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Kering, the French luxury goods company that owns brands like Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent, surprised the fashion industry this week when it announced a sweeping reorganization of its top ranks, including the departure of Marco Bizzarri, the longtime chief executive of Gucci, Kering’s premier brand. Activists have turned on the luxury industry in recent years. Dan Loeb’s Third Point as well as Artisan Partners called for change at Richemont, the owner of jewelry brands like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. But the most active recently is Bluebell, a four-year-old, $250 million firm that has also taken aim at Richemont, and the fashion brand Hugo Boss. Bluebell failed to persuade fellow Richemont shareholders to add Francesco Trapani, the former chief executive of Bulgari, as a director, but the conglomerate agreed to give public investors more influence.

Persons: Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Marco Bizzarri, Gucci, François, Henri Pinault, Kering, Dan Loeb’s, Van Cleef, Hugo Boss, Bluebell, Francesco Trapani Organizations: Kering’s, Bluebell Capital Partners, Partners, Cartier, BlackRock, GlaxoSmithKline Locations: London

☆ Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri to step down as parent company chases global luxury boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The president and CEO of Gucci will step down later this year as part of a leadership overhaul at its French parent company Kering aimed at capturing more of the booming global market in luxury goods. Marco Bizzarri, who has been at the helm since 2015, will leave on September 23, Kering said in a statement Tuesday. Jean-François Palus, who currently serves as Kering’s managing director, will take over on a transitional basis. “We are building a more robust organization to fully capture the growth of the global luxury market,” Pinault said. Meanwhile, Kering’s shares have risen nearly 11% over the same period, which is much closer to the average stock price increase of 8.4% for all companies in the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index.

Persons: Gucci, Kering, Marco Bizzarri, Jean, François, Yves Saint Laurent, ” François, Henri Pinault, ” Gucci, ” Pinault, —, Christian Dior Organizations: London CNN, Hermès International, Christian

☆ Gucci CEO Bizzarri to leave company in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 18 (Reuters) - Kering (PRTP.PA) managing director Jean-Francois Palus has been appointed to lead star label Gucci after a management reshuffle at the top ranks of the French luxury goods company. Marco Bizzarri, Gucci's president and chief executive since 2015, will leave the company on Sept. 23, the French owner of Italian brand Kering said on Tuesday. As part of the changes, Francesca Bellettini, who has run fast-growing fashion label Yves Saint Laurent since 2013, has been named Kering's deputy CEO in charge of brand development while group finance chief Jean-Marc Duplaix has been named as Kering deputy CEO in charge of operations and finance. “We are building a more robust organisation to fully capture the growth of the global luxury market," Kering Chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault said in a statement Tuesday. Reporting by Piotr Lipinski and Mimosa Spencer Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jean, Francois Palus, Gucci, Marco Bizzarri, Kering, Francesca Bellettini, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Duplaix, Francois, Henri Pinault, Piotr Lipinski, Mimosa, David Goodman Organizations: Thomson

For years, Marco Bizzarri was one of the most well-known and respected executives in the global luxury business. Bald and boldly suited, he was the architect behind the meteoric success of Gucci, the largest fashion brand in the stable owned by the French group Kering, which also includes Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent. The news was buried in the third paragraph of a memo Kering released that outlined a major organizational shake-up as François-Henri Pinault, the chairman and chief executive, tries to write a new chapter for the fortunes of Gucci and the conglomerate. In the same announcement, Kering said Francesca Bellettini, the chief executive of Yves Saint Laurent, would become the conglomerate’s deputy chief executive for brand development, a promotion that will require all Kering brand chief executives to report to her and make her one of the most powerful women in the luxury industry. Jean-Marc Duplaix, Kering’s chief financial officer, will also become a deputy chief executive, overseeing operations and finance.

Persons: Marco Bizzarri, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Alessandro Michele, Bizzarri’s, Kering, Henri Pinault, Francesca Bellettini, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean, Marc Duplaix Organizations: Saint, Gucci Locations: Bottega Veneta

☆ Bulls and bears are locked in a battle for Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —Bulls and bears have always engaged in battle on Wall Street. Before the Bell: Why is there a growing division between bulls and bears? If a rally continues, the bulls will say that the bears missed it. If it moves in the other direction, in a swift fashion, then the bears will say that the bulls were overly optimistic. “I don’t know if it’s going to lead to a soft landing, a mild recession or a hard recession,” Dimon said during the call.

Persons: Liz Young, Bell, Young, we’re, Jamie Dimon, I’ve, Matt Egan, Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, “ tailwinds, ” Dimon, ” Jeremy Barnum, ” Barnum, Coco Chanel ’, Ellie Stevens, Shein, “, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Xu Yangtian, Chris Xu, “ SHEIN, ” Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN — Bulls, Big Tech, JPMorgan, CNN, JPMorgan Chase, First Locations: New York, Ukraine, First Republic, California

☆ Shein accused of RICO violations in new lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ellie Stevens | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Three graphic designers are suing Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein over what they allege is “egregious” copyright infringement and racketeering. In the lawsuit, which was filed in a California federal court Tuesday, the designers allege Shein produced and sold exact copies of their designs. Rather, there is a mysterious tech genius, Xu Yangtian aka Chris Xu,” the suit claims. According to their “About us” page, Shein says the company only produces 100 to 200 pieces of each model at launch. Those small quantities are intentional, the suit alleges: That way, before making more pieces, Shein can see if anyone complains about a stolen design.

Persons: Shein, “, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Xu Yangtian, Chris Xu, “ SHEIN, ” Krista Perry, Shein.com, shein.com Organizations: CNN, BBC Locations: California

☆ How Yves Saint Laurent’s Moroccan Hideaway Became a Boutique Hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Donna Paul | Photography Andrew Montgomery | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In Tangier, Morocco, near the arched entry gate of the 10th-century Kasbah wall, small shops and houses line narrow streets. The rhythm of daily life includes the call to prayer five times a day, the buzz of motorbikes whizzing by and sea breezes offering relief from the sun. It is also here, high above the Strait of Gibraltar, that a vine-covered house with a storied past sits on a lush 2.5-acre site, its verdant gardens sweeping down to the sea. Now the house has been given its next life. Its name is Villa Mabrouka, which means “house of luck” in Arabic.

Persons: Villa Organizations: Villa Mabrouka Locations: Tangier, Morocco, Gibraltar

☆ Lupita Nyong’o wears custom silver breastplate to 2023 Tony Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Attending the 2023 Tony Awards in New York Sunday night, Lupita Nyong’o arrived in timeless formalwear: a sharp black velvet dinner jacket and flared trousers. Nyong’o was wearing a custom breastplate cast and molded on her body by Misha Japanwala, a Pakistani artist and designer whose subversive sculptures are already increasingly attracting an impressive celebrity clientele. (An exhibition of Japanwala’s work is also currently on display at the Hannah Traore art gallery in New York.) Misha Japanwala's work "asks viewers to see the body exactly as it is," the artist writes on her website. Japanwala’s work, however, presents a very different picture.

Persons: Lupita Nyong’o, Nyong’o, Misha Japanwala, Hannah Traore, Misha Japanwala's, Nyong'o, Steve Eichner, Ford, Bella Hadid, Rihanna, breastplates, Yves Saint Laurent, Claude Lalanne, Lalanne, ’ breastplates, Japanwala’s, Japanwala, ” Nyong’o, ” Organizations: CNN, Cannes Film Locations: New York, Pakistani, ribcage, Couture, Greece

☆ Armani tests sustainable cotton production in Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Italian fashion company Giorgio Armani is seen at a shop in Zurich, Switzerland July 8, 2021. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File PhotoMILAN, June 5 (Reuters) - Luxury fashion house Armani Group has started an experimental agroforestry plantation in southern Italy to test new ways to produce cotton sustainably, it said on Monday. Armani said cotton planting started last month over one hectare of land - to be expanded to five hectares - in the southern region of Apulia. "Over five years, this farm site will be among the first field experiments in Europe testing agroforestry cotton with alternative tree species and regenerative practices," Armani said in a statement. The project is in collaboration with the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Fashion Task Force and the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, both founded by Britain's King Charles in his former role as the Prince of Wales, Armani Group said.

Persons: Giorgio Armani, Arnd, MILAN, Armani, Britain's King Charles, Prince of, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Kering, Elisa Anzolin, Alvise Armellini, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Armani, Sustainable, Force, Alliance, Armani Group, Sustainability, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Italy, Apulia, Agroforestry, Europe, Prince of Wales

“It’s often the little things that some people might not notice, those last touches made at the end that are the most important,” says Fournier. Over the years, the duo have collected thousands of objects that they keep in multiple storage spaces, awaiting just the right project. Fournier discovered the work of Culot when he bought some teacups at auction a few years ago. “We want to support and share the work of artisans we love,” Fournier says. “Work made by hand that confronts the growing uniformity of the world.” oeildeko.com.

Persons: Karl Fournier, Olivier Marty, Yves, “ It’s, ”, Fournier, Nathalie Guihaumé, L’Oeil de KO, Rosie McLachlan, Marie Lautrou, L’Oeil de, Pierre Culot, ” Fournier, oeildeko.com Organizations: Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Estate, Pierre Locations: Paris, Marrakesh, Los Angeles, British, Belgium

☆ For Diners With Deep Pockets, Dallas Is the New Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Priya Krishna | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At this open-air shopping center in suburban Dallas, they valet-park their Porsches, sport Yves Saint Laurent handbags, flit in and out of Audemars Piguet and pause for brunch at Sadelle’s, the fancy new deli from Major Food Group in New York. Even the sugar for coffee comes to the table in tiny Le Creuset Dutch ovens. Dallas has long had a reputation for living large, an image built on oil money and the wide swaths of ranch land displayed on its namesake TV series. These companies are giving Dallas the kind of attention they’ve previously lavished on tourist playgrounds like Las Vegas and Miami. Major Food Group opened a Dallas branch of its maximalist-Italian restaurant Carbone last year, and says it has even larger ambitions in the city.

☆ 5 ways Russia's been sidestepping Western sanctions and keeping its economy alive, from switching to the Chinese yuan and dabbling in ghost trades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A fleet of aging oil tankers that do not turn on their tracking signals is suspected of secretly transporting sanctioned Russian oil globally. Russia has also put together a "shadow fleet" of more than 100 oil tankers to skirt the sanctions, the FT reported in December. By August, such gray market sales reached nearly $6.5 billion, said Denis Manturov, the Russian trade and industry minister, according to an Interfax report. Russian oil is still getting into Western countries, thanks to intermediaries. Western nations that banned Russian oil have collectively imported nearly $46 billion worth of Russian oil products, according to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, or CREA, published in April.

☆ Is Tom Ford Saying Farewell to Fashion With His Surprise ‘Final Collection’?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Vanessa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, he dropped a surprise “final collection” (according to a news release) in the form of three short videos by the photographer Steven Klein. The videos came unaccompanied by any statement, and Mr. Ford declined requests for comment. Neither Estée Lauder nor Zegna, which has the license for Tom Ford fashion, could be reached for comment. Still, the collection answered the question that had been hanging over the brand since its sale in November: Would Mr. Ford stay or go? Rumor has it that Peter Hawkings, Mr. Ford’s longtime men’s wear designer, is getting the job.

☆ Pepsi's new logo takes inspiration from its '90s design, tapping into Gen Z nostalgia for the era
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pepsi unveiled a new logo on Tuesday, which closely resembles its '90s design. The redesign comes alongside rising popularity for the '90s era among Gen Zers. The old Pepsi logo, pictured in 1990. Jean-Erick PASQUIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesBut taking inspiration from a previous design also comes as Gen Zers bring back several trends from the '90s. Burberry was among those companies, replacing its knight logo and serif font in 2018, before bringing them back in February this year.

☆ Russia adding IKEA, Lancome and other luxury goods to parallel import list
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The mechanism allows Russian companies to buy goods from any company outside Russia, including from the country of the goods' origin, provided they were purchased legally. The Ministry of Industry and Trade's expanded list includes luxury brands, such as Lancome, Giorgio Armani and Yves Saint Laurent, domestic goods brands Wahl and Zanussi, and Japan's Nintendo (7974.T). A view shows the logo of IKEA on a closed store in Kotelniki outside Moscow, Russia July 5, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaThe updated list was first reported by the Izvestia daily, which said that IKEA would be added towards the summer. "Izvestia has the correct list and it is now being registered with the Ministry of Justice," the ministry said in a statement.

☆ On Oscars Carpet, the ‘Naked Dress’ Ruled
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Rory Satran | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Rihanna and red carpet host Ashley Graham in complementary revealing looks on Oscar night. Today’s Naked Dress trend, in full effect at the Oscars and its various celebrations Sunday, is in line with Saint Laurent’s prescient vision of glamorous nudity. On the Academy Awards’s red carpet, the Naked Dress continued its proud, chilly parade with looks such as Eva Longoria’s Zuhair Murad white lace gown and Ashley Graham’s fully sheer black tulle dress with cutouts. To the Vanity Fair Oscars party, Olivia Wilde wore a white Gabriela Hearst column cut away to reveal a leather bra. Rihanna’s custom Alaïa leather dress worn over a sheer jersey bodysuit was a provocative pregnancy twist on the look.

☆ Say No to the Dress: Why Women Are Trading Gowns for Wedding Suits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Ann Binlot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

ON MAY 12, 1971, Nicaraguan socialite Bianca Pérez-Mora Macías married Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in a shotgun wedding in Saint-Tropez. (Bianca was four months pregnant with their daughter Jade.) Not only did she wed one of the era’s biggest heartthrobs, she shunned froufrou wedding gowns and opted for a risqué white suit by Yves Saint Laurent. While the outfit might not provoke comment now, it did then—in part because Ms. Jagger wore nothing beneath the plunging jacket. Ms. Müller suggested that Ms. Jagger’s suit might have been an offshoot of the late Saint Laurent’s subversive spring 1971 couture collection.

[1/2] A man looks at a window display outside a Gucci store, part of the Kering group, at Tsim Sha Tsui shopping district in Hong Kong January 17, 2013. But while Gucci, which accounts for the bulk of profits and revenues at Kering, was the only brand to post a fall in sales, analysts said other labels too posted lower-than-forecast results. Kering said sales fell by 15% in North America in the fourth quarter and by 19% in Asia Pacific. But the situation has been more complicated for Kering, since Gucci relies more heavily on China than competitors. LVMH's fashion and leather goods division, home to Louis Vuitton and Dior, grew sales by 10% over the fourth quarter.

☆ A glamourous Parisian's haute couture wardrobe goes up for auction at Christie's
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Michaela Cabrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierPARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - A wardrobe owned by a Parisian woman who rubbed elbows with Yves Saint Laurent and other famous French designers is up for online auction at Christie's as Haute Couture week kicks off in Paris. A velvet bustier evening dress, from Saint Laurent's 1984-1985 haute couture collection, is also up for sale. And you know, all haute couture clients, they said that the Saint Laurent outfits are the most comfortable and the more feminine and sensual," de Foresta said. The Parisian owner also wore pieces by Christian Lacroix, Gianfranco Ferre for Dior and Valentino, and most of the couture pieces were bought in the 1980s and 1990s. Haute Couture Fashion Week, which wraps up on Thursday, allows an elite club of top-end designers to show off elaborate creations, which are not mass-produced for stores but tend to be sold to private clients.

☆ Gucci designer’s exit boosts Kering’s M&A urgency
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MILAN, Nov 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The abrupt departure of star Gucci designer Alessandro Michele on Wednesday is putting French luxury boss François-Henri Pinault on the spot. The Italian brand, Kering’s (PRTP.PA) largest, has been a money-spinner for the 68 billion euro French conglomerate. Gucci revenue nearly trebled to 9.6 billion euros between 2014 and 2019. Reuters GraphicsFollow @LJucca on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSKering’s top brand Gucci said on Nov. 23 Creative Director Alessandro Michele had stepped down. Under Michele’s creative leadership, Gucci sales grew nearly three times from 2014 to 9.6 billion euros in 2019, one of the best performing brands in the luxury world.

☆ Kering shares up on report company seeks to buy Tom Ford
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Shares in Gucci-owner Kering (PRTP.PA) rose in early Friday trading following a report the French luxury goods company is in advanced talks to buy U.S.-based fashion label Tom Ford. Shares were up 2.4% in morning trade, after the Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported the company was the front runner for a deal, with rivals including Estee Lauder (EL.N). "The logic is compelling," said Piral Dadhania of RBC, of such a deal, citing Tom Ford's past as creative director of Kering labels Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent in the nineties and into the early 2000s, as well as the label's high positioning. Kering, which has been bulking up its eyewear division, recently purchasing U.S. label Maui Jim, has also signalled interest in expanding into beauty. With few financial details available on Tom Ford's label, some analysts were cautious.

☆ Tom Ford return offers remedy for Gucci fatigue
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MILAN, Nov 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Tom Ford’s return to the realm of Gucci owner Kering (PRTP.PA) would add some much-needed sparkle. Bringing Tom Ford himself on board could even help revitalise it. Tom Ford offers diversification at a reasonable valuation. Sales of Tom Ford Beauty’s cosmetics and fragrances grew at a double digit rate in the third quarter, according to Vogue Business. In August, the Wall Street Journal reported that beauty giant Estée Lauder was looking to buy Tom Ford for $3 billion.

☆ Ulta, Bath & Body Works, CeraVe, E.l.f. Cosmetics, and SheaMoisture among beauty favorites for female teens, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Sarah Belle Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ulta is still the most popular beauty store for all female teens, according to a semiannual survey. Out of the 6,670 female teens surveyed, 29% of upper-income female teens and 40% of average-income female teens chose Bath & Body Works as their favorite source for fragrances. Upper-income female teens are spending slightly less for perfumes at $62 every year compared with $67 a year spent on perfumes by average-income female teens. While female teens with wealthier incomes spent $93 last fall on hair care products, female teens with average income spent $91 a year. However, Olaplex was the most popular hair care brand for 14% of upper-income female teens, and the second most popular for female teens with average incomes.

☆ Posh ice cream, craft beer in vogue as Chinese downsize their love of luxury
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Casey Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Chinese consumers are typically known for lavish spending on high-end handbags, clothes and accessories that sustain Western luxury brands. Brands that have jumped on the trend include Kweichow Moutai (600519.SS), best known for $300 bottles of baijiu, the Chinese spirit popular at banquets. It debuted baijiu-infused ice cream at $10 a cup in May, racking up 2.5 million yuan ($350,000) of sales on the first day. Chinese consumers are "spoiling themselves with those little things and they're loving something novel," said Mark Tanner, founder of marketing agency China Skinny. "When times aren't so good, people want to feel better, guilty pleasures like ice cream can help," said Low.

☆ Saint Laurent heats up Eiffel Tower runway with sizzling Parisian glamour
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Mimosa Spencer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A model presents a creation by designer Anthony Vaccarello as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 Women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Saint Laurent during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 27, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna GeronPARIS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent took to an open-air runway facing the glowing Eiffel Tower to showcase designer Anthony Vaccarello's summer collection of sleek eveningwear. Sticking mostly to monochrome looks - the first model was dressed in olive tones - Vaccarello threw the spotlight on the silhouettes. After the show, which closed the second day of Paris Fashion Week, guest including Carla Bruni and Rossy de Palma lingered for photos with friends. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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