Friday, June 19, 2009

Coach's Creative Director To Launch His Own Brand?

Since joining Coach, Inc. in 1996, Reed Krakoff, president and executive creative director of the company, has worked behind the scenes to make the Coach brand a household name and one of the top companies in luxury retail. Now, Mr. Krakoff is going to get a chance to take center stage.

Fashion Week Daily reports that Coach is in the process of developing a brand around Mr. Krakoff.

Details are sparse, however we do know that the company registered "Reed", "Reed Krakoff" and "RK", and two design logos with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office in March and February of this year. According to the filing, the products and services that may be used under the trademarks vary, ranging from ready-to-wear to jewelry to personal care products, even pet care products and hotels.

Coach has declined to comment on this new venture, only stating that they're always developing new products.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Jimmy Choo Comes to H&M!

Shoes from the upcoming Jimmy Choo for H&M collection
(Photo: Magnus Magnusson/H&M)


ATTENTION ALL SHOENISTAS & BAGNISTAS!

H&M has announced that they will team up with Jimmy Choo to offer a fabulous collection of shoes and handbags for the fall. This will be H&M's first collaboration with an accessories brand.

The collection will hit 200 H&M stores worldwide on Nov. 14th. Known primarily for its shoes and handbags, Jimmy Choo will also offer women's clothing and men's shoes, bags and accessories.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Here We Go Again

Photo: Steven Miesel/Calvin Klein

Looks like the good folks at Calvin Klein are at it again! Their new billboard ad, located in NYC's SoHo area has caused quite a commotion amongst SoHo's residents. "It's borderline pornographic," said neighborhood resident Lisa Marchese, 36, a marketing specialist. "They all look so young, particularly the girl. And to portray them in a threesome - it's just taking it too far." Alicia Shay, 24, who ironically sells jeans, also objected to the ad. "Just the positioning of them all - she's kissing him, the other guy has his hands down her pants, they're all misty even. It's really inappropriate."

However, the designers at Calvin Klein think the bru haha is much ado about nothing. "I think it is a fantastic campaign", said Italo Zucchelli, menswear designer for Calvin Klein. "That is what Calvin Klein Jeans is supposed to be. Everyone needs to be scandalized and screaming. That is what we want." Calvin Klein's Creative Director, Francisco Costa said, “I think it’s great for tourists...I think they’ll see that and walk right into our store".

From a business standpoint, I understand the need to grab the consumer's attention with provocative ads. Sex sells. However, in this case, is this ad really shocking? My initial response to it was YAAAWN. Nowadays, society is so saturated with sexually charged images, and we've come to expect this type of ad from CK, that this ad doesn't create the same controversy as previous Calvin Klein ads. In fact, it comes off as desperation for Calvin Klein to make themselves relevant again.

I hate to burst Messrs. Zucchelli and Costa's bubbles, but in today's economy consumers are looking for long-lasting quality. If Calvin Klein's products don't offer that, no sexually charged ad is going to persuade folks to spend huge amounts of money on their products.

(SOURCES: NYDailyNews.com and NYMag's The Cut)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

And The Winner Is......

Last night, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center served as the location for the Oscars of the fashion industry, the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards. Each year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) gather to honor the best and brightest in the fashion industry. Comedian Tracey Ullman served as host of this year's ceremony.

This year's award was about embracing fresh, new talent, with newcomers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders, Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler taking the top awards.

First Lady Michelle Obama made an appearance via taped message to accept the Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award for her support of fashion designers. Ralph Lauren won the Popular Vote Award, a new award sponsored by L'Oreal Paris which allowed the public to vote for their favorite fashion designer at WWD.com.

Below is a complete list of the winners and honorees:


Womenswear Designer of the Year: Kate & Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte

Menswear Designer of the Year (tie) : Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders and Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein Collection

Accessory Designer of the Year Award: Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Womenswear: Alexander Wang

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Menswear: Tim Hamilton

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Accessory Design: Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Anna Sui

International Award: Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism: Edward Nardoza, Editor-in-Chief, Women’s Wear Daily

Eleanor Lambert Award: Jim Moore, Creative Director, GQ

Popular Vote Award: Ralph Lauren

Board of Directors’ Special Tribute Award: First Lady Michelle Obama

(SOURCE: CFDA.com)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

May Same-Store Sales Roundup

Major Memorial Day sales and a jump in U.S. consumer confidence in May were not enough to fend off another month of soft retail same-store sales. U.S. same-store sales for the month fell 4.8% according to Thomson Reuter vs. their estimate of a 4.1% decrease.

A 14-yr high in consumer savings and a curb on spending, both due to unemployment concerns and a troubled housing market, have negatively impacted retail sales, particularly luxury retail. Discretionary spending, which drives the luxury sector, just isn't there. Instead, consumers are focusing more on necessities such as food, gas and affordable clothing:
Upscale chains posted some of the worst May sales at stores open at least a year, or same-store sales."The high end continues to struggle, those in the discretionary spend segment are really continuing to get clocked," said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics. (Source: Reuters)
Here's the apparel retail May same-store sales roundup:

Macy's same-store sales for May were down 9.1%, coming just under analysts' estimates of a 9.3% decline. The company says that sales were consistent with management's expectations.

Comp. sales dropped 12% for Dillard's in May, above projected declines of 8% by wall street.

Limited Brands met analysts' estimates and company expectations, posting a 7% decline in same-store sales in May. Amie Preston, V.P. Investor Relations, says the company projects comp. sales decline in the high single digits for June.

It was another weak month for high-end/luxury apparel sector. Abercrombie & Fitch reported comp. sales fell 28% for May, which was higher than analysts' estimates of a 24.2% drop.

Nordstrom's May comp. sales slipped 13.1%, slightly above the 12.7% decrease analysts predicted. The company experienced strength in Women's Coats and Dresses, Individualist, Savvy and Narrative merchandise categories.

Saks continues to suffer, posting same-store sales that plummeted 26.6%, way above analysts' predictions of 14.2%. The positive impact of a clearance event shift from April to May was offset by the designer sale event shift from May to June. Both event shifts caused a negative impact on May comp. sales.

Neiman Marcus May same-store sales declines 23.3%. Weakness was experienced across all geographies and merchandise categories.