Jason Wu leaves Hugo Boss

Jason Wu is stepping down from his role as artistic director of Boss women. Designer presented his last Autumn/Winter 2018 show during New York Fashion Week.

"The five years at Hugo Boss have been a very exciting time for me. I am especially grateful to the entire Boss womenswear team. Now the time has come for me to concentrate fully on my own label," Wu said.

"I would like to thank Jason for his incredible creative input and inspiration. I feel certain that he will approach all his future projects with the same compelling passion and zest that he brought to Hugo Boss," added chief brand officer Ingo Wilts.

Chanel and Farfetch in tie-up to reshape luxury retail experience

Bruno Pavlovsky

Global e-commerce platform Farfetch and  French luxury house Chanel has teamed up  to develop  a branded app and plan to create a personalized in-store experience and to target better millennials as reported by Financial Times.

“To be clear, Chanel will not be selling on Farfetch, nor are we launching ecommerce,” Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at Chanel, told the Financial Times. “This deal is about accelerating and enriching the experience of the client before and after their visit the boutique.”

 Mr Pavlovsky described 2017 as the brand’s “best year ever”. The company was founded by the Portugal-born entrepreneur José Neves in 2008. The collaboration for the company’s reputation means partnership to luxury brands and their commitment to improving bricks-and mortar services.

Jose Neves

“It’s an innovation deal,” said Mr Neves. “We’re hoping to change the shape of retail, and improve a customer experience which is currently stuck in the nineties.”
The app described by Mr.Neves will do the following:
“It will mean a client from Shanghai, who spends $2m a year in a boutique there, will be able to go into a store in Los Angeles and have the staff know who they are, what they want, and the sizes they need. It might mean also, if they are a high net client, they can arrange, if they want, to have a fitting arranged.”  But it can also mean, “The app will also offer a ‘do not disturb’ feature, which ensures clients are left alone.”

“Fashion cannot be totally digitized,” he said. “Between 75-80 per cent of fashion sales are still undertaken in bricks-and-mortar stores. And that won’t change. The store still offers an experience you cannot get online: the relationship with the staff; the story; the touch and feel of the products. But what needs to change is the way stores interact with clients.”

Chanel, which has never shared customer details with outside sources, is being extremely cautious about overstepping the bounds of consumer trust. “I want to be very clear,” said Mr Pavlovsky. “This is not about changing the posture of Chanel. We will only do what the client wants to do. And we will only move at their pace. This is not Big Brother. This is Chanel.”

What does Heidi Slimane means for Céline?

One of the most iconoclastic and charismatic characters in modern fashion Heidi Slimane announced creative director of Céline and replacing designer Phoebe Philo. His first show is to show during Paris fashion week in September.  

While at Dior from 2000 till 2007 Slimane introduced skinny silhouette for men. His clients included  David Bowie and Brad Pitt. Slimane was also the one who removed Yves to rebrand YSL as Saint Laurent and relocated the atelier from Paris to his home in California. 

Having Slimane on board at Saint Laurent resulted in three times rise in profits in In less than four years, making him worldwide bestseller. 

 Bernard Arnault, LVMH's CEO said: "I am particularly happy that Hedi is back within the LVMH Group and taking the reins of our Céline Maison. He is one of the most talented designers of our time. I have been a great admirer of his work since we collaborated on Dior Homme, which he launched to global critical acclaim in the 2000s. His arrival at Céline reinforces the great ambitions that LVMH has for this Maison. Hedi will oversee and develop all creativity for both women’s and men’s fashion, but also for leather goods, accessories and fragrances. He will leverage his global vision and unique aesthetic virtuosity in further building an iconic French Maison."

What to expect? Menswear and Fragrance lines. 

Slimane and Philo vision, taste and approach is similar. Their stores resemble art galleries and their shows reference photography.

Karl Lagerfeld welcomed the appointment, telling Womenswear Daily: “I am enchanted. What a great choice.”

Phoebe is rumored to be joining Burberry once Christopher Bailey completes her term.

Second edition of LVMH Innovation Award launches for Viva Technology 2018

LVMH is a partner of the Viva Technology show, which brings together major players in the digital transformation in Paris from June 30 to July 2. The Group is hosting a Luxury Lab with a rich lineup of events.

The Group is launching the “LVMH Innovation Award”, which will recognize a startup from France or another country next June. This new award reaffirms the importance of initiative and fresh ideas, consistent with LVMH’s core values of excellence, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Second edition of the LVMH Innovation Award was launched by LVMH and will be presented during the upcoming Viva Technology show (May 24-26, 2018). All startups working on issues related to the luxury sector can apply and win a chance to be part of the LVMH Lab during the event. The winning startup will receive support for its development from the LVMH Group.

A top-tier international event for key players in the digital transformation and all those who are inventing the future, Viva Technology is a unique opportunity for leading businesses to engage with promising startups and help them grow. LVMH has supported this global showcase of new technologies since its creation in 2016 by media group Les Echos and Publicis Group.

Any company created less than five years ago whose most recent valuation is less than $100 million, and whose business has a connection with LVMH Group sectors and the issues they address is eligible to apply.

With the third edition of Viva Technology set for May 24-26, 2018 in Paris, the LVMH Group has announced the challenge for the second LVMH Innovation Award, which will be given to a budding startup from France or another country. Created in 2017, the LVMH Innovation Award celebrates new ideas and is open to any startup created within the past five years with a valuation of under $100 million, fewer than 50 employees, and whose solutions are relevant to the challenges addressed by the LVMH Group and its Maisons. Startups that satisfy these criteria can apply online at the LVMH Innovation Award site until February 15, 2018. The finalists selected will have a space in the LVMH Lab and have a chance to pitch their business model during the event.

This award reaffirms LVMH’s values of creativity, excellence, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, the pillars of the Group’s culture, business model and growth.