Firmly Focused - WWD

Norma Kamali

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Firmly FocusedFrom Calvin Klein to Victoria Beckham, Bottega Veneta to Lord & Taylor, speakers at the WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit at The Plaza hotel in

New York discussed how sticking to their brand values have enabled them to thrive in these turbulent times of social media, a booming China and an ever-changing consumer. For complete coverage, see pages 10 to 19.

IN WWD TODAY

WWDWEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY $3.00

BRANDEVERYWHERE

WWD 2011 CEO SUMMIT

FACING STRONG HEADWINDS

Victoria Beckham

Marco Bizzarri

Carol Goll

Tom MurryRichard A. Baker

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS /SECTION II

Haider Ackermann

Remo Ruffini

Peter Williams

Federico Marchetti

Women’s Designer Lags at Saks PAGE 4RETAIL: Reporting strong third-quarter results, Saks Inc. admitted that women’s designer apparel sales struggled — and expressed concerns about the category in the fourth quarter.

Burberry’s Flagship Strategy PAGE 4FINANCIAL: Angela Ahrendts, Burberry’s chief executive officer, said the opening of major flagships will fuel the firm’s future growth.

Raleigh Denim’s Local Taste PAGE 6DENIM: Using old machines and USA cotton, Raleigh Denim is thriving in North Carolina — and has just opened a store in Raleigh, with eyes to add a unit in Manhattan.

EYE: See more images from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund gala, Model Call: Ieva Laguna and They Are Wearing: Gaultier Does Dallas at WWD.com/eye.

BUSINESS: More business news and daily markets coverage at WWD.com/business-news.

GLOBAL BREAKING NEWS

WWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 20112WWD.COM

TO E-MAIL REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS [email protected], USING THE INDIVIDUAL’S NAME. WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2011 FAIRCHILD FASHION MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 202, NO. 104. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in May, June, October and December, and two additional issues in February, March, April, August, September and November) by Fairchild Fashion Media, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive Officer; Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., President; John W. Bellando, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer; Jill Bright, Chief Administrative Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 886549096-RT0001. Canada Post: return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Cre, Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615 5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008, call 800-289-0273, or visit www.subnow.com/wd. Please give both new and old addresses as printed on most recent label. Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. If during your subscription term or up to one year after the magazine becomes undeliverable, you are ever dissatisfied with your subscription, let us know. You will receive a full refund on all unmailed issues. First copy of new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions requests, please call 212-630-5656 or fax the request to 212-630-5883. For reprints of articles, please contact Scoop ReprintSource at 800-767-3263 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild Fashion Media magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OR LOSS OF, OR FOR DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO, UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.

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I wasn’t completely sold on colored denim,

but it’s on fire. — WAYNE SHULICK, DENIM HABIT. PAGE 6.

TODAY ON WWD.COM

Amanda Seyfried in Prabal Gurung with the designer.

CEO SUMMIT 1,10-19FINANCIAL 2,4,8ACCESSORIES 2,20DENIM 6

TRADE 9INTERNET 20MEDIA 21PEOPLE 22

SECTORS IN THIS ISSUE

MILAN — Dolce & Gabbana’s first line of jew-elry hits stores today in Milan, Paris and London. The collection, which bows in the U.S. in December, will be available at the brand’s boutiques only. Retail prices range from $975 to $24,500.

The 80-piece line hing-es on Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s personal iconography rooted in Sicilian tradition: crosses, black jade rosaries and delicate filigree ceramic images of

the Virgin Mary. Precious ma-terials include tricolor gold, rubies, sapphires and pearls. Charms range from hand-

engraved keys and coins to hearts, hexes and horseshoes,

dangling from bracelets and necklac-es, or from rings as pendants.

The designers presented the col-lection during Milan Fashion Week in

September. Gabbana said at the time that the jewelry is “unmistakably Dolce

& Gabbana.” According to Dolce, the jewels “have an intimate feel, they almost look like you could have inherited them.”

— LUISA ZARGANI

By SHARON EDELSON

PROFIT AT WAL-MART STORES INC., the world’s largest retail-er, declined 2.9 percent in the third quarter, but after nine consec-utive quarters of revenue declines the company on Tuesday said its namesake division recorded a quarterly increase.

Wal-Mart earned $3.33 billion, or 97 cents a share, in the three-month period ended Oct. 28. That compares with $3.43 bil-lion, or 95 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Earnings per share for last year’s third quarter included a $191 million tax benefit, which was about 5 cents a share.

The retailer said it expects fourth-quarter EPS of $1.42 to $1.48 and full-year EPS of $4.45 to $4.51.

Net sales increased 2.7 percent to $63.8 billion, driven by a higher ticket, but shoppers made fewer trips compared with last year’s third quarter.

Consolidated net sales rose 8.2 percent to $109.5 billion in the third quarter, from $101.2 billion in 2010. The increase includ-ed $2.1 billion in sales from acquisitions in the U.K. and South Africa and a currency exchange translation benefit. Without the acquisitions and currency benefit, consolidated net sales in-creased 4.8 percent in the third quarter.

International net sales rose 20 percent over last year’s third quarter to $32 billion.

Total comp-store sales in the U.S., excluding fuel, were 1.9 percent for the 13-week period. Without inflation, same-store sales would have increased 0.6 percent. Comp-store sales at Wal-Mart U.S. rose 1.3 percent, and at Sam’s Club, 5.7 percent, ex-cluding fuel. Wal-Mart is forecasting comp sales for the fourth quarter to be flat to up 2 percent.

“Every business sector is stronger,” said Mike Duke, chief ex-ecutive officer of Wal-Mart Stores.“Our overall performance re-flects that we are driving productivity, leveraging expenses and investing in price leadership.”

Duke attributed the improved results to expanded assort-ments — the program to restock stockkeeping units that were previously slashed is almost completed. Also, integration of technology with associate productivity programs has improved. Health and wellness, electronics and hardlines improved, but apparel had a low-single-digit negative comp. Men’s and ladies apparel, with a focus on core basics, had the strongest sales. Expanded shoe departments and assortments recorded the first positive quarterly comp in more than two years.

Wal-Mart’s consumer continues to be financially challenged, trading down to lower price points or trading out of certain cat-egories, Duke said. In a Wal-Mart survey, only one out of 10 moms viewed the state of the economy as good, he added.

The retailer is gearing up for the holidays, shouting its “Everyday Low Price” mantra in a variety of media, from print to digital. Layaway volume is exceeding plan and there’s a zero percent financing offer on the Wal-Mart credit card.

Wal-Mart, which has opened on Thanksgiving Day for several years, will begin at 10 p.m. this year with price rollbacks.

The retailer is integrating its stores and Web site and mobile apps and reaching out to customers via social media. Citing the 3,800 Wal-Mart U.S. units and 120 distribution centers, Duke said, “Wal-Mart can offer multichannel access in a way that no other retailer can.”

Gross profit dollars were up 1.9 percent over last year’s third quarter to $17.9 billion, while the gross margin rate fell about 22 basis points. Operating expenses dropped 41 basis points as a percentage of sales and SG&A rose 70 basis points compared to last year’s same period.

Wal-Mart International’s net sales for the third quarter rose 20.3 percent to $32.4 billion. Changes in currency translation increased net sales by $1.3 billion. Sam’s Club’s third-quarter net sales rose 9.5 percent over last year to $13.3 billion, helped by strong fuel sales.

Wal-Mart Comps Rise, Profit Falls 2.9 Percent

Dolce & Gabbana Jewelry Hits Stores

A piece from Dolce & Gabbana.

By JEAN E. PALMIERI

FORMER LEVI’S EXECUTIVE Robert Hanson has gotten himself a new gig.

American Eagle Outfitters said late Tuesday that Hanson will become its new chief executive officer, effective Jan. 30. Hanson will succeed James O’Donnell, who has been at the head of the Pittsburgh-based re-tailer since 2002.

“After an extensive search, we believe Robert is the ideal person to build on AEO’s strengths, maximize our portfolio of brands across North America and propel our brands into new markets across the world,” said Jay Schottenstein, chair-man of American Eagle. “He brings extensive ex-perience in the apparel industry and global brand positioning. In Robert, we have an individual who possesses a unique blend of merchandising, innova-tive marketing and strong operational skills, with a proven ability to inspire and lead creative apparel and retailing teams.”

“AEO’s brands are highly relevant to today’s consumers, with incred-ible future potential,” said Hanson. “I look forward to starting on Jan. 30, 2012 and working with the talented team of associates to continue to build on the very strong foundation that is already in place.”

Since March, the retailer has been searching for a successor to O’Donnell, 70, who informed the board at that time of his intention to retire. O’Donnell agreed to stay on until a successor was named and through a transition period.

About two weeks ago, Hanson, who had spent

more than two decades with Levi Strauss & Co., most recently as global president of the Levi’s brand, resigned from his position. According to sources, Hanson had been disappointed not to have been named ceo of Levi’s when the San Francisco-based jeansmaker appointed Chip Bergh ceo in September. Bergh, a former Procter & Gamble executive, succeeded John Anderson,

who had retired from Levi’s after a 32-year career there. In an e-mail to Levi’s licensing partners, Hanson wrote: “After an incredible, al-most 24-year career with Levi Strauss & Co., it’s time for a new chapter in my life, time for me to ‘Go Forth,’” a reference to Levi’s current advertising campaign. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission f i l ing , Hanson will receive $2.29 million, payable in install-ments over 18 months, and a lump-sum payment of $600,000 payable 30 days after his resignation becomes effective Nov. 27.

Hanson, 48 will bring a fresh energy to American Eagle, which operates nearly 1,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada and tar-gets 15- to 25-year-old girls and guys.

Gilbert Harrison, chairman of Financo,

Inc., who spent six years on the board of American Eagle, said Hanson’s “ability to grow American Eagle will be significant and he will create value for the brand, especially as it grows globally in its next phase.”

Last week, American Eagle revealed sales for the third quarter ended Oct. 29 increased 11 percent to $832 million, compared with $753 million last year. Comparable-store sales rose 5 percent. The retailer will report third-quarter earnings on Nov. 30.

American Eagle Taps Hanson

Robert Hanson

A LEGEND IS DEFINED BY THE TRUE MARK OF BEAUTY LEFT ON THE WORLD.

NM

NEIMAN MARCUS HONORS THE MEMORY OF EVELYN LAUDER AND HER INCOMPARABLE GRACE, VISIONARY TALENT, AND HEARTFELT GENEROSITY.

By ELLEN SHENG

MACAU — Forever 21 brought its holographic fashion show to the MGM Grand hotel here.

The show, which was presented to local media, was a curtain raiser for the company’s first store open-ing in Hong Kong, slated for early next year. Forever 21 is preparing to open a 51,000-square-foot unit in Causeway Bay, one of the city’s busi-est shopping districts.

“It will be one of our largest storefronts worldwide,” said Larry Meyer, Forever 21’s executive vice president, who was at the event.

The megastore will take up four stories in the Capitol Centre, a six story building that was formerly home to Hong Kong-based apparel retailer Giordano. The monthly rent for the store will come be $11 million Hong Kong dollars, or $1.4 million.

Forever 21 is also planning to open similarly megasized stores in Beijing and Shanghai next year.

Linda Chang, senior marketing manager, said the company has been preparing to enter the greater China market for four years. Forever 21 currently has two stores in Japan and two in South Korea.

“We tested the markets there and with the really great re-sponse we’ve gotten we feel like we’re prepared now to enter China. It’s such a huge market we wanted to make sure that we didn’t just enter it haphazardly. We wanted to do our research and find the right location,” she said.

Chang, who arrived in Hong Kong only two hours be-fore the fashion show, said she’d be staying here for a couple days to check out progress on the store. The store will offer all of Forever 21’s subbrands, such as Heritage 1981, Love 21 Contemporary plus men’s and kids lines.

“As we enter, we’re going to keep a close eye on things. That’s what our strength is. We respond very quickly to what the cus-tomers in each demographic area respond to. What we’ve found historically opening in international countries, what has worked in the U.S. for the past 27 years really does work everywhere else. The age demographic is very wide — from young pre-teens to grandmothers,” she said.

Chang said the company isn’t planning on designing apparel specifically for the greater China market, though “we will be tai-loring some of the styles according to what we think will be ap-propriate to the market.”

She also said that pricing would be comparable to prices in the U.S., noting that in the U.K., the company keeps prices com-parable, despite the 20 percent value-added tax by sacrificing some of its profit margin.

Chang, Meyer and other Forever 21 executives mingled a bit with the local Hong Kong media after the 20 minute fashion show, which replaced real live models with 3-D video images.

Forever 21’s upcoming store opening in Hong Kong comes as a number of global retailers are finding their way to the market. The Gap is planning a store opening in the city’s Central district later this month while Abercrombie & Fitch will be opening a store down the street in the historic Pedder Building bumping out Shanghai Tang, which had been in that spot for 17 years.

WWD.COMWWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 20114

Full-Price Selling Aids Saks in Quarter

Forever 21 ReadiesHong Kong for Store

By SAMANTHA CONTI

LONDON — Burberry’s burgeoning fleet of retail stores in 25 flagship markets worldwide will con-tinue to be the engine behind growth, said a bull-ish Angela Ahrendts during a conference call after the company reported first-half profits Tuesday.

Burberry’s chief executive officer said that in the six months to Sept. 30, sales were “very strong and balanced” in cities such as London, New York, Paris, Dubai and Hong Kong, and that retail stores in Burberry’s flagship markets generated more than 60 percent of revenue.

“We have 25 ‘Londons’ around the world — that’s the way we think about it, and that’s where the business is focused now,” said Ahrendts. “What we’re talking about are high-demographic markets that have a strong local clientele and that cater to traveling luxury consumers.”

Profits at Burberry rose 26 percent to 115.9 million pounds, or $187.8 million, in the period. As reported, sales rose 29.4 percent to 829.6 mil-lion pounds, or $1.34 billion. All figures have been converted at average exchange rates for the six months.

Burberry said that during the six-month period, comparable retail store sales increased 16 percent, driven by the monthly flow of new product, enhanced re-plenishment processes, the global buy, sales and service initiatives. The balance of growth came from new stores globally, as well as the units Burberry acquired in China.

Ahrendts also swatted away persistent questions from media outlets about the dangers of a slowdown in Chinese demand.

“China generates 10 per-cent of our global revenue, so we are not overly depen-dent on it. It’s a fast-growing market, and we are invest-ing there,” she said. “But of our 25 flagship cities world-wide, just two are in China. Burberry plays in Beijing and Shanghai. It does not play across China.”

Burberry said Tuesday that planned capital expenditure remains at 180 million pounds to 200 million pounds, or $286 million to $320 million, for the 2011-12 year.

A net eight mainline stores opened in the first half, and the company said there would be a con-tinued focus on “flagship openings and refurbish-ments in high-profile markets.”

Ahrendts named Istanbul, New Delhi and Brazil’s major cities as having the potential of New York and London. “There are pockets all over the world” with pent-up de-mand, she said, adding, “The luxury sector is projected to be up 10 percent next year, and the flagship markets are also projected to rise.”

Burberry said revenue from nonapparel — such as large leather goods, men’s accessories and soft accesso-ries — remained the largest product division, generating 39 percent of wholesale and retail revenue.

Emerging markets, such as China and the Middle East, accounted for 19 percent of wholesale and retail revenue in the period.

Burberry Banks on Flagship Markets

By DAVID MOIN

SAKS INC. POSTED a good third quarter but, look-ing ahead, there are some concerns about women’s designer apparel going into the holiday season.

Getting an assist from shoppers buying more at full-price, the retailer posted net income of $17.8 million, or 11 cents a diluted share, for the third quarter ended Oct. 31.

“We had fewer promotions,” Stephen I. Sadove, chairman and chief executive officer of Saks Inc., told WWD. “We eliminated cosmetics from a ‘friends and family’ promotion and we had one less day on our point event during October.”

Sadove also said that operating income in the quarter rose to 5.7 percent of sales from 4.8 per-cent last year. “I am especially pleased with our 160-basis-point improvement in our third-quarter gross margin rate,” to 44.2 percent, Sadove said.

The best-performing categories last quarter were women’s contemporary apparel, women’s shoes, handbags, jewelry and men’s apparel, shoes and accessories. Also, Florida stores did very well.

However, women’s designer apparel had some issues. “There was a little bit of a slowdown in certain businesses in women’s apparel. There were several delivery-related issues,” Sadove noted. “The business had been very robust,” in the first half of this year, he said, adding that he didn’t believe there was any underlying softness in the women’s business.

Having said that, Sadove warned, “We may have to take more markdowns in women’s appar-el” in the fourth quarter.

According to Ron Frasch, president, a “mod-est” decline in gross margins is expected in the fourth quarter, related to increased invest-ments in shoes as well as the performance in

women’s designer. The executives would not comment on whether the fourth quarter would be any more or less promotional than last year, citing competitive concerns.

Total sales in the 2011 quarter rose 5.1 percent to $692.3 million from $658.8 million a year ago. Comparable-store sales increased 5.8 percent. Sadove forecast mid- to high-single-digit compa-rable-store sales gains and a mid-single-digit in-ventory increase in the fourth quarter, and added that sales held up during the third quarter, though they were not as robust as in the first half. In a conference call, he said, “The macroeconomic environment continues to be challenging and the financial markets have been especially volatile, which has resulted in deceleration in our sales trends, versus the very robust first half of the year. However, our overall business remains healthy.…We will continue to approach the future both cau-tiously and strategically.”

In the third quarter of 2010, Saks earned $36.3 million, or 20 cents a share, but that included a $26.7 million, or 14 cents a share, gain related to the reversal of certain estimated income tax re-serves deemed no longer necessary. Excluding this gain, Saks would have recorded net income of $9.7 million, or 6 cents a share, last year.

Aside from the good results, executives cited some other accomplishments in the third quarter, among them: renovating and recasting the Wear Now bridge floor at the Fifth Avenue flagship; en-abling visitors to saks.com to now see what Saks stores carry products they’re interested in, and completing an extensive renovation of the Palm Desert, Calif., store.

Saks Direct posted a 24 percent sales increase for the third quarter, while the Off 5th outlet di-vision’s comparable-store sales performance was below the company’s aggregate comparable-store sales performance.

Linda Chang

The holographic fashion show.

A Burberry ad.

Burberry’s retail locations are driving growth.

Mrs. Lauder,your li� le pink ribbonforever changed the world. And we are forever grateful.

WWD.COM6 WWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

By ARNOLD J. KARR

EVEN E-COMMERCE has had to take a backseat at Denim Habit.

The Philadelphia-area women’s premium denim specialist, which opened its first New York unit in the Meatpacking District last month, opened its second unit in Manhattan, in the Murray Hill section at 525 Third Avenue, last Friday, and will pull off the feat of tripling its New York presence in less than one month this Friday, when it hits the Upper East Side with a store at 1335 Third Avenue. Both of the stores were previously units of National Jean Co. and measure about 1,100 square feet, about half the size of the Meatpacking District store.

Denim Habit and National Jean Co. are both divi-sions of NJC Holdings, but it’s Denim Habit, with its more contemporary aesthetic and smaller footprint, that’s currently the focus of the company.

“We want to build the Denim Habit brand in the city and eventually become the dominant retailer of pre-mium denim on the East Coast, covering Connecticut to Washington,” said Wayne Shulick, president and chief operating officer of the company. “We’ve got a number of other projects we’re looking into right now that should enable us to grow both organically and through acquisi-tion, but taking advantage of the opportunity to get three stores in operation in a short time span has certainly helped elevate the brand.”

Just about the only item on Shulick’s to-do list for 2011 that hasn’t been completed is the transformation of the brand’s Web site, denimhabit.com, into an e-com-merce venture. “We got spread a little thin with all we did with new stores, but we expect to be able to do busi-ness on the Web very soon, possibly by the end of the month,” the executive told WWD.

Meanwhile, he’s encouraged by the initial reaction to the Murray Hill store and “beyond pleased” with the performance of the Meatpacking District unit as it ap-proaches the end of its first month in business. “It’s still very early, but we’re well ahead of projections so far,” Shulick said, reminded of initial expectations of a store that could gross $3 million in sales in its first year.

Until last month, Denim Habit was strictly a sub-urban Philadelphia phenomenon, with stores at The Promenade in Marlton, N.J., and Suburban Square in Ardmore, Pa. The brand assortment mirrors that of the original stores, as well as that of the National Jeans operation, with such premium denim labels as Adriano Goldschmied, DL1961, Henry & Belle, Hudson and J Brand sharing space. Denim Habit mixes in a number of exclusive denim and sportswear items, such as Dylan Alexa. Denim accounts for 43 percent of sales, a number that dips in the summer and advances in the fall.

“I wasn’t completely sold on colored denim,” Shulick said, “but it’s on fire, has turned out to be huge and looks like it will continue.”

Denim Habit has been among the specialty retailers that have been able to sustain mo-mentum in the premium denim area by treat-ing the category more like sportswear and actively integrating sportswear into its jeans presentation, much as a number of top brands

have supplemented their denim offerings with compatible sportswear. “Our customers pretty much dictate to us what they want, and this approach has certainly been working,” Shulick said. “We’re getting more units per sale than we used to, and average unit retail is pretty good. Our mix is better, and the economy is better. That all helps.”

Its next venture might take it out of Manhattan. Declining to disclose specific details because of nondis-closure agreements, Shulick said that the company is currently in negotiations regarding an acquisition for “a Denim Habit project in the Tristate area.” Talks are ex-pected to be completed by the first week of next month, with a new concept ready to launch by the end of March.

“After that, we’ll start revisiting Manhattan again,” he said.

The firm’s Meatpacking District store.

denimDenim Habit To Open 3rd NYC Store

GERMAN BOTTOMS specialist Alberto is taking its pursuit of the “green jean” to the extreme.

The men’s bottoms firm has a de-cidedly low-tech experiment going on up on the roof of its headquarters in Mönchengladbach, Germany. In an ef-fort to explore new washes, it’s now nine months into a one-year weathering project for its ADenim jeans line, one that scraps low-ozone and low-water-consumption technologies in favor of completely natu-ral practices in pursuit of what could be considered purely “green jeans.”

“We were left with a lot of roof space here,” said Marco Lanowy, one of three managing directors at Alberto. “So we wanted to test our jeans and find out what would happen to the denim fabric if it was permanently exposed to the weather. What do jeans bleached by the sun look like? What happens during heavy rain-fall or snow? How much can these jeans stand, and how soon do they weather?”

Manually secured by stones or tied to the building’s fire escape, some of the 12 prototypes on the roof are already revealing unique washing effects. “We took a few of them down, and there are some nice transitions and distinctions showing up,” Lanowy noted. “A summer-bleached pair, for example, is basically white in the front now, whereas the back still looks brand new.”

ADenim has already taken steps to use organic ma-terials certified by the international Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which provides criteria on potentially harmful sub-stances for products at all points throughout the supply

chain. By testing its washes in natural weather conditions, Alberto’s trial methods are now also becoming more sustainable.

“A traditional wash simply replicates a nat-ural process in an artificial way,” Lanowy ex-plained. “So why not use the natural resourc-es we have to discover interesting effects?”

The managing director added that the brand was planning to continue testing more styles after the first prototypes have gone into produc-tion, perhaps giving a glimpse of what the future of denim washes could look like at the house.

ADenim’s collection currently includes around 25 washes, and with its rooftop mod-els launching for spring 2013, the managing director is hoping to add five more finishes to the line. Retail prices have yet to be final-ized and the company declined to provide an overall sales volume. Manufactured in Casablanca, Morocco, ADenim is operating in six markets: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Benelux and Russia. Its roof-wash jeans will be distributed across an estimat-ed 120 doors. Also, still up for discussion are dedicated information boards about the project at point-of-sale, but Lanowy said that whether or not these come to fruition, the weathering tale is a good anecdote for retail-ers to discuss with their customers. “There’s a story behind those jeans,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the prototypes from the roof will be auc-tioned off for a charity benefiting homeless kids. Or, as Lanowy put it, “children without a roof.”

This week, Mönchengladbach is expecting highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s, with sunshine early in the week and an increasing chance of rain Thursday and Friday. Good weathering weather. — JENNIFER WIEBKING

Raleigh Denim Takes Artisanal Approach

Jeans weathered on the roof of Alberto’s headquarters.

A look from Raleigh Denim.

By SHARON EDELSON

YOU COULD SAY THAT Raleigh Denim is a labor of love.

The Raleigh, N.C., denim company was started in 2007 almost on a whim by Sarah Lytvinenko and her husband, Victor, who happens to be her high school sweetheart. When a pair of pants Victor loved began unraveling, he took them apart and tried to figure out how they were made so that he could replicate them. Sarah, who had some patternmaking experi-ence, helped. To learn more about how the garment was made, Victor visited old mills in the mountains of North Carolina and discovered people who had great sewing skills, but not much work. After learn-ing everything they could about the construction of the pants, the couple decided to make some jeans without using automated machines.

“When we put our back pockets on, we iron and then single stitch them,” Sarah said, adding that it takes a lot longer than the seven seconds it takes a machine. “We make 150 pairs of jeans in a week and a denim factory makes 50,000.”

The Raleigh Denim Web site explains that North Carolina was a mainstay of denim a long time ago and that “shuttles carried a single thread back and forth, weaving beautiful selvage into denim.”

The Lytvinenkos found those original selvage looms at Cone Mills’ White Oak plant in Greensboro. A small fraction of the machines were still running and Raleigh Denim began working with the plant. “White Oak has been significantly downsized,” Sarah said. “When we started, the machines weren’t run-ning all the time. Now, they’re running constantly. We have our own selvage with a white stripe. We’re working with a dye house in Farmville, N.C. We have colors like felon orange and artillery red. We do use some denims that are not ours.”

Sarah said the company occupies a niche be-tween standard production and being small enough to be considered artisinal. “We could triple in size with the addition of one or two people,” she said. “There are resources we could tap to help us with production.” Raleigh Denim’s sales for the year will be $1.2 million, Sarah said, adding that the compa-ny plans to double its sales volume next year.

Raleigh Denim’s prices range from $240 to $285 for men’s jeans, which are sold at Barneys New York, Need Supply, Union Made, The Bureau and Oak, Leaf + Acorn. The women’s jeans are a younger product and the couple is talking to retailers about carrying them. All jeans are hand-signed on the pocket and stamped with a number on the leather patch.

To further build the brand, the Lytvinenkos opened The Curatory, whose name comes from the words “curated” and “laboratory.” The store-cum-showroom behind the Raleigh Denim workshop is in the warehouse section of the city that’s populated by restaurants and art galleries. In addition to their own brand, the Curatory sells Band of Outsiders, Billy Reid, Epice, Ashley Brodie Jewelry and Organic by John Patrick. Sarah said Raleigh Denim is collaborating with Patrick on women’s wear for fall. There’s a collaboration with Eco Domani win-ner Native Son in the works for men’s wear. Raleigh Denim is also working on a collection beyond denim that will include shirts for men, and skirts, dresses and shirts for women as well as a leather shift dress with a drop waist and jackets in leather and canvas.

Raleigh Denim is looking for a home in Manhattan, a 900-square-foot (or smaller) space. Sarah said she’s leaning toward NoLIta or the Meatpacking District. Initially surprised by the rents, Sarah said, “So far, we’re self-financed, but we have interested parties we may need to call on.”

Alberto Distressing Jeans With Nature’s Help

We celebrate a remarkable spiritWe celebrate a remarkable spiritwhose beautiful life is measured in thewhose beautiful life is measured in the

countless lives she touched.countless lives she touched.

Evelyn H. LauderEvelyn H. Lauder

A life lived beautifully.A life lived beautifully.

WWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 20118

Apparel Inflation EasesRetail Sales Slip in OctoberWASHINGTON — Pressure from high cotton prices abated in October, as U.S.-made apparel prices fell for the month, although there were still some signs of inflation year-over-year.

Prices on domestically produced apparel dipped 0.4 percent in October compared with September, but were up 3.9 percent over October 2010, the U.S. Labor Department’s Producer Price Index showed Tuesday.

In the overall economy, wholesale prices fell 0.3 percent in October, driv-en largely by declining gasoline prices. The core PPI index, excluding volatile food and energy costs, was flat.

Men’s apparel prices fell 1.3 percent last month, but were still 7.2 percent higher than October 2010. Prices for U.S.-made women’s apparel were flat in October compared with September and were 1.3 percent higher than a year earlier.

In men’s, wholesale prices on work shirts dropped 9.2 percent in the month and 0.8 percent for the year, while prices on jeans fell 3.4 percent in October compared with September, but were 1.8 percent higher than a year earlier. Prices on U.S.-made work clothing fell 1.8 percent last month, but were 3.9 percent above a year earlier and prices on underwear and nightwear declined 2.9 percent in October, but were 5 percent higher than a year earlier.

In women’s, wholesale prices on tai-lored jackets and vests fell 1 percent in October, but were 5.9 percent high-er than October 2010, while prices on swimwear fell 0.3 percent in October but were 2.6 percent higher than a year

earlier. Wholesale prices on U.S.-made dresses rose 0.2 percent in the month and 0.7 percent for the year.

“Inflation pressures are easing as com-modity prices have fallen,” said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight. “That’s good news for manufac-turers who aren’t seeing the same sort of cost pressures as earlier in the year.”

The PPI for apparel is not con-sidered a key indicator, since a vast

majority of goods are imported. The Consumer Price Index, released Wednesday, is a more important gauge, since it includes all goods sold at retail.

Further down the pipeline, prices on U.S.-made finished fabrics and knits were still showing signs of inflationary pressure. Wholesale prices on finished fabrics rose 0.6 percent in October and were 8.6 percent higher than October 2010, while prices on knits rose 1.1 per-cent last month and were 14.6 percent above a year earlier. Wholesale prices on U.S.-made yarns fell 2 percent in October but were still 15.9 percent above a year earlier, while prices on U.S.-made gray fabrics fell 0.9 percent in October but were 16.8 percent higher than a year earlier.

— K.E.

By KRISTI ELLIS

WASHINGTON — Consumers pulled back on spending on apparel and acces-sories in October, as sales at specialty and department stores fell, a U.S. Commerce Department report said Tuesday.

Sales at clothing and accessories stores dipped a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent to $19.1 billion in October com-pared with September, while sales at department stores declined 1.2 percent to $15.3 billion last month. General mer-chandise stores, which include discount-ers and department stores, had a flat month with sales holding at $53.1 billion.

“Apparel specialty stores have been growing quite strongly, and a pullback in one particular month is not overly con-cerning,” said Scott Hoyt, senior direc-tor of consumer economics at Moody’s Analytics. “Department stores have been trending flat, and the flatness in gener-al merchandise sales suggests there is pretty good growth at warehouse clubs and supercenters, which offset the de-cline in department store sales.”

October is traditionally a clearance month as retailers gear up for the holi-day season, said Kevin Regan, senior managing director of FTI Consulting.

“I think retailers took the position that October is not a critical month any-way,” Regan said. “It is usually a clear-ance month for retailers who are pre-paring for the holiday season, but the numbers are still holding up.”

On a year-over-year basis, apparel and accessories stores sales were up 5.8 percent last month compared with October 2010, while sales at general

merchandise stores were 3.8 percent higher than a year earlier. The only weakness was in department store sales, which were down 0.2 percent year-over-year.

“It’s sort of like defining the law of gravity, because the consumer is spend-ing money and showing signs of keeping the economy going, despite the fact that the housing market is still weaker than a year ago, wages are weak and there has been very little income growth,” Regan said.

In the overall economy, retail sales edged up 0.5 percent in October to $397.7 billion, beating economists’ ex-pectations and signaling some strength in broader consumer spending, particu-larly in the electronics and appliances, building supply and online sectors.

“Even though the American con-sumer faces strong headwinds — low consumer confidence, high unemploy-ment rates, higher prices and poor wage growth — they are still willing to splurge on that one expensive item every once in a while,” said Chris G. Christopher Jr., senior principal economist at IHS Global Insight.

Christopher attributed the strength in overall retail sales in part to the release of Apple’s iPhone 4S, which helped drive up sales at electronics stores by 3.7 percent in October. But, he warned it was not necessarily a boost in overall consumer demand.

“Department and clothing stores took a major hit in October, indicating that demand for a particular set of products, rather than an improvement in overall consumer demand, is driving the in-crease in retail sales,” Christopher said.

BETTER SALES LED off-price giant The TJX Cos. Inc. to a 9.2 percent rise in third-quarter profit.

Net income increased to $406.5 million, or $1.06 a diluted share, from $372.3 million, or 92 cents, a year earli-er. Earnings per share met Wall Street’s expectations.

Sales for the three months ended Oct. 29 rose 4.8 percent to $5.79 billion from $5.53 billion with a 3 percent rise in comparable-store sales.

“Although it’s still early, November is off to a strong start,” said Carol Meyrowitz, chief executive officer.

Meyrowitz said the company was bullish about the fourth quarter, in part, because “our inventory position allows us to buy into current trends and

ship fresh gift assortments continuous-ly throughout the season; we are ready with great gift initiatives [and] our mar-keting campaigns will be seen by more people than ever before.”

For the full year, TJX expects adjust-ed earnings per share of $3.93 to $3.97, narrowing the range from its previous guidance, which projected profits of $3.89 to $3.97.

“We believe the off-price business model has proved to be quite resilient and expect continued market share gains over the years,” said Randal Konik, analyst at Jefferies. “Further, TJX’s ag-gressive advertising strategy heading into holiday is expected to drive traffic gains and shows the company remains on the offensive.” — EVAN CLARK

MILAN — Italy’s Benetton Group SpA said net profit for the third quarter dropped 33 percent to 31 million euros, or $44 million, from 46 million euros, or $59.3 million in the year-ago period, as high raw material costs and a decrease in revenues impacted the bottom line.

The group’s chief executive officer for operations, Biagio Chiarolanza, said the company faces a “very critical” situation in its main reference markets. Operating profit for 2011 “will be in line with fore-casts, lower than in the last financial year,” he noted.

Revenues in the three months ended Sept. 30 fell 5.1 percent to 575 million euros, or $816.5 million, compared with 606 million euros, or $781.74 million, a year earlier, as sales in the company’s traditional markets of Western Europe contracted, and after “rationalization of the stores network” in the U.S. and Japan.

However, “development of new mar-

kets continues in an encouraging way,” the company said, citing “excellent re-sults” in Mexico, India and Russia dur-ing the first nine months of the year.

Dollar amounts have been converted at average exchange rates for the periods to which they refer.

The company said that, while pres-sure on raw material costs has eased in the last few months, prices remain “well above the historic average and will therefore continue to impact on margins in coming quarters.”

Chiarolanza noted that the fourth quarter started “in an environment of growing uncertainty in established markets, which are the countries of greatest importance in our portfolio. Margins remain under pressure, and robust control of costs is a priority in order to defend profitability, in line with what has been done in recent years.” — GORDON SORLINI

TJX Profit Up in Third Quarter

Benetton Net Drops 33 Percent

7.2%INCREASE IN MEN’S APPAREL PRICES

COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 2010.

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Presidential Pool Stirs Tax DebateBy KRISTI ELLIS

WASHINGTON — Reforming the U.S. tax sys-tem has become a key topic of the 2012 presi-dential race, and some proposals could have major implications for retail investment and hiring, as well as consumer spending.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are consider-ing several proposals aimed at easing the bur-den on businesses and families while avoid-ing adding to the nation’s staggering debt.

The National Retail Federation and Retail Industry Leaders Association welcomed a plan last month by House Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.) that would lower the top corporate tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent and eliminate certain tax de-ductions and credits.

Wal-Mart Store Inc.’s president and chief executive officer Mike Duke, testifying before the Senate Finance Committee in July, pressed Congress for a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to the “mid-20s.” He said Wal-Mart paid $4.7 billion in corporate taxes in the U.S. last year, a 32.2 percent effective cor-porate tax rate, representing about one-third of all corporate income taxes the Treasury Department collected.

“We’re not here to ask for sympathy,” Duke told the senators. “The question is not wheth-er Wal-Mart as a company can get by under the current tax structure. The real question is whether this structure is the best approach for our country. We believe it is not.”

To varying degrees, the tax reform propos-als advanced by the GOP presidential candi-dates address the issue and call for reducing the corporate tax burden on companies.

While President Obama has not made a for-mal proposal to overhaul the current tax sys-tem, he has focused on more short-term tax re-lief for businesses and individuals and families. As part of his job plan unveiled in September, Obama proposed several tax cuts, including a tax break of up to $4,000 for employers who hire workers unemployed for more than six months, a payroll tax cut for employers on the first $5 million in wages, a temporary elimina-tion of the 6.2 percent tax that firms pay for any growth in payroll up to $50 million above the prior year and a tax break that will allow com-panies to immediately deduct the full value of new equipment and plants in 2012.

The president said he would pay for his plan in part by allowing tax cuts implement-ed by former President George W. Bush for high-income wage earners making more than $250,000 a year to expire in 2012.

At the center of the debate among Republican presidential hopefuls is the flat tax — a perennial conservative favorite — and the proposals contain a variety of ideas, ranging from a flat individual income tax to a national sales tax. Retailers and economists are warily evaluating the potential impact of the proposals.

Luxury retailers and brands — and high-income earners — stand to benefit from a flat income tax that would lower the highest mar-ginal personal income tax rate from its current 35 percent, but discounters and low-income earners would likely be hurt if a national sales tax was enacted, according to some economists and industry experts. Many feel a sales tax puts a greater burden on low- and middle-in-come earners, since people need to purchase basic needs regardless of what they earn.

The economic plan of presidential candidate Rick Perry, governor of Texas, calls for individu-als to have an option of staying within the cur-rent income tax structure or moving into a new flat-tax system that would cap the individual in-come tax rate at 20 percent. Perry’s plan would also reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent and eliminate taxes and dividends as well as capital gains taxes.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, considered the GOP’s current front-running candidate for presi-dent, has called for extending the tax cuts implemented under President George W. Bush, as well as lowering the corporate tax rate to 25 percent.

Perhaps the biggest eyebrow-raising plan causing consternation in the fashion industry is the “9-9-9 plan” proposed by Herman Cain, former ceo of Godfather’s Pizza, whose candidacy has been besieged by recent al-legations Cain sexually harassed several women, which

has overtaken coverage of his tax proposal. The plan would reduce the personal income tax to 9 percent and reduce the corporate tax rate to 9 percent but create a new federal sales tax of 9 percent that would be added to existing state and local sales taxes.

“We are in favor of closing loopholes and eliminat-ing deductions to lower the overall corporate tax rate to make more companies more competitive and allow them to invest in growth and jobs,” said Bill Hughes, se-nior vice president of government affairs at RILA.

But the organization, which represents a large swath of the mass-merchant sector, is opposed to plans such as

Cain’s that include a national sales tax, he said.“We believe that would actually reduce con-

sumer spending and would be harmful at the retail level,” Hughes said. “We think a national sales tax is anathema to growth in retail sales.”

As for Cain’s proposal specifically, Hughes said 45 states currently collect sales tax, ranging from 6 to 10 percent, and a 9 percent federal tax on top of that would cause “peo-ple to buy less and retailers to sell less.”

“We don’t like it,” Hughes said.As for Romney’s support of extending the

Bush tax cuts, Hughes said on the face of it, it would give more people more disposable income, but a concern is finding an offset so as not to increase the national debt.

Rachelle Bernstein, vice president and tax counsel at the NRF, said the organiza-tion is opposed to consumption taxes but has not taken a position on any of the GOP candi-dates’ proposals.

A PricewaterhouseCoopers study for the NRF in 2000 concluded that a flat tax as re-placement for the income tax would lead to a decline in consumer spending for six years after enactment and a decline in gross do-mestic product for six years. Similarly, a flat national sales tax as replacement for income taxes would lead to a decline in consumer spending for eight years after enactment and a decline in GDP for three years.

“NRF is opposed to consumption taxes because it will be such a big burden on con-sumer spending,” Bernstein said. “We have done studies on replacing the income tax with a consumption tax, and they showed that depending on the type of the tax, consumer spending would decline six to eight years.”

John Lonski, chief economist at Moody’s Capital Markets Group, said a flat income tax rate, such as the one proposed by Perry, could help spur spending by the middle-income and upper-income consumers over time, but he warned the inherent risk in depriving the government of revenue and a deeper expan-sion of the nation’s debt could lead to further turmoil in the financial markets.

“[Perry’s plan] would help luxury retailers, and the hope would be that, given the depen-dency of job creation on smaller businesses with fewer than 50 employees, which account for 45 percent of private sector jobs, cutting the marginal tax rate significantly would also cut the tax rate of small businesses…and pro-vide a boost in hiring activity,” Lonski said.

Many small businesses pay taxes at the rate approximated by the highest marginal tax rate on personal income.

“The Cain proposal would provide a major boost in spending by the middle- and upper-income households [because it would lower the individual tax rate from a high of 35 percent to 9 percent],” said Lonski. “The increase in after-tax income would offset higher national sales taxes.”

But he warned that lower-end retailers like Wal-Mart could be negatively impacted, as opposed to high-end brands and retail-ers such as Coach or Nordstrom, because the savings derived from a lower income tax might not help lower-income consumers, who would then be faced with paying more for consumer goods.

Andrew Fitzpatrick, director of investments at Hinsdale Associations, said he believes re-tailers and businesses will “warm up” to some of the proposals, which “could spark an im-provement in their climate, and that could lead to a good environment for retailers.”

He said the Perry plan will help all retail-ers “because it puts more money into the hands of consumers, and it is a plan that will be more cash-flow positive for consumers and lessen

their tax burden.”Fitzpatrick said the Cain plan would ultimately

lower the tax base and tax payments and called it “tax friendly” overall.

“The component of a national sales tax is certainly something that is front and center, and there is probably going to be a bit of a pullback in terms of spending and the fear around actually incurring that,” he added. “But I think the initial reaction to it may be a little overblown because when you do the math, ultimately the tax con-sequences will be beneficial compared to where we are now. That could bode well for luxury retailers.”

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WHEN VICTORIA Beckham launched her ready-to-wear collection in 2008, she knew what industry people were think-ing. A Spice Girl-turned-soccer wife had dared to put herself in the same sentence as designer? “I’m very aware of people’s preconceptions,” said Beckham in a question-and-answer session with execu-tive editor Bridget Foley Monday night at WWD’s Apparel and Retail CEO Summit. “But the product spoke for itself.”

She went ahead with her vision of em-powering women with flattering, sophis-ticated and luxuriously made clothes, all done with the sage advice of a well-sea-soned friend in mind. “When I was start-ing out I remember Marc Jacobs saying, ‘As long as the quality is great, then peo-ple can say it’s not their personal taste, but they can’t say that it’s rubbish,’” said Beckham. “And that’s very true.”

Eight seasons in, no one is rolling their eyes at Victoria Beckham. The collection has expanded into handbags, eyewear and a more affordable line, Victoria by Victoria Beckham, that hits retail for spring. “In the first collection we pro-duced 400 dresses and we had nine retail partners internationally, and now we’re producing about 500 pieces with all cate-gories in just over 300 stores worldwide,” said Beckham. “Though I’m trying to take baby steps, the business is growing very quickly. Our turnover year-over-year has increased over 120 percent. I think to any-one’s standards that’s very impressive.”

Even before she was Posh Spice, Beckham wanted to be in fashion. In 2005 she formed a branding partnership with David Beckham, her husband, and Simon Fuller, the British music mogul who created the “Pop Idol” and “American Idol” franchises, and owns XIX Entertainment. When the trio was given the oppor-tunity to launch dVb, a denim and sunglasses line, under a license in 2006, “I jumped at the chance,” said Beckham. “I just wanted to design. It was a great learning curve. I learned so much about how I like to do things, how I don’t like to do things, the pros and cons of having someone to answer to. And as soon as we could — myself and Simon and David — afford to bring everything in-house, I jumped at the chance to do that. I could bring in the correct experts for each category and now it’s a dream come true. I have two partners who give me free rein to do pretty much what I want to do creatively. No one is breath-ing down my neck.”

Read between the lines and it’s ob-vious that the licensing model was not ideal, but Beckham prefers not to rehash the downside of the deal. “I’m a very pos-itive person. For me the glass is always half full,” she said. “And though there were challenges in the beginning, we’re in a position now where everything is in-house.” That was made possible by the success of the Beckhams’ fragrances with Coty — the only element of the Beckham brand that still operates on a license.

In the name of quality and control — Beckham professes to be a control freak — Victoria Beckham is produced in England, Victoria in Portugal, and the handbags are handmade in Italy. In 2009, the jeans and sunglasses were re-launched under the Victoria Beckham Denim and Eyewear labels.

The rtw collection started with an ultra-body-conscious aesthetic. Dresses were whippet thin, structured and sold with a corset to maximize a flattering fit from all angles — something Beckham is hyper-aware of after her many red-carpet mo-ments. The style has since evolved toward voluminous looks, coats and, for spring, sportier elements. “Now that I’ve been doing it a little bit longer I can take more risks, working with volume away from the body, which is very different from where I started out,” said Beckham. “I never try to follow a trend or fashion; I just do what feels right. Everything that I make, from glasses to a handbag to a dress, is something I would wear and carry myself. People ask who my customer is — I love to

do in-store events with my retail partners, I love to meet my customers and get feed-back — but I’m my customer.”

Beckham is also a married mother of four — the most recent addition, Harper, was born in July and is the family’s first girl. Beckham lives in Los Angeles and shows in New York, while her team is in London. That’s a lot of coordination for someone who does not need the money, so why bother?

“There are quite a few video conferenc-es at 5 a.m. with me in my dressing gown, holding baby,” said Beckham. “For me it’s

no different than it is for a lot of women out there. It’s like juggling glass balls. I love it.”

She stressed the importance of focus, yet when asked what her five-year plan is, she came up blank. “I have big dreams and high hopes but I don’t know what’s next.” In the short term, e-commerce is a priority, with a site aimed to be up and running by mid-2012. The rest is in the hands of her partners. “I trust Simon 100 percent,” said Beckham. “I’ve known him since I was probably 18 and in the Spice Girls, and he’s always believed in me. When I was about to show my own collec-

tion, I called him and said, ‘Simon, I’m really nervous.’ And he said, ‘You have nothing to be nervous about. Just enjoy yourself and have fun,’ which was great. He never put any pressure on me.

“I’m really getting the best of both worlds with Simon being a fantastic, genius businessman and a very good friend,” said Beckham. “He’s really good about thinking outside the box, which is important as well. You know, I’m proof that you don’t have to play by the rules all the time.”

— JESSICA IREDALE

BRANDEVERYWHERE

WWD 2011 CEO SUMMIT

VICTORIA BECKHAM

I never try to follow a trend or fashion; I just

do what feels right. — VICTORIA BECKHAM

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HAIDER ACKERMANN ISN’T gunning for a big red-carpet moment to rocket his career. In fact, when he had his first one with Tilda Swinton, he went on vacation as planned.

Unswerving as that may have been, the Colombian-born designer is not about to compromise his individu-alism or cash in on the celebrity quota. During a Q&A with WWD’s executive editor Bridget Foley, Ackermann discussed his artistic approach to fashion. While the Antwerp Fashion Academy of Fine Arts grad has not ruled out developing a secondary label, and does like the idea of designing jewelry, he explained why he remains focused on developing his signature style, and how time is the greatest luxury.

— ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

Bridget Foley: You said just a few hours ago, “China, growth, Twitter, expansion — we are talking also about fashion.” Where’s the mystery? Where’s the romanticism? Where’s the dream? How much stress do you find between the cre-ative process and the demands of business in an increas-ing global and all-access world?Haider Ackermann: It’s very difficult, because you have to question yourself, how much you preserve of yourself and how much you give to the outside world. I’m going through a very delicious time at the moment. People are getting so demanding, but you have to protect yourself. Listening to Tory Burch this morning was very interest-ing because it is very opposite of what I’m about — all this Twitter, Internet, Facebook, I don’t have any of that. Maybe I will change my way of thinking, but for the mo-ment I prefer to focus on the message I will send there.

B.F.: How do you channel that one message when you are not involved with social media, and unlike many of your peers, have not embraced the role of a quote-unquote ce-lebrity designer? You shy away from that.H.A.: Sometimes it’s very difficult in this business, be-cause as a designer you have the feeling you have to be a celebrity. It’s almost as though it is you coming before your work. Now all the rules are changing. It scares me a lot, actually.

B.F.: You are one of the most sought-after designers. How do you describe your aesthetic and why do you think it has caught on? You are making the transition from al-most an insider cult fashion favorite to much more main-stream, with a following.H.A.: I’ve been very lucky to be protected by big persons like Mr. Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour, and suddenly ev-erything took different proportions. And I think maturity and having the right kind of signature. People are just paying attention.

B.F.: How do you describe your aesthetic?H.A.: In this world we are in now, it is very difficult to talk about beauty, because we talk about so many things. And there is so much violence out there. For me, I am just try-ing to search for a kind of beauty or elegance that I might believe in. How to describe it, I don’t know. I am trying to figure that out as well.

B.F.: Your early work wasn’t as colorful as it is now, and you have been likened to some of the greatest colorists since Yves Saint Laurent. Where does the color come from? What speaks to you about that right now?H.A.: I’m just happy more. It’s stupid but it’s true, so that might help. When you’re a designer — it sounds rather foolish and romantic — you just design who you are, what you’re going through or what is happening in your life….It translates into your work. Perhaps when you’re in love everything is more generous.

B.F.: In the past there was an intimacy between designer and actress, a faithfulness that is missing right now. Talk a little bit about your take on that level between the celeb-rity and the fashion designer. H.A.: Nowadays everything seems so forced. In the past, you had Mr. Saint Laurent and Catherine Deneuve or Audrey Hepburn and Mr. Givenchy, everything came across natu-rally. I think this is the beauty of a relationship that you can build up with an actress. I think the volume that is going on with the red carpet is kind of a prostitution. You just throw the clothes to the people. I like to develop a re-lationship. Certainly in America it’s very important that lots of actresses are wearing your clothes, and it helps your sales. It doesn’t feel honest to me. If I haven’t met a person before, if I don’t know what she’s about, if I don’t have any connection to her, why should I do it? B.F.: Why do you think the importance of the red carpet has exploded so much?H.A.: It has to do with the media. That’s all that counts at the moment. Everybody is only looking at that.

B.F.: Do you have other specific inspirations, or do you have a muse? H.A.: I don’t believe in the word “muse.” I think every magazine is talking about muses. Muse used to be a silent person, where the woman I am attracted to is very verbal. I need that kind of exchange.

B.F.: You do have a special relationship with Tilda Swinton. Would you talk about that for a minute? First of all, what do you think of her style?H.A.: What I like about her is that when she’s doing some-thing, she stands behind it without worrying whether people like it or not. Also, it’s very interesting when a lady wears something that is kind of ugly. At least it ques-tions you. It’s not all about having beautiful breasts and red lipstick and a beautiful ass. In the Sixties, we had Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren which were fantastic. Perhaps now the role of the woman should be moving for-ward, and Tilda is helping that. Eight years ago, after my second show, she contacted me, and we’ve collaborated for eight years now.

B.F.: Initially you wouldn’t change your plans for her, right?H.A.: Absolutely not. Eight years ago, she asked me to dress her for Cannes, and I had to make this evening dress, and her agent and everyone called me, saying, “Please, please, be there.” And I said, no, I’m going to India. I have a trip with the person I love. I’m not going to change anything. I’m just going to go. So ev-eryone was kind of shocked, but I think she respected the fact that I didn’t show up. You have to very much listen to yourself. Otherwise, you get absorbed by the whole system.

B.F.: Speaking of the system, the fashion calendar, the number of collections, the increasing interest in speed to market because things are seen so quickly in real time — what is the impact of that on the creative side?H.A.: First, I do believe time is the new luxury, because we don’t take the time, especially in fashion. You don’t ask a writer to write 10 books in one year. You don’t ask a filmmaker to make six films a year. It’s going to such ex-tremes — you have a cruise collection, a pre-collection….How much can you squeeze from a person? It’s good to question ourselves. How much do we have to do? How many collections? Are we not losing ourselves by acting like this? Are we not losing ourselves by doing too much? To do something beautiful, you have to spend time on it. When you see Mr. [Azzedine] Alaïa’s work, you can see he is spending time on it. We are rushing, we are running. How can you make a beautiful product if you don’t have the time for it?

B.F.: Do you think the major brands that set the business side of fashion have to almost give up something on the creative side to be so big, so vast and so powerful?H.A.: Yes, in the big industry, they all think that every de-signer is replaceable. That is simply not true. Some de-signers have a soul.

B.F.: That sounds like a window. Do you have any thoughts on any houses that might have an opening?H.A.: No.

B.F.: What’s great about fashion?H.A.: I love the idea that fashion can be a beautiful prod-uct and that I still believe that fashion can make people dream. I like to think it’s my role to make people dream.

THE RULES OF retailing have changed dra-matically and merchants must understand what drives today’s consumer if they hope to succeed.

To help companies navigate these unchart-ed waters, Michael Dart, principal and head of private equity and strategy at Kurt Salmon Associates, co-authored a book titled “The New Rules of Retail: Competing in the World’s Marketplace” with Robin Lewis. The book de-tails three waves of retail, starting around 1850 and running until today. From 1850 to 1950, most of the U.S. population lived in rural communi-ties and there were two dominant retail models: the general merchandise or regional depart-ment store, and the catalogue. This was the height of the industrial revolution and the “era of producer power,” he said. However, it was also a time when there was a large amount of unfulfilled consumer need because production could not keep up with demand.

From 1950 to around 1980, Dart added, the climate was marked by enormous investment in infrastructure, triggering explosive growth in retail stores of all types. Retail was dominated by Sears Roebuck, Wal-Mart launched, and spe-cialty retailers such as Gap entered the picture. With all these choices, it was the era of market-ing power, he said, when brands realized they needed to not only produce goods, but also ad-vertise and market them in order to stand out from the competition.

The third wave, from 1980 to 2011, saw the advent of big-box retailers and the expansion and explosion of retailers of all types. New tech-nology also had a vast impact on the business. Dart said this is the era of consumer power, where “great product and marketing is the price of entry,” and to win, retailers need something more. It’s also the era of retail saturation, with more than 42 square feet per capita in the U.S. “The consumer has enormous choice,” he said.

At the same time, the cost of producing mer-chandise has decreased and there’s quicker and easier access to product than ever before. Couple that with the “information overload” that has swept through our society, and it’s easy

to see how consumers have the upper hand. “There’s a big shift from needing stuff to de-manding experiences,” he said.

There are also moves from conformity to cus-tomization, from plutocracy to democracy, from new to new and now, and from self to commu-nity, Dart said.

This has resulted in three new rules govern-ing retail today. The first is “neurological connec-tivity,” he said, which means brands must reach consumers through all five of their traditional senses as well as through their sixth sense — the mind. This requires retailers to create excite-ment and anticipation through such strategies as flash sales and limited edition product.

The second rule is preemptive distribution, Dart said, which means retailers must work to reach customers first — before their competitors — and in whatever way consumers desire. He used the example of Kohl’s trying to siphon off custom-ers by building a store between a community of time-starved working moms and a J.C. Penney.

The final rule of retail is the battle for the control of the value chain of design, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics and distribution.

Dart said the practical implications of these rules is that 50 percent of all brands in exis-tence today will disappear, wholesale brands will accelerate the opening of their own stores, traditional retailers will increase their percent-age of exclusive and private brands, department stores will roll out specialty chains and pop-up stores will continue to make strides as a “strate-gic weapon” for brands.

— JEAN E. PALMIERI

MICHAEL DARTHAIDER ACKERMANN

12 WWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

NORMA KAMALI IS a firm believer in the power of the Internet.

In a conversation with Peter Guber, chairman and chief ex-ecutive officer of Mandalay Entertainment Group, they spoke about the power of storytelling, digital retailing and the future of fashion.

“I believe the Internet is profound in its growth, its power and its future,” said Kamali. To this end, she will launch a new collection called Kamali Kulture exclusively on sites such as Zappos.com and Amazon.com in February with styles that retail under $100. It will also be available on her own site, KamaliKulture.com, that goes live in January. Kamali’s three-year deal with Wal-Mart has ended, which was both an in-store and Internet venture.

Innovation has always been a key component of Kamali’s fash-ion philosophy, and she continues to move in new directions.

“Retail is not in a good place and needs to be rethought,” said the forward-thinking Kamali, who first came up with the Sleeping Bag Coat, a collection created from actual para-chutes, and has had countless innovations in swimwear and activewear. The designer said she is looking for new space in Manhattan for a retail venture and may reconfigure her West 56th Street location. “I want to present a new idea and am looking for spaces now,” said Kamali, noting that she wants to create an environment where people can experience some-thing and feel connected to her and her products. Without di-vulging details, she asked: Why should women come into her store, take off their clothes and try on swimwear in the middle of winter? “What is wrong with me? How can I ask a woman to do that? I think there are alternate concepts for that retail experience,” said Kamali.

Having designed high-end clothing under her OMO line, Kamali ex-plained why she wanted to design a collection at the other end of the spec-trum, for Wal-Mart, and what she learned from that experience.

“It was a great experi-ence, and I met incredible suppliers,” said Kamali, who said she not only learned another language, but how to manufacture styles that could look ex-traordinary, fit well, last and have a great price point. She explained that her Wal-Mart clothing line was the retailer’s top on-line clothing brand. She also liked the experience of addressing women on a clothing budget and em-powering women. “I real-ly wanted that to be a part of me and my company,” said Kamali.

In fact, that’s the ratio-nale behind her new col-lection. Kamali Kulture will include pants, jackets, suitings, jersey dressing, sleepwear and swimwear. “Staying in this price point under $100 is really a very important place for me to be in this point in my career,” said Kamali, who was dressed in Kamali Kulture. “The online retailers have been very respon-sive. I want to personalize the orders to have exclusive prints and colors.”

Guber asked Kamali whether she feels she’s cannibalizing her high-end business, and Kamali said she didn’t think so. She said her two lines aren’t similar. “The collection I do for my company, OMO, is quite different. It’s more fashion, and what I do for under $100 is more timeless. Women who have style can take pieces like this and have fun with them. Women who don’t know and don’t have a clue can put on the clothes and look great.” Kamali said the rule of exclusively wearing one brand or one price range is over. “We like to be smart. And I, like other women, like to say, ‘My outfit is under $100,’ ” she said.

Kamali recalled where her fascination with computers originated. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she wanted to be a painter because she thought the fashion industry was too superficial. Recognizing it would be difficult to make a living as a painter, she looked for alter-natives. She loved to travel and got an office job at an airline, even though she didn’t know how to type. “It was the mid-Six-ties, and there I was, sitting in front of a computer. That indus-try was such an innovator in communication. I was watching information pop up, I knew everything that was going on, with all the planes and all the trafficking, and I was very excited about it. Then fast-forward into the mid-Nineties, I heard you can have a Web site on the computer. I didn’t know anyone who had one, but I was going to have one. I was so excited and wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to communicate with my customer. I wanted to tell my story and tell it directly. I want-ed my customer to know me and know why I had this point of view,” she said. Kamali launched her Web site in 1996 and created a “Try Before You Buy Service,” which allowed cus-

tomers to decide in the privacy of their own homes and only pay for what they kept. Her staff offered support through vehicles like Skype. Kamali was also the first designer to create a virtual online store on eBay.

Guber asked what was so compelling about digital media that allowed her to tell her story.

“This medium changes every day. And I’m a change-aholic. I like to know what’s next. The fact that it’s changing all the time is exciting to me,” said Kamali.

She said she recently did a 3-D fashion show for the spring collection. “Social media is extraordinary. Wal-Mart didn’t do any advertising or promotion for the collection, but the blog-gers put that line right at the top of the Wal-Mart brand list for clothing. They [bloggers] are so loyal and dedicated when they get behind something they believe in, and they tell it in a personal way,” said Kamali.

During the question-and-answer period, an audience mem-ber asked Kamali if she still designs. “I love designing. I love making patterns. I still make all my swimwear patterns, be-cause I love it. I really want to feel connected to the craft. I’ve chosen to be a designer not owned by a big company, so I can do lots of different things. Keeping my hand on patterns and draping is very important. It makes me feel every single col-lection is my first collection,” she said.

Prior to his Q&A with Kamali, Guber offered his thoughts on making emotional connections with an audience. In addi-tion to being a top entertainment executive, Guber is the au-thor of the book, “Tell To Win: Connect, Persuade and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story,” a New York Times bestseller.

Before co-founding Mandalay, Guber was chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as chairman and ceo of Polygram Entertainment, co-founder of Casablanca Records & Filmworks and president of Columbia Pictures. He has produced or executive-produced box office hits such as “Rain Man,” “The Color Purple,” “Midnight Express,” “Batman,” “Flashdance” and “The Kids Are All Right.” He also owns the Golden State Warriors NBA franchise.

Guber believes strongly in the power of storytelling, and explained that when information is bonded with emotion, it becomes much more memorable and actionable. He said that the world has had 40,000 years of aural tradition, which is in one’s DNA. “The last nanosecond is digital technology. You’re wired to tell each other stories. Engagement is crucial, and narrative gives meaning to our lives.”

For example, he spoke about the importance of being in the same room, face to face. “Nobody is going to hire someone over Skype unless they’re the village idiot….I want to see the passion in their eyes,” he said.

Guber explained that it’s imperative to engage online and off-line. He believes that one needs to motivate one’s audience with a story. “You have to get their attention before you get their intention….Authenticity is powerful. It shines through. It comes before you speak the first word. Why? You’re wired that way.”

If you’re trying to sell something or get a new client, Guber advised: “Look at that person at the other side of the table as an audience, not a customer. Don’t aim at their wallet, aim at their heart. Think of what audiences want. They want experi-ences. You don’t have to be a comedian or a showman. You just have to be breathing.” Further, he said, connections are crucial for communication. “Nobody wants to be a passenger anymore. They want to participate in the process. Leave room for them.” — LISA LOCKWOOD

GREATER USE OF credit and less saving by consumers might make for happy holi-days for U.S. retailers this year, but the good cheer isn’t likely to carry over into 2012.

Speaking at the WWD Summit Monday, Michael McNamara, vice president and global solutions leader of MasterCard Advisors, pointed out that retail sales have continued to grow on a year-over-year basis, but that second-half results have been marked by a deceleration. Including gasoline and groceries, October sales ex-panded about 5 percent, down from gains in the 8 percent range for most of the year.

“How are people paying for retail sales now?” he asked the audience. “A reduced savings rate and increasing consumer credit. You can live on that for a little while, but that’s not sustain-able over the long term.”

What’s needed, he said, is meaning-ful improvement in payrolls, wages and unemployment. Without these, “when I look at all the pieces of the economic puzzle, it becomes harder and harder to fit them together.” Retailers will also face more formidable same-store sales comparisons next year, he pointed out.

Apparel was one of several catego-ries that has weakened late in the year, whereas groceries, electronics and hard-ware were trending upward and “eating away at other categories.” Luxury sales were off slightly in October, he said, with New York and other key markets affect-ed, but had resumed a healthier pace so far this month.

“As long as the stock market holds up, [there’s] no need to worry about gas prices with this customer,” he said.

He said it’s unlikely that gas prices during the remainder of the year will fall to $3.15 or below, the price at which consumption would be likely to acceler-ate among average consumers.

Pressed on how the political cli-mate could affect performance at re-tail, the MasterCard executive said

the Federal Reserve Board rarely takes steps in an election year that are damaging to an incumbent president. However, he is keeping a wary eye on the Congressional Super Committee scheduled to release its report on the federal budget, debts and deficits on Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving and just two days before so-called Black Friday, expected again to be the highest-volume day of the year.

“Whoever put those dates together ob-viously didn’t know retail,” he quipped.

McNamara projected that, “as long as the weather cooperates, Black Friday this year should be the first $20 billion day in this country,” with sales estimat-ed to reach $20.3 billion.

He expects growth in e-commerce to continue to outpace retail sales in gen-eral, noting that a few years ago, online sales exceeded $1 billion just three days of the year, a number likely to climb to “at least” 10 in 2011. Overall retail sales for the season, spanning Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, are expected to hit $657 billion, more than $41 billion of that attributable to e-commerce.

Additionally, he surprised many in the audience with his finding that 40 percent of holiday sales are made be-fore the Monday after Thanksgiving, using it to put listeners on notice that “you really have to get it done before Halloween.” — ARNOLD J. KARR

MICHAEL MCNAMARA

NORMA KAMALI AND PETER GUBER BRANDEVERYWHERE

WWD 2011 CEO SUMMIT

WWD.COMWWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 13

WITH HIS DEPARTMENT stores on the upswing, Richard Baker, chairman of the Hudson’s Bay Co., con-tinues to bet on the format.

“We have recently invested $3 million to open two new Lord & Taylor Home stores, a natural extension of the Lord & Taylor brand,” Baker said at the summit. “If we get this right, we could have a $1 billion opportu-nity” to roll out the format.

Then there’s a $5 million investment to open the first Topshop store inside The Bay department store in the Yorkdale section of Toronto as the exclusive franchisee in the country. “If it doesn’t work, we lose $5 million. If it does work, we are on our way to building a $300 mil-lion business and driving new customers to The Bay.” With one permanent Topshop open as well as three Topshop pop-ups in other Bay stores, additional units are contemplated for other locations, which generally have too much space and need to increase productivity.

To that end, Baker noted that more than $300 million has been invested in store renovations at The Bay and Lord & Taylor divisions. “We plan on spending another $500 million over the next three years,” Baker disclosed.

“Business has never been stronger,” he said. “Over the past two years, Lord & Taylor sales are up over 20 percent and at The Bay, after 20 consecutive years of negative comps, we are trending this season at a posi-

tive comp of 10 percent. Our overall EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] has risen from $165 million to $500 million.”

The Lord & Taylor Home stores, in Paramus and Shrewsbury, N.J., sell upscale kitchen, bedding and bath products and are being merchandised by Home Outfitters, which operates in Canada and is another di-vision of the Toronto-based Hudson’s Bay Trading Co. A year ago, the Lord & Taylor flagship in Manhattan reconfigured its ninth floor into a home department with offerings from Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Jonathan Adler, among other brands.

Baker, a real estate developer wearing a new hat as a retailer, took his first big bet on department stores in 2005 when he “saw the world changing and a huge opportunity to buy some large retailers that owned their own real estate.”

He was attracted to Lord & Taylor as a “dusty, old brand” that could be improved and had a “fabulous

portfolio of properties” including the 650,000-square-foot Fifth Avenue flagship. Baker’s firm, then called NRDC, bought L&T for just over $1 billion, and he was met with skeptics who said he was in it for the real es-tate and wouldn’t support the retail operations.

Subsequently, Baker’s company took a 20 percent interest in Hudson’s Bay, again attracted by the real estate, particularly The Bay flagships in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa, that added hidden value to the company. “Public companies were giving very little credit to the real estate that retail-ers owned,” he said. Subsequently, the balance of the $7 billion, 650-unit Hudson’s Bay was purchased and later shrewdly paid off through the sale of 188 leases of Zellers, a former division of Hudson’s, for $1.8 billion to Target Corp., or 18 times the EBITDA of Zellers.

“I’ll be the first to admit that before we bought Lord & Taylor, I had no understanding of the customers’ at-tachment to the brand. The same goes for The Bay,” Baker said.

But as the weeks went by, “I was accosted in the stores by cultlike customers. They needed Lord & Taylor — whatever it was, our unique location in their town, a trusted sales associate, shoes, special sizes, an experience they had shopping with their mother 20 years earlier. They explained to me in great detail what they liked and what they didn’t. I kept thinking why are they shopping with us if they have so many issues. And then I understood. As long as we were trying and mak-ing progress, they would stick with us. That is the magic of a strong brand. Customers stick with you through ups and downs if they have brand affection.…Now I am more concerned with protecting the Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay brands than anything else we do. Both of these brands are rich in history, culture, tradition and, most importantly, customer affinity.”

His investment strategy for department stores was guided by a three-point philosophy: the value of real es-tate in retail, the importance of a brand and taking risks and being willing to fail. “If you never fail, you are not pushing the envelope hard enough. Real estate develop-ers have a highly tuned sense for risk versus reward.” Aside from L&T and Hudson’s Bay, Baker’s firm did invest in Linens-N-Things and Fortunoff, both of which were liquidated.

“If you don’t have a good instinct for what will work and be profitable, you will run out of money very quickly,” Baker said. “Real estate developers are ac-customed to risking small amounts of money to make very large returns. At the company, we talk about being fearless. Fearless does not mean taking crazy risks. Fearless means having the courage to look at things differently. It’s this type of thinking that we are convey-ing to our team at all levels.…The trick is to fail small and win big.”

He’s become a believer in department stores, which still have their fair share of detractors. “When the VCR was invented, that was supposed to be the end of mov-ies theaters. When online shopping was introduced,

that was supposed to be the end of brick-and-mortar. But what the pundits always seem to forget is that it’s really all about entertainment. It’s really about an ex-perience. People want to get out of their houses and be entertained. Department stores are about entertaining our customers with a wide array of products, services, brand experience and, yes, a great deal.”

Department stores, Baker added, are not as vulner-able to fashion risk as vertical retailers. “The large swings in sales at vertical retailers don’t occur in de-partment stores.”

— DAVID MOIN

If you don’t have a good instinct for what will work and be

profitable, you will run out of money very quickly.

— RICHARD BAKER, HUDSON’S BAY CO.

PETER WILLIAMS FEELS old. But that doesn’t stop the founder and chief execu-tive officer of Jack Wills from having a laser focus on his target customer: an 18- to 21-year-old student.

The British lifestyle brand that Williams launched in 1999 creates “fabu-lously British goods for the university crowd.” According to the brand’s Web site, Jack Wills takes its “influence from Britain’s rich history and culture, juxta-posed with a heavy dose of the hedonistic college lifestyle. We create authentic and relevant clothing for today. Jack Wills is all about excess, adventure and sexiness — and we don’t just say this stuff, we live it.”

Williams said that when he graduated from college, where he had perfected playing rugby and drinking beer, he was faced with three choices: continue his education and become an academic, launch a career as a professional rugby player or “get a job.” Realizing he was neither the professorial type nor rugby’s answer to David Beckham, he opted to enter the workforce.

He joined a consulting firm working with brands such as Nike and Virgin, and found he was “totally fascinated by brands on an intellectual level,” particu-larly those at a premium price point. He soon realized he wasn’t cut out to work for someone else and decided to branch out on his own. He was 23 years old and to-gether with a college friend, Robert Shaw, he set out to create a clothing brand that embodied the spirit of an 18- to 21-year-old, with all the naïvety and sexual energy that defines that demographic.

The result was Jack Wills, “an authen-tic British brand” that he believed could establish “a global footprint.” Then, as today, the world has a “great appetite for all things British,” he said, as evidenced by the royal wedding in April, which was watched by as much as 30 percent of the world’s population.

Hoping to capitalize on this appetite, Williams and Shaw scraped together some money and opened a 160-square-

foot store in Salcombe, Devon, a town similar to Nantucket, Mass., and opened the doors. They lived in an apartment above the store “in squalor, sleeping among mountains of unsold stock.”

But from Day One, Williams had a vi-sion of what the brand should be and who its target customer was. In Salcombe, he sought out the “opinion-makers,” such as the guys working on the ferry boats and the bartenders in town and cajoled them to wear Jack Wills. “That’s now called viral marketing,” Williams said.

The strategy worked and the young kids soon embraced this cool new brand, allowing Jack Wills to expand its reach, to the point that the company now oper-ates 54 stores around the world, includ-ing 11 in the U.S., and sales this year are expected to exceed $200 million.

“We’ve been hyper-selective in our store locations,” he said, “so we’re only consumed by our target audience,” who frequent bars and chalets in the winter and beaches in the summer. As a result, Williams sought a foothold in seasonal resorts or university towns, seeking out historic buildings that helped provide “authenticity” for the brand.

“We’re brand obsessives,” he said, noting that the U.S. locations include “grand town houses” in Boston and Philadelphia, as well as locations in sea-side towns such as Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. “We won’t open mar-ket stores,” he said. “Our philosophy is that every store should add value to the brand, not chip away at it.”

These authentic locations also serve to create relationships with the

young adults frequenting those areas. “It’s where they go on vacation or go to school,” he said. And when they see the cool, preppie, British-style pieces, such as redingotes, tweeds and tailcoats, it is “completely relevant” to their lives. “We mix heritage and contemporary all styled together as an authentic British look.”

In order to maintain its authenticity, Jack Wills has been working with his-toric British mills and manufacturers, whose “archives are priceless,” he said, even as Britain’s manufacturing base has almost disappeared.

Social media has also played a role in the success of Jack Wills. “We’ve always been multichannel from Day One,” he said, and the company uses the Web to “have a conversation” with its custom-ers. But he cautioned other companies to fully integrate their Web strategies into their business model so they appear “seamless. Otherwise, it will be seen as a fraud by the younger customer.” He also said brands need to stop just talking at their target audiences and instead work to create two-way relationships since they’re much more lasting.

In answer to a question from the audi-ence, Williams said that for Jack Wills to continue its relationship after its custom-ers turn 21, the company created Aubin & Wills to address “the next lifestage be-yond Jack Wills.” This allows customers to “grow up with the brand. Customer ac-quisition is expensive” and after having a relationship for several years, it makes no sense to let those customers go elsewhere. So Aubin & Wills is the natural extension.

— JEAN E. PALMIERI

PETER WILLIAMS

RICHARD BAKER


FEDERICO MARCHETTI, founder and chief executive officer of Yoox Group, is “obsessed” with making the global e-com-merce player a local force.

“To be global in this industry is not an easy job,” Marchetti said. “To do it prop-erly, you really need to do it locally.”

That belief has guided Yoox’s expansion in China, a market the company decided to tackle after raising 104.5 million euros, or about $158 million, in its December 2009 initial public offering in Milan.

The following year, Yoox tapped native talent to set up an office in Shanghai and switched on Emporio Armani’s online flagship for the coun-try. This year, a Dolce & Gabbana site was added along with a Chinese version of the company’s multibrand site, thecorner.com.

The visual presen-tation of the brands is crafted by Chinese photographers and other local specialists. Marchetti said the company invests in the country to establish credibility. Prices on the firm’s monobrand Web sites, which are listed in the local cur-rency, match the prices in the brands’ physical stores.

Shipments to the firm’s customers in China arrive in a bag with a bow — pack-aging designed especially for the mar-ket. And Yoox provides “butler service,” where the delivery person will wait for the customer to try on their order and see if they want to keep it or return it.

The company gets orders not just from Beijing and Shanghai, but from the coast-al cities and secondary markets.

Marchetti said the company is lay-ing important groundwork for the future

since the first-mover advantage in China is important.

“Be patient, you cannot think to make billions [in China] the first year,” he said. “It’s the only country in the world where Google is tiny.…For the next couple of years, we’re going to focus on China be-cause we want to do that very well.”

But China isn’t the only frontier for the company, which is on track to post sales of $400 million this year, has 31 e-com-merce sites and about 500 employees.

“We see a tremendous growth with the mobile commerce, especially with the iPad,” Marchetti said. “Around 10 per-

cent of traffic is com-ing from mobile com-merce, a little bit less in terms of sales.”

Instead of one over-arching mobile strat-egy, the company lets its individual business units build their own mobile skills.

Despite all of the changes at the compa-ny, Marchetti is proud of how well the Yoox.com off-price site has stood the test of time.

“The positioning of Yoox.com is not one of a discounter,” he said.

“I didn’t want to launch 12 years ago as a discounter because every time you make a statement on price it can be dangerous. It’s very short term. And I wanted Yoox.com to be innovative and I still think, you may like it or not like it, but there are not so many other Web sites like Yoox.com around, mixing fashion with design [at a] price, with vintage, with exclusives…with very high-quality projects. It’s still very innovative after 12 years and something that after 12 years doesn’t age on the Internet, I think it’s a great result.”

— EVAN CLARK

WITH MONCLER NEARING its 60th anniversary next year, chairman Remo Ruffini has a global growth plan that is forward-thinking yet respects the brand’s heritage.

That combo appears to be working, considering last year’s sales topped $522 million, compared to $408.6 mil-lion in 2008. After showing a corpo-rate video that encompassed images of the brand’s earlier jackets as well as Bruce Weber’s far more recent short film, “Steal This Jacket,” Ruffini em-phasized how now more than ever it is essential to stay tuned to the people who buy the brand’s outerwear, wher-ever they live.

In reference to his predecessors at Moncler, Ruffini said, “I have stood on the shoulders of giants. I am working

to bring economic growth, the creative process and the brand’s image all to-gether. If you strip the brand bare, under so many layers and functions, what remains is beauty. I believe there is no present or future without the past.”

Decades ago, Moncler’s “strong, safe and highly protective cloth-ing” was used to suit up climbers at Mount McKinley in Alaska, as well as France’s Olympic ski team at the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble. Developing what it claims was the first waterproof down jacket proved to be a turning point for the compa-ny, Ruffini said. In the Seventies, the brand built on its growing popularity by courting young European trendset-ters. But by the Eighties, there was the need for restyling and the brand was redesigned, and in the Nineties, ex-ecutives took more of a back to basics approach. “We were not exactly on top of the mountain,” he admitted.

There was further tweaking around 2003, when Ruffini bought the brand, with concentration on product develop-

ment, reorganization of distri-bution, amped-up sales, taking on a more global approach and finding the time for staff-ers to enjoy the ride, Ruffini said. The aim was and re-mains to create outerwear that appeals to a variety of different lifestyles from outdoor enthusiasts like skateboarders and snowboard-ers as well as businessmen. To that end, Moncler broadened its reach beyond major sporting goods stores to include major department stores and specialty stores. “A good product without good de-sign is like a kite without a wing,” Ruffini said. “We also pick beautiful locations to stay tuned to your people.”

Moncler is currently carried in 34 countries in the world, with retail ac-

counting for about 50 percent of the company’s overall volume. The out-erwear company opened its first free-standing store only five years ago. The fact that there are boutiques in ski re-sorts like Chamonix and on Paris’ Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré illustrates the brand’s wide-ranging approach. Ruffini described China as “a market for everybody,” and Moncler has four stores there.

As examples of how Moncler aims to evolve as a brand, Ruffini men-tioned the company’s previous col-laboration with Pharrell Williams and the development of a down jacket that weighed in at 200 grams. There also are the Gamma Rouge, Gamma Bleu and Moncler Grenoble collections for women and men that are very high fashion and hold runway shows during fashion weeks. “Being contemporary means being able to see the original idea in the product,” Ruffini said. “I want Moncler products to be contem-porary with top quality. Most of all I want them to survive fashion.”

— ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

FEDERICO MARCHETTI

REMO RUFFINI

BRANDEVERYWHERE

WWD 2011 CEO SUMMIT

To be global in this industry is not an easy job. To do it

properly, you really need to do it locally.— FEDERICO MARCHETTI,

YOOX GROUP

A good product without good design is like a kite without a wing.

— REMO RUFFINI, MONCLER

WWD.COM15WWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

A POINT OF DIFFERENTIATION and where in the growth cycle the firm is are two areas of consideration before Howard Tubin makes that critical decision to issue a “buy” recommendation on a company’s stock.

Tubin, director in the equity research depart-ment of RBC Capital Markets who covers the soft-lines sector, told attendees that uniqueness, or a point of differentiation, gets his attention.

What Tubin wants to know is, “Do the product of-ferings stand out from the crowd?”

It’s the singular most important criterion. To be sure, quality of the management team is a consid-eration. And so too is the firm’s balance sheet. Also very high on that list, he said, is “where in the growth cycle” does the company under consideration fall? If it’s in that early stage, then you have a growth stock.

Among the names on Tubin’s list of standouts are Lululemon Athletica Inc., Limited Brands Inc., PVH Corp., The TJX Cos. Inc. and Ralph Lauren Corp. That’s because these firms are “meaningful to the crowd.”

Those representing firms whose uniqueness seem to have lost their edge in-clude Gap Inc., The Talbots Inc. and Coldwater Creek Inc.

Tubin also said he doesn’t subscribe to the view that retail-ers in the lower-tier distribu-tion channel are more risky. He pointed to Dollar General Corp. as an example.

“Dollar General is doing well because of the brands they offer, not the tier [of distribution] they’re in,” Tubin said.

In the question-and-answer session, Tubin noted how some companies are starting to look overseas for expansion, even if, like the Gap, they don’t have stellar performance in the U.S.

He also was lukewarm about J.C. Penney Co. Inc.’s planned every-day low-price strategy. While the move could help drive comparable-store sales, the analyst said it’s a strategy that would be “tough to wean customers off.”

When asked about some of the younger companies that offer a creative spark, Tubin cited Francesca’s Holding Corp., which went public ear-lier this year. Mentioning its small footprint of only 300 stores, Tubin said Francesca’s is unique and it doesn’t operate “cookie-cutter stores.”

As for last year’s takeover candidates, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Aéropostale Inc., teen retailer Aéropostale got the value component of the equation right, but missed on its merchandise mix. American Eagle has done a better job on its merchandise strategy. Both are essentially turnaround sto-ries. Both are also takeover tar-gets from a valuation point of view, but with little or no debt and cash on the balance sheets, Tubin concluded: “I don’t sus-pect either one would fold.”

— VICKI M. YOUNG

HOWARD TUBIN

Dollar General is doing well

because of the brands they offer,

not the tier [of distribution]

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THIS YEAR THE Calvin Klein brand will generate over $7 billion in retail sales in over 100 countries. Through its over $300 million in advertising spending and over $400 million worth of equivalent editorial, it is one of the most dominant designer brands in the world.

“Certainly at Calvin Klein we aspire to the idea of ‘Brand Everywhere,’” said Tom Murry, president of Calvin Klein Inc., which is owned by PVH Corp., directly addressing the theme of this year’s summit. However, even within its biggest accounts, such as Macy’s, Calvin Klein is far from ubiquitous and is just one of many powerful brands vying for consumer attention.

“That’s actually a good thing,” said Murry. “From my perspective, and I imagine from yours as well, there certainly are better measures of success than ubiquity. Innovation, quality, consistency and discipline: these are just as important, if not more important, to a brand’s long-term success.”

While potent branding has been crucial to Calvin Klein’s robust recent growth — that $7 billion figure is up from $2.8 billion in 2003 — product is always the primary driver of sales, emphasized Murry. “Never get arrogant about the strength of your brand,” he explained. “Even with the profound strength of our brand, if we don’t get the product and the execution right, it seldom works.”

Since its acquisition by PVH in 2003, Calvin Klein’s full-priced freestanding store count around the world has grown from 93 to 660 in 2010, with a total of 700 planned by yearend. This year, the brand will add over 470,000 square feet of direct-to-consumer retail selling space, nearly double the 250,000 square feet it added two years ago.

Emerging markets have been key to Calvin Klein’s global expansion. In 2008, South Korea became the brand’s biggest market in Asia, surpassing traditional leader Japan. South Korea, in turn, was displaced by China this year as the biggest market on that continent.

Overall, Brazil has been the fastest ballooning mar-ket for Calvin Klein, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 141 percent since 2003, followed by India with a CAGR of 74 percent, China at 61 percent and Mexico at 26 percent.

Within the branding space, Calvin Klein maintains a firm grip on all aspects of advertising and marketing for its broad portfolio of licensed products, in order to ensure consistency around the world. CKI operates a full-scale, in-house public relations agency as well as a dedicated in-house advertising agency, which jointly oversee the Calvin Klein brand image from a unified vantage point.

“At any Calvin Klein event, in any city or country in the world, we nonetheless remain a centralized opera-tion controlled from our headquarters,” pointed out Murry. “The graphics are done by our internal team.

The models are reviewed and selected by our fashion office, which will also designate what looks they will wear. Our visual team will assess the venue. Our spe-cial events team will oversee the production. If we have celebrity guests, our celebrity services team will be in-

volved. We’ll even dictate what the bartenders and ser-vice waiters will wear and the type of trays they carry and glassware they use.”

While some might consider such measures obsessive, this attention to detail has burnished the Calvin Klein image globally and helped create a powerful foundation to grow the licensed businesses, said Murry.

While advertising and marketing are centralized in New York, the company tailors advertising to local mar-kets and varying standards of taste — even within the U.S. “Every time we shoot a campaign, we shoot multi-ple versions of it in order to handle censorship issues,” said Murry. “We could run one campaign in New York City and another campaign in North Carolina.”

Despite the economic malaise in the U.S. and else-where following the 2008 recession, Klein has continued to invest heavily in advertising and marketing, allowing the brand to take market share from more cautious competi-tors. Murry pointed to a McGraw–Hill Research study of 600 businesses during the recession of 1981-1982 that found

sales of advertisers that maintained or increased spending had risen 256 percent within three

years over those that cut back on advertising.While Calvin Klein is known for its icon-

ic, painstakingly art-directed billboards, magazine ads and television commer-cials, the brand has jumped into the less controlled world of social media. “Social media is a new and unpredictable fron-tier, but it can still be employed in disci-

plined and strategic ways consistent with one’s brand image,” said Murry. Calvin

Klein live-streams its runway shows and now has 1.7 million Facebook fans.

The brand’s $400 million-plus worth of editorial coverage comes in large part from an aggressive cam-paign to dress Hollywood A-listers for red-carpet events. “But we don’t need or want everyone to be wearing Calvin Klein,” said Murry, clicking through a slideshow of the brand’s favored ambassadors, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Claire Danes, Diane Kruger and Jennifer Lawrence.

All of these concerted advertising and marketing ef-forts helped make Calvin Klein the world’s favorite de-signer brand, at least according to one Nielsen survey in 2008 of over 25,000 Internet users in 48 markets.

“We continue to strive to achieve ‘Brand Everywhere.’ But at the same time, as I mentioned at the outset, this isn’t our goal, per se,” summed up Murry. “‘Brand Everywhere” is a byproduct of our strategy of consistency and quality and the very best in innovation, design and execution. What I’ve described today is not a brand–centric model of success. It’s a consumer–centric model of success.”

— DAVID LIPKE

U.S. COMPANIES HOPING to reap the benefits of selling to China’s free-spend-ing fashion-savvy consumers need to de-velop one virtue: patience.

Andrew Keith, president of Lane Crawford and Joyce, acknowledged that while China represents a huge opportu-nity for brands, gaining success in that country takes time. In order to gain a foothold, he said companies need to cre-ate relationships, find the right partner “with a history of execution,” and be will-ing to invest time and resources to learn how to best serve the Chinese consumer.

Keith detailed how China is home to 1.37 billion people and is the second big-gest economy in the world, with 189 bil-lionaires and 477 million Internet users. Some 55 percent of the population will be considered middle class by 2020. The people there are technologically savvy and embrace luxury brands. In fact, he said, luxury sales in 2011 are expected to exceed $16 billion.

Lane Crawford, which is the coun-try’s leading multibrand fashion retailer, opened a store in Beijing in 2007, a city similar in ways to New York. He pointed to the creativity of both cities and said

that while New York represents the American dream, the Chinese have “sim-ilar dreams of prosperity and success.”

Nevertheless, the Chinese embrace their own unique culture and don’t try to emulate the U.S. “China is modernizing, not Westernizing,” he said, pointing to the country’s unique language and nuances. Even within China, there are a variety of different dialects, climates and lifestyles. “It’s no longer one country with three tiers of cities,” Keith said. Instead, there are now nine large markets, two megacities, 25 developed cities and 620 emerging cit-ies. “It’s as large and diverse as Europe,” he said. “And that’s just Mainland China.”

As a result, Lane Crawford, which has a 161-year history in that coun-try, sees no reason to expand beyond its borders. “China is big enough and rich enough in opportunity to be our world,” Keith said. “But it re-quires a different way of thinking and a different way of doing business.” He pointed to the example of Starbucks, which in China, replaced milk with soya, and offers moon cakes on its menu, all “to make an emotional connection to the customer” there.

Once companies take the time to un-derstand the Chinese consumer, it can definitely pay off — even for companies whose histories in that country date back decades. Keith said in 2003, Lane Crawford underwent a repositioning to better serve the customer who reads one of the country’s 11,000 publications or uses one of its 800 million mobile phones. “Consumers are connected to each other and the world through the Internet.”

To better service this savvy new cus-tomer, the company made the bold move of closing three franchised stores, re-opening three years later in Beijing with

a markedly different assortment. In fact, Keith said the store moved away from the franchise model, changed 80 percent of its mix, partnered with some of the best-known luxury names in the world, and the result has been annual growth rates in excess of 20 percent. “Our customers really crave newness,” he said.

In the past month alone, Lane Crawford and its sister companies, which include Joyce and the Pedder Group, have opened 18 stores, including the first online store for Lane Crawford. Keith stressed that the online business was built especially for the Chinese consumer, who has gravitated to the site because she trusts the compa-ny, believes the product is authentic and knows its transactions will be secure.

The site started with 85 brands in wom-en’s wear and the financial results have been impressive. The average transaction is 30 percent higher than in the store and there’s been no resistance to price points.

“Women drive our business in China,” he said, noting that they account for more than half the luxury sales in the country. “They have power and choice,” he said, noting that they also love exclusivity. But they also want to be treated as Chinese. “If they feel compromised, they won’t shop,” he said. “Our customers are Chinese and they want to be spoken to as Chinese.”

While the country is changing from a manufacturing hub to one that consumes goods, Keith said it also generates origi-nal ideas and thoughts in many areas, in-cluding art and fashion. “They’re moving from Made in China to Created in China.” But capitalizing on that creativity takes a while and companies need to “take a long-term position.” Keith said Lane Crawford takes a “very measured approach to ex-panding in China,” and is expecting to triple its business there by 2015.

BRANDEVERYWHERE

WWD 2011 CEO SUMMIT

TOM MURRY

ANDREW KEITH


BOTTEGA VENETA ISN’T the kind of brand that encour-ages conspicuous consumption. Instead, the luxury goods house embodies a discreet version of luxury with an inher-ent understanding of quality and appreciation for service — values the division of PPR Luxury Group prides itself on. There are “no ‘It’ bags, no fashionistas, no celebrities,” said president and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri Tuesday morning. “Instead, it’s always about discreet luxu-ry and craftsmanship.

“The core values at Bottega Veneta have always been key,” he added. “In 1966, when the company was born, the first tag line was and still is, ‘When your own initials are enough.’ You can understand what that means when you purchase something from Bottega. You buy something for yourself. We don’t want to show off.”

Bizzarri, who joined Bottega Veneta in January 2009 from PPR sister brand Stella McCartney, heads one of the purest luxury players in fashion and a star brand at PPR, responsible for some of the fastest growth within the lux-ury conglomerate’s portfolio of brands. At the summit, he focused on success in evolving markets, outlining how Bottega Veneta was able to weather the financial turmoil of 2008 and 2009 and witness a “huge” rebound last year, driven in part by emerging markets. “Throughout all of this, consumer habits in mature markets and consumer behavior in emerging markets changed dramatically,” Bizzarri said, citing Coco Chanel who, in 1932, said, “During a financial crisis, the desire for authenticity is reborn, highlighting the real value of things.”

Bottega Veneta’s strategy to maintain its growth has been driven by its core mantra, and the philosophy of creative di-rector Tomas Maier, who considers luxury “a point of view that is more about what you hide than what you show. It is a relentless pursuit of excellence and quality for its own sake and your own pleasure: not to show off.”

Unlike many of its competitors, Bottega Veneta decided during the recession not to radically slash prices, which would damage the brand image, and where others chose to cut back their communications budget, the company decid-ed to step it up. And rather than cut back on its workforce, the company strengthened its team. The results have shown the firm made the right decisions. Last year, the company reported total revenues of $715 million, up from $563 mil-lion in 2009.

Bottega Veneta is also doing much to preserve the crafts-manship it is known for.

“The main challenge in this company is the lack of arti-sans, they are disappearing,” Bizzarri said.

So, in 2006, Bottega Veneta joined up with the Vicenza trade school Scuola d’Arte e Mestieri di Vicenza to set up a three-year sponsored educational program for aspiring lux-ury handbag makers, who will learn to cut and hand-stitch leather and other skins and patternmaking from the com-pany’s artisans. Bizzarri said programs like this underscore the equal importance of the idea and the realization of it. “The two together make the difference,” he said.

Bottega Veneta also collaborates with other universities such as the University of Venice to promote the importance of skill and craftsmanship. It also teamed up with the gov-ernment of the Veneto region to start a program to finance female artisans who worked in textiles and jewelry, but who may have lost their jobs during the financial crisis. “After seven to eight months, we have at least 100 women working for us with this methodology,” Bizzarri said. “The idea was to try to maintain a strong root and foster the passion.”

As for continued growth, Bizzarri pointed to emerging markets such as Brazil and China, where shoppers’ prefer-ences are evolving at a rapid pace and the early trend for flashier luxury is increasingly being supplanted by quieter, more discreet alternatives. “Is the understated segment growing the most?” Bizzarri said. “For sure.” Perfect condi-tions for a brand like Bottega Veneta.

— MARC KARIMZADEH

MONDAY’S ROUNDTABLE at WWD’s CEO Summit, “Finding and Fostering the Next Generation of Retail Leaders,” could just as easily have been called, “What’s Up With Generation Y?”

The cohort of young people born between the mid-Seventies and early-Aughts, are more entrepreneur-ial than previous generations and eager to start com-panies straight out of college. “People are coming to us because they think there will be jobs in the inter-net and digital space,” said Susan Lyne, chairman of Gilt Groupe, and one of three panelists. “Young people now all want to start their own businesses.”

Members of Gen-Y also get bored easily and want things on their own terms.

Denise Incandela, chief marketing officer and president of Saks Direct, Saks Fifth Avenue, said some of the most in-demand job candidates are Web

site designers. “People who understand how to cre-ate the visual product and create a user experience are hard to find,” she said. “Marketing requires a different skill set today — a left brain competency. We’re turning into a bit of a media company,” she said, noting that people who understand social media and technology command a premium. “We’re looking for people who can take us ahead.”

“Five to 10 years ago, internet people came from catalogues,” said Harold Reiter, chairman and chief executive officer of Herbert Mines Associates, a search firm. Today, that is far less the case. “Product jobs are the hardest to find candidates for. At the ceo level it’s not uncommon to find people who

haven’t been in the retail industry. Ceo’s aren’t afraid to go out and look for [marketing] people who are completely out of the box.”

“Gen-Y is a group who have to be engaged,” said Incandela. “They’re constantly thinking about their next step. We can move them laterally [so they don’t get bored.] There’s a difference in their work ethic, too. They have an expectation of a greater work-life balance.”

Lyne agreed, adding that 95 percent of the people she works with could be her children — she has two daughters in their 20s. “My daughters will never own a landline phone,” she said. “They program their TV shows” so that they can watch what they want, when they want. “I see an enormous amount that’s positive in these young people,” Lyne said. “There’s enor-mous transparency. They’re very direct.”

In order to give employees the flexibility and freedom they crave, Lyne said that a lot of Gilt Groupe employees work a day a week from home.”

“The challenge is to accommodate these folks,” said Reiter. “If we burn these kids out they won’t be here when we need them to run businesses.”

According to Lyne, Gen-Y employees are worth the challenges they bring to an organiza-tion. “We spend a lot of time mentoring,” she said. “We think they can bring something new. We do a lot of internal recruiting. There’s a sense that you have mobility here and can apply for jobs and we won’t go outside” for candidates.

Incandela said the key to nurturing Gen-Yers is making them feel they have an impact on the business. “We’re giving them opportuni-ties across the organization,” she said. “We’re identifying the top talent and giving them unusual exposure to the president or putting them on steering committees.”

Asked how long people stay in junior positions, Incandela said one to two years. “A lot of people get moved within a year,” added Lyne.

In terms of breaking into Gilt Groupe, Lyne, who was president and ceo of Martha Stewart Omnimedia Inc. before joining Gilt, advised getting a job as an assistant to the editor in chief. “You’ve got the attention of someone that can be important to you long term,” she said.

“We’ve had people who’ve left, come back and then left us again,” said Incandela. “This is a very difficult generation and you manage it the best you can and give them career opportunities.”

— SHARON EDELSON

FASHION EDITORS HAVE become the new celebrities of fashion week, thanks to the rise of street-style photography.

They have gone from observers of fashion to fashion plates, where every step they take is captured and then quickly posted online by street photographers such as Tommy Ton and Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist.

It’s the new reality for those attend-ing runway shows, where celebrities like Vanessa Paradis — Paris fashion plate, Chanel model and wife of Johnny Depp — are now ignored in favor of writers from obscure indie publications, said Dirk Standen, editor in chief of Style.com, part of Fairchild Fashion Media. “There has been a huge shift over the last five or six years,” said Standen. “Street style is no longer the sideshow, it is the show.”

Photographers such as Ton and Schuman are responsible for raising the profiles of editors such as Elle’s Kate Lanphear, who is easily identified by her shock of white-blond hair, or the biggest street-style star of them all, Anna Dello Russo, editor at large for Vogue Japan. Clothes are shown on the runway and then quickly shuttled to Dello Russo, so she can wear them for the cameras the next day. “She’s the first to say that her first job is to style herself,” said Standen.

But bloggers aren’t the only ones em-bracing this trend. Fashion designers have jumped onboard and credit street photog-raphy as inspiration for their collections. Alber Elbaz, for example, noticed on some blogs that women on the street were wear-ing eveningwear during the daytime and he incorporated that into his collection.

Dolce & Gabbana was the first big-name fashion house to embrace Ton and Schuman, inviting them to sit front-row at its show in September 2009. “This was shocking at the time,” Standen recalled. “But it was very smart of them and shows how quickly de-signers acknowledged the power of street style.”

These days, Standen noted that most designers reference pictures of street style in their work stu-dios. Standen said he likes Ton’s work, partly be-cause he has a “fashion editor’s eye,” and notices the shoes, the bag, the accessories. “And, he spots trends early, often before the designers do.”

— AMY WICKS

MARCO BIZZARRIDIRK STANDEN

DENISE INCANDELA, HAROLD REITER AND SUSAN LYNE


JAMES CURLEIGH ISN’T your typical chief executive officer.

With Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” blasting over the speakers, the scruffy, long-haired Keen Footwear executive took to the stage at WWD’s CEO Summit Tuesday morning like a rock star ready to give an encore performance.

But if you look beyond his dudelike exterior, laid-back fashion sense and dis-tinctively noncorporate way of speaking, Curleigh has all the trappings of a dynam-ic business leader.

“Music starts with a creative spark,” Curleigh said, ex-plaining that he com-pares his eight-year-old outdoor shoe company to a band.

“When it comes to a brand, we talk a lot about consumers and strategy. And we talk about complexity and we talk about con-cept,” he said, doing his best to unload all the business buzz-words used when de-scribing brand build-ing. “Well, I’m pretty sure Bob Dylan never talked like that.”

Using the creativity needed in music as an underpinning for a company’s success, the ceo spoke of giving a brand’s “fans” — not customers — something they “didn’t know” they wanted, but something that once they get it, “they can’t live without it.”

“Did anyone say, ‘I’d like a pair of pants that was invented during the mining era of 1873 in blue denim that will last a long time and makes me look cooler?’ I don’t think so,” he said. “Did anybody say, ‘I

need a coffee experience that will teach me a new language — venti — and a surrounding that will make me feel better than I truly am and, in one minute and 36 seconds, I would like to customize my drink and they better know my name.’ Did anybody say that?”

With Levi’s, Starbucks and a host of other innovative brands in mind, Curleigh and his team set out to give the world something

it never knew it want-ed — a sandal that pro-tects your toes.

Dubbed the Newport sandal, Keen created a rugged, all-weather shoe with a thick rub-ber sole that looks like something that one would imagine if a glad-iator sandal and hiking sneaker could mate.

“We love the fact that there are some people out here — I won’t ask for a show of hands — who would never put this shoe on their foot, no matter what hap-pens, right? That big ugly toed strappy thing, forget it, but there are

plenty of people that value the protection and breathability…and we’re OK with that,” he said before an uproarious crowd of fashion execs and industry hands.

Curleigh spoke of the importance of Keen’s brand extension to footwear cat-egories like utility, snow and hiking boots, as well as the exploration of segments like backpacks, totes and performance socks.

Expanding beyond the Newport sandal is just one element of growth, according

to Curleigh, who said creating a sense of “inclusivity” is paramount to gaining traction in the marketplace. On the flip side, realizing who your audience is — and isn’t — is also important.

For instance, the ceo said Keen doesn’t target the teen market, but instead focuses on the 30- to 60-year-old demographic, as well as the kids’ market because those consumers tend to be drawn to the brand’s functionality and comfort.

Bringing in a “multidimensional, 360-degree look” of what your brand stands for and where it can go is part of Keen’s model. Curleigh noted that part of his firm’s focus is promoting the “hy-brid life,” a somewhat intangible brand motto that encompasses fusing concepts such as “innovation,” “sustainability” and “living outwardly.”

In practice, this recently translated to the jump into vulcanization, an old-school shoe-making process that doesn’t involve adhesives.

With the aim to revitalize a craft that can produce a greener product, Keen scoured the globe for vulcaniza-tion machines. After refurbishing doz-ens of them, the Portland, Ore.-based brand set up a factory in the Dominican

Republic and began producing a vulca-nized shoe line.

But the “hybrid life” motto, that being one of somewhat harmoniously existing juxtapositions, extends beyond product.

“We’ve got the Keen Mullet going on,” Curleigh said, of his firm’s business mantra. “Keep it simple on the front, but sophisticated in the back.”

That sophistication includes an ag-gressive digital strategy and a stud-ied domestic manufacturing plan. Unwilling to be at the mercy of China’s rising transportation and labor costs, Keen built its own factory in Portland, where it assembles materials that it sources globally.

While this will cause Keen to raise its prices from the $100 range to up-ward of $220, it will also give the brand an opportunity to educate its consumer about the craftsmanship of its product through new marketing campaigns, Curleigh explained.

“What I love about our product and our brand is that we’re like ‘Forrest Gump’,” the ceo said, grinning. “People are just willing us to win. Like, really, with these big, goofy shoes? We’re the re-luctant hero.” — ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

JAMES CURLEIGH

BRANDEVERYWHERE

WWD 2011 CEO SUMMIT

We’ve got the Keen Mullet going on. Keep it simple

on the front, but sophisticated

in the back.— JAMES CURLEIGH,

KEEN FOOTWEAR

We love the fact that there are some people out here — I won’t ask for a show of hands — who would never put this shoe on their foot,

no matter what happens, right?

wwdglobal.fora.tv

ON-DEMAND VIDEO

A P P A R E L & R E T A I LCEO SUMMIT

Calvin Klein Inc. Tom Murry President &

Chief Executive Officer on global reach

Jack Wills Peter Williams

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

on authenticity and British style

KEEN Inc. James Curleigh

President & Chief Executive Officer

on building a 21st century brand

WWD.COM19

HOLT RENFREW & CO., Canada’s 174-year-old luxu-ry chain, has a formula for profits — be the same and be different.

“Our business is still the same — we haven’t opened new stores over these past two years, or expanded sig-nificantly into any new markets, but we’re thinking and acting very differently,” Mark Derbyshire, president of Holt Renfrew, said. “We have learned that we can’t be successful unless our employees truly get it.”

Derbyshire said that in the past two years, the Canadian apparel market rose more than 10 percent, while Holt increased more than 20 percent, and record profits were achieved last year. Core designer divisions, in particular women’s apparel and accessories, rose more than 40 percent, he added. “We’ve also improved our performance on full-price sell-through by over 11 points.…But num-bers can only tell part of the story.”

The story begins in January 2010, when Derbyshire became president after serving as chief tal-ent officer for Wittington Fashion Retail Group, the holding company for Holt, Selfridges in the U.K. and Brown Thomas in Ireland. “In my first few months, I really wanted to understand what was going on in the company and how everyone felt.” He knew Holt always focused on products and how stores appeared, but he decided to talk to hundreds of employees, vendors and custom-ers. “I needed to know what we were doing well and where our opportu-nities were.” He learned employees were not fully engaged, though they wanted to be, and customers liked the store but liked it best when there was a sale, or for special occasion pur-chases. He also learned that vendors thought Holt could be a stronger partner.

“It was clear we had to change things, and we’re still changing things,” Derbyshire said. “I firmly believe that we need to transform the way people think of us in order to transform our business. At Holt, we needed people to distinguish us.…It’s one individual at a time…each em-ployee, each customer and each vendor, but when it takes hold, let me tell you it works, because it’s organic — it’s not forced. I didn’t want to tell them what to do. I wanted them to think about what they had to do.”

In September 2010, Derbyshire launched the President’s Bet whereby sales associates received $100 if they hit their plan by the end of the year, and $500 if they

hit it a month early. All nonsales employees were also eligible, if their teams or stores hit their targets, mark-ing the first time many of them had a chance for a bonus. “There were no losers. If a person doesn’t hit their goals, they are asked to donate some time to charity.”

The result of the experiment: 50 percent of employ-ees won. “That’s impressive when you consider that only 14 percent hit plan in 2009,” Derbyshire noted.

“The bet turned out to be a huge success, finan-cially, but more powerful was its role in producing a change in our culture. It truly supports teamwork.…Commissioned sales associates were giving some of their sales to their colleagues so that they could make it. But it wasn’t the money — it was the challenge. Everyone wanted to show their team — and to show me what they could do. Holt and the employees weren’t the

only winners here. Our customers and our vendors felt the spirit.”

The President’s Bet is on again this year, Derbyshire added, and to get staff further motivated, the top winners will get a trip to Las Vegas instead of $500.

To better partner with vendors, Derbyshire said, “We [began] part-nering on initiatives that would help raise funds for causes near and dear to their hearts. We weren’t ask-ing them to help us raise money. We wanted to help them raise money. Our idea was based on a simple, powerful formula: sell 10,000 of one worldwide exclusive item in 10 days, with all proceeds to go to the ven-dor’s charity of choice.” Holt’s Web site and stores were merchandised top to bottom with the items, and

supported by events.“To date, we’ve raised almost $300,000 for three

different causes selected by three different ven-dors — most recently for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.…In addition to helping out with some very worthy causes, what is really of value to us is that these vendors are seeing us differently.”

To break from a focus on discounting, and to get cus-tomers to shop earlier and at full price, Derbyshire said the assortment was customized to each market, the fre-quency of deliveries was increased so the selection was fresher, and sales promotions were reduced from 16 in 2009 to six last year, and four this year.

“From listening to our customers, we know they wanted price integrity after the inventory excess that peaked in 2008,” Derbyshire said. “They wanted to buy

their favorite runway dress, and not see it sitting there at the end of the season for someone else to buy at 40 to 60 percent off. But I will admit we had some resistance at first. Some people wanted us to continue to discount when New York [stores] did, and we had some interest-ing standoffs.”

However, we stood our ground, ensuring we were giving them the very best experience and the products they wanted.

“When we do run a promotional event, it’s designed to drive traffic back in for full-price shopping. So, when we do offer gift cards as part of a promotional event, they expire before our seasonal break. And on average, customers have been spending three dol-lars for every dollar they earn on those promotional cards.…In the short term, we’ve experienced more traffic, higher sales and a very healthy 11-point in-crease in full-price sell-through.

“For the long term, we’ve transformed the way our customers think of us.”

— DAVID MOIN

MEET CAROL GOLL, matchmaker to the stars.Goll is head of global branded entertainment at

International Creative Management, a talent and liter-ary agency representing clients in the fields of motion pictures, television, publishing, music, theater, brand-ed entertainment and digital media. Her job is to find ways to marry worldwide brands, celebrity talent and entertainment content in partnerships that are mutually beneficial. Prior to ICM, Goll spent more than 13 years in charge of brand marketing at Mercedes-Benz USA, but then switched from cars to stars, New York to Los Angeles, and products to people, she said.

One of the successful marriages she has arranged was with actress Megan Fox, who was already a house-hold name thanks to the first two “Transformers” mov-

ies, which have grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide. She said Fox’s looks made her an obvious choice to be the face of a fashion luxury or cosmetics line. “But today brands are asking more of a celebrity than just good looks and fame. Social media is playing an ever-increas-ing role in brand entertainment deals,” she said.

Goll pointed out that many performers communicate directly with their fans around the world through social media, deepening the personal, emotional connection people have with celebrities. Certain brands, which are seeking ways to reinvent themselves and appeal to a younger demographic, are turning to celebrities who will actively engage with their fans via Facebook and Twitter. Goll said she personally has 100 friends on Facebook. “Megan Fox? 29 million. She’s the No. 1 actress on Facebook today,” she said. Actresses with that kind of so-

cial media clout, where they’ve got a built-in focus group and a loyal customer base, are in hot demand, she said.

Goll was able to pair Fox with Giorgio Armani, and the actress became the face of Emporio Armani Underwear, Armani Jeans and Giorgio Armani Cosmetics. During her presentation, Goll showed a sexy Armani Jeans commercial, where a room service waiter delivers a meal to Fox’s room. As he sets up the tray, he watches her slowly getting dressed. When she goes to give him a tip, the waiter declines — the scene of Fox dressing herself being reward enough.

A few years ago, an ad like this might have appeared on a few billboards and a couple of print ads, but today digital technology provides more avenues for it, said Goll. She said digital technology provides limitless op-tions to deliver content, and images and videos can be

shared via the Web, Twitter, Facebook and Internet-enabled TV. The Armani Jeans video was played 4.6 mil-lion times on YouTube. Fox’s Facebook page also offered additional exclusive Armani content, along with behind-the-scenes video of Fox sharing thoughts about fashion and beauty topics. “Within minutes of Megan posting the film, she had more than 30,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. That’s 30,000 people actually engaging with the brand on an emotional level within seconds,” said Goll.

Having a strong social media platform is an impor-tant aspect of celebrities’ careers, she said. “Music la-bels, film studios and TV networks all want a part of it. And in more and more film and TV contracts, artists are required to promote their projects on their own social media platforms,” said Goll. Additionally, for endorse-ments, having a strong social media component often determines who gets the deal.

Another ICM client, actress Hailee Steinfeld, who ap-peared in “True Grit,” struck a deal to become the face of Miu Miu, said Goll. She explained that by partnering with Steinfeld, Miu Miu aligned itself with a star who res-onates with girls and women alike because of her sweet-ness and inner strength. Steinfeld was also seen in a more sophisticated light as she seeks more mature roles.

Finally, Goll discussed an ad Eminem did for Chrysler during this year’s Super Bowl. She explained it was a difficult time for Chrysler since “no one was buy-ing cars.” The car brand was out to reinvent itself as a luxury player with the tagline “Imported from Detroit.” Eminem was overcoming his own personal challenges and was in the process of reinventing his own brand. Eminem (who has 48 million fans on Facebook), made a cameo in the Chrysler spot which showed numerous images of the city of Detroit, from abandoned buildings to the art and music scene, and delivered one line: “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.”

“In the end, no one could have predicted the emotional power this spot managed to capture, not just for Chrysler...but America as a whole. It almost made him a national folk hero overnight,” said Goll. That ad, for the Chrysler 200 au-tomobile, won an Emmy and was viewed 12 million times on YouTube. Not only that, but Chrysler reported a $116 million profit for the first quarter for 2011, compared to a $197 million net loss for first quarter of 2010.

— LISA LOCKWOOD


CAROL GOLL

Social media is playing an ever-increasing role in brand

entertainment deals.— CAROL GOLL, INTERNATIONAL

CREATIVE MANAGEMENT

We need to transform the

way people think of us in order to transform our

business.— MARK DERBYSHIRE, HOLT RENFREW & CO.

MARK DERBYSHIRE

WWD.COMWWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 201120

RNKD Rewards Site Launches

PARIS — Bar Refaeli’s next project will be modeling her own innerwear line due to launch in January.

Refaeli plans to introduce the collec-tion, which goes by the name Undeez, on the brand’s e-commerce site, which is due to open in Europe in early 2012, before going live in the U.S. later in the year.

The line focuses on comfortable everyday ba-sics for women and men, according to Refaeli, including innerwear, undershirts, tights and camisoles in a variety of shapes and colors.

“We have professional designers, of course, but my ideas and input go into every single item.…I try everything before it’s manufac-tured. I choose the fabric and have the last word on the items,” Refaeli said.

The collection, which is positioned in the affordable-midrange price segment, targets people age 25 to 45.

Refaeli models for brands such as Passionata, Gap and Agua Bendita.

— KATYA FOREMAN

PARIS — Galliano, the secondary line pro-duced by Italy’s Ittierre SpA, is thrusting ahead into the burgeoning e-commerce realm.

The John Galliano Co. went live Tuesday with gallianostore.com, selling apparel and ac-cessories for women and men and offering in-ternational shipping. The English-language site is designed and operated by Milan-based The Level Group.

The site’s features include “searchandis-ing,” described as a merchandising tool driven by real-time customer preferences.

Ittierre has held the license for Galliano since 2006, having since expanded the ranges to include men’s wear, leather goods and foot-wear. — MILES SOCHA

By LISA LOCKWOOD

A NEW WEB SITE called RNKD.com, a loyalty program between consumers and brands, goes live today. The site is the brainchild of Nick Swinmurn, founder of Zappos.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Calif., RNKD is an online platform and mobile app that rewards people for what’s in their closet. Customers can get perks from ven-

dors, and earn rewards for future purchases. Instead of getting discounts after buying new items, consumers can receive VIP access with discounts and deals for things they already own.

In an interview, Swinmurn, founder and chief execu-tive officer, said he felt there had to be a better way for vendors to know who their customers are and to create a channel of communication. The site is expected to be the

first universal loyalty program that creates a direct rela-tionship between consumers and their favorite brands on-line. On the RNKD platform, discounts and perks are used as a reward for past behavior and loyalty, rather than as a brand’s first impression.

The way it works is that by referring friends, “liking” photos and uploading images of one’s own clothes and ac-cessories to RNKD, the consumer earns points, badges and discounts. The user can also browse profiles to see what is

in other people’s closets and discover new brands.According to Swinmurn, RNKD was built on the

idea that past behavior is a better determinant than a “wish list” for what one will buy next. With RNKD, brands will be able to better reward the consumer for future purchases by analyzing what one already owns. He said once the site gets rolling, manufacturers can decide to offer perks such as free shipping or discount coupons, or even first dibs at closeout merchandise, or to view a new collection before anyone else. To get started, he’s offering consumers gift cards to Zappos. All of this is expected to create loyalty between the customer and the brand, and for customers to build re-lationships with their favorite brands.

“Every consumer has favorite brands and stores they are loyal to, but most have never been recognized or rewarded for their purchases. In today’s world of daily deals, everyone is given the same access to of-fers — RNKD’s vision is to let retail brands modulate their sales structures to reward loyal customers versus giving fly-by-night consumers a good deal just because they have a computer and access to the ‘Net. If you buy more shoes from Nike than anyone else — shouldn’t you be given early access to new lines and different pricing than someone who is trying the product for the first time and may never buy again?” said Swinmurn.

Swinmurn said the idea came to him on a plane when he didn’t know who his customers were for the small men’s streetwear brand he owns called

Dethroned. He said it’s too early to say who the early adapters will be, and he expects word-of-mouth to build the customer and manufacturer participants. He said vendors can go online, do a search and see all the people who own their brand. The brands can then communicate directly with the customer, create focus groups and offer various perks. Swinmurn said he doesn’t plan for the site to carry advertising, but rather it will have the ability to get “tons of data and in that, you can extract some value.”

MILAN — Celine has inked a five-year licensing agreement for the production and worldwide distribution of its eyewear collections with Safilo Group. The styles will bow in January in Celine boutiques and selected points of sale globally.

“We are extremely pleased to announce a licensing agreement with a brand as exclusive as Celine,” said Roberto Vedovotto, chief executive officer of the Italian eyewear manufacturer. “This new collaboration allows us to add one of the most desirable names in international fashion to our portfolio, while strengthening our ties with the LVMH group.”

In addition to its own brands, which include Carrera, Safilo produces premium eyewear collections for brands such as Giorgio Armani, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Dior, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and Max Mara.

Marco Gobbetti, ceo of Celine, affirmed that “thanks to Safilo’s experience and knowhow in the eyewear indus-try our collections will express the modern elegance and highest quality that distinguish all Celine’s products as unique and timeless icons.”

— LUISA ZARGANI

Bar Refaeli to Unveil Own Innerwear Line

Galliano Brand Goes Into E-commerce

Celine, Safilo in Eyewear Licensing Deal

BENEFIT AND MAKE UP FOR EVER, two brands owned by LVMH, shared a shop-in-shop for their European premieres last Thursday in Sephora’s Milan flagship. Make Up For Ever and Benefit became neigh-bors on the sprawling mezzanino floor of the perfumery, which also is owned by LVMH. The 10,000-square-foot store opened 10 months ago on Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

Celebrating its first shop-in-shop boutique in Europe, Benefit global beauty authorities Maggie and Annie Ford Danielson — daughters of co-founder Jean Ford who created the company with twin sister Jane Ford — hinted that Paris, Madrid and Barcelona could be the next Europe boutique locations. Pink walls and vintage displays offer 200 products and services, in-cluding a brow bar, facial waxing and threading, eye-brow and eyelash tinting, spray tanning and makeup parties. Benefit has a presence in 34 countries.

Across the floor, Make Up For Ever offers a Make Up School and 1,200 references out of its 1,400, including bestseller Smoky Lash mascara and artistic base Clown White. In addition to its Italian boutique debut, Make Up For Ever premiered a line of 50 lipsticks with slick pack-aging called Rouge Artist Natural, which will be available in January.

Make Up For Ever was founded by creative and artistic director Dany Sanz in 1984 and was bought by LVMH in

1999. After entering Sephora in 2001, Make Up For Ever will be available in 300 Sephora stores by the end of this year. In Europe, France holds the largest percentage of sales with Italy close behind. Next up is the opening of its first public Paris flagship on Nov. 29 and a Make Up For Ever Academy opening in January in New York’s Union Square neighborhood.

— COURTNEY SMITH

LVMH Brands Share Spot in Sephora

The RNKD Web site.

Make Up For Ever and Benefit have a shop-in-shop in Sephora in Milan.

Bar Refaeli

The gallianostore.com site.

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WWDSTYLE

Gothic Glam

Rooney Mara may still be sporting the “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” haircut, but the actress brightened up in Calvin Klein Collection for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund gala dinner in New York on Monday night. The actress introduced Klein before his keynote address. Later in the evening, Joseph Altuzarra took home this year’s award. For more, see page 22.

MEMO PAD

PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER

HAUTE TIME: Donatella Versace is returning to the couture calendar in Milan. PAGE 23

ON THE MENU: Hunger is a new biannual glossy being launched by Rankin. The title’s launch issue, due to hit newsstands internationally on Thursday, offers two cover options, featuring either Welsh actor Rhys Ifans brandishing a dagger close to his face or American singer Sky Ferreira. The British photographer shot most of the 512-page issue, which carries no advertising. Features include a profile of actor Terence Stamp, who discusses his not-so-smooth start in acting; a story on a villager living in a remote area in Kenya, and an interview with evergreen model Erin O’Connor. A mixed cast from the fashion and music realms was lined up for the fashion shoots, including Heidi Klum, Kelis and Milla Jovovich. Hunger’s digital platform, hungertv.com, will screen exclusive content and behind-the-scenes films of the shoots in the magazine. With a cover price of 7.99 euros, or $10.86 at current exchange, the new title will start off with a print run of 100,000. — NATASHA MONTROSE

SHOPKICK, CW NETWORK TEAM UP: Starting Tuesday, Shopkick users can turn on their Shopkick app while watching any show on the CW network, whether its “Vampire Diaries” or “Gossip Girl,” and get their “kicks” during commercial breaks. The “kicks” can be redeemed for gift cards at Target, Macy’s and American Eagle, to name a few retailers. The “kicks” are loaded onto the smartphone via the app, which listens for the audio sound from the television to determine the reward offer.

Cyriac Roeding, co-founder and chief executive officer of Shopkick, said the target demographic group of the CW network, women between ages 18 to 39 years old who are also fashion savvy, typically represents the highest response rate among viewers. Joining Shopkick’s 10 other retail partners last week was Old Navy, where Shopkick walk-in rewards are now live in all of the retailer’s nearly 1,000 U.S. locations. At Old Navy, “kicks” can be redeemed for in-store gift cards, song downloads, movie tickets and Facebook credits. — VICKI M. YOUNG

Sky Ferreira on the cover of Hunger.


Fund and Games

Joan Smalls in Altuzarra.

Shane Gabier and Chris Peters

Hannah Bronfman in Organic by John Patrick.

Calvin Klein and Joseph Altuzarra

Chloë Moretz in Suno with Amanda Seyfried in Prabal Gurung.

Giovanna Battaglia in Ohne Titel with Haider Ackermann.

Coco Rocha in Suno.

Zac Posen with Pamela Love in Sophie Theallet.

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“THERE ARE so many tal-ented people here tonight,” said Rooney Mara, scanning the room at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund dinner gala Monday, which included the likes of Donna Karan, Vera Wang, Francisco Costa, Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, Haider Ackermann and Calvin Klein, whom she introduced. “He’s an icon,” said Mara.

She wasn’t alone in her excitement about the fashion legend and keynote speaker. “I have never had a chance to meet him,” said Billy Reid, last year’s winner. “It would be just an honor to see him.”

Klein, for his part, didn’t disappoint, dishing out some advice to the designers in the room, who included Tory Burch, Olivier Theyskens, Alexander Wang, Behnaz Sarafpour, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Prabal Gurung and the night’s winner, Joseph Altuzarra, and runners-up Pamela Love and Creatures of the Wind’s Shane Gabier and Chris Peters. Klein talked about his early days and how he built his business with Barry Schwartz; his first $50,000 order from Bonwit Teller; growing his name into a lifestyle brand, and having plenty of excitement — some-times of the fear-inducing kind, like a run-in with the notorious Gambino family. “I dealt with truckmen, unions, and gangsters,” Klein recalled. “One day, I got a call from the Gambinos telling me that they are now my truckmen. I said, ‘What do you mean, truckmen?’

I was just barely in business. At that point, I began to real-ize how important it was to not think that I know everything.”

Klein turned to one of his first employers, who was a manufacturer, for advice. “He said, ‘Don’t worry I will take care of it,’” Klein said. “I told him they wanted 25 cents to

deliver a box and he said, ‘25 cents is OK.’”

This was one of several highlights in Klein’s lengthy but ani-mated speech, which

clearly delighted the crowd, including Joe Jonas,

Chloë Moretz, Amanda Seyfried, Hannah Bronfman, Carmelo and Lala Anthony, Zoë Kravitz and Mia Wasikowska.

Vogue’s Anna Wintour, mean-while, revealed the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund China Exchange, which will be un-derwritten by Silas Chou. It aims to help American designers better understand the Chinese market and vice versa, and will kick off next year with a team from Proenza Schouler visiting China, and Chinese designer Uma Wang coming to New York.

As for the night’s winner and two runners-up, they nat-urally couldn’t contain their excitement. Within seconds of winning, Gabier and Peters were on the phone to inform their mothers, and Altuzarra, who had already been nomi-nated last year, was basking in the spotlight. “It’s pure happiness,” he said. “It was worth the wait.”

— MARC KARIMZADEH

MORE PARTY PICTURES AT

WWD.com/eye.

HAUTE TO TROT: Donatella Versace, whose one-off line with H&M hits stores on Thursday, hasn’t forgotten about the other end of the price spectrum. On Tuesday, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture issued a one-line press release saying Versace is back on the official couture calendar in January. According to sources, the Milanese house will show on the first day, Jan. 23, in the first time slot.

Versace last appeared on the official couture calendar in January 2004. The firm never discontinued this category, opting instead for low-key, still-life presentations with sittings for editors only. A Versace spokesman had no comment on the development.

FOR A FRIEND: Barbra Streisand will present long-time friend Donna Karan with The Dream Foundation’s Founders Award on Friday at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, Calif. The organization, which fulfills the dreams of adults at the end stages of their lives, previously awarded the honor to Jeff and Susan Bridges, and Sheryl Lowe, and chose to fete Karan this year for her work with the Urban Zen Foundation.

The event will feature a fashion show introduced by Saks Fifth Avenue’s Ron Frasch, with looks from the upcoming Donna Karan spring collection and performances by Macy Gray, Pia Toscano, Naya Rivera, Amber Riley and Jackson Guthy. Dan Aykroyd will also host a silent auction in which guests can bid on a private dinner with Morgan Freeman and a $2,500 shopping spree at Saks in New York, among other high-ticket items.

WEARING THE JETS: “I have wanted a Jets jersey, and I have been wearing little boys’ small for too many years,” said Suzanne Johnson, wife of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. So she has helped revamp NFL women’s apparel and hosted the first women’s wear pop-up event before the Jets and Patriots squared off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ., Sunday night.

With the help of the NFL, Johnson created a pregame Miami-nightclub-inspired shopping experience, which was replete with dangling black and white crystal chandeliers, loud dance music and cocktails.

Held in front of the stadium, fans, once passed the velvet rope, entered a large white tent where they browsed racks of NFL-inspired apparel, handbags, footwear and jewelry.

“This is great. It looks like Starbucks in here,” Woody Johnson said loudly over the blaring music, as he touched one of the white leather chairs that occupied the makeshift lounge.

To continue the strong momentum of NFL women’s wear, the Johnsons have tapped their friend and Jets enthusiast Harvey Weinstein to ask his wife, Marchesa co-founder Georgina Chapman, to design a shirt. Set to hit stores in September, that collaboration will be one of many designer partnerships Suzanne Johnson is lining up.

Aside from a soon-to-be disclosed accessories collaboration, the NFL will likely team up with sponsor Tiffany & Co. for the Super Bowl, which will be hosted by the Jets and Giants in 2014.

“Every year, we want to do something with a little sparkle,” Johnson said.

SUMMER SUN: Sunglass Hut is gearing up for another float — this time on Sydney Harbor. The premium eyewear chain, which operates 200 stores in Australia and New Zealand, is launching a floating pop-up store that will be moored at Sydney’s Darling Harbour and Manly Wharf from Friday through Sunday. Boasting a transparent fit-out and DJ booth, the boutique will be staffed by some of Luxottica’s top performing global retail staff, who are being flown

in for the event. It will offer a selection of the chain’s global bestsellers, in addition to 150 new-to-market styles from Prada, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana and other brands, which won’t be available to purchase anywhere else in the world until February.

“At Luxottica, we believe that people around the world are hungry for innovative retail concepts that intensify emotions and enhance their purchasing experience. With the first floating store located at Sydney Harbor, Sunglass Hut sets the tone, attracting shoppers that will be inspired by the natural scenery while shopping the best eyewear selection of world-known fashion brands,” said Fabio d’Angelantonio, Luxottica’s executive vice president, sun and luxury, and chief marketing officer.

The festivities are due to kick off with a party on Thursday night, when the barge drops anchor at Campbells Cove, right next to the Overseas Passenger Terminal — also known as Sydney’s fashion epicenter, which from April 30 to May 4 will be home to the 17th annual edition of the newly renamed Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia.

RESTORING RESTORATION: The party celebrating Restoration Hardware’s new Design Gallery store in Houston was a collection of co-chairman and chief executive officer Gary Friedman’s favorite things. Bellinis hand-mixed by a Cipriani bartender? Yes, please. Curated bites by Michael Chiarello? Of course. An intimate concert by one of Friedman’s favorite performers, Lykke Li? Why not?

The 25,000-square-foot space felt more like a lush and airy home, rather than a retail giant, and the prerecession-style blowout wound through each of the store’s four floors, bites and beverages served at each stop. “This is a personal expression of what we love. The concept of a gallery allows expression. Everything we do here comes from the heart,” Friedman said.

There was certainly no detail left undone for the company’s second introduction of the new store concept, which includes the International Design Bibliotheque, organic tea atelier by Belloco, floral boutique by David Brown, baby and child design showroom and European garden conservatory. Restoration Hardware launched the concept in San Francisco, and bringing it to Houston was the next logical expansion step.

The crush of 1,500 guests may not have had antiqued doorknobs or stonewashed Belgian linen on their minds, especially after ascending to the rooftop garden, where seating, greenery, flickering candlelight and views greeted them. Instantaneous buzz broke out about the space and the desire to rent it for private events.

Four stories below, Friedman stood on the curving stairwell, greeting guests and singing along to Li and her band.

“She sang “I Follow Rivers,” Friedman said. “I love that song.”

WWD.COM

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HeadwindsStrongCompanies have had to deal with volatile swings in global currencies that affect apparel and raw material prices.

SECTION II

By SAMANTHA CONTI

LONDON — Earlier this month, Nick Hayek, chief executive officer of Swatch Group AG, complained about the impact of the mighty Swiss franc on sales, and especially those made in dollars. He called the franc’s exchange rate in August and September “cata-strophic,” and said the problem is ongoing, although he hopes 2012 will bring better news.

Hayek is just one of many European brand owners and suppliers who are suffering the ill effects of cur-rency ups and downs, and a trifecta of rising raw ma-terial, labor and transport costs. Although it remains unclear what, exactly, will happen to the euro in the coming months, the rising cost of doing business is one reality that won’t go away.

“One of the biggest hurdles in doing business today is the rising prices of raw materials and labor,” said Puma’s ceo, Franz Koch. “That trend will con-tinue, so we have to figure out how to preserve our gross profit.”

Rupert Sanderson, founder and owner of the namesake, vertically integrated footwear brand, agreed. Although he’s based in London’s Mayfair, his factory, which he owns, is located near Bologna, Italy, and he does his business chiefly in euros.

“Raw material prices are creeping up, from thread to insole boards to hardware,” said Sanderson dur-ing an interview at his studio. “The man who supplies my heels has raised his prices 10 percent because he uses resins and petrochemicals, which are also in-creasing in price.”

According to the Platts Global Petrochemical Index, average prices in October were 3.5 percent higher year-on-year.

Justin Rhodes, founder of the British leather belt and buckle brand Elliot Rhodes, said metal prices have risen 5 to 8 percent every year since he started the busi-ness in 2004, while sterling silver prices have tripled.

“You have to pass some of that through to the consum-er,” said Rhodes, who will be taking part in Scoop, the British trade show, for the first time next year.

Rhodes, who has just opened his third London store off Oxford Street, has also been grappling with another problem: the increasingly unfavorable pound-euro exchange rate.

“Our buy is euro-denominated and we sell in pounds, so it’s been a nightmare,” he said. “Since 2004, we’ve seen a 20 percent appreciation of the euro ver-sus the pound. We’re getting squeezed from all sides.”

Rhodes said between the rise in raw material costs and the increase in the value of the euro, he’s had to raise his retail prices 20 percent in the seven years he’s been in business.

Ruth Chapman, who owns the multibrand designer boutique Matches with her husband Tom, is another London-based entrepreneur who’s grappling with the impact of the strong euro. Matches carries designer labels ranging from Azzedine Alaïa and Balenciaga to Acne and Rag & Bone, and also has an in-house wom-en’s wear line called Freda.

Chapman said her customers don’t care if the price of an Alaïa piece rises by 200 pounds, or $320.

“It’s the in-between brands where we’re really being cautious,” she said. “If it’s not superluxurious, then we’ll make a price-driven decision on whether or not to take it.”

Simona Severini, general manager of the Italian trade fair White, said life is no different in Italy. Because of the strength of the euro relative to the dollar and the pound, buyers are inclined to splash out only if the product is a quality one with a strong identity.

“They’ll buy if there is quality and a point of view, and to offset the extra expense, they’ll invest in fewer generic products like T-shirts and sandals that don’t have as clear an identity,” said Severini, adding that raw material and labor costs were also a major issue for White’s exhibitors, which include AG Adriano Goldschmied, Faliero Sarti and Ornamenta. “Of course, the rising cost of raw materials such as cot-

ton and wool do have an impact on final prices, and this is something we discuss, at length, with our ex-hibitors. The savviest ones are willing to accept lower profit margins in times like these. They’re willing to take a step backward and they know that good times will return.”

Jeweler Lucas Jack, who shows at Pure in London, is taking exactly that approach. He said despite the spike in gold prices over the past year, he won’t be raising his prices in February.

“My jewelry is gold-plated and I’ve tried to absorb the increases as much as possible,” Jack said. “My prices will be comparable with last year’s. I’m sensi-tive to my customers’ needs at a time like this.”

In a bid to sidestep the currency drama altogether, as well as control costs and manufacturing processes, British companies are increasingly looking nearer to home. Buyers from outside Britain are also taking a fresh look at a country that’s traditionally been con-sidered too expensive on a variety of levels.

“It’s fair to say there’s a renewed interest in prod-ucts coming from the U.K.,” said Paul Alger, director, international affairs at the U.K. Fashion & Textile Association. “The pound has been fairly weak recent-ly and, from a Japanese and European Union point of view, British products don’t look quite as expensive as they used to.”

The UKFT has recently launched a “Let’s Make It Here” initiative that aims to hook up Britain’s manu-facturers, many of which are high end and niche, with homegrown designers and brands.

“There are fewer fuel and shipping costs, the British factories can commit to smaller orders, and they are usually hungrier and more flexible than they would be in the Far East,” Alger said. “The mood in Britain has changed, and the U.K. government is keen to see manufacturing at the top of the agenda.”

The Chapmans, owners of Matches, are a case in point. They source and manufacture their in-house line, Freda, entirely in the U.K.

“We’ve been working with the British mills,” Chapman said. “It’s very easy to control what’s going on and you can build strong relationships with your factories and suppliers, which is really good. We’re not sourcing or manufacturing anything in dollars for Freda. It’s too much headache and the savings would not be great enough.”


SECTION II WWD.COM

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS

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Our buy is euro-denominated and we sell in pounds, so it’s

been a nightmare.— JUSTIN RHODES, ELLIOT RHODES

European Firms Face Currency, Cost Issues

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TRADE SHOW ORGANIZERS in the U.K. and on the Continent have an up-beat but realistic outlook for the first half of next year.

Many are expanding or enhancing their venues to accommodate and entice clients, while others are planning to ex-pand in the Far East, all with the aim of drumming up business.

Trade show organizers in Paris remain vigilant, coming off of a slug-gish performance for France’s cloth-ing sector, impacted by weak summer sales and a limp back-to-school pe-riod. Clothing sales for the month of September in France slid 7.5 percent year-on-year, according to a report by the French Institute of Fashion. In the nine months ended Sept. 30, clothing sales fell 2.4 percent versus the equiva-lent year-ago period.

“The challenge of all of the brands is not only to deliver the most beautiful collections and campaigns, but to reas-sure clients on the economic health of their company, and the quality of product, deliveries, and after-sales ser-vice,” said Cécile Vivier-Guerin, proj-ect manager of the Salon International de la Lingerie innerwear trade show, scheduled to run Jan. 21 to 23 at the Porte de Versailles.

Eager to maintain visitor numbers, SIL recently embarked on an aggressive promotional campaign targeting store owners in far-flung territories like the U.S. and Canada. Providing support to struggling brands is also paramount,

Vivier-Guerin said, citing Lejaby. The brand, which in late October filed for the French equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has been accept-ed and has confirmed that it will attend the show. Despite the economic turmoil in Greece, Vivier-Guerin added that the Greek brand Nota has also confirmed its attendance and that several brands long absent from the showcase have also booked space, such as Gossard and Marlies Dekkers.

“The big question mark is the visitors,” said Bertrand Foäche, co-founder of trade show operator WSN Developpement, which in January will introduce its new show format.

Under the umbrella label Who’s Next, Prêt à Porter Paris, the Jan. 21 to 24 Portes de Versailles editions of the Who’s Next, Premiere Classe and Prêt à Porter Paris salons will be grouped together in 1.3 million square feet of exhibition space. This will make it the world’s biggest fashion trade show, of-fering 2,500 apparel and accessories brands, according to Foäche. Despite those changes, Foäche was not overly optimistic and expects the season to be “a difficult one” in terms of business for the exhibitors.

Reporting “no negative feedback so far,” meanwhile, Michael Scherpe, pres-ident of Messe Frankfurt France, which owns the Texworld and Ethical Fashion Show trade shows, said that it was busi-ness as usual.

“There are problems that don’t

necessarily affect all of the areas of the planet to the same degree,” said Scherpe, who confirmed that around 80 percent of Texworld’s textile manufac-turer exhibitors are Asian. “The world’s population has just hit seven billion and all of those people need dressing.”

Italian trade show organizers, though aware the tough economy will likely im-pact turnout, are equally upbeat. They are forging ahead with preparations, emphasizing the Made in Italy quality and brand.

“The economic situation inevita-bly has an impact on the participation levels at all fairs,” said Silvio Albini, the new president of Milano Unica. “At stake there are the expectations regard-ing consumer behavior and consequent-ly on planning for production levels. At the moment, even if we are dealing with a slowing number of orders, it seems to me that there is a gap between the terri-ble way the financial markets are going and the way the real economy is going, growing less than expected at the begin-ning of the year but seemingly without entering a recession.”

Albini said Milano Unica will go to China next year — Beijing in March and Shanghai in October — and noted there is “great appreciation” for Italian prod-ucts in Asia.

Massimiliano Bizzi, president of White, which showcases niche men’s and women’s wear, as well as design and beauty products, said trade show organizers face numerous problems.

But he had a positive outlook, nonethe-less. He expects about 350 exhibitors in January, and noted that the decision to again host the men’s, women’s and de-sign exhibitions during Milan Fashion Week will help satisfy buyers’ desire to place their orders earlier in the season, as well as optimize their time and save travel costs.

“Certainly, in this scenario, the successful are those who have a win-ning product and a flexible company structure that allows strategy revision based on need,” said Bizzi. “For this reason, I believe small to medium-sized Italian companies that empha-size a high-quality Made in Italy prod-uct are suffering less.”

London trade show organizers are approaching the New Year with a similar spirit, despite the cloudy macroeconomic environment and the push back from increasingly cash-strapped consumers.

According to Carole Hunter, direc-tor of marketing at the LondonEdge and LondonCentral trade shows, for the first time in several seasons, or-ganizers feel things are looking up. She said new areas have been added to LondonEdge, such as the Secret Garden — where tired showgoers can chill out — Vintedge, which encom-passes wholesale vintage companies, and the Tent, which houses festival lifestyle companies.

Most other shows, too, are expand-ing and improving their exhibitor space

Fairs in Europe Focus on Expansion

Milano Unica’s outdoor runway.


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By MELISSA DRIER

BERLIN — When it comes to trade show activ-ity, Berlin has turned into a boom town.

From Jan. 18 to 21, the German capital will host a dozen trade fairs, plus Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin with some 50 runway shows and presentations. Then there’s WOW, the new intimate apparel trade show that will kick off the season for a three-day run on Jan. 15.

“Everyone is interested in being in Berlin,” said Verena Malta, organizer of Show & Order, another new sales platform bowing this season with about 150 international upper-end fashion brands, many not yet represented in Germany.

Germany has emerged as an attractively sta-ble market amid euro zone jitters. Consumers’ willingness to buy remains high, according to recent GfK surveys, and though unseasonably cold summer and now warm fall weather has eaten into first-half sales gains of 4 percent, the nation’s retailers are still looking forward to a good Christmas season and a positive year-end balance. Many merchants have also worked hard to differentiate their assortments, sug-gesting new oppor-tunities to be had in Europe’s largest market.

Germany’s apparel manufacturers also en-joyed a 13 to 14 percent upswing in the first half, reported Thomas Rash, director of the German Fashion Federation. While those increases have receded in recent months, he expects the industry to close 2011 “with quite a nice plus. The mood is very good.”

Booked to capacity with about 600 exhibi-tors, Bread & Butter has nonetheless eked out a bit of extra space for three new concepts this season. D.O.C.K. — Department of Contemporary Keynotes — is being introduced in Sport & Street, re-flecting the sector’s more grown-up and dressed-up vibe. It will be housed in a contain-er village abutting the Sport & Street hall and is expected to grow fur-ther next summer.

L.O.C.K. — Labels of Common Kin — the suc-cessful showcase for what B&B president Karl-Heinz Müller terms manufacturing heritage brands, will be expand-ed with an additional, 6,500-square-foot com-mon showroom in the airport’s Fire Station behind the L.O.C.K. area.

Then, B&B is putting the former airport gates and their 21,500 square feet into action as the Treasury for the “whole accessories and gadgets sector,” said Müller. “It’s become such an impor-tant sector at retail.”

Premium is also full, and Seek is getting a separate new home next to the station.

“The Seekers are a new school of style, a worldwide community that does its own thing and lives and loves their products,” explained Premium co-founded Anita Tillman.

Seek participants now number 60 compared to 35 last July. Premium’s overall assortment en-compasses about 1,000 brands.

The new Premium F95 store, at the entry to the Station, will also be used as a special style window, spotlighting new brands such as BLK DNM by Johan Lindeberg, twice daily.

On the whole, Tillman said, “We are trying little by little to get more premium each season.

That doesn’t mean just expensive, but rather new, classical, a mix. We’ve reduced the more commercial players, and denim too is no lon-ger just blue denim. You need to be special as a denim brand.”

Bright has established itself as a consistent showplace for the boardsport, sneaker and re-lated fashion scene in the former Stasi head-quarters, while Projekt Galerie Showroom is moving to a new permanent home base on Brunnenstrasse, where it will present a tighter selection of about 20 progressive and avant-garde collections. Conversely, the second Berlin edition of Capsule is growing to 75 from 45 men’s and women’s contemporary brands. With the Paris shows on the heels of Berlin, Capsule is chartering a plane to Paris as a special ser-vice for their Berlin exhibitors.

In Fashion Berlin, the trade fair for fash-ion and accessories organized by In Fashion Munich, will also be back for its second Berlin run, while Düsseldorf ’s fair organization, the Igedo Co., will be premiering The Gallery, its new format for design-oriented collections and accessories at Berlin’s Café Moscow.

A trio of shows will serve the green fashion community: the salonlike Green Showroom in the Adlon Hotel; Ethical Fashion, with its focus on sustainable urban and streetwear col-lections, and the fashion and lifestyle oriented Thekey.to, back after a season’s break.

Beyond Berlin, “everything points to growth,” said the organizers of Ispo, the lead-ing active sportswear fair in Munich. More than 2,200 exhibitors will be on hand at the Jan. 29 to Feb. 1 edition.

It’s the end of an era, however, for CPD, as CPD Signatures will be held for the last time at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds in February. The Gallery Düsseldorf is slated to replace it off-site next summer.

Düsseldorf and Munich, however, each re-main important order-writing venues for the German and neighboring markets, with numer-ous events such as Premium Order Düsseldorf and Munich or Supreme growing in scope.

based on a rise in visitor numbers and sales last season. British Bridal Exhibitions Harrogate will be looking to fill an extra 3,240 square feet with new exhibitors, and will be expanding into new halls in the Harrogate International Center for the Bridal Buyer Awards. Emma Charter, marketing manager of BBEH said: “The bridalwear industry has not been as affected by the [economic] crisis, as brides will always be searching for the perfect dress.”

Bridalwear isn’t the only industry on the upswing. In June last year, Bubble London, the children’s wear show, held its largest summer edition to date and the numbers appear to be on the up. Lindsay Hoyes from Bubble said: “We are already full in our cur-rent venue, and this year we will be filling extra space as the col-lections available have increased.”

Karen Radley from Scoop, a showcase for contemporary in-ternational fashion that takes place at the Saatchi Gallery in London, said the show saw a 39 percent rise in visitors, with ex-hibitor numbers also growing.

“In February we had 70 exhibitors, last season there were 130,” she said, adding that Scoop would maintain its approach, curating its show around a German art installation called “Gesamtkunstwerk,” which in German means a work that com-bines many art forms

— KATYA FOREMAN, PARIS; CYNTHIA MARTENS, MILAN, AND TINA BARAGA, LONDON

Berlin Buzzing With Activity

Italy’s White trade show.

Bubble in London.

L.O.C.K at Bread and Butter.

Premium in Berlin.

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SECTION II WWD.COM



Asian Fairs Battle AdversityBy KELLY WETHERILLE and

KATHLEEN E. MCLAUGHLIN

TWO OF ASIA’S main hubs of trade show activity — Japan and China — are battling back from their own special adversities and looking at a strong six months of fairs and exhibitions ahead.

While the devastation dealt by the massive March 11 earthquake and tsu-nami in Japan is still fresh in people’s minds, organizers of trade shows are seeing their efforts to lure back buyers beginning to pay off. And despite on-going problems with a nuclear power plant in the northeastern region of Tohoku, even international retailers have resumed sending representatives to fairs in Japan.

RoomsLink, a trade show that gen-erally runs concurrently with Japan Fashion Week, was last held in October. It exceeded organizers’ expectations with more than 120 brands participating and more than 9,000 attendees. Of these, 29 brands were from outside of Japan and 3,000 visitors were buyers. Organizer Tomonori Matsui declined to give a fig-ure for the number of international re-tailers represented, but said the event attracted buyers from other Asian coun-tries, such as China and South Korea.

“There were twice as many exhibi-tors as last time [held in April], includ-ing international brands from coun-tries like Angola and South Korea, which were exhibiting for the first time,” Matsui said. “We didn’t feel any effects from the earthquake.”

In October, organizers of RoomsLink also concurrently held a Fashion’s Night Out-style shopping event, in an effort to involve not only retailers, but also consumers. Dubbed Shibuya Fashion Festival, the inaugural event

was held on the Friday of RoomsLink and about 140 stores participated. Matsui said he plans on continuing this initiative twice a year, during RoomsLink and Japan Fashion Week.

Matsui also noted that while he ex-pects about the same number of ex-hibitors and attendees for the next RoomsLink, scheduled for March 20 to 24, he hopes that eventually about half of the participating brands will be from outside of Japan.

“Of course I want more [interna-tional buyers] to come than last time,” he said. “I think it’s difficult to rapidly increase the numbers of buyers from America and Europe because of the distance [they would need to travel], but I’d like to further increase the number of Asian buyers.”

The JFW International Fashion Fair that was held in July saw a slight drop in numbers from its January install-ment. The event attracted 24,175 visi-tors, including 330 from outside Japan, down from 26,605 in January, with 380 international visitors. About 700 com-panies participated in the exhibition.

“A typhoon hit [during the fair] in July, which caused an unexpected de-crease in attendees,” said Naoya Jita, one of the event’s organizers. “There was also the accident at the nuclear power plant, which affected numbers of international visitors.”

Jita said he expects around the same number of companies to exhibit during the next installment of JFW-IFF, which will be held Jan. 25 to 27 at Tokyo Big Sight. He is also expect-ing attendance to be up to about 27,000, with roughly 400 visitors coming from outside Japan.

“The mood has changed consider-ably and is now back to where it was last year,” Jita said, referring to inter-

national buyers’ reactions to the situa-tion at the nuclear power plant.

The January JFW-IFF will also fol-low a slightly different format, with added events and parties aimed at in-creasing communication between buy-ers and brands in an enjoyable setting.

On the textile front, Japan Creation will only be held yearly starting in 2012, but Premium Textile Japan, a smaller, more business-focused fair, will take place twice a year.

In China, despite the increasingly choppy waters for its manufacturing sector, textile and apparel trade show managers are expecting somewhat smooth sailing coming up this winter and spring.

The late winter-early spring tex-tile and apparel trade fair calendar is packed with events, and organizers say they expect vendors and buyers to turn up in steady numbers, with no major declines in attendance on either side of the tables. Their attitude remains sunny in spite of an ongoing decline in Chinese apparel and textile manufac-turing amid the global financial slump.

Across China’s manufacturing hubs in the Pearl River Delta and Zhejiang province, tighter credit has combined with dwindling orders to drive many smaller factories out of business in key areas. Meanwhile larger compa-nies and state-owned enterprises are emerging as reinvigorated forces in the industry. Overall, the situation has led to less production and tension over the next steps.

On Nov. 1, the Chinese government released data showing that nation-wide, general manufacturing output had slowed to its lowest level since two years ago, when the industry was fight-ing to cope with the world financial cri-sis. Anecdotally, producers have said the slowdown affects the garment and textile industries, typically lower-cost production, to an even greater degree. To cope with the current slump in both production and global demand, some trade shows are planning to focus their attention on higher-end products and value-added goods.

That’s true for the Shanghai International Clothing and Textile Expo 2012, set for March 13 to 15, where organizers are looking to up the ante for potential visitors and buyers.

“We’re actually seeing greater inter-est because the Expo now focuses on branded products of a higher class, in-stead of simple clothing and textiles,” said the fair’s Noel Tian.

“The market is becoming more frag-

mented and fast-paced, with new de-signs coming out constantly,” Tian said. “We have to adapt. Exporting is no lon-ger our main goal, with all the economic woes in countries around the world. We pay more attention to domestic market.”

A spokeswoman for Interstoff said attendance at the company’s shows has been stable in recent years and she expects that trend to continue. The or-ganization is working with media part-ners to spread its message, and also de-veloping new partnerships with design schools to showcase the best student work and innovation. Creativity and new concepts could give vendors and trade shows an edge over the competi-tion amid the current climate.

In Hong Kong, show organizers say their traffic has actually increased in recent months and they expect healthy turnout at winter and spring trade fairs. Hong Kong shows tend to attract a more mature, perhaps loyal audience of vendors and clients, so those who visit know what they’re looking for and aren’t likely to fade away because of economic problems in China manufacturing.

“People who go to the China shows and Hong Kong shows are different,” said Mavis Ng, visitor services coordi-nator for China Sourcing Fairs. “Our turnout continues to be very strong.”

Among the major events coming up in the first half of the year are Hong Kong Fashion Week, Jan. 16 to 19; Interstoff Asia Essential, March 14 to 16, and the China Sourcing Fair, April 27 to 30.On the runway at Interstoff.

A busy booth at Plug-In Japan.

A trend area at Interstoff.

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SECTION II WWD.COM



Brazil Economy Boosts BrandsBy MICHAEL KEPP

RIO DE JANEIRO — Some fashion weeks scheduled for the first half of 2012 in Brazil promise changes in their size and location, but all expect purchasing to be strong in the thriving Brazilian economy, organiz-ers said.

São Paulo Fashion Week, which features up-mar-ket, fashion-forward, winter 2012 collections, will again be held from Jan. 19 to 24 at the 300,000-square-foot Bienal Cultural Center in Ibirapuera Park, its venue for many years. The upcoming SPFW will fea-ture 40 designers and is expected to draw 80,000 at-tendees and around 50 foreign buyers.

Typically, business during SPFW — at independent, off-site salons, showrooms of SPFW designers and presentations in various locales — brings in around 1.5 billion reais, or about $855 million at current ex-change. Purchasing volumes during the January SPFW are expected to reach this level in this still-strong economy, said Graça Cabral, a director with Grupo Luminosidade, which organizes SPFW and Fashion Rio, Brazil’s second-largest fashion week.

Alessandra Ribeiro, an economist with the São Paulo-based Tendências Consultoria, a political-economic consulting firm, said, “Consumer spending is expected to be 4.2 percent in 2011 and a growing Brazilian middle class with more purchasing power tends to buy fashion, among other things, because it is a sign of status. This is why the Brazilian fashion market is growing and should continue to grow in 2012, as consumer spending remains stable.”

Ribeiro said new estimates show that Brazil’s gross domestic product should grow more than 3 per-cent in 2011 and 2012, and consumer spending would be 4.2 percent in 2011 and remain stable in 2012.

The biannual Fashion Rio, which offers more af-fordable, mainstream apparel than SPFW, will fea-ture 30 designers and is expected to attract 70,000

visitors and 30 foreign buyers to its Jan. 10 to 14 edi-tion. The event will be held inside three remodeled warehouses in some 278,000 square feet of space at

the Mauá Pier.Rio-à-Porter, Fashion Rio’s buy-

ers’ salon, will be moved from two other remodeled Mauá Pier ware-house locations to an off-site loca-tion that is still being negotiated. The new Rio-à-Porter space will be considerably smaller than the 126,000-square-foot space at Mauá Pier warehouses and will house fewer exhibitors than the 160 fea-tured at the salon’s former location.

“At the January 2012 edition of Rio-à-Porter, we plan to try out a smaller and more intimate format where we will invite better-known, mostly Rio labels, to exhibit in a smaller space,” said fair organizer Cabral. “Reducing the number of exhibitors by not inviting lesser-known ones means, however, that Rio-à-Porter sales will, in January, be lower than in the past.”

In January 2011, Rio-à-Porter registered 610 million reais, or

$364 million, in domestic sales and $22 million in for-eign sales.

Fashion Business, a Rio de Janeiro buyers’ salon run by Dupla Assessoria and Escala Eventos, which are event organizers, will feature 250 exhibitors from Jan. 10 to 13. It is expected to attract 60,000 visitors, mainly domestic buyers.

The event will no longer take place in four to five large tents at the Marina da Gloria, where yachts dock, and where a new convention center is being built. Organizers have a new address picked, but can’t an-nounce the location until they sign a leasing contract.

Fashion Business is inviting 1,000 national buyers for the next event, but no foreign buyers, a practice stopped in 2009, when the global economic crisis began and as the fair began to gear itself exclusively for the domestic market. This January’s event hopes to take in 15 to 20 percent more than the 690 million reais, or $413 million, that it registered last year, organizers said.

“Our expected increase in sales is due to a grow-ing economy which is, in particular, causing the open-ing of more multibrand stores,” organizers said.

At all of these upcoming fashion fairs, foreigners will find fashion prices high, but not pricier than at the last January editions. That’s because, while the dollar and euro have been stable against the real, the local currency, since those editions, it is still overval-ued against the dollar and euro, said Cabral.

São Paulo Prêt-à-Porter, an annual mass mar-ket apparel fair now in its second year, will take place Jan. 15 to 18 at the Expo Center Norte, a 215,00-square-foot pavilion in São Paulo. This fair has replaced Fenit, a mass market apparel fair, which was discontinued in 2009.

The apparel fair, featuring commercial clothing for men and women, is expected to attract 500 exhibi-tors and 20,000 attendees, mainly domestic buyers, organizers said.

The Couromoda, the annual footwear fair, will be held at Saõ Paulo’s 861,000-square-foot Anhembi Park pavilion, Jan. 16 to 19, and feature 1,100 exhibitors and 70,000 attendees, mainly domestic buyers.

Consumer spending has been strong in Brazil.

The Couromoda trade fair.

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By KRISTI ELLIS

WASHINGTON — Retailers, apparel brands and textile producers around the world are counting on a handful of new regional and bilateral trade agree-ments to lower trade barriers and sig-nificantly expand global markets, par-ticularly in the Asia-Pacific region, in the next few years.

The biggest potential region for exports and retail investment is the Asia-Pacific. Nine countries, including the U.S., are currently negotiating a re-gional trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which, if realized and enacted, would represent the larg-est trading bloc for the U.S.

Japan, Canada and Mexico said this weekend they plan to begin consulta-tions to join the ne-gotiations, which would bring the total number of countries to 10 and add an enormous consumer market and export potential to the mix.

The TPP nego-tiations currently encompass nine countries: the U.S., Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Peru, B r u n e i , N e w Zealand, Chile and Malaysia. The ulti-mate objective of ne-gotiators is to bring in all 21 member economies of APEC into the regional trade bloc, which would bring down barriers in China, Russia and Thailand, among others, if ever realized.

“Two of the biggest things for the TPP are Japan joining, followed by South Korea [potentially] joining,” said Gary Hufbauer, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “That would open up those markets to countries in Asia that don’t have free trade agreements with Japan or South Korea.”

South Korea recently opened up its market to European Union companies with the enactment of a bilateral free trade agreement, and the U.S. is set to take advantage of new market open-ings and export opportunities with

South Korea when its bilateral trade deal takes effect.

A third new market being watched by the global industry is Russia, which recently completed its 18-year bid to join the World Trade Organization and is expected to formally join the organi-zation next month.

Russia’s accession to the WTO is expected to help boost retail in-vestment, especially on the part of European luxury brands and stores, which already have a big presence in the country. U.S. apparel brands also see the Russian market as having big export potential.

Lowering trade barriers in Russia provides a strong market opening

opportunity for such European luxur y compa-nies as Salvatore Ferragamo, which currently has seven stores in Russia, and such U.S. companies as the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., which has seen sales grow in the double digits in Russia, according to Cedric Prouvé, group president, in-ternational for the company.

In the landscape of international ap-parel and textile trade, China, the top apparel and tex-tile exporter in the world, looms large and is expected to maintain its posi-tion in the coming

years but with less share.But rising labor, raw material and

transportation costs in China have begun to slowly erode some of its im-port share as companies shift produc-tion to other low-cost countries, such as Vietnam, to offset the escalating prices. In addition, the global trade community is wary of tension between China and the U.S. over China’s cur-rency policies, which the U.S. argues is undervalued and puts American firms at a competitive disadvantage. The friction heated up last month after the Senate passed a bill that could lead to punitive tariffs on Chinese imports. The measure has stalled in the House.

China’s apparel and textile imports to the U.S. fell 2.4 percent to 19 bil-

lion SME for the year-to-date through Sept. 30 compared with a year ear-lier, according to the latest Commerce Department data. During the same period, combined textile and apparel imports from Vietnam to the U.S. rose 12.2 percent to 2.3 billion SME.

“I think from a sourcing perspec-tive, there is almost desperation in try-ing to move production out of China,” said Nate Herman, vice president of international trade at the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “There is no question China will re-main a dominant supplier of apparel to the U.S. market for many years to come. The question is how much of that production currently in China can move out over the next 10 years. Right now China controls 40 to 45 percent of the U.S. import market, and there will be an effort to reduce that to 25 to 30 percent in the next 10 years.”

Stephanie Lester, vice president of international trade at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said, “Companies are absolutely looking for alternatives to China. That’s why there

is a great interest in the TPP.”U.S. importers have their sights

set on Vietnam (already the second-largest apparel supplier to the U.S.) in the TPP negotiations, because it could receive duty free benefits and make apparel shipments to the U.S. cheap-er. But the U.S. has proposed a yarn-forward rule of origin, which requires that apparel be made of fabric and yarns supplied by the U.S or other TPP partner countries to qualify for duty-free benefits when shipped back to the U.S. Importers have stressed that the rule of origin for textiles and apparel must be flexible enough to allow them to use third-country fabric and yarns in apparel production. U.S. textile pro-ducers are vigorously opposed to a lib-eral rule of origin.

“If the rules are favorable, it is a great opportunity for U.S. brands to use the regional market as a sourcing platform where you can make apparel in Malaysia or Vietnam and then sup-ply U.S.-branded products to markets in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan, if it joins,” Herman added.

Trade Pacts Hold Export Potential

BY THE NUMBERS: The Trans-Pacific Partnership countries’ apparel and textile exports in 2010. By comparison, China, which is not part of the TPP talks but is the largest apparel and textile exporter, exported $199 billion worth of goods last year.

U.S.: $23.6 billionVietnam: $13.4 billionJapan (not yet an official negotiat-ing partner): $8.6 billionAustralia: $3.4 billionMalaysia: $2.7 billionSingapore: $1.9 billionPeru: $1.5 billionNew Zealand: $903.4 millionChile: $149.7 millionBrunei: N/A

SOURCE: GLOBAL TRADE INFORMATION SERVICES

USTR Ron Kirk discusses the Trans-Pacific Partnership with trade ministers.

Ferragamo in Moscow.

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JANUARY6-8, Canada’s Bridal Show, Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto. Tel.: 905-264-7000. Fax: 905-264-7300. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: canadasbridalshow.com.10-13, Pitti Uomo, Fortezza da Basso, viale F. Strozzi 1, Florence. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com. 10-13, Pitti W, Dogana, via Valfonda 25, Florence. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com. 10-13, Rio-à-Porter. Contact: Luminosidade. Tel.: +55-11-3077-4877. Office of Monica Mendes Assessoria (for international press). Tel.: +55-11-3666-8437. Web: ffw.com.br/rio-a-porter.10-13, Fashion Business. Contact: Dupla Assessoria. Tel.:+55-21-3239-5500. Office of Mediação (for international press). Tel.: +55-21-2552-0409. Web: fashionbusiness.com.br.10-14, Fashion Rio, Mauá Pier, Avenida Rodrigues Alves, Rio de Janeiro. Contact: Luminosidade. Tel.: +55-11-3077-4877. Office of Monica Mendes Assessoria (for international press). Tel.: +55-11-3666-8437. Web: ffw.com.br/fashionrio.11-14, International Jewelry Tokyo, Tokyo Big Sight, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: ijt.jp/en.14-16, White Homme, via Tortona 27–via Tortona 54, Milan. Contact: White Milano. Tel: +39-02-3459-2785. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: whiteshow.it.14-18, Milano Moda Uomo, Milan. Contact: Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. Tel.: +39-02-777-1081. Fax: +39-02-7771-0850-62. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: cameramoda.it. 14-19, Vicenzaoro First, via dell’Oreficeria 16, Vicenza. Contact: Vicenza Fiera. Tel.: +39-04-4496-9920. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: vicenzaoro.org.15-17, Wow Berlin, Hotel Berlin, Lützowplatz 17, Berlin. Contact: Muveo GmbH. Tel.: +49-69-630-0920. Fax: +49-69-6300-9229. Web: wow-berlin.de.15-17, Top Drawer, Earls Court One, Warwick Road, London. Contact: Raj Gill at Clarion Events. Tel.: +44-020-7370-8929. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: topdrawer.co.uk.15-17, NSIA Snow Show, Place Bonaventure, Montreal. Contact: Anna Di Meglio. Tel.: 514-939-7370, ext. 220. Fax: 514-939-7371. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: nsia.ca.15-18, São Paulo Prêt-à-Porter, Rua José Bernardo Pinto, 333 Vila Guilherme, São Paulo, Brazil. Organizer/press office of São Paulo Prêt-à-Porter. Tel.: +55-11-3897-6100. Web: saopaulopretaporter.com.16-19, Hong Kong Fashion Week Fall-Winter, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Contact: Beatrice Lee or Lily Kwong. Tel.: +852-2240-4323

or +852-2240-4061. Fax: +852-2824-0026. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: hktdc.com./fair/hkfashionweekfw-en.16-19, Couromoda Parque Anhembi, Pavilião de Exposições do Anhembi, Rua Olavo Fontoura 1209, São Paulo, Brazil. Organizer/press office of Couromoda. Tel.: +55-11-3897-6100. Web: couromoda.com.br.17-20, Show & Order, Kraftwerk,

Köpenicker Strasse 59-70, Berlin. Contact: Kraaft GmbH. Tel.: +49-30-3464-99210. Fax: +49-30-8956-6364. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: showandorder.de.18-19, Tissu Premier, Lille Grand Palais, Lille, France. Contact: Frédéric Pellerin. Tel.: +33-1-40-22-63-19. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: tissu-premier.com.18-20, Bread & Butter Berlin, Airport Berlin-Tempelhof, Platz der Luftbrücke 5, Berlin. Contact: Bread & Butter GmbH. Tel.: +49-30-200-0370. Web: breadandbutter.com.18-20, Premium and Premium Men, Station-Berlin, Luckenwalder Strasse 4-6, Berlin. Contact: Premium Exhibitions GmbH. Tel.: +49-30- 629-0850.

E-mail: [email protected]. Web: premiumexhibitions.com. 18-20, Seek, Kühlhaus, Luckenwalder Strasse 3, Berlin. Contact: Seek at Premium Exhibitions GmbH. Tel.: +49-30-6290-8511. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: seekexhibitions.com.18-20, Greenshowroom, Hotel Adlon, Unter den Linden 77, Berlin. Contact: Messe Frankfurt GmbH. Tel.: +49-711-7616-0866. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: green-showroom.net.18-20, Ethical Fashion Show Berlin, Ewerk, Wilhelmstrasse 43, Berlin. Contact: Messe Frankfurt GmbH. Tel.: +49-69-7575-6363. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: ethicalfashionshowberlin.com. 18-20, The Gallery Berlin, Moskau,

Karl-Marx Allee 34, Berlin. Contact: Igedo Co. Tel.: +49-21-143-9601. Fax: +49-21-1439-6345. Web: igedo.com.18-20, Projekt Galerie Showroom, Brunnen154, Brunnenstrasse 154, Berlin. Contact: Projekt Galerie. Tel.: +49-30-6040-5703. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: projektgalerie.net.18-20, In Fashion Berlin, Radialsystem V, Holzmarktstrasse 33, Berlin. Contact: In Fashion Munich. Tel.: +49-89-1270-0700. Fax: +49-89-2020-4446. Web: in-fashion-munich.de.18-21, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, Strasse des 17, Juni at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin. Contact: IMG, Invalidenstrasse 35, Berlin. Tel.: +49-30-8892-2890. Web: mbfashionweek.com.


SECTION II WWD.COM


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CalendarListings are accurate as of press time, but attendees

are encouraged to confirm dates and locations.

14-16 Feb. 2012 / spring summer 13 / The World’s Premier Fabric Show™Parc d’Expositions Paris-Nord Villepinte France / T. 1 [646] 351-1942 / [email protected]

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18-21, TheKey.to, Kindl Brauerei, Werbellinstrasse 50, Berlin. Contact: TheKey.to. Tel.: +49-30-688-5086. Fax: +49-30+687-0617. Web: thekey.to.18-22, Men’s Fashion Collections, Paris. Contact: Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode. Tel.: +33-1-42-66-64-44. Fax: +33-1-42-66-94-63. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: modeaparis.com.19-20, Capsule, Old Mint Berlin, Am Krögel 2, Berlin. Contact: BPMW. Tel.: 212-206-8310. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: capsuleshow.com.19-21, Bright, Stasi Headquarters, House 18, Normannenstrasse 19, Berlin. Contact: Bright GmbH. Tel.: +49-69-6696-2157. Fax: +49-69-9760-9482. Web: brighttradeshow.com. 19-21, Pitti Bimbo, Fortezza da Basso, viale F. Strozzi 1, Florence. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com.19-24, São Paulo Fashion Week, Fundação Bienal São Paulo Avenue, Pedro Alvares Cabral, Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo, Brazil. Contact: Luminosidade. Tel.: +55-11-3077-4877. Office of Monica Mendes Assessoria (for international press). Tel.: +55-11-3666-8437. Web: ffw.com.br/spfw.20-22, Tranoï Homme, Palais de la Bourse, Paris. Contact: Christophe Contentin. Tel.: +33-1-53-01-84-96. Fax: +33-1-42-71-07-03. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: tranoi.com.20-22, Total Wedding Show, International Center, Toronto. Tel.: 905-845-2644. Fax: 905-845-8050. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: totalweddingshow.com.20-23, Eclat de Mode-Bijorhca, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris. Contact: Christine DeLattre. Tel.: +33-1-41-41-07-54. Mobile: +33-6-60-70-21-72. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: bijorhca.com.20-24, Maison & Objet, Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: SAFI/SESMP: Tel.: +33-1-44-29-02-00. Fax: +33-1-44-29-02-01. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: maison-objet.com.

21-23, Capsule, Rue de Turenne, Paris. Tel.: 212-206-8310. Contact: BPMW Agency. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: capsuleshow.com.21-23, Le Salon Interfilière, Pavillon 1, Porte de Versailles, Paris. Contact: Elisabeth Delaigle. Tel.: +33-1-45-78-11-74. Fax: +33-1-47-56-32-99. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: interfiliere.com.21-23, Salon International de la Lingerie, Pavillon 1, Porte de Versailles, Paris. Contact: Virginie Gondoui. Tel.: +33-1-55-34-37-66. Fax: +33-1-47-56-32-99. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: lingerie-paris.com.21-24, Who’s Next, 1 Place de la Porte de Versailles, Paris. Contact: Elodie Lavesvre. Tel.: +33-1-42-93-54-17. Fax: +33-1-40-13-74-84. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: whosnext.com.22-23, Modefabriek, Amsterdam RAI, Europaplein 8, 1078 GZ Amsterdam. Contact: Modefabriek BV. Tel.: +31-20-442-1960. Fax: +31-20-442-1961. Web: modefabriek.nl.23-26, Paris Haute Couture Collections, Paris. Contact: Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode. Tel.: +33-1-42-66-64-44. Fax: +33-1-42-66-94-63. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: modeaparis.com.25-27, Pitti Filati, Fortezza da Basso, viale F. Strozzi 1, Florence. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com. 25-27, JFW International Fashion Fair, Tokyo Big Sight, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: senken-ex.com./iff_en.25-28, 080 Barcelona Fashion, Barrio Gotico, Barcelona. Contact: Marta Coca. Tel.: +34-93-551-5452. Fax: +34-93-484-9688. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: 080barcelonafashion.com.26-29, Macef, Fieramilanocity, Strada Statale del Sempione 28, Rho, Milan. Contact: Macef Milano. Tel.: +39-02-49-971. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: macef.it.

27-29, The Brandery, Fira Barcelona-Montjuïc fairgrounds, Barcelona. Contact: Estermaria Laruccia, sales director. Tel.: 34-90-223-3200. Fax: +34-93-233-3435. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: thebrandery.com.28-31, AltaRomAltaModa, Rome. Contact: Alta Roma. Tel.: +39 06-678-1313. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: altaroma.it.29-30, Bubble, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH, Contact: Lindsay Hoyes. Tel.: +44-014-8484-6069. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: bubblelondon.com.29-31, Mode Accessories Show, Double Tree by Hilton, Toronto. Contact: Alice Chee. Tel.: 416-510-0114. Fax: 416-510-0165. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: mode-accessories.com.29-Feb. 1, ISPO, New Munich Trade Fair Center, Munich. Contact: Messe München. Tel.: +49-89-9491-1388. Fax: +49-89- 9491-1389. Web: ispo.com.31-Feb. 2, Munich Fabric Start, Lilienthalallee 40 and 29, Munich. Contact: Munichfabricstart. Tel.: +49-89-452-2470. Fax: +49-89-4522-4722. Web: munichfabricstart.com.

FEBRUARY1-5, Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week, Juan Carlos I fairgrounds, Madrid. Contact: IFEMA (Leonor Pérez Pita). Tel.: +34-91-722-5083. Fax: +34-91-722-5164. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: cibeles.ifema.es.2-4, SIMM, Madrid International Fashion Fair, Juan Carlos I fairgrounds, Madrid. Contact: IFEMA (Francesco Malatesta). Tel.: +34-91-722-3000. Fax: +34-91-722-5787. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: semanamoda.ifema.es.2-4, CPH Vision, Oksnehallen, Halmtorvet 11, Copenhagen. Contact: Exhibition Professionals. Tel.: +45-39-648 586. Fax: +45-39-648-587. Web: cphvision.com.2-4, Terminal 2, Otto Busses Vej 5A, Copenhagen. Contact: Exhibition Professionals. Tel.: +45-39-648-586. Fax: +45-39-648-587. Web: cphvision.com.2-5, Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5, Copenhagen. Contact: Bella Center. Tel.: +45-32-528-811. Fax: +45-32-519-951. Web: ciff.dk.3-5, Immagine Italia & Co., Fortezza da Basso, viale F. Strozzi 1, Florence. Contact: Immagine Italia & Co. Tel.: +39-05-7399-1483. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: immagineitalia.org.4-6, CPD Signatures, Exhibition Center, Düsseldorf. Contact: Igedo Co. Tel.: +49-21-143-9601. Fax: +49-21-1439-6345. Web: igedo.com.4-7, Premium Order Düsseldorf, Alte Papierfabrik, Fringsstrasse 16-19, Düsseldorf. Premium Exhibitions GmbH. Tel.: +49-30- 6290-8578. Web: premiumexhibitions.com.4-7, Supreme by Munichfashion.com, Bennigsen Platz, Kennedydamm 24, Düsseldorf. Contact: Munichfashion-com.pany. Tel.: +49-81-06-994-0330. Fax: +49-81-06-994-0337. Web: munichfashioncompany.com.5-7, Londonedge and Londoncentral, National Hall Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, W14 8UX. Contact: Jackie Farr. Tel.: +44-01-16-289-8249. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: londonedge.com.5-7, Can-Am Western Apparel Trade Show, Spruce Meadows Equiplex, Calgary, Canada. Tel: 403-995-1003. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: canammarket.ca.7-8, Anteprima, Fieramilanocity, Gate 3 Colleoni, via Colleoni 20, Milan. Contact: Anteprima. Tel.: +39-02-880-7711. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: anteprima-fair.it.

7-9, Milano Unica, Fieramilanocity, Porta Scarampo – Porta Teodorico, viale Scarampo, Milan. Contact: Milano Unica. Tel: +39-02-6610-1105. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: milanounica.it.8-10, Intertex, Palazzo delle Stelline, corso Magenta 61, Milan. Contact: T.D.F. Tel.: +39-02-4801-5026. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: intertex-milano.it.8-10, Ready to Show, Palazzo delle Stelline, corso Magenta 61, Milan. Contact: T.D.F. Tel.: +39-02-4801-5026. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: readytoshow.it.8-10, Tokyo International Gift Show, Tokyo Big Sight, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: giftshow.co.jp/english.9-11, CPI Collection Premiere Istanbul, CNR Expo Center, Yesilkoy, Istanbul. Contact: Igedo Company GmbH. Tel.: +49-21-143-9601. Fax: +49-21-1439-6345. Web: igedo.com.10-13, Inhorgenta, New Munich Trade Fair Center, Munich. Contact: Inhorgenta. Tel.: +49-89-9491-1398. Fax: +49-89-9491-1399. Web: inhorgenta.com.12-13, Margin London, The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, London. Contact: Odysseus Constantine. Tel.: +44-077-1033-0805. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: margin.tv.12-14, Pure London, Grand Hall, Olympia, Kensington, London. Contact: Emap Connect. Tel.: +44-207-728-3512. Web: purelondon.com.12-14, Stitch, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington London, N1 0QH, Contact: Emma Fearman. Tel.: +44-020-7728-3512. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: stitchmenswear.com.12-14, Scoop, Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY. Contact: Karen Radley. Tel.: +44-020- 7289-9399. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: scoop-international.com.12-14, Fashion Exposed, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney. Contact: Australian Exhibitions & Conferences. Tel.: +61-38-672-1200. Web: aec.net.au or fashionexposed.com.12-14, The Leather Bags & Accessories Fair, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney. Contact: Australian Exhibitions & Conferences. Tel.: +61-38-672-1200. Web: lbafair.com.13-16, Texworld, Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Center, France. Contact: Messe Frankfurt France SAS. Tel.: +33-1-55-26-89-89. Fax: +33-1-40-35-09-00. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: interstoff.com.14-16, Première Vision, Parc d’Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: Christiane de Claviere. Tel.: +33-4-72-60-65-00. Fax: +33-4-72-60-65-09. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: premierevision.com.14-16, Zoom by Fatex, Parc d’Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: Frédéric Pellerin. Tel.: +33-6-81-67-80-91. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: zoombyfatex.com.14-16, Le Cuir a Paris, Hall 4, Parc d’Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: Erica Caron. Tel.: +33-1-43-59-89-44. Fax: +33-1-43-59-30-02. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: lecuiraparis.com.14-16, Paris Indigo Mode, Hall 5, Parc d’Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: Stephanie Binoist. Tel.: +33-1-70-38-70-12. Fax: +33-1-70-38-70-11. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: indigo-salon.com.14-16, Expofil, Parc d’Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: Marie-Odile Verrier. Tel.: +33-1-70-38-70-00. Fax: +33-1-70-38-70-01. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: expofil.com.14-16, ModAmont, Hall 3, Parc d’Expositions, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris. Contact: Aimeline Marsura. Tel.: +33-1-70-38-70-20. Fax: +33-1-70-38-70-21. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: modamont.com.


SECTION II


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Premium will be held Jan. 18 to 20.


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14-16, Interstyle, Pacifico Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: interstyle.jp/english/english.html.15-18, China Wedding Expo 2012, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. Tel.: +86-21-6279-2828 or 6247-2387. Fax: +86-21-6386-6972. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: chinaweddingexpo.com.cn.17-21, London Fashion Week, Somerset House, The Strand, London. Contact: Camilla Scott-Bowden. Tel.: +44-020-7759-1977. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: londonfashionweek.co.uk.18-20, In Fashion Munich, Praterinsel, Praterinsel 3-4, Munich. Contact: In Fashion Munich. Tel.: +49-89-1270-0700. Fax: +49-89-2020-4446. Web: in-fashion-munich.de.18-21, Premium Order Munich, Zenith Area, Lilienthalallee 29, Munich. Contact: Premium Exhibitions GmbH. Tel.: +49-30-6290-8578. Web: premiumexhibitions.com.18-21, Munichfashion.WoMen, MTC World of Fashion, Ingolstädter Strasse 45, Munich. Contact: Munichfashion.com.pany. Tel.: +49-810-6994-0330. Fax: +49-810-6994-0337. Web: munichfashioncompany.com.19-21, Moda, National Exhibition Center, Birmingham, England. Contact: Caroline Mackinnon. Tel.: +44-014-8484-8313. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: moda-uk.co.uk.21-23, Rooms, Science Museum, 2-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: roomsroom.com.21-23, Playtime Tokyo, Belle Salle Shibuya First, 1-2-20 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: playtimetokyo.com.22-28, Milano Moda Donna, Milan. Contact: Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. Tel.: +39-02-777-1081. Fax: +39-02-777-1085-062. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: cameramoda.it 24-26, The National Wedding Show, Olympia, Hammersmith Road, London, W14 8UX,

Contact: Alejandra Campos Morales. Tel.: +44-207-772-8406. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: nationalweddingshow.co.uk.24-27, MI Milano Pret-à-Porter, Fieramilanocity, Porta Teodorico, Milan. Contact: Fiera Milano. Tel.: +39-02-4997-7939. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: mimilanopretaporter.fieramilano.it.25-27, Cloudnine, Padiglione Visconti, via Tortona 58, Milan. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com.25-27, NeoZone and Touch, NHOW Hotel, via Tortona 35, Milan. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com.25-27, White Beauty and White Donna, via Tortona 27 – via Tortona 54, Milan. Contact: White Milano. Tel: +39-02-3459-2785. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: whiteshow.it 25-29, Vintage Selection, Stazione Leopolda, viale Fratelli Rosselli 5, Florence. Contact: Pitti Immagine. Tel.: +39-05-536-931. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: pittimmagine.com or stazione-leopolda.it.26-27, ABC Salon, MOC Center, Lilienthalallee 40, Munich. Contact: Messe München. Tel.: +49-89-3235-3185. Fax: +49-89-3235-3197. Web: abc-salon.de.28-March 2, CPM Collection Premiere Moscow, Expocenter Fairgrounds, Krasnopresenskaya nab.,14, Moscow. Contact: Igedo Co. Tel.: +49-211-439-601. Fax: +49-211-439-6345. Web: igedo.com. 28-March 7, Women’s Ready-to-Wear fall 2012, Paris. Contact: Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode. Tel.: +33-1-42-66-64-44. Fax: +33-1-42-66-94-63. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: modeaparis.com.

MARCH1-5, The 22nd East China Fair, Shanghai New International Expo Center, 2345 Longyang Road, Pudong Shanghai, Shanghai. Contact: International Trade Promotion Co. Tel.: +0086-21-6353-9977. Web: ecf.gov.cn/en.2-4, Tracht and Country, Salzburg fairgrounds, Salzburg, Austria. Contact: Reed Exhibitions Messe Salzburg. Tel.: +43-66-244-770. Fax: +43-66-2447-74809. Web: reedexpo.at or hb.trachtsalzburg.at.2-4, Ethical Fashion Show, Espace Pierre Cardin, 1-3 Avenue Gabriel, Paris. Tel.: +33-1-55-26-89-89. Fax:+33-1-40-35-09-00. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: ethicalfashionshow.com. 2-5, Atmosphère’s d’Hiver, Jardin des Tuileries, Terrasse des Feuillants, Paris. Contact: Frédérique Gerry. Tel: +33-1-40-13-74-74. Fax: +33-1-40-13-74-80. E-mail: [email protected], Paris Sur Mode Atelier, Jardin des Tuileries, Terrasse des Feuillants, Paris. Contact: Sophie Guyot. Tel.: +33-1-40-13-74-74. Fax: +33-1-40-13-74-84. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: parissurmode.com.2-5, Tranoï Femme, Paris. Contact: Christophe Contentin. Tel.: +33-1-53-01-84-93. Fax: +33-1-42-71-07-03. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: tranoi.com.2-5, Premiere Classe, Jardin des Tuileries Paris. Contact: Elodie Lavesvre. Tel.: +33-1-77-12-20-20. Fax: +33-1-40-13-74-80. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: premiere-classe.com.2-5, Vendôme Luxury Tradeshow. Contact: Studio XXb. Tel.: +33-1-42-86-98-28. Fax: +33-1-42-86-98-27. Contact: Charles M. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: vendomeluxurytradeshow.com.2-5, Designers & Agents Paris, Espace 5 bis Rue Froissart, Paris, 3rd. Tel. : 212-302-9575. Fax: 212-302-9576. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: designersandagents.com.4-7, Mipel, Fieramilanocity, Milan. Contact: Mipel. Tel.: +39-02-584-511. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: mipel.it 4-7, Ontario Fashion Exhibitors Profile Show, Toronto Congress Center, Toronto. Contact: Serge Micheli. Tel.: 416-596-2401.

Fax: 416-596-1808. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: ontariofashionexhibitors.ca.4-8, Mifur, Fieramilanocity, Milan. Contact: Mifur. Tel.: +39-02-7600-3315. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: mifur.com. 5-7, China Shanghai International Hosiery Purchasing Expo, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai. Tel.: +86-21-5445-1978. Fax: +86-21-5445-1978. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: chpe.com.cn/en.5-7, China Shanghai International Fashion Production Exhibition, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai. Contact: Cindy Yu. Tel.: +86-21-5445-1970. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: ctfe.com.cn/en.5-12, 11th China Shanghai Textiles, Fabrics & Accessories Exhibition, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, 1099 Guozhan Road, Shanghai. Contact: Cindy Yu. Mobile: +86-136-6188-3350. Tel.: +86-21-5445-1970. Fax: +86-21-5445-1218. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: shssny.com./en.6-8, Spinexpo, The Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai. Contact: Well Link Consultants Ltd. Tel.: +85-22-824-8581. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: spinexpo.com./shanghai/index.php.7-8, Filo, Palazzo delle Stelline, corso Magenta 61, Milan. Contact: Filo. Tel.: +39-01-5848-3271. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: filo.it.7-8, Textile Forum, The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, London. Contact: Linda Laderman. Tel.: +44-020-7843-9496. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: textileforum.co.uk.8-12, Trends the Apparel Show, Northlands Agricom, Edmonton. Tel.: 780-455-1881. Fax: 780-455-3969. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: trendsapparel.com.9-12, Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, Fair District, piazza Costituzione 6, Bologna, Italy. Contact: SoGeCos. Tel.: +39-02-4547-08224. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: cosmoprof.com.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW OF TRIMMING AND SUPPLIES FOR FASHION AND DESIGN

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14 ̀ �16 FEB. 2012PARIS-NORD VILLEPINTEHALL3

Firmly Focused - WWD

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