WWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 20092

WWDThursDaySportswear/Men’s

CORRECTIONThe Liz Claiborne New York collection designed by Isaac Mizrahi will launch on QVC in fall 2010. The date was incorrect in a story on page 8, Wednesday.

The poster for “Gilda,” starring Rita Hayworth, from the book “Star Struck.”

By Arnold J. Karr

WheN The WeaTher ouTsIde Was frIghT-ful, shoppers found online shopping delightful.

Comscore Inc. reported Wednesday that, dur-ing the stormy weekend of dec. 19 and 20, on-line sales increased 13.3 percent, to $767 million from $677 million during the comparable week-end in 2008. The challenging weather conditions in the Northeast and Middle atlantic during the final weekend before Christmas kept many u.s. shoppers indoors and online, helping to boost e-commerce sales for the period between Nov. 1 and dec. 24 to $27.12 billion, 4.9 percent higher than the $25.85 billion spent online during the 2008 holiday season.

adjusting for an extra shopping day this year, comscore put the year-on-year increase at a more modest 3.5 percent, but that’s still more than a 6 point swing from the 3 percent decline registered for holiday 2008 versus the 2007 season.

Not all of the data shared by comscore was positive. The reston, Va.-based digital research firm noted that, while there was an increase in the number of people buying online this year, the amount spent per buyer dropped slightly.

Consumer electronics ap-peared to be the biggest ben-eficiary of this year’s surge in online shopping, with in-creases of over 20 percent.

Jewelry and watches also excelled following a particu-larly difficult performance in 2008. While comscore didn’t provide specific figures on the category, earlier it re-ported that, in November, sales of e-commerce sites offering jewelry, accessories and luxury goods saw the number of their unique visi-tors rise 15.2 percent to 17.7 million from 15.3 million in october.

“The season featured a strong start as a result of early retailer promotions and a very strong finish helped by the snowstorms that occurred the weekend of dec. 19 and 20, retail-ers’ willingness to offer free ship-ping later in the season and consumers’ confi-dence in expedited shipping arriving in time,” said gian fulgoni, chairman of comscore. “This was also a year when retailers substantially boosted their use of social network marketing and the larger retailers significantly outper-

formed their smaller brethren.”Consistent with the latter trend, comscore

said earlier that department store e-commerce sites experienced a 29.9 percent increase in unique visitors last month, to 80.8 million from 62.2 million. Kohl’s Corp., Wal-Mart stores Inc., Target Corp., sears holdings Corp., J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Macy’s Inc. were among the broad-lines retailers with traffic increases of at least

34 percent. Kohl’s was up 59.1 percent, highest among stores carrying apparel, and Wal-Mart’s 55.1 percent increase included a 62 per-cent monthly growth rate at walmart.com.

“In these tough economic times, the retailers with suf-ficient financial resources and a willingness to invest in aggressive marketing and free shipping offers were clear winners,” fulgoni con-cluded.

Comscore disclosed ear-lier this week that online sales were up 11.4 percent on Black friday, Nov. 27, to $595 million, and up 6.4 percent, to $887 million, on

Cyber Monday, Nov. 30. however, volume on those days was sur-passed by the $913 million trans-acted online on Tuesday, dec. 15,

when sales were up 21.1 percent. Internet shop-pers spent $854 million online on green Monday, dec. 14, a 0.6 percent decline more than offset by business on the following day.

on Thanksgiving day, receipts tallied $318 million, 10.4 percent ahead of the prior year.

By Jessica Steinberg

JERUSALEM — Tefron Ltd., the Israeli manufac-turer of seamless and cut-and-sew undergar-ments and activewear, is coming apart.

With the news that Victoria’s secret, one of the company’s largest and most long-standing cus-tomers, decided to move some of its production to India, which resulted in the loss of $23.5 mil-lion in revenues for Tefron, the textile company ended up reporting an $8.3 million net loss for the third quarter of 2009 on a 45 percent decline in revenues, to $21 million from $38.3 million.

Besides Victoria’s secret, Nike is Tefron’s other largest customer, and it appears relations with the activewear firm are also at risk, with neither u.s.-based company placing substantial orders with Tefron during the last year. sales in all of Tefron’s markets fell, with sales in europe down 60 percent from the same period last year.

In a statement to the Tel aviv stock exchange, Tefron said it believes the economic repercus-sions of the global crisis have not yet run their course, but the company has instituted a series of streamlining measures that have helped cut costs this year.

In the meantime, the stock exchange has suspended trading in Tefron shares since early december, and the debt-ridden company re-ceived a three-week extension of credit until the end of this month from the banks in order to stay in business. Tefron owes the banks $35 million. Israel’s three largest banks provided Tefron with

$29 million in credit at the end of september.“If the banks don’t approve the business plan

and cancel our credit frameworks, the compa-ny’s continued operations will be at risk,” Tefron said in its statement to the exchange.

Tefron executives have declined to comment to the press. The company is controlled by first Israel Mezzanine Investors fund, run by chief ex-ecutive officer Ishai davidi, and Mivtach shamir holdings Ltd., headed by chairman Meir shamir. Located in western galilee, known as a peripher-al area of Israel, the factory provides significant employment opportunities for many low-income residents of the area, including Israeli arabs and recent immigrants from ethiopia and russia. as such, the histadrut Labor federation, a quasi-governmental labor group, is working with the company’s owners to save the plant and jobs.

shamir and davidi have told Israeli newspa-pers that they “will do whatever is needed” to save the textile plant.

at the height of its success, Tefron had annual sales of around $200 million and an estimated 5 percent share of the $10 billion u.s. intimate ap-parel market. The company’s customers includ-ed Victoria’s secret, Nike, adidas, gap, Banana republic and Calvin Klein, as well as discount retailers Target and Wal-Mart. With a logistics and customer service plant in North Carolina, and research and development and production in Israel, Madagascar and Jordan, Tefron was seen as an example of how to manufacture and sell on a global basis.

Stormy Weather Boosts E-commerce

Tefron Facing Tough Times

WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2009 FAIRCHILD FASHION GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 198, NO. 135. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in January, May, October and December, two additional issues in March, April, June, August, September and November, and three additional issues in February) by Fairchild Fashion Group, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast Publications: S. I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, President/CEO; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice President/COO; Jill Bright, Executive Vice President/Human Resources. 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 and reprint requests, please call 212-630-4274 or fax requests to 212-630-4280. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild 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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6FASHIONDesigners are moving away from traditional men’s wear patterns into more daring territory, where in-novative prints take the lead.

GENERALDENIM: Jeans sales chugged along through the re-cession and the holiday season, but price pressures could signal a course change.

Assouline, the fashion crowd’s favorite book pub-lisher, has turned its eye toward retail expansion and luxury services.

MEN’S: Scott Morrison, new global ceo of Evisu, has moved rapidly to reposition the brand and revamp the firm’s infrastructure.

BEAT: New Year’s resolutions include getting a driver’s license, renewing gym memberships and spending more time with family and friends.

EYESome of 2009’s hardest working partygoers, for whom slipping into a borrowed gown and hitting the step-and-repeat is part of the job.

1

3

8

11

4

“Nobody wants ridiculously overpriced

jeans.…Even in the mid-$200 range, you’re on shaky ground. It’s going to take a long time to get back to those higher levels.” — Lawrence Scott, owner of Pittsburgh Jeans Co., on consumer

pressure for lower-priced jeans. Page one.

• More images for the Assouline story and the “Star

Struck” book of movie posters • Online this weekend: Week

in Review and Story of the Week

TODAY ON

.comWWD

QUOTEDAILY

Wal-Mart’s Web site saw a 55.1 percent increase in

unique visitors in November.

“In these tough economic times, the retailers with sufficient financial resources and a willingness to invest in aggressive marketing and free shipping offers were clear winners.”— Gian Fulgoni, comScore

WWD.COM

Madonna

WWD.COMWWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009 3

By Jean Scheidnes

ASSOULINE, THE FASHION CROWD’S FAVORITEbook publisher, has turned its eye toward retail expan-sion and luxury services.

The New York-based company, founded 15 years ago in France by Prosper and Martine Assouline, has estab-lished itself as a tastemaker in the fashion world, which is a frequent subject of Assouline’s glossy picture books. An offi cial partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America generates numerous books about American designers and the New York fashion scene.

In addition to fashion, subjects encompass art, design, lifestyles, travel and culinary arts. The books are always rich in history, but his-torical signifi cance alone doesn’t merit an Assouline project, accord-ing to Martine. It also must have some contemporary relevance. Recent and upcoming releases include books on polo, architect Oscar Niemeyer, India, Pierre Cardin, American men’s wear, the Esquire covers of George Lois and the Deyrolle fi re. Subjects needn’t be serious, though, as there are also Assouline books about biki-nis, Barbie and dog fashion.

“The subjects come from what inspire us,” Martine said. “If the idea doesn’t seduce both of us, we just forget it.”

The couple gets pitched a lot of ideas, but rarely takes them. The main exception is a “commit-ment,” when a brand wants to be the subject of a book, usually timed for an anniversary, and agrees to minimize Assouline’s risk.

Although other publishers such as Taschen and Phaidon also produce books that appeal to the well-heeled, well-cultivated and well-traveled set, Assouline’s edge stems from the direct infl uence of its husband-and-wife founders, the arbiters in chief of the Assouline lifestyle.

Purveying this lifestyle are a constellation of new sites that opened in December: Saks Fifth Avenue corners in New York, Chicago and Palm Beach, and Assouline stores in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. These joined existing corners in stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York. Early 2010 will bring corners at London’s Harvey Nichols, Lebanon’s Aishti department store and Sotheby’s in Paris. (Assouline already has a shop in the New York lobby of Sotheby’s and publishes the auction house’s catalogues.)

“Our distribution appeals to brands who want clas-sic distribution in bookstores but also this more luxury-adapted distribution,” Martine said.

The Los Angeles store, on Melrose Place, is a unique hybrid concept in partnership with Bastide, the re-nowned French restaurant owned by commercial di-rector Joe Pytka. Bookseller and eatery are integrated

within a gated town house, comprising a library with a fi replace, a room of vintage books, and dining areas in-cluding a courtyard with olive trees, a nod to Prosper’s mother country of Morocco.

“You can eat, you can fi nd a gift, complete your li-brary, etcetera,” said Prosper. “We decided to be in this area because this street is very human for L.A. It’s very calm and welcoming. There is an organic market on the weekend. You really want to spend time.”

Neighboring boutiques on Melrose Place, a short street tucked between La Cienega Boulevard and

Melrose Avenue, include Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera and Marc Jacobs.

The Vegas store, on the other hand, is a pure Assouline concept and a template for fu-ture sites. Located in the Crystals, the luxury shopping component of the new CityCenter mega-development, its modern design marks a departure from the heritage style of the fi rst Assouline store in the U.S., which opened at the Plaza Hotel in 2008. (A loftlike fourth store, the original, remains in Paris.)

Prosper designed the new concept with signature red walls, black-and-white “Didot” typeface carpeting, and black cubic “Mondrian” shelving to re-semble a contemporary home library. The store carries about 25,000 volumes within its 2,200 square feet, with extra space dedicated to books on local specialties like gambling, cocktails and sports, while Los Angeles has more tomes on Hollywood and fi lmmaking. Vintage books, fl ea market fi nds, gilt-edged leather notebooks, tote bags and special editions, like an Oscar Niemeyer bookstand ($8,500) and a Goyard book trunk ($20,000), round out the offerings. Customers can even order the furniture if they like it. Shipping is available for everything.

All the stores offer library design services, as Assouline now wants to be known as much for custom de-

sign services as for books. Essentially, if a client wants to amass a library in a hurry, Assouline will design it, right down to curating a personalized collection of books.

“When you want to make a [luxurious home], you want to go to Boffi for the kitchen, Kohler for the bath-room, Frette for the bedroom, Assouline for the library. That’s the proposition we have,” said Prosper. “We bring in custom furniture, lighting, everything. It’s similar to how we do our stores — understanding the spirit of the location and playing off of that.”

The real estate developer Related Companies, which owns Equinox Fitness Clubs, is a cli-ent. Selected Related properties boast Assouline Culture Lounges as amenities packaged along with Equinox gyms.

“Equinox for your body, Assouline for your mind. Mens sana in corpore sano,” Martine says, quoting the maxim “a healthy mind in a healthy body.”

They don’t like to promote it, but Assouline also operates a small cre-ative agency.

“The agency is a bit private. Under-stand: We do a lot of things. We create the ads for Chanel watches. The Harry Winston facade on Fifth Avenue with the birds and animals? We created that. We’re helping to create an identity for an American brand launching next year. But we don’t want to be known as another Chelsea advertising agency,” said Prosper. The preferred defi nition? “A medium of culture. There are luxury

brands that make shoes, bags, et-cetera,” he continued. “For us, it’s the same philosophy, for the same customer, done well and with respect, but with culture. Retail is superimportant for us because it shows the respect we have for books, the lifestyle around books.”

On the lookout for a downtown New York store location and more U.S. shop-in-shops, Prosper said: “I will really concentrate next year on the American mar-ket. The following year will be about China.”

Despite the challenges facing luxury brands now, Assouline is extending itself with confi dence that it has a unique proposition, at least for now. Furthermore, books are budget-friendly in the sense that they enable someone to own and display a piece of a luxury brand — say, a “Christian Dior” book for $250, much less than the price of a handbag. The small books in the “Memoires” series cost only $19.

And just maybe, said Martine, “It’s a good time for the people who want to go back to books, to culture, to things like that again. I went to Manza in Italy to a UNESCO forum on culture. They were saying that now we are tired of globalization, and the answer to that is culture. We have to preserve culture and to exchange culture.”

By Marc Karimzadeh

BASLER IS BRINGING NEW FACETS TO ITS U.S. BUSINESS.As part of a global strategy that includes expanding its freestanding retail network

and transforming several in-store shops into concessions, the Goldbach, Germany-based bridge label opened a freestanding store at Somerset Collection in Troy, Mich., this month. The mall is anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, and contains stores such as Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Louis Vuitton — plac-ing the 1,600-square-foot Basler boutique in a luxury environment.

“The Basler retail stores are a great opportunity to showcase the Basler brand [and] build a strong retail business, which will in turn inspire the wholesale business in the North American market, where we have been present for many years,” said Ingo Hesse, Basler’s managing director for sales and marketing.

The Troy boutique is Basler’s third in the U.S. Similar stores opened this year at Tysons Galleria in McLean, Va., and The Waterside Shops in Naples, Fla.

In addition to these openings, on Dec. 1, Basler took over the management of 10 Bloomingdale’s corners and turned them into concessions, giving the brand more con-trol over the product mix and in-store merchandising.

The moves are all part of the overall strategy for the brand, which was acquired by private equity fi rm Triton for an undisclosed sum in 2006.

“Triton’s plans are to grow Basler in existing key markets and new markets, and to develop more managed retail spaces,” Hesse said.

Basler operates 82 retail stores worldwide, including the three U.S. units.“Basler will continue to diversify and to increase [its] retail share,” Hesse added.

“Basler’s key success factors are the quality of the fabrics, the fi t from sizes six to 20 and the color offering. These factors will of course continue, while expanding the business and becoming more of a vertical player.”

To better serve the North American retail business, the company formed Basler America Inc., which is headed by Robin Kurkhill, the division’s retail director. The Isabella Co., the New York-based multiline showroom that represents several European bridge labels, will continue to handle the wholesale business of Basler in the U.S.

Andreas Kurz, president of Akari Enterprises LLC, the Los Angeles-based fash-ion consulting fi rm, advises Basler on its international strategy, especially the U.S. business and retail growth. Kurz, who is also a member of Basler’s strategic board, declined to disclose sales projections for Basler for 2010, but said: “Given the cur-rent environment, we have conservative plans and are confi dent that we can over-achieve them.”

Assouline Brings Its Lifestyle, Culture to Retail

Basler Expands in U.S., Heads to Troy, Mich.

Martine and Prosper Assouline

Inside Assouline’s Las Vegas store.

The Basler store in Troy, Mich.

The Basler store in Troy, Mich.

4 WWD, thursDay, December 31, 2009

Ubiquitors of 2009No one ever said being famous — or trying to be —

is a 9-to-5 gig. For many, slipping into a borrowed gown and hitting the step-and-repeat is just part of the job description. Herewith, WWD presents some of the hardest working partygoers of 2009.

On to 2010.

Eye Logos

Madonna After a several-year hiatus from the New York social scene, the Material Mom was a party regular and never without her entourage, including boy toy Jesus Luz.Total: 9

Kanye West The controversial rapper started the year off talking to the press about how he was no longer talking to the press, before the Taylor Swift debacle forced him into hiding.Total: 17

Valentino Not one to rest on his laurels, the retired-but-not-retiring designer went out with a vengeance to promote the

award-winning documentary

“The Last Emperor” about himself.Total: 14

Marc Jacobs and lorenzo Martone As talk abounded that they were taking a trip down the aisle, the couple took several strolls down the red carpet.Total (together): 20

daphne Guinness The eccentric social donned her most outrageous couture and hit the party circuit with vigor

to promote her new fragrance, Daphne, and

short film, “Mnemosyne.”Total: 16

Jason Wu Riding high on his Michelle Obama endorsement, the designer embarked on a campaign of his own.Total: 24

blaKe liVely This Gossip Girl took her wardrobe of revealing necklines and hit the road. Total events attended: 25

laKe bell Having not yet hit leading-lady status, Bell might stand to work more and work it less. Total: 24

Editor’s Note: The number of appearances are approximate. Results were tallied from an unofficial Eye team review of party coverage and there could be many more appearances not counted — as well as many more ubiquitors. You know who you are.

rose byrne While not yet a household name, the fair-faced Aussie and the star of “Damages” was a tip sheet mainstay.Total: 20

desiree roGers Up until

Crashgate at the Obamas’ first State Dinner, their social secretary regularly jetted to New York to attend cultural events. Total: 7

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Ira resnIck’s gIrlfrIends used to complain that he was in love with dead actresses. and it wasn’t just any Hollywood beauties who were their rivals. Instead, it was the screen goddesses transformed by the work of the top poster designers of the golden age, when movie posters and one-sheets could be works of art.

resnick, now 60, had become a collector of, and then an important dealer in, these pieces of printed ephemera, opening his first gallery for them in 1982. and now his passion has resulted in a book, “stagestruck: Vintage Movie Posters from classic Hollywood” (abbeville Press).

In the book, he writes about his obsession with a vanished constellation of actresses and actors, and shows, of course, plenty of his remarkable holdings. There are great stories about stars known only to dedicated film buffs, such as the extravagantly beautiful corinne griffith, who was called the Orchid lady of the silents, and was one of the few screen goddesses to have a successful second career after acting ended for her. she was an astute investor in real estate, at one point owning four major office buildings in los angeles, while her third husband owned the Washington redskins and she also wrote their fight song. When she died in 1979, she left an estate worth $150 million.

Her savvy wasn’t shared by the iconic louise Brooks, who in fact seemed to have a self-destructive streak both professionally and personally. Two splendid 1929 film posters of her hang in resnick’s 58th street office in new York, one for “The diary of a lost girl,” the other for “The canary Murder case.” It was in connection with the last film that Brooks ruined her career. she had gone to europe and the film’s producers wanted her to come back to the U.s. to redo some of the sound in the picture. she refused to do so, and, although she did amazing work for Pabst abroad, including, of course, “Pandora’s Box” (1929), she was essentially blacklisted in Hollywood. at one point, Brooks was found working at a saks fifth avenue store. It was James card, the film curator for george eastman House, who discovered her living in new York and persuaded her to come to rochester (where eastman House was) and write about film, which finally presented her with a second act, albeit not a particularly lucrative one.

another of resnick’s favorites was Ida lupino, whom he likens to a young katharine Hepburn — not surprisingly, another actress he particularly likes. He treasures a poster of a film lupino made early in her career, “ready for love” (1934), which shows her as a vibrant young girl, not the film noir temptress of later roles. He became a fan of lupino’s partly because of the many great posters of her he found in Bob colman’s Hollywood Poster exchange on santa Monica Boulevard and also because, as he writes, of “the scene at the trial in ‘They drove By night’ when her character cracks up on the stand and screams, ‘The doors made me do it.’ Half-crazed, she’s blaming her murder of her husband on the doors of a garage slamming open and shut.” lupino was also probably

the only female star of her magnitude in her era who moved on to directing.

resnick, who is the son of a successful real estate contractor, is on the board of the family firm, which is now run by his older brother. His sibling’s involvement in the family business helped him to become, after attending nYU film school, first a photographer,

then a poster dealer. resnick dedicated the book to his wife, Paula,

and their children, Jack and samantha, who, he notes, help him keep “my movie

passion in a more appropriate perspective.”He developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the films

themselves and became the chairman of the board of the film society of lincoln center from 1999 to 2005. The book is full of intriguing trivia, such as the fact that James stewart was the first Hollywood star to put on a World War II uniform, enlisting in the army air corps in 1941, months before Pearl Harbor. cary grant, aka archie leach, ran away from home at 13 to join an acrobatic troupe. clark

gable reportedly had no interest in playing rhett Butler. Veronica lake had a relatively brief career for a first-rank star that lasted only 11 years, later becoming an alcoholic and dying almost destitute of hepatitis at 53. gary cooper’s parents were both english, but he was brought up on a farm in Montana, and carl sandburg called him “one of the most beloved illiterates this country has ever known” after he played Mr. deeds in “Mr. deeds goes to Washington.” resnick also recalls other great lines, such as W.c. fields saying, “a woman drove me to drink, and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her,” or groucho Marks conceding, “I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.”

resnick writes at the end of his book, “When it comes to little-known films like ‘Mademoiselle Modiste’ and “The sin of nora Moran,’ the posters do two things for me in addition to providing pure aesthetic pleasure. They provide a bridge to the entire history of the cinema and Hollywood in particular, a history that includes flops as well as hits, flash-in-the-pan starlets as well as superstars, Poverty row back lots as well as major studios, movies seen once and best forgotten as well as classics that can be watched any number of times without their allure wearing thin.” The romances continue. — Lorna Koski

WWD.COM5WWD, thursDay, December 31, 2009

If MIchaelangelo l’acqua hadn’t fallen out of love with producing and mixing music for over 150 fashion shows in new York, Paris, Milan and Berlin, he wouldn’t have landed his dream job as the first global music director for W hotels. he’s been the man behind the runway music for the likes of Ralph lauren, Michael Kors, tommy hilfiger, Jil Sander, diane von furstenberg, Yves Saint laurent and tom ford at gucci, where he served as a music director.

a graduate of the new School for Jazz and contemporary Music program, where the 38-year-old l’acqua says he studied jazz with the “remaining living masters who played with John coltrane and Miles davis,” he started his gig with W in September during new York fashion Week, where the hotel has hosted its vIP Backstage lounge for 12 years. he is working on the hotels’ music programming, which includes dJing events at W hotels in Manhattan as well as upcoming fashion week events, selecting and mixing tracks for W’s seventh cd coming out in January and creating dJ parties at W hotels in new York. the party series kicked off with Jaleel from tv on the Radio, and later with entertainers like classixx, hercules and love affair. the new W cd will represent a universal flavor and will be played and sold at all 35 of the company’s hotels ranging from new York, los angeles, Miami and hong Kong, to Barcelona, Seoul and doha, qatar.

l’acqua’s most recent fashion-music gig before joining W hotels was in 2008 when he was tapped by Karl lagerfeld to produce elle germany’s pricy $10 million extravaganza for its 20th anniversary as well as chanel’s runway show, both at Mercedes-Benz fashion Week Berlin. — Karyn Monget

WWD: Was jazz and contemporary music always your medium?M.L.: No, I started playing the violin when I was six and by eight was studying classical violin at the Manhattan School of Music. By 14, I was attending an all-boys Catholic school, but it was a sports school. It just didn’t work out for me. By 20, I heard of Charlie Parker music and got into bebop. At 20, I had to relearn the violin and I had to catch up so quickly. But it’s a completely different language. Jazz is based on classical and subdivisions, one coherent thought throughout a math equation, versus the violin, which is like a ballerina, so delicate and specific.

WWD: How did you become interested in fashion and its connection with music?M.L.: I had just done all the [music] mixes for a Cynthia Rowley show in 1999, when I was approached by [fashion show producer] Kevin Krier who asked, “Would you do an audition for a big client?” The next thing I knew I was on a plane to Paris. I was introduced to Tom Ford who was then at Gucci. I didn’t know who he was. I was suddenly a real person in a surreal fashion world. I wondered to myself, “is he from Ford trucks?” There were a lot of things he said to me about branding and marketing that didn’t make sense to me at the time. Ford said he closed his store in Hawaii, which was grossing $3 million a year. I asked him why would he close a $3 million store, and he said, “because not everyone should have Gucci.”

WWD: Is it difficult interpreting a designer’s vision through music?M.L.: For 10 years I was feeling vibes, having live conversations, inspiring them to come to that moment. Some would say “I want it very dark and sparse,” and then say “I want it to be bright with lots of color.” It was like an oxymoron. For the first year, I had no clue what they were saying. It’s about patience and focus, but it’s so difficult during fashion week because there are no filters. It’s also a problem because there are always too many cooks in the kitchen and there’s a peanut gallery of people who have no true value of music. They diminish what I am. Only I can create the music. Fashion week became hell for me, and I fell out of love because I compromised too many times.

WWD: So, what did you do to unwind on your down time before joining W Hotels?M.L.: As a recording artist under the name Onda, which in Portuguese means “wave,” I was a producer for The Isley Brothers’ “Taken to the Next Phase” remix for Sony Music Entertainment’s Legacy Recordings, and executive produced “Re:Generations” The Nat King Cole Remix Project for EMI/Capitol Records. I worked with artists Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo, The Roots, Damien and Steve Marley and Natalie Cole. L’A

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Louise Brooks in “Diary of a Lost girl,” 1929.

The cover of “Starstruck.”

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6 WWD, thursDay, December 31, 2009

Gucci’s cotton jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs’ cotton shirt and Louis Vuitton’s wool and mohair pants.

This season, designers are moving away from traditional men’s wear patterns of pinstripes, checks and the ever-popular

plaid into more daring — and sometimes wild and crazy — territory, where

innovative prints take the lead. Look for everything from brightly colored paisleys

to vivid tribal patterns and painterly, artisanal designs. — Alex Badia

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WWD.COM7WWD, thursDay, December 31, 2009

Alexander McQueen’s

cotton jacket and shirt

and Burberry Prorsum’s wool and

cotton pants.

Dries Van Noten’s

cotton and silk jacket and cotton

shirt.

Givenchy’s cotton shirt and Prada’s cotton and elastane pants.

Thom Browne’s cotton jacket, Rick Owens’ cotton shirt and Trussardi 1911’s cotton pants.

Yves Saint Laurent’s cotton and silk jacket, Calvin Klein Collection’s cotton shirt and Bottega Veneta’s cotton pants. Bottega

Veneta belt; John Varvatos shoes.

By Jean Scheidnes

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM CLINT EASTWOOD’S “Invictus,” could America at last be embracing rugby? At least one company, Canterbury of New Zealand, hopes so.

In August, British clothing and footwear retailer JD Sports Fashion plc paid about $11 million to acquire Canterbury out of administration. The business was founded in the New Zealand province of Canterbury in 1904 to make rugby jerseys. Now JD Sports is setting up a North American subsidiary for Canterbury of New Zealand, JD Sports’ fi rst wholly owned subsidiary outside of Europe. Colin Gillooly, who has been with the brand more than four years, was named North American chief executive offi cer. He oversees an offi ce in Metuchen, N.J.

Canterbury is a world leader in the rugby space, supply-ing high-performance sportswear to the international Rugby Union teams of Australia and the reigning Rugby World Cup champions, South Africa, as well as many other teams and elite athletes. Canterbury provided costumes for “Invictus,” a fi lm about South Africa’s victory in the 1995 World Cup, but its three-kiwi logo went unseen because uniforms back then couldn’t show brands, and Eastwood insisted on the historical accuracy of that point, Gillooly said.

Canterbury also trades in protective gear, compres-sion garments, and cricket and golf wear. But its identity in the U.S. has been led by its lifestyle clothing range, which includes outerwear and wovens. Its biggest U.S. retail partners are Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Classic and rugged, it addresses a market for men too old for fl ashy jeanswear brands and too young for island lifestyle brands, Gillooly said.

JD Sports, a publicly traded company, gives Canterbury the fi nancial support to build the brand throughout North America, said Gillooly.

“We’re going to focus on maximizing revenue streams and not get distracted. In the past the idea was to build up the company to sell it, so we invested in things that didn’t have an immediate return. But now we’re improving sourc-ing, quality, deliveries and client relations,” said Gillooly.

Canterbury has an external showroom in New York and plans to exhibit at Project Las Vegas and Blue New York. It also owns a label called Cotton Oxford, which it would like to roll out as a better-price label.

The sport of rugby is followed with great fervor around the globe, especially throughout Europe and the English-speaking world. It has little traction in the U.S., where many aspects of the game are redundant to American football, although there are college and club

teams throughout America.“We’re not going to be famous because people will

suddenly love the sport. We can’t stand on our rugby roots, but we can play to them. If people like the prod-uct and they read the label, it reinforces the purchase rather than initiates it. I think that’s what authentic heritage brands can do,” said Gillooly.

Canterbury can take heart: the U.S. has a compelling precedent for building a lifestyle brand around a rela-tively obscure sport — polo.

WWD.COM8 WWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009

Men’s

Morrison Puts His Stamp on EvisuBy David Lipke

SIX MONTHS INTO HIS TENURE AS GLOBAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF Evisu, Scott Morrison has moved rapidly to reposition the denim and sportswear brand and revamp the company’s infrastructure.

The denim veteran, who cofounded the Earnest Sewn and Paper Denim & Cloth labels prior to his current gig, introduced his fi rst new Evisu product exclusively in Barneys New York doors this holiday season, with a small collection of men’s jeans that he rushed through production. The designs depart from Evisu’s previous in-carnation as a streetwear-oriented label and moves it toward a vintage, American heritage look, with touches of Evisu’s original Japanese roots.

“I think prior to my arrival the brand had moved away from its roots as one of the best denim makers towards a more sporty, urban lifestyle brand,” said Morrison. “My goal has been to readdress the market of denim purists and make Evisu more about amazing quality, fabrics, washing and details.”

As part of that effort, Morrison has made a number of personnel changes since May, including closing a London-based design studio and opening one in New York, where he has set up headquarters. Eight new designers were brought in, includ-ing several from Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. Catherine Holstein, who previously headed her own eponymous label, now oversees women’s sportswear design at Evisu. Ben Smith designs men’s and women’s denim, re-porting to Morrison.

Morrison added a new management struc-ture in New York, including two hires from Polo Ralph Lauren: Roy Chan, who serves as president, and Matthew Seligman, who is chief fi nancial offi cer. Jamee King, previous-ly of Diesel USA, was tapped as vice presi-dent of sales.

The company has revamped most of its sourcing operations, adding new mills in Japan and a denim production facility in Los Angeles. Morrison also reorganized partners for about half of the company’s 18 overseas distribution and agency agreements.

Currently, the U.K. and Italy are Evisu’s big-gest markets outside of Japan, and Morrison is aiming for the U.S. to join their ranks in the next few years. “The U.S. is the world’s biggest denim market. There’s a ton of potential here,” he noted.

Last year, Evisu posted sales of $30 million outside of Japan and $50 million in Japan. The U.S. contributed less than $4 million in sales.

The Japan and non-Japan Evisu businesses are separate, with brand founder Hidehiko Yamane owning the former and Hong Kong-based Bestford Ltd. owning the latter. Morrison runs the non-Japan business, with New York-based hedge fund Indus Capital Partners holding a majority stake in Bestford Ltd.

Following the initial introduction of men’s denim to Barneys, both men’s and women’s denim will ship to select Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s doors in January, as well as about 65 specialty store accounts, including Ron Herman, American Rag, Mario’s, Garys, Kitson, Standard Style and LASC.

“We had been approached in the past about carrying the line but I think it had gone over the edge with all the decorations and embel-lishments,” said Don Zuidema, co-owner of LASC in West Hollywood. “By toning it down and cleaning it up, Scott has taken it in the right direction. I think the line will be great for that guy who has worn other brands and is looking for something fresh. We’re able to offer an alternative to what people have already been buying.”

There are two men’s denim collections under the Evisu and Evisu

Genes labels, with the main line focusing on classic, heri-tage styles and the latter offering more contemporary, fashion-forward looks. Evisu retails from about $195 to $395 while the Genes range sells for $145 to $175.

For fall 2010, Evisu will debut new sportswear collec-tions for men and women. Retailers will get their fi rst look at them at the trade shows in January and February, includ-ing Pitti Uomo, ENK Blue, Project Las Vegas and Coterie.

Like the denim, men’s sportswear will be divided into a main Evisu collection and an Evisu Genes line, while women’s sportswear will all be sold under the core Evisu label. “We’ve maintained the brand’s unique Japanese sensibility, but we’re also making it a little more interna-tional and relevant to the U.S. and European markets,” said Morrison of the sportswear.

The men’s and women’s collections feature about 200 styles each, with a little more than half weighted to sportswear and the rest in jeans and denim pieces. Men’s includes T-shirts, wovens, knits, jackets, trousers, outer-wear and hats, with women’s encompassing similar cat-egories plus dresses.

“They really are complete lifestyle collections,” said Morrison, who added that fi nal pricing for the sportswear is still being determined but would fall into the young contemporary zone.

Women’s sportswear represents a new opportunity for the brand in the U.S. “We’ve dabbled in it in the past in Asia, but for the U.S. it’s a new entity,” noted Morrison.

Canterbury of New Zealand Sets Sights on America South Africa’s Springboks

players model Canterbury of New Zealand at England’s

Rugby School, the birthplace

of rugby.

Scott Morrison at Evisu’s New York showroom.

Evisu’s new men’s denim looks made their debut at Barneys this holiday.

Men’s and women’s sportswear will launch for fall 2010.

South Africa’s Springboks

players model Canterbury of New Zealand at England’s

Rugby School, the birthplace

of rugby.

For more information on advertising, contact Christine Guilfoyle, publisher, at 212-630-4737, or your WWD salesperson.

COLLECTIONS/MARKET WEEK PREVIEWIN PRINT & ONLINE: January 14 CLOSE: January 5

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WWD.COM10 WWD, thursDay, December 31, 2009

Jeans Alter Course After Holiday ShiftDenim Report

Continued from page oneCo., has seen the change in his customers. They’ve con-tinued to buy, but their tolerance levels on pricing have become pronounced and aren’t likely to change soon.

“Nobody wants ridiculously overpriced jeans,” said Scott. “Anything over $300, they’re really not interested in it right now. Even in the mid-$200 range, you’re on shaky ground. It’s going to take a long time to get back to those higher levels.”

And difficult economic conditions may have brought an early end to the vintage and distressed looks seen a year ago.

“I’ve seen a lot of khaki and cargo looks — it’s going back a little more clean,” said Candice Gallagher, owner of the Billie Jeans boutique in Cranberry Township, Pa.

Customers are balking at paying upward of $250 for jeans that look worn or have holes in them, said Gallagher, adding: “I think the manufacturers are seeing that.”

“Customers are always asking if we’re running pro-motions and they’re quick to leave if we aren’t,” said Gallagher. “We’re relying a lot on my loyal customers.”

That said, shoppers have been drawn to denim leggings, which are generally cheaper.

Scott and Kurz said the holiday season solidified the $100 to $175 price zone as the denim industry’s clear sweet spot. Kurz noted Joe’s Jeans shifted its assortment to offer more styles at its opening price point, while Rock & Republic introduced its Recession Collection earlier in the year. New en-trants to the market, said Kurz, are going straight to the $150 price point.

“Everyone is trying to cover this price point,” said Kurz.

During a conference call on Wednesday to preview December comparable-store sales, due out next week, Stifel Nicolaus retail analyst Richard Jaffe offered further warning about consumers’ mind-sets heading into the new year. Consumers might have salvaged the holiday season, but Jaffe believes they’re likely to retreat once again and focus on saving. This could make spring par-ticularly challenging for re-tailers that have already cut their costs and reduced in-ventories. “The game’s got-ten much harder for these retailers,” said Jaffe during the conference call.

Scott is expecting to see similar behavior from cus-tomers at his store.

“We’re playing it safe still. We’re keeping inventory tight and not keeping the huge inventory levels that we used to,” he said.

Working this way is proving to be the new rule rather than the exception. As a result, new brands looking to enter the market are likely to encounter even greater resistance from the specialty store buyers on whom they depend to build their image and credibility.

“We’ve become so used to this over the past year and a half that it’s in our makeup now to be careful,” said Scott. “For 2010, we’re really focusing in on who does well for us and I’m going deep into those guys. I’m not testing as many brands for spring as we usually would.”

Despite the prospect of lower prices, there’s ample reason for continued faith in the category. The women’s denim market has managed to generate steady growth de-spite widespread economic decline and a pullback in consumer spending, a devel-opment brands and retailers attribute to the higher perceived value and versatility consumers associate with jeans when compared with products such as designer hand-bags, accessories or tops. WWD’s annual Denim in Depth issue, published in May, found that women’s jeans sales in the U.S. had risen 4.6 percent to $8.03 billion for the 12 months through March, achieving growth through one of the most challenging retail environments in decades.

“I think what we’re beginning to see is that denim has a life of its own,” Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at market research firm The NPD Group, which pro-vided the data, told WWD at the time. “I don’t want to say recession-proof, but it was able to maintain whatever growth it had.”

The trend continued through the summer and set denim on solid footing heading into the holiday season. According to NPD data for the 12 months through September, women’s denim sales in the U.S. rose 6.3 percent to $8.36 billion from $7.86 billion during the same period a year ago. The average price women paid for jeans fell 1.3 percent to $23.59 from $23.90. Sales of men’s denim remained essentially flat, logging a 1 percent decline to $5.38 billion from $5.43 billion. Men paid an average of $23.21 for jeans compared with $23.38 a year ago.

“Back-to-school was nonexistent, but after that, October through November was good,” said Scott.

December sales would have been even with those of last year had it not been for

the massive snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast the weekend before Christmas.“I think it affected a lot of people,” said Scott. “That Saturday I did 30 percent of

what my projection was and my projection was low.”While comparable-store sales results for December won’t be out until next week, Wall

Street analysts felt pre- and post-holiday foot traffic at key specialty store retailers was humming. Denim was repeatedly pointed to as a key item and the frequent target of pro-motions. “Teen retailers [were] by far the busiest,” said Todd Slater, managing director and specialty retail, apparel and footwear analyst at Lazard Capital Markets, in a report on Monday. “We noted that [Aéropostale] had the most traffic post-Xmas, followed closely by Hollister…with Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle at similar levels.”

Jaffe pointed to Aéropostale, Gap, J. Crew and Nordstrom as retailers that are ex-pected to be among the winners of the holiday season. Consumers purchased denim, but Jaffe echoed the issue of price resistance among consumers.

“There’s been a variety of silhouettes in the denim category that have worked,” said Jaffe. “It’s more about price than product this year, though, and more about the under $100 than the over $100.”

Boots were another strong performer during the month, according to Jaffe. Any appar-el items that worked with boots, such as skinny jeans, likely got a boost from the trend.

Consumers didn’t abandon the highest end of the denim spectrum. True Religion, with jeans selling from $170 to upward of $300, posted strong sales and claimed more ground in the department store channel, according to Eric Beder, retail analyst at Brean Murray, Carret & Co.

“While last year saw material discounting in the department store channel for True Religion, this year, the price cuts have been shallow,” said Beder in his Dec. 21 “Walking the Mall” report.

An older, crystal-embellished style sold out in about a week at Nordstrom, accord-ing to Beder, while the brand’s newer styles sold well with the retailer.

“We are seeing the flow of new True Religion bottoms at Bloomie’s women’s, in-cluding satin leggings, and a new rivet-and-button-driven etching offering,” he said. “We believe True Religion has continued to take further share in the department store space, with this year’s offerings at a much higher level of full-price selling.”

WOMEN’S DENIM PRICES(Mid-December)

RetaileR aVG. PRice

Wet Seal $14.46Charlotte Russe $19.99Aéropostale $21.50Forever 21 $25.96PacSun $29.63Old Navy $32.00American Eagle $34.80H&M $34.95Arden B. $47.25Hollister $49.63Abercrombie & Fitch $49.90Urban Outfitters $54.00Armani Exchange $76.59Bebe $81.75Guess $98.67Guess by Marciano $158.00

SOURCE: BREAN MURRAY, CARRET & CO. EQUITY RESEARCH

Denim sales at boutiques started to rise after the back-

to-school season.

teen retailers have seen

resistance to jeans priced at

more than $100.

12 WWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009Ar

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PAUL SMITHIndex score: 8.54“Paul Smith had early entry into China and good marketing,” Pedraza said. “The British brands also have a great Savile Row reputation.” The label ranked second to Louis Vuitton in the survey for making the customer feel special. The brand opened its first Hong Kong franchise shop in 1990 and is sold at wholesale in 35 countries worldwide, including Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, which has more than 200 Paul Smith shops. But Smith has closed his stores in Mainland China, which were underperforming and uneconomic.

PRADAIndex score: 8.45Asia was Prada’s largest business in the first half of 2009, representing 25 percent of global sales. In October, the brand unveiled a 13,000-square-foot unit in Singapore’s Ion Orchard mall, its largest flagship in the Asia-Pacific region. The label has seen strong comps across the region, with men’s wear, which accounts for 30 percent of global Prada sales and more than 30 percent in Asia, leading the way, Prada Group chief operating officer Sebastian Suhl told WWD last month. Prada also is looking at new territories, such as Mongolia.

VERSACEIndex score: 8.52“Younger men look at Italy as the cornerstone of fashion,” Pedraza said, accounting for the brand’s popularity with the under-30 crowd. “They are willing to dress more trendy and wear boutique brands that give them the opportunity to shine.” More than 23 percent of the 300 men surveyed had purchased Versace in the previous 12 months, making it third in popularity behind Louis Vuitton and Dunhill. In November 2008, Versace presented its first runway show in Beijing, re-creating the fashion house’s Milan event, and used only Chinese models. Actor Jet Li was host of a live auction at the show, which raised $100,000 for earthquake relief work.

DIOR HOMMEIndex score: 8.54Dior Homme has boutiques in eight Chinese provinces. “Dior as a female brand entrenched itself first,” Pedraza said. “It’s a world-renowned female brand that gained share of mind with men later.” Dior owes much of its success to the deep pockets of parent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. “They invested heavily in the brand. LVMH understood the market quickly,” Pedraza said. “They have used their firepower.” The label has 35 freestanding men’s stores and accounts for 12 percent of group sales. Christian Dior president and chief executive officer Sidney Toledano said Dior Homme is “growing” and has “great potential,” especially in Asia, WWD reported.

ALEXANDER MCQUEENIndex score: 8.43Respondents gave McQueen high marks for uniqueness. “In the case of the Chinese, they are willing to recommend Western brands that are individualistic,” said Pedraza, adding that Chinese men are not purists about luxury. “In the past, luxury goods were a way to fit in, but now it’s a way to differentiate,” said Patricia Pao, founder of New York-based fashion consultancy Pao Principle. “Mainland China was the dumping ground for merchandise, and Hong Kong got the stars. Now it’s about limited edition merchandise. The Chinese also love a deal and a discount.”

YVES SAINT LAURENTIndex score: 8.46“Gucci Group invested heavily in China despite the [economic] meltdown in the Western world,” said Pedraza, linking YSL’s success to the strategy of its parent company. More than 60 percent of the Group’s total expansion investments are to the Asia-Pacific market, and China, in particular, WWD reported. Gucci Group operates 38 stores in Mainland China. In the first nine months of this year, overall sales of Yves Saint Laurent declined 14.3 percent on a comparable basis, hampered by the slowdown of its traditional markets, which account for 75 percent of sales. In Asia-Pacific, where 14 percent of total volume is generated, sales grew almost 22 percent. Sales of leather goods and shoes remained solid.

LOUIS VUITTONIndex score: 8.68“Louis Vuitton is considered a pioneer in China,” Pedraza said. This month, Vuitton opened a Maison in Macau, the brand’s seventh Maison and fourth store in the former Portuguese colony, WWD reported. A dark, lounge-y area on the ground floor is dubbed Men’s Universe, and is made up of areas for shoes, ready-to-wear, accessories and the first men’s Bag Bar. The three-story unit is connected to One Central Mall, a new retail development with Gucci, Hermès, Tod’s, Kenzo and Ralph Lauren, among others. There were more than 30 million visitors to Macau in 2008, with more than half from Mainland China.

GIORGIO ARMANILuxury Brand Status Index score: 8.74According to the LBSI survey, Giorgio Armani is the brand most likely to be chosen by men in China for their next luxury fashion purchase. “Armani is well-established, and it’s all about who gets to China earliest,” the Luxury Institute’s Pedraza said. “It’s also about the personality of the founder. There is a halo effect on the brand.” Earlier this year, actor Takeshi Kaneshiro became the first Asian male to appear in an Emporio Armani advertising campaign in China. An Emporio Armani flagship opened in Beijing in 2008, adding to a portfolio that includes six A|X Armani Exchanges, two Giorgio Armanis, two Armani Casas and one Armani Collezioni in the region.

ERMENEGILDO ZEGNAIndex score: 8.43Ermenegildo Zegna opened a 7,300-square-foot global concept store designed by Peter Marino in October in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, an urban area in Southern Kowloon popular with Mainland tourists. The brand, which operates 75 stores in 35 Chinese cities, plans to open its second global flagship in China on Shanghai’s Huaihai Road in the spring, along with flagships in four or five key cities. In the LSBI study overall, Pedraza was surprised more Italian brands did not make the cut. “To be candid, they should have been first,” he said. “They have a global reputation as being the best brands, but they came to the party late and underestimated the huge significance of China.”

BROOKS BROTHERSIndex score: 8.42“They established themselves in Asia through Japan selling classic, American, conservative suits,” Pedraza said. “They have built a solid foundation.” American brands “are seen as more hip and as value for the money,” Pedraza said. “They are fundamental and attainable.” Brooks Brothers opened its first Hong Kong store in 1998 at Windsor House Seibu. Brooks Bros. merchandise can be found in 24 Mainland China locations and 11 locations in Hong Kong.

10source: the luxury institute’s luxury brAnd stAtus index surVey; *indicAtes A tie

The Luxury Institute ranked the leading men’s brands in China for its 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index survey. In April, 300 male consumers with minimum household incomes of $147,000 were asked to rate luxury brands on a scale of one to 10 in four areas: consistently superior quality, uniqueness and exclusivity, making the customer feel special and whether the brand is consumed by peers and people admired by the respondents. “China is the highest growth market and greatest opportunity that luxury has in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Milton Pedraza, chief executive officer of The Luxury Institute. Chinese consumers are individualistic and willing to pay a premium for quality, craftsmanship, design and service. “Luxury is uniqueness and exclusivity,” he said. Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and Dunhill just missed the top 10 cut. — Suzanne Blecher

The List-10

Man PowerTop men’s luxury brands in China.

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WWD.COMWWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009 13

BarBara Kavovit Knows there’s life after bankruptcy.

her Barbara K enterprises, which marketed tools, work clothes and repair kits with a look and feel for women and a philosophy that home improvement work isn’t just for men, went bust in april 2008. however, she’s back in business with a licensing company called Barbara’s way, with a similar mission and new backers, in-cluding David J. Myerson, former president of Penthouse international inc.

Barbara’s way develops, designs and pack-ages products and leaves the manufacturing to others. the name will be on isotoner gloves and mitts designed for household chores like cleaning, gardening and gripping hammers and nails. But there’s nothing mundane. they’re colorful and imbued with fit and stretch.

Kavovit said the gloves will be sold at homedepot.com, amazon.com and Macy’s by around Mother’s Day. there are six types, three colors in each, including a “grip it” glove to open things easily; cleaning mitts and gloves for dusting and removing smudges; a long gardening glove, and a medium-length version. there is also a “trigger fin-ger” glove with cushioned palm and finger exposed so the wearer can hold a nail straight or use a BlackBerry. the gloves have pockets for rings and built-in terry cloth per-

spiration wipes.other licensing deals are with stanley tool Co. for

female-friendly tools, plumbing kits to repair toilets or stopped-up drains made by Masco Corp. and pro-grammable thermostats from hunter fan Co.

Kavovit once had her own construction manage-ment company and years ago handed out business cards to women in shopping center parking lots, of-fering to act as an “interpreter” between them and their contractors. she considers herself ‘a pioneer” in demystifying the home improvement sector. “it’s

always been a mystery to women,” Kavovit said. “all these engineers and manufacturers made it impossible for women to understand. a woman doesn’t shop for a hammer, but she shops to make her home comfortable and stylish, so if you make a hammer or a work glove fashionable, a woman would be more apt to buy it.”

the repair kits she’s marketing to women for fixing problems in the kitchen and bathroom take some inspiration from the beauty business. said Kavovit: “when women buy lipstick, they will also buy a lip liner and lip gloss. women want solutions, things packaged together as a unit. so i am not just selling a plunger. i am selling a kit with stylish

packaging and a simple set of instructions.”— David Moin

By Beth Wilson

CHICAGO — as part of its ongoing expansion plan, Culti, the italian design, beauty and spa brand, has unveiled its first U.s. location here.

Culti’s founder, alessandro agrati, said he believes the 1,100-square-foot boutique in the windy City just off Michigan avenue provides a perfect test market for the lifestyle brand, which spans several categories from fragrance and beauty products to clothing, furniture and inte-rior design.

“it’s the best possibility in the beginning,” agrati said of the Chicago location, which opened quietly on Black friday.

“in our opinion it’s a very american city,” seemingly less international than new York and less hollywood than los angeles, U.s. general manager roberto Bevilacqua added, noting that if Culti can understand and resonate with clients in Chicago, he believes the company can succeed in other U.s. markets.

at the same time, Culti is scouting sites in new York, los angeles and Miami while reach-ing out to american spas and hotels in regard to carrying Culti products or striking potential partnerships.

the Milan-based company, which also oper-ates a day spa and restaurants in italy, also has its sights set on expanding further in europe. in 2010, Culti plans to open a store in london, which will join flagships in Milan and saint Moritz. Paris and Capri are also on the company’s radar for future stores.

although Culti’s Chicago address is 840 north Michigan avenue, it shares a building with escada and h&M and its entrance is actually around the corner along Chestnut street, a side street to the Magnificent Mile. inside, the inti-mate Chicago location strikes a modern, clean, understated vibe featuring Culti products — from custom-order Culti sofas averaging $2,000 to $3,000 (the in-store sofa was covered in a mocha-colored cotton and linen blend fabric) to $45 can-dles and leather accessories starting at $80. Price points range from $40 for a home fragrance spray to $4,358 for a handwoven cashmere blanket.

interestingly, agrati launched Culti almost 20 years ago with home fragrance diffusers (the now-trendy glass flacons with wooden sticks). they were an instant hit then and remain one of Culti’s top sellers, priced at $95 and $155 in Chicago.

Perfumes running from $100 to $160, cashmere and silk scarves for $200 and pure cashmere stoles starting at $800 were also well received by custom-ers at the Chicago store, where it is estimated that 2010 annual sales will be $1.5 million.

the store, which opened with no local press coverage, advertising or opening party attracted a fair amount of traffic from the start, Bevilacqua said, with new customers quickly connecting with the brand.

“in europe, they try to understand [the brand and its products] and then they buy,” he said. “in Chicago, they immediately bought products. i was surprised.” and despite it being Black friday, “no one asked about clearance or sales.”

overall, Culti’s total retail sales hit 7.5 mil-lion euros, or $11 million at average exchange, in 2008, a 25 percent increase from 2007. a fur-ther 3.5 million euros, or $5.1 million, in Culti’s revenues last year came from interior design contracts.

BEAUTY BEATCulti Opens U.S. Unit GOING GAGA: With a new album and

“It” girl status, Lady Gaga has had no shortage of air time and she is about to get even more with a guest appearance on Bravo’s “Launch My Line.” The platinum-haired singer is set to make a cameo on the Jan. 6 show, challenging the aspiring designers to dream up a dress worthy of her whacked-out style. In a teaser for the show posted online, hosts Dean and Dan Caten ask their underlings, “If I were to say ‘Goo goo,’ you would say…” “Gaga,” the wannabees responded. “No, Lady Gaga,” they were told.

In other TV news, Starz is keeping a tight lid on the fashion show it has in development and doesn’t plan to give any clues about it for a few months, a company spokesman said. Once the program’s premise is revealed, there are likely to be plenty of people in the media and fashion worlds vying for face time, since Starz has more than 17.3 million subscribers. — Rosemary Feitelberg

OUT-AND-IN AT FOUR TIMES SQUARE: Those Condé Nast staffers working the notoriously sleepy week between Christmas and New Year’s got a scare just before noon Wednesday when the discovery of a suspicious vehicle parked near West 42nd Street and Broadway spurred the evacuation of the company’s 4 Times Square offices, as well as those of Nasdaq, 7 Times Square and 1460 Broadway. The area, in prep mode for tonight’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, was blocked off to vehicles and pedestrians during a swift police investigation that resulted in the clearance of the vehicle in question (a white van, which reportedly contained clothing, not explosives) and the reopening of the streets and buildings by the New York Police Department at around 1 p.m. Shortly thereafter, Condé Nast employees and the other evacuees were back at work. A Nasdaq spokesman added the incident did not affect trading. — Nick Axelrod and Matthew Lynch

SNOOZE YOU LOSE: Wednesday was the last time NPR’s Carl Kasell had to swat his alarm clock at 1 a.m. to man the desk at “Morning Edition.” After pushing back from the announcer’s chair one last time, he raised a glass of Champagne and tucked into the requisite send-off cake with

staffers and well-wishers. But the 75-year-old journalist, who started his painfully early work days with the program’s debut newscast in 1979, will still be in the neighborhood. He is now a roving ambassador for NPR and will continue as a judge and scorekeeper for its weekly news show “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” As for whether his body clock will adapt to sleeping in, he laughed, “Are you kidding?”

A classmate of Charles Kuralt at the University of North Carolina, Kasell provided another calming voice on the airwaves. In his 34 years at NPR, Kasell has delivered some bone-chilling news to the nation, none more so than word of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. While millions learned of the debacle through TV footage, Kasell had the challenge of giving the play-by-play with words. He recalled having two broadcasts, eight-and-a-half minutes to fill and scrambling to keep listeners up to speed, due to the rapid fire of events. His team did have the wherewithal not to run with a claim the State Department had been bombed since it could not be second sourced. “In instances like that, you don’t think about the challenge or what you’re doing — you just do it,” he said.

Filmmakers working on an NPR documentary trailed Kasell during Wednesday’s swan song as they had for the past two weeks. But public radio being what it is, the flick’s production is contingent on funding. Ever the behind-the-scenes newsman, Kasell wasn’t blinded by the camera lights. He said, “They are nice guys, though. They stay out of our way and we ignore them.” — R.F.

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: E.L. Doctorow, Don DeLillo, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Edward Albee, A.M. Homes and Honor Moore are expected to be among dozens of PEN American Center members protesting today on the Fifth Avenue steps of the New York Public Library. They will be rallying for the release of writer Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced on Christmas to 11 years in prison in China. The 53-year-old already has spent more than a year in detention for criticizing the government and outlining extensive political change. He was one of 1,000 writers and journalists on PEN’s danger list. Organizers will not be asking for boycotts of any kind, just Xiaobo’s immediate release according to international law and China’s own constitution. — R.F.

NEW YORK — Mary epstein, a former buyer, died Dec. 26 in st. vincent’s hospital here. she was 94.

the cause of death was due to complications from a fall she suffered at her home, said Debra navarro, a friend and business associate of many years.

epstein, who had been retired for 10 years, operated a buying service out of her apartment for small boutiques, specialty stores and clients throughout the country. epstein was involved in retail throughout her career. in the seventies, she was a personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman.

epstein is survived by a sister, Cookie arum, and several nieces and nephews.

OBITUARY

Barbara Kavovit Finds Her Way Back

Buyer Mary Epstein, 94

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Carl Kasell on Wednesday.

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WWD.COM14 WWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009

Financial

By Rachel Mascetta

MILAN — Safilo Group SpA said Wednesday that it had sold a portion of its retail units to Hal Holding NV for 13.7 million euros, or $19.7 million.

Hal Holding ac-quired the Loop Vision chain in Spain, the Just Spectacles chain in Australia and all of Safilo’s retail units in China. The Italian eye-wear group holds on to the remaining three chains — Solstice in the U.S. and both Sunglass Island and Island Optical in Mexico, which account for 215 of the company’s 300-plus retail units.

Safilo outlined this sale in a plan released on Oct. 19. In that plan, the eyewear firm said it would sell the Mexican chains as well, for a total of 20 euros, or $28.80 at current exchange. However, the company said Wednesday it is retaining the Mexican chains “for now.” There are no plans to sell the Solstice chain.

The sale was part of a recapitaliza-tion deal struck with Hal Holding in mid-December, expanding its invest-ment in Safilo from 2 percent to a con-trolling share that will eventually be

from 37.23 to 49.99 percent. Without a successful offer, Safilo faced bankruptcy, with debts that amounted to about 590 million euros, or $848.9 million.

Despite economic difficulties, this month, Tommy Hilfiger awarded Safilo

with a five-year license to produce sun-glasses and prescription frames start-ing next year. Other brands produced by Safilo under license include Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino.

Safilo’s Dec. 31 deadline for loan re-payment was also postponed by lending banks to June 30.

Retail Stocks Dip 0.5 PercentSafilo Sells Some Retail Operations

Rag & Bone Sued Over Boot Design

By Evan Clark

ReTAIL STOCkS SLID 0.5 peRCeNT Wednesday, limping into the final trad-ing session of a year that, at least on Wall Street, marked a dramatic revival for the sector.

The S&p Retail Index fell 2.21 points to 416.27 Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped just 3.10 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 10,548.51. With one day left, retail stocks rebound-ed 49.1 percent in 2009, outstripping the Dow’s 20.2 percent rally. After a turbulent and crisis-pocked 2008, equi-ties benefited from the stabilization of credit markets, the righting of the bank-ing sector, the return of GDp growth and a general feeling that a second Great Depression had been averted.

Holiday sales, although up against an extremely weak season last year, ap-peared to lend credence to the notion that retailers are beginning to show signs of life, if not the actual bounce-back their stocks have seen. According to MasterCard Advisors, retail sales for Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 rose 3.6 percent, a 1 percent increase after adjusting for calendar shifts.

But the downturn and the atten-dant changes in consumer psychology do seem to have reset the terms of the staring contest between stores and thrifty shoppers.

“Throughout the past year, consumers have shopped closer and closer to need

or event, and [the] Christmas season 2009 was no different,” said Deutsche Bank broadline analyst Bill Dreher Jr. in a research note. “The weaker-than-expected November sales now appear to have been a false negative on the hol-iday season, as consumers waited until December and even the final week be-fore Christmas to purchase gifts.”

And retailers seem to have prevailed.Dreher said consumers were likely

looking for better deals as Christmas approached but found that stores, which have been laser-focused on con-trolling inventories and costs this year, were able to avoid severe markdowns to move goods.

“In fact, consumers ran greater-than-usual risk of out-of-stocks, particularly of popular items-sizes,” he said. “The combination of better-than-expected sales and aligned inventories should drive healthy margins.”

Among the retail stocks on the wane Wednesday were Dillard’s Inc., 4.5 per-cent to $18.97; AnnTaylor Stores Corp., 3.5 percent to $13.81; Macy’s Inc., 2.4 percent to $17.22; Saks Inc., 1.7 percent to $6.79, and The Men’s Wearhouse Inc., 1.5 percent to $21.38.

In europe, the FTSe 100 in London dropped 0.7 percent to 5,397.85 while the CAC 40 was off 0.6 percent to 3,935.50 in paris. Hong kong’s Hang Seng Index managed a 0.1 percent rise to 21,496.62 while, in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was off 0.9 percent to 10,546.44.

By Matthew Lynch

RAG & BONe HAS A HISTORY OF looking to classic work and military wear for reference points, but a recent lawsuit brought by boot maker Danner Inc. accuses the label of being a bit too inspired in one of its recent designs.

The portland, Ore.-based shoemak-er filed its complaint in U.S. District Court in its hometown on Dec. 18. The suit accuses Rag & Bone of trademark infringement for selling a boot design named the Danner Combat Boot through Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue. Danner listed both retailers as co-defendants.

Representatives for Rag & Bone

did not return calls seeking comment Monday. Barneys said it does not com-ment on litigation and Saks said it had no comment.

Danner registered trademarks for its scripted logo in 1974 in the men’s and women’s footwear class, and its name in 2007. The company has sold boots under the Danner brand since 1933.

“Defendants’ actions have confused and/or are likely to confuse the purchas-ing public as to the origin of the infring-ing products and their affiliation with Danner,” lawyers for the company wrote in the complaint.

The footwear firm is seeking an in-junction, recovery of lost profits, legal fees and other unspecified damages.

IN BRIEF• LIZ BOARD EXIT: Oliver Sockwell has resigned as a director of Liz Claiborne Inc. after seven years on the board. Sockwell, 65 when the firm issued its 2008 definitive proxy in March, is the co-founder and retired president and chief executive officer of Construction Loan Insurance Corp. When first elected, he succeeded Jim Gordon, an original investor in the firm. With Sockwell’s departure, the board has nine mem-bers, seven of them independent. Doreen Toben, who retired as chief financial of-ficer of Verizon earlier this year, was added to the board in October.

• SUIT ALLEGES RETAIL DEFAULT: Online boutique Chick Downtown has defaulted on a $950,000 line of credit from enterprise Bank, according to a lawsuit brought ear-lier this month by the lender. The suit, filed Dec. 15 in the Court of Common pleas of Allegheny County, pa., seeks $972,830.46 from the pittsburgh-based e-commerce operator for the remainder of its principal and interest and attorneys’ fees. The bank’s complaint is the latest in a string of recent lawsuits filed against the online merchant. Several creditors, including Mint Collection Inc. and Molli enterprise, have filed lawsuits accusing the company of failing to pay debts. A number listed for the company was disconnected when reached Tuesday. The retailer closed its brick-and-mortar location in pittsburgh earlier this year.

For full daily stock changes and more financial news, see WWD.com / business-news.

2.92 2.43 Zale (ZLC) - 3178238 2.88 +13.83

1.31 1.18 Frederick’s of Hollywood (FOH) - 77830 1.26 +6.78

4.20 3.82 Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) - 1937339 4.17 +6.38

0.50 0.46 Phoenix Footwear (PXG) - 12288 0.50 +6.11

5.79 5.28 Liz Claiborne (LIZ) - 4432363 5.65 +5.81

8.88 8.37 Talbots (TLB) - 2286399 8.85 +5.23

1.35 1.24 Joe’s Jeans (JOEZ) 25.0 349709 1.31 +4.80

3.85 3.40 Tandy Leather Factory (TLF) 13.7 15600 3.85 +4.34

104.35 98.57 Deckers Outdoor (DECK) 14.7 1120387 103.86 +4.14

12.11 11.53 Inter Parfums (IPAR) 15.9 68330 12.09 +3.96

10 BEST PERFORmERS DAILY COMPANIES P/E VOLuME AMt

HIgH LOw LASt %CHANgE

0.11 0.11 Cygne Designs (CYDS) - 5500 0.11 -8.17

0.17 0.14 NexCen (NEXC) - 108591 0.16 -6.06

2.17 2.04 Quiksilver (ZQK) - 708775 2.07 -5.05

2.64 2.47 Bluefly (BFLY) - 15858 2.50 -4.94

19.78 18.75 Dillard’s (DDS) - 1272208 18.97 -4.48

3.20 2.90 Tandy Brands (TBAC) - 15587 3.10 -4.47

14.45 13.74 Ann Taylor (ANN) - 1487445 13.81 -3.49

11.42 10.80 Delta Apparel (DLA) 11.5 1300 10.90 -3.11

2.25 2.12 Parlux Fragrances (PARL) - 26200 2.15 -2.71

17.64 17.16 macy’s Inc. (m) - 6165310 17.22 -2.44

10 WORST PERFORmERS DAILY COMPANIES P/E VOLuME AMt

HIgH LOw LASt %CHANgE

* Editor’s note: European stocks are quoted in the currency of their principal exchanges. Shares on the London Stock Exchange are quoted in pence, Richemont and The Swatch Group are quoted in Swiss francs and Hennes & Mauritz is quoted in Swedish kronor. All other European stocks are in euros.

Safilo Group sold its Loop Vision and Just Spectacles chains, as well as all of its retail locations in China, to Hal Holding.

WWD.COMWWD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009 15

By Melissa Drier

BERLIN — Despite the global downturn, the Spanish fash-ion brand Desigual remains on a rapid expansion course, including the opening of its first German — and largest European — store here.

Now available in 70 countries, the vertical Barcelona-based company has pinpointed Germany and France as its most important growth markets in the year to come. At the official Berlin opening, chief executive offi-cer Manel Adell said, “We should see some 10 stores in each of these markets soon.”

Known for its lively novelty patchwork looks for men, women and children of all ages, Desigual has increased its revenues 20 times over the last seven years. Sales last year reached 162 million euros, or $238.4 million at average exchange, versus 8 million euros, or $7.6 million, in 2002, and while the company wouldn’t forecast 2009 sales, it expects to sell 10 million garments this year, up from 6 million in 2008.

As for its distribution network, Desigual is available in 70 countries in almost 6,000 multibrand doors, will have close to 150 Desigual brand stores by yearend and is heading toward 500 corners and shop-in-shops, Adell said. Spain accounts for about 40 percent of total sales, and Adell remains particularly bullish about Europe. “Today, 90 percent of our business comes from Europe, and there’s still big room for growth,” he stated.

Germany is a good example of how Desigual infiltrates new territories. “We’ve been doing our homework there for a long time, and started selling four years ago with independent distributors. But Germany is a hard market in the beginning. They first want to see that you deliver and are dependable,” Adell noted.

Business really took off two seasons ago, he said, grow-ing from 40 to 50 accounts to now more than 600 doors. For next year, the plan calls for 1,000 sales points in Germany and a total of 10 Desigual stores.

Desigual tends to start via multibrand accounts and shop-in-shops, “and then our [own store] retail strategy comes on top, to reinforce the brand. We open on the world’s key retail streets, where our multibrand accounts can’t be. Which is why we picked this location,” he said of Tauentzienstrasse in Berlin, one of the German capital’s most well-trafficked shopping stretches. “I think there is

no better way to get to know Desigual than to experience this store on a busy street.”

The three-floor store covers about 150,000 square feet. “This store is an evolution of our retail concept, with all departments clearly separated on three floors. Women’s on the ground floor is probably the most typical Desigual,”

said Adell, pointing to its color and pattern-packed decor, whereas men’s wear, which shares the first floor with children’s, has been toned down in Berlin. “It’s more white and more calm, as is the men’s collection itself.”

On the top floor, there’s the “Outlet” — not a regular Desigual store feature, but perfect for cash-strapped Berlin. “We don’t do it in all stores, because we don’t have the room. But it’s a special opportunity space, for last-season, out-of-stock and random pieces,” Adell explained.

In Germany, Desigual is shopping for retail space in major metropolitan cen-ters including Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Düsseldorf and possibly a second Berlin location on the former east side of town. “The speed of implementation has to do with what becomes available,” Adell said. “The location is key.”

In France, Desigual recently opened in the La Defense area of Paris, adding to the two stores it already operated in the Parisian suburbs, as well as in Marseille, Toulouse and Montpellier.

As for the U.S., where Desigual is car-ried by 36 Macy’s doors and 250 multibrand stores, and opened its first store in SoHo, two further Desigual units are slated to launch in the near future, either in New York, San Francisco or Miami. “Both coasts have to be tested,” Adell said, “and we’re presently negotiating four spaces.”

And the secret of Desigual’s success? “We always say the 2 ‘Ps’: our product strategy which calls for a strong identity, differentiation, good value for money and a positive spirit. And our people.” Employees, who average 27 years of age, have mushroomed to 1,700, com-pared with 40 seven years ago, and represent some 30 na-tionalities, reflecting the label’s love of diversity.

But perhaps the most important factor is Desigual’s in-sistence on staying special and not striving to be all things to all people. “People say they have to be in the right mood to buy a Desigual item, and that’s fine with us. The idea is to put a Desigual garment in everyone’s wardrobe,” he stressed, “and not to dress a person all the time.”

FASHION SCOOPSHONORABLE MENTIONS: An eclectic group of designers and fashion figures have been named in Queen Elizabeth II’s 2009 New Year Honors list. Milliner Stephen Jones, who earlier this year had a retrospective of his work at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, as part of the list, published today. Jones said he was “delighted and honored” to be named an OBE, which he received for services to the fashion industry. “Around the world, millinery is seen as a uniquely British art and I am proud to be part of that tradition,” said Jones. “I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my talented staff and faithful clients who, like me, believe that self-expression in fashion need not stop at your neck.”

Amanda Wakeley, the London-based designer known for her red-carpet gowns, was also named an OBE. Her award recognizes both her services to the fashion industry and her work as founding co-chair of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer in the U.K. Wakeley, who completed the process of buying back her label from an investor earlier this year, described the award as “an incredible way to end an extraordinary year.”

Michelle Mone, founder of the Glasgow, Scotland-based lingerie company MJM International — which produces the label Ultimo — was also named an OBE, for services to the lingerie industry. Meanwhile Luella Bartley, whose label Luella ceased trading earlier this year, was named an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire, one step down from an OBE, for services to the fashion industry. Cath Kidston, the home wares designer known for her quintessentially English floral prints, was made an MBE, as were London men’s tailor Timothy Everest and Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, co-founders of London’s River Café. Architect David Chipperfield, who currently holds a CBE, or Commander of the Order of the British Empire, was named a Knight as part of the Diplomatic and Overseas list, for services to architecture in the U.K. and Germany.

PLANET LEVI’S: Is Paris’ Avenue des Champs-Elysées in for a major case of the blues? According to a recent report in French daily Le Figaro, Levi’s is set to take over a site formerly occupied by Planet Hollywood on the legendary avenue. A spokeswoman for Levi’s declined to confirm the report. As one of France’s most popular tourist destinations, a high-low range of brands operates stores on the avenue, from H&M to Louis Vuitton. Levi’s, meanwhile, currently counts three company-owned stand-alone stores and seven franchises in central Paris, which are said to generate 20 percent of the company’s sales in France.

Desigual Eyes Growth in Germany, France

A model wearing

a shirt in signature

brights from Desigual.

WWD.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

For more career opportunities log on to WWDCareers.com. Call 1.800.423.3314 or e-mail fpclassified@fairchildpub.com to advertise.

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Trunk Show ProWe are a women’s designer label with astudio in Soho. We market thru exclu-sive trunk shows across the US. Weare looking for a trunk show veteran,with the contacts to take us to the nextlevel. We offer unlimited earnings po-tential. Respond to michael@mbco.biz

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