Fashion. Beauty. Business. DAILY EDITION 22 MARCH 2016 1 BUSY DAYS Fendi unveiled a new watch a few days before showing its latest Leisurewear collection. PAGE 7 FASHION FUTURE The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is displaying “Techstyle,” an exhibition that combines technology and fashion. PAGE 10 ● The retailer has split its store base in two as it struggles to right itself and keep goods flowing. BY EVAN CLARK Everything’s up in the air at Aéropostale Inc. except the stock price — that’s down and maybe even coming in for a hard landing. Shares of the retailer, which quietly split its business into two parts last month, fell another 15 percent to 22 cents Monday as Wall Street tried to puzzle out the nature of its dispute with Sycamore Partner’s MGF Sourcing division, its prospects and the likely outcome of Aeropostale’s search for strategic alternatives. The share price decline came after a disastrous 46 percent retreat Friday that was fueled by the uncertainty. The two days of declines left the company with a market capitalization of just $17.6 million. It’s been a tough descent for Aeropostale, which has 810 total locations in the U.S. and Canada but has been struggling to match up its offerings with the customers coming into its stores. Sales fell 18 percent to $1.5 billion last year as net losses narrowed to $136.9 million from $206.5 million in 2014. Chief executive officer Julian Geiger, in his latest and most drastic attempt to align the company’s product offering with the realities at the cash register, basically split the chain in two as of the end of February. About 60 percent of the company’s stores BUSINESS Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aéropostale CONTINUED ON PG. 8 PITTI’S PICKS Pitti Uomo named Gosha Rubchinskiy its men’s wear guest designer, while Fausto Puglisi will make its men’s wear debut. PAGE 3 Photograph by GIOVANNI GIANNONI ● Cocodune is the latest direct- to-consumer e-commerce swimwear brand to launch online. BY RACHEL STRUGATZ Meet the latest disruptors. Triangl, Bikyni, Chubbies and Solid & Striped have all staked out digital busi- nesses in the swimwear category and are joined today by Cocodune, which will make its debut at Cocodune.com, selling swim looks for about $100. The companies see a market waiting to be shaken up given its generally unappealing in-store try-on experience, especially for women, and the price/value proposition with high-end swimwear. Matthias Metternich, founder and chief executive officer of Cocodune, said close to 100,000 people signed up to hear more about the product once the site goes live. RETAIL E-commerce’s Hot New Category: Swimwear CONTINUED ON PG. 6 FASHION Star- Spangled While layered unisex street looks ruled the Tokyo runways, a little embellishment was also often in evidence. Cote Mer designers Norio Sato and Seishi Naito’s fall collection conjured up too-cool-for-school teens, with male and female models sporting plaid jackets sprinkled with studs in starburst shapes. For more Tokyo highlights, see pages 4 and 5. Collections Fall 2016
13
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Fashion Beauty Business
DAILY EDITION 22 MARCH 2016 1
BUSY DAYSFendi unveiled a new watch a few days before showing its latest Leisurewear collection PAGE 7
FASHION FUTUREThe Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is displaying ldquoTechstylerdquo an exhibition that combines technology and fashion PAGE 10
The retailer has split its store base in two as it struggles to right itself and keep goods flowing
BY EVAN CLARK
Everythingrsquos up in the air at Aeacuteropostale Inc except the stock price mdash thatrsquos down and maybe even coming in for a hard landing
Shares of the retailer which quietly split its business into two parts last month fell another 15 percent to 22 cents Monday as Wall Street tried to puzzle out the nature of its dispute with Sycamore Partnerrsquos MGF Sourcing division its prospects and the likely outcome of Aeropostalersquos search for strategic alternatives
The share price decline came after a disastrous 46 percent retreat Friday that was fueled by the uncertainty The two days of declines left the company with a market capitalization of just $176 million
Itrsquos been a tough descent for Aeropostale which has 810 total locations in the US and Canada but has been struggling to match up its offerings with the customers coming into its stores Sales fell 18 percent to $15 billion last year as net losses narrowed to $1369 million from $2065 million in 2014
Chief executive officer Julian Geiger in his latest and most drastic attempt to align the companyrsquos product offering with the realities at the cash register basically split the chain in two as of the end of February
About 60 percent of the companyrsquos stores
BUSINESS
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale
CONTINUED ON PG 8
PITTIrsquoS PICKSPitti Uomo named Gosha Rubchinskiy its menrsquos wear guest designer while Fausto Puglisi will make its menrsquos wear debut PAGE 3
Pho
togr
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by G
IOVA
NN
I GIA
NN
ON
I
Cocodune is the latest direct-to-consumer e-commerce swimwear brand to launch online
BY RACHEL STRUGATZ
Meet the latest disruptorsTriangl Bikyni Chubbies and Solid amp
Striped have all staked out digital busi-nesses in the swimwear category and are joined today by Cocodune which will make its debut at Cocodunecom selling swim looks for about $100 The companies see a market waiting to be shaken up given its generally unappealing in-store try-on experience especially for women and the pricevalue proposition with high-end swimwear
Matthias Metternich founder and chief executive officer of Cocodune said close to 100000 people signed up to hear more about the product once the site goes live
RETAIL
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear
CONTINUED ON PG 6
FASHION
Star-SpangledWhile layered unisex street looks ruled the Tokyo runways a little embellishment was also often in evidence Cote Mer designers Norio Sato and Seishi Naitorsquos fall collection conjured up too-cool-for-school teens with male and female models sporting plaid jackets sprinkled with studs in starburst shapes For more Tokyo highlights see pages 4 and 5
CollectionsFall
2016
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT PAMELA FIRESTONE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER AT 212 256 8103 OR PFIRESTONEWWDCOM
Issue April 20 Ad Close April 6
Materials April 18
denim
D
ENIM
I N DEPTH
beyond the blues
An Advertising Opportunity
22 MARCH 2016 3S
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Miy
azak
i The
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earin
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Onn
ie A
Kos
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Japanese brand Visvim and Italian designer Lucio Vanotti will be also presenting their collections during the menrsquos wear trade show
BY ALESSANDRA TURRA
Pitti Uomo is betting on international designers for its June edition which will take place in Florence June 14 to 17
Gosha Rubchinskiy founder of his namesake label that is produced and distributed by Comme des Garccedilons will be the menrsquos wear guest designer at the trade show Rubchinskiy will debut his spring 2017 collection with a presentation during which he will also unveil a special photo project While the designer didnrsquot give many details he recently told WWD that
the spring collection would mark a change in direction for his brand
Fausto Puglisi will make its menrsquos wear debut showing a capsule collection to be presented with the labelrsquos womenrsquos resort 2017 lineup while Japanese brand Visvim which usually presents its collections in New York will host a performance to showcase the new menrsquos wear line designed by founder and creative Hiroki Nakamura
In addition Lucio Vanotti who made its runway debut last January at Giorgio Armanirsquos theater in Milan will present his new menrsquos collection in Florence The for-mat of the event is still to be determined
Pitti Immagine which organizes the trade show will confirm dates times and locations of the events in the following weeks
FASHION
Gosha Rubchinskiy Fausto Puglisi To Make Debuts at Pitti Uomo
They Are Wearing Tokyo Fashion Week Fall 2016 As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo got under way WWDrsquos street-style photographer documented the trends happening off the runways
They Are Wearing Paris Fashion Week Fall 2016
Stars Flock to amfAR Gala in Hong Kong
Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall 2016 Phlemuns
Londonrsquos Dover Street Market Moves House Triples in Size
Global Stock TrackerAs of close March 21 2016
ADVANCERS
DECLINERS
Elizabeth Arden Inc +1576
Shanghai Metersbonwe +1011
Inter Parfums Inc +496
Li Ning Co Ltd +378
Puma +342
Luen Thai Holdings Ltd -787
The Bon-Ton Stores Inc -769
Sears Holdings Corp -522
Lululemon Athletica inc -368
Coty Inc -336
TOP 5TRENDINGON WWDCOM
The shop will be located in New York on 26th Street and is expected to open in September
BY JEAN E PALMIERI
Todd Snyder wants to reinvent retail And with the blessing of his new parent com-pany American Eagle Outfitters Inc the designer will showcase his vision at his first permanent US store which will open this fall in New York
Snyder said he has signed a lease for just over 5000 square feet at 23 East 26th Street right off Fifth Avenue in the Madison Park district of Manhattan The store is expected to open in late September
ldquoBecause of the merger with American Eagle it gave us a great opportunity to open a real store in New York not just a pop-uprdquo Snyder told WWD Snyder had partnered with Champion on City Gym a temporary retail store in NoLIta that
showcased the collaboration between the two brands in a location with an old-school sporting goods feel
The designer said he searched in SoHo on Bleecker Street on upper Fifth Avenue and on Madison Avenue before deciding on a spot he walks by every day on his way to his office
ldquoI donrsquot just want to open a store and hope it does wellrdquo he said ldquoRather this is meant to be the store of the future The way guys shop today is changing and we want the space to reflect thatrdquo
He said the store will be reminis-cent of The Townhouse a three-level 3000-square-foot flagship in Tokyo that opened in the spring of 2014 That store includes a barber shop a coffee shopbar a tailor and a City Gym shop in the basement
ldquoWersquore building on what we did in Japanrdquo Snyder said revealing that he designed that store with the idea that he would be able to replicate it in New York
In terms of merchandise the New York store will be a ldquosnapshot of what the brand isrdquo and include everything from his runway collection to the Champion line to his Cole Haan shoe offerings It will also include some merchandise that has not previ-ously been available in the US including Snyderrsquos collaborations with Globetrotter luggage Macintosh trenches John Smedley knits and Superior Labor bags
He said there will be a smattering of third-party brands ldquobut most of what wersquore
offering I will have designed or collaborated onrdquo He said there will be an apothecary and other items chosen specifically to appeal to todayrsquos man
Snyder said the store is expected to appeal to guys who shop Todd Snyder online as well as fans who often beg to come to his showroom to shop ldquoSixty per-cent of our business is on the Webrdquo he said ldquoThis store will be an outpost to convey my vision and a place the customer can come and hang outrdquo
Snyder said he is hoping to ldquoreinvent retail I feel like itrsquos a broken modelrdquo he said Snyder was the mastermind behind the J Crew Liquor Store menrsquos store in TriBeCa when he worked for the brand as its menrsquos wear designer before branching out on his own
In addition to the Tokyo Townhouse store Snyder has three other stores in Japan with his Asian partner Anglobal Ltd
In November American Eagle Outfitters bought Todd Snyder for $11 million in cash and stock The appeal was primarily his collegiate campus concept called Tailgate which American Eagle expects to roll out Snyder said none of the Tailgate product will be carried in the Todd Snyder New York store
Snyder said although no other locations have been identified at this point he hopes to open additional stores in the US in the future ldquoHopefully this will be the start of manyrdquo he said
MENrsquoS
Todd Snyder To Open First US Location
Gosha Rubchinskiy
The Todd Snyder store in Tokyo
Cote MerWhile Cote Mer is a menrsquos brand for its show this season it used male and female models underscoring the collectionrsquos unisex quality Designers Norio Sato and Seishi Naito went grunge for fall sending out a group of models dressed like a group of Nineties high school kids who ditch class to smoke behind the bleachers
Jackets and pants were trimmed in fringe and embellished with silver studs arranged in starburst shapes A letter jacket and pair of track pants reinforced the too-cool-for-school theme while other looks referenced other periods A pair of way-too-big pants held up by sus-penders harked back to Charlie Chaplinrsquos Little Tramp while Afghan scarves were pieced together into a poncho
Textures ranged from black leather to stonewashed denim and nearly all the clothes were distressed to some extent Only an olive green sweatshirt riddled with holes seemed to take the grunge thing a bit too far mdash Kelly Wetherille
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea PompilioDiverging from his previous Onitsuka Tiger collections Andrea Pompilio sent out a selection of preppy classics with street-wear and sports influences injected in small doses Staged on a raised sloping wood runway the collection represented ldquoa uni-son of diverging components with graphic motifs used to corrupt classic lines and novel details complementing traditional stylesrdquo the show notes said
Nevertheless the prep reigned albeit in exaggerated proportions Pompilio used plaids and checks in gray deep red navy and black tailored blazers slim trousers and pleated skirts Some blazers had a drawstring through the waist invoking the brandrsquos athletic origins and puffer jackets were turned out in a glossy vinyl that gave them that caught-in-the-rain look
For women Pompilio showed both long and short dresses with flowing skirts in matte jersey One checked skirt had ankle-length panels in both front and back showing lots of provocative leg on every side Several looks were complemented with enormous collegiate-style striped rib knit scarves mdash KW
NameNoriyuki Shimizu is not perhaps as adventurous as some of his designer peers But for fall 2016 he proved his skills with an unfussy well-cut collection of classics made up-to-date by roomy shapes ldquoItrsquos a collection that presents a new previously non-existing mood through unique combi-nations of different pieces and a layering of contrary ideas and expressionsrdquo Shimizu said
This ldquolayeringrdquo of ideas came across in subtle tailored-meets-street offerings that included wide-leg tweed pants high-waisted pleated wool trousers plaid flannel shirts and loose-fitting pullovers Like many of the silhouettes the palette was classic with black camel and gray forming the bulk of the hues enlivened by pops of red in a bomber jacket here or a pair of drawstring pants there
Layering was also realized in a literal way One black-and-white plaid shirt was worn over a contrasting one like positive and negative photo images A bright red-orange jacket was thrown over a charcoal double-breasted overcoat while a gray patchwork coat topped a caramel leather motorcycle jacket mdash KW
Nguyen Cong TriInspired by the garb of female rice farmers of his native country Vietnamrsquos Nguyen Cong Tri turned out some intrigu-ing clothes crafted from a rare highly prized silk with a sheen similar to leather and velvet
The designer who has been in business for 15 years in Vietnam and is looking to branch out to new markets like Japan showed some stunning creations incorpo-rating weaving fringing embroidery and appliqueacute Some of the winners included an all-black ensemble of an embellished jacket worn with cropped pants and another look featuring a woven multicolor top paired with pedal pushers The dramatic fringed numbers included an embroidered mini-dress worn under a quilted silk jacket
Tying directly into the agricultural inspiration a white blouse and a minidress sported a crest derived from the flower of a rice plant And there were riffs on cropped pants and Vietnamrsquos Ao ba ba a long-sleeve button-down silk tunic with a scooped neck that is traditionally worn with silk trousers Speaking of silks The Lanh My A silks Nguyen used need to be dyed 90 to 100 times to achieve the proper shine thickness and durability a process that takes about four months to complete mdash Amanda Kaiser
4 22 MARCH 2016
The Reviews
CollectionsFall
2016
Nguyen Cong TriName
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea Pompilio
Cote Mer
Phot
ogra
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by G
iova
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22 MARCH 2016 5
Norma HauriAs part of their global push the organizers of Tokyo Fashion Week invited Indonesian brands Byvelvet and Norma Hauri to stage a group show for the fall 2016 season Norma Hauri designed by Norma Moi aims to deliver modest garments for women who want to cover up but still look stylish a strong market in a heavily traditional Muslim country like Indonesia The brand founded in 2011 is named after the designer and her daughter Hauri
Inspired by the island culture of Borneo and traditional Japanese attire she sent out some dramatic looks with a high-fashion feel mdash especially the two exits that incor-porated white cage bustiers over tailored shirts and long swishing skirts A kimo-no-influenced top in a pink-tree print also caught the eye mdash Amanda Kaiser
Hiromichi NakanoThis season Hiromichi Nakano gave a nod to Sixties ldquoItrdquo girls like Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick The show started with a series of mod coats mdash worn closed as if they were dresses mdash and frocks in color-blocked pastels The hues were juxtaposed both in conventional bands and checkerboards and in polka dots and asymmetrical shapes A parade of chiffon dresses in similar tones and patterns floated down the runway next Nakano also sent out some sweet girly looks with lots of lace After the pastels the palette shifted to something slightly more bracing black and white knits sometimes with a shot of red and Mondrian-esque geometric prints or
oversize argylesWhile it was all polished and consistent
the collection felt repetitive It would have benefited from a strong edit mdash Kelly Wetherille
Johan KuEach of Johan Kursquos collections has been inspired by a movie For this fall after see-ing both the 1982 and 2011 versions of ldquoThe Thingrdquo the designer was driven to re-cre-ate their most striking visuals the Antarctic snow and ice and an alien breaking out of a human body
To invoke the glacial Ku created a series of hand-embroidered textiles that con-sisted of layering different fabrics together into a kind of three-dimensional patch-work They appeared on everything from zippered skirts and dresses to jackets and pants which took on a futuristic look in black and silver the all-white versions were as light and fluffy has freshly fallen snow In addition photos of these fabrics were printed on jerseys and knit jacquards
Exposed silver zippers decorated sleeves on an oversize coatdress (making them detachable) and created adjustable slits on a miniskirt and a calf-length pencil skirt Classic sexy silhouettes but the gorgeous textures elevated them to something new mdash KW
PlastictokyoStreetwear with grunge and athletic influences rich contrasting textures bright splashes of color and exaggerated pro-portions dominated Keisuke Imazakirsquos fall runway Imazaki made wide use of denim turning out a light-washed jacket with
frayed edges and jeans with buttons down the side as well as oversize suspender pants and a jacket in a stiff dark version of the fabric He paired them with plaid flannel shirts and a beige sweatshirt bearing his brandrsquos logo
Some of the more experimental looks included pants slashed into strips The designer worked with Kunio Kohzaki on headpieces that wrapped around the skull and under the chin like multihued soft hel-mets While there were plenty of contrast-ing textures from eggplant-colored faux fur to magenta nylon overall it was a cohesive collection that would be right at home on the streets of Tokyo mdash at least for the cityrsquos sartorially adventurous men mdash KW
EthosensIn a week dominated by hard-edged street-wear and over-the-top theatricality it was refreshing to see a collection that relied solely on beautiful materials and expert cutting to make a statement Designer Yui Hashimoto for Ethosens (an amalgama-tion of the words ldquoethosrdquo and ldquosenserdquo) turned out different versions of loose tops baggy pants and oversize coats in neutral shades of gray black and camel with some deep blues and greens added in for good measure
His theme for the season was ldquointer-secting linesrdquo which he demonstrated with wide crisscrossing strips of grosgrain attached to trousers V-neck pullovers and blouson jackets In a few instances he used a geometric knit jacquard on sweaters and scarves and another intersecting line pat-tern on jersey tops and faded jeans
As an ethos it all made perfect sense mdash KW
Plastictokyo
EthosensJohan KuHiromichi NakanoNorma Hauri
Phot
ogra
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by G
iova
nni G
iann
oni
CollectionsFall
2016
6 22 MARCH 2016
Gruuml
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by
Geo
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Chi
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Hilf
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by
Robe
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itra
He is trying to carve out a niche between mass brands and high-end designer looks while gaining profit margin with a vertically integrated approach that has him both mak-ing and selling the styles
ldquoThis is indicative of the problem wersquore trying to solverdquo Metternich said ldquoThe mid-dle ground was so open I also found that the quality even at the top end mdash the $800 suits mdash wasnrsquot as good as I thought we could achieve if we were vertically integrated We took on the challenge from the start If you want to change this industry you have to control every aspectrdquo
The first collection entirely handmade out of Italian fabric in Los Angeles com-prises nine styles that range from the ldquobest basicsrdquo (a triangle top and a bralette) to more fashion-forward styles such as a one piece with a plunging V-neck Bikini pieces start at $95 with the majority retailing for slightly more than $100 and a ldquofashionrdquo piece such as the deep V-neck ldquoDirectorrdquo one piece which costs $180 A series of accessories will also be available on-site from an oversize tote to a $50 towel
Metternich declined to say how much cap-ital was raised to fund the venture but he hopes to sell out of his inventory in year one He maintained that the factory he works with can produce one million units a month
Cocodune is simply the latest firm to think big when it comes to delivering swim looks online mdash aiming to shake up the category in the same way Warby Parker has in eyewear Glossier in beauty or Bonobos in menrsquos apparel
J Christopher Burch has invested in two swim-heavy e-commerce ventures Solid amp Striped which launched as a direct to consumer menrsquos swimwear Web site in November 2012 and introduced a womenrsquos collection in spring 2014 and Chubbies an e-tailer that sells menrsquos shorts and swimsuits
He said the swim category is especially desirable right now In addition to the high margins the product plays well in content-rich digital environments such as Instagram and figures prominently in vacation and travel which he said consum-ers are ldquoobsessed withrdquo Influencers in the digital realm could also have a significant impact on their followers and many women prefer to try swimsuits on at home versus in a dressing room
Burch said brands wanting to succeed online have to get ldquoin the head of the con-sumerrdquo Being innovative isnrsquot enough mdash a start-up also has to build a brand at the same time
ldquoSwimwear as a category is growing at a faster speed than other categories Supply chains are willing to make smaller pieces and consumers are willing to try new thingsrdquo Burch said during a phone interview from the Nihiwatu Hotel the resort he owns on Sumba Island in Indonesia
Burch is the chairman of his investment firm Burch Creative Capital and participated in two fund-raising rounds for Chubbies in 2014 and again last month The brand has raised more than $13 million date He took a stake in Solid amp Striped in late 2013 but declined to say how much he invested calling it a ldquo5050 partnershiprdquo
ldquoFrom a tech point of view to cool [fac-tor] the whole swimsuit industry online will continue to change as long as there is disrup-tionrdquo Burch said ldquoItrsquos not unfathomable that there will be a swimsuit with flippers on the back to make you move fasterrdquo
He explained that the way consumers buy swimsuits has already shifted There are
sales that occur weeks to a month before a trip or a season that are often researched And then there are consumers who buy a bathing suit during their vacation
Swimwear is a natural for the Web Entrepreneurs see an often painful in-store shopping experience that can be improved online while the small dimensions of swim-wear keep a check on shipping costs
Triangl which specializes in vivid colored Neoprene bikinis does all of its sales via its own Web site at Trianglcom Triangl which has nearly three million Instagram followers has no plans to venture into wholesale or open a store
Founded by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering in early 2013 sources estimated Trianglcom logged nearly $50 million in retail sales in 2015 and is primed for significant growth this year Every suit on the site retails for less than $100
Bikyni is also in the chasing shoppers with swimsuits priced at under $100
The brandrsquos Web site launched its swimsuits last May with the tag line ldquoYou donrsquot need a better body you need a better Bikynirdquo Founded by Reformation alum Jude Al-Khalil the company raised a $1 million seed round before launch and plans to raise a Series A in the near future
Bikyni shares factories with brands that sell suits for several hundred dollars but the brand also addresses the dreaded swimsuit shopping experiences head on by letting shoppers try on at home
ldquoWe are able to access women from 15 to
40 who are either spending less on swim-wear because they are more budget-con-scious but the biggest surprise is that we get women who [typically] buy very expense swimwearrdquo Al-Khalil said ldquo[These are] women who buy Eres to Mara Hoffmanhellipbut they like our aesthetic and believe in the qualityrdquo
Some digital swim natives have expanded beyond the Web
Solid amp Striped in particular wants to appeal to both types of swimwear buyers While 70 percent of sales now come from wholesale partners the brandrsquos site at soli-dandstripedcom is the companyrsquos biggest ldquodoorrdquo commanding 30 percent of overall sales The brandrsquos bikini separates range from $78 to $88 with one pieces retailing for $158 to $168 and menrsquos suits ranging from $130 to $150
In order to build brand equity founder Isaac Ross moved Solid amp Striped into brick-and-mortar stores fairly quickly The line tested retail for the first time in the Upper East Side boutique Fivestory a month after launch It is now carried in more than 150 doors and 50 Web sites worldwide including Barneys New York Matchesfashioncom Bergdorf Goodman Selfridges and Lane Crawford
But the Web remains near and dear to Rossrsquo heart
ldquoIrsquom hyper-focused on the direct-to-consumer businessrdquo he said ldquoThe Web is precious Itrsquos our only direct point of contact with consumersrdquo
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chubbiesrsquo swim trunks
A Bikyni swimsuit
Solid amp Stripedrsquos The Anne-Marie swimsuit
A Cocodune swimsuit Trianglrsquos Bowie bikini
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
man
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otog
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by
Thom
as Ia
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Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
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by
Rodi
n B
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ider
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Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
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EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
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Steacute
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Me
cove
rs b
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oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT PAMELA FIRESTONE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER AT 212 256 8103 OR PFIRESTONEWWDCOM
Issue April 20 Ad Close April 6
Materials April 18
denim
D
ENIM
I N DEPTH
beyond the blues
An Advertising Opportunity
22 MARCH 2016 3S
nyde
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Miy
azak
i The
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earin
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Onn
ie A
Kos
ki
Japanese brand Visvim and Italian designer Lucio Vanotti will be also presenting their collections during the menrsquos wear trade show
BY ALESSANDRA TURRA
Pitti Uomo is betting on international designers for its June edition which will take place in Florence June 14 to 17
Gosha Rubchinskiy founder of his namesake label that is produced and distributed by Comme des Garccedilons will be the menrsquos wear guest designer at the trade show Rubchinskiy will debut his spring 2017 collection with a presentation during which he will also unveil a special photo project While the designer didnrsquot give many details he recently told WWD that
the spring collection would mark a change in direction for his brand
Fausto Puglisi will make its menrsquos wear debut showing a capsule collection to be presented with the labelrsquos womenrsquos resort 2017 lineup while Japanese brand Visvim which usually presents its collections in New York will host a performance to showcase the new menrsquos wear line designed by founder and creative Hiroki Nakamura
In addition Lucio Vanotti who made its runway debut last January at Giorgio Armanirsquos theater in Milan will present his new menrsquos collection in Florence The for-mat of the event is still to be determined
Pitti Immagine which organizes the trade show will confirm dates times and locations of the events in the following weeks
FASHION
Gosha Rubchinskiy Fausto Puglisi To Make Debuts at Pitti Uomo
They Are Wearing Tokyo Fashion Week Fall 2016 As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo got under way WWDrsquos street-style photographer documented the trends happening off the runways
They Are Wearing Paris Fashion Week Fall 2016
Stars Flock to amfAR Gala in Hong Kong
Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall 2016 Phlemuns
Londonrsquos Dover Street Market Moves House Triples in Size
Global Stock TrackerAs of close March 21 2016
ADVANCERS
DECLINERS
Elizabeth Arden Inc +1576
Shanghai Metersbonwe +1011
Inter Parfums Inc +496
Li Ning Co Ltd +378
Puma +342
Luen Thai Holdings Ltd -787
The Bon-Ton Stores Inc -769
Sears Holdings Corp -522
Lululemon Athletica inc -368
Coty Inc -336
TOP 5TRENDINGON WWDCOM
The shop will be located in New York on 26th Street and is expected to open in September
BY JEAN E PALMIERI
Todd Snyder wants to reinvent retail And with the blessing of his new parent com-pany American Eagle Outfitters Inc the designer will showcase his vision at his first permanent US store which will open this fall in New York
Snyder said he has signed a lease for just over 5000 square feet at 23 East 26th Street right off Fifth Avenue in the Madison Park district of Manhattan The store is expected to open in late September
ldquoBecause of the merger with American Eagle it gave us a great opportunity to open a real store in New York not just a pop-uprdquo Snyder told WWD Snyder had partnered with Champion on City Gym a temporary retail store in NoLIta that
showcased the collaboration between the two brands in a location with an old-school sporting goods feel
The designer said he searched in SoHo on Bleecker Street on upper Fifth Avenue and on Madison Avenue before deciding on a spot he walks by every day on his way to his office
ldquoI donrsquot just want to open a store and hope it does wellrdquo he said ldquoRather this is meant to be the store of the future The way guys shop today is changing and we want the space to reflect thatrdquo
He said the store will be reminis-cent of The Townhouse a three-level 3000-square-foot flagship in Tokyo that opened in the spring of 2014 That store includes a barber shop a coffee shopbar a tailor and a City Gym shop in the basement
ldquoWersquore building on what we did in Japanrdquo Snyder said revealing that he designed that store with the idea that he would be able to replicate it in New York
In terms of merchandise the New York store will be a ldquosnapshot of what the brand isrdquo and include everything from his runway collection to the Champion line to his Cole Haan shoe offerings It will also include some merchandise that has not previ-ously been available in the US including Snyderrsquos collaborations with Globetrotter luggage Macintosh trenches John Smedley knits and Superior Labor bags
He said there will be a smattering of third-party brands ldquobut most of what wersquore
offering I will have designed or collaborated onrdquo He said there will be an apothecary and other items chosen specifically to appeal to todayrsquos man
Snyder said the store is expected to appeal to guys who shop Todd Snyder online as well as fans who often beg to come to his showroom to shop ldquoSixty per-cent of our business is on the Webrdquo he said ldquoThis store will be an outpost to convey my vision and a place the customer can come and hang outrdquo
Snyder said he is hoping to ldquoreinvent retail I feel like itrsquos a broken modelrdquo he said Snyder was the mastermind behind the J Crew Liquor Store menrsquos store in TriBeCa when he worked for the brand as its menrsquos wear designer before branching out on his own
In addition to the Tokyo Townhouse store Snyder has three other stores in Japan with his Asian partner Anglobal Ltd
In November American Eagle Outfitters bought Todd Snyder for $11 million in cash and stock The appeal was primarily his collegiate campus concept called Tailgate which American Eagle expects to roll out Snyder said none of the Tailgate product will be carried in the Todd Snyder New York store
Snyder said although no other locations have been identified at this point he hopes to open additional stores in the US in the future ldquoHopefully this will be the start of manyrdquo he said
MENrsquoS
Todd Snyder To Open First US Location
Gosha Rubchinskiy
The Todd Snyder store in Tokyo
Cote MerWhile Cote Mer is a menrsquos brand for its show this season it used male and female models underscoring the collectionrsquos unisex quality Designers Norio Sato and Seishi Naito went grunge for fall sending out a group of models dressed like a group of Nineties high school kids who ditch class to smoke behind the bleachers
Jackets and pants were trimmed in fringe and embellished with silver studs arranged in starburst shapes A letter jacket and pair of track pants reinforced the too-cool-for-school theme while other looks referenced other periods A pair of way-too-big pants held up by sus-penders harked back to Charlie Chaplinrsquos Little Tramp while Afghan scarves were pieced together into a poncho
Textures ranged from black leather to stonewashed denim and nearly all the clothes were distressed to some extent Only an olive green sweatshirt riddled with holes seemed to take the grunge thing a bit too far mdash Kelly Wetherille
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea PompilioDiverging from his previous Onitsuka Tiger collections Andrea Pompilio sent out a selection of preppy classics with street-wear and sports influences injected in small doses Staged on a raised sloping wood runway the collection represented ldquoa uni-son of diverging components with graphic motifs used to corrupt classic lines and novel details complementing traditional stylesrdquo the show notes said
Nevertheless the prep reigned albeit in exaggerated proportions Pompilio used plaids and checks in gray deep red navy and black tailored blazers slim trousers and pleated skirts Some blazers had a drawstring through the waist invoking the brandrsquos athletic origins and puffer jackets were turned out in a glossy vinyl that gave them that caught-in-the-rain look
For women Pompilio showed both long and short dresses with flowing skirts in matte jersey One checked skirt had ankle-length panels in both front and back showing lots of provocative leg on every side Several looks were complemented with enormous collegiate-style striped rib knit scarves mdash KW
NameNoriyuki Shimizu is not perhaps as adventurous as some of his designer peers But for fall 2016 he proved his skills with an unfussy well-cut collection of classics made up-to-date by roomy shapes ldquoItrsquos a collection that presents a new previously non-existing mood through unique combi-nations of different pieces and a layering of contrary ideas and expressionsrdquo Shimizu said
This ldquolayeringrdquo of ideas came across in subtle tailored-meets-street offerings that included wide-leg tweed pants high-waisted pleated wool trousers plaid flannel shirts and loose-fitting pullovers Like many of the silhouettes the palette was classic with black camel and gray forming the bulk of the hues enlivened by pops of red in a bomber jacket here or a pair of drawstring pants there
Layering was also realized in a literal way One black-and-white plaid shirt was worn over a contrasting one like positive and negative photo images A bright red-orange jacket was thrown over a charcoal double-breasted overcoat while a gray patchwork coat topped a caramel leather motorcycle jacket mdash KW
Nguyen Cong TriInspired by the garb of female rice farmers of his native country Vietnamrsquos Nguyen Cong Tri turned out some intrigu-ing clothes crafted from a rare highly prized silk with a sheen similar to leather and velvet
The designer who has been in business for 15 years in Vietnam and is looking to branch out to new markets like Japan showed some stunning creations incorpo-rating weaving fringing embroidery and appliqueacute Some of the winners included an all-black ensemble of an embellished jacket worn with cropped pants and another look featuring a woven multicolor top paired with pedal pushers The dramatic fringed numbers included an embroidered mini-dress worn under a quilted silk jacket
Tying directly into the agricultural inspiration a white blouse and a minidress sported a crest derived from the flower of a rice plant And there were riffs on cropped pants and Vietnamrsquos Ao ba ba a long-sleeve button-down silk tunic with a scooped neck that is traditionally worn with silk trousers Speaking of silks The Lanh My A silks Nguyen used need to be dyed 90 to 100 times to achieve the proper shine thickness and durability a process that takes about four months to complete mdash Amanda Kaiser
4 22 MARCH 2016
The Reviews
CollectionsFall
2016
Nguyen Cong TriName
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea Pompilio
Cote Mer
Phot
ogra
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by G
iova
nni G
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oni
22 MARCH 2016 5
Norma HauriAs part of their global push the organizers of Tokyo Fashion Week invited Indonesian brands Byvelvet and Norma Hauri to stage a group show for the fall 2016 season Norma Hauri designed by Norma Moi aims to deliver modest garments for women who want to cover up but still look stylish a strong market in a heavily traditional Muslim country like Indonesia The brand founded in 2011 is named after the designer and her daughter Hauri
Inspired by the island culture of Borneo and traditional Japanese attire she sent out some dramatic looks with a high-fashion feel mdash especially the two exits that incor-porated white cage bustiers over tailored shirts and long swishing skirts A kimo-no-influenced top in a pink-tree print also caught the eye mdash Amanda Kaiser
Hiromichi NakanoThis season Hiromichi Nakano gave a nod to Sixties ldquoItrdquo girls like Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick The show started with a series of mod coats mdash worn closed as if they were dresses mdash and frocks in color-blocked pastels The hues were juxtaposed both in conventional bands and checkerboards and in polka dots and asymmetrical shapes A parade of chiffon dresses in similar tones and patterns floated down the runway next Nakano also sent out some sweet girly looks with lots of lace After the pastels the palette shifted to something slightly more bracing black and white knits sometimes with a shot of red and Mondrian-esque geometric prints or
oversize argylesWhile it was all polished and consistent
the collection felt repetitive It would have benefited from a strong edit mdash Kelly Wetherille
Johan KuEach of Johan Kursquos collections has been inspired by a movie For this fall after see-ing both the 1982 and 2011 versions of ldquoThe Thingrdquo the designer was driven to re-cre-ate their most striking visuals the Antarctic snow and ice and an alien breaking out of a human body
To invoke the glacial Ku created a series of hand-embroidered textiles that con-sisted of layering different fabrics together into a kind of three-dimensional patch-work They appeared on everything from zippered skirts and dresses to jackets and pants which took on a futuristic look in black and silver the all-white versions were as light and fluffy has freshly fallen snow In addition photos of these fabrics were printed on jerseys and knit jacquards
Exposed silver zippers decorated sleeves on an oversize coatdress (making them detachable) and created adjustable slits on a miniskirt and a calf-length pencil skirt Classic sexy silhouettes but the gorgeous textures elevated them to something new mdash KW
PlastictokyoStreetwear with grunge and athletic influences rich contrasting textures bright splashes of color and exaggerated pro-portions dominated Keisuke Imazakirsquos fall runway Imazaki made wide use of denim turning out a light-washed jacket with
frayed edges and jeans with buttons down the side as well as oversize suspender pants and a jacket in a stiff dark version of the fabric He paired them with plaid flannel shirts and a beige sweatshirt bearing his brandrsquos logo
Some of the more experimental looks included pants slashed into strips The designer worked with Kunio Kohzaki on headpieces that wrapped around the skull and under the chin like multihued soft hel-mets While there were plenty of contrast-ing textures from eggplant-colored faux fur to magenta nylon overall it was a cohesive collection that would be right at home on the streets of Tokyo mdash at least for the cityrsquos sartorially adventurous men mdash KW
EthosensIn a week dominated by hard-edged street-wear and over-the-top theatricality it was refreshing to see a collection that relied solely on beautiful materials and expert cutting to make a statement Designer Yui Hashimoto for Ethosens (an amalgama-tion of the words ldquoethosrdquo and ldquosenserdquo) turned out different versions of loose tops baggy pants and oversize coats in neutral shades of gray black and camel with some deep blues and greens added in for good measure
His theme for the season was ldquointer-secting linesrdquo which he demonstrated with wide crisscrossing strips of grosgrain attached to trousers V-neck pullovers and blouson jackets In a few instances he used a geometric knit jacquard on sweaters and scarves and another intersecting line pat-tern on jersey tops and faded jeans
As an ethos it all made perfect sense mdash KW
Plastictokyo
EthosensJohan KuHiromichi NakanoNorma Hauri
Phot
ogra
phs
by G
iova
nni G
iann
oni
CollectionsFall
2016
6 22 MARCH 2016
Gruuml
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Geo
rge
Chi
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Hilf
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by
Robe
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itra
He is trying to carve out a niche between mass brands and high-end designer looks while gaining profit margin with a vertically integrated approach that has him both mak-ing and selling the styles
ldquoThis is indicative of the problem wersquore trying to solverdquo Metternich said ldquoThe mid-dle ground was so open I also found that the quality even at the top end mdash the $800 suits mdash wasnrsquot as good as I thought we could achieve if we were vertically integrated We took on the challenge from the start If you want to change this industry you have to control every aspectrdquo
The first collection entirely handmade out of Italian fabric in Los Angeles com-prises nine styles that range from the ldquobest basicsrdquo (a triangle top and a bralette) to more fashion-forward styles such as a one piece with a plunging V-neck Bikini pieces start at $95 with the majority retailing for slightly more than $100 and a ldquofashionrdquo piece such as the deep V-neck ldquoDirectorrdquo one piece which costs $180 A series of accessories will also be available on-site from an oversize tote to a $50 towel
Metternich declined to say how much cap-ital was raised to fund the venture but he hopes to sell out of his inventory in year one He maintained that the factory he works with can produce one million units a month
Cocodune is simply the latest firm to think big when it comes to delivering swim looks online mdash aiming to shake up the category in the same way Warby Parker has in eyewear Glossier in beauty or Bonobos in menrsquos apparel
J Christopher Burch has invested in two swim-heavy e-commerce ventures Solid amp Striped which launched as a direct to consumer menrsquos swimwear Web site in November 2012 and introduced a womenrsquos collection in spring 2014 and Chubbies an e-tailer that sells menrsquos shorts and swimsuits
He said the swim category is especially desirable right now In addition to the high margins the product plays well in content-rich digital environments such as Instagram and figures prominently in vacation and travel which he said consum-ers are ldquoobsessed withrdquo Influencers in the digital realm could also have a significant impact on their followers and many women prefer to try swimsuits on at home versus in a dressing room
Burch said brands wanting to succeed online have to get ldquoin the head of the con-sumerrdquo Being innovative isnrsquot enough mdash a start-up also has to build a brand at the same time
ldquoSwimwear as a category is growing at a faster speed than other categories Supply chains are willing to make smaller pieces and consumers are willing to try new thingsrdquo Burch said during a phone interview from the Nihiwatu Hotel the resort he owns on Sumba Island in Indonesia
Burch is the chairman of his investment firm Burch Creative Capital and participated in two fund-raising rounds for Chubbies in 2014 and again last month The brand has raised more than $13 million date He took a stake in Solid amp Striped in late 2013 but declined to say how much he invested calling it a ldquo5050 partnershiprdquo
ldquoFrom a tech point of view to cool [fac-tor] the whole swimsuit industry online will continue to change as long as there is disrup-tionrdquo Burch said ldquoItrsquos not unfathomable that there will be a swimsuit with flippers on the back to make you move fasterrdquo
He explained that the way consumers buy swimsuits has already shifted There are
sales that occur weeks to a month before a trip or a season that are often researched And then there are consumers who buy a bathing suit during their vacation
Swimwear is a natural for the Web Entrepreneurs see an often painful in-store shopping experience that can be improved online while the small dimensions of swim-wear keep a check on shipping costs
Triangl which specializes in vivid colored Neoprene bikinis does all of its sales via its own Web site at Trianglcom Triangl which has nearly three million Instagram followers has no plans to venture into wholesale or open a store
Founded by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering in early 2013 sources estimated Trianglcom logged nearly $50 million in retail sales in 2015 and is primed for significant growth this year Every suit on the site retails for less than $100
Bikyni is also in the chasing shoppers with swimsuits priced at under $100
The brandrsquos Web site launched its swimsuits last May with the tag line ldquoYou donrsquot need a better body you need a better Bikynirdquo Founded by Reformation alum Jude Al-Khalil the company raised a $1 million seed round before launch and plans to raise a Series A in the near future
Bikyni shares factories with brands that sell suits for several hundred dollars but the brand also addresses the dreaded swimsuit shopping experiences head on by letting shoppers try on at home
ldquoWe are able to access women from 15 to
40 who are either spending less on swim-wear because they are more budget-con-scious but the biggest surprise is that we get women who [typically] buy very expense swimwearrdquo Al-Khalil said ldquo[These are] women who buy Eres to Mara Hoffmanhellipbut they like our aesthetic and believe in the qualityrdquo
Some digital swim natives have expanded beyond the Web
Solid amp Striped in particular wants to appeal to both types of swimwear buyers While 70 percent of sales now come from wholesale partners the brandrsquos site at soli-dandstripedcom is the companyrsquos biggest ldquodoorrdquo commanding 30 percent of overall sales The brandrsquos bikini separates range from $78 to $88 with one pieces retailing for $158 to $168 and menrsquos suits ranging from $130 to $150
In order to build brand equity founder Isaac Ross moved Solid amp Striped into brick-and-mortar stores fairly quickly The line tested retail for the first time in the Upper East Side boutique Fivestory a month after launch It is now carried in more than 150 doors and 50 Web sites worldwide including Barneys New York Matchesfashioncom Bergdorf Goodman Selfridges and Lane Crawford
But the Web remains near and dear to Rossrsquo heart
ldquoIrsquom hyper-focused on the direct-to-consumer businessrdquo he said ldquoThe Web is precious Itrsquos our only direct point of contact with consumersrdquo
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chubbiesrsquo swim trunks
A Bikyni swimsuit
Solid amp Stripedrsquos The Anne-Marie swimsuit
A Cocodune swimsuit Trianglrsquos Bowie bikini
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
man
n ph
otog
raph
by
Thom
as Ia
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cone
Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
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EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
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WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
22 MARCH 2016 3S
nyde
r pho
togr
aph
by Y
ukie
Miy
azak
i The
y A
re W
earin
g by
Onn
ie A
Kos
ki
Japanese brand Visvim and Italian designer Lucio Vanotti will be also presenting their collections during the menrsquos wear trade show
BY ALESSANDRA TURRA
Pitti Uomo is betting on international designers for its June edition which will take place in Florence June 14 to 17
Gosha Rubchinskiy founder of his namesake label that is produced and distributed by Comme des Garccedilons will be the menrsquos wear guest designer at the trade show Rubchinskiy will debut his spring 2017 collection with a presentation during which he will also unveil a special photo project While the designer didnrsquot give many details he recently told WWD that
the spring collection would mark a change in direction for his brand
Fausto Puglisi will make its menrsquos wear debut showing a capsule collection to be presented with the labelrsquos womenrsquos resort 2017 lineup while Japanese brand Visvim which usually presents its collections in New York will host a performance to showcase the new menrsquos wear line designed by founder and creative Hiroki Nakamura
In addition Lucio Vanotti who made its runway debut last January at Giorgio Armanirsquos theater in Milan will present his new menrsquos collection in Florence The for-mat of the event is still to be determined
Pitti Immagine which organizes the trade show will confirm dates times and locations of the events in the following weeks
FASHION
Gosha Rubchinskiy Fausto Puglisi To Make Debuts at Pitti Uomo
They Are Wearing Tokyo Fashion Week Fall 2016 As Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo got under way WWDrsquos street-style photographer documented the trends happening off the runways
They Are Wearing Paris Fashion Week Fall 2016
Stars Flock to amfAR Gala in Hong Kong
Los Angeles Fashion Week Fall 2016 Phlemuns
Londonrsquos Dover Street Market Moves House Triples in Size
Global Stock TrackerAs of close March 21 2016
ADVANCERS
DECLINERS
Elizabeth Arden Inc +1576
Shanghai Metersbonwe +1011
Inter Parfums Inc +496
Li Ning Co Ltd +378
Puma +342
Luen Thai Holdings Ltd -787
The Bon-Ton Stores Inc -769
Sears Holdings Corp -522
Lululemon Athletica inc -368
Coty Inc -336
TOP 5TRENDINGON WWDCOM
The shop will be located in New York on 26th Street and is expected to open in September
BY JEAN E PALMIERI
Todd Snyder wants to reinvent retail And with the blessing of his new parent com-pany American Eagle Outfitters Inc the designer will showcase his vision at his first permanent US store which will open this fall in New York
Snyder said he has signed a lease for just over 5000 square feet at 23 East 26th Street right off Fifth Avenue in the Madison Park district of Manhattan The store is expected to open in late September
ldquoBecause of the merger with American Eagle it gave us a great opportunity to open a real store in New York not just a pop-uprdquo Snyder told WWD Snyder had partnered with Champion on City Gym a temporary retail store in NoLIta that
showcased the collaboration between the two brands in a location with an old-school sporting goods feel
The designer said he searched in SoHo on Bleecker Street on upper Fifth Avenue and on Madison Avenue before deciding on a spot he walks by every day on his way to his office
ldquoI donrsquot just want to open a store and hope it does wellrdquo he said ldquoRather this is meant to be the store of the future The way guys shop today is changing and we want the space to reflect thatrdquo
He said the store will be reminis-cent of The Townhouse a three-level 3000-square-foot flagship in Tokyo that opened in the spring of 2014 That store includes a barber shop a coffee shopbar a tailor and a City Gym shop in the basement
ldquoWersquore building on what we did in Japanrdquo Snyder said revealing that he designed that store with the idea that he would be able to replicate it in New York
In terms of merchandise the New York store will be a ldquosnapshot of what the brand isrdquo and include everything from his runway collection to the Champion line to his Cole Haan shoe offerings It will also include some merchandise that has not previ-ously been available in the US including Snyderrsquos collaborations with Globetrotter luggage Macintosh trenches John Smedley knits and Superior Labor bags
He said there will be a smattering of third-party brands ldquobut most of what wersquore
offering I will have designed or collaborated onrdquo He said there will be an apothecary and other items chosen specifically to appeal to todayrsquos man
Snyder said the store is expected to appeal to guys who shop Todd Snyder online as well as fans who often beg to come to his showroom to shop ldquoSixty per-cent of our business is on the Webrdquo he said ldquoThis store will be an outpost to convey my vision and a place the customer can come and hang outrdquo
Snyder said he is hoping to ldquoreinvent retail I feel like itrsquos a broken modelrdquo he said Snyder was the mastermind behind the J Crew Liquor Store menrsquos store in TriBeCa when he worked for the brand as its menrsquos wear designer before branching out on his own
In addition to the Tokyo Townhouse store Snyder has three other stores in Japan with his Asian partner Anglobal Ltd
In November American Eagle Outfitters bought Todd Snyder for $11 million in cash and stock The appeal was primarily his collegiate campus concept called Tailgate which American Eagle expects to roll out Snyder said none of the Tailgate product will be carried in the Todd Snyder New York store
Snyder said although no other locations have been identified at this point he hopes to open additional stores in the US in the future ldquoHopefully this will be the start of manyrdquo he said
MENrsquoS
Todd Snyder To Open First US Location
Gosha Rubchinskiy
The Todd Snyder store in Tokyo
Cote MerWhile Cote Mer is a menrsquos brand for its show this season it used male and female models underscoring the collectionrsquos unisex quality Designers Norio Sato and Seishi Naito went grunge for fall sending out a group of models dressed like a group of Nineties high school kids who ditch class to smoke behind the bleachers
Jackets and pants were trimmed in fringe and embellished with silver studs arranged in starburst shapes A letter jacket and pair of track pants reinforced the too-cool-for-school theme while other looks referenced other periods A pair of way-too-big pants held up by sus-penders harked back to Charlie Chaplinrsquos Little Tramp while Afghan scarves were pieced together into a poncho
Textures ranged from black leather to stonewashed denim and nearly all the clothes were distressed to some extent Only an olive green sweatshirt riddled with holes seemed to take the grunge thing a bit too far mdash Kelly Wetherille
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea PompilioDiverging from his previous Onitsuka Tiger collections Andrea Pompilio sent out a selection of preppy classics with street-wear and sports influences injected in small doses Staged on a raised sloping wood runway the collection represented ldquoa uni-son of diverging components with graphic motifs used to corrupt classic lines and novel details complementing traditional stylesrdquo the show notes said
Nevertheless the prep reigned albeit in exaggerated proportions Pompilio used plaids and checks in gray deep red navy and black tailored blazers slim trousers and pleated skirts Some blazers had a drawstring through the waist invoking the brandrsquos athletic origins and puffer jackets were turned out in a glossy vinyl that gave them that caught-in-the-rain look
For women Pompilio showed both long and short dresses with flowing skirts in matte jersey One checked skirt had ankle-length panels in both front and back showing lots of provocative leg on every side Several looks were complemented with enormous collegiate-style striped rib knit scarves mdash KW
NameNoriyuki Shimizu is not perhaps as adventurous as some of his designer peers But for fall 2016 he proved his skills with an unfussy well-cut collection of classics made up-to-date by roomy shapes ldquoItrsquos a collection that presents a new previously non-existing mood through unique combi-nations of different pieces and a layering of contrary ideas and expressionsrdquo Shimizu said
This ldquolayeringrdquo of ideas came across in subtle tailored-meets-street offerings that included wide-leg tweed pants high-waisted pleated wool trousers plaid flannel shirts and loose-fitting pullovers Like many of the silhouettes the palette was classic with black camel and gray forming the bulk of the hues enlivened by pops of red in a bomber jacket here or a pair of drawstring pants there
Layering was also realized in a literal way One black-and-white plaid shirt was worn over a contrasting one like positive and negative photo images A bright red-orange jacket was thrown over a charcoal double-breasted overcoat while a gray patchwork coat topped a caramel leather motorcycle jacket mdash KW
Nguyen Cong TriInspired by the garb of female rice farmers of his native country Vietnamrsquos Nguyen Cong Tri turned out some intrigu-ing clothes crafted from a rare highly prized silk with a sheen similar to leather and velvet
The designer who has been in business for 15 years in Vietnam and is looking to branch out to new markets like Japan showed some stunning creations incorpo-rating weaving fringing embroidery and appliqueacute Some of the winners included an all-black ensemble of an embellished jacket worn with cropped pants and another look featuring a woven multicolor top paired with pedal pushers The dramatic fringed numbers included an embroidered mini-dress worn under a quilted silk jacket
Tying directly into the agricultural inspiration a white blouse and a minidress sported a crest derived from the flower of a rice plant And there were riffs on cropped pants and Vietnamrsquos Ao ba ba a long-sleeve button-down silk tunic with a scooped neck that is traditionally worn with silk trousers Speaking of silks The Lanh My A silks Nguyen used need to be dyed 90 to 100 times to achieve the proper shine thickness and durability a process that takes about four months to complete mdash Amanda Kaiser
4 22 MARCH 2016
The Reviews
CollectionsFall
2016
Nguyen Cong TriName
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea Pompilio
Cote Mer
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ogra
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by G
iova
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iann
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22 MARCH 2016 5
Norma HauriAs part of their global push the organizers of Tokyo Fashion Week invited Indonesian brands Byvelvet and Norma Hauri to stage a group show for the fall 2016 season Norma Hauri designed by Norma Moi aims to deliver modest garments for women who want to cover up but still look stylish a strong market in a heavily traditional Muslim country like Indonesia The brand founded in 2011 is named after the designer and her daughter Hauri
Inspired by the island culture of Borneo and traditional Japanese attire she sent out some dramatic looks with a high-fashion feel mdash especially the two exits that incor-porated white cage bustiers over tailored shirts and long swishing skirts A kimo-no-influenced top in a pink-tree print also caught the eye mdash Amanda Kaiser
Hiromichi NakanoThis season Hiromichi Nakano gave a nod to Sixties ldquoItrdquo girls like Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick The show started with a series of mod coats mdash worn closed as if they were dresses mdash and frocks in color-blocked pastels The hues were juxtaposed both in conventional bands and checkerboards and in polka dots and asymmetrical shapes A parade of chiffon dresses in similar tones and patterns floated down the runway next Nakano also sent out some sweet girly looks with lots of lace After the pastels the palette shifted to something slightly more bracing black and white knits sometimes with a shot of red and Mondrian-esque geometric prints or
oversize argylesWhile it was all polished and consistent
the collection felt repetitive It would have benefited from a strong edit mdash Kelly Wetherille
Johan KuEach of Johan Kursquos collections has been inspired by a movie For this fall after see-ing both the 1982 and 2011 versions of ldquoThe Thingrdquo the designer was driven to re-cre-ate their most striking visuals the Antarctic snow and ice and an alien breaking out of a human body
To invoke the glacial Ku created a series of hand-embroidered textiles that con-sisted of layering different fabrics together into a kind of three-dimensional patch-work They appeared on everything from zippered skirts and dresses to jackets and pants which took on a futuristic look in black and silver the all-white versions were as light and fluffy has freshly fallen snow In addition photos of these fabrics were printed on jerseys and knit jacquards
Exposed silver zippers decorated sleeves on an oversize coatdress (making them detachable) and created adjustable slits on a miniskirt and a calf-length pencil skirt Classic sexy silhouettes but the gorgeous textures elevated them to something new mdash KW
PlastictokyoStreetwear with grunge and athletic influences rich contrasting textures bright splashes of color and exaggerated pro-portions dominated Keisuke Imazakirsquos fall runway Imazaki made wide use of denim turning out a light-washed jacket with
frayed edges and jeans with buttons down the side as well as oversize suspender pants and a jacket in a stiff dark version of the fabric He paired them with plaid flannel shirts and a beige sweatshirt bearing his brandrsquos logo
Some of the more experimental looks included pants slashed into strips The designer worked with Kunio Kohzaki on headpieces that wrapped around the skull and under the chin like multihued soft hel-mets While there were plenty of contrast-ing textures from eggplant-colored faux fur to magenta nylon overall it was a cohesive collection that would be right at home on the streets of Tokyo mdash at least for the cityrsquos sartorially adventurous men mdash KW
EthosensIn a week dominated by hard-edged street-wear and over-the-top theatricality it was refreshing to see a collection that relied solely on beautiful materials and expert cutting to make a statement Designer Yui Hashimoto for Ethosens (an amalgama-tion of the words ldquoethosrdquo and ldquosenserdquo) turned out different versions of loose tops baggy pants and oversize coats in neutral shades of gray black and camel with some deep blues and greens added in for good measure
His theme for the season was ldquointer-secting linesrdquo which he demonstrated with wide crisscrossing strips of grosgrain attached to trousers V-neck pullovers and blouson jackets In a few instances he used a geometric knit jacquard on sweaters and scarves and another intersecting line pat-tern on jersey tops and faded jeans
As an ethos it all made perfect sense mdash KW
Plastictokyo
EthosensJohan KuHiromichi NakanoNorma Hauri
Phot
ogra
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by G
iova
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iann
oni
CollectionsFall
2016
6 22 MARCH 2016
Gruuml
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by
Geo
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Chi
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Hilf
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by
Robe
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itra
He is trying to carve out a niche between mass brands and high-end designer looks while gaining profit margin with a vertically integrated approach that has him both mak-ing and selling the styles
ldquoThis is indicative of the problem wersquore trying to solverdquo Metternich said ldquoThe mid-dle ground was so open I also found that the quality even at the top end mdash the $800 suits mdash wasnrsquot as good as I thought we could achieve if we were vertically integrated We took on the challenge from the start If you want to change this industry you have to control every aspectrdquo
The first collection entirely handmade out of Italian fabric in Los Angeles com-prises nine styles that range from the ldquobest basicsrdquo (a triangle top and a bralette) to more fashion-forward styles such as a one piece with a plunging V-neck Bikini pieces start at $95 with the majority retailing for slightly more than $100 and a ldquofashionrdquo piece such as the deep V-neck ldquoDirectorrdquo one piece which costs $180 A series of accessories will also be available on-site from an oversize tote to a $50 towel
Metternich declined to say how much cap-ital was raised to fund the venture but he hopes to sell out of his inventory in year one He maintained that the factory he works with can produce one million units a month
Cocodune is simply the latest firm to think big when it comes to delivering swim looks online mdash aiming to shake up the category in the same way Warby Parker has in eyewear Glossier in beauty or Bonobos in menrsquos apparel
J Christopher Burch has invested in two swim-heavy e-commerce ventures Solid amp Striped which launched as a direct to consumer menrsquos swimwear Web site in November 2012 and introduced a womenrsquos collection in spring 2014 and Chubbies an e-tailer that sells menrsquos shorts and swimsuits
He said the swim category is especially desirable right now In addition to the high margins the product plays well in content-rich digital environments such as Instagram and figures prominently in vacation and travel which he said consum-ers are ldquoobsessed withrdquo Influencers in the digital realm could also have a significant impact on their followers and many women prefer to try swimsuits on at home versus in a dressing room
Burch said brands wanting to succeed online have to get ldquoin the head of the con-sumerrdquo Being innovative isnrsquot enough mdash a start-up also has to build a brand at the same time
ldquoSwimwear as a category is growing at a faster speed than other categories Supply chains are willing to make smaller pieces and consumers are willing to try new thingsrdquo Burch said during a phone interview from the Nihiwatu Hotel the resort he owns on Sumba Island in Indonesia
Burch is the chairman of his investment firm Burch Creative Capital and participated in two fund-raising rounds for Chubbies in 2014 and again last month The brand has raised more than $13 million date He took a stake in Solid amp Striped in late 2013 but declined to say how much he invested calling it a ldquo5050 partnershiprdquo
ldquoFrom a tech point of view to cool [fac-tor] the whole swimsuit industry online will continue to change as long as there is disrup-tionrdquo Burch said ldquoItrsquos not unfathomable that there will be a swimsuit with flippers on the back to make you move fasterrdquo
He explained that the way consumers buy swimsuits has already shifted There are
sales that occur weeks to a month before a trip or a season that are often researched And then there are consumers who buy a bathing suit during their vacation
Swimwear is a natural for the Web Entrepreneurs see an often painful in-store shopping experience that can be improved online while the small dimensions of swim-wear keep a check on shipping costs
Triangl which specializes in vivid colored Neoprene bikinis does all of its sales via its own Web site at Trianglcom Triangl which has nearly three million Instagram followers has no plans to venture into wholesale or open a store
Founded by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering in early 2013 sources estimated Trianglcom logged nearly $50 million in retail sales in 2015 and is primed for significant growth this year Every suit on the site retails for less than $100
Bikyni is also in the chasing shoppers with swimsuits priced at under $100
The brandrsquos Web site launched its swimsuits last May with the tag line ldquoYou donrsquot need a better body you need a better Bikynirdquo Founded by Reformation alum Jude Al-Khalil the company raised a $1 million seed round before launch and plans to raise a Series A in the near future
Bikyni shares factories with brands that sell suits for several hundred dollars but the brand also addresses the dreaded swimsuit shopping experiences head on by letting shoppers try on at home
ldquoWe are able to access women from 15 to
40 who are either spending less on swim-wear because they are more budget-con-scious but the biggest surprise is that we get women who [typically] buy very expense swimwearrdquo Al-Khalil said ldquo[These are] women who buy Eres to Mara Hoffmanhellipbut they like our aesthetic and believe in the qualityrdquo
Some digital swim natives have expanded beyond the Web
Solid amp Striped in particular wants to appeal to both types of swimwear buyers While 70 percent of sales now come from wholesale partners the brandrsquos site at soli-dandstripedcom is the companyrsquos biggest ldquodoorrdquo commanding 30 percent of overall sales The brandrsquos bikini separates range from $78 to $88 with one pieces retailing for $158 to $168 and menrsquos suits ranging from $130 to $150
In order to build brand equity founder Isaac Ross moved Solid amp Striped into brick-and-mortar stores fairly quickly The line tested retail for the first time in the Upper East Side boutique Fivestory a month after launch It is now carried in more than 150 doors and 50 Web sites worldwide including Barneys New York Matchesfashioncom Bergdorf Goodman Selfridges and Lane Crawford
But the Web remains near and dear to Rossrsquo heart
ldquoIrsquom hyper-focused on the direct-to-consumer businessrdquo he said ldquoThe Web is precious Itrsquos our only direct point of contact with consumersrdquo
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chubbiesrsquo swim trunks
A Bikyni swimsuit
Solid amp Stripedrsquos The Anne-Marie swimsuit
A Cocodune swimsuit Trianglrsquos Bowie bikini
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
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by
Thom
as Ia
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Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
Cote MerWhile Cote Mer is a menrsquos brand for its show this season it used male and female models underscoring the collectionrsquos unisex quality Designers Norio Sato and Seishi Naito went grunge for fall sending out a group of models dressed like a group of Nineties high school kids who ditch class to smoke behind the bleachers
Jackets and pants were trimmed in fringe and embellished with silver studs arranged in starburst shapes A letter jacket and pair of track pants reinforced the too-cool-for-school theme while other looks referenced other periods A pair of way-too-big pants held up by sus-penders harked back to Charlie Chaplinrsquos Little Tramp while Afghan scarves were pieced together into a poncho
Textures ranged from black leather to stonewashed denim and nearly all the clothes were distressed to some extent Only an olive green sweatshirt riddled with holes seemed to take the grunge thing a bit too far mdash Kelly Wetherille
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea PompilioDiverging from his previous Onitsuka Tiger collections Andrea Pompilio sent out a selection of preppy classics with street-wear and sports influences injected in small doses Staged on a raised sloping wood runway the collection represented ldquoa uni-son of diverging components with graphic motifs used to corrupt classic lines and novel details complementing traditional stylesrdquo the show notes said
Nevertheless the prep reigned albeit in exaggerated proportions Pompilio used plaids and checks in gray deep red navy and black tailored blazers slim trousers and pleated skirts Some blazers had a drawstring through the waist invoking the brandrsquos athletic origins and puffer jackets were turned out in a glossy vinyl that gave them that caught-in-the-rain look
For women Pompilio showed both long and short dresses with flowing skirts in matte jersey One checked skirt had ankle-length panels in both front and back showing lots of provocative leg on every side Several looks were complemented with enormous collegiate-style striped rib knit scarves mdash KW
NameNoriyuki Shimizu is not perhaps as adventurous as some of his designer peers But for fall 2016 he proved his skills with an unfussy well-cut collection of classics made up-to-date by roomy shapes ldquoItrsquos a collection that presents a new previously non-existing mood through unique combi-nations of different pieces and a layering of contrary ideas and expressionsrdquo Shimizu said
This ldquolayeringrdquo of ideas came across in subtle tailored-meets-street offerings that included wide-leg tweed pants high-waisted pleated wool trousers plaid flannel shirts and loose-fitting pullovers Like many of the silhouettes the palette was classic with black camel and gray forming the bulk of the hues enlivened by pops of red in a bomber jacket here or a pair of drawstring pants there
Layering was also realized in a literal way One black-and-white plaid shirt was worn over a contrasting one like positive and negative photo images A bright red-orange jacket was thrown over a charcoal double-breasted overcoat while a gray patchwork coat topped a caramel leather motorcycle jacket mdash KW
Nguyen Cong TriInspired by the garb of female rice farmers of his native country Vietnamrsquos Nguyen Cong Tri turned out some intrigu-ing clothes crafted from a rare highly prized silk with a sheen similar to leather and velvet
The designer who has been in business for 15 years in Vietnam and is looking to branch out to new markets like Japan showed some stunning creations incorpo-rating weaving fringing embroidery and appliqueacute Some of the winners included an all-black ensemble of an embellished jacket worn with cropped pants and another look featuring a woven multicolor top paired with pedal pushers The dramatic fringed numbers included an embroidered mini-dress worn under a quilted silk jacket
Tying directly into the agricultural inspiration a white blouse and a minidress sported a crest derived from the flower of a rice plant And there were riffs on cropped pants and Vietnamrsquos Ao ba ba a long-sleeve button-down silk tunic with a scooped neck that is traditionally worn with silk trousers Speaking of silks The Lanh My A silks Nguyen used need to be dyed 90 to 100 times to achieve the proper shine thickness and durability a process that takes about four months to complete mdash Amanda Kaiser
4 22 MARCH 2016
The Reviews
CollectionsFall
2016
Nguyen Cong TriName
Onitsuka Tiger x Andrea Pompilio
Cote Mer
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ogra
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by G
iova
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iann
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22 MARCH 2016 5
Norma HauriAs part of their global push the organizers of Tokyo Fashion Week invited Indonesian brands Byvelvet and Norma Hauri to stage a group show for the fall 2016 season Norma Hauri designed by Norma Moi aims to deliver modest garments for women who want to cover up but still look stylish a strong market in a heavily traditional Muslim country like Indonesia The brand founded in 2011 is named after the designer and her daughter Hauri
Inspired by the island culture of Borneo and traditional Japanese attire she sent out some dramatic looks with a high-fashion feel mdash especially the two exits that incor-porated white cage bustiers over tailored shirts and long swishing skirts A kimo-no-influenced top in a pink-tree print also caught the eye mdash Amanda Kaiser
Hiromichi NakanoThis season Hiromichi Nakano gave a nod to Sixties ldquoItrdquo girls like Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick The show started with a series of mod coats mdash worn closed as if they were dresses mdash and frocks in color-blocked pastels The hues were juxtaposed both in conventional bands and checkerboards and in polka dots and asymmetrical shapes A parade of chiffon dresses in similar tones and patterns floated down the runway next Nakano also sent out some sweet girly looks with lots of lace After the pastels the palette shifted to something slightly more bracing black and white knits sometimes with a shot of red and Mondrian-esque geometric prints or
oversize argylesWhile it was all polished and consistent
the collection felt repetitive It would have benefited from a strong edit mdash Kelly Wetherille
Johan KuEach of Johan Kursquos collections has been inspired by a movie For this fall after see-ing both the 1982 and 2011 versions of ldquoThe Thingrdquo the designer was driven to re-cre-ate their most striking visuals the Antarctic snow and ice and an alien breaking out of a human body
To invoke the glacial Ku created a series of hand-embroidered textiles that con-sisted of layering different fabrics together into a kind of three-dimensional patch-work They appeared on everything from zippered skirts and dresses to jackets and pants which took on a futuristic look in black and silver the all-white versions were as light and fluffy has freshly fallen snow In addition photos of these fabrics were printed on jerseys and knit jacquards
Exposed silver zippers decorated sleeves on an oversize coatdress (making them detachable) and created adjustable slits on a miniskirt and a calf-length pencil skirt Classic sexy silhouettes but the gorgeous textures elevated them to something new mdash KW
PlastictokyoStreetwear with grunge and athletic influences rich contrasting textures bright splashes of color and exaggerated pro-portions dominated Keisuke Imazakirsquos fall runway Imazaki made wide use of denim turning out a light-washed jacket with
frayed edges and jeans with buttons down the side as well as oversize suspender pants and a jacket in a stiff dark version of the fabric He paired them with plaid flannel shirts and a beige sweatshirt bearing his brandrsquos logo
Some of the more experimental looks included pants slashed into strips The designer worked with Kunio Kohzaki on headpieces that wrapped around the skull and under the chin like multihued soft hel-mets While there were plenty of contrast-ing textures from eggplant-colored faux fur to magenta nylon overall it was a cohesive collection that would be right at home on the streets of Tokyo mdash at least for the cityrsquos sartorially adventurous men mdash KW
EthosensIn a week dominated by hard-edged street-wear and over-the-top theatricality it was refreshing to see a collection that relied solely on beautiful materials and expert cutting to make a statement Designer Yui Hashimoto for Ethosens (an amalgama-tion of the words ldquoethosrdquo and ldquosenserdquo) turned out different versions of loose tops baggy pants and oversize coats in neutral shades of gray black and camel with some deep blues and greens added in for good measure
His theme for the season was ldquointer-secting linesrdquo which he demonstrated with wide crisscrossing strips of grosgrain attached to trousers V-neck pullovers and blouson jackets In a few instances he used a geometric knit jacquard on sweaters and scarves and another intersecting line pat-tern on jersey tops and faded jeans
As an ethos it all made perfect sense mdash KW
Plastictokyo
EthosensJohan KuHiromichi NakanoNorma Hauri
Phot
ogra
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by G
iova
nni G
iann
oni
CollectionsFall
2016
6 22 MARCH 2016
Gruuml
nber
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otog
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by
Geo
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Chi
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Hilf
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by
Robe
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itra
He is trying to carve out a niche between mass brands and high-end designer looks while gaining profit margin with a vertically integrated approach that has him both mak-ing and selling the styles
ldquoThis is indicative of the problem wersquore trying to solverdquo Metternich said ldquoThe mid-dle ground was so open I also found that the quality even at the top end mdash the $800 suits mdash wasnrsquot as good as I thought we could achieve if we were vertically integrated We took on the challenge from the start If you want to change this industry you have to control every aspectrdquo
The first collection entirely handmade out of Italian fabric in Los Angeles com-prises nine styles that range from the ldquobest basicsrdquo (a triangle top and a bralette) to more fashion-forward styles such as a one piece with a plunging V-neck Bikini pieces start at $95 with the majority retailing for slightly more than $100 and a ldquofashionrdquo piece such as the deep V-neck ldquoDirectorrdquo one piece which costs $180 A series of accessories will also be available on-site from an oversize tote to a $50 towel
Metternich declined to say how much cap-ital was raised to fund the venture but he hopes to sell out of his inventory in year one He maintained that the factory he works with can produce one million units a month
Cocodune is simply the latest firm to think big when it comes to delivering swim looks online mdash aiming to shake up the category in the same way Warby Parker has in eyewear Glossier in beauty or Bonobos in menrsquos apparel
J Christopher Burch has invested in two swim-heavy e-commerce ventures Solid amp Striped which launched as a direct to consumer menrsquos swimwear Web site in November 2012 and introduced a womenrsquos collection in spring 2014 and Chubbies an e-tailer that sells menrsquos shorts and swimsuits
He said the swim category is especially desirable right now In addition to the high margins the product plays well in content-rich digital environments such as Instagram and figures prominently in vacation and travel which he said consum-ers are ldquoobsessed withrdquo Influencers in the digital realm could also have a significant impact on their followers and many women prefer to try swimsuits on at home versus in a dressing room
Burch said brands wanting to succeed online have to get ldquoin the head of the con-sumerrdquo Being innovative isnrsquot enough mdash a start-up also has to build a brand at the same time
ldquoSwimwear as a category is growing at a faster speed than other categories Supply chains are willing to make smaller pieces and consumers are willing to try new thingsrdquo Burch said during a phone interview from the Nihiwatu Hotel the resort he owns on Sumba Island in Indonesia
Burch is the chairman of his investment firm Burch Creative Capital and participated in two fund-raising rounds for Chubbies in 2014 and again last month The brand has raised more than $13 million date He took a stake in Solid amp Striped in late 2013 but declined to say how much he invested calling it a ldquo5050 partnershiprdquo
ldquoFrom a tech point of view to cool [fac-tor] the whole swimsuit industry online will continue to change as long as there is disrup-tionrdquo Burch said ldquoItrsquos not unfathomable that there will be a swimsuit with flippers on the back to make you move fasterrdquo
He explained that the way consumers buy swimsuits has already shifted There are
sales that occur weeks to a month before a trip or a season that are often researched And then there are consumers who buy a bathing suit during their vacation
Swimwear is a natural for the Web Entrepreneurs see an often painful in-store shopping experience that can be improved online while the small dimensions of swim-wear keep a check on shipping costs
Triangl which specializes in vivid colored Neoprene bikinis does all of its sales via its own Web site at Trianglcom Triangl which has nearly three million Instagram followers has no plans to venture into wholesale or open a store
Founded by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering in early 2013 sources estimated Trianglcom logged nearly $50 million in retail sales in 2015 and is primed for significant growth this year Every suit on the site retails for less than $100
Bikyni is also in the chasing shoppers with swimsuits priced at under $100
The brandrsquos Web site launched its swimsuits last May with the tag line ldquoYou donrsquot need a better body you need a better Bikynirdquo Founded by Reformation alum Jude Al-Khalil the company raised a $1 million seed round before launch and plans to raise a Series A in the near future
Bikyni shares factories with brands that sell suits for several hundred dollars but the brand also addresses the dreaded swimsuit shopping experiences head on by letting shoppers try on at home
ldquoWe are able to access women from 15 to
40 who are either spending less on swim-wear because they are more budget-con-scious but the biggest surprise is that we get women who [typically] buy very expense swimwearrdquo Al-Khalil said ldquo[These are] women who buy Eres to Mara Hoffmanhellipbut they like our aesthetic and believe in the qualityrdquo
Some digital swim natives have expanded beyond the Web
Solid amp Striped in particular wants to appeal to both types of swimwear buyers While 70 percent of sales now come from wholesale partners the brandrsquos site at soli-dandstripedcom is the companyrsquos biggest ldquodoorrdquo commanding 30 percent of overall sales The brandrsquos bikini separates range from $78 to $88 with one pieces retailing for $158 to $168 and menrsquos suits ranging from $130 to $150
In order to build brand equity founder Isaac Ross moved Solid amp Striped into brick-and-mortar stores fairly quickly The line tested retail for the first time in the Upper East Side boutique Fivestory a month after launch It is now carried in more than 150 doors and 50 Web sites worldwide including Barneys New York Matchesfashioncom Bergdorf Goodman Selfridges and Lane Crawford
But the Web remains near and dear to Rossrsquo heart
ldquoIrsquom hyper-focused on the direct-to-consumer businessrdquo he said ldquoThe Web is precious Itrsquos our only direct point of contact with consumersrdquo
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chubbiesrsquo swim trunks
A Bikyni swimsuit
Solid amp Stripedrsquos The Anne-Marie swimsuit
A Cocodune swimsuit Trianglrsquos Bowie bikini
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
man
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by
Thom
as Ia
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Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
22 MARCH 2016 5
Norma HauriAs part of their global push the organizers of Tokyo Fashion Week invited Indonesian brands Byvelvet and Norma Hauri to stage a group show for the fall 2016 season Norma Hauri designed by Norma Moi aims to deliver modest garments for women who want to cover up but still look stylish a strong market in a heavily traditional Muslim country like Indonesia The brand founded in 2011 is named after the designer and her daughter Hauri
Inspired by the island culture of Borneo and traditional Japanese attire she sent out some dramatic looks with a high-fashion feel mdash especially the two exits that incor-porated white cage bustiers over tailored shirts and long swishing skirts A kimo-no-influenced top in a pink-tree print also caught the eye mdash Amanda Kaiser
Hiromichi NakanoThis season Hiromichi Nakano gave a nod to Sixties ldquoItrdquo girls like Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick The show started with a series of mod coats mdash worn closed as if they were dresses mdash and frocks in color-blocked pastels The hues were juxtaposed both in conventional bands and checkerboards and in polka dots and asymmetrical shapes A parade of chiffon dresses in similar tones and patterns floated down the runway next Nakano also sent out some sweet girly looks with lots of lace After the pastels the palette shifted to something slightly more bracing black and white knits sometimes with a shot of red and Mondrian-esque geometric prints or
oversize argylesWhile it was all polished and consistent
the collection felt repetitive It would have benefited from a strong edit mdash Kelly Wetherille
Johan KuEach of Johan Kursquos collections has been inspired by a movie For this fall after see-ing both the 1982 and 2011 versions of ldquoThe Thingrdquo the designer was driven to re-cre-ate their most striking visuals the Antarctic snow and ice and an alien breaking out of a human body
To invoke the glacial Ku created a series of hand-embroidered textiles that con-sisted of layering different fabrics together into a kind of three-dimensional patch-work They appeared on everything from zippered skirts and dresses to jackets and pants which took on a futuristic look in black and silver the all-white versions were as light and fluffy has freshly fallen snow In addition photos of these fabrics were printed on jerseys and knit jacquards
Exposed silver zippers decorated sleeves on an oversize coatdress (making them detachable) and created adjustable slits on a miniskirt and a calf-length pencil skirt Classic sexy silhouettes but the gorgeous textures elevated them to something new mdash KW
PlastictokyoStreetwear with grunge and athletic influences rich contrasting textures bright splashes of color and exaggerated pro-portions dominated Keisuke Imazakirsquos fall runway Imazaki made wide use of denim turning out a light-washed jacket with
frayed edges and jeans with buttons down the side as well as oversize suspender pants and a jacket in a stiff dark version of the fabric He paired them with plaid flannel shirts and a beige sweatshirt bearing his brandrsquos logo
Some of the more experimental looks included pants slashed into strips The designer worked with Kunio Kohzaki on headpieces that wrapped around the skull and under the chin like multihued soft hel-mets While there were plenty of contrast-ing textures from eggplant-colored faux fur to magenta nylon overall it was a cohesive collection that would be right at home on the streets of Tokyo mdash at least for the cityrsquos sartorially adventurous men mdash KW
EthosensIn a week dominated by hard-edged street-wear and over-the-top theatricality it was refreshing to see a collection that relied solely on beautiful materials and expert cutting to make a statement Designer Yui Hashimoto for Ethosens (an amalgama-tion of the words ldquoethosrdquo and ldquosenserdquo) turned out different versions of loose tops baggy pants and oversize coats in neutral shades of gray black and camel with some deep blues and greens added in for good measure
His theme for the season was ldquointer-secting linesrdquo which he demonstrated with wide crisscrossing strips of grosgrain attached to trousers V-neck pullovers and blouson jackets In a few instances he used a geometric knit jacquard on sweaters and scarves and another intersecting line pat-tern on jersey tops and faded jeans
As an ethos it all made perfect sense mdash KW
Plastictokyo
EthosensJohan KuHiromichi NakanoNorma Hauri
Phot
ogra
phs
by G
iova
nni G
iann
oni
CollectionsFall
2016
6 22 MARCH 2016
Gruuml
nber
g ph
otog
rpah
by
Geo
rge
Chi
nsee
Hilf
iger
by
Robe
rt M
itra
He is trying to carve out a niche between mass brands and high-end designer looks while gaining profit margin with a vertically integrated approach that has him both mak-ing and selling the styles
ldquoThis is indicative of the problem wersquore trying to solverdquo Metternich said ldquoThe mid-dle ground was so open I also found that the quality even at the top end mdash the $800 suits mdash wasnrsquot as good as I thought we could achieve if we were vertically integrated We took on the challenge from the start If you want to change this industry you have to control every aspectrdquo
The first collection entirely handmade out of Italian fabric in Los Angeles com-prises nine styles that range from the ldquobest basicsrdquo (a triangle top and a bralette) to more fashion-forward styles such as a one piece with a plunging V-neck Bikini pieces start at $95 with the majority retailing for slightly more than $100 and a ldquofashionrdquo piece such as the deep V-neck ldquoDirectorrdquo one piece which costs $180 A series of accessories will also be available on-site from an oversize tote to a $50 towel
Metternich declined to say how much cap-ital was raised to fund the venture but he hopes to sell out of his inventory in year one He maintained that the factory he works with can produce one million units a month
Cocodune is simply the latest firm to think big when it comes to delivering swim looks online mdash aiming to shake up the category in the same way Warby Parker has in eyewear Glossier in beauty or Bonobos in menrsquos apparel
J Christopher Burch has invested in two swim-heavy e-commerce ventures Solid amp Striped which launched as a direct to consumer menrsquos swimwear Web site in November 2012 and introduced a womenrsquos collection in spring 2014 and Chubbies an e-tailer that sells menrsquos shorts and swimsuits
He said the swim category is especially desirable right now In addition to the high margins the product plays well in content-rich digital environments such as Instagram and figures prominently in vacation and travel which he said consum-ers are ldquoobsessed withrdquo Influencers in the digital realm could also have a significant impact on their followers and many women prefer to try swimsuits on at home versus in a dressing room
Burch said brands wanting to succeed online have to get ldquoin the head of the con-sumerrdquo Being innovative isnrsquot enough mdash a start-up also has to build a brand at the same time
ldquoSwimwear as a category is growing at a faster speed than other categories Supply chains are willing to make smaller pieces and consumers are willing to try new thingsrdquo Burch said during a phone interview from the Nihiwatu Hotel the resort he owns on Sumba Island in Indonesia
Burch is the chairman of his investment firm Burch Creative Capital and participated in two fund-raising rounds for Chubbies in 2014 and again last month The brand has raised more than $13 million date He took a stake in Solid amp Striped in late 2013 but declined to say how much he invested calling it a ldquo5050 partnershiprdquo
ldquoFrom a tech point of view to cool [fac-tor] the whole swimsuit industry online will continue to change as long as there is disrup-tionrdquo Burch said ldquoItrsquos not unfathomable that there will be a swimsuit with flippers on the back to make you move fasterrdquo
He explained that the way consumers buy swimsuits has already shifted There are
sales that occur weeks to a month before a trip or a season that are often researched And then there are consumers who buy a bathing suit during their vacation
Swimwear is a natural for the Web Entrepreneurs see an often painful in-store shopping experience that can be improved online while the small dimensions of swim-wear keep a check on shipping costs
Triangl which specializes in vivid colored Neoprene bikinis does all of its sales via its own Web site at Trianglcom Triangl which has nearly three million Instagram followers has no plans to venture into wholesale or open a store
Founded by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering in early 2013 sources estimated Trianglcom logged nearly $50 million in retail sales in 2015 and is primed for significant growth this year Every suit on the site retails for less than $100
Bikyni is also in the chasing shoppers with swimsuits priced at under $100
The brandrsquos Web site launched its swimsuits last May with the tag line ldquoYou donrsquot need a better body you need a better Bikynirdquo Founded by Reformation alum Jude Al-Khalil the company raised a $1 million seed round before launch and plans to raise a Series A in the near future
Bikyni shares factories with brands that sell suits for several hundred dollars but the brand also addresses the dreaded swimsuit shopping experiences head on by letting shoppers try on at home
ldquoWe are able to access women from 15 to
40 who are either spending less on swim-wear because they are more budget-con-scious but the biggest surprise is that we get women who [typically] buy very expense swimwearrdquo Al-Khalil said ldquo[These are] women who buy Eres to Mara Hoffmanhellipbut they like our aesthetic and believe in the qualityrdquo
Some digital swim natives have expanded beyond the Web
Solid amp Striped in particular wants to appeal to both types of swimwear buyers While 70 percent of sales now come from wholesale partners the brandrsquos site at soli-dandstripedcom is the companyrsquos biggest ldquodoorrdquo commanding 30 percent of overall sales The brandrsquos bikini separates range from $78 to $88 with one pieces retailing for $158 to $168 and menrsquos suits ranging from $130 to $150
In order to build brand equity founder Isaac Ross moved Solid amp Striped into brick-and-mortar stores fairly quickly The line tested retail for the first time in the Upper East Side boutique Fivestory a month after launch It is now carried in more than 150 doors and 50 Web sites worldwide including Barneys New York Matchesfashioncom Bergdorf Goodman Selfridges and Lane Crawford
But the Web remains near and dear to Rossrsquo heart
ldquoIrsquom hyper-focused on the direct-to-consumer businessrdquo he said ldquoThe Web is precious Itrsquos our only direct point of contact with consumersrdquo
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chubbiesrsquo swim trunks
A Bikyni swimsuit
Solid amp Stripedrsquos The Anne-Marie swimsuit
A Cocodune swimsuit Trianglrsquos Bowie bikini
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
man
n ph
otog
raph
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
6 22 MARCH 2016
Gruuml
nber
g ph
otog
rpah
by
Geo
rge
Chi
nsee
Hilf
iger
by
Robe
rt M
itra
He is trying to carve out a niche between mass brands and high-end designer looks while gaining profit margin with a vertically integrated approach that has him both mak-ing and selling the styles
ldquoThis is indicative of the problem wersquore trying to solverdquo Metternich said ldquoThe mid-dle ground was so open I also found that the quality even at the top end mdash the $800 suits mdash wasnrsquot as good as I thought we could achieve if we were vertically integrated We took on the challenge from the start If you want to change this industry you have to control every aspectrdquo
The first collection entirely handmade out of Italian fabric in Los Angeles com-prises nine styles that range from the ldquobest basicsrdquo (a triangle top and a bralette) to more fashion-forward styles such as a one piece with a plunging V-neck Bikini pieces start at $95 with the majority retailing for slightly more than $100 and a ldquofashionrdquo piece such as the deep V-neck ldquoDirectorrdquo one piece which costs $180 A series of accessories will also be available on-site from an oversize tote to a $50 towel
Metternich declined to say how much cap-ital was raised to fund the venture but he hopes to sell out of his inventory in year one He maintained that the factory he works with can produce one million units a month
Cocodune is simply the latest firm to think big when it comes to delivering swim looks online mdash aiming to shake up the category in the same way Warby Parker has in eyewear Glossier in beauty or Bonobos in menrsquos apparel
J Christopher Burch has invested in two swim-heavy e-commerce ventures Solid amp Striped which launched as a direct to consumer menrsquos swimwear Web site in November 2012 and introduced a womenrsquos collection in spring 2014 and Chubbies an e-tailer that sells menrsquos shorts and swimsuits
He said the swim category is especially desirable right now In addition to the high margins the product plays well in content-rich digital environments such as Instagram and figures prominently in vacation and travel which he said consum-ers are ldquoobsessed withrdquo Influencers in the digital realm could also have a significant impact on their followers and many women prefer to try swimsuits on at home versus in a dressing room
Burch said brands wanting to succeed online have to get ldquoin the head of the con-sumerrdquo Being innovative isnrsquot enough mdash a start-up also has to build a brand at the same time
ldquoSwimwear as a category is growing at a faster speed than other categories Supply chains are willing to make smaller pieces and consumers are willing to try new thingsrdquo Burch said during a phone interview from the Nihiwatu Hotel the resort he owns on Sumba Island in Indonesia
Burch is the chairman of his investment firm Burch Creative Capital and participated in two fund-raising rounds for Chubbies in 2014 and again last month The brand has raised more than $13 million date He took a stake in Solid amp Striped in late 2013 but declined to say how much he invested calling it a ldquo5050 partnershiprdquo
ldquoFrom a tech point of view to cool [fac-tor] the whole swimsuit industry online will continue to change as long as there is disrup-tionrdquo Burch said ldquoItrsquos not unfathomable that there will be a swimsuit with flippers on the back to make you move fasterrdquo
He explained that the way consumers buy swimsuits has already shifted There are
sales that occur weeks to a month before a trip or a season that are often researched And then there are consumers who buy a bathing suit during their vacation
Swimwear is a natural for the Web Entrepreneurs see an often painful in-store shopping experience that can be improved online while the small dimensions of swim-wear keep a check on shipping costs
Triangl which specializes in vivid colored Neoprene bikinis does all of its sales via its own Web site at Trianglcom Triangl which has nearly three million Instagram followers has no plans to venture into wholesale or open a store
Founded by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering in early 2013 sources estimated Trianglcom logged nearly $50 million in retail sales in 2015 and is primed for significant growth this year Every suit on the site retails for less than $100
Bikyni is also in the chasing shoppers with swimsuits priced at under $100
The brandrsquos Web site launched its swimsuits last May with the tag line ldquoYou donrsquot need a better body you need a better Bikynirdquo Founded by Reformation alum Jude Al-Khalil the company raised a $1 million seed round before launch and plans to raise a Series A in the near future
Bikyni shares factories with brands that sell suits for several hundred dollars but the brand also addresses the dreaded swimsuit shopping experiences head on by letting shoppers try on at home
ldquoWe are able to access women from 15 to
40 who are either spending less on swim-wear because they are more budget-con-scious but the biggest surprise is that we get women who [typically] buy very expense swimwearrdquo Al-Khalil said ldquo[These are] women who buy Eres to Mara Hoffmanhellipbut they like our aesthetic and believe in the qualityrdquo
Some digital swim natives have expanded beyond the Web
Solid amp Striped in particular wants to appeal to both types of swimwear buyers While 70 percent of sales now come from wholesale partners the brandrsquos site at soli-dandstripedcom is the companyrsquos biggest ldquodoorrdquo commanding 30 percent of overall sales The brandrsquos bikini separates range from $78 to $88 with one pieces retailing for $158 to $168 and menrsquos suits ranging from $130 to $150
In order to build brand equity founder Isaac Ross moved Solid amp Striped into brick-and-mortar stores fairly quickly The line tested retail for the first time in the Upper East Side boutique Fivestory a month after launch It is now carried in more than 150 doors and 50 Web sites worldwide including Barneys New York Matchesfashioncom Bergdorf Goodman Selfridges and Lane Crawford
But the Web remains near and dear to Rossrsquo heart
ldquoIrsquom hyper-focused on the direct-to-consumer businessrdquo he said ldquoThe Web is precious Itrsquos our only direct point of contact with consumersrdquo
E-commercersquos Hot New Category Swimwear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Chubbiesrsquo swim trunks
A Bikyni swimsuit
Solid amp Stripedrsquos The Anne-Marie swimsuit
A Cocodune swimsuit Trianglrsquos Bowie bikini
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
man
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otog
raph
by
Thom
as Ia
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cone
Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
22 MARCH 2016 7B
ider
man
n ph
otog
raph
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
Watch was designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi
BY JOELLE DIDERICH AND RITU UPADHYAY
Fendi has been busy on the launch front unveiling a new watch at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair and launching its latest Leisurewear collection in the snowy Dolomites in Cortina drsquoAmpezzo Italy
The watch has been designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi who traveled to Basel Switzerland to unveil the Policromia a new line of watches that draws its name from the Greek word signifying multiple colors
Available in 20 models in both 33-mm and 38-mm case sizes the mechanical timepieces feature dials in asymmetrical combinations of precious mineral stones set off with brilliant-cut white diamonds on the case and dial Materials include her signature stone malachite alongside obsidian lapis lazuli tiger eye and mother-of-pearl among others The watches come in white or yellow gold with crocodile skin straps
Delettrez Fendi said the design was inspired by the architecture of Rome and the geometric volumes of the Palazzo Della Civilitagrave Italiana which houses Fendirsquos headquarters
ldquoBecause the watch is so complex and the design is so complex I was really focusing on primary colorsrdquo she said ldquoTo me the Fendi palazzo itself is like a huge watch Itrsquos a game of light and shadow and itrsquos home to incredible marblesrdquo
Delettrez Fendi mdash known for her use of Surrealist elements such as hands eyes and lips in her jewelry collections mdash has collaborated with Fendi previously on two jewelry lines the most recent for fall 2014 She noted that the watch required a longer development time
ldquoWith the watch you have time for con-templation which doesnrsquot really happen in the runway In the runway we need to have more evident and striking pieces you know pieces that really play on the movement and
play on different materialsrdquo she saidThe timepiece by contrast required a
balance between functionality and the ldquocha-otic vortexrdquo of the design Delettrez Fendi said ldquoNo matter how you mix materials I think you have this sense of movement and this sense of order alsordquo she said ldquoIt was all really about finding the great balance and compromiserdquo
The watches are priced from 3000 euros to 150000 euros or $3400 to $169000 at current exchange rates and will be available from October or November said Pietro Beccari chairman and chief executive officer of Fendi
ldquoItrsquos something that goes to capture an audience for more sophisticated products in terms of watches We had a relatively simple range so this one taps into a clientele that we probably do not attract today in our stores with something that is 100 percent Fendirdquo he said
Customers will be able to customize the piece by mixing and matching the stones used for the 16 pieces that make up the dial mdash a first for the Italian luxury brandrsquos watch division
ldquoFendi is quite well known for offering customers the possibility of really getting wild with the fantasy to build the bag of your dreams the fur of your dreams and wanted to offer this also to our watches in order to make them more and more an integral part of our positioningrdquo Beccari said
He added that the brand expected to deliver custom-made Policromia models within six months although it hoped to nar-row down that time frame to four months
A few days later Beccari headed to Cor-tina for the first official press presentation of Fendirsquos Leisurewear line which took place on Saturday The collection which was com-mercially introduced last year offers a full wardrobe for indoor and outdoor activities
For the launch of the fall collection Fendi created a cozy atmosphere in the wooden clubhouse of Cortinarsquos Golf Club where the lineup was on display among fresh flowers and candles
The range includes womenrsquos and menrsquos high-tech ski outfits decorated with some of the housersquos signatures including the playful Bag Bugs the Karlito mdash the cartoonish char-acter in the likeness of the housersquos creative director Karl Lagerfeld graphic flowers inspired by the latest runway show collec-tion and the graphic Fendi Roma logo The decor also give a twist to a range of accesso-ries such as gloves ski helmets earmuffs handmade skis and snowboards as well as to knitwear and gym outfits In keeping with the brandrsquos tradition fur details enrich the pieces adding a luxurious touch to the relaxed designs
Along with the sporty items Fendi Lei-surewear includes more urban styles such as chic down jackets decorated with floral appliqueacutes fur vests and knitted wrap coats
ldquoOne of Fendirsquos distinctive elements is that itrsquos a hyper-luxury brand but one character-ized by a playful factorrdquo said Beccari ldquoThe aim of this line is actually to accompany customers during their fun spare time and during their daily activities with pieces designed to be both technical and elegantrdquo
According to Beccari Fendi Leisurewear is expected to be sold in about 120 stores globally by the end of 2016
ldquoWe are not targeting specific markets We think to [target] international costumers also considering that the leisure trend is globalrdquo added Beccari
The fall collection retails from 500 euros o $562 at current exchange rate for gym and running pieces to 2500 euros or $2812 for ski jackets embellished with fur details
ACCESSORIES
Fendi Unveils New Watch Line Leisurewear Collection
Looks from the Delfina
Delettrez Fendi watch
collection
The 86000-square-foot is located in Siem Reap one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations
BY AMANDA KAISER WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DENE-HERN CHEN
Siem Reap the Cambodian city famous for its temples and Khmer ruins is one of Southeast Asiarsquos prime tourist destinations DFS Group is aiming to make it a shopping destination as well
The Hong Kong-based retailer today is opening an 86000-square-foot T Galleria by DFS store in the center of Siem Reap a short walking distance from several luxury hotels and Angkor Wat an iconic temple and Une-sco World Heritage Site DFS part of LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuitton is looking to tap into the growing number of tourists vis-iting Angkor Wat particularly wealthy Asian travelers and offer them a duty-free luxury department store
ldquoIn Southeast Asia itrsquos the major cultural destination It attracts a very varied mix of travelers from all around the worldrdquo said Philippe Schaus DFS Group chairman and
ceo who said Cambodia has the potential to become another Thailand in terms of its potential to become a duty-free shopping center He compared the significance of the Cambodia outpost to the opening of DFSrsquos first store in Bali in 1990
ldquoThis is really the next one of that mag-nituderdquo he said He declined to give a sales forecast or investment figure
The T Galleria store will stock a mix of watches jewelry apparel accessories and beauty items from a range of brands includ-ing Bulgari Tiffany amp Co Bottega Veneta Burberry Gucci Ralph Lauren MAC and Bobbi Brown It will also carry a range of local artisan products and handicrafts such as items made from handwoven silks and woven lotus fibers Some of these local goods will be sourced through Artisans drsquoAngkor a socially conscious business aimed at revital-izing Cambodiarsquos traditional craft industries and providing sustainable working environ-ments The store which will also house a Crystal Jade dim sum restaurant will open in phases through June
Set within a verdant park and located next to the Angkor National Museum the storersquos architecture features traditional Khmer motifs Carved stone columns are
reminiscent of Angkor Wat Buddhist monksrsquo robes inspired a nearly 60-foot art installa-tion suspended in space above the storersquos vaulted atrium
ldquoTo me the time of the replication of shopping malls is really over and what you need to do is create a sense of localization a sense of where you arerdquo Schaus said
The executive said DFS is essentially target-ing a captive audience in Siem Reap Once travelers have visited the temples and ruins mdash something most people typically do over the course of a day or even several hours mdash there is little else to see or do in the town
ldquoWe really want people to go there and spend some time and enjoy itrdquo he said ldquoWe estimate that every single customer going to a luxury hotel will be a customer coming through this storerdquo
Until now tourists to Siem Reap looking to shop for duty-free goods have had only one option China Duty Free Group opened a 48400-square-foot store in Siem Reap in 2013 stocked with cosmetics and accessories from more than 200 brands Just over half the size of the T Galleria outpost the China Duty Free store is roughly a 10-minute walk from the T Galleria store and a popular stop for tour buses
CDFG declined to provide sales figuresSchaus did not have detailed information
on the China Duty Free store but said hersquos observed customer traffic there
ldquoFor lack of a better proposal today there are many people visiting that storerdquo he said
Siem Reap has long attracted a sizable number of international tourists to Cambo-dia DFS has forecast that four million tour-ists are expected to visit Siem Reap this year and 56 million tourists will do so in 2020
Chinese tourists mdash who tend to favor buy-ing luxury goods during their travels mdash are increasingly traveling to Cambodia In 2015 Cambodia saw a 24 percent increase in the arrivals of Chinese nationals according to data from the Ministry of Tourism
Ho Vandy co-chair of the Tourism Working Group between the government and private sector said he senses a growing demand for luxury duty-free goods in Cam-bodia especially from Chinese tourists He said occupancy rates for luxury hotel chains during the high season between the months of October to March range from 80 to 90 percent
At the Park Hyatt Hotel rooms can cost up to $2500 a night and the occupancy rate varies from 70 to 100 percent Sey Panha who works at the reservation desk said that the majority of their customers are from China Down the street at Raffles Hotel rooms range from $475 to over $3800 a night and is usually fully booked in January
RETAIL
DFS Group Opens T Galleria in Cambodia
The French jewelry designer has opened a boutique on Madison Avenue
BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL
Aureacutelie Bidermann has opened the doors to her second New York unit The French jewelry designerrsquos boutique at 957 Madison Avenue officially began operation on Sunday
The 980-square-foot space is meant to compliment its Upper East Side surroundings targeting the neighborhoodrsquos shoppers with a focus on Bidermannrsquos fine jewelry designs
Seventy percent of the storersquos stock will be fine merchandise with the remaining 30 per-cent occupied by Bidermannrsquos costume jewelry designs By contrast the stock at her Lafayette Street store in SoHo is equally split between the two categories
ldquoThe US is my second-biggest market after Europe but historically the US market has always been very good for fine and costume jewelry and for me that is why it makes sense for us to develop the US I also love New York it feels very homeyrdquo Biderman told WWD She said she expects to double her US business in 2016
About 57 percent of Bidermannrsquos sales come from Europe and 32 percent originate in the US Industry sources estimate that her total annual volume lies somewhere between $8 million and $12 million
With this additional New York unit Bider-mannrsquos freestanding store total rises to three mdash she also has a boutique in Parisrsquo Saint Germain district Shersquos presently looking for an addi-tional Paris lease as well as one in London
ACCESSORIES
Aureacutelie Bidermann Opens Second New York Unit
The Aureacutelie Bidermann store in
New York
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
8 22 MARCH 2016
The brandrsquos first freestanding store is slated for early 2017
BY VICKI M YOUNG
Perry Ellis Internationalrsquos menrsquos fash-ion brand Farah now will be available in Greater China
The company has inked a licensing agreement with MRH SpaRotica Groupeacute for the collection which will include menrsquos apparel accessories and other products The line will be in department freestanding and specialty stores and online with third-party e-commerce platforms such as Tmall The first free-standing Farah store is expected to open in early 2017
The Farah brand is sold internationally through major retailers and compa-ny-owned retail stores as well on the brandrsquos Web site
Perry Ellis chairman and chief exec-utive officer George Feldenkreis said ldquoThis is our first agreement for Farah in Greater China and represents a major step in the expansion of the brand out-side of the United Kingdom and Europe We look forward to working with MFH as we continue to extend the reach of our global brands to drive further growth and profitabilityrdquo
Farah is a brand that has street credibility combining bold style and quality for fashion-focused hipsters and international artists The brand works
with brand ambassadors from art music and modern culture to become product developers storytellers and educators to inspire Millennial men about the menrsquos wear line
Richard Kisembo president and ceo of MRH said ldquoThe partnership with Farah adds to our portfolio a brand that will resonate will with the Millennial lsquopost-Eightiesrsquo generations in Chinardquo Kis-embo added that the brand has achieved growth in the UK and international markets and MRH is confident that it can have the same impact with Chinese consumers
Perry Ellisrsquo portfolio of brands includes Perry Ellis Original Penguin by Munsingwear Laundry by Shelli Segal Cubavera Ben Hogan Grand Slam and John Henry
MRH based in Shanghai owns and operates retail stores as well as distrib-utes merchandise through franchisees It operates in four sectors fashion and leather goods lingerie and intimate goods perfumes bath amp body and selec-tive retailing
MENrsquoS
Perry Ellisrsquo Farah to Enter Greater China
A non-compete clause pushes back the new hirersquos start date
BY ARIA HUGHES
Under Armour has someone Nike is after mdash and the Beaverton Ore activewear giant is willing to wait until 2017 to hire him
Nike on Monday said it has hired Dave Dombrow who has served as senior vice president of design at Under Armour He has been with the company since 2010
Dombrow oversaw all footwear and acces-sory design at Under Armour He is credited with leading the design for NBA star Stephen Curry and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonrsquos product lines He also oversaw the Charge RC Spine and SpeedForm tech-nology launches
Before working for Under Armour Dom-brow served as a designer at Puma and GBMI which is now defunct He also worked at Nike as a designer from 2000 to 2003
Therersquos one catch to Dombrow moving back to Nike Due to his non-compete clause he wonrsquot begin his job at that company until next year
His hiring is only one of many moves each brand has made in an attempt to expand or gain market share in the active category While Nike which reports its results Tuesday is significantly larger than Under Armour both brandsrsquo strategies are beginning to align and sometimes overlap
Under Armour has an office in Portland Ore near Nikersquos stomping grounds but will expand its presence with a 70000-square-foot office space thatrsquos staffed with key mem-bers of its footwear and outdoor divisions
Meanwhile last August Nike created an event in the Bahamas for top high school basketball talent that conflicted with Under Armourrsquos annual Elite 24 in New York City which also showcases high school basketball players A handful of players opted out of Under Armourrsquos event to attend Nikersquos
Both brands are also courting celebrities Nike partnered with Kevin Hart on the Hustle Hart cross-training sneaker while Under Armour recently released a product collab-oration with Dwayne ldquoThe Rockrdquo Johnson who will star opposite Hart in the film ldquoCen-tral Intelligencerdquo which hits theaters on June 17 Win for both brands
And last week Nike held the Nike Innova-tion for Everybody event that showcased a slew of new products along with a new Nike+ app which will be released this June and focuses on personalization This is a space Under Armour has also been targeting with its Connected Fitness business Earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Under Armour unveiled a new band heart-rate monitor smart scale smart shoe and a pair of wireless headphones that are all connected to its UA Record App
BUSINESS
Nike Brings On Under Armourrsquos Dave Dombrow
Vendor Dispute Causes Turbulence At Aeacuteropostale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
are now considered ldquoFactory Storesrdquo and some are tagged that way The plan is to offer a narrow and deep assortment of basics at those doors while the balance of the fleet targets higher-end consumers at better malls with edgier fashions
Geigerrsquos immediate focus will be on the factory doors
ldquoThe customers at these stores have an appreciation for a more classic overall assortment which includes a higher mix of our key basics and logo merchandiserdquo he said on a conference call last week which did not include any of the usual back and forth with analysts ldquoThe customers are not only teenagers but are families looking for a strong value proposition on key items These stores tend to be located primarily in outlets and in select B- and C-malls and as such become our Factory Chainrdquo
The other stores will be called ldquoMall Chainrdquo the ceo said and will feature ldquoa merchandise assortment focused on updated classics with a twist and a reduced assortment of logo merchandise which in aggregate we believe will resonate with the more fashion-oriented customerrdquo
Just how many B-malls are keen on having their Aeacuteropostale store switch over to Aeacuteropostale Factory and how shoppers react remains to be seen but Geiger and the company seem to have more-pressing concerns at the moment
While disputes with vendors are not uncommon they usually donrsquot spill out into the open and the current troubles are threatening on a number of levels
ldquoWhile we have seen a perceptible improvement in the overall business due to the merchandise and the institution of the Factory and Mall allocation strategy regrettably we are experiencing a disrup-tion in our supply of some merchandise due to a dispute with a key vendorrdquo Geiger said
Aeacuteropostalersquos position is that MGF has violated their sourcing agreement with the company Itrsquos a dispute thatrsquos a thorny one for two reasons First itrsquos costly Second and more complicated is that MGF is owned by Sycamore mdash and the private-eq-uity firm extended a $150 million term
loan to Aeacuteropostale to help shore up its beleaguered balance sheet
David Dick the retailerrsquos chief financial officer told investors that first-quar-ter adjusted operating losses could be negatively impacted by up to $8 million if shipping delays from the dispute continue
A spokesman for Sycamorersquos MGF has said ldquoContrary to Aeacuteropostalersquos assertions in its earnings release MGF Sourcing is not in violation of its Sourcing Agreement with Aeropostale In fact MGF has taken action to protect itself by reducing payment terms as permitted under the agreementrdquo
That could ultimately add up to more than a war of words
Guggenheim Securities analyst Howard Tubin noted that ldquoIn the apparel business when vendors start to look at customers in sort of a more critical light and maybe reduce payment terms with a retailer stuff like that can spread If one sourcing partner is doing it others could potentially follow suit Aeacuteropostale suddenly finds itself having to offer tighter payment terms and it doesnrsquot help their caserdquo
Tubin said the company has tried to appeal to shoppers with more fashionable merchandise in a variety of ways over the past five years and found that while it didnrsquot work across the chain it worked in certain stores
But he said that ldquothe juryrsquos still outrdquo on the new bifurcated approach ldquoWe canrsquot read too much into basically three weeks
of business in these stores It looks like theyrsquore trying just about everything they can do The issue with MGF is certainly not helping matters itrsquos probably making matters worserdquo
With little known about the dispute and neither side talking speculation has taken center stage
Mizuho Securities analyst Betty Chen said ldquoTherersquos been some conspiracy theo-ries out there thinking that Sycamore sees the writing on the wall and wants to mini-mize their investments or that they could potentially accelerate Aeacuteropostalersquos path toward bankruptcy in which case they would potentially get a bigger stake in the company at a more attractive valuationrdquo
Sycamore has already snatched up a number of struggling specialty retailers including Talbots Hot Topic and Coldwa-ter Creek It also acquired and then split up the Jones Group bought Belk and has investments in the dollar-store space
If therersquos a deal to be made for Aeacuteropost-ale Chen said Sycamore would be well positioned noting that other financial play-ers wouldnrsquot know the company as well as Sycamore and that there probably isnrsquot much interest from strategic players
Chen said Aeacuteropostale still has some lee-way and could tap into its revolving credit line to carry it through this year
That could offer enough time for the new strategy to prove itself and win back skeptical investors Or not
Dave Dombrow
Exterior of an Aeacuteropostale store
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
22 MARCH 2016 9
The ceo is molding the denim brand to the tastes and interests of a younger generation
BY KRISTI ELLIS
WASHINGTON mdash Levi Strauss amp Co is making an aggressive push for the Millennial customer investing in new marketing programs that encompass the music entertainment and sports worlds as part of a turnaround story aimed at putting the iconic denim brand back at ldquothe center of culture
That was the underlying message from Chip Bergh president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss who highlighted the brandrsquos new direction at the American Apparel amp Footwear Asso-ciationrsquos summit here and in a separate interview with WWD
ldquoWe have withstood the test of timerdquo Bergh told an audience of apparel and footwear executives ldquoWersquove kind of seen it all Wersquove been through the Gold Rush James Dean the Berlin Wall falling to Steve Jobs in Silicon Valleyrdquo
But along the way Levirsquos ldquolost its mojordquo falling to around $41 billion in sales in 2001 from a peak of $71 billion in sales in 1996 he noted Sales stand at about $45 billion today
Under his stewardship Bergh said he is putting Levi Strauss back on the right track where it belongs ldquoat the center of culturerdquo and with the young consumer and is starting to see a big return on investment
Here in an interview Bergh talks about Millennials the new direction for Levirsquos womenrsquos denim and the impact of the ath-leisure trend
WWD Talk about your success in addressing the ath-leisure trend that grabbed headlines (with some stories even declaring the death of denim) How will you go forward and find
your nicheChip Bergh I donrsquot want to say
ath-leisure will someday go away Itrsquos clearly a trend a big dynamic When I am traveling you go through an airport you just do the random check on how many pairs of Levirsquos I am seeing how many pairs of tights I am seeing It is clearly a trend
When we really got what was driving it it is all about comfort and stretchWe innovated around stretch and really got our fit right Now we can give women stretch and the comfort that they are looking for mdash a soft hand feel while also giving them style Our hope is in this casualization that we can meet their need for soft for stretch for comfort and give them the style that they are looking for [Since] we launched our new womenrsquos collection [last July] our busi-ness has grown double digits
WWD What is the outlook for it
this yearCB Wersquore very optimistic about our
womenrsquos line Our womenrsquos business is significantly underdeveloped versus our menrsquos business which is the opposite for most brands For most brands the wom-enrsquos business is bigger It is two-thirds to one one-third [menrsquos to women] very roughly speaking It represents a signifi-cant upside
WWD Do you have a goal of mak-ing [the ratio of menrsquos to womenrsquos] 50-50
CB We have a goal to grow it faster than our menrsquos business because the opportunity is so much bigger I donrsquot want to give away the full plot It is about accelerating the growth on our underde-veloped womenrsquos business
WWD How is the US market Is it saturated Will you see more growth here
CB We donrsquot have a 100 percent share here so wersquore not saturated yet I wonrsquot rest until we get to 100 percent market share
The US is our biggest market We report three different regions mdash the Americas Europe and Asia Our Amer-icas business is about 60 percent of the total and the US is obviously the biggest part of that Itrsquos our biggest business Itrsquos our most important business It is home court for us So for a lot of those reasons we need to be successful here It is our most challenging market today
The business skews very dominantly to a wholesale business here We do have a couple of hundred outlet doors and about 35 or so mainline doors But wersquore very dependent on our wholesale business here particularly the big whole-salershellipAnd no surprisehellipsome of these wholesale customers have been chal-lenged over the last 12 to 24 months
WWD Do you have any plans to expand [doors] this year
CB Yes we are opening in both
[outlet and mainline stores] We just opened a new store in Brooklyn about four months ago right before the holiday in early November We werenrsquot in Brook-lyn This is the kind of brand that should have been in Brooklyn five years ago Wersquoll open a couple more doors in the US In the last fiscal year we opened 91 net new doors globally We will do about 60 to 70 net new doors this year
WWD What is the biggest market for expansion outside of the US
CB Wersquore very optimistic about Asia If you look at our business all publicly reported through the end of last fiscal year which ended in November wersquore growing at very healthy rates in both Europe and Asia Thatrsquos largely being driven by our retail network Asia skews very heavily to retail About 75 percent of our business is retail in Asia and Irsquom very optimistic about Asia Wersquove got big growth aspirations in China Greater China as well as other parts of Southeast Asia We have a small business today for example in Indonesia Itrsquos one of the most populated countries in the world and so there is significant upside growth over time in a market like thatWe also still have opportunities in Europe
WWD What is in store this year in terms of reaching Millennials and reacquainting them or acquainting them for the first time perhaps with the brand
CB Wersquove been shifting more of our marketing to digital Itrsquos part of the reason why we did the Levirsquos Stadium and how we connect to the younger con-sumer through sports through music through entertainment So wersquore much more present through sports today more present in music today These are the things that built this brand through the years I like to joke if you were at Wood-stock you were either naked or you were wearing LevirsquosThatrsquos when Levirsquos was at its very best
BUSINESS
Chip Bergh on Levirsquos Reconnecting With Millennials Expanding Womenrsquos
The number of female-led businesses rose more than 60 percent over 10 years
BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Fashion held its own in terms of womenrsquos entrepreneurship according to a new study by the Center for an Urban Future
In the decade from 2002 to 2012 the num-ber of women-owned businesses increased by 65 percent or 45 new ones each day adding more than 56000 jobs and $3 billion in payroll to the cityrsquos economy As of 2012 there were 413899 women-owned firms in New York City compared with 305198 five years earlier Today women-owned businesses make up more than 40 percent of private companies in the city up from 33 percent five years ago and 32 percent a decade ago according to CUFrsquos ldquoBreaking Through Harnessing the Economic Potential
of Womenrsquos EntrepreneursrdquoThe report repeatedly underscores the
influence of women in business Compared with other major US cities New York by far has more women-owned businesses and more than double second-placed Los Angeles with 192358 The ranks of women entrepreneurs here are growing slower and delivering less economic impact than sister businesses in other cities
According to the report women created 102 of the 130 start-ups fostered by the Design Entrepreneurs NYC accelerator program since 2012 In addition women started the majority of the 10 companies in CFDA Incubatorrsquos 2014-16 class At the New York Fashion Tech Lab at least half the companies were started by women such as Smartzerrsquos chief executive officer Karoline Gross Sixty-nine percent of companies participating in the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation have a female
founder (To date the Incubator has helped launch more than 30 new companies in fashion and product design social entrepre-neurship and other areas)
Sarah LaFleur of the online store MMLaF-leur Rachel Shechtman of the West Chelsea boutique Story Jodie and Danielle Snyder of accessories label Dannijo and Holly Dale Sherman of the foul-weather footwear com-pany GoGoGolosh are among the female-run upstarts thriving in New York BaubleBar and Birchbox are also referenced in the report
Kathryn Minshew cofounder of The Muse an online career advice company with 75 full-time staffers describes in the report how after starting her company in New York in 2011 she temporarily relocated to the Bay Area after an investor urged her to do so After an eight-month stint on the West Coast she moved The Muse back to New York in the fall of 2012 Minshew says ldquoI felt New
York had more of a community of women entrepreneurs helping each other and more industry diversity including areas where women held positions of power like media and fashion Itrsquos a more support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs whereas the tech community in the Bay Area feels more homogeneousrdquo
FASHION
Women-Run Fashion Firms Bolster Entrepreneurship
Chip Bergh
MMLaFleur founders Narie Foster Miyako Nakamura and Sarah LaFleur
Ber
gh p
hoto
grpa
h by
Jon
ah K
och
Gro
up b
y G
eorg
e C
hins
ee
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
10 22 MARCH 2016
The exhibit which runs until July 10 focuses on wearables sustainability and futuristic designs
BY KATHERINE BOWERS
BOSTON mdash Fierce to look at but gentler on the planet
Thatrsquos the future of clothing as envi-sioned by the Museum of Fine Arts fash-ion exhibit ldquoTechstylerdquo through July 10
The show opened with a party and sit-down dinner for 400 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the MFArsquos Fashion Coun-cil The group has helped the museum acquire 20th century fashion and now with five new pieces in the show 21st century looks as well
The show is equal parts wearable novelties (dresses that can tweet or solar-charge a cell phone) pioneering sustainability and designers who think in futuristic norm-bending ways mdash Hus-sein Chalayan Rei Kawakubo Viktor amp Rolf Issey Miyake the late Alexander McQueen
The MFA showcased the rise of the designerscientist and to celebrate the many connections to MIT and Harvard
ldquoFashion designers and scientists mathematicians and engineers often col-laborate to create very wearable designsrdquo noted Pamela Parmal the MFArsquos David and Roberta Logie curator of textile and fashion arts ldquoMany young designers like those at TheUnseen Nervous System and Francis Bitonti are also scientists in their own right and have chosen to work in the fashion worldrdquo
Among the best of those
science-meets-fashion moments Iris van Herpenrsquos collaboration with MIT professor Neri Oxman who directs the schoolrsquos Mediated Matter design research group and produces her own biomorphic wearables The duorsquos Anthozoa cape and miniskirt is stunning crusted with 3-D-printed black-and-white polyurethane and acrylic polyps They appear to be not just growing out of the fabric but compet-ing for space pushing at each other like a living colony would In person it is startling and mdash strangely mdash classic
Viktoria Modesta a Latvian-born pop starDJfuturist who is a fellow at MITrsquos Media Lab attended wearing a Rem D Koolhaas United Nude cutout dress and a leg prosthetic made of silicone plastic shards and Swarovski crystals Modesta who chose to have her lower leg ampu-tated after 15 surgeries failed to correct a birth injury opts for prosthetics that donrsquot mimic flesh The eight she owns are statements of transformation mdash a leg with the speaker as kneecap one that glows or a single black-gloss spike The latter is on exhibit in ldquoTechstylerdquo
The MFA also commissioned a dress Kinematic Petals (2016) from Somerville Mass based Nervous System whose cofounders Jessica Rosenkranz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg are graduates of Har-vardrsquos Graduate School of Design and MIT Theyrsquove collaborated with New Balance and their works have been acquired by MoMA and Cooper-Hewitt
ldquoAs a hub for technological devel-opmentrdquo Parmal said ldquoBoston is the perfect place to showcase the current integration of contemporary fashion and technologyrdquo
The design collaborative of Threeasfour
mdash Gabriel Asfour Angela Donhauser and Adi Gil plus collaborator Travis Fitch mdash attended Techstylersquos opening to cele-brate their Harmonograph dress (2016) A projecting swirl based on the mathemati-cal Fibonacci sequence the ldquofabricrdquo looks like lace or smoke At more than 200 hours to model and 300 hours to print
it is techrsquos version of couture At dinner the talk turned to the possibilities of 4-D printing so called when select chemicals are ldquoprintedrdquo out they react and produce the fourth dimension a new material
In the gorgeousunwearable category was Ying Gaorsquos Incertitudes shirt and shorts (2013) a translucent vellum-look-ing tunic bristling with straight pins It responds to audio waves shrinking at noise like something shy its furry pins glittering with light
The museum acquired Chalayanrsquos Pos-sessed dress (2015) a remote-controlled red dress that responds to a dancerrsquos movements mdash rising to give her hips unfet-tered movement
But some things looked promising for popularity albeit with a little refining such as Pauline van Dongenrsquos front-zip black dress with a Neoprene solar-pan-eled collar The panels were small and looked chic like coppery embellishments After two hours in the sun the outfit could charge a cell phone mdash though possi-bly also triggering heat exhaustion
As electronics continue to permeate our lives the exhibit showed garments woven with wireless circuits such as an Akris tuxedo with pindot lighting The MFA commissioned London-based Cute Circuit who has done pieces for Katy Perry U2 and others to produce a gown of 10000 micro LEDs that tweets and has a repertoire of crowd-pleasing light-show designs including corsetry curves and Hokusairsquos ldquoGreat Waverdquo
On the less glitzy side the show looked at how technology can lighten fashionrsquos eco-impact ldquoTraditional ways of process-ing natural fibers weaving cloth and dye-ing are among the worldrsquos most wasteful manufacturing processesrdquo Parmal said The show includes Kate Goldsworthyrsquos Zero Waste dress (2016) which proposes a closed-loop world where a recyclable fabric is cut seamed and finished without waste
Parmal cited Issey Mikaye ldquo123 5rdquo col-lection (2010) an origami-inspired collab-oration with mathematician Jun Mitani as one of her favorites The garments unfold into dresses from flat polygons mdash easy to pack and ship They are made from a sustainable polyester fiber developed by Teijin Limited which produces fabric without using fossil fuels ldquoThe fibers are created by pulverizing melting and spin-ning threads out of recycled polyesterrdquo Parmal said
EYE
lsquoTechstylersquo A Look at The Future of Fashion
Phot
ogra
phs
by P
eter
Stig
ter
Luka
sz S
ucho
rab
and
Rona
ld S
toop
sM
useu
m o
f Fin
e A
rts
Bos
ton
Anthozoa 3-D Cape and Skirt Voltage
Collection Designed by Iris van Herpen and
Neri Oxman
Bodysuit from Hard
Copy collection
2014 Designed by
Noa Raviv
Bionic pop star Viktoria Modesta
wearing ldquoThe Spikerdquo Artificial leg
Designed by Sophie de Oliveira de
Barata Alternative Limb Project
A piece from Viktor amp Rolfrsquos fall wearable art collection
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
22 MARCH 2016 11
ldquoIt was first a seed six years agordquo said chef Patrick Connolly perched against Riderrsquos window frame a few days before opening The Williams-burg restaurant had originally been slated to debut in early January but really the delay has been much longer
Connolly was approached several years ago when National Sawdust was under development The owner of the space was look-ing for someone to helm the restau-rant that would be adjacent to the music performance venue The project ended up being put on hold ldquoWe got lost for a whilerdquo Connolly said He and his wife moved to St Louis opened a restaurant and had a baby As construction on National Sawdust began to amp back up so did plans to open Rider drawing Connolly back to the East Coast
The menu at Rider which bills itself as a ldquocontemporary bistrordquo is heavy on vegetables and shared plates ldquoItrsquos a little bit like greatest hitsrdquo Connolly explained ldquoIrsquom not really sticking to any particular style Irsquom trying to give life to this notion of an American restau-
rant something thatrsquos uniquely American thatrsquos derived from my influences and people Irsquove come across and people Irsquove cooked withrdquo he continued ldquoThe main thing is itrsquos stuff I like to eatrdquo
The bi-level dining room chan-nels a post-industrial vibe through raw wood detailing concrete veneer and exposed brick It was also crafted to reflect its musical partnership Connolly enlisted the same architecture group that designed National Sawdust and as inspiration gave them the bassline from Brooklyn native Lou Reedrsquos ldquoWalk on the Wild Siderdquo
ldquoItrsquos simple but textured deep and dynamicrdquo explained Connolly ldquoI wanted the first floor to represent a punk band in the Eighties on their first tourrdquo The upstairs space meanwhile is darker and plusher representative of a green room
where someone more advanced in their career mdash say Keith Richards mdash might be put up while playing a larger venue
Although the restaurant is dis-tinctly Brooklyn Rider has carved a space thatrsquos original
As Riderrsquos floor staff began streaming in the door to prepare for a pre-opening dinner service musicians were inside warming up for the eveningrsquos performance ldquoI kind of get the best of both worldsrdquo Connolly enthused ldquoWe have a re-ally cool event space to do events but itrsquos also just a really cool little restaurant in Brooklynrdquo
Opening this weekRIDER80 NORTH 6TH STREETBROOKLYN NY(718) 210-3152WWWRIDERBKLYNCOM
mdash KRISTEN TAUER
Rider Opens in Williamsburgrsquos National SawdustThe Brooklyn contemporary bistro is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly
The news that IMG had introduced a plus-size male division with the 40-inch-waisted Zach Miko mdash his body type dubbed by the agency as ldquobrawnrdquo mdash as its poster child instantly spawned an Internet dialogue with the reaction generally being one of praise for IMG on expanding beauty ideals and promoting a body-pos-itive message of accep-tance One full-figured man however was none too pleased
ldquoWhat I didnrsquot appreciate was the press referring to him as lsquothe first plus size male modelrsquo when that was most definitely merdquo The Fat Jewish (neacute Josh Ostrovsky) wrote in an e-mail over the weekend The Instagram sensation reached out to WWD to defend his title
WWD What was your reaction to the news that IMG was opening a plus-size male division with Zach Miko as the face
The Fat Jewish I was
incredibly proud Being a beautiful girthy man should be celebrated and itrsquos nice to see the media beginning to shine a light on us so that we can inspire others to celebrate their Shreklike figures That Zach guy is hot mdash I would probably have sex with him after three margaritas Irsquom not even gay I just know how to appreciate a nice looking man What I didnrsquot appreci-ate was the press referring to him as ldquothe first plus-size male modelrdquo when that was most definitely me I was approached by Scott Lipps of One Management in a hydration tent at Burn-ing Man over two years ago and he told me I looked like a beautiful adult beard-ed baby Irsquom the Magellan of plus-sized male modeling charting a new course for the future of male body standards
WWD I think this can only be settled in the streets Would you challenge Zach to a Zool-ander-esque walk off
TFJ Walking is cardio and Irsquom not really that into cardio
WWD As a plus-size man does your figure present issues fash-ion-wise
TFJ I have nothing against big and tall stores but all of my clothing is now made custom be-
cause I refuse to be seen in garments that anyone else owns One time I walked by a guy wearing the same jacket as me and I immediately took it off and gave it to a homeless man because I couldnrsquot be seen like that Also now therersquos a homeless man walking around in a Saint Laurent trenchcoat which makes me happy because I imag-ine that hersquos in the streets looking fierce AF
WWD How do you maintain your plus-size figure Whatrsquos your diet like
TFJ I donrsquot start eating until after sundown and then I consume complex carbohydrates until I pass out
WWDYour face is your livelihood Tell me your beauty secrets Do you using antiaging creams or deep condition your dread
TFJ This may sound crazy but itrsquos all about keeping your skin young and the best way to do that is dolphin semen A well-known female beauty expert who used to write for the New York Times told me about it itrsquos illegal to obtain in the United States so she has it sent to her il-legally from the Dominican Republic It has rejuvenated my skin mdash TAYLOR HARRIS
The Fat Jewish The Original Plus-Size Male ModelJosh Ostrovsky defends the title as IMG launches a new division with Zach Miko
The
Fat J
ewis
h ph
otog
raph
by
Rodi
n B
anic
a R
ider
by
Thom
as Ia
nnac
cone
The Fat Jewish at his ldquoDad Fashionrdquo show
Chef Patrick Connolly
The upstairs dining room at Rider
The street-level dining room at Rider
The space was inspired by the bass
line from ldquoWalk On the Wild Siderdquo
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
S E E C H A N G E B E C H A N G E
FAIRCHILDSUMMITSANNUALPARTNERS
EVENT SPONSORS
AURELIAN LISDERMALOGICA
MASAHIKO UOTANISHISEIDO
MUGE ERDIRIK DOGANAMAZONCOM
WILLIAM P LAUDERTHE ESTEacuteE LAUDER
COMPANIES INC
KAREN BUGLISI WEILERMAC COSMETICS
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H
EVENT SPONSORS
22 MARCH 2016 13
Reproductions of his classic furniture designs will be on display at an LA showroom
BY DAVID MOIN
Jens Risom who introduced classic Scan-dinavian-style furniture design to the US in the early Forties and has had a lasting imprint on the industry ever since turns 100 on May 8
To celebrate the legendary designer Ralph Pucci International will launch a Jens Risom show at his Los Angeles show-room Wednesday during the WestWeek furniture fair It will travel to Puccirsquos showroom in New York on May 16 during the cityrsquos International Contemporary Furniture Fair and to his Miami gallery on Dec 1 for Art Basel
ldquoI teamed up with Jens 11 years ago when he was like 88rdquo Pucci told WWD And comfortably retired as well Pucci added ldquoIt marked his reentry into the marketrdquo
Pucci was intrigued by the idea of rede-veloping Risomrsquos furniture with high-qual-ity manufacturing methods Through the decades Risomrsquos furniture was mass
produced and retailed at very accessible prices at Design Within Reach and other furniture stores Puccirsquos approach is much different incorporating Risomrsquos aesthetic with ldquothe Old World hand-craftsmanship of small workshops in the New York area with European rootsrdquo Theyrsquore the kind of workshops typically associated with more ornate design
ldquoAll Jensrsquo pieces are pared down and designed with such simplicityrdquo said Pucci who has the exclusive rights to the vast majority of Risomrsquos designs At Pucci the Risom furniture retails from $8000 for a club chair to $20000 for a sofa
Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916 the son of Sven Risom a prominent architect and a member of the school of Nordic Classicism Jens Risom was trained as a designer at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design He arrived in the US in 1939 Among the more pivotal events in his life in 1942 he teamed with Hans Knoll of Knoll furniture manufactur-ing During World War II Risom served in the infantry under General George S Patton He got permission to use pieces of army parachutes to create web uphol-stery for chairs a look that has become ubiquitous ldquoIt was a new way of creating
furniturerdquo Pucci notedRisom worked for a few years after
the war with Knoll and later opened his own firm Ultimately he became part of the vanguard establishing America as a leader in modern furniture design and manufacturing though much of the industry has since moved overseas Risomrsquos chairs are in permanent collec-tions at the Museum of Modern Art the Yale Museum the Brooklyn Museum the Smithsonian Institute of New York City the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum He became the third recipient of the Brooklyn Museum Modernism Design
Award in 1994 for Lifetime Achievement He was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark with the Danish Knight Cross and President Lyndon B Johnson used his chairs in the Oval Office Risom resides in New Canaan Conn
Ironically two of his designs from the Fifties that werenrsquot particularly successful back then mdash an A-line chair and the ldquoBigrdquo chair and ottoman set mdash were redeveloped by Pucci a few years ago and have been bestsellers ldquoHe was surprised I decided to redevelop these chairs but they really reflect the timelessness of his designrdquo Pucci said ldquoThe A-line has a nice sexy line to it and wood detailing that separates it from other pieces on the market I felt it was very comfortable and could be the main chair in a room or an accent piece Itrsquos very flexible in the environment
ldquoThe Big Chair to me is almost like sit-ting on a piece of sculpture thatrsquos comfort-able Itrsquos very practical and beautiful The scale is big but not overpoweringrdquo
For the shows those two pieces and about a dozen more will be displayed primarily in shades of cream white and oatmeal ldquoTheyrsquore iconic pieces we redeveloped that signify his heyday in the Fiftiesrdquo Pucci said A large graphic on the back wall will herald ldquoJens Risom 100rdquo
ldquoJensrsquo approach to design is less is morerdquo Pucci said ldquoIn his own way hersquos almost a minimalist There are no tricks He always said the furniture has to be com-fortable His heroes have been architects not decoratorsrdquo
RETAIL
Ralph Pucci Showcasing Designer Jens Risom
Jone
s ph
otog
raph
by
Steacute
phan
e Fe
ugegraver
e V
ogue
Me
cove
rs b
y B
oo G
eorg
e
Jens Risom
Gawker WoesGawker Media got hit with $251 million in punitive damages in its defamation suit against Terry Bollea on Monday evening The reward was heaped on top of the $115 million of compensato-ry damages rewarded to Bollea also known as Hulk Hogan by a St Petersburg Fla jury on Friday
The six-person jury said Gawker owed $15 million in punitive damages and the companyrsquos publisher and chief executive Nick Denton owes $10 million Earlier Monday Dentonrsquos net worth was revealed to be $121 million
Bollea sued the Web site for publishing a clip in 2012 of him having sex with the wife of his then-best friend Todd Clem known as ldquoBubba The Love Spongerdquo AJ Daulerio the Gawker editor who was respon-sible for the story was slapped with $100000 in punitive damages
One point at issue during the trial is that Todd Clem was never
made to testify Gawker also fought to release papers from a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe related to the suit for jury review Those papers were unsealed but not shown to the jury
Gawker has indicated that it would file an appeal According to reports the embattled media company may have to post as much as a $50 million bond during the appeal as indicated by Florida law though the com-pany will likely argue to reduce that amount
Following Mondayrsquos verdict Gawker president and gener-al counsel Heather Dietrick offered
ldquoSoon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012 three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawkerrsquos post was newsworthy under the First Amendment We expect that to happen again mdash partic-ularly because the jury was prohibited from knowing about these court rulings in favor of Gawker prohibited from seeing
critical evidence gathered by the FBI and prohibited from hearing from the most import-ant witness Bubba Clem
ldquoDidnrsquot the jury deserve to know that Bubba told his radio listeners and then the FBI in a meeting where lying is a criminal offense that Hulk Hogan knew he was making a sex tape Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know the FBI uncovered multiple tapes of Hulk Hogan having sex with Bubbarsquos wife Didnrsquot the jury deserve to know about the text messages Hulk Hogan sent to Bubba that undermine this case
ldquoThere is so much this jury deserved to know and fortu-nately that the appeals court does indeed know So we are confident we will win this case ultimately based on not only on the law but also on the truthrdquo mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD
CORRECTION The credit on the photo of the first Vogue Me cover was incorrect in a Memo Pad item on March 17 The cover image of Chinese singer and actor Lu Han Japa-nese-American model and designer Kiko Mizuhara and American actress and musician Pyper America Smith was shot by Boo George
Memo Pad Batman Goes GucciBruce Wayne has never been so dapper The protagonist of Zack Snyderrsquos much-anticipated movie ldquoBatman v Superman Dawn of Justicerdquo will wear Gucci head to toe
The Florentine fashion house collaborated with the filmrsquos costume designer Michael Wilkinson to create the clothes and accessories worn by the Gotham City billionaire played by Ben Affleck
The wardrobe includes suits shirts coats leather jackets silk accessories footwear belts and sunglasses as well as cuff links and collar and tie bars personal-ized with Waynersquos initials
This isnrsquot the first time Gucci has teamed with Wilkinson The fashion house and the costume designer previously worked together on ldquoAmerican Hustlerdquo
ldquoBatman v Supersman Dawn of Justicerdquo will hit theaters Friday mdash ALESSANDRA TURRA
Grace ManiaHundreds fans and friends including Kenzo Takada Maripol and Patrice Calmettes lined up at Le Bon Marcheacute on Friday night to have Grace Jones sign the recently released French version of her memoirs ldquoIrsquoll Never Write my Memoirsrdquo
ldquoWe had a blast together I saw her walking an Issey Miyake show She was stunning I asked her to walk for merdquo said Taka-da The designer recalled her performance of ldquoLa Vie en Roserdquo at the Palace nightclub ldquoShe was wearing a menrsquos suit and had her brush hair cut It was unexpected modern and poeticrdquo said Takada who calls her ldquoloyal and simplerdquo
ldquoHow sweet of her to have featured me in the bookrdquo said Calmettes a photographer and long-standing figure of the night-life scene He recalled hanging out with Jones Jessica Lange
and Jerry Hall in Paris ldquoThey were three beauties They were going out together all the time They would wear bathing caps at night I had never seen thisrdquo
The book signing capped off a busy promotional week in the French capital On one TV show Jones was asked what shersquoll do in five years ldquoWho knows I can run for prime minister Well [Don-ald] Trump can run for president bloody hell I can run for prime ministerrdquo she said with a laugh Her French media tour coincides with an exhibition named ldquoThe Unbearable Lightness The Eightiesrdquo at the Centre Pompi-dou which gives good play to Jean-Paul Goudersquos photographs of Jones
ldquoParis is always with me my son is half-Frenchrdquo said Jones after her book signing She was
dressed in Issey Miyake from head to toe accessorized with a cannabis-leaf-shaped earring What does she wear these days ldquoStill the same Issey Miyake and Azzedine Alaiumlardquo she answered
ldquoI donrsquot want to sit anymorerdquo she said showing her dance moves before heading to Les Bains the legendary nightclub and hotel
Maripol Guy Cuevas Larry Vickers Arielle Dombasle Elie Top Marie Beltrami Marpessa Hennink and Sylvie Grumbach were among friends waiting for the party in her honor ldquoShe is extraordinaryrdquo said Top ldquoWe saw her on stage at the Rex club four years ago We got off from there electrified as if we had put the fingers in a socket Shersquos a hurri-canerdquo said Top who said he was inspired by her for a jewelry line he did in collaboration with Alber Elbaz for a Lanvin pre-collection mdash LAURE GUILBAULT
Fashion Scoops
Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne
Grace JonesLimited Edition Cover For
Vogue Me featuring Lu Han
Cover For Vogue Me featuring Lu Han Kiko Mizuhara amp Pyper
America Smith (left)
ATTEND KIM MANCUSO KMANCUSOWWDCOM 6463564722 SPONSOR ALEXIS COYLE ACOYLEWWDCOM 6463564719summitswwdcom
B E A U T Y C E O S U M M I TM A Y 9 - 1 1 P A L M B E A C H