’s wear because we have encouraging results and it’s a business that has a lot of potential,” said Gianluca Brozzetti, chief executive officer of the Roberto Cavalli group. “We have more than tripled our men’s square footage in stores and have seen a 50 percent increase in men’s sales in the January-November period of 2012.”

Gian Giacomo Ferraris, ceo of the Versace group, said the men’s division saw a 46 percent retail increase in 2012, mainly driven by Asia and the U.S., but also by Europe, albeit more moderately, and the executive expects this trend to continue in 2013.

Who, exactly, is this man that brands and retailers are wooing? Where and how often does he shop? What is he looking for and how fashion savvy is he?

In its study, Bain said tailored apparel rebounded in 2012, while casualwear held its own by expanding its customer base. Italian craftsmanship continued to be an asset, and made-to-measure was an additional draw for customers, especially in emerging markets.

“We are seeing the triumph of sartorial Made in Italy as the main choice of the more evolved consumer. To find his bearings, he does not look at the brand as synonymous with authenticity and quality, but he wants to explore themes such as heritage, process, provenance,” said Umberto Angeloni, ceo of Caruso. “I believe this is evolutionary and therefore permanent. Italian men, in particular, tend to buy with a method and with a functional purpose, rather than on impulse and guided by fashion. For this reason, they prefer to build a more continuous relation with a product, a store, a tailor or a retailer.”

Angeloni highlighted two main trends: fashion brands working on expanding their tailoring component, and more classic and sartorial companies evolving by offering product with a trendy edge. “Sartorial quality and design are the salt and pepper of all brands that are trying to find the right recipe through the right mix,” said the executive. In 2013, Angeloni hopes to open Caruso’s first store, expected to be located in Milan, later followed by a unit in New York.

Versace’s Ferraris described the brand’s customers as “very attentive to trends” but generally loyal and looking for designs that best reflect the essence of the label. In particular, “Asian consumers are less formal and prefer outfits identified with Versace, while American customers are more fashion-forward. Europeans are more attentive to details, quality and sartorial elements of the outfit.”

Likewise, Stefano Cantino, director of communications and external relations at Prada, which counts 28 men’s stores globally, said men’s wear “significantly contributes to promote the innovative image of the brand through its runway shows and its more classic products, reinterpreted in a contemporary way in line with the codes of the brand.”

Eric Jennings, men’s fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, said the retailer’s men’s customer “is definitely more savvy than he was a year or two ago. He’s been going through a fashion renaissance so to speak and is much more comfortable with personal style, correct fit and accessorizing his look. After many seasons of heritage looks, he will be looking for something more modern and directional for fall 2013.”

Jennings anticipates tailored clothing will be strong next fall. “There is definitely a desire for more modern, even contemporary, tailored clothing for young men. These guys are not looking for suits to wear to the office, but for going out at night. Woven shirts are another strong category. For many guys, the woven shirt is their sport coat. So color, novelty and prints are becoming more and more important.”

“We’re not talking ridiculous peacock” with wild prints, for example, concurred Neil Barrett, but clothes that are special in quality and have a clear identity. Like Ferraris, he underscored the relevance of “garments that are visibly recognizable to a brand; they’re different and special without making it too extreme.”

Given the difficult economy and the price range of designer brands, customers “really have to give a good reason to shop nowadays. The rich are still rich, but people in the middle — and a lot of them are our customers — for them to spend, the product has to be really special,” the designer said. Indeed, the strongest pieces are the ones sold across the board, and Barrett is working on “extremely special outerwear, paying a lot of attention to garments that are interesting and textural — supercomplicated to make, but you can see the time that went into making them. We’re using a crazy span of materials,” such as ponyskins, finishings on napas and technically treated textural wools.

“Five years ago, our men’s wear division accounted for approximately 15 percent of our business, and over the last few years, this figure has substantially increased,” said Alessandro Cremonesi, ceo of Jil Sander. “For a brand like Jil Sander — whose DNA is based on quality, modernity and precise tailoring — values for which I believe the male consumers are particularly sensitive, I foresee great prospects of growth.”

Touting the return of the brand’s namesake designer, Cremonesi said he was “sure to be able to reaffirm the above-mentioned brand values. I strongly believe that through the preservation and communication of the Jil Sander brand, the company will consolidate its position and develop further in the men’s global luxury market.”

The executive believes that “as never before, the end customer is looking for a brand that is durable. Certainly fashion, by its nature, must change every season, but I believe that the success of a company lies in its ability to reinvent cyclically, while remaining true to its identity.” He said men particularly are drawn to “quality and excellence in manufacturing.”

To address this need, Jil Sander has reintroduced a program of “fully intelato — an expression of sartorial elegance with modern cuts, in the proportions and fit that offer an international flavor and refined tailoring to the highest level,” he said.

WWD CEO SUMMIT: Mickey Drexler

from the WWD CEO Summit: NY, NY


Millard “Mickey” Drexler’s much-dissected and heralded career — as chief executive officer of J. Crew Group Inc. and, before that, Gap Inc. — has been guided by a deceptively simple retail philosophy that’s laser-focused on designing, making and selling good merchandise.
It’s an approach that’s easy to talk about, hard to do and not as common as one might assume.
“There are very few companies today that put the integrity of their product first and force themselves to be innovative and creative to exceed their customer expectations,” Drexler said. “It starts and ends with the product and the team that makes those products happen.
“Too many people overlook the importance of beautiful product and the fact that creativity drives growth in any business, not just fashion,” he said.
But Drexler’s exacting approach to merchandising and design — to making things beautiful — is just part of his success. As the ever-opinionated ceo ticked off what he’s learned during his career, the overriding message was really a reminder of something everyone was told before they even entered grade school: “I want to treat people the way I’ve been treated,” he said.
Drexler applies the golden rule to customers and employees alike, making time to look behind the résumé before hiring someone and personally answering complaints from customers.
It’s about “editing your life, prioritizing and respect and manners,” he said.
Although things like having respect and having manners might be universal, Drexler was careful to note that his was just one voice. “Most of what I say does not pertain to start-up businesses, and everything is arguable and debatable…they are my own opinion, this is not written anywhere as a rule,” he said. “In fact, I hate rules.”
That hatred is clear and, for Drexler at least, profitable.
Here’s some of what the ceo has picked up during his years in retail.
• On customer service: “Most people in service today just don’t care,” Drexler said. “We listen. A lot of it is good manners.”
While acknowledging his own obsessiveness, Drexler said if he pays attention to details as ceo, then everyone at the company will.
“For years in my old job, I was accused of micromanaging,” he said, referring to his time at the helm of Gap. And although textbooks preach more general management techniques and people warn against micromanaging, Drexler said customers “like micromanagers.”
• On discounting, luxury and fine fruit: “I hate discounting because it’s only a matter of price,” Drexler said, noting that cutting prices erodes a brand’s integrity. “You see the same product in two or four distribution outlets, always at multiple different prices. How long will it be before the consumer catches on? They are catching on so quickly today, it’s extraordinary.”
The ceo said the impact of designer goods has been diminished by off-pricers, such as Century 21, which carry a broad range of brands at low prices.
Drexler said he wasn’t sure what luxury was anymore and that a great peach, for instance, was a luxury experience.
“A good peach or a good tomato knows no bounds on emotion,” he said.
• On résumés, hiring and the backgrounds of great leaders: “The person is the résumé, not what’s on a piece of paper,” Drexler said. “I meet almost everyone in our company before they are hired. To me, résumés don’t matter much. Titles don’t matter, nor does the school you went to matter. In fact, GPA doesn’t matter.”
Instead, Drexler said emotional intelligence and a history of hard work are more important.
“We get a lot of waitresses, waiters, construction workers in the summer, we love that,” Drexler said. “The résumés today are all the same. Whoever gives advice on résumés in American colleges should be dismissed.”
..Most Recent Articles On Retail Features WWD CEO Summit: Ron JohnsonWWD CEO Summit: Huang HungFashion Delivers Hosts Holiday Pop-Up Shop on Staten IslandMore Articles By Evan Clark
The ceo pointed out that captains of industry take different paths to the top.
“Someone successful has a background that’s not predictable,” he said, noting there was “zero consistency in résumés in those who have created or built great companies.”
• On creativity or the art of finding a way to do something better: “It’s living, it’s breathing, it’s every single day of your life in an organization,” he said.
But Drexler noted employees are not always empowered to create a new approach and apply it. “Unless you’re in a position of making a change, unless you have a boss that allows you to do that, you can’t make the changes,” he said. “We have a choice of making things easy or making things good. We try to focus on making things good instead of making things easy.”
• On vendors: “There are a lot of vendors here today. I love vendors. I hate doing business with them because who are they to tell us how to do our business?”
• On the yardstick for great companies: “I’ve been at J. Crew for 10 years,” Drexler noted. “We’re just starting now; there’s so much more to do.”
Drexler said great companies need to be examined in at least five-year increments, and perhaps by the decade.
“Boards don’t allow management or the ceo to take a long view because they have short views,” Drexler said.
• On J. Crew’s international expansion: “We’re going very slow,” he said. “We’re in no hurry to get there. We don’t have expansion for expansion’s sake. I don’t think bigger is better. We’re going slow and small.”
On Made in the USA: “If everything were made in the USA, prices would probably triple immediately,” Drexler said. “I think where it’s appropriate, it’s fantastic. We do business with actually a lot of little businesses in the USA.
“[With] the cost factors involved, you’d sell a lot fewer units. People buy value; they know what things are worth. If I look at a Made in the USA item, and it’s $400 and it would really be $200, ask the customer what they’re going to spend. I think it’s good if the product has the integrity that warrants the price and the fact that it’s hand done and handmade or machine made in the USA.”
• On another public stock offering for J. Crew: “Eighty-five percent of our company is owned by two private equity firms, TPG and Leonard Green [& Partners],” he said. “I love being private, but going public is fine. I don’t think we’ll have much of a choice because they have to return value to shareholders.”
• On the best ideas and office culture: “Listen to your associates,” Drexler said. “The best ideas, the most important ideas, don’t come from the management brain.”
He said no leader can go it alone. They need to have the right team, and they can’t be walled away from them.
“When I came to J. Crew there was only one office in the building, and it was the ceo’s office, and I got very lonely in there,” Drexler said. The ceo moved to a more open setup and said offices without walls send a message.
• On the value of merchandise: “The real price of goods is always the selling price. The best price is to sell it for what it’s worth.”
• On adversity: Drexler said most obstacles are inspirational.
“Cyclical periods of adversity make organizations much stronger; it’s something about when you’re doing well, you’re getting a little comfortable, you’re walking around, you think, ‘It’s OK,’ and before long, it’s not OK,” he said.

Missoni CEO on plane missing in Venezuela

ARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Rescue crews used boats and aircraft on Saturday to search for a small plane that disappeared off Venezuela carrying the CEO of Italy's iconic Missoni fashion house and five other people.
But more than a day after the BN-2 Islander aircraft disappeared from radar screens on its short flight from the Venezuelan resort islands of Los Roques to Caracas, no sign of the plane had been found, officials said.

"We have no other news" about the plane carrying Vittorio Missoni, the head of the company; his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni; two of their Italian friends; and two Venezuelan crew members, said Paolo Marchetti, a Missoni SpA official. He spoke briefly to reporters as he left company headquarters in the northern Italian town of Sumirago on Saturday afternoon.
Missoni's younger brother, Luca, who is active in the family-run business, was reportedly traveling to Venezuela on Saturday to monitor search efforts.
"We're holding onto a glimmer of hope," said Oswaldo Scalvenzi , a relative of Elda Scalvenzi, one of the Missoni friends aboard the flight. "Until we can see the wreckage" hope will remain, Scalvenzi told Italian state TV on Saturday night.
Search teams were using a plane and a helicopter, working together with the Venezuelan coast guard, Venezuela's National Civil Aviation Institute said in a statement Saturday.
The twin-engine plane had enough fuel on board for a three-hour flight, said Francisco Paz Fleitas, president of the civil aviation agency. Paz said the plane took off at 11:39 a.m. on Friday and had been expected to arrive at Caracas' Simon Bolivar International Airport 42 minutes later.
The civil aviation agency said the authorities declared an alert after the plane didn't make contact with the control tower at the Caracas airport or with the tower in Los Roques.
"The last position registered in radar data and those supplied by a system on board the aircraft" was about 11 miles (18 kilometers) south of Los Roques, the agency said in the statement.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that Venezuelan aircraft, boats and helicopters took off at dawn Saturday to resume the search for the missing plane, which had been suspended on Friday night.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol announced that the plane was missing hours after it took off from Los Roques, a string of islands popular for scuba diving, white beaches and coral reefs, and where the Missonis and their friends were on vacation.
Reverol said on Friday that two navy patrol boats were involved in the search and that a specialized oceanographic ship, the Guaicamacuto, also had been deployed.
Vittorio Missoni is the eldest son of the company's founder, Ottavio, who at 91 still follows the business.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Ottavio and his wife Rosita were at their home in Italy, along with their daughter Angela, waiting for information about the search. Rosita Missoni designs housewares for the company, and Angela is the company's creative director.
The Missoni fashion house, with its trademark zigzag and other geometric patterns in sweaters, scarves and other knitwear, is one of Italy's most famous fashion brands abroad. It is scheduled to display its latest menswear creations at a fashion show in Milan later this month.
Vittorio Missoni played a key role in marketing the Missoni family creations in Asia, especially in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea as general director of marketing for Missoni SpA. He also spearheaded a push for the company's products in the United States and France. His efforts to expand the brand abroad led Missoni to be dubbed the company's "ambassador."
Vittorio Missoni has been described as an active sportsman and lover of the outdoors. He and his wife and their friends from northern Italy were scheduled to fly back from Caracas to Italy on Friday after spending the Christmas and New Year's holidays in the islands.
The plane disappeared shortly after takeoff on a flight of about 95 miles (150 kilometers) from the islands to the Caracas airport.

Other small planes have gone down or vanished on flights between the archipelago and the mainland.
On Jan. 4, 2008, a plane on a flight from Caracas to Los Roques disappeared with 14 people aboard, including eight Italians. The body of the plane's Venezuelan co-pilot later washed ashore, but despite a search lasting weeks no other victims or the wreckage were found.
In 2009, a small plane returning from Los Roques with nine people aboard plunged into the Caribbean Sea, but all survived.

Zilli to open in Washington, D.C

Zilli, the luxury French men’s wear brand that opened its first U.S. flagship in Manhattan in 2009, is set to open its second U.S. store this week in the Washington, D.C., area.

Zilli general manager Laurent Schimel said the label opted to take a 1,615-square-foot space in Tysons Galleria in McLean, Va., to appeal to the powerful men who call that area home. He added that Tysons Galleria is one of the most profitable malls in the country and draws many congressmen.
The Washington-area shop incorporates dark mahogany wood, leather and brass elements. “Our clientele is looking for privacy and great service when they shop,” Schimel said.
Targeting “men of power” between the ages of 30 and 60, Zilli has been posting double-digit growth in spite of a dour economic climate, according to Schimel.
Founded in 1970, the Lyon-based brand is known for its signature leather jackets that come in calfskin and lambskin suede and are priced at about $12,000. Dress shirts retail for $600 and shoes from $800 to $6,000 depending upon skins, which include crocodile.
Stateside, the label has a flagship in the Four Seasons hotel on New York’s 57th Street, and the line is also sold in two specialty stores in the U.S. Down the road, Schimel would like to have stores in Bal Harbour, Fla., California and Las Vegas, he said.
There are 45 freestanding Zilli units worldwide, in Asia, Russia, the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. Schimel said there are four new stores in the pipeline for 2013, including two in China.
He is projecting 2012 sales to increase 15 percent to 85 million euros, or $112 million at current exchange, and to rise to 100 million euros, or $131.9 million, in fiscal 2013.

Gaston-Louis Vuitton Book: The Trunk

Louis Vuitton’s grandson Gaston-Louis Vuitton was a trunk aficionado, as his collection of photographs and newspaper cuttings attest. It was these that 11 French writers were granted access to for inspiration. The resulting short stories — by Éliette Abécassis, Fabienne Berthaud, Marie Darrieussecq, Virginie Despentes, Nicolas d’Estienne d’Orves, Patrick Eudeline, David Foenkinos, Philippe Jaenada, Yann Moix, Véronique Ovaldé and Bruno de Stabenrath — have a narration that begins literally inside a trunk. Aptly, the pieces have been assembled in an anthology entitled “The Trunk.” 


Due out in March, the 356-page book is being published by Les Editions Louis Vuitton and Les Editions Gallimard. 

A limited-edition, leather-bound version will be available — in French, English and Japanese — in Louis Vuitton stores and through louisvuitton.com for 50 euros, or $66 at current exchange. The bookstore edition will be in French.

GAP BUYS INTERMIX!

Gap Inc. has acquired specialty retailer Intermix for $130 million in cash.

The transaction closed Dec. 31. The deal expands Gap’s presence in the growing global luxury retail market and comes at a time when the $15 billion San Francisco-based retailer, which has been in turnaround mode for more than a decade, seems to have found its groove again. It posted third-quarter earnings in November in which net income jumped 60 percent from last year.

Intermix’s senior team of Khajak Keledjian, cofounder and chief executive officer, and Adrienne Lazarus, president, will continue to operate the business from New York. Keledjian moves over to the role of chief creative officer. Both report to Art Peck, president of Gap’s Growth, Innovation & Digital division. Peck spearheaded the acquisition, working with Glenn Murphy, chairman and ceo of Gap Inc.
“Intermix has a distinctive position in this growing market with clear competitive advantage,” said Murphy. “Their record of merchandising with a keen eye towards mixing multiple designer labels, complemented with exclusive product, is appealing to their loyal customers. This strategy reflects the strength of their brand vision and leadership team.”
Keledjian expressed pleasure at the deal, adding Intermix has “found a partner that has the global scale and infrastructure required to support our vision for growth.”

Source: WWD