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Body ProudLane Bryant’s new ad campaign, “This Body,” is out to send a message. PAGE 10

Getting ReadyThe annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon drew the likes of Brie Larson, Rachel McAdams and Alicia Vikander. PAGE 13

Future VisionMedia executives last week debated the transformation taking place in publishing, and how to cope. PAGE 12Fashion. Beauty. Business.

DAILY EDITION 9 FEBRUARY 2016 1

● Ticket agents are popping up all over the Internet advertising access to designer runway shows.

BY SHARON EDELSON

Get your tickets now!Burberry, Tom Ford and others might be

transforming their show timings come fall and the Council of Fashion Designers of America may be mulling whether to turn New York Fashion Week into a consumer event, but ticket agents, event planners and scalpers are already giving fashion fol-lowers access to runway shows, backstage tours and designer meet-and-greets.

It all comes at a price — usually, a very high price.

The demand for entrée to fashion week has given rise to a cottage industry of online brokers — some with dubious methods of obtaining tickets to shows. The exorbitant prices don’t seem to deter style enthusiasts from spending thousands of dollars on the heady mix of fashion and celebrity that can be found in many front rows.

Millionaire’s Concierge, Queen Bee, TicketSupply, New York Fashion Week and Total Management are among the Web sites advertising tickets to New York Fash-ion Week, which officially begins Thursday.

Total Management lists a NYFW getaway that includes accommodations at the

● Brand ceo Sebastian Suhl says that 70 percent of the label’s accessories will be priced under $500.

BY MISTY WHITE SIDELL

Marc Jacobs is betting big on accessories — this time under the label’s new one-brand, multiple price points approach.

With a spring collection exhibiting a new double-J signature hardware bit applied to a wide range of functional shapes and sizes in brightly colored fabrications – the majority of which will be priced under $500 – the Marc Jacobs brand, like many in fashion, looks to generate the majority of its sales in the category.

Chief executive officer Sebastian Suhl said that ideally, the label’s leather goods will account for 70 percent of the brand’s overall sales, while footwear would represent an additional 15 percent share. Such a proportion of accessories would even exceed Michael Kors’ current sales

RETAIL

Fashion Week Tickets for Sale To Highest Bidder

ACCESSORIES

Marc Jacobs Reveals Accessory Strategy With Restructured Pricing

CONTINUED ON PG.4

CONTINUED ON PG.9

Beauty company Tarte has teamed with two of its biggest retail partners — Sephora and Ulta Beauty — to create dedicated lines to be sold by each store. Rainforest of the Sea, Sephora’s offering, has an underwater theme; Double Duty Beauty, Ulta Beauty’s collection, is being positioned as a lifestyle brand for women on the go. For more, see page 10.

BEAUTY

Double Feature

9 FEBRUARY 2016 3

● Growth came in all divisions and in all geographies.

BY LUISA ZARGANI

For the first time since the merger, the Yoox Net-a-porter Group released pro-forma revenues for the year 2015, which show that all business channels and all markets lifted the e-tailer’s performance last year.

In the 12 months ended Dec. 31, pro-forma revenues rose 30.9 percent to 1.7 billion euros, or $1.8 billion, compared with 1.3 billion euros, or $1.7 billion, in 2014. At constant exchange rates, sales were up 21 percent.

All business lines contributed to the growth. The multibrand, in-season channel posted a 36.9 percent gain in pro-forma revenues, while the multibrand off-season division saw sales climb 26.1 percent. The monobrand channel at gross merchandise value was up 27.5 percent.

Chief executive officer Federico Marchetti said “2015 was an exciting and transfor-mational year that brought together two exceptional companies to create the world’s leading online luxury fashion retailer.” Marchetti highlighted mobile transactions, defined as “key” to the group’s success and contributing almost 40 percent of the group’s sales, boosted by native apps, which surged 180 percent. “With our integration activities in full swing and on track, we are confident we will continue to deliver robust growth and gain market share. I would like to thank our whole team for their dedication and hard work in build-ing the future. We are now one company, which will achieve the unthinkable.”

In 2015, the multibrand In-Season business line, which includes online stores Net-a-porter, Mr Porter, Thecorner and Shoescribe, registered pro-forma revenues of 893.3 million euros, or $991.5 million, up 36.9 percent from the previous year.

The company touted the “excellent performance” of the Net-a-porter and Mr Porter’s sites, which last year offered debuts of Tom Ford, Tod’s and Brunello Cucinelli ready-to-wear collections. In addition, Pomellato and exclusive capsule collections such as Portofino by Dolce & Gabbana, Cashmere Trench by Burberry London and the Sun and Ski Capsules by Chloé were launched on Net-a-porter, while Mr. Porter introduced Moncler and Brioni and a new sports area. In May, the group launched The Net Set, pegged to be the first fully shoppa-ble social shopping network.

The group highlighted its first combined advertising campaign for Net-a-porter and Mr Porter launched in November last year

for Christmas, which “achieved significantly higher-than-expected results in terms of sales and visits to the dedicated holiday areas.” It also underscored the positive performance of the bimonthly print maga-zine Porter, which has “exceeded expecta-tions” and is distributed in more than 60 countries.

Last year, average monthly unique visi-tors totaled 27.1 million compared to 23.6 million in 2014 and the group registered 7.1 million orders, compared to 5.8 million in 2014.

As of Dec. 31, the multibrand in-season business line accounted for 53.7 percent of pro-forma revenues. The multibrand off-season business line recorded pro-forma revenues of 596.4 million euros, or $662 million, up 26.1 percent from the previous year, accounting for 35.8 percent of the total.

New brands, such as Proenza Schouler and Oscar de la Renta, and a new Travel area also contributed to the performance.

YNAP also designs and manages online stores for companies ranging from Giorgio Armani to Ermenegildo Zegna and this channel last year totaled sales of 175.3 million euros, or $194.6 million, up 19.2 percent from the previous year, while the pro-forma gross merchandise value was up 27.5 percent. During 2015, the group launched the new online flagships of Lanvin and McQ in Europe, the U.S. and in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, and the Karl Lagerfeld online flagship in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. In July 2015, the Red Valentino online flagship was extended to China. The channel accounted for 10.5 percent of total pro-forma revenues with 40 online flagship stores.

By geography, the company grew in all its key markets and the merger helped increase brand awareness for Net-a-porter in Italy and for Yoox in the U.K. Sales in Italy were up 19.7 percent to 110.9 million euros, or $123 million. Revenues in the U.K. gained 37.3 percent to 263.9 million euros, or $293 million. The rest of Europe was up

17 percent, lifted in particular by France, Germany, Spain and Russia.

Sales in North America climbed 43.3 percent and in the Asia-Pacific region rev-enues jumped up 36.9 percent. The main countries that contributed to the group’s results in the region were Hong Kong, China, Australia and Japan.

The Rest of the World area registered growth of 25.7 percent.

Dollar figures are converted at average exchange rates for the periods they refer to.

The group addressed its new structure following the merger. Effective Feb. 1, the customer-facing divisions have been arranged into three separate business lines, reporting to Marchetti. Alison Loehnis, who has worked with the Net-a-porter Group since 2007, has been promoted to president in-season, in charge of leading Net-a-porter, Mr Porter and the Porter magazine.

Luca Martines, former president of Yoox.com, has been promoted to president Off-Season, in charge of both the Yoox and The Outnet e-stores.

Paolo Mascio, who has been responsible for the monobrand division since 2009, is now president of Online Flagship Stores.

Chief operating officer Alberto Grignolo, who has been with the Yoox team for 15 years, will be heading the shared services unit, a newly formed division encompass-ing technology, operations, sourcing center for own label and market development, including China and Japan. Alex Alexander, who joined Grignolo’s team from Wal-Mart Global eCommerce last June as chief information officer of the Yoox Group, was promoted to the same role for YNAP , playing “a pivotal role,” said the company, in unifying the London and Bologna teams. William Duffy was promoted to senior director of global operations of YNAP to lead the integration and future expansion of the group’s global logistics platform. Corporate functions continue to be headed by Enrico Cavatorta, chief financial and corporate officer.

RETAIL

Yoox Net-a-porter Sales Climb 30.9%

They Are Wearing: New York Men’s Fashion Week Fall 2016 ● WWD went off the runways and onto the streets and sidewalks for the best looks from New York Fashion Week: Men’s.

● Pre-Fall 2016 Accessories: Part 3

● Pre-Fall 2016 Accessories: Part 2

● Paris Fashion Week Street Style: Spring 2016

● The Consumer Shift: Tom Ford Joins In as Debate Rages

Global Stock TrackerAs of close February 8, 2016

ADVANCERS

DECLINERS

Nordstrom Inc. +5.54%

Matsuya Co. Ltd. +4.31%

Myer Holdings Ltd. +3.86%

Kose Corp. +3.65%

Iconix Brand Group Inc. +3.24%

Yoox Net-a-porter Group -8.37%

Ted Baker plc -7.25%

Safilo Group SpA -6.97%

Kate Spade & Co. -6.95%

Under Armour Inc. -6.17%

TOP 5TRENDINGON WWD.COM

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● The e-tailer’s first shops-in-shop will debut at the upcoming Saks Off 5th on 57th Street.

BY DAVID MOIN

The Hudson Bay Co., which last week com-pleted its deal to acquire the $550 million Gilt Groupe Holdings Inc. for $250 million, has decided to open a Gilt retail shop inside the upcoming Saks Off 5th store on 57th Street in Manhattan, WWD has learned.

Both are scheduled to open March 3.Gilt’s 57th Street setup will be the first of

what could be many permanent Gilt shops-in-shop at the off-price chain operated by HBC, though executives are not ready to disclose any other possible sites.

“We are completely focused on open-ing this one, gathering our learnings and making it successful,” said Jonathan Greller,

president of HBC outlets, who is overseeing Gilt. “We want to walk before we run.”

Greller said the 57th Street Gilt shop will be different from past Gilt pop-ups and warehouse sales. Inside the 47,333-square-foot Saks Off 5th store, at 125 East 57th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, Gilt will have a 1,000-square-foot space right at the landing of the escalator to the first below-ground selling floor. Off 5th will have two selling floors, both below ground.

In addition to merchandise on display, there will be a “Gilt by Appointment” station so customers can work with stylists and a video wall showing fashion, editorial content and a calendar of sales.

Events on Gilt.com will be replicated at the shop and customers will be able to buy Gilt products on display, and walk out with Gilt shopping bags, which are being introduced for the brick-and-mortar shop. Customers will also be able to shop Gilt.com in the store with sales associates who

will have iPads. Gilt has new sales every 36 hours, generally at up to 70 percent off.

“If an event launches on Gilt online at noon on a Wednesday, we will unveil that same curated assortment at 12 o’oclock in the store,” Greller said.

Customers will be able to return Gilt prod-ucts bought online to the brick-and-mortar site, though they won’t be able to pick up online orders there, at least initially.

To promote Gilt at Saks Off 5th, the company is running an ad campaign themed “the power couple.”

HBC hopes to enhance its mobile and personalization strategies by leveraging Gilt technology across all of its banners, which include the Hudson’s Bay, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Kaufhof department stores. HBC also hopes to improve the per-formance of the once high-flying Gilt, which has been under pressure partly because its flash sale format has been widely copied and luxury sales generally have been tough. Gilt, which will maintain its own buying and management teams separate from other HBC divisions, specializes in fashion and accessories for women, men, children and home decor.

RETAIL

Gilt Goes Brick-and-Mortar

A screenshot from the Yoox Web site.

4 9 FEBRUARY 2016

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breakdown, which in 2015 owed 68.4 percent of brand sales to accessories.

The focus on accessories fits in with the company’s goal of one day going for an initial public offering, hoping to mir-ror Kors’ success on the stock market. No time frame has been set for a possible IPO, though.

“Accessories are our biggest category without question – they are a top priority from a business perspective,” Suhl told WWD. Presently, leather goods account for about 60 percent of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand’s sales.

Marc Jacobs found immense success through the early Aughts with bags boasting its signature oversize push-but-ton hardware. The designer’s spring assortment, which rolled into stores late last week, is the first collection to exhibit the label’s restructured pricing approach and new logo. WWD first reported in March 2015 that the label would fold its diffusion Marc by Marc Jacobs label into

its higher-end one to create a unified brand with varied pricing.

The ceo said that 70 percent of the brand’s spring accessories assortment is priced under $500 – a ratio that will continue in future collections. However, special pieces constructed of exotic skins and boasting elaborate embroi-dery can be priced in excess of $5,000. As observed at the brand’s 163 Mercer Street store, the varied price points are merchandised beside one another with-out differentiation.

Included in the new assortment is the brand’s new “Gotham” leather satchel collection, priced between $300 and $600. Each has a woven strap. The “Snapshot” range of camera bags comes in bright leather ($295) and checkered sequin fabric ($550). A more ladylike “J, Marc” range of shoulder bags is styled in aged, embroidered python for $5,500, as well as simple black leather with a chain handle for $490.

Suhl said of the new “J, Marc”

embellishment — two linear “J” letters that connect in a loop: “It doesn’t look like a logo per se; it’s an interesting, simple embellishment.”

Jacobs explained of the designs: “We approached everything – shoes, bags – in the same way. They needed to have an authenticity and integrity of what they should be. Everything is very considered. From the sole of a shoe to the stitching on the sole of a shoe, and it doesn’t matter whether it was a shoe made in China or a shoe embroidered in France and made in Italy. There was the same amount of attention to detail in every single thing.”

“It’s a unique selling proposition,” Suhl said of the brand’s “democratic” approach, which he says has been intrinsic to the Marc Jacobs label since its inception.

But with this broad range, what will incentivize high-end consumers to buy into the brand’s more expensive prod-ucts when $300 merchandise sits beside them on a shelf?

“It’s a totally different product,” Suhl said of the higher-end designs. “The bag we have at $5,000 is crocodile and has all kinds of embroidery. In any indus-try, any brand will have different price points – like with cars you have one [model] for $200,000 with one next to it priced at $30,000. If you do it right, it should be obvious why one is more expensive than the other.”

He was resolute that “this is not what other brands are doing. We are not about taking a supercommercial bag and trying to make a few more expensive bags to up our image. It is something the [Marc Jacobs] brand has been doing naturally for 15 years.

“Marc Jacobs is the first designer fash-ion house that offers a significant por-tion of product at democratic prices,” said Suhl. “We are definitely doing a designer story in terms of positioning and how we present ourselves in depart-ment stores.”

Though the brand’s prior duality when it operated the Marc by Marc and Marc Jacobs labels allowed it representation on both the designer and contemporary floors of department stores, Suhl said that the new unified brand will look to designer real estate in third party retailers going forward. This same designer mentality will apply to the

label’s markdown approach, which will now operate on a semi-annual schedule, rather than in a constant flux as often happens in the contemporary market.

“[Our department store placement has] shifted quite a bit. We were very much on the contemporary floor and will be shifting to the designer position-ing. It’s a designer brand. It’s one that, again, is the only designer brand able to market most of its product at a demo-cratic price point.

“You will see us positioned in a designer environment…we don’t want to confuse the consumer by putting our-selves amongst brands that have nothing to do with us,” said the ceo.

Suhl, who joined Marc Jacobs from Givenchy in July 2014, said that when reviewing the brand’s analytics, he felt that, “We are a very unique American fashion house in the sense that less than half of our business is in the U.S.”

The label’s geographical reach is evenly spread between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East — and is locally mer-chandised to suit cultural preference.

But there is one overall common thread, seen in the brand’s online traffic. “If you look, we have a very strong Mil-lennial female base – 80 percent of our customer online is a women between 18 and 36 years old,” said the ceo. “The majority of what we are doing is a young trendy person.”

The demanding age group “expects much more of a [brand] world, it neces-sitates a proper collection,” Suhl said, when asked if the label is on a quest to produce a new “It” bag.

“We are not working to create an ‘It’ bag; we are working to create a collec-tion of product that stands for some-

thing, for Marc Jacobs specifically, with designer quality, designer experience, at mostly democratic prices. We are after more of a perennial approach. We are not looking for a short one-off,” he said.

With an overall accessories market that’s in a state of muddled confusion, as WWD reported last week, Suhl still feels that Marc Jacobs can accomplish success in the category. “I think for sure what’s been missing [from the market] is that there has never been a brand able to bring a designer sensibility with a democratic price point with attention to function and merchandising. I know it’s unique. We are definitely doing that.”

Marc Jacobs Reveals Accessory Strategy With Restructed Pricing CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“We approached everything — shoes, bags — in the same way. They needed to have an authenticity and integrity of what they should be. Everything is very considered. From the sole of a shoe to the stitching on the sole of a shoe, and it doesn’t matter whether it was a shoe made in China or a shoe embroidered in France and made in Italy. There was the same amount of attention to detail in every single thing.” — Marc Jacobs

Sebastian Suhl

9 FEBRUARY 2016 5

ACCESSORIES

Marc’s New Model

J MarcShoulder bag

$490

J MarcWallet on chain

$490

SnapshotSmall camera bag

$295

Snapshot Sequins Checker Small camera bag

$550

Gotham CityN/S Tote

$590

Gotham CityE/W Tote

$550

Gotham CityBauletto

$550

Gotham CitySaddle bag

$450

J MarcAged Python w/embroidered Patches Shoulder Bag

$5,500

J MarcShoulder Bag

$1,450

Maria CallasPochette

$2,800

J MarcAged Python w/embroideredPatchesShoulder Bag

$2,700

Gotham CitySmall shoulder bag

$360

CollagePrint CanvasMessenger

$850

CollagePrint CanvasBackpack

$950

CollagePrint LeatherBauletto

$750

Blue/Yellow

$2,495Black

$950Black

$450Navy Multi

$475Pale Blue/Red

$295Off White Multi

$395

● Marc Jacobs is going democratic with his pricing strategy for accessories.

6 9 FEBRUARY 2016

KempnerMeggie Kempner turned up the elegance for fall, capturing some of the imposingly chic glamour of Nan Kempner, the designer’s grandmother and muse. “We figured out who our girl is and what she wants,” Kempner said during a preview. The polished daywear and eveningwear, done largely in lush velvet, lace and hammered silk, indicated that the customer is more sophisticated and mature than the label’s original target. Even paisley-printed silk pajamas invoked a sense of occasion.

Generously pleated trousers and dresses with high slits conveyed ease and movement. A series of darkly glamorous cutout gowns and slipdresses came with mixed accents of sheer lace and velvet, all of them sensual but never overtly sexy. Outerwear, which included a navy leather bomber with fox fur sleeves and a quirky wool plaid coat with matching flared trousers, felt as luxurious as the rest of the lineup. Kempner’s grand-mother would be proud. — Kristi Garced

TessaOn Monday morning, Tessa Matthias introduced her ambitious collection Tessa to editors and buyers via private appointment at a lofty apartment on Bleecker Street in New York City. The lineup — made in New York and Los Angeles with mostly French and Italian fabrics — is composed of a gorgeous selection of dresses, jumpsuits, T-shirts, outerwear and tailored separates. A wool blanket featuring a cheetah intarsia

teased a collection of textiles and home goods, which she plans to build on for next season. “It’s always been my plan,” she said of the launch.

Matthias, 28, spent the past four years at Theory, where she was senior designer of the label’s activewear and sporty apparel line Theory+ before leaving the company last summer. The initial concept for Tessa was based on her obsession with trousers. “I always want the perfect pant in different fabrics,” she said. There were five styles for fall, including wide-leg silk and wool draw-string styles, a midrise boot-cut flare and a trouser with a sexy cut-out detail at the hip. To wear on top, there were casual raw-edged T-shirts and cutout crewneck sweatshirts, as well as strapless leather bustiers and elongated blazers with lace-up details and a nipped waist. Press notes cited nature and the environment as overarching inspirations; a pair of col-orful duck- and floral-printed suits were inspired by her Australian mother. — K.G.

TseThe Tse design team explored a subtle Space Age theme for fall, continuing with the Sixties influence that manifested in the label’s recent pre-fall collection. Riffing on the details of an astronaut’s traditional spacesuit, knitwear empha-sized texture via cording, cross-stitching and three-dimensional wave trims, with one sweater featuring a pattern drawn from the texture of the moon. In a soft, neutral palette with pops of “earth green” and “constellation blue,” silhou-ettes ranged from ultrafine and body con

to chunky and oversize, with suiting and outerwear done in clean, architectural shapes. The collection also showcased a new elongated silhouette, seen on an ultrachic cashmere turtleneck vest — a perfect layering piece for the season. — K.G.

Zac Zac PosenZac Posen explored a nature theme in his whimsical fall lineup for his sec-ondary label, Zac Zac Posen. Insect embellishments and floral embroider-ies adorned the collection’s feminine blouses, dresses, jumpsuits and oversize knits done with fringe and rabbit fur accents. For prints, Posen looked to his archives, bringing back a “Bambi” fawn pattern, rendered here on a cropped jacket and matching miniskirt. Outer-wear, including styles in suede, leather and fur, was the strongest to date. High-lights included a floral-printed anorak and a pale green style that riffed on a hunting jacket. — K.G.

Norma KamaliWith an active lifestyle top of mind, Norma Kamali aims to give her women a versatile, trans-seasonal wardrobe. Swim and activewear styles hang alongside dresses, coats and suiting, even during the fall and winter seasons. “That’s really the way people dress,” she explained. “As you can see with the cropped tops and bras — you can work out in them but also layer them with [tops].”

For fall, Kamali updated her sporty silhouettes — all in reversible and machine-washable bonded jersey and terry fabrics — mostly through graffiti and marble prints. Elsewhere, a rose print done in autumnal hues lent a cool Seventies vibe to her signature sleeveless jumpsuit. Safety pins and snap buttons used as embellishment gave some looks a punk edge. — K.G.

The Reviews Zac Zac Posen

Norma KamaliTseTessaKempner

CollectionsFall

2016

9 FEBRUARY 2016 7

● The unit is to carry the brand’s accessories and beauty products.

BY ALESSANDRA TURRA

MILAN — Chanel is opening a new store in Milan’s shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

The 1,292-square-foot space, spread over three levels, is currently occupied by Viganò, a boutique established in 1919, which sells hats and custom jewelry.

The French fashion brand is to pay an annual rent of more than 314,000 euros, or $351,000 at current exchange. The rental agreement signed between Chanel and Milan’s Municipality is to expire in June 2020.

The store, the second in Milan operated by Chanel alongside the flagship on Via Sant’Andrea, is to sell the label’s accessories and beauty products.

FASHION

Chanel to Open in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

● Fran Stringer will work alongside Massimo Nicosia, men’s wear design director.

BY SAMANTHA CONTI

LONDON — Pringle of Scotland has expanded and retooled its design team, naming Fran Stringer to the new post of women’s wear design director, WWD has learned.

Stringer is currently working alongside Massimo Nicosia, whose new title is men’s wear design director. Nicosia was formerly head of design at Pringle and responsible for both the men’s and women’s collections.

Under the new structure, the two will share creative control of the brand. Pringle will make an official announcement later this month.

The company said Stringer’s

appointment will allow the brand to dedicate greater resources to the development of brand collections.

“We are delighted to be able to expand our design team to allow both Massimo and Fran more time to dedicate to the development of the men’s and women’s seasonal collections, as well as working together on brand projects and image,” said Jean Fang, chief executive officer of Pringle. “With the importance now placed on pre-collections, combined with the expansion of our men’s wear business, we felt the time was right to dedicate more resources to the design team.”

Nicosia called Stringer’s appointment “a very welcome addition to the Pringle team. This change has given me the luxury of more time to dedicate to the men’s wear collections and realize the brand’s full potential in this area.”

In an interview at the Pringle design studio in west London, Nicosia said he had the luxury of attending Pitti Uomo in Florence last month and meeting U.S. buyers. “The men’s fall collection was also the first time I was able to dedicate myself entirely to the men’s show,” he added.

Stringer’s first runway collection for the brand will debut Feb. 22 at the Serpentine Gallery during London Fashion Week. “I have always been drawn to brands with a rich heritage and sense of history. It is an honor to play a part in the brand’s journey,” she said.

Stringer, who began working with Pringle last summer, studied fashion design before joining the team at Aquascutum. She later joined Mulberry, where she remained for seven years, working with the firm’s former creative director Emma Hill and heading up the women’s wear division.

During the interview, Stringer said her vision for the women’s collection is to remain faithful to Pringle’s brand codes and to create knitwear and cozy wovens that women want to wear every day.

Among the inspirations for the pre-fall collection were street style basics, including oversize sweaters, such as one with an abstract, broken argyle design at the front; a gray plaid blanket coat, and an oversize hand-woven poncho. Standouts included a long, skinny cashmere and silk knit dress with a laid-back, sporty feel.

FASHION

Pringle Names Women’s Wear Design Director

● The French accessories specialist saw revenues climb 14 percent to 566 million euros, or $628.5 million.

BY MILES SOCHA

PARIS — A surge in Asian purchases — including in mainland China — lifted Longchamp revenues 14 percent last year to 566 million euros, or $628.5 million at average exchange rates.

In organic terms, the gain stood at 10 percent, outpacing growth in the luxury sector and some of the French firm’s larger luxury peers.

Disclosing 2015 results exclusively to WWD, Longchamp chief executive officer Jean Cassegrain said sales on the Mainland jumped by 30 percent. “Europe has been very dynamic, too, thanks to the influx of tourists,” he added.

By region, sales advanced 21 percent in the Americas, 15 percent in Asia and 13 percent in the Middle East and Africa. The French remain Longchamp’s number-one clientele, with Chinese in second place and Americans in third, Cassegrain said.

Longchamp operates 25 stores in mainland China, far fewer than its competitors, “so we still have room to grow,” he said. “Also, as a brand, we are seen as discreet. We are not flashy, or logo-driven and maybe the trend is coming our way.”

Hong Kong was the only region where sales contracted last year, he noted.

The family-owned business, founded in 1948, opened 15 stores last year, bringing its network of directly owned units to 299.

This year, the company plans to open roughly the same number of doors, including its first in India, in Delhi; its first in Texas, in Dallas, and its first in Monaco.

Construction is also under way at its Paris flagship on the Rue Saint Honoré, with a temporary location set up across the street.

The corner site is to expand to an adjacent building and an additional floor, allowing for a larger showcase for women’s ready-to-wear and shoes — categories tagged for future expansion. Once that’s completed, the temporary location will be transformed into Longchamp’s first stand-alone unit for men’s products and luggage. All told, the Paris store is to almost triple in size and span some 7,500 square feet across the two sites.

“It’s such an excellent location, it deserves the investment. It’s our home. It’s important we look our best here,” Cassegrain said with a smile.

Longchamp tapped American artist Ryan McGinness, whose sketches line one wall of Cassegrain’s office, to create an artwork for hoarding that is to wrap the entire building from mid-March.

Handbags remain the firm’s largest category, and it continues to test higher price points. Longchamp’s fall 2016 collections, to be unveiled in March during Paris Fashion Week, are to include a handbag that retails at 1,500 euros, or $1,675 at current exchange rates.

“We want to emphasize the leather portion of the collection as opposed to canvas or nylon,” Cassegrain said.

To wit: Longchamp plans to open a state-of-the-art production facility in 2018 in Pouzauges, in the Loire region of France, in 2018. It is to replace a smaller workshop nearby. The company operates six production sites in France, employing some 900 people.

“We find it very important that we remain a maker,” Cassegrain said. “It’s a key competitive advantage.”

BUSINESS

Asian Clients Lift Longchamp To Record Sales

Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

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A pre-fall look from Pringle of Scotland.

8 9 FEBRUARY 2016

● Certain labels are better-positioned to ride out the current macroeconomic challenges in the country, according to a new report from Exane BNP Paribas.

BY AMANDA KAISER

Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Givenchy, Fendi, Saint Laurent and Valentino are some of the luxury brands best positioned to ride out the current macroeconomic challenges in China, according to a new report from Exane BNP Paribas.

The bank’s luxury goods analysts said they just returned from two weeks in China, where they met with Chinese retailers, European brands and politicians to gauge market conditions.

The analyst team cited a variety of factors pressuring the luxury goods market and middle class consumer spending, including accelerating capital outflows and a tense, fragile political situation.

“The upshot: the all-important Chinese consumer will spend marginally more

at home but less abroad. This means [estimated 2016] global growth will — at best — match [estimated 2015],” analysts Luca Solca, Melania Grippo and Guido Lucarelli wrote in their report entitled “Chinese Luxury: the Year of Monkey Business.”

Based on the analysts’ store visits, they concluded that full price sales improved in the fourth quarter versus the third quarter, from contraction in the low double digits to contraction in the mid single digits. But most luxury players remained in negative territory in mainland China in the last quarter of the year, they said.

Here are their brand and company specific conclusions:

• Louis Vuitton appears to be one of the few brands enjoying low-single-digit positive growth.

• Moncler, Givenchy, Fendi, Saint Laurent and Valentino are “seen among the winners.”

• Prada continues to trade in midsingle-digit negative territory.

• Gucci is seen materially worse than [Prada’s performance] but should benefit from new outlet openings: Gucci has now

13 outlets in China.• Bottega Veneta is seen trading

negatively in the low double digits, but is quite active in the outlet business. “BV starts to appear short of ideas when it comes to product innovation, given how fickle Chinese consumers are, this is an issue,” the bank said.

• American accessible luxury brands such as Kate Spade, Tory Burch and Michael Kors are in positive territory. The exception is Coach. In terms of their European counterparts, Longchamp is positive while Furla is declining.

• Burberry is seen flat and improving at the end of the quarter. Burberry’s path is confirmed as better than Prada’s.

• In terms of Italian brands, Tod’s is “significantly better” than Salvatore Ferragamo but both are seen trading negatively.

• Cartier is experiencing a strong positive trend, probably benefitting from earlier price cuts.

• Exposure to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton could work short-term for investors. Kering is probably going to be OK in the end, as off-price activity should support sales.

RETAIL

Luxury Brands Appear Well-Placed in China

● The World Organization for Intellectual property of Geneva ordered the immediate transfer of the domain names in January.

BY LUCIE JANIK

Moncler continues its fight against counterfeits being sold online. After closing down more than 1,800 Web sites selling fake products in November, the brand has now interrupted the business of 50 counterfeit Web sites that were registered in December by three Chinese individuals.

The World Organization for Intellectual property of Geneva ordered the immediate transfer of the domain names in January, which were in violation of Moncler’s brand rights. The domains are currently under the control of the Italian company.

The illegal Web sites used original imagery taken from Moncler’s site in combination with search terms such as “outlet” and “sale” to draw in customers, who would end up with counterfeit goods.

In November, Moncler won a civil case against Chinese counterfeiters and was paid 420,000 euros, or about $468,000 at current exchange rate, in damages.

BUSINESS

Moncler Recovers Domain Names Of 50 Counterfeit Web Sites

● Declines were seen across Gap. Inc.’s big three brands.

BY DAVID MOIN

Gap Inc. had a tough holiday season with disappointing sales seen across its big brands.

Comparable sales for the fourth quarter fell 7 percent, versus a 2 percent gain a year earlier. Net sales totaled $4.39 billion and marked a decline from $4.71 billion in the year-ago period. On a constant currency basis, net sales decreased 5 percent.

But the retailer stood by its

bottom-line forecast and investors pushed the stock up 2.8 percent to $24.65 in after-hours trading Monday.

By division, fourth-quarter comparable sales at Gap Global declined 3 percent after a 6 percent drop the year before. Banana Republic Global posted a 14 percent decline comparable sales, versus a gain of 1 percent the year before, and Old Navy Global slid 8 percent after an 11 percent gain a year earlier.

For the four-week period ended Jan. 30, 2016, net sales fell to $813 million, down from $888 million a year earlier. Comparable sales were off 8 percent

for the month, with Gap Global and Old Navy Global both down 6 percent while Banana Republic Global dropped 17 percent.

Despite the revenue declines, the company narrowed its 2015 adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance to $2.41 to $2.42, which is at the high end of the previously issued guidance of $2.38 to $2.42 for the full year.

That outlook excludes the one-time negative impact about 20 cents a diluted share that were attributed to strategic actions in 2015. The company said last year it would shutter 175 North American stores.

Sabrina Simmons, chief financial officer of Gap Inc., said the company was “pleased” to be able to guide to the high end of previously forecasted 2015 full-year earnings. For the fourth quarter of 2015, the company expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to be in the range of 56 cents to 57 cents.

CATEGORY

Gap Posts Weak Q4 Sales, Maintains Earnings Guidance

The illegal Web sites used original imagery taken from Moncler’s site in combination with search terms such as “outlet” and “sale” to draw in customers, who would end up with counterfeit goods.

A Gap store at Hong Kong Plaza in Shanghai.

A puffer jacket from Moncler’s capsule collection with Friends With You.

9 FEBRUARY 2016 9

Baccarat Hotel, attending one of the week’s “hottest” runway shows — which it doesn’t specify — and a VIP shopping trip with a fash-ion expert, priced at $5,500, for two.

The site’s calendar of NYFW shows has a disclaimer in small print that reads: “Please note that price and availability are subject to change upon time of booking as these tickets are not held.”

“The way we get access is from a lot of brands we’ve worked with,” said a repre-sentative. “We’ve produced events or done brand partnerships for film, fashion and sports. These contacts have kindly come to us and said, ‘Let us work with you.’

“We’re working directly with IMG,” she said. “They’ve exclusively put this package together for us so we can give our clients an opportunity to go to shows sponsored by IMG. When clients have a look at the sched-ule and let me know two or three designers they’re interested in, I’ll go to my contact at IMG and find out if they have availability. They may say, ‘We can’t do this designer, but we can do that one.’”

IMG didn’t deny that it might work with some firms to offer tickets to shows, but stressed that it doesn’t sell them. “IMG does not sell tickets to NYFW: The Shows, and the sale of tickets to shows by third-party brokers is prohibited,” a spokesman said. “In select cases, we do work with external companies and our partners to create hos-pitality experiences for NYFW, which may include access to shows at the discretion of our team.”

The organization declined to name companies it’s worked with or designers whose shows may have been part of the experiences.

“We get tickets to good shows,” said a rep-resentative who handles sales for On Point, a VIP experience provider. “Regular designers are about $950. In-demand designers like Badgley Mischka and BCBG [Max Azria] are $3,500.”

On Point advises fashion week neophytes to “see any show to get the lay of the land. After that, you can try a second trip to see the more highly regarded designers.”

On Point doesn’t tell clients the shows it can procure tickets for until a week before fashion week. “With shows now two weeks away, you’re at the mercy of [ticket sellers]…The tickets are going to be all the more

costly. These shows aren’t open to the public. It’s an access thing, so you’re paying a premium.” Asked how On Point acquires its tickets, the representative noted, “We get them from people within the industry.”

According to On Point, trying to engage other guests at a show in small talk isn’t allowed, nor is trying to communicate with the designer. “We’ve had people try to use this as an opportunity to launch their careers. You’re merely a guest, a spectator. You can’t go there trying to pick the brains of designers in the industry. There are no photo ops. You have to sign a code of conduct.”

Beverly Sambrotto, founder of Your VIP Pass, which arranges access to events such

as the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting and Times Square New Year’s Eve gala, said the secondary market for fashion week tickets “does exist and $3,500, that is what tickets go for. Those prices would be for major, major designers. Some tickets are quite high.”

Sambrotto knows because “when we really need a ticket for a client who wants to go to fashion week, [concierge companies] sometimes charge those prices. I wish we could circumvent them [concierges]. It’s like when you go to a Broadway show and buy broker’s tickets that are marked up four times.”

Providing Tickets, an event company in The Netherlands, sources fashion week tick-ets for shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Prices start at around around 3,500 euros [or $3,832 at current exchange] per person for one show.

Wouter Haitsma, an owner of Providing Tickets, said prospective attendees must submit a bio, which Providing Tickets then gives to the “contact of the brand for review and approval.”

Providing Tickets gets its tickets “through invitations and from the designers,” he said. Asked whether designers share in the profits from ticket sales, Haitsma said, “Yes, they do.”

VIP Concierge lists on its Web site a “Zac Posen Exclusive VIP Experience” on Feb. 15 at 5:30 p.m., including backstage access and a meet-and-greet with the designer. The cost: $1,750.

“Different shows have different access methods,” said a sales representative for VIP. “With some shows, you receive an e-ticket that they scan. Some shows have physical tickets, in which case we have the tickets hand-delivered to your hotel. Some events

might be straight guest lists.”Asked about front row seats, the rep said,

“There are not a whole lot of seats to begin with. We don’t guarantee front row. They’re going to be good seats. Zac Posen, BCBG and Rebecca Minkoff – we definitely have tickets available to those shows. Calvin Klein is a pricey one.

“We don’t do general tickets,” he said. “We do fashion week twice a year, and we are going to be expanding to Milan and Paris.”

When told of the VIP Web site, Celine Mariton, vice president of global commu-nications and marketing at Zac Posen, said, “That’s very concerning. We have a partner-ship with American Express. We aren’t really selling our tickets per se. They are giving an experience to their best customers. Like any-thing you do, there are things that shouldn’t be happening. We offered a similar experi-ence to the Amex cardholders last year and had an issue. I saw a ticket on Craigslist for $800.”

Mariton said she asked American Express to take the VIP Web site down; however,

it was up and running at press time. The errant tickets apparently stemmed from the Amex partnership and unscrupulous mem-bers who wanted to make a profit by selling tickets to the Web site, Mariton said. “The price is insane,” she added.

The site 1Boxoffice is already advertising tickets for spring 2017 season that starts on Sept. 9. It even guarantees pair seating. Halil Hayem, who said he works out of the company’s main office in Dubai, would say only that 1Boxoffice “has a network of outside suppliers. I can’t give you more details.” Like other brokers, he said potential customers must complete an online form to get designer names, dates and prices.

Ann Landy, president of AO Productions, whose clients include Carolina Herrera, J. Mendel and Tory Burch, said, “Unless it’s Kanye [West], who is very public about selling tickets to his shows, the people who are selling them are scalpers who get hold of the tickets and sell them. Generally, people are very careful about who their invita-tions go out to. Because of the Internet and Facebook, it’s a lot easier to gain knowledge about certain shows and try to duplicate a ticket.”

Jonathan Reed, ceo of CS Global, with clients such as Prada, Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo, said the fact that tickets “are being sold and resold certainly speaks to the fact that the CFDA is changing the shows to be more consumer-focused. They’re very much in step with what’s going on.”

“The reason why the CFDA is looking into how Fashion Week can be improved is to protect our industry,” said Diane Von Furstenberg, chairman of the CFDA. “At the end of the day, the industry is a business and the point is giving the consumers what they want. The whole thing must become more relevant.”

Andres Aquino, who produces Couture Fashion Week at the Crowne Plaza, got the idea to create his own fashion show a decade ago. “Someone from a big bank said to me, ‘How can I get my wife into a fashion show,’” he said. “That day it hit me. I thought, ‘Something is missing here.’”

Aquino selects the designers, arranges the after parties and decides on what to put in the gift bags that attendees will find on their seats.

While many of the Couture Fashion Week designers are not well known, that doesn’t stop Aquino from charging $1,200 for a VIP ticket for the show on Friday and $1,500 for the show on Saturday. Front row seats are $100 to $220 a ticket; general seating, $50 to $75.

“When we started, my concept was to bring fashion to the people as opposed to the trade,” he said. “We started offering tickets at very high prices. What we’re offering people is diamonds. People love fashion, but for the longest time no one could go to a show. We created the opportunity for the VIP person to meet the designers and maybe order a custom-made gown.”

Sambrotto, who works with concierge companies around the world, has arranged for clients — corporate executives and celebrities — to see some shows “through my connections, but it was never guaranteed,” she said. Last year, she decided to produce a runway show herself. During Fashion Week in September, Your VIP Pass produced its first show, for bridal designer Rita Vinieris, on the roof garden of Carnegie Hall, and there are plans to produce another show in September.

“Our goal is to keep our ticket prices low,” she said. “Last time, it was $200 per person. In the future we’ll try to keep it at $100 a per-son. It gives the average consumer a chance to experience this.”

Sambrotto is now trying to procure tickets to the Costume Institute gala at the Metropol-itan Museum of Art. “I have clients — very, very important people — who want to go the ball,” she said. “They can’t imagine anything greater than that. I have 10 people who are on my back day and night.”

Good luck with that one — Condé Nast artistic director Anna Wintour is known to vet every name on the gala’s guest list.

Tickets to Fashion WeekFor Sale to Highest Bidder CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“The way we get access is from a lot of brands we’ve worked with. We’ve produced events or done brand partnerships for film, fashion and sports. These contacts have kindly come to us and said, ‘Let us work with you.’” — Total Management

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10 9 FEBRUARY 2016

● The plus-size retailer continues to elevate the image of large sizes in new campaign.

BY DAVID MOIN

Bigger is not only better — it’s beautiful. That’s the essence of the new campaign “This Body” being launched by Lane Bry-ant, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of large sizes for women.

The $1 billion chain, which operates more than 750 stores selling sizes 14 to 28, is encouraging women to be confident in their own skins and own it. The campaign comes as body self-image is all over the news media, from a plus-size Barbie doll to successful performers like Emmy Award winner Queen Latifah and the comedienne Amy Schumer.

“The world is ready for more curves and Lane Bryant is leading the charge,” said Linda Heasley, the company’s president and chief executive officer. “We want to shift conventional perception and we have only just begun with ‘This Body.’ Lane Bryant will continue to be her platform for celebrating her as she is.”

The campaign was shot by Cass Bird; utilizes models Ashley Graham, Precious Lee, Tara Lynn, Denise Bidot and Georgia Pratt, and was conceived by Laird+Part-ners. There are eight looks in total in the Lane Bryant Collection, Livi Active (Lane Bryant’s exclusive active line) and Cacique (Lane Bryant’s intimate apparel line). The campaign will appear in Lane Bryant’s stores, social media, on billboards, on television and in magazines, beginning with the Feb. 15 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue — an irony given the issue’s focus on barely clothed women with bodies that have an otherworldly perfection.

“We see the same stereotype of the plus-size woman in the media: she is unhappy,

projecting sort of a low self-esteem, not well dressed, and seemingly spends her nights at home dreaming of another life. ‘This Body’ aims to celebrate who she really is: today’s modern plus-size woman is the life of the party,” said Brian Beitler, chief marketing officer of Lane Bryant. “She craves the latest fashion trends. She’s the buyer of coveted brands. She should be in the pages of today’s fashion magazines and she’s the next Broadway star. She’s competing in the boxing ring. She is the voice of women everywhere.”

Last week, Lane Bryant and its Cacique intimate apparel collection received a Femmy Award for innovation from the Underfashion Club, which promotes the intimate apparel industry and student education.The award recognized the breakthrough “I’m No Angel” campaign launched last spring. The campaign involved “pop-up” concerts in New York City, with the female hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa, and models wiggling and describing themselves as “hot” and professing, “I’m no angel,” in an apparent crack at Victo-ria’s Secret top models, known as Angels.

Lane Bryant long had a reputation for dowdy, moderate-priced merchandise, some regarded as “tonnage.” But things began to change after the Ascena Retail Group acquired the chain through its $890 million buyout of Charming Shoppes Inc. in 2012, also picking up Catherine’s Plus Sizes through the deal and shedding other parts of Charming that it didn’t want. Ascena has been supporting new market-ing and designer collaborations for Lane Bryant including Isabel Toledo, Sophie Theallet and Melissa McCarthy. Ascena also operates the Dress Barn, Maurices, Catherines, Ann Taylor, Loft and Justice chains.

“It can take a strong woman to be plus size,” said Heasley. “She must know that she is beautiful despite how most of soci-ety may see her.”

RETAIL

Lane Bryant Launches ‘This Body’

● The makeup brand has created new labels exclusively for the chains called Rainforest of the Sea and Double Duty Beauty.

BY JULIE NAUGHTON

It’s a double play for Tarte. The color cos-metics brand has produced two fresh brands for two different retailers: Rainforest of the Sea for Sephora and Double Duty Beauty for Ulta Beauty.

Both are exclusive to those respective retailers and will be considered subbrands within the Tarte corporate structure, said Candace Craig Bulishak, chief marketing offi-cer of Tarte. In addition to their exclusives, both retailers will continue to stock the core Tarte line.

Rainforest of the Sea has an underwater beauty theme, complete with algaes and marine extracts. “Our core brand is all about high-performance naturals and we have ingredient stories, one being Amazonian clay,” Bulishak said. “We realized the next ingredient story was water. The ingredients are algaes, marine extracts and everything has a luminous finish. And we’re includ-ing other trends, such as highlighting and color-correcting, which we’ve never really

done before.”The Rainforest of the Sea collection

includes 48 stockkeeping units; three are skin-care offerings (cleanser, 4-in-1 Mist and lightweight moisturizer), with the balance devoted mostly to color cosmetics, although six of the sku’s are brushes. A water-based foundation will be available in 12 shades, paired with six shades of concealer. Prices range from $19 for Quench Lip Rescue lip balms to $45 for a color-correcting palette called Wipeout. Packaging is in turquoise and purple with hints of gold; two-bay gondolas in the same colors will house the collection.

At launch, the Rainforest of the Sea collec-tion will be sold in 242 free-standing Sephora doors in the U.S., 42 in Canada and 258 Sephora inside J.C. Penney doors. Rainforest of the Sea will be available on sephora.com at the end of February and in bricks-and-mortar in mid-March. In all cases, it will grow Tarte’s footprint, said Bulishak.

Artemis Patrick, senior vice president of

merchandising for Sephora, said the new collection “offers radiance, luminosity and brightness — all of which are very relevant to today’s consumer needs and beauty trends.”

Double Duty Beauty focuses on prod-ucts that do double duty and makeup with skin-care benefits, noted Bulishak. “We really want to grow our business within Ulta, so we sat down with them and looked for areas of opportunity,” she said. “We think of this collection more of a lifestyle brand for the customer on the go. We include positive beauty-isms like ‘She Dreamed, She Believed, She Succeeded,’ which is on one of our palettes. Also, often moms and daugh-ters are shopping together at Ulta, and this line works for both generations.”

The Ulta line has 38 sku’s. They include The Eye Architect, a double-ended eyeliner and eyeshadow in three color combinations, $24 each; The Lip Sculptor, eight colorways of a double-ended lipstick and gloss, also each $24, and Double Duty Beauty Day/Night Eye and Cheek Palettes, each $28. Custom-ers also have two foundation options: a gel foundation in eight shades, each $39, and Confidence Creamy Powder Foundation in 10 shades, each $35. Three double-ended mascaras, each $21, will be offered. Packag-ing is in lavender, purple and gold.

Double Duty Beauty will be available online on Feb. 21 and in store on March 8. It will be available in full Ulta distribution, currently about 900 doors.

“Double Duty Beauty was Maureen [Kelly, founder and chief executive of Tarte]’s brainchild and it was a pleasure to work and develop this project in partnership with the Tarte team,” said Tara Simon, senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty, who praised the “distinct and differentiated”

benefits.Social media will be the driving force

behind the marketing campaigns for both lines, said Bulishak. “There are two pieces of that,” she said. “The social PR part, and a social content platform. Our customers are Millennials and they are all on social media. We’ve strongly adapted our marketing strategy to incorporate social.” Snapchat and Periscope are a particular focus, she said. “Snapchat and Periscope are live and in real-time — there isn’t that editing aspect which you have with YouTube and Instagram,” she said. “With Snapchat, you have 10 or 15 seconds to show real, live action and send messages. Periscope is live-streaming — it’s the new way to do YouTube. We’ll do tuto-rials, Q&A sessions and more.” The brand will also unveil its new philanthropy project, an antibullying campaign called #KissAnd-MakeUp, on Periscope.

On social media, Tarte will use #Tart-eUnderTheSea for the Sephora brand and #TarteDDB for Ulta’s line.

Tarte will also roll out a new ath-leisure-in-spired skin-care line in its core line in April at 175 Sephora doors, said Bulishak. It will be 18 sku’s, a combination of existing and new items, gathered together under one umbrella, with more to be added throughout the year. “We’re leveraging our color posi-tioning, pointing out that high-performance skin care will make the makeup on top of it look and wear better,” Bulishak said.

While all involved declined to discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated that the lines could each generate sales of $25 million at retail in their first year on counter. Industry sources estimated that Tarte’s over-all business globally is currently more than $100 million at retail.

BEAUTY

Tarte’s Double Play for Sephora And Ulta Beauty

A visual from the #Thisbody Lane Bryant ad campaign.

Part of the Rainforest of the Sea collection for Sephora.

9 FEBRUARY 2016 11

● The 57th Street appointment-only unit is located in a multiuse building.

BY JEAN E. PALMIERI

NEW YORK — It took 167 years, but Hunts-man has finally set up a permanent home in New York City.

The venerable Savile Row tailor this week opened its first space outside of London — an appointment-only salon at 130 West 57th Street, a multiuse build-ing between Sixth and Seventh Avenues where it will meet customers one-on-one and create bespoke and made-to-measure garments.

Michael Anderson, a senior cutter who is heading and managing the New York location, said Huntsman had been hosting trunk shows here every three to four months, taking a hotel suite in which to service clients. “But we thought, why shouldn’t we be here permanently,” he said.

The salon is designed to feel like a London home and features Huntsman’s house check for the wallpaper and shower curtain in the bathroom. “We wanted something familiar,” Anderson said. “We wanted customers to have a sense of belonging here, and this feels right.”

The salon is on the seventh floor of the building, so there’s not a lot of chance of foot traffic. But that is intentional.

“This is not a traditional retail space,” he said. “It will be a lot of word of mouth and referrals. It’s intended to be a pre-cious, unique club. This is for a man who doesn’t want to wait until his next business trip to London or three months for the next trunk show,” Anderson said.

Huntsman also dabbles in women’s wear, but its work is nearly all men’s wear.

Anderson said the shop is expected to attract British gentlemen who now live in the U.S., as well as the brand’s “huge

American following” that includes lawyers, doctors and other upscale businessmen. He said the U.S. market accounts for 40 percent of the company’s business, a fig-ure that will hopefully increase as word of the permanent space gets out.

Huntsman has a long history of dressing celebrities — Gregory Peck was a fan — as well as socialites, and it’s this niche it hopes to attract with the New York salon. The tailor is best known for its classic one-button silhouette in a slim British cut, Anderson said. “It’s something you don’t

see everywhere.”Customers can choose from 4,000 to

5,000 fabrics and can even have their own custom tweed designed by the Huntsman team. The turnaround for a bespoke gar-ment will be 10 to 16 weeks, while made-to-measure will be eight to 10 weeks.

Cutters from the U.K. will visit the shop every eight weeks or so to measure new bespoke customers, but those whose pat-terns are already on file can merely stop by at their leisure, have a Scotch and work with Anderson to choose their latest fabric.

All of the suits and sport coats will be made in London and suits will retail for around $5,000 and up.

Anderson said the top competitors in the U.S. market are brands such as Kiton, Loro Piana and Brioni — “the top tier,” he said. But Huntsman is “the only real British brand” at that level. “We wanted to be the first to get the ball rolling.”

The brand was purchased by hedge fund multimillionaire Pierre Lagrange and his partner, the Mayfair-based designer Roubi L’Roubi, in 2013.

MEN’S

Huntsman Opens Manhattan Salon

● After adding separates to her line of slinky gowns, Mary Alice Haney is using social media to generate sales of her fall collection.

BY KHANH T.L. TRAN

Mary Alice Haney is moving her women’s line from evening gowns to daytime sepa-rates to social media.

For the three-year-old label bearing her last name, Haney is launching a social media campaign that allows customers to pre-order select looks from her fall 2016 collection. Launching Feb. 23 via Facebook and Instagram, the campaign features five pieces from her ready-to-wear collection as well as three couture styles, all of which will be delivered in four to six weeks.

“I understand this new format is something that is being discussed within the industry and I think it is important to engage your consumers,” Haney said, add-ing that the concept arose from “just think-ing out of the box. Definitely my customers are on Instagram. I’m on Instagram.”

The move is the latest example of how fashion designers are adjusting their design and production schedules to fit

with the feeling of immediacy on social media. It’s also a way for an emerging label to gain traction. With sales of under $5 million, a devotion to domestic production and a total of three full-time employees including the designer herself, Haney has managed to reach profitability quickly. Her retail network counts Net-a-porter.com, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Scoop

and Moda Operandi among the accounts.Still, Haney, who previously worked

as an editor for magazines such as Allure and Marie Claire and then as a stylist with actresses including Reese Witherspoon and Eva Mendes, sees room for growth.

That’s one reason she tweaked her original business model of customizing dresses. “It was not scalable,” she said. On a mission to dress all women, she set her sample size at a size 4 instead of the industry’s stan-dard of 2. A mother of five, she also tests every style herself.

Despite the sizzle Haney brings to the red carpet with her signature jersey gown, which is enhanced with lace cutouts on the hips and a high slit, she wanted to dress the customer with a full, busy life. Abiding by her sartorial tenets of being glamorous, sexy and comfortable, the pre-fall collection introduced separates such as cropped flares accented by tuxedo stripes, boat-neck tops with wide cuffs and

T-shirt dresses with three-quarter-length sleeves. The fall collection, inspired by a pixie-faced Mia Farrow circa “Rosemary’s Baby,” includes an ivory sleeveless jump-suit and royal blue mini dress with a big necktie that subtly hides a keyhole cutout

in the front. She maintains a polish by using the same fabrics from her evenin-gwear, like stretch Italian silk and French lace.

“I want to focus on the whole woman and not just the woman at night,” she said. “I design for real women in mind as much as the red-carpet moment.”

Looking ahead, Haney hopes to expand further with a diffusion line, shoes, bags and her own freestanding store. Realisti-cally, she’s at least two years away from enacting such plans.

“I don’t want to expand too quickly,” she said. “Growing the right way is import-ant to me.”

THE MARKETS

Haney Pushes for Growth Via Social Media Campaign

“I understand this new format is something that is being discussed within the industry and I think it is important to engage your consumers….I want to focus on the whole woman and not just the woman at night. I design for real women…as much as the red-carpet moment.” — Mary Alice Haney

Inside Huntsman’s appointment-only salon at 130 West 57th Street.

A look from Haney’s fall collection.

12 9 FEBRUARY 2016

● Panel discusses how digital media insurgents and popular social media platforms affect their bread-and-butter.

BY ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

What is a magazine today? Is it a brand? Is it one element of a multiplatform media company? Or is it a vestige of a struggling print industry that will soon be replaced by digital and social media content?

These were just some of the questions posed at the American Magazine Media Conference, which was held at The Grand Hyatt in New York last week.

Conference chairman Joe Ripp, who serves as Time Inc. chairman and chief executive officer, noted the magazine industry is a “business in transition” and that “there is no silver bullet” or quick fix to recuperate revenue lost from the wan-ing print advertising.

But Ken Auletta, staff writer for The New Yorker, tried to suss out an answer from the man of the moment, Evan Spiegel, Snapchat cofounder and ceo.

Over the past year, Snapchat has emerged as the shiny new toy for publish-ers looking to reach Millennials and Gen Z users.

“What would you do as editor or pub-lisher to transform or make the business more viable to reach some of the younger users of your app?” asked Auletta before pointing out that Snapchat grabs roughly seven billion views a day.

“We would hope that you would work with us. That would be great,” said Spie-gel, who backtracked instead to address the genesis of his social media company. Snapchat started as a messaging app that gave users the ability to send multimedia texts that would disappear after 24 hours.

The firm developed the capability of pub-lishing with the addition of its Discovery platform, where media firms and users share stories.

“We use our stories to basically create a video magazine,” he said, noting that the next iteration is an exploration of “shows” by publishers, which gives users access to VIP events hosted by media brands. Condé Nast is the latest big client.

Auletta pressed his original question but this time asked what publishers are getting wrong.

“The biggest challenge we’ve come up against when working with folks is that

oftentimes people want to change their brand so it appeals to whatever they think a Millennial is,” Spiegel said. Pointing to The Wall Street Journal, which was recently added to Discovery, Spiegel said Millennials are often coming to media brands for their reputation, not necessar-ily for viral content.

At a panel on the “21st Century Media Agency,” Ryan Berger, founder and cre-ative director of The Berger Shop, mused that it is “ironic” that advertisers are trying to reach Millennials, but the people “mak-ing the decisions aren’t Millennials.”

Berger noted that most brands go directly to creators, which are now housed in magazine companies in the form of brand studios. Although he runs a creative

agency, he explained that the goal today for any advertiser is to form an “authen-tic” partnership with media companies because Millennials are sticklers for authenticity after all.

Hearst Magazines president and pub-lishing director Michael Clinton echoed that, noting that digital media companies may grab Millennial attention today but his titles have a stronghold that is lasting.

“The secret sauce in magazines is that we move with the generations,” Clinton said, contending that his company is “posi-tioned for the future.”

Native advertising has emerged as a

revenue generator for Hearst and rivals Meredith, Time Inc. and Condé Nast, all of which look to evolve their businesses to meet the demand of the digital reader.

Dirk Standen, editor in chief of 23 Stories, Condé Nast’s native unit, admit-ted that editors at the company work on branded content in order to give adver-tisers the “editorial excellence” of his company.

“You’re really pushing the envelope,” said Bloomberg Businessweek editor Ellen Pollock, who remarked that magazine publishers in general were “getting away with” marring the “church” and “state” lines more than news operations.

The suggestion didn’t seem to bother anyone at the two-day conference. In fact,

Erik Moreno, executive vice president of business development at Time Inc., touted his lack of traditional media experience and offered that he has “never made a magazine.” He underscored the impor-tance of meeting the needs of “clients” and tapping the experience of editors to pump out sponsored content.

Condé Nast president and ceo Bob Sauerberg expanded on his company’s views of native, offering: “We were late to the marketplace with this….We just want to do it better than everyone. We have our editors involved….They are better at it. They are really experts at it. Our perspec-tive is that we are looking for the best ideas, the creative teams that can actually drive the results for our advertisers. That’s our goal.”

CNN’s Brian Stelter, who moderated the panel, turned to Ripp on the question of native.

“We will never ever, ever violate the trust of the consumers,” said Ripp, who noted he “retired the notion of separation of ‘church and state.’ But at the same time, advertisers are trying to sort through how do I get my message across?”

Ripp said native advertising “plays to” Time Inc.’s strengths and that the com-pany should get a piece of the $18 billion native advertising industry.

Stelter also asked about disruption, a broad topic that touched on technology and continued right-sizing as publishers become more digital.

David Carey, president of Hearst Maga-zines, admitted that while technology has made the newsstand business “tough,” his firm has learned how to “drive subscrip-tions” through the Web to stem much of the fallout. He also highlighted Hearst’s strategic digital investments in Vice, Com-plex, Refinery29 and its joint-venture part-nership on Sweet, its Snapchat channel.

Stelter alluded to the steep layoffs at traditional media companies, which are in the throes of evolving their digital businesses.

Sauerberg said his employees should “lean forward into the change,” before addressing the question of whether there will be more media consolidation in the near-term.

“I think it’s a natural outcome,” Sauer-berg said, referring to further consolida-tion. “It’s not something we’re interested in. Our goal is to be the best premium company — the best, not the biggest.”

MEDIA

Magazine Execs Mull The Industry’s Future

“The biggest challenge we’ve come up against…is that oftentimes people want to change their brand so it appeals to whatever they think a Millennial is.” — Evan Spiegel, Snapchat

David Carey, Joe Ripp, Maria Rodale, Steve Lacy, Bob Sauerberg and Brian Stelter.

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On Saturday, Rochelle Gores Fredston and Philanthropic So-ciety Los Angeles hosted its first Winter Gala (the annual fund-rais-er was formerly held earlier in the year and titled The Autumn Party) to raise funds for Children’s Institute Inc. and honor art patrons Sutton and Christian Stracke and artist Mark Bradford for their work on behalf of the nonprofit.

“I wanted to do something fun,” said Gores Fredston of the lavish affair, held at her father Alec’s Beverly Park estate. While the gala had the trappings of a pricey fund-raiser (e.g., a silent auction, a Champagne-fueled cocktail hour, a steak dinner in an upscale tent on the lawn), there were some surprises, like rock star violist Lee England Jr. performing between the dinner tables and a surprise appearance from actor Tobey Maguire.

Monique Lhuillier, the evening’s fashion partner, opted to have her models roaming cocktails rather than hold a full runway presen-tation. “I’m already busy working on my New York Fashion Week runway show,” she said.

Instead, she hosted a bunch of PYTs at her tables, including Holland Roden, Angela Lindvall and Erica Pelosini. Other guests

included Maguire, Frank Gehry and Gelila Puck, who connected PSLA with Gehry and the pro-bono school campus he’s designing in the Watts Projects.

While Gehry wasn’t able to climb the stairs to the stage to present the Strackes with their award, Los Angeles ballet dancer Jasmine Perry did the honors (Sutton Stracke is a former dancer with the Augusta Ballet and a patron of several ballet companies). “Sorry, I’m not good at speech-making,” said Sutton Stracke. “I’m a dancer, so I’m going off-script.”

Bradford, who started his own foundation to help at-risk youth called Art + Practice, stuck to his script, which was equally sincere.

“I do feel like artists often stand on the side of society and poke at it and question it. If we do become successful we are welcomed into the center of culture, with everyone saying, ‘We always knew you could do it.’ But when you are struggling in the shadows, that’s when you need the most help, and that’s what Children’s Institute is doing. I struggled as a kid, and when someone shined the light for me I remembered that and I wanted to give back.” — MARCY MEDINA

PSLA Winter Gala Draws Mark Bradford, Frank Gehry, Tobey MaguireThe Children’s Institute Inc. benefit honored Sutton and Christian Stracke and Mark Bradford.

The Oscar Nominees Luncheon is considered a relatively private affair for the chosen ones to cele-brate amongst themselves. That said, press is still invited and the obligation for the stars to pose and answer questions is there. They have to sing for their supper, so to speak, before entering the ballroom of The Beverly Hilton hotel.

Befitting of her newcomer status, Best Supporting Actress nominee Alicia Vikander was the first to show up in the interview room, where invited press was sequestered, wearing a kicky red Louis Vuitton number — no one even bothered asking her who made the frock.

“I met Alex Garland on the way in here and we both couldn’t really say anything, we’re like, ‘What are we doing here?’” she said of her whirlwind awards season so far. “It’s not only the last few months; it’s the journey of all the films

you’ve done.”Asked how the Oscar nomina-

tion has changed her, she said, “I’m still trying to get used to it. I haven’t done many interviews at all until this year.”

Vikander was followed by Brie Larson, who tried to calm her nerves by addressing the roomful of reporters with, “Thank you all for coming,” then erupting into a grin, adding, “I was trying to be serious.”

Asked about the process of selecting her Oscar gown, she said, “It’s trying to reflect what my soul looks like, which is far more complicated than what any dress could ever be.”

Rooney Mara said she hadn’t even tried on any of her prospec-tive gowns yet, noting, “Hopefully I will soon because time is ticking. Sometimes you just try one and sometimes 20. The process is always different.”

Rachel McAdams didn’t have

time to field any dress ques-tions, but she did earn a round of applause when she entered the room, with her sequined pink Prada dress seeming to please.

Fashion talk aside, a dapper Eddie Redmayne, coming into this year’s Best Actor race with the trophy from last year, said, “At last year’s Oscars I was a bundle of nerves. This year, I’m going to try and enjoy every moment. I always promise [my wife] Hannah it’s going to be sunny in L.A. and it was raining last year. This year, it looks good.”

Of all the relative newcomers in the race this year, fan favorite Sylvester Stallone said he was looking forward to getting to know them. “You would be surprised how many of them I don’t know. The last time I was here [for his Best Screenplay nomination 40 years ago] Lincoln was still in the White House.” — M.M.

Fashion a Topic at Oscars LuncheonThe 2016 Academy Award nominees gathered for a private lunch at The Beverly Hilton.

Erica Pelosini, Monique Lhuillier and

Sutton Stracke.

Tobey Maguire

Sam and Frank Gehry

Rachel McAdams in Prada.

Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton.Matt DamonLady Gaga

Brie Larson in Emilia Wickstead.

Rooney Mara in Giambattista Valli.

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WELCOME BACK, BARNEY’SOn Monday, Barneys New York will open its Chel-sea store, officials told WWD, marking a nostalgic return to the neighborhood where the company was founded. The day before the opening — Valen-tine’s Day — Barneys will stage a friends and family preview at the 55,000-square-foot store, on the site of the original Barneys, at 101 Seventh Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets. Barneys was first opened in 1923 by Barney Pressman. The site was vacated in 1997 after Barneys opened its Madison Avenue flagship, and it was converted into a Loehmann’s that shut down in February 2014. — DAVID MOIN

PLAYING SHOP“It’s become somewhat of a tradition,” said Vanessa Seward of her plan to spend a day with her customers in her newly opened boutique in the Marais, her second in the Paris capital.

“I’m quite shy, so it’s not an easy undertaking, but I think it’s a good tradition. This way I can get to know the sales team and they can get to know me. It also brings me back to reality,” said the designer, slated to “play shop assistant” on Feb. 11. “The last time we did this was also before the shows — in September, and I found it was a good way to de-compress. Your worst enemy is your own ego. And

this is the best way to understand that in the end it’s about the customer,” Seward noted, adding that the move was inspired by her mentor, the late Loris Azzaro, who used to spend entire days in his stores. “It was what he liked the most,” she noted.

The 800-square-foot venue at 7 Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire precedes the opening of the label’s first Los Angeles shop on Melrose Place this summer and another Paris unit on the capital’s Left Bank in early fall. — PAULINA SZMYDKE

REAL MODELS AS ROLE MODELSKenneth Cole will reprise The Courageous Class campaign for spring, spotlighting five individuals who have overcome challenges to become role models.

Photographed by Glen Luchford in New York City, the campaign will be supported by a national print, outdoor, digital and social media plan. It is styled by Clare Richardson. The spring 2016 advertising campaign budget is in line with the fall 2015 one, said a spokeswoman.

The Courageous Class for 2016 includes Mari Malek, aka DJ Stiletto, a model and DJ in New York who founded Stand for Education Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering girls; Bryn Mooser, a humanitarian, Oscar-nominated film-maker and cofounder of RYOT, an immersive media company; Shaun Ross, an American model, actor,

dancer and activist and the first male model with albinism; Caitlin Crosby, actress, singer and en-trepreneur who launched the campaign Love Your Flawz to support those dealing with body image issues, and Nasir Sobhani, a former drug addict who became a barber and world citizen and gives free haircuts to homeless people and others that are less fortunate. — LISA LOCKWOOD

LEVI’S MILKY RAINBOWLevi Strauss & Co. has teamed with the Harvey Milk Foundation to launch the global Pride collec-tion for 2016, which includes, among other gen-der-neutral products, an exclusive ringer T-shirt and tank top with a Harvey Milk bottle graphic and pride timeline; a trucker jacket emblazoned with Harvey Milk’s historic “Hope will never be silent” quotation as well as pride embellishments; stonewashed shorts with a rainbow embroidered watch pocket; the Levi’s Rainbow tab on shorts and a jacket, and an evergreen Pride T-shirt and hat, featuring the Levi’s rainbow batwing. The company said a portion of the proceeds benefits the foundation. “The Levi’s x Harvey Milk Foundation Pride 2016 collection is the physical representation of Levi’s belief in equal-ity for all people while continuing the legacy of one outspoken, courageous and pioneering individual whose inspiring example will never be forgotten,” the company said.

Grant Barth, chief merchandising officer at Levi

Strauss & Co., said the collection was inspired by the election of Harvey Milk to public office in 1977 in San Francisco. Milk was assassinated while in office. “Harvey was a true leader, whose passion was palpable and has expanded the decades since his untimely assassination,” Barth said. “He brought not only the LGBTQ community forward, but he fought for the visibility of all minorities.”

Stuart Milk, founder and president of the Harvey Milk Foundation, said the collection will hopefully inspire people. “It is a simple message, marked by dignity and respect, that we embrace all without exception, and keep alive Uncle Harvey’s promise of equality for all people, everywhere,” Milk said. — ARTHUR ZACZKIEWICZ

NEW GUYBloomingdale’s took the opportunity of New York Fashion Week: Men’s last week to introduce the newest member of its team to the industry. The retailer held a cocktail party at Mimi on Sullivan Street to raise a glass to Justin Berkowitz, the former Details staffer who joined the fashion office as men’s fashion director.

“We wanted to celebrate New York Fashion Week: Men’s and felt it was a great opportunity to celebrate Justin coming onto our team,” said Kevin Harter, the store’s vice president for fashion direction.

The overflow crowd that turned out at the event received a Baccarat tumbler with their initials en-graved on it as a gift. In addition to former fashion director Josh Peskowitz, the event drew Blooming-dale’s chief executive officer Tony Spring as well as a bevy of other executives and editors.

Last season, Bloomingdale’s hosted a lunch for the attendees at the inaugural men’s stand-alone shows in New York City. — JEAN E. PALMIERI

Harvey Milk 2016 Pride Collection.

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Bryn Mooser in an image from Kenneth Cole’s spring

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An illustration of the Barneys Chelsea store.