Speaking Of Fashion Transcript: Ep. 81
On Thursday afternoon, DailyCandy announced via Twitter that it will shut down permanently April 4. The popular fashion and lifestyle site was founded in 2000 by Dany Levy.
The tweet: Good-byes are never easy. After 14 years of bringing you the best, we will close our doors on 4/4. Thanks for the memories. Xoxo
The background: DailyCandy began as a newsletter that highlighted the newest and best in the realms of fashion, beauty, food and more, and was purchased by Comcast in 2008 for $125 million. Comcast was then acquired by NBCUniversal, but despite big-name hires and ties to major TV networks such as Bravo and E!, the site didn’t flourish as expected in terms of traffic.
The dirt: According to tech news site Re/code, who originally reported the news, NBCUniversal attempted to sell DailyCandy — along with TV-focused entertainment site Television Without Pity, which will also close on Apr. 4 — and was unsuccessful. The closing reportedly affects 64 employees, many of whom may be hired by other NBCU properties. Sad face.
Following in the footsteps of Raf Simons, Yohji Yamamoto and Rick Owens, Pharrell Williams will launch his new line of products for Adidas Originals later this summer. The Simons, Yamamoto and Owens collaborations continue, meanwhile.
This guy’s busy! The collection will be the latest in a string of fashion tie-ups for the 40-year-old producer, singer and fashion designer — who already is working with G-Star, Comme des Garçons on a fragrance line, Moncler on sunglasses and Uniqlo on a shirt collaboration. That is on top of his own collection, Billionaire Boys Club, and in the wake of past collaborations with brands such as Louis Vuitton.
This is cool -- Williams has his own textile company, The Bionic Yarn, and the fabrics will be used in some of his upcoming products for Adidas. It will also mark the first time the German-based activewear company will partner with a designer who owns his own textile company. The textile initiative, which is with Parley for the Oceans, turns plastic debris from the oceans into yarn and fabric. Insert warm and fuzzy feeling.
Digital makeover to Originals store
Adidas has launched a new store blueprint for its Originals fashion brand with a Wi-Fi equipped lounge and mobile charging points
The goal? To encourage 16-24 year-olds to browse longer - or to provide solace to bored significant others
Adidas plans to roll out the concept to Originals stores in over 30 cities, with London and Shanghai next for the makeover. It also has big ambitions for its new teen fashion brand NEO, which is being extended to Poland and the Czech Republic.
With the growing competition in sportswear, it is also revamping its flagship sportswear stores, seeking to create a stadium-like experience and, like the new Originals store, putting a focus on footwear and creating a multi-media experience for shoppers.
Custom clothing clone wars
JHilburn and Trumaker send “tailors” to your home to measure you for button down shirts.
Threadmason and Stantt provides T-shirts with 24 and 50 “custom” sizes
Vastrm makes polo shirts and uses online questionnaires to figure out men’s sizes
On the East and West coasts, Arden Reed rolled out two Tailor Trucks with 3D scanners so you can get measured for the “perfect” suit
They’re biggest competitor is Indochino, which sends Tailor’s Kits to customers to measure themselves for a custom suit - no 3D scanner or augmented reality? And no time travel?! How quaint…
Some aren’t faring so well in this crazy booming niche: Custom Fit Jeans collected more than $47,000 via Kickstarter, but two and a half years later they have yet to ship their line.
Don’t worry ladies, we haven’t forgotten you. Women’s custom fit companies largely focus on lingerie. Women’s bra company Third Love measures you for the perfect fit via a phone app, and True&Co has women complete questionnaires that funnel information into an algorithm to help them find the perfect brand and bra size for their body shape.
From the article: “There’s no proof yet that custom sizing is a sustainable e-commerce venture that can scale the way a startup needs to. These companies are all young enough that they haven’t proved themselves. Their success depends on whether consumers are truly so vain they’re willing to track down cheaper ways to get perfect fitting clothing.” -- Burn.
What about the brands? They’re keeping busy...
Burberry teams with WeChat to promote fashion shows directly to the user
Burberry has teamed up with WeChat, Weixin in Chinese (we will not pronounce that well), to offer an immersive fashion experience for fans, which began in February with Burberry’s Autumn/Winter 2014 show.
WeChat users will have the opportunity to receive exclusive audio from the designers with the inspiration and details of key runway looks, as well as exclusive pictures, audio, and text messages from celebrities in attendance, including Chinese actress and model Angelababy. The Burberry WeChat platform will also allow followers to customize a digital “Made For” plaque with their name in English or Chinese characters that will commemorate a specific element of the show.
This marks the first of a series of creative collaborations and platform innovations that would be revealed throughout 2014. Oh Burberry, you smart cookie of a brand, you.
This partnership with WeChat will allow Burberry to capitalize on last year’s double-digit growth in Asia, which includes two recently opened flagship stores in China. Meanwhile, WeChat, which is the hottest mobile social app in China right now, has become an important channel of collaboration for western luxury brands.
Elie Tahari is tapped for Kohl’s DesigNation (it’ll be the 5th collaboration for DesigNation)
The capsule collection said to draw from New York City as an inspiration.
It will feature apparel for her and will include dresses, sweaters, knit tops and bottoms in shades of blue, black and ivory. Retail prices for the collection will range from $40 to $175.
It will be available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com beginning fall 2014.
Oh and 2014 marks Tahari’s 40th anniversary as a brand. Cheers to that!
Spin-off brands on the rise
The ones we know: Free People sprung from the racks of Urban Outfitters. (In fact, Urban was originally named Free People when it opened in Philadelphia in 1970. It reemerged as an Urban in-house brand in 1984, and eventually got its own stores in the early aughts. Fun fact!)
Banana Republic joined Gap in 1983. Eleven years later, Gap opened affordable chain Old Navy under the purview of Mickey Drexler. (Another interesting tidbit: Old Navy started out as “Gap Warehouse” in 1993.)
Kate Spade has Kate Spade Saturday
Ann Taylor has Loft — which it launched in 1996 — and now Lou & Grey, which was recently announced.
Lou & Grey is a loungewear line that came to life within LOFT shop-in-shops, will open four standalone stores this year. (It’ll also have a designated space in all 537 Loft locations — for now.)
Much like a contemporary collection does for a ready-to-wear designer, these spin-off brands are often targeted toward a younger demographic. The goal — as of the last half-decade, at least — seems to be to appeal to your core customer in a new way, but also to attract shoppers who have traditionally spent their money at teen retailers or fast-fashion houses.
Guess what - it’s working!
Quarterly sales at LOFT often exceed Ann Taylor by $100 million. Gap has benefited from having brands at varied price points: one will pick up the slack for another during different retail cycles. There was so much buzz around Kate Spade Saturday that the company quickly nixed its plans to launch in Japan only, where it now has six stores. A U.S. e-commerce launch was shortly followed by pop-up events. Now, there are permanent Kate Spade Saturday stores in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, with more on the way. And while Madewell, a heritage brand relaunched by J.Crew in 2006, is obviously not the juggernaut that its sister brand J.Crew has become, it certainly has a following amongst “influencers”: ie, editors, bloggers and fashion-forward customers.
But there is still some bad news. J. Crew profits fall...excuse us we need to resuscitate Tenisha
J. Crew Group Inc. reported a 42% drop in 4th quarter profit amid a broader decline in shopping mall traffic
Net income was reported as $5.92 million - it was $10.2 million a year earlier
Silver lining: Revenue grew almost 7%
As we reported, they are considering an initial public offering for later this year
The chain could fetch a valuation of as much as $5 billion in a potential public offering, “one person familiar with the situation said.”
J. Crew has $1.6 billion in total debt. Moody’s Investors Service rates J. Crew at B2, five levels below investment grade due to its high debt burden, Scott Tuhy, a senior credit officer at the credit rating company, said in an interview. When the retailer was still public, Moody’s rated it as high as Ba1, one level below investment grade, in April 2010.
Let’s compare: Burlington Stores Inc., which is backed by Bain Capital LLC, is up 83 percent since its October debut. Vince Holding Corp., the apparel company backed by Sun Capital Partners Inc., has gained almost 23 percent since its November debut.
And J. Crew will open two additional stores in London in 2014 and its first two Asia locations in Hong Kong in May. So they’re doing alright.
Diane von Furstenberg, the “founder” of the wrap dress and proponent of Google Glass, will apparently be featured in a reality TV series on E!
In a press release, the network has the as-yet untitled program listed under their “Unscripted/Topical projects in development.”
According to the release, the docu-series “explores the relationships between an ultra-successful boss who controls the fashion world and her eight eager-to-please associates in training” — i.e., von Furstenberg and the contestants. The show will culminate at New York Fashion Week where a winner will be chosen. Original, yes? (Note, sarcasm)
Von Furstenberg will also serve as one of the show’s executive producers. No official debut date has been announced.
Google Glass is trying to sit pretty...repeat: Trying…
As Google Glass is hitting the market soon, it’s trying to make sure its eyewear is accessible
In January, a new line of frame shapes brought the technology that much closer to actually being wearable
Now, Google is teaming up with eyewear giant Luxottica
Luxottica brings the design capabilities of portfolio companies like Oliver Peoples, Persol, Oakley and Ray-Ban to the table. Google plans to work with Ray-Ban and Oakley right off the bat
According to Google, Luxottica will “manufacture [the] frames and lead distribution” in optical stores, kiosks and other sales outlets.
This partnership also lays to rest those rumors that Warby Parker would be creating frames for Glass
Who’s also on the rise? Nicolas Ghesquiere, that’s who!
How so? After leaving Balenciaga, Nicolas will succeed Marc Jacobs as Louis Vuitton’s creative director
In his first interview since the announcement, the 42-year-old designer tells Ingrid Sischy about the challenge ahead, while devotees from Cindy Sherman to Catherine Deneuve explain their excitement. And um, can we say gorgeous to that photo by Annie Leibovitz?!
From the article: With so many of today’s most original fashion talents out of the picture—Helmut Lang’s checking out to focus on his art; Alexander McQueen’s suicide; John Galliano’s self-immolation; Martin Margiela’s Houdini act; Ann Demeulemeester’s saying adieu; Jil Sander’s quitting for the third time—the relief with which the fashion community responded to the news that Ghesquière would be back was palpable.
Background: Ghesquière’s odyssey in fashion started when he was 14. Born in 1971, he grew up in the Loire Valley wine country, in Loudun. He interned for a summer at Agnès B.’s company. Then he was hired by Corinne Cobson to work on weekends and holidays. Then...pause for reaction...he was hired by Jean Paul Gaultier. After a couple of years with Gaultier, the young designer struck out on his own as a freelancer, to hone his skills as an interpreter of various brands, including Thierry Mugler. At 25 he was crowned creative director at Balenciaga, and the rest is history.
From the article: When he nails it: Hello, fashion’s Matisse. And once your eyes have adjusted to the newness of Ghesquière’s clothes, you find they become more beautiful over time, making a lot of the rest of what’s out there seem tired.
Oh, and Ghesquière is the only designer with whom the actress Jennifer Connelly has developed a personal relationship over the years. Well done, good sir.
Who’s not on the rise...apparently not Gwyneth
Did you read her “Unconscious Coupling” post on Goop?
If you didn’t (and you’d be the only one), Gwyneth Paltrow announced her divorce via blog post...is that better than via a tweet?
We’re not recapping it - just reacting to it.
Tenisha’s suggested headline: Conscious Uncoupling...AKA #GiveMeAFuckingBreak
Okay just one recap. It’s kind of hilarious that the doctoral explanation begins with the phrase, “During the upper Paleolithic period of human history”
Sick of that topic? We can always talk about Russia!
So this Russian craziness isn’t just affecting the government.
Well it is, but that also affects the pocketbooks of the people. As of now, U.S. sanctions on Russia are mostly confined to members of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and don’t stand in the way of iPads, Air Jordan high-tops, or the delicious bourbon pouring out of Kentucky distilleries. But it’s getting much harder for Russians to pay for them. Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) stopped processing some Russian transactions in order to comply with new U.S. sanctions. And the ruble is getting crushed as investors worry about where the diplomatic standoff over Ukraine may lead.
Did you know how much retailers really loved Russia? Like, a lot.
Over the past year, companies that belong to the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index crowed about Russia at least 350 times during conference calls to discuss financial results, according to a Bloomberg analysis of transcripts.
At BorderFree (BRDR), a company that handles international e-commerce for such U.S. companies as J. Crew, Macy’s (M), and Williams-Sonoma (WSM), Russia is a top-five market, behind Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Now Russia, behave so people can afford their Nike sportswear
Now let’s talk about something fun!
Barbour/Barbour International just ran a contest for best comic film - this is one of them
Here’s the official site - how people entered:
The Barbour International Tour Instagram competition ran from 12pm on Friday 21st February 2014 and closed Thursday 13th March 2014 at midnight.
To enter you needed to submit a video or still photograph (via Instagram) which captured your most inspiring place. Your entry must include the hashtag #inspiringplaces.
There are six prize categories: 1. Best Cinematography, 2. Best Stop Motion, 3. Best Comic Film, 4. Best Still, 5. Most Inventive use of Instagram and 6. National Film (UK, US & Canada, Europe and Rest of the World).
You will not select which category your film is entered into. The judging panel will decide into which category or categories will fall into.
There will be one winner for each prize category from 1-5. For 6. National Film, there will be one winner per region and four winners in total (i.e. 1. UK, 2. US & Canada, 3. Europe (excluding UK) and Rest of the World).
Each winner will receive a Barbour International Atlantis Map Canvas Explorer Bag and will have the choice to fill it with one jacket, one piece of knitwear, one shirt or t-shirt and one accessory (hat, scarf or socks) up to the value of £335 from the Spring Summer 2014 Barbour International collection, excluding items from the Barbour International Steve McQueen collection.
One of these winners will be named our ‘People’s Choice’and will receive an additional prize of a £100 or $100 or €100 gift card for their chosen mobile app store of either Apple iTunes Store, Google Play for Android or Windows Phone Store.
What are the magazines doing?
Teen Vogue surveyed its readership to learn how millennials use social
Teen Vogue’s survey “Seeing Social Through the Millennial Mindset” examines the social media proclivities of 1,074 members of the magazine’s readership, a U.S. sample aged 13 to 29
For Teen Vogue readers, different apps perform different functions. For example, Instagram builds awareness, Pinterest drives word of mouth, and both apps inspire transactions.
The shopping process per the survey: Millennials use YouTube videos for how-to tutorials. Before they buy, they comparison shop, looking for additional product images on Pinterest. They then read reviews and recommendations on YouTube and, finally, check out sales and deals on Facebook. About one in four respondents, or 26 percent, have made a purchase directly from a social network and 47 percent would like the ability to buy directly off a social feed. Instagram is the number-one app, according to the survey.
Interesting results but it’s a really small pool - still good data but keep that in mind.
Premiering with a September issue, followed by two additional issues in 2014, Harper’s BAZAAR (Dutch edition) will publish 10 issues in 2015.
Tenisha has it on preorder.
The Cut hired a fashion news editor
According to editorial director Stella Bugbee, the site has tapped Véronique Hyland for the new position of fashion news editor.
The move is part of a broader push for New York magazine and its affiliate site The Cut to up its fashion and luxury coverage.
Hyland comes to The Cut from Elle magazine, where she served as fashion news editor since 2012. She has also held positions at Harper’s Bazaar and WWD.
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