NIKE DOES IT: NET JUMPS 100%/2 MEXX HUNTS FOR DEAL/2
Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • June 25, 2004 • $2.00
WWDFRIDAY
Beauty
Raising
The Flag
NEW YORK — With its
American Beauty brand, the
first project out of the gate
from its new BeautyBank
division, the Estée Lauder
Cos. is showing its colors.
The new venture will be
exclusive in North America
to Kohl’s Department
Stores, will include more
than 200 color and skin
care items and could do $40
million at retail in its first
year. For more, see page 6.
PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA; STYLED BY BRYN KENNY
The Weinberg Way: No Theology, Please — Just the Numbers
By Miles Socha
PARIS — “Let’s be clear: Only facts
will tell,” said Serge Weinberg, chief
executive officer of PinaultPrintemps-Redoute and interim
president of Gucci Group. “At the
end of the day, it’s about our
customers’ willingness to buy our
products. I believe in facts and
figures.”
In an exclusive interview,
Weinberg was responding to
skeptics who question PPR’s ability
to succeed in the luxury business. At
present, some 29 percent of PPR’s
profits stem from its luxury pole, a
figure Weinberg said is destined to
See Weinberg, Page 4
2
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
Nike Earnings Soar in Quarter, Year
By Carrie Melago
NEW YORK — Nike Inc.’s earnings were off and running for the
fourth quarter, aided by strong
sales around the globe and a
weak dollar, while income for the
year gained nearly 100 percent.
For the quarter ended May 31,
the footwear giant on Thursday
posted a 23.9 percent hike in net
income to $305 million, or $1.13 a
diluted share, from $246.2 million, or 92 cents, in the same
year-ago period. Revenues for
the quarter leaped 16.8 percent
to $3.5 billion from $3 billion.
“It was a great year for the
Nike brand around the world,
complemented by outstanding
results across our brand portfolio and the acquisition of Converse,” Nike Inc. chairman and
chief executive officer Philip
Knight said in a statement.
He added that the company
recorded its “highest gross margins ever” for both periods.
For the year, Nike’s income
spiked up 99.5 percent to $945.6
million, or $3.51 a diluted share,
from $474 million, or $1.77, last
year. Excluding a one-time charge
for an accounting change, earnings a year ago would have been
$740.1 million, or $2.77. Revenues
gained 14.5 percent to $12.3 billion from $10.7 billion.
Nike shares on Thursday
closed at $72.40, up 11 cents, in
trading on the New York Stock
Exchange. The company released
its earnings report after market.
“Nike’s international businesses [50 percent of sales] are
growing at a faster rate than the
U.S. businesses,” analysts from
Goldman Sachs wrote in a report previewing the results.
“Asia is expected to be the primary driver of growth going forward, taking the lead from
Europe, which was the key driver over the last decade.”
In the U.S., Nike’s apparel
revenues rose 4 percent during
the quarter to $359.4 million from
$345.7 million a year earlier. For
the year, apparel sales jumped
6.1 percent to $1.43 billion from
$1.35 billion.
Apparel sales overseas
swelled, led by a 33 percent
jump in Europe, the Middle East
and Africa in the fourth quarter
to $382.9 million from $288 million. For the year, apparel sales
rose 17.8 percent to $1.33 billion
from $1.13 billion.
“European apparel had chal-
lenges early in fiscal 2004 but
has posted accelerating growth
over the years. Revenues for the
fourth quarter advanced 33 percent, driven by marketing and
product initiatives focused on
the European football championship,” said Donald Blair, chief
financial officer, during a conference call Thursday.
Apparel sales were nearly as
strong in the Asia-Pacific region,
which saw a 31.9 percent increase for the quarter to $174.4
million from $132.2 million, and a
23 percent jump for the year to
$612.3 million from $497.8 million. In the Americas, apparel
sales rose 23.7 percent for the
quarter to $48.5 million from
$39.2 million, but only 12 percent
for the year to $165.8 million
from $148.1 million.
A weak dollar contributed to
the boost in overseas sales.
“Our brands continue to build
momentum around the globe and
our U.S. retail distribution strategy began to bear fruit, driving
our revenues over $12 billion, up
15 percent versus last year,”
Blair said. “Changes in foreign
currency exchange rates accounted for almost seven points
of the growth.”
Mexx Seeks European Buys
By Miles Socha
AMSTERDAM — Liz is looking
for new friends in Europe.
Detailing its plans to expand
Liz Claiborne Inc. brands
throughout the Continent at a
press conference here Thursday,
officials of Claiborne’s Mexx
subsidiary also expressed a
sharp appetite for acquisitions.
“Hopefully, within a year, we
should be able to do one transaction,” said Rattan Chadha, chief
executive officer of Mexx Holding
Europe BV, which Claiborne acquired in 2001. “We’re looking
across Europe…and at sectors
where we don’t already compete.”
Chadha declined to identify
targets, but described potential
candidates as any “midsize” company doing a minimum volume of
100 million euros, or $121 million
at current exchange. He said
there are scores of retail concepts
and fashion brands, most of them
family-owned and centered in
their home markets, that are ripe
for pan-European expansion.
Indeed, Transatlantic acquisitions seem to be heating up,
with VF Corp. recently snapping
up a European firm of its own:
the bag and accessories brand
Kipling Belgium BV.
From its new nine-story, modernist design headquarters on the
outskirts of Amsterdam, Mexx is
gearing up to bring to Europe select brands from Claiborne’s stable of three dozen names. Among
imminent initiatives are:
● A freestanding Lucky Brand
jeanswear store to bow in Antwerp, Belgium, in September.
● Three shop-in-shops for
Ellen Tracy bridge sportswear
at El Corte Ingles department
stores in Madrid, Barcelona and
Lisbon this fall.
● Two freestanding Liz Claiborne stores in 2005 — in Holland and Belgium — and four
Monet & Co. jewelry units in
The new Mexx design
headquarters in
Amsterdam.
France next year.
“We plan to do the same thing
Liz has done in the U.S.,”
Chadha explained. “We want to
address different consumer segments and in multiple channels
of distribution.”
The press conference showcased how Mexx, which operates
some 600 stores in 50 countries,
has retooled as a platform to grow
the likes of Lucky, Enyce and
Lady Enyce in Europe.
Liz Claiborne — touted by
Mexx as the first American
sportswear brand “for her” to differentiate itself from Polo Ralph
Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger —
plans to invite select retailers to
Amsterdam soon to see a springsummer 2005 line tweaked for
European tastes. Next year, Mexx
plans to launch about 25 Liz Claiborne shop-in-shops along with a
global marketing and communications effort, the company said.
At present, the Liz Claiborne
brand is present in about 200
European doors, mainly in Spain
and the U.K., with only one freestanding store, on Regent Street
in London.
Patricia Royak, president of
Liz Claiborne Europe and new
brands, said Claiborne would be
positioned in Europe between
Esprit Collection and Max Mara
Weekend, with an average retail
price of 75 euros, or $90.75 at current exchange.
Fashion-wise, the label has
been given a Continental makeover, since European women
value stylishness over appropriateness, contrary to their American counterparts. Royak noted,
for example, that European
women wear jeans with high
heels, not sport shoes as they do
Stateside.
Meanwhile, Chadha said he
expects Mexx to continue growing its global franchise at a double-digit pace as the 19-year-old
brand expands into Southern and
Eastern Europe and adds sport
and junior collections in its
strongholds of Germany, France
and the Benelux countries.
Convinced the lower-price segment is “too crowded” and that
consumers are seeking to upgrade from value-driven fast-fashion players like H&M and Zara,
Chadha also said Mexx would improve its fashion and fabrics.
“We definitely want to become
one of the leading companies in
Europe in the next three or four
years,” he said. “We have the platform for growth and becoming
truly a multibrand organization.”
WWDFRIDAY
Beauty
1
6
7
8
11
GENERAL
Serge Weinberg, ceo of PPR and interim president of Gucci Group,
discusses the firm’s plans for retail and luxury brand growth.
BEAUTY: Estée Lauder Cos.’ BeautyBank division unveiled American
Beauty, its first homegrown cosmetics and skin care brand in 14 years.
Some 20 years after launching the provocative Poison scent, Parfums
Christian Dior will introduce Pure Poison this summer.
Nearly a year after Gianfranco Ferré launched his GF Ferré young clothing
line, Italian perfumer ITF has unveiled the label’s first fragrance duo.
Facing a huge gender-discrimination suit, Wal-Mart must ensure that the
case doesn’t impact profits, workers or customers, observers said.
SUZY HAS THE DAY OFF
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In Brief
● MIXED MOODY’S: Following Revlon’s refinancing last week,
Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday issued a slew of ratings
actions affecting about $1.4 billion of the company’s debt. Among
the moves, the ratings agency assigned a “B2” rating to the company’s new $160 million senior secured credit revolver and a “B3”
rating to the new $750 million senior secured term loan facility.
Additionally, Moody’s affirmed Revlon’s “B3” senior implied rating, upgraded to “SGL-3” its speculative grade liquidity rating and
downgraded both its senior unsecured notes and senior subordinated notes to “Caa2” and “Caa3,” respectively. Moody’s maintained the rating outlook at negative. “The rating actions, which
follow Revlon’s announcement of a signed, fully committed refinancing agreement, reflect Revlon’s improved near-term liquidity
position, but also recognize the company’s persistent intermediate-term liquidity concerns and its exposure to what remains a
challenging mass cosmetics market,” said Moody’s in a statement.
● ONE COOL BILLION: Jones Apparel Group Inc. secured a $1 billion five-year revolving bank credit facility, providing it with “substantial financial flexibility as [the company] continues to pursue
[its] multibrand, multichannel diversification strategy,” said the
company in a statement. Combined with an extant credit facility,
Jones now has $1.5 billion in committed bank credit. The new revolver, which extends until June 2009, was led by Citigroup Global
Markets and J.P. Morgan Securities, with a total of 26 banks and
other financial institutions participating, Jones said.
● CFO SHUFFLE: Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. announced that
David Edelman, senior vice president of finance, will assume
the role of chief financial officer as of July 12. According to the
company, current cfo, treasurer and secretary Stanley Mayer has
elected to reduce his role in the company in order to “spend
more time with his family.” Mayer, who has been with the company for 16 years, will stay on as a vice president and senior adviser. Michael Colosi, corporate vice president and general
counsel, has been appointed secretary.
●
HEADING OUT: Sears Canada revealed its first off-the-mall specialty store locations — four 12,000-square-foot Sears Appliances
& Mattresses units and two 10,500-square-foot Sears Coverings
stores. All are in Ontario. Five will open in the fall; the sixth will
open next spring. “As the most extensive multichannel retailer in
the country, Sears is in virtually every market. However, with the
absence of new shopping mall growth, our new specialty format
store strategy will bring our key product categories and decor solutions to a growing customer segment [that shops] in conveniently located power centers on a regular basis,” said Mark A. Cohen,
chairman and chief executive officer of Sears Canada, in a statement. Sears plans to open 30 new-format stores, including Sears
Wellness stores, by the end of 2005.
Bye-bye ultra dry.
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Never Say Dry
Extra-rich moisture cream
© Origins Natural Resources Inc.
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While dry is fine for wit and wine, it drags a complexion down.
Extracts found in Cherries, Plums, Apples and Pears satisfy even
deeply depleted skin’s major moisture cravings. And big softies
including Shea Butter, Grape Seed and Apricot Kernel Oil help
parched skin look happy, healthy and well-hydrated for hours.
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4
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
Weinberg Focuses on t
Continued form page one
grow as losses at start-up brands ease.
“We want to grow the two businesses, retail and luxury, but luxury will grow faster,” he said.
As interim president of Gucci, Weinberg has kept a
low profile and imparted little strategic information. At
PPR’s annual meeting in May, he noted that watches,
jewelry and home products were areas to develop at
Gucci. He has also hinted that investment in emerging
brands — Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Stella
McCartney — would be kept in check by limiting retail
expansion to major fashion capitals.
During the interview at his office here earlier this
week, he would not discuss brand strategies, although he
expressed repeatedly a particular fondness for Bottega
Veneta, which is currently logging sales growth in excess
of 50 percent.
“The challenge of luxury brands is to have really creative designs,” he said. “Also, I’ve asked all our brands to
really pay a lot of attention to quality.”
Shedding some light on Gucci’s new life as a PPR
subsidiary, Weinberg said he plans to continue providing
financial results per major brand. PPR reports its first
half sales July 20.
Many in the industry impart the end of the Tom Ford
and Domenico De Sole era at Gucci with historical
import — marking the closing of a chapter in the fashion
business and a business strategy based on direct control
and Ford’s star power.
But Weinberg said he is loathe to anoint it with any
special import.
“One of the big errors in business is to be a theologist,” he said. And drawing conclusions from the exit of
Ford and De Sole “doesn’t take into consideration that
each brand has a specific DNA. Recipes do not exist in
Serge Weinberg
PHOTO BY JOHN ACQUINO
PHOTO BY STEPHANE FEUGERE
A Gucci look
for resort.
business. It would be too easy.”
Although some have suggested cost controls would be
an important task for Gucci’s new ceo Robert Polet, who
starts July 1, Weinberg said that is not the answer. “It’s
not a cost story; it’s a sales story, being more successful
in selling your goods. You can’t succeed in this business
only by cost controls,” he said.
And Weinberg painted a positive picture of the mood at
PPR in the post-Tom-and-Dom era, scoffing at those who
suggest the competition is taking advantage of the turmoil.
“People are very focused on work and making
progress. There is, in most [Gucci] companies, a big
excitement,” he said. “I’ve found a lot of talented and
dedicated people eager to show that the companies
they’re in and the brands they work for are very strong.”
Although he declined to give figures, Weinberg cited
strong reaction to the resort collections for Gucci and
Yves Saint Laurent, designed by Alessandra Facchinetti
and Stephano Pilati, respectively, both from its internal
buying teams and wholesale clients.
“I think [the collections] were very strong,” said
Weinberg. “Although it’s not such an important public
moment in terms of the business, [it was important] for
morale, in terms of testing the strength of the teams.”
Weinberg said Polet has met with most of the group’s
designers and brand managers. “He’s been already touring
a lot,” Weinberg said. “He’s a very easygoing, open person.”
Asked what Polet would do on the job in his first days
and weeks, Weinberg demurred, insisting he would not
set any directives.
“Already we’ve started working together on some major
issues so he can really take the lead,” Weinberg said. He
declined to elaborate on what those issues might be.
To be sure, Gucci has suffered a string of exits in the
wake of Ford and De Sole leaving, ranging from
Boucheron creative director Solange Azagury-Partridge
to Toshiaki Tashiro, president of Gucci Japan.
But Weinberg downplayed the exodus. In the case of
Japan, for example, he said the group ceo position would
become less critical as brand chiefs are further empowered, as is the case across Gucci Group.
“The organization will adapt to take into consideration
the needs of each market,” he said. “Because of the changes
in the organization, some jobs have been suppressed and
there have been very few resignations. Most of the departures have been happening at the corporate level and not on
the operating side.”
As for the outlook, Weinberg said the prospects for luxury in the second half depend on the outcome of the U.S.
election and “the international situation.” That said, he has
few worries about Asia, although question marks still hang
over Europe, which continues to experience low growth.
“It’s an improved environment,” he said, borrowing a
famous phrase from Federal Reserve Board chairman
Alan Greenspan to reflect his guarded sentiment: “I
don’t think we should be irrationally exuberant.”
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
the Numbers
A look from
Yves Saint Laurent’s
latest resort
collection.
5
Gucci Goes Out Quietly
AMSTERDAM — Gucci Group made its last gesture as a publicly traded company here Thursday with an annual shareholders’ meeting as brief as it was
perfunctory.
But thanks partly to bad weather in Holland, it made for a few amusing
moments.
If Gucci Group’s new owner, French retail giant Pinault-PrintempsRedoute, is often criticized for being a novice in luxury and style, all of its
heavy hitters arrived fashionably late on the company jet, unable to land
because of high winds.
If it was a runway show, they would have been right on time — the proceedings started about an hour behind schedule.
“Our apologies for starting so late. We couldn’t control the weather,”
Artemis chairman François-Henri Pinault, told a handful of shareholders
gathered at the Dorint Sofitel airport hotel, practically within walking distance of where PPR’s jet set down.
And they were just a handful, only seven, outnumbered by the panel of eight
Gucci Group and PPR officials lined up in a small, sparsely appointed room.
One lone shareholder took advantage of simultaneous translation into Dutch.
PPR, which owns 99.23 percent of Gucci following a month-long tender
offer, is in the midst of a court-mandated buyout procedure to get 100 percent
of the Italian fashion conglomerate. The stock was already taken off the New
York Stock Exchange and won’t be publicly traded in The Netherlands after
mid-July.
And so the voting proceeded swiftly, with shareholders chuckling every
time PPR’s corporate secretary and chief financial officer Patrice Marteau,
representing the French group’s 102 million-plus shares, raised his hand. No
one even bothered to ask any questions.
Among the motions were to appoint Robert Polet, who arrives July 1 from
Unilever’s frozen food and ice cream unit as Gucci Group’s new chief executive, to the management board.
Serge Weinberg, ceo of PPR and interim president of Gucci Group, gave
shareholders an overview of the luxury conglomerate’s 2003 performance,
highlighting the “sound resilience” of its brands and high operating margins.
He gave no forward-looking projections, other than to assure that moneylosing brands like Yves Saint Laurent are on the road to profitability.
— Miles Socha
Fashion Scoops
RECORD HAUL: Versace just logged its most successful
trunk show to date at its Fifth Avenue flagship, selling
$850,000 of fall merchandise over three days, led by —
of all things in the world of Versace — cashmere twinsets.
Other top sellers included: bouclé skirt suits, priced
from $3,360 to $3,900; a black-and-white pair of
pants and a sleeveless shift dress in an exaggerated
Prince of Wales plaid, for $618 and $1,375,
respectively; a camel cashmere coat with fox collar, for
$6,700, and cashmere twinsets ranging from an
oversized cardigan ($794) with a long-sleeve V-neck
($534) to a red cardigan ($589) and short-sleeve shell
($429) to a black-and-green animal-print combo
($1,741). What’s more, the store has taken 200
advance phone orders for Versace Barbie, which doesn’t
go on sale in New York until Wednesday.
HITS AND MRS.: Stevie Wonder’s wife, Kai Milla, is the
latest celebrity spouse to enter the fashion business.
A bestseller from Versace.
Milla has been scouting locations in New York to
introduce her signature label in September, following in the recent footsteps of Marie
Claudinette Jean (Mrs. Wyclef Jean) of Fusha, Susan Dell, Ivana Trump, Sadie Frost and
many more. Milla is no novice, however, having graduated from the Corcoran College of
Art and Design and picking up needle and thread to design her first dress at age 13.
“It was an ugly pink dress, which is a color I will not use anymore,” Milla said,
laughing. “Seriously, I really decided to make this a full-time career for the past three or
four years.”
To date, Milla has created custom dresses for herself, such as a white silk crepe
number she wore to the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame benefit recently, and dresses for
friends such as Veronique Peck (Mrs. Gregory Peck) and LaTanya Richardson (Mrs.
Samuel L. Jackson), but she plans to introduce a ready-to-wear collection that will be
launched more formally with a runway presentation next February. She described her
look as “very polished, with a little bit of chic flirtiness to it. I knew it was eventually
going to lead me to doing a full show.”
EYES ON AGNELLI: More than 100 pieces — including French and Russian furniture,
works of art and porcelain — from the New York apartment of Marella Agnelli will be
displayed at Sotheby’s July 12-23 and Oct.16-22. She was married to the late Giovanni
Agnelli, the former chairman of Fiat.
The sale will be held Oct. 23 and is expected to bring in between $7 million and
$10 million. A Louis XVI bureau plat by renowned cabinetmaker Jean-Francois Leleu,
which once belonged to the Comte de Flahaut de la Billarderie, the illegitimate son of
Talleyrand, is expected to reel in between $3 million and $5 million. A rare pair of Louis
XVI neoclassical, kingwood, amaranth and bois satiné commodes, dating back to circa
1780, are expected to go for $500,000 to $800,000.
SEXY SHOTS: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are throwing an erotically charged bash
in their Milan men’s store Sunday night. The designers are toasting “Nude Look,” an instore exhibit of photos by Sixties Playboy magazine shutterbug Angelo Frontini. Evidently
snagging the rights to the images was a tricky business, but the designers said it was worth
it to kick off Milan Men’s Fashion Week with a testosterone-fueled bang. “We really want to
celebrate being a man,” Dolce said, adding playfully, “It’s going to be molto hard.”
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
The Beauty Report
Lauder Banking on Beauty With Kohl’s
By Pete Born and Julie Naughton
NEW YORK — The Estée Lauder Cos. took a
leap into its future this week when the new
BeautyBank division unveiled American
Beauty, the first homegrown cosmetics and
skin care brand created inside Lauder since
the advent of Origins in 1990.
The division and Origins have one driving
force in common: William Lauder, who will
assume the role of chief executive of his family’s company next Thursday. During an interview Wednesday, Lauder said while American
Beauty is the first installment of a trio of
major brands that will form an entire beauty
department destined for Kohl’s Department
Stores, this is not a case of Lauder entering
the private label business, but of creating independent brands that will eventually be
marketed elsewhere around the world.
While the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based
retailer — which topped $10 billion in sales
in 2003 — will enjoy an indefinite exclusive
for the U.S. and Canada, Lauder has aspirations of eventually rolling the lines out in
other markets. “The brands have the opportunity to be brought to many other markets,
although there are no concrete plans yet,”
Lauder said.
Dan Brestle, the Lauder group president
who oversees BeautyBank, noted that when
the brands are marketed elsewhere — per- Dan Brestle, Jane Lauder, Jane Hudis and William Lauder.
haps in Europe or Asia — they will likely be
sold as prestige items. Across the three lines, more enter at Kohl’s at launch time.
American Beauty, in addition to being the first
than 600 stockkeeping units are planned, Brestle said,
noting each will have a distinct persona and differing brand unveiled, is also the largest of the three planned.
It will have about 200 sku’s — including more than 70
price structures.
Or, as Jane Hudis, senior vice president and general lip shades, as well as eye shadows, mascaras, eyeliners,
manager of BeautyBank, put it: “All of these brands foundations, pressed powders, moisturizers, repair
products and spa items. The products range in price
have firepower of their own.”
However, Lauder noted, Kohl’s market position from $10 to $12.50 for a lip color to $27 for Beauty Boost
made the retailer the logical choice for the brands’ Overnight Radiance Cream, a 1.7-oz. repair product.
North American debut. “Kohl’s is a great retailer with American Beauty won’t include scent, mostly because
a great niche between traditional mass retailers and Kohl’s already operates a fragrance department.
upscale prestige department stores,” he said. “They However, there is the potential of adding fragrance to
sell brands, and their consumer is very conscious of the overall mix later, said Hudis.
The products also address how women shop, keeping
them, but [Kohl’s] has had little presence in our category. Their consumer has been shopping somewhere shade names consistent across foundation and powder
else for beauty, but she likes shopping in this chan- categories and offering skin care items that don’t have to
nel.” In the past, the only beauty category Kohl’s car- be used as part of a complicated regimen, said Jane
ried was fragrance, an area Lauder doesn’t plan to Lauder, vice president of marketing for American Beauty.
The brands are expected to appeal to women
from 20 to 50, with a majority of users likely to
be thirtysomething suburban mothers.
In addition, American Beauty is the only
one of the three initial brands that will be
driven by national advertising. As reported,
actress Ashley Judd will be the face of American Beauty in a national print advertising
campaign that will break in November fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines, following
the Oct. 1 debut of the three lines. The question of whether Judd will make in-store appearances has gone unanswered, but during
an interview Wednesday, the actress said she
intends to embark on her own private tour of
stores once the line launches.
While executives declined to spell out volume targets or promotional budgets for any
of the planned brands, industry sources estimated American Beauty alone could generate retail sales of $40 million in its first year
on counter. More than $12 million is expected to be spent on advertising and promotional efforts, sources said.
American Beauty and its yet-to-be-revealed sister brands bring a significant point
of difference to the retailer: they are designed to comprise a complete beauty department, just like any other store. Except,
unlike nearly all other cosmetics departments, all of the brands at Kohl’s will come
from one source.
Kohl’s has 589 stores across the U.S., and
plans to add 45 this fall. Initially, the line will
enter 288 Kohl’s stores, and will continue its
rollout market by market. While all three
brands will make their debut in October, they
will not reach full distribution in the chain
until fall 2005. As well, there are hints that a
fourth line is in the works, which could
begin rolling out next summer. The brands
and any future additions will be marketed in
600- to 1,000-square-foot departments bearing the Kohl’s Beauty Boutique banner.
Kevin Mansell, president of Kohl’s, said
during a phone interview Thursday that the
topic of how to enter the beauty category has
been discussed occasionally during 22 years
he has been at Kohl’s. While the store has
built a huge business in catering to women
with families under the banner of brandsvalue-convenience, the chain had not found
an effective way to enter beauty, save offering a few fragrances — which left its customers to shop the category elsewhere.
The decision to recruit a single supplier
for its major entry into beauty, Mansell said,
grew out of the Kohl’s habit of forming partnerships with vendors in building businesses. He noted that Kohl’s top 50 vendors generate 60 percent of the chain’s business.
When the decision was made to enter beauty,
the chain looked for “an industry leader”
with the ability to create brands and imagery.
Lauder, with its then 18 nameplates, fit the
bill as a multi-brand creator, Mansell said.
Mansell added that Kohl’s plans on
strongly promoting the department with an
advertising campaign, including newspaper
inserts and direct mail.
Brestle noted that Lauder also chose to
supply not only products, but an entire department to Kohl’s, complete with sales consultants.
Since Kohl’s has only dabbled in the beauty business
before, “there are no existing rules” for how
American Beauty and its two upcoming sister brands
must be presented, he said, adding that dedicated
salespeople for the beauty items will be hired in
every Kohl’s door, with at least one full-time person
and four to five part-timers in the plans. Lauder will
provide education to the consultants, although they
will be Kohl’s employees.
All of the brands will have dedicated counters with
an assisted self-serve layout, allowing consumers who
know what they’re looking for to quickly service themselves, but also offering those who require more guidance an experienced salesperson. Brestle believes this
will create an atmosphere that will put consumers, especially those intimidated by traditional department
store beauty counters, at ease. “It’s naive to think that
the customers [who will buy these brands] aren’t buying
elsewhere, but we think that we can convince them to
trade up,” he said, adding he expects a lion’s share of
them to come from the mass channel.
“At the end of the day,” Brestle said, “the customer
looks for choice. [With these three lines] we are offering a
different feel and a different breadth. To the consumer,
these are intended to look like three separate lines.” Any
future additions will follow that model, he said.
Kohl’s desire to enter beauty in a big way coincided
with Lauder’s desire to return to the entrepreneurial
spirit on which the company was founded. While
Lauder as a corporation grew by leaps and bounds during the Nineties, all of the brands it added after 1990
were acquired rather than founded in-house. It set a
plan in place to reverse that trend with the founding of
BeautyBank late last year. In fact, Jane Lauder likened
the division to “an indie film company attached to a big
mother ship.” Continuing the homegrown ethos,
BeautyBank pinched top talent from other Lauder divisions, including Hudis, who had previously overseen
the company’s Donna Karan Cosmetics business and
also worked at Prescriptives, and Jane Lauder, who
had held a major marketing role for Stila.
And unlike traditional divisions, which are strictly
segmented, BeautyBank’s personnel — from packaging
designers to senior marketing executives — are seated in open space on one floor of Lauder’s headquarters here. The intention behind that, said Hudis, is to
foster a sense of camaraderie and creativity. “Every
aspect is a team effort,” she said. “We’re breaking a lot
of rules, but the structure has allowed us to create
things very quickly.”
In addition to its presence in Kohl’s stores,
American Beauty will also be available through an ecommerce site, americanbeautycosmetics.com, and
on kohls.com. The first Web site will be up later this
summer, although product sales won’t be a part of the
mix until fall.
PHOTO BY KYLE ERICKSEN
6
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
Dior to Offer Pure Poison
By Jennifer Weil
PARIS — The myth of Poison continues.
Nearly 20 years after launching the provocative blockbuster scent of that name, Parfums Christian Dior will introduce Pure Poison, starting this summer.
“When you have a legendary fragrance in your portfolio,
you have a duty to keep it alive,” said Thomas Du Pre de
Saint Maur, international marketing director for the LVMH
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand’s fragrance
products. “Poison is rooted in the universe of legend.
Everyone remembers it because it gave an outstanding message of seduction.”
It’s a seduction, he said, that while
deeply rooted in the brand’s DNA,
also changes with the times. Pure
Poison represents “a new chapter in
the legend of seduction by Dior,” explained Du Pre de Saint Maur.
The original Poison, from 1985,
was “dark” and about “selfish seduction” — embodying the greedy spirit
of the Eighties, he said.
“Today, seduction is still a major
preoccupation of women, but it has
become more generous,” explained
Du Pre de Saint Maur, citing as an
example the character of elf princess
Arwen in “The Lord of the Rings.”
“She was very pure-hearted,”
he said.
So, too, was Beauty in the fairy
tale “Beauty and the Beast,” a primary reference for the creation of
the Poison scent, which was then followed by Tendre Poison in 1994 and
Dior’s Pure Poison.
Hypnotic Poison in 1998.
Myths, Dior executives believe,
help form women’s realities.
“Is there any young girl that didn’t
dream of being Snow White?” asked Du Pre de Saint Maur.
Since many fairy tales have a phial and a mirror, Dior
created a fragrance bottle with reflective qualities. The flacon recalls Poison’s apple shape but comes with an opalescent sheen that contains shifting colors, thanks to a top-secret “plasma treatment.”
For the scent’s juice, Dior went beyond the looking glass,
as well. International Flavors & Fragrances’ Carlos
Benaim, who worked with Dominique Ropion and Olivier
Polge on the project, said: “Dior always tries to go to the
other side of the mirror, so we looked at the well-known
facets of ingredients and then used their [lesser-used] aspects to do things in a new way.”
For instance, instead of opting to use jasmine’s night-
time, animal-like aroma, Dior chose to include the flower’s
fresh and green morning scent.
Pure Poison opens with top notes of jasmine, sweet orange, bergamot from Calabria and Sicilian mandarin; middle notes include orange blossom and gardenia, and base
notes include sandalwood and white amber.
The advertising campaign, shot by Jean-Baptiste
Mondino under the art direction of Dior’s John Galliano,
will break in single and double pages. It features model
Leticia Birkheuer sporting a black beaded Dior necklace
and balancing the Pure Poison bottle on her fist.
There will also be 20- and 30-second videos destined for
TV and movie theaters.
In the U.S., Pure Poison’s launch
will be supported with a promotional campaign, including ads in
14 magazines, such as Glamour,
Lucky and Oprah, plus more than
14 million scented impressions.
Industry sources estimate promotion alone — including sampling,
inserts and rotaters — will take in
about $3 million for the first year
in the U.S. An additional $2.5 million reportedly will be spent on
print and TV advertising for the
fourth quarter.
“Pure Poison brings magic and
mystery back to the world of fragrance,” said Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of
LVMH’s Perfumes and Cosmetics
Group in the U.S. “From the iridescent white bottle to the seductive
white floral and amber fragrance
to the sexy advertising directed by
[John] Galliano, Pure Poison is
pure Dior.”
While company executives would not discuss projections, industry sources estimate Pure Poison will generate
$60 million in global wholesale sales its first year. Those
sources expect retail sales in the U.S. will reach $10 million
through yearend.
Also in the U.S., Pure Poison will launch at Nordstrom
on Aug. 1 before rolling out to Federated, Saks Fifth
Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Sephora in mid-September.
Global introduction is slated for Sept. 1.
The Pure Poison lineup will include 3.4- and 1.7-oz. eau
de parfum sprays, which will retail for $75 and $55, respectively. There will also be a 6.8-oz. body moisturizer for $31,
a 6.8-oz. shower gel for $25 and a limited-edition 1-oz. eau
de parfum spray for $41.
— With contributions from
Brid Costello and Jenny B. Fine
Kenzo Embarks on Worldwide Rollout of KenzoAir
PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER
NEW YORK — Kenzo will introduce its latest men’s scent, lion, in the first year after the rollout. In the U.S. market,
called KenzoAir, in the U.S., as well as other world mar- which represents about 3 percent of Kenzo’s beauty busikets, in September. The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis ness, the scent will be distributed at Nordstrom and
Vuitton-owned brand launched the blend of vetiver and Sephora USA, about 180 doors.
“We’d like to develop in the U.S. in selective distrianise accords in France and Italy last fall and now will
bution,” said Lobadowsky, and “let confollow with Germany, Spain, Latin America
sumers discover the brand.” A major hurand Asia, in addition to the U.S.
dle to customers “understanding the phiThe firm hopes the initiative will help
losophy of Kenzo,” she added, is identifyboost Parfums Kenzo sales by 60 percent in
ing the ideal venues to show off the comthe next few years. Kenzo’s beauty busiplete assortment, or “story,” as Lobadness reportedly generates wholesale sales
owsky likes to say. KenzoAir is the
of 170 million euros, or $205.5 million at
brand’s fourth men’s scent. It joins Kencurrent exchange rates, which is about half
zo’s six women’s fragrances and KenzoKi
of the overall Kenzo fashion and accessory
skin care line.
franchise’s sales worldwide.
The September rollout of KenzoAir will
The firm marked the coming worldwide
feature a slightly tweaked version of the
rollout at the Mercer Hotel here on Monscent’s original frosted glass bottle, a piece
day. Parfums Kenzo president and chief exthat’s reminiscent of an ice cube but is inecutive Odile Lobadowsky and creative ditended as an abstract representation of a
rector Patrick Guedj gathered along with
portion of sky, according to Guedj. Glass
North American general manager Philippe
producer Saint-Gobain Desjonqueres
Lesne for a daylong event and private dinOdile Lobadowsky and
made the wavy, opaque bottle slightly
ner Monday.
Patrick Guedj
more transparent and an interior blue col“It’s significant, very important,” Lobadoring was made brighter.
owsky said of Kenzo’s beauty business,
A 50-ml. eau de toilette spray and a 90-ml. eau de toiwhich has more than doubled worldwide, she added, in
the past four years. Added Guedj, “The inspiration for the lette will be available in the U.S. for $50 and $65, respecfashion comes from the fragrance and [vice versa]. It’s an tively. Ancillaries, including shower gel, deodorant spray,
deodorant stick, aftershave lotion and aftershave balm,
exchange between the different parts of the company.”
Industry sources estimated KenzoAir could generate will accompany KenzoAir.
global wholesale sales of 20 million euros, or $24.2 mil— Matthew W. Evans
The L’Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme ad.
Guerlain Launching
L’Instant Pour Homme
PARIS — Guerlain plans to seduce men in an
instant this fall.
The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned
brand will introduce L’Instant de Guerlain Pour
Homme, a male partner for its women’s fragrance
L’Instant de Guerlain, which was introduced last year.
The new scent is meant to add muscle to
Guerlain’s men’s fragrance business now driven by
the Habit Rouge and Vetiver scents, which are 39
and 45 years old, respectively.
“Clearly, we have potential in the segment,”
said Renato Semerari, president and managing
director at Guerlain. He added that following the
launch of L’Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme,
men’s scents should generate 35 percent of the
brand’s total fragrance business, versus the less
than 30 percent they comprise today.
Semerari declined to discuss sales projections
for L’Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme, but industry
sources estimate it could generate $20 million in
wholesale sales during its first 12 months.
The new men’s scent is meant to be the perfect
mate for L’Instant de Guerlain.
“It completes the story about a couple, a love story
between a man and a woman,” said Semerari, adding,
“The women’s side [of the story] was about the magic
of a moment when everything changes. The men’s talks
about taking action to change life, it’s more proactive.”
There’s continuity in L’Instant de Guerlain Pour
Homme’s advertising, as well. The fragrance’s print
visual pictures model Sergio Muniz stroking Ingrid
Parewijck’s back as they stand in front of a window. The
scene recalls L’Instant de Guerlain’s ad in which only
Muniz’s hands are visible on Parewijck’s back. The
men’s campaign, shot by Azim Haidaryan and directed
by Tho Van Tran of Air agency, will break as single pages
and double-page spreads. There will also be cinema and
TV ads, as well as sampling, including scent strips.
The design of L’Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme’s
bottle, created by Jerome Faillant Dumas of Love
agency, echoes that of its female counterpart, in part.
While both are rectangular, heavy glass bottles, the
men’s bottle has a dark Bakelite cap, while the
women’s is topped with a translucent glass stopper.
Whereas the lower part of the feminine scent’s flacon
is tinted amethyst, the masculine flacon’s bottom
section is engraved with vertical lines.
The scent’s juice, concocted by International
Flavors and Fragrances’ Beatrice Piquet and
Guerlain’s director of evaluation and development
Sylvaine Delacourte, is a luminous woody. Its notes
include lemon, bergamot, star anise, pepper,
jasmine petals, Mysore sandalwood, Lapsang tea,
bitter cocoa beans, hibiscus seeds and patchouli.
The eau de toilette will be available as 75- and
125-ml. sprays that will retail for $54.40 and $78 at
current exchange, or 45 euros and 64.50 euros,
respectively, in France. The ancillary line for L’Instant
de Guerlain Pour Homme includes two deodorants, a
hair-and-body wash and an aftershave lotion.
The new scent will bow worldwide in
September, except for the U.S., where the
fragrance is expected to be on counters in 2005.
— Brid Costello
7
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
The Beauty Report
Ferré Set to Launch Fragrance Duo
Miyake’s New Eau for Men
By Jennifer Weil
By Stephanie Epiro
any new fragrance licenses that were up for grabs,
Martone laughed, “ITF is not about collecting licensMILAN — Nearly a year after Gianfranco
es — that’s not our style. If anything interesting
Ferré launched his younger clothing line,
comes along, then of course we’ll look into it, but
called GF Ferré, Italian perfume power
for the moment we are busy with the licenses we
ITF has unveiled the label’s first frahave,” he said.
grance duo.
The GF Ferré flacons, created by Serge
The fragrances, called GF Ferré LeiMansau, have metal caps on the tall narrow clear
Her and GF Ferré Lui-Him, will be on
glass bottles that reveal the colored juice — a
shelves in Italy in September. The launch
pale violet for Lei-Her, and a pale blue for Luiplans also include a September introduction
Him. The outer packaging features chromatic
in the U.S. and a rollout to the rest of Europe
versions of the colors. Designer Gianfranco
in October and November. The distribution
Ferré said the decision to color the juice was to
plan includes some 8,000 doors worldwide, incommunicate the youth of the fragrances.
cluding 1,400 doors projected for Italy and 150
“We wanted to make these fragrances
doors initially in the U.S., including
young visually as well as olfactively,” said
Nordstrom. Full U.S. distribution is expected to
Ferré. “The colors and the chroming effects
eventually reach 400 to 450 doors by next year.
are testimony to the freshness, energy and
Roberto Martone, president of ITF, said he
poetry to this young project. The colors
expects the duo to pull in $18.2 million, or 15
represent the soul of GF Ferré.”
Visuals for the dual launch were shot by
million euros at current exchange rates, globAmerican photographer R. Phibbs and
ally by yearend. In the U.S., industry sources
feature a couple: Brazilian model
estimate the scents could combine to generate
Alexander Varaga and Russian model
wholesale sales of between $3 million and $5
Anya Dubik. The image is intended to
million during the duo’s first year on counter.
evoke the fragrances’ “Get Free” tag
According to the licensing deal, Gianfranco
line. The scents will be advertised in the
Ferré will take 35 percent of the profits that the
United States via a print ad campaign
fragrances earn.
in selected national and regional publiThe scents are aimed at younger fragrance
cations. Sources estimate about $1 million
wearers, aged between 20 and 35 years. The inspiwill be spent on the print effort in the U.S.
ration, according to designer Gianfranco Ferré, was
The Lei-Her scent belongs to the fruitythe outlook of today’s youth.
floral family and was created by Symrise.
“Young people in the new millennium have inTop notes include lychee, apple sorbet
spired the new GF Ferré Lui-Him and Lei-Her
and cassis; middle notes include rose
fragrances, and with them, their needs, dreams
petals and magnolia, and bottom notes
and their way of grasping the world and reacting
consist of Virginia cedarwood and white
to it,” said Ferré. “GF means looking ahead, and
amber. International Flavors &
that’s what the inspiration for these fragrances
Fragrances created the masculine frais — the future, new ways of dressing and new
grance Lui-Him, which belongs to the
ways of being in a modern world.”
spicy-woody-aromatic family. Top notes inMartone said he believes the fragrances
clude Calabrian bergamot and cardamom
will quickly garner sales from their target
from Guatemala, middle notes of coriander
group due to their accessibility in price and
and nutmeg and bottom notes of Indonesian
attractive packaging.
patchouli and Moroccan cedarwood.
“Today customers are more price-sensiThe fragrances will be available in Europe
tive; consumers want a famous fashion
in two sizes, a 30-ml. eau de toilette spray for
brand but don’t want to pay a lot of money
$35, or 29 euros, and a 60-ml. eau de toilette
for it,” said Martone.
spray for $49.60, or 41 euros. Both fragrances
The fragrance duo is the second
are accompanied by bath and body ancillaries:
Gianfranco Ferré launch ITF has conducta 200-ml. shower gel priced at $18.10, or 15
ed since acquiring the Gianfranco Ferré
euros; a 100-ml. spray deodorant for $20.60, or
perfume license. Martone said ITF’s
17 euros, and a 200-ml. Lei-Her body lotion for
launch program for Ferré included a dis$20.60, or 17 euros, and a 75-ml. Lui-Him deodortributor cleanup and plans for a men’s
ant priced at $24.20, or 20 euros.
Gianfranco Ferré fragrance launch in
In the U.S., the fragrances will be available in
October 2005.
a 2-oz. size for $52. Lei-Her spray deodorant and
“We wanted to revitalize the brand,
bath and shower gel will be priced at $25 each. A
increase distributors and stop distribuwomen’s body lotion will be priced at $30. Men’s
tion in those doors that were not profshampoo and spray deodorant will retail for $25
itable anymore,” said Martone. “It’s a
new concept that’s working brilliantly GF Ferré Lei-Her each. A men’s deodorant stick will retail for $23.
and GF Ferré Luiwith the Ferré fragrance portfolio.”
— With contributions from
When asked about plans to acquire Him fragrances.
Matthew W. Evans in New York
Desazars to Head BPI’s U.S. Operations
NEW YORK — Paris-based Beauté Prestige International remain that way.”
Using Gaultier’s existing Le Male fragrance brand
has appointed Louis Desazars president of its New Yorkbased subsidiary. Desazars will take the helm of BPI as an example, Desazars spoke of the potential in the
U.S. Given Le Male’s reported 6 percent
USA on July 1, three months after Maggie
market share and turnover of 100 million
Ciafardini exited BPI as executive vice preseuros, or $121 million, in Europe,
ident and general manager. She subseDesazars maintains that there’s room for
quently joined YSL Beauté to head its U.S.
growth in the U.S., especially since BPI’s
operations.
U.S. distribution numbers only 800 doors,
Eric Henry, BPI’s chief operating officer,
compared to 8,000 in Europe. Le Male rehas overseen U.S. operations in the interim.
portedly generates $12 million in wholeHenry introduced Desazars, 40, during the
sale sales in its limited U.S. distribution.
U.S. presentation of Issey Miyake’s new men’s
Desazars believes developing the business
scent. [See related story, this page.]
“What a challenge,” Desazars remarked
in those existing doors is key.
Aside from the launch of Miyake’s newly
while discussing his new assignment after
Wednesday’s event. “The U.S. is the biggest
minted scent in September, another of
worldwide market, for one, and the company
Desazars’ initial tasks will be the rollout of
has given me another challenge — to boost
Rodriguez’s scent to Bloomingdale’s in the
Louis Desazars
our brands in this market.” While Desazars
same month. It is said to be the number one
serves out his last week as vice president of
scent at Saks Fifth Avenue, where it has been
Europe for BPI, he’s wasted no time setting his sights carried exclusively chainwide since launching last fall.
on the U.S. “Jean Paul Gaultier does well in the U.S.
Prior to joining BPI in 1996, Desazars had run various
but it has to do better,” he said. “With Narciso regional businesses for Parfums Christian Dior since 1988.
Rodriguez, the U.S. is the biggest market, but it has to
— M.W.E.
DESAZARS PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE
8
PARIS — Issey Miyake’s aquatic adventure continues.
One decade after the launch of L’Eau d’Issey Pour
Homme, the Japanese designer and his beauty licensee
Beauté Prestige International are set to introduce L’Eau
Bleue d’Issey Pour Homme, a scent meant to boost Miyake’s
men’s business and lure a younger demographic, this fall.
“It is a major launch for the brand, which has had no introduction for six years,” since Le Feu d’Issey, said Eric
Henry, chief operating officer at BPI. “It is a big event and
a new expression of the brand.”
“We are really proud of the fragrance. It is not a
flanker,” said Remy Gomez, BPI’s president. “It is a new
product, fully.”
While company executives would not divulge numbers,
industry sources estimate the scent — whose core consumer is expected to be the 25-to-35 set, slightly younger
than that of L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme — could ring up $48
million in retail sales during its first 12 months. In the U.S.
alone, sources added, the scent could generate roughly $7
million in first-year wholesale sales.
Among the project’s starting points, according to Gomez,
was the idea of water as a source of life and Atlantis, the
legendary sunken island.
“Atlantis was the theme, but
how to express it in bottle
form?” asked Gomez.
Miyake’s answer was to dream
up and create for L’Eau Bleue
d’Issey Pour Homme an upright
cobalt-colored, rhombus-shaped
glass flacon topped with a silverhued metal cap that is engraved
with the brand’s name. Its outer
packaging is fronted with a white
panel with large blue lettering.
The box’s side and back plains are
also of cobalt blue.
BPI executives said there’s no
fear the new men’s scent will
steal business from L’Eau d’Issey
Pour Homme, which they believe
has a faithful clientele and differs
all around.
“L’Eau Bleue d’Issey Pour
Homme is in a totally different olfactive territory than L’Eau d’Issey
Pour Homme,” said Henry.
L’Eau Bleue d’Issey
“L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Pour Homme
is like a geyser; this [new] fragrance is like the serenity of water, when you go inside
pure water,” explained Firmenich’s Jacques Cavallier, the
perfumer behind all of Miyake’s scents. “Imagine an ocean
without salt.”
The new scent was concocted to be enveloping, warmer
than L’Eau d’Issey, but still light, added Marielle Belin, vice
president of Issey Miyake Parfums.
Note-wise, there is nothing in common between the two
Miyake men’s juices, said Cavallier. The new fragrance, an
aromatic woody, includes top notes of tangerine, lemon
grass, elemi pepper, badian star anis and rosemary; middle
notes of ginger absolute, rose of May absolute, palma rosa,
pink pepper and capuchin, and base notes of patchouli,
sandalwood and ambrette.
“For me, it was clear about how to create an image of deepness without creating something marine or heavy or dark,”
said Cavallier. “I spoke with Issey and he made it very clear.”
The print advertising campaign for the new men’s scent,
shot by Tyen, will include a single-page shot of L’Eau Bleue
d’Issey Pour Homme’s bottle. It will break in numerous countries including the U.S., a first for the Miyake fragrance brand.
The new scent is slated for launch Sept. 1 in the U.K.,
where Harrods will have an exclusive, and in the U.S.,
where Bloomingdale’s will have a three-week exclusive.
The U.S. introduction will then be extended to Sephora before the countrywide rollout takes place. The rest of the
world is due to get the scent Oct. 1.
The L’Eau Bleue d’Issey Pour Homme lineup will include 125- and 75-ml. eau de toilette sprays, for $78.50 and
$54.40 at current exchange rates, or 65 euros and 45 euros,
respectively, in France. The 200-ml. shower gel will go for
$29, or 24 euros.
Henry and U.S.-based BPI executives gathered for a
launch event at the New York Public Library’s Celeste Bartos
Forum Wednesday morning. “We are expecting a lot from
this launch — it’s a key opportunity for us,” Henry remarked.
“We’re reinforcing our market share with Issey Miyake and
the new men’s fragrance will be helpful in that respect.
“Our mission,” he continued, “is to establish a long-term
success, a new men’s classic for 10 years to come.”
— With contributions from M.W.E.
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
MGM Makes Beauty Premiere
NEW YORK — There’s always been synergy between
Hollywood and the beauty business.
Now, MGM Consumer Products is hoping that link
will kick off a fruitful licensing business for the logo.
The first starring products will be four shades of a
foundation called MGM Premiere.
“We decided cosmetics fit as a natural extension
to our Hollywood icon that represents an image and
lifestyle and the feeling of glamour established by
the likes of Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow and Judy
Garland,” said Travis Rutherford, senior vice president MGM Consumer Products and Interactive.
Rutherford believes MGM is well suited to make
the foray into beauty, thanks to the high recognition
of the brand and the image it conjures. Metro
Goldwyn Mayer has the highest unaided awareness of all studios, with 74 percent of those polled
knowing the name, according to research from
MindClick Group Inc.
MGM also has teamed up with another medium
— television — to see if that awareness can produce rave reviews. MGM’s Premiere foundation
bowed during Thursday night’s Beauty Solutions
segment on QVC. Dollar figures were not known at
press time, but QVC executives were optimistic
about the launch.
“We get so many options on our desk that our
commitment to this proves the potential we see,”
said Allen Burke, director of beauty and cosmetics
at QVC. “This is an interesting proposition. There
is a clear movie culture and there is a connection
to films and makeup, especially foundation.
Foundation is such a big part of our business that
we think the rationale behind it is strong.”
Makeup artist Cheri Minns demonstrated the
foundations during an eight-minute makeover segment using two models. Minns has 25 years of experience as a makeup artist and worked on MGM films
including “Honeymoon in Vegas” and
“The Birdcage.” She demonstrated the
four shades of the foundation — ivory,
beige, walnut and espresso. The formula
is designed to provide a flawless finish
that doesn’t rub off easily on clothing.
In a market where J.Lo and Jessica
Simpson are becoming the new faces of beauty, promoting a
Hollywood icon as a foundation is not seen by some experts as
a far stretch. Industry sources estimate the initial products
could surpass $1 million in sales with ease.
According to Rutherford, MGM is delivering the name
and marketing experience. A manufacturing partner,
Absolute Amenities, is charged with producing the products. Absolute Amenities has established private label
TOP NOTES
LAUDER AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY: The late
Estée Lauder was among the honorees at the
White House on Wednesday, when her sons
Leonard and Ronald Lauder accepted the
Presidential Medal of Freedom from President
George W. Bush. The Medal of Freedom is the
nation’s highest civil award, which recognizes
achievement in public service, science,
education, entertainment, the arts, athletics
and business. Bush presented medals to 13
recipients this year, including Pope John Paul
II, who received his award three weeks ago in
Vatican City, Arnold Palmer, Rita Moreno and
Doris Day. In bestowing the award, Bush said
Lauder’s name “became one of the most
famous American names in the world.” The
president quoted Estée Lauder, saying that
“she built a global cosmetics company, ‘not
by dreaming, or hoping for it, but by working
for it.’” In a fitting gesture that would have
made his mother beam, Leonard Lauder
actually helped the President out after he
fumbled with the clasp on the back of the
medal for a fellow recipient and handed it to
him instead of hanging it around his neck in
the East Room of the White House. Lauder
leaned over, quickly unfastened the clasp and
slipped it over the honoree’s head.
beauty care lines for specialty stores.
QVC has become a perfect test market for launching new products. At the recent WWD CEO Beauty
Summit in Miami, QVC’s president of U.S. Commerce
Darlene Daggett praised the power of beauty and
how marketers can get immediate feedback from
QVC viewers. Brands such as Philosophy, Beauty
Escentuals and Prescriptives have found new life via
the wavelengths on QVC.
“We think QVC is a good match for our target audience,” said Rutherford. QVC now reaches more than
85 million American homes and ships more than 107
million units of all types of merchandise per year.
Although QVC is the initial point of distribution,
Rutherford hopes MGM Premiere will expand to
other beauty venues, especially specialty stores.
Based on consumer acceptance, MGM also plans
to extend into color, skin and hair products all
priced in the $25 to $30 range. The first planned
extension area is in eye kits, followed by face kits.
“We’ll know more about rolling it out after we see
how well the initial products perform,” said
Rutherford. “We want to do this right. We want to
make sure we have a solid place in the marketplace and expand strategically.”
Despite the connection between Hollywood and
makeup, there have been no other examples of
Hollywood properties inking deals for beauty
launches. Max Factor, however, has done a credible
job tying its makeup to the movie business, and
Revlon has recently reaped sales blips by dovetailing
color promotions with theatrical films. Rutherford
said MGM is eyeing other natural product extensions
to lend its name to such as consumer electronics and
loungewear. “But you won’t just see MGM on products where there isn’t a value to using the name,” he
cautioned. “We want to marry the consumer experience and the product.”
●
●
●
Critical Mass
Rite Aid recently completed a monthlong promotion of Almay Cosmetics. Rite
Aid turned to Cosmetic Promotions Inc.
to help staff and promote the event,
which included four-hour makeover
events at 600 stores.
The chain used dollars-off coupons, counter cards and ballot boxes to help tout the event. Several Almay beauty baskets
were raffled off in sweepstakes.
The demonstrators were able to sell what normally takes
several weeks in only four hours, according to Joann Tyson,
president of Cosmetic Promotions. In total, almost 3,000
makeovers were performed. Rite Aid sales of Almay products
were up 38 percent for the month, Tyson added.
By Faye Brookman
Leonard and Ronald Lauder
with President Bush.
NEW LASZLO PRESIDENT: Jana Reichle has
been appointed president and general
manager worldwide of Erno Laszlo, a skin care
brand operated by Cradle Holdings. In her
new position, Reichle will oversee global
marketing, sales, product development,
training and operations. Saul A. Fox, chairman
of Cradle Holdings and chief executive of Fox
Paine & Co. LLC, Cradle’s primary owner, said,
“We are very fortunate to have an
accomplished executive with Jana’s breadth
and depth of experience join Cradle
Holdings.” Reichle most recently served as
president of Berard Associates, a strategic
design and marketing consulting firm. Reichle
also has served in various senior executive
capacities within Avon Products Co.
Perfumery Congress Held in Cannes
The WPC explored the state of the business.
“We must figure out a way to make fine fragrance an object of desire, a gift of choice, a precious gift with emotional value — not just
price value,” he said.
Many speakers at the WPC stressed the need to put a stronger
emphasis on creativity. Jean-Pierre Subrenat, chairman of WPC
2004 and president of Creative Concepts Corp., noted in his opening
address that 227 new scents were introduced last year.
“Are they all qualitative and creative enough to survive?” he
asked. “Are we creating new perfumes, or are we subjecting consumers to our version of elevator music?”
But, despite such pressing issues in a glum fragrance market, executives managed to see a silver lining. As Nicolas Mirzayantz, vice
president of global business development, fine fragrance and toiletries at International Flavors & Fragrances, said, “Historically, a
renaissance always comes after a period of slow growth.”
— Brid Costello
LAUDER PHOTO BY KYLE SAMPERTON; MGM PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA
CANNES, France — How best to pull the global fragrance industry out
of the doldrums was among the main points discussed at the World
Perfumery Congress, a five-day event that began June 1 here.
The event, which included conferences and a trade show, attracted
1,300 attendees, 20 percent more than the last session held in 2001.
Neil Fiske, chief executive officer of Bath & Body Works and co-author of “Trading Up: The Transformative Power of Mass Luxury Brands,”
tackled the issue by drawing helpful hints from other industries.
Fiske highlighted numerous brands that have been able to revitalize their businesses by trading up, or adding a more prestigious element to their marketing mix. Fiske pointed to Victoria’s Secret’s
launch of its Body by Victoria lingerie line as an example. Before it
was introduced, he said the general belief was that significant volume could not be generated with bras priced over $20. But because
of the new product’s technical innovation and the emotional connection it created with consumers via the tag line “All you see is
curves,” Body by Victoria, priced at $34, soon became a bestseller.
So, while the brand’s average price for a bra rose from $15.50 in
1995 to $26 after the Body by Victoria launch, the average amount
spent per bra in U.S. department stores remained stagnant at $15 in
the same period.
Fiske said there have been similar successful trading-up phenomena in other industries, including the growth of upscale casual
restaurants and high-end vodka brands.
“Among the industries absent from the trading-up phenomenon is the
fragrance industry,” he said. “There have been no major breakthroughs,
and there isn’t a super-premium segment on a significant scale.”
Peter Lichtenthal, senior vice president of global marketing at
Estée Lauder, focused on the importance of finding the right market
for fine fragrances.
“We are at a critical crossroads,” Lichtenthal said. “We have to
decide if we will trade fragrance further down or back up.”
Lichtenthal noted that in recent years, fragrances have lost their
stature as first-option gifts, due to ramped-up competition from
items in other sectors, including electrical goods and gourmet food.
LANCOME SIGNS ROBERTSON: Lancôme has
just added a new star — Jamaican model
and actress Georgianna Robertson — to its
constellation of spokesmodels. “Her
personality, which is very much open to the
world and to others, and her generosity are a
magnificent reflection of the values of
universality we cherish at Lancôme,” stated
Marc Dubrule, international general
manager of the L’Oréal-owned brand.
Robertson was already featured in
advertising for Lancôme’s Purple Rain
makeup collection for fall-winter 2002 and
its Color ID foundation line. In other brandrelated news, Lancôme is giving its L’Institut
Lancôme a facelift. The space — a boutique
and beauty institute on the rue du Faubourg
Saint Honore here — is set to reopen in
September after it is revamped to resemble
the Lancôme concept store that debuted in
Hong Kong last year. It will have a selling
space on its first floor and six treatment
rooms on the second level. The brand also
recently opened a concept store in Shanghai
and is planning to open one in Seoul, plus a
third Hong Kong door by yearend.
9
10
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
The HBA Report
New Moms Targeted With Belli
By Allison Altmann
NEW YORK — When Annette Rubin became pregnant two years ago, she knew not to
drink coffee or alcohol, but she became curious when she read an article warning
pregnant women not to dye their hair. According to the article, certain toxic chemicals can seep through the scalp and harm the baby.
Rubin, who was an account executive at Estée Lauder at the time, immediately saw a niche in the beauty
Belli Cosmetics
industry that needed to be filled.
skin care items.
“I was very familiar with what was sold at the cosmetic department, [but] I couldn’t find anything that
spoke to the specific concerns of pregnancy,” Rubin said.
In January, Rubin, along with her husband, Dr. Jason
Rubin, launched Belli Cosmetics, a Seattle-based company that makes skin care items formulated specifically for new moms’ and moms-to-bes’ skin care needs.
There are 10 items in the line, with Elasticity Belli Oil
a top seller, one that is tailored to prepare skin for stretching. Stretchmark Minimizing Cream formulated with
darutoside, a plant molecule shown in research to help
minimize the appearance of stretch marks, is another top
seller. Another product in the Belli line is a Foot Relief
Cream. Prices range from $5 for Belli Soothers, a holistic
candy, to $60 for the Stretchmark Minimizing Cream.
Currently, Belli is sold in 165 doors, including A Pea
in the Pod, Pickles and Ice Cream, Nordstrom and
select spas and boutiques. In the past six months, Belli
has generated approximately $500,000 in retail sales,
according to sources.
What makes Rubin’s line stand apart from others on the market is that hers, she
said, uses only ingredients safe for fetal development. Rubin added that she conducts exhaustive research on each potential ingredient using an independent
national prenatal toxicology database.
For further medical support, Rubin and her husband turned to nursing journals.
There they found that pregnant women have been effectively treated for upset stomachs using lemon and peppermint, a finding that led to the addition of the two scents
to many Belli items, and the development of a holistic candy.
“We are the go-to line that has done all of that testing….It is our goal to set the new
standard of safety in the industry,” said Rubin.
In addition to safe and effective products, Rubin wanted to make Belli luxurious.
In pursuit of this goal, the Rubins conducted focus
groups where expectant moms chose their favorite
scents and described their dream products.
From this research, Rubin learned that expectant
moms often cease using their favorite fragrance and opt
for a clean smell rather than a strong scent. Lavender
was an overwhelming favorite and was consequently
included as a key aromatherapy scent in many Belli
items, such as the Comfort Cleansing Body Wash.
As of July 1, Belli will launch in Bath & Body
Works’ 10 flagships nationwide, including stores in
Dadeland, Fla.; Houston; Woodfield, Ill.; Copley
Plaza, Mass., and South Coast Plaza, Calif. Industry
sources estimate the company could ring up $5 million in sales for the year.
Despite the sales potential, successfully educating
consumers is as important to the executive couple as
increasing profits, which is why they personally train
retail salespeople on topical precautions.
“Women need more education about common skin
care concerns when they are pregnant,” said Dr. Rubin,
the co-founder who serves as the company’s medical
director. “Not many people realize they are prone to
[skin discoloration] after they become pregnant.”
In the works at Belli is Belli L.A.B., for Life After Baby. The line is designed to help
moms cope with post-childbirth skin care needs such as an invigorating eye treatment
to defend against the signs of sleepless nights, and a mild antibacterial hand wash
that won’t cause dryness with repeated cleansing, which is required of new parents.
PARIS — Parfums Azzaro plans to boost its presence
Azzaro
on women’s fragrance counters by growing the
Visit for
franchise it kicked off last year with Visit for Men.
Women.
Groupe Clarins, which owns the Azzaro fashion
brand’s beauty business, will introduce Visit for
Women starting in October.
To date, Azzaro’s men’s scents, which include
Chrome and Azzaro pour Homme, generate about 85
percent of its total fragrance sales.
Gerard Delcour, president and chief executive
officer of Parfums Azzaro, said while it is good to
be strong in the men’s market, “it’s also good to
[have a strong position] on the feminine side,
which represents 65 percent of the worldwide
fragrance market.”
Following the launch of Visit for Women, Delcour
hopes Azzaro’s women’s fragrances will progressively
grow to represent 25 to 30 percent of the brand’s
total business.
While executives at the company declined to
divulge sales estimates, industry sources believe Visit
for Women could generate $7.3 million in wholesale
volume in France in its first 12 months.
While the advertising campaign for Visit for Men
is about a man’s encounter with a mysterious,
unseen woman, the visuals for Visit for Women reveal her identity. The new ads, shot by
photographer Anne Menke, picture model Anna Huber opening a door, presumably to Olivier
Bjerrhus, the face of Visit for Men.
“It’s like a teasing campaign,” said Patrice Vizioz, international marketing director at Parfums
Azzaro. “[Visit for Men] was the first act. Now, we’re seeing the second.”
The two scenarios may be played off one another, as Azzaro could run the visuals as two halfpage ads on opposite sides of double-page spreads. An outdoor poster campaign is planned
during the holiday season.
Sampling will include 1.2-ml. sprays and 5-ml. miniatures.
Federico Restrepo and Parfums Azzaro’s marketing team designed Visit for Women’s red
glass, upright bottle, which is half covered in metal.
The amber woody floral juice was concocted by International Flavors and Fragrances’ Domitille
Michalon and Olivier Polge. Its notes include pepper, bitter orange tree leaves, jasmine, rose
absolute, Bulgarian rose essence, cedar essence, cashmeran, patchouli, tonka bean and amber.
A lighter version of Visit for Women’s juice may also be made available in some Asian
countries, said Delcour.
The eau de parfum will come in 25-, 50- and 75-ml. sprays that will retail for $47, $71 and
$91 at current exchange, or 39 euros, 59 euros and 75 euros, respectively, in France. There will
also be a 200-ml. body lotion retailing for $40, or 33 euros.
Visit for Women will first bow in France, Belgium and Switzerland in October. Then, it will be
introduced in Italy and Germany in time for Valentine’s Day 2005 and South America by March.
The rest of Europe will get the scent by Easter and Asia by the end of 2005, the same year the
U.S. is expected to start selling Visit for Women.
Countries’ domestic launches will take place in tandem with travel-retail introductions.
— Caitlin Murtha
— Brid Costello
BELLI AND I-BELLA PHOTOS BY ROBERT MITRA
I-Bella Plans for Growth Azzaro Revisits Beauty Market
NEW YORK — A former Avon lady has come calling on the beauty business.
Wendy Clark, the onetime general manager of the Avon Salon and Spa, based here,
has begun rolling out hair care products for color-treated locks with her new company,
I-Bella, and this fall will expand her offerings with personal care products.
Clark is keeping distribution tight, taking her line into top-tier salons in the U.S. Her
aim is to have 200 salon and spa doors by yearend.
I-Bella’s products are formulated with antioxidants derived from olive leaf extract,
keratin protein and natural botanicals, aloe, chamomile and rosemary, she noted. The
current hair care line includes cleansers, conditioners, styling and finishing products
ranging from $18 to $22.
Two new hair care
products, specifically created
for the summer months,
rolled out this month: Leavein Styler-Conditioner, $18,
and Maximum Hold Finishing
Mist for $20. Both give the
customer, according to Clark,
“the maximum flexibility with
the least number of
products.” She’s particularly
proud of her leave-in stylerconditioner, noting it makes
strong antihumidity claims, as
well as promising no tangles
and smooth texture.
Clark said the salon-spa
experience offers “one-stop
shopping,” and added she
strongly believes dedicated
specialists, along with strong
product knowledge, will
I-Bella products.
ultimately result in better
customer service — and generate higher average sales.
This fall, I-Bella will add personal care products to the mix. Its upcoming Home and Body
Collection consists of four stockkeeping units, designed to “provide the ultimate hydrating
experience.” They include Rejuvenating Body Wash, 8 oz. for $15; Body Lotion, 8 oz. for
$15; a purse-size Hand Lotion, 3 oz. for $15 and Romantic Liner Spray, 8 oz. for $18.
All the products have been created to complement the existing line, said Clark,
because “for the consumer, it can be frustrating to have more than one fragrance while
using a product.” While she wouldn’t comment on projected sales for the Home and Body
Collection, industry sources estimated it could do about $700,000 in its first year on
counter. Sources estimated the company will produce retail sales of about $3 million in
the next 12 months.
And Clark coyly hinted she would consider a move back into the direct-service
business at some point. When asked whether she had any interest in eventually opening a
spa-salon under the I-Bella name, she playfully responded, “Never say never!” In addition
to her experience at the Avon Salon and Spa, Clark also helped open the John Barrett
Salon at Bergdorf Goodman.
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
11
Saving Face at Wal-Mart
tive bonuses to hiring goals.
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart’s sales “already feel a little sluggish this quarter,” noted
NEW YORK — Wal-Mart has lot of ruffled feathers to smooth.
Darrell Rigby, director of Bain & Co.’s retail practice. “If only three or four people out
Facing the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history, the retailer must of 100 customers decide to shop elsewhere, sales could flatten.”
ensure that costs springing from the case don’t convert into long-term losses with
The biggest impact, he believes, will be on Wal-Mart’s labor costs, historically a sigshareholders, associates and its predominantly female customer base.
nificant competitive advantage.
Edith Weiner, a futurist and president of Weiner, Edrich, Brown said consumers, when
“Wal-Mart may need to adjust its hiring, training, evaluation, compensation, promaking buying decisions, are interested in four factors: price, quality, convenmotion and termination policies. These systems need to adapt quickly and
ience and assortment. While some retail issues such as customer service
significantly, and that could affect its competitive strategy,” Rigby
and availability of product may give one retailer the edge over a
noted. “Keep in mind that Wal-Mart currently enjoys a 20 percent
competitor, if those considerations are equal at both stores, then
cost advantage over major competitors. Labor costs account
reputation could become the deciding factor, she noted.
for nearly a third of that advantage.”
“For all the negative publicity that Wal-Mart has for
Ellen I. Rosen, a visiting scholar at Brandeis
abusing people, if consumers are shopping for eggs,
University in Waltham, Mass., has interviewed about 50
corn flakes and shampoo, they’ll still go into Wal-Mart.
current and former Wal-Mart employees for a book
If they want dishes, underwear or fashionable picshe plans to publish next year on Wal-Mart’s relationture frames, they may head to their nearest Target,”
ship with women. Several people she interviewed
Weiner observed.
have gone to work at Target after leaving Wal-Mart.
Robert Passikoff, president of customer-loyalty
“One woman I spoke to who had done that said
specialist Brand Keys, noted: “The measure that
she received better training, and that she felt
one takes is whether people will still go into the
you could do a good job and be rewarded for it,”
store to buy and continue their buying patterns
Rosen noted.
when determining the strength of the loyalty to
Jeffrey A. Hyman, a lawyer with Denver firm
the Wal-Mart brand. Unless there will be an onLohf Shaiman Jacobs Hyman & Feiger, said he’s
going and constant attack on the brand on a daygotten at least a dozen calls in the last 18 months
by-day basis, much like we saw with the bad
about gender discrimination at Wal-Mart. He’s
news with Martha Stewart, there won’t be much
litigated or settled about 30 cases in the past
decade against Wal-Mart.
impact on Wal-Mart.” Passikoff noted that corpo“The Smiley Face ads you see on TV is not
rations, like Wal-Mart, that sponsor local, semiwhat you get in the actual workforce,” he said.
professional sports teams see that as having a
“They are trying to change but they are a bit
greater impact on reputation than issues of emJohnny-come-lately. It’s a gigantic undertaking they
ployment discrimination.
have on the line to redo their employment practices
Still, that doesn’t stop observers from worrying the
as far as women are concerned.”
lawsuit will fray the Bentonville, Ark. company’s relaTo be sure, it isn’t just future customers who Wal-Mart
tionship with its core constituency of women shoppers and
needs to further its growth plans. The discounter needs the
hourly associates, as well as provide more fodder for unions,
continued support of Wall Street, and it is a must that the firm
antisprawl groups and other detractors who have waged fierce,
stays on the radar screens of analysts for all the right reasons.
expensive and well-publicized campaigns against the retailer in
Anita Green, director of social research at Pax World Funds, said
major urban markets. Some said Target, already popular with shopher company divested itself of its Wal-Mart stake in the mid-Nineties.
ping moms for its charitable works, could quietly gain ground.
“There were various factors. Wal-Mart, we decided, didn’t cut it for us. We were
Eric Beder, senior equity analyst with JB Hanauer & Co., believes Target
will be able to capitalize as a female-friendly shopping alternative, but he expects the getting a sense that as the company grew, it was not as committed as it was in the past in
retailer to send its message subtly, such as working more prominently with women’s engaging investors. It was more forthcoming in the beginning [of our investment]. There
charities. The Minneapolis retailer has already been somewhat successful in this was a cooling off of our relationship and then the sweatshop issues came up. We’ve since
area. “Take Charge of Education” has been “a crucial differentiator for Target be- taken a look at Wal-Mart, but have decided against getting back in,” she disclosed.
Green said companies that have faltered, but later meet Pax’s investment criteria,
cause it drives the affluent mom to shop there,” the analyst said.
So what does Wal-Mart do to prevent further stumbling in its quest to maintain are usually the ones that can show improvement in operations or a commitment by
management to ensure that the “old sins are no longer in place.”
market share and gain loyal shoppers?
There’s also now another trend among investors regarding corMatthew Harrington, president of the eastern region of public
porate social responsibility.
relations firm Edelman and a specialist in corporate positioning
“Investors and consumers are increasingly looking at how the
and reputation management, observed, “On the customer front,
companies they are patronizing are treating employees, before a
Wal-Mart needs to get the message out about what they stand for in
■ Discrimination case threatens
crisis
becomes news,” said Peter Himler, managing director for
customer care. For the moment, they are defined by those who
Wal-Mart’s reputation.
corporate reputation research firm Burston-Marsteller. “There is a
filed the lawsuit, and Wal-Mart needs to get aggressive on what
■
Wal-Mart
needs
to
redefine
trend right now toward funds comprised of companies that are forthey do for employees.”
ward-thinking in regards to CSR.”
Harrington said the message needs to be repeated constantly.
itself to shoppers, its associates
While Wall Street and Wal-Mart’s competitors hawkishly watch the
“This puts the burden on the company all the time to assert that
and Wall Street.
discounter for signs of flagging growth, at least the chain won’t have
they are not guilty of the charges. The communication is important
■ Target Corp. may steal market
to worry about the overseas component of its business operations.
because consumers do care since the majority are women. How
Richard Ratner, chief retail analyst at Seymour Pierce in
Wal-Mart is perceived as treating its female employees matters to
share amid Wal-Mart’s legal woes.
London, said, “I think Asda customers could care less about
the women shopping the aisles. Wal-Mart shouldn’t wait because
what’s going on with Wal-Mart. The case is not tarnishing the repthe issue is already being tried in the media,” the executive said.
The retailer declined to comment on its reputation, saying through a spokes- utation of Asda at all.”
Richard Fitzpatrick, managing director of Retailmap, a clothing retail consultancy,
woman it would have “more news in a couple of weeks.” On Tuesday, Wal-Mart said it
strongly disagrees with the class-action lawsuit. The retailer has also previously stat- observed: “In the U.K., the average Asda customer has no idea what Wal-Mart is. They
may recognize the name, but it’s a distant company in a distant place. Asda, however,
ed it treats workers fairly.
The firm has been working hard on reputation over the past year. Among other ac- is well-known, well-liked, and famous for taking great care of its staff.”
In 2002, Asda was voted the number one company to work for in the U.K. in the antions, it surveyed how vendors, employees, and communities perceived the company,
launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign focusing on “Good Jobs” and “Good nual (London) Sunday Times survey of U.K. employers.
Works,” established offices of diversity and corporate compliance, and tied execu— With contributions from Samantha Conti, London
By Vicki M. Young and Katherine Bowers
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Wal-Mart’s Legal Woes Tarnish Brand Image as Well as Hiring Prospects
NEW YORK — The Betty Dukes et al. vs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
discrimination case is one of numerous employment actions
filed against the retailer, which experts say is negatively
impacting its brand equity and position as a top employer.
Aside from the class-action case, Wal-Mart is a defendant in
44 employment actions filed in 31 states, in which employees
allege they are forced to work off the clock. Wal-Mart’s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission also note a federal court
action in New Jersey alleging that Wal-Mart conspired with floorcleaning contractors to deprive immigrant workers of overtime pay.
There are also four actions pending in federal courts in
Michigan and California where assistant store managers are
challenging their “exempt” status under the Fair Labor
Standards Act. While not as large as the San Francisco gender
discrimination case, class-action status is pending.
Anthony Sabino, an attorney and associate professor at the Peter
J. Tobin Business School at St. John’s University, said the negative
publicity relating to these cases continues to have an impact on the
brand, and could affect the discounter’s hiring needs.
“Wal-Mart needs a squeaky-clean image. It should be
making headlines such as Wal-Mart being a great retailer where
America shops, not a place that discriminates on the basis of
gender,” Sabino said.
He said the notoriety isn’t going to affect someone on school
breaks needing temporary work, but “could impact someone
looking for a middle- to upper-level management position who
has the option of being choosier. In addition, there may even be
some impact on the hiring of men, who have family members
and friends pressuring them about why they want to work at a
company accused of sex discrimination,” Sabino said.
Alan Siegel, chairman of global strategic branding firm
Siegel & Gale, noted there are “tremendous business benefits
for being a respected brand.”
“Wal-Mart can present a more responsible image to the
community through advertising and educational programs. When
conducted nationally and in the local communities, [a program] will
do a great deal to educate management, consumers and the financial
community as to what the firm is doing to correct the supposed
exploitation of women and lower-paid employees,” he said.
Siegel concluded: “Wal-Mart has such a reputation for
pushing the hell out of its vendors and employees to keep
margins up. If you’re big like that and exploit people by not
acting in a responsible manner, there’s a risk that all that
could hurt business.”
— V.M.Y.
12
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
Laws of Recycling
PARIS — Good design, even damaged by time, can become good again.
A handful of cutting-edge industrial designers here are focusing their current projects on refuse, either gently repairing
damaged products or, in some cases, exercising some
extreme plastic surgery — turning space heaters into floor
lamps and broken pianos into coffee tables.
The trend gained steam at the Paris and Milan furniture fairs earlier this year, where a design team known as
5.5 set up a makeshift furniture hospital titled
“Reanimate,” complete with waiting, examination and
operating rooms. There, the 5.5
designers presented a first aid kit for furniture, including prosthetic chair legs and visible back supports.
“We use our knowledge to increase the
life expectancy of rejected pieces of furniture,” said Anthony Lebossé, one of the
designers with 5.5. “Imperfect objects have
a story to tell.”
Industrial designers Hélène Autheman
and Wilfried Bechtold also make sure nothing goes to waste. Down a narrow passageway in Paris’ 15th arrondisement, the duo
recently opened a workshop called Mobo where they convert discarded furniture for new uses. Broken bistro chairs are repaired and
painted, a sewing unit becomes a minibar and a decrepit cabinet
gets covered with floral paper and outfitted with wheels.
“It’s not just about getting things to work again, it’s about giving
objects a new identity,” said Autheman. “Customers like having
custom-made furniture at affordable prices.”
Floor lamp made of
lampshade skeletons
by 5.5; Commode by
Tramp, reconstructed
from an old desk,
inset.
Design
Chair with repaired
leg by 5.5 designers.
Cerruti’s 2nd Career
MILAN — Three years after taking his last bow on the runway,
designer Nino Cerruti is taking his aesthetics and style to the
world of interior design through a collaboration with furniture
manufacturer Baleri Italia.
“This project is about my concept of the home and how I view
it, but I don’t have the technical abilities to design furniture,”
Cerruti said. “[Italian fashion] designers today talk too easily about
[combining] fashion and design, but they have nothing in common, except that they are both anchored in Milan and both are
responding to people’s growing sense of aesthetics.”
The project comes at an opportune time for Cerruti, who is set
on mixing touches from the past with modern elements as he
renovates his house outside Biella, in the north of Italy.
Meanwhile, Tramp, a boutique at 25 Rue du
Rosiers in the Marais district, takes a high-end
approach to recycling.
“We redesign objects to become more sophisticated than their
original form,” said owner and designer Jean-François Lebrun.
In some cases, old furniture is simply raw material for a new
form. For example, Lebrun converted an old barber’s chair into a
stylish leather lounger for 1,400 euros, or $1,681. Meanwhile, an
old teacher’s desk was transformed into an elegant commode for
2,465 euros, or $3,000. — Emilie Marsh
Design Award Nominees
NEW YORK — Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez and Yeohlee
Teng are finalists in the fashion design category of the
National Design Awards, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt
National Design Museum said Thursday.
This is the second year the awards, which are sponsored
by Coach, have included fashion design as a category, having recognized Tom Ford at the event last year. The museum
also said Aveda Corp. will receive the Corporate
Achievement Award at the event on Oct. 19 in Manhattan.
The Minneapolis-based beauty company, a subsidiary of The
Estée Lauder Cos., is being recognized for its attention to
design in products and packaging, as well as its record of
environmental responsibility.
Graphic designer Milton Glaser, a co-founder of New York
magazine and the creator of iconic images such as the cover
of Bob Dylan’s “Greatest Hits” album, the “I Love N.Y” logo
and the interiors of Windows on the World and the Rainbow
Room, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Finalists in the other award categories are James S.
Polshek of Polshek Partnership Architects, Jos Spear of HOK
Sport + Venue + Event Architecture, Rafael Viñoly of Rafael
Viñoly Architects and Rick Joy of Rick Joy Architects for architecture design; @radical.media, MTV Networks’ Design and
Promos Department, and Second Story for communications
design; Andropogon Associates, Ned Kahn and William
McDonough + Partners for environmental design, and Burt
Rutan, Interface Inc. and Yves Behar for product design.
Furniture designed by Cerruti with Baleri Italia.
“The ground floor is typical of a country house, with lots of
wood and whitewashed walls, but I’ve added two different hanging rugs, one with a traditional hunting scene, the other a
Cubist painting,” he said. “My bedroom and studio on the second floor are modern and all in yellow. I enjoy the harmony of
these two worlds.”
According to Cerruti, furniture today is often “too big” and
does not easily fit into an average apartment.
“We want our furniture to be easily assembled, as people are
increasingly nomadic,” he said, adding that Baleri’s furniture is
suited for interior and exterior spaces, and it also works for
hotels, waiting rooms and libraries.
Baleri does not employ wood — an “ecologically correct”
choice, he said.
Baleri Italia, founded in 1984 and based in Bergamo, an hour
from Milan, has worked with designers such as Philippe Starck
and Hannes Wettstein, and for companies such as the American
Luminaire Inc. Cerruti said he’s always been interested in design
as he’s “been lucky enough” to see artists such as Vico
Magistretti, Gae Aulenti and Antonio Citterio at work on his brand
stores and apartments.
“I think there is still something interesting to say,” said
Cerruti, who sold his company to Fin.part in 2001. “As I did with
my fashion, I always ask myself, ‘What do people want?’ I am
interested in the real home for real people.” — L.Z.
PHOTO BY DAVIDE MAESTRI
A New Golf Hazard — Iceberg Ahead
SAN GIOVANNI IN MARIGNANO, ITALY —
Paolo Gerani
Iceberg, the Italian brand known for
its colorful, cartoon-inspired patterns
and edgy advertising, might seem an
unlikely sponsor for a golf club. But
with the opening last month of
Rivieragolfclub by Iceberg’s creative
director Paolo Gerani, the company is
playing against its hip-hop image.
“This is a young, fun place to
meet with friends and, though
focused on golfing, it offers leisure for
the entire family,” said Gerani, noting
that a spa, soccer fields, tennis courts
and a children’s playground — a
Hansel-and-Gretel-style wooden house
off the fields — were conceived to
entertain those who are not engaged
in golfing.
A few minutes from the Adriatic
beaches and popular nightlife spots,
and not far from the headquarters of
Gerani’s family-owned manufacturing
company in San Giovanni in
Marignano, the Rivieragolfclub centers around a steel and glass building.
“With the help of architect Marco
Gaudenzi, we wanted the club to be
part of the territory, with references to
water and Venice [further north, also
on the east coast of Italy],” said Giancarlo Tirotti, a friend of
Gerani’s and a partner in the golf club project.
The property also features suites and bungalows designed by
14 international architects.
“Each room reflects the style and vision of each architect,”
said Tirotti, noting the rooms range from one with a red padded
bed nestled in a dark wenge-wood structure to another inspired
by Austin Powers, complete with plastic tables and fur rugs, to a
third with an all-white minimalist décor.
The bungalows are surrounded by private gardens and
fenced in by olive trees and holm-oaks, a staple in the region.
Apart from the Iceberg water bottles sold at the restaurant
and bar, there are no other evident signs of the brand at the
Rivieragolfclub.
“I don’t believe in that kind of aggressive marketing,” said
Gerani, whose personal touch comes through in the choice of
the restaurant’s beautifully ornamental and hand-crafted candelabra and cutlery — silver at lunch, gold-plated for dinner — or
the white lamps from Spain surrounding the pool.
Gerani and Tirotti invested $14 million on the resort, and
plan to expand it between 2005 and 2006 with additional
rooms. Also, the golf course, which currently covers 30 acres
and has only 11 holes in operation, will eventually double its
space. — Luisa Zargani
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
Media/Advertising
13
THE NAME GAME: Condé Nast
is nearly ready to reveal the
name of its new home
furnishings magazine, and
don’t be surprised if it’s a bit
of a head-scratcher. Among the monikers being considered are
Domino, Plum and Love It!, according to a source at the company.
“There might have been some like Room or Space, dull things like
that, but they immediately went out of memory,” added the source.
A spokeswoman for Condé Nast (which, like WWD, is a unit of
Advance Publications Inc.) had no comment. Whatever it ends up
being called, the new title will be modeled on the shopping
magazines Lucky and Cargo. It will launch sometime in 2005. A
new addition to the editorial team, Sara Ruffin — whose title hasn’t
been determined yet — was previously editor in chief of another
start-up, Happy Home, for American Media. She jumped ship earlier
this month, forcing American Media to delay the launch, originally
scheduled for October, by several months. — Jeff Bercovici
YM Gets Older, Maybe Wiser MEMO PAD
By Jeff Bercovici
NEW YORK — YM is waking up to the
teen market’s fragmented new reality.
With the redesigned August issue,
on newsstands July 8, the 70-year-old
title is officially done trying to be all
things to all teens. Under new editor in
chief Linda Fears, YM is taking a more
targeted approach, focusing on fashions and trends meant to appeal to
girls at the older end of the teen range.
The repositioning effort comes as
something of a tactical retreat for YM,
which has slashed its guaranteed circulation to 1.5 million from 2.2 million
over the past year. YM’s chief competitors, Seventeen and Teen People,
have also been forced to scale back
circulation, although less dramatically, as the teen audience has become
ever-more segmented by age and
reader preference. Newer books like
Teen Vogue, Elle Girl and Cosmogirl
reflect this fragmentation.
In such an environment, the key to
survival is to pick a niche and defend
it, said Axel Ganz, president of Gruner
+ Jahr International. “We had to look
for a specific positioning within this
market, which is now very dense,”
said Ganz, who recently installed
Russell Denson as the new chief executive officer of YM parent G+J USA.
“We think this positioning is unique.”
The days of talking about “teens”
as though they constituted a single
demographic are history, said Fears,
who was deputy editor at G+J’s
Parents before her predecessor at
YM, Christina Kelly, abruptly quit
under heavy criticism from Ganz. “I The new back-page feature as seen in the August issue.
These days, if you edit to a 15-year-old, you get a 10-year-old
“reading
your magazine.
”
— Linda Fears, YM
Before the redesign (top) and after.
truly don’t believe you can talk to all teens in the same way,” Fears
said. “You cannot edit a magazine that will appeal to a 13-year-old and
also appeal to 19-year-olds who are very into fashion. These days, if
you edit to a 15-year-old, you get a 10-year-old reading your magazine.”
To give YM a more sophisticated feel, Fears began with the cover.
Going forward, color schemes will be more muted, with the palette
for type limited to one bright color plus black and white. “Whenever
you start throwing a lot of neon colors on the cover, it just looks very
junior,” Fears said. Future covers will resemble that of the August
issue, with subjects shot in an environment rather than a studio,
wearing a minimum of makeup.
“She looks like somebody that you’d want to hang out with,” said
Fears of August’s cover girl, actress Lindsay Lohan. “She’s not looking like a sex bomb.”
Another notable change is the lack of any cover lines that immediately identify YM as a teen title.” In general, cover copy “is not going to
be as giggly,” said Fears.
In terms of fashion and beauty coverage, going older means erasing
some of the distinctions between YM and some of the younger-skewing
adult titles, such as Lucky and Jane, said fashion director Elizabeth
Kiester. In addition to increasing the number of fashion pages, there will
be more studio-based stories and more designer labels sprinkled in with
the youth brands. The effect is to bring YM’s approach to fashion closer
to that of Lucky or In Style. “You can really see the clothes. You can really shop from the pages,” said Kiester, a three-year veteran of the magazine. (Fears has kept the editorial staff she inherited largely intact,
although YM is looking for an entertainment director to replace Alyssa
Vitrano, who is headed to MTV.)
The distinction between teen and adult fashion is virtually nonexistent, said Kiester, noting that actress Kate Hudson kept the True
Religion jeans she got at a shoot for the July issue of YM and wore them
in a subsequent shoot for Vogue. “We can present the same fashion message to a 19-year-old mind-set that any of our older counterparts can,”
she said. “It’s just not all label-laden and heavy on price point.”
The challenge now will be to coax advertisers back into the magazine. Year-to-date through June, the title’s pages were down 45.6 percent versus last year to 270.5, according to Media Industry Newsletter.
While it’s easy to blame the losses on last year’s damaging disclosure
that YM had inflated its circulation reports, the title’s mushy positioning hasn’t helped, said Michael Wood, vice president of Teenage
Research Unlimited. A well-defined niche of its own may be just the
thing YM needs to win some of those pages back, he said.
“Advertisers are saying, ‘What are you giving us that the other
magazines can’t? Who are you delivering?’ And the magazines have
to be able to answer that pretty clearly.”
MOONLIGHTING WITH THE FAB FIVE: The cautionary tale of Ozzy and
Sharon seems to have been lost on many reality show talent
handlers. Going against the less-is-more publicity strategy, the
hosts of Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” have been testing
the boundaries of overexposure lately, turning up at events en
masse and striking multiple book and endorsement deals while the
straightening iron is hot.
Now, after Tivo-ing their way into guilty pleasure status last year,
the fulsome fivesome are back with season two, which includes
stints in Dallas and possibly London, as well as a “Queer Eye for
the Queer Guy” episode that will air during Gay Pride Week. But
rather than curbing the public’s enthusiasm for “Queer Eye,” the
Fab Five’s ubiquity so far has translated into higher ratings. The
June 1 season premiere saw a 50 percent increase over last year,
up to 1.7 million viewers for the 25- to 54-year-old audience.
As for the group’s outside projects, following closely behind the
February release of their eponymous Clarkson Potter book, currently
ranked 4,006 on Amazon.com, is Carson Kressley’s “Off the Cuff,”
a dressing guide for men published by Dutton, to hit shelves on
Sept. 27. In addition to illustrated fashion tips, the book will
feature items photographed from “Carson’s Closet,” including
patchwork corduroy shorts and 1960s-era daisy-print swim trunks.
Kressley will continue to multitask when he makes his acting
debut in the upcoming Hilary Duff vehicle “The Perfect Man.” “I
play a bartender,” said Kressley. “It’s a stretch for me. I’ve never
been a bartender. Though I’ve been to many, many bars.”
The “Queer Eye” grooming guru and former colorist for Child
magazine, Kyan Douglas, is also finishing up his new book, this time
lending his queer eye to the straight girl. “Beautified,” also published
by Clarkson Potter for an October release, offers hair care, skin care,
makeup, diet and fitness tips for women. Harper’s Bazaar beauty
director Kerry Diamond collaborated with Douglas on the book.
Meanwhile, frequent Esquire contributor Ted Allen is at work on
his sixth book, about food and wine, to be published in the spring
of 2005; Jai Rodriguez is recording an album and is once again
performing in the New York cast of “Rent” (July 5-17), and Thom
Filicia continues to hawk housewares as a spokesman for Pier 1.
The company, which has seen a recent dip in sales, will overhaul
its current advertising campaign next month. — Sara James
BEHOLD A LADY: It’s love. Kate Moss will star alongside hip-hop
dandy Andre 3000 in a fashion spread in Rolling Stone’s fall fashion
issue, on newsstands Aug. 13. David Lipman, who is the issue’s
guest creative director, described the spread as “a love story” and
said the pair had “amazing chemistry” during the three-day shoot.
“I can tell you it’s one of the biggest things I’ve ever been a part
of,” said Lipman, who is chairman and creative director of his own
ad agency. “It fuses fashion and music in a way that’s never been
done before.” At one point on the shoot, said Lipman, Andre 3000
— who is the issue’s guest fashion editor — and Moss had the ageold Beatles vs. Rolling Stones argument. The psychedelic rapper,
not surprisingly, favors the Beatles, while the British supermodel
prefers the Stones. In case you were wondering. — J.B.
FORD-ING AHEAD: The Gucci Group may have let him slip away, but
Tom Ford doesn't seem to have lost any momentum since exiting
the company in November of last year. His forthcoming 416-page
coffee table book "Tom Ford" will go on sale on the one-year
anniversary of his announcement that he would be stepping down
as creative director and designer for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
With more than 300 images from notable lensmen such as Mario
Testino, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts,
Terry Richardson, Helmut Newton, Todd Eberle and Craig McDean,
Ford’s $125 oversize tome, published by Rizzoli, will also feature a
foreword from Vogue's Anna Wintour, an introduction from Vanity
Fair’s Graydon Carter and interview and text by Bridget Foley,
executive editor of W and WWD (all four publications are owned by
Advance Publications Inc.). — S.J.
WRONG NUMBER: Get it straight, people: Michael Wolff is the
celebrated media critic who left New York magazine for Vanity Fair
after his attempt to buy the former fell short. Michael Wolfe is
GQ’s associate publisher. Both work for Condé Nast, which
inevitably leads to some confusion. “I’m getting all these calls for
the wrong Michael Wolff,” said Wolfe Monday at a GQ-hosted party
that featured performances by Q-Tip and the Jungle Brothers
(although no appearance by editor in chief Jim Nelson, who was
preparing for next week’s men’s shows in Milan). “I got a call from
Time asking if I wanted to write a profile of Rupert Murdoch. I got a
call from CNN asking for my viewpoint on the Martha Stewart
trial.” Wolff, for his part, said he has yet to receive any errant
insertion orders. — J.B.
14
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
WWDWalkthrough: A Vintage Affair
Many women today, especially in the
fashion industry, prefer buying vintage
because...time and time again, the
ensembles they wear that draw the most
admiring responses are those they’ve
unearthed in a thrift store.
relatively affordable, ranging roughly from $75 to $200. There were
many amazing things, but the prices were just steep enough that I
knew I had to confine myself to only one piece. So I picked a
turquoise brooch for $150, but the vendor only took cash or a check
and well, as any shopaholic worth her salt will tell you, all purchases
must be made with plastic.
So I demurred and moved on, meandering into one of the cavernous ballrooms
where I browsed through racks of elaborate evening gowns spanning every major
decade of the 20th century, along with beaded bags, furs and lingerie.
One of my girlfriends joined me just as I happened upon a series of silk chiffon
dresses from the Twenties in glorious floral prints. They all were priced around $400
and were in great condition. The saleswoman made a little makeshift fitting area by
angling a clothing rack in a corner. The prints were all beautiful and very evocative
of the floral chiffon ones that were so prolific in stores this spring. As desperate
as I was to buy at least one, the lines just didn’t suit me. They were long and
straight and very modest. The silhouette was more appropriate for someone with a swimmer’s body — T-shaped à la Princess Stephanie. My
friend kept looking at me a tad pityingly, communicating silently
with her eyes to please put them back.
So I did. We perused the remaining booths, which all contained some unique items or even reworked pieces that looked
fresh — cotton floral print frocks, tie-dyed silk dresses,
floaty cocktail numbers as well as tons of fabric swatches
that design house scouts scoop up for research.
The shopper turnout was rather sparse, and
clearly those in attendance were either clothing designers in search of
inspiration, the requisite drag
queens or just eccentric types
who have a maudlin attachment to vintage.
That said, many women today, especially in
the fashion industry,
prefer buying vintage
(as opposed to regular retail) because
working among people who spend their
waking hours assessing clothes,
time and time again,
the ensembles they
wear that draw the
most admiring responses are those they’ve unearthed in a thrift store.
In part, because they are
unique and also because
no one else can get them.
Now, part of the allure of
shopping for vintage pieces is that
you can find amazing things for
equally amazing prices. Buying a dress
made in Thailand with exquisite detailing
A Twenties
that fits perfectly for about $100 is pretty sweet.
brooch.
And while there were so many stunning pieces at the show,
clearly the vendors knew the worth of their wares, so purchasing goodies
at face value wasn’t quite as magical as sussing out that great vintage Paco
Rabanne from a seller at a flea market who doesn’t know any better.
I continued to parade around, trying on more chiffon dresses and
more antique nightgowns — clearly what I had on the brain — before
stopping at Jean Claude Mastroianni’s booth, where I found two
lovely items. One was an evening bag with turquoise and gold
embroidery, which Mastroianni had reconstructed for $150.
More than I would usually pay for a vintage evening bag, but
it was a stunner. (I took it to a wedding recently and got
more compliments on it than anything else.) Next I picked
up a beautiful green brooch Mastroianni placed as from
the late Twenties for $80 — which sadly, broke the first
time I wore it, on my shawl to the CFDA Awards.
Had I been able to spend freely, I could have easily
dropped $10,000. But in an effort at conservative consumption,
I stopped, waltzed past the gorgeous chiffon dresses I so desperately
wanted and got on the subway — a cost-saving measure if
A reconstructed vintage bag. ever there ever was one.
On Track With New Show, The Train
NEW YORK — Jean-Pierre Mocho, chairman of the French
Fashion & Garment Association, which owns Prêt à Porter
Paris, is finessing plans for The Train, a new designer trade
show geared for buyers with a well-trained eye.
Set for Sept. 27-29 at the Terminal Stores in Manhattan,
The Train will feature upscale ready-to-wear, accessories and
home products in a nontraditional format, with art displays,
exhibitions and performances.
“We had the feeling that something was missing in the
States,” said Mocho, who also serves as vice president of the
French Union of Arts & Costume. “We want to bring collections that are not made in the market at the moment. This is
not a matter of selling space. We want to sell collections.”
Fashion specialists and editors are currently scouting for
the show’s rtw and accessories resources. European and
Asian firms are expected to make up 60 percent of the exhibitors, with American designers accounting for the remainder. In return, Mocho hopes the experience will encourage
more American designers to participate in European shows.
In addition, a European delegation will travel to the U.S. for
the inaugural show.
“The idea was to not just work for France, but also for
Europe,” he said.
The Train will target buyers by invitation only, using email and personal phone calls. Mocho wants stores to be motivated by what they see at the show. “You don’t buy a product
because you feel cold,” he said. “You buy a product because
you want to look different from others.”
The Train will be staged twice a year, in February and
September. Terminal Stores is located on 11th Avenue between 27th and 28th Streets. The Train will occupy more than
twice as much space as The Tunnel nightclub, which used to
be at that location.
The interior has been restored with red brick and the ceiling
has been painted black. Finding the right location was essential
for this project, Mocho said. “The collection can be good, but if
the location itself is not that attractive, it doesn’t matter,” he said.
— Rosemary Feitelberg
VINTAGE PHOTOS BY DAVID TURNER
NEW YORK — It was a muggy, sun-drenched Saturday and
while the rest of the free world convened in Central Park
or wrangled a lounge chair at some
rooftop pool, I found myself in the rather shabby confines of the New
Yorker Hotel at
34th Street and
Eighth Avenue.
Lest this sound tawdry, let me clarify — I was shopping. Having long been a
vintage clothing lover, it was with great anticipation that I set out to the New York
Vintage Fashion & Antique Textile Show last
month. On the hotel’s second floor, myriad vendors had set up booths to show off some impressive vintage wares ranging from Art Deco
brooches to Charles Jourdan platform wedges
from the Seventies to dresses from the
Twenties.
As my eyes scanned the floor, a wealth of
goodies screamed to be purchased, or fondled
at the very least. Now, for a true shopper, the
sight of such treasures serves only to
quicken the pulse — both in panic that A Thirties
you won’t have enough time to see lingerie
everything and that you won’t, gasp, be blouse.
able to afford everything that you
want. Regaining my composure, I began to
go through the booths in a measured, deliberate manner. I stopped first at Sheila
Feeney’s, the event’s coordinator, and
after sifting through dresses, blouses
and fabrics found a beautiful pink lingerie top with cream lace trim that
Feeney thought to be from the
Thirties. It had a small tear in the
back, but for $48 it seemed rather
a steal. Especially compared with
how much one would pay at retail for a new vintage-inspired
lingerie top.
Once that was in the bag, I
wandered over to a series of
jewelry cases that had a
plethora of beautiful pieces,
from ornate brooches to whimsical charm bracelets. Everything was
▼
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16
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
NEW YORK — “Fashion has to be funny,” says Leo Fabrizio,
designer of the fledgling collection called Tra’shic. “Women
should feel happy when they dress.”
Well, as it happens, “funny” is something Fabrizio might
as well have stamped right on his résumé, since he worked
as the head designer for Moschino Cheap
& Chic’s women’s, men’s and children’s
collections for nine years before going it
alone. However, as Fabrizio tells it, his
sense of humor is innate and surfaced long
before his days in the Moschino studios.
Tra’shic’s comedy begins with the name
of the line, which insinuates a melding of
the very chic with fashion’s baser elements. But, yucks aside, after launching
Tra’shic softly for spring, Fabrizio is moving full steam ahead with his fall collection. The question he poses with Tra’shic
is, “Why not?” — as in “Why can’t a woman
dress all day in eveningwear?” Fortunately, the answers are delivered with a
modicum of restraint. There are no ballgowns intended for a day at the office.
Instead, the designer tacks a collar of
rhinestone-studded chiffon onto a puffy
nylon down jacket. A sleeveless mohair
turtleneck gets a coating of flaking silver
leaf on the body and sequined flowers on
its chunky collar. More sequins plus bugle beads and fluffy
bits of marabou make their way onto T-shirts, pants and
jackets as trim. And, most of the time, it works.
Fabrizio, a big fan of leather, also designs a line called
Stephen for the Florentine leather factory that produces his
work. His leather pieces for Tra’shic include a hooded toggle coat and a stylish wrap skirt to be worn over a black
tiered crinoline, both in a buttery soft stretch lamb.
For now, the collection, which wholesales from $85 for an
embellished T-shirt to $828 for a leather coat, is available
only at two boutiques: Skye in Denver and
Xin in Los Angeles. Fabrizio, however, is
hoping his sartorial comedy will soon capture a wider audience.
The designer’s sense of humor is most
palpable in the papery rectangles of cloth
basted onto a few of the black jersey dresses. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the
Tra’shic of them all?” reads one. Another
source of whimsy is the label, which is attached to the clothes in seemingly random
places with a snap button. The eight-inch
tag is printed with a long ode to Fabrizio’s
inspiration in charmingly iffy English.
“Made in Italy with the best quality materials to enjoy girls all over the planet,” it begins. Then it continues, “Inspired by thousands of girls, ladies, young, oldies, whites,
blacks, tall, small. For all nice and funny
girls.” The tag can be left on to flap in the
wind, snapped off for later use, or cut on
Leo Fabrizio the dotted line marked, “Cut here.”
So what will the Tra’shic girl do when
given such options? Fabrizio isn’t sure, but he’s convinced
there’s a bit of Tra’shic in everyone. “It’s a funny girl that
takes herself not so seriously,” he explains of his hypothetical client. “She could be a housekeeper or a model.”
— Meenal Mistry
Tra’shic’s wool
and cotton top
over leather and
silk tulle skirt.
Canan Cullu Wins at ITKIB’s Young Designer Competition
By Suna Erdem
ISTANBUL — It was no surprise to those who contributed to the
loud applause that greeted Canan Cullu’s dark, intricate fourpiece Samurai collection when she was announced as the latest
winner of Turkey’s ITKIB young designers’ competition.
The 24-year-old’s designs, which were drawn from the
theme of “force” — one of four offered to the competitors —
and conceived before “The Last Samurai” hit the movie
screens, used mainly black, injected with beige, a smoky gray
and the thinnest of red stripes for a clever, modern interpretation of an ancient way of dressing.
“I tried to make the samurai costume relevant to today. I
think the idea is relevant anyway as we are all fighting for
things and running after things,” said Cullu, clutching her trophy, before adding with a breathless laugh: “Sorry! I’m probably talking nonsense….I’m so overwhelmed.”
The showcase piece, worn by leading Turkish model Selin
Toktay, was dominated by a big cloak-like coat cut in the shape
of a kimono. Hand-embroidered beading referred to the body
armor of the Japanese warrior and a separate large, loose hood
flapped above the kimono neckline. A deep slit at the back revealed a pair of pants that played on the baggy Turkish shalvar
idea with a loose, low crotch that actually was a skirt.
Another black jacket in velvet-like fustagno, which Cullu
said also began as a kimono but moved much further from the
original concept, was an intricate patchwork of cuts and folds,
with an asymmetric wrap-over front fastening, button-like beading on the sleeves and a belt tied at the back.
Cullu, who studied at LaSalle International Fashion School of
Design and Istanbul’s Bilgi University, also has taken classes at
Philips Exeter and Rhode Island School of Design in the U.S. and
spent time as an assistant to designers such as Bahar Korcan, a
former ITKIB young designer. She won a year’s scholarship to a
leading European fashion school and the chance to take her designs to the CPD fair in Düsseldorf. She beat off a challenge from
second-placed Giray Sepin, who was a finalist last year.
Although there was much debate about those competitors
who placed below Cullu, the judges expressed little doubt about
her right to first place in the 13th edition of a competition set up
to help bring more design talent into the sizeable Turkish clothing manufacturing industry.
“Her designs are really strong,” said
Donna Kernan, lecturer on the BA course
at Saint Martins in London and one of the
16 members of the jury. “The garments
stand up on their own, the fabrics were
great and the cutting was interesting….I
think she could do really well in the future
if she does a good apprenticeship and
keeps improving.”
If Kernan had one criticism of the entrants as a group, though, it was that they
could make more use of fabrics, print and
color. “I really thought when I came to
Turkey that it was going to be all about
color, and yet it was all very monochrome,”
she said.
ITKIB officials said they are hoping to
expand the competition to attract international entrants next year,
so pleased are they with its success so far. Suleyman Orakcioglu,
the current ITKIB chairman who presented the prize, said the
competition is “a national treasure” and the entrants are proof of
the changing image of ready-to-wear production in Turkey.
It is an image that is changing partly out of necessity, as
Turkey’s status as a cheap manufacturing base is being chal-
A Breezy Season in the Windy City
By Beth Wilson
CHICAGO — Midwestern retailers completed their fall collections at a quiet but productive
market this month at the Apparel Center here.
“I like the laid-back environment,” said Pamela Kindschuh,
who owns Only Her, a specialty
store in Ripon, Wis. “It’s not too
busy. It’s easy to go into a new
place without an appointment.”
Kindschuh, who was looking
at buying sweaters with rhine-
stone buttons and jackets from
Willow, said she did more ordering at the June 4-7 market than at
the larger StyleMax in October
and at Chicago’s Merchandise
Mart in March.
Lisa Shedlock, owner of Hoi
Polloi, a specialty store in Ann
Arbor, Mich., said she enjoyed
the individualized approach
that a smaller market allows.
“It was wonderful,” Shedlock
said. “I like the convenience and
the more personal attention.”
Susan McCullough, vice pres-
ident for apparel for Merchandise Mart Properties, which
runs the Apparel Center, said, “I
think people did the business
they planned on doing. It was in
line with their expectations.”
Steven Goodman, the Midwest
regional manager for French
Dressing, who operates a showroom in the Apparel Center, said,
“From the people who were
here, I did the business I expected to do.”
Goodman said strong sellers
included stretch twill trousers
lenged by countries such as China, especially with the phaseout
of apparel quotas for the 147 nations of the World Trade
Organization on Jan. 1. The Turkish rtw industry is trying to nurture design talent in a bid to create brands and raise its production quality so it can compete at the designer level rather than
simply provide low-cost workers and textiles.
The urgency was emphasized further by Umut Oran, president of the Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association, who
said in a separate news conference that
Canan clothing exports had dropped to $964 milCullu lion in May from $1.23 billion in January.
Overall, exports had improved by 15.7 percent in volume terms in the first five
months of this year compared with the
same period last year, but the slow monthly
decline in value terms should serve as a
wake-up call to the industry before it is too
late, Oran said.
He offered some cheer, though, with the
news that last year’s ITKIB young designer
winner, Erkan Coruh, had been voted joint
first at a young designer competition at the
International Apparel Federation’s latest
congress in Barcelona.
Hoping, no doubt, to build on such successes, board member Yalcin Ayaydin said
ITKIB is prepared to do everything possible to promote competition winners: “We send the first three to study for a master’s degree at the Domus Academy in Milan,” he said. “When they return to Turkey, we will find them jobs. If they want to put on a
show abroad we will give them all the support we can….I am very
excited about the first three. I believe they will all be well known
internationally in 10 years’ time.”
in cloud blue, cayenne, warm
taupe and a coordinating taupeand-black stripe.
Kindschuh liked some fall
clutches and shoulder bags from
Putu. The flannel-style bags came
in a black houndstooth, light red
plaid, brown tweed and a grayisholive style.
The retailer also replenished
her top-selling collection of
Mondo flat-front trousers in
black, brown and tweed, and
raved about a black silk gathered skirt from ISDA & Co.
“You could wear it with a jean
jacket or a cashmere sweater for
holiday,” Kindschuh said.
Shedlock said she liked the
unusual, artistic coats by Lee
Andersen.
“It’s art that you wear,” she
said of the coats with a satiny
hood. “They were so incredible,
so dramatic. They’re great for
my front window.”
The Michigan boutique
owner cited a low-cut black
dress with bead straps by Linda
Segal for holiday and tops with
different necklines in brown,
plums and other earth tones by
Lynn Ritchie.
She also placed orders for
items from one of her top lines,
Tribal Sportswear.
“If I had to do one-stop shopping, that’s it,” Shedlock said.
PORTRAIT BY DAVIDE MAESTRI; MODEL BY TALAYA CENTENO
Good-Humor Man
18
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
California Sues The Body Shop Eyeing Canada Franchisees
Retailers Over
Lead Warnings
By Marcy Medina
LOS ANGELES — Thirteen major retailers have been sued by the state of
California for allegedly breaking state
law by not warning customers that some
of the costume jewelry they sell contains lead.
Named in Attorney General Bill
Lockyer’s suit filed Wednesday were
Macy’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart, J.C.
Penney, Mervyn’s, Nordstrom, Ross,
Sears, Express, Claire’s, Toys ’R’ Us and
Burlington Coat Factory. The suit, filed in
the Alameda County Superior Court, alleges the retailers violated Proposition
65, which, since 1986, requires businesses
with more than 10 employees to provide
warnings when exposing people to lead
and other substances known to cause cancer or reproductive harm.
The state is seeking to prohibit stores
from selling jewelry without such warnings and asks for civil penalties of up to
$2,500 for each violation, which could be
constituted as every day a store sold
items without warnings or every time an
item was sold.
“We’re in discussion with the defendants to find a resolution that protects
consumers and precludes the need for a
drawn-out court fight,” said a spokesman
for Lockyer. “Civil penalties are not our
primary objective.”
L.A. attorney Jeffrey Margulies, who
represents Target, Mervyn’s, Macy’s,
Penney’s and Toys ’R’ Us in the suit, said
Proposition 65 suits occur often (he estimated Target has been named in about
24 such suits in the last five years) and
rarely result in court battles.
“It is not unusual in Prop 65 cases for
retailers to be named as a way to get to
manufacturers,” Margulies said. “Even
though we are being sued, it’s not unusual
to work cooperatively with the attorney
general’s office.”
Pamela Williams, vice president of the
California Retailers Association, which is
handling the issue for Mervyn’s and
Macy’s West, said, “In California, people
are used to these warnings. But the fact
that the attorney general is involved
brings more credibility to the suit.”
Part of the complication, she added,
“Is that we don’t know yet from the plaintiff what specific jewelry they are referring to. Once it is identified, then our
stores would either no longer sell the
item or provide a warning.”
While most retailers declined to comment, a spokesman for Nordstrom,
which has 45 doors in California, stated,
“We haven’t been served yet, but we’re
investigating the matter. We’re just trying
to figure out now which vendors are involved, but if we find out that something
poses a health hazard for our customers,
we’ll take action.”
A year ago, the Oakland, Calif.-based
nonprofit group Center for Environmental
Health began using home lead test kits to
assess whether stores in 10 Bay Area
malls sold jewelry containing lead, said
CEH’s toxic researcher, Joanna Mattson,
who became suspicious with the comeback of black “jelly” bracelets popular in
the Eighties.
“I knew that type of PVC plastic contained lead, which led us to look for
those items in other stores, where we
also found that some metal pieces contain lead,” she said.
The CEH filed notices in December
and March to the attorney general, which
brought on the formal suit. In addition,
CEH is filing private lawsuits with 11
other businesses.
— With contributions
from Michelle Dalton Tyree
NEW YORK — The Body Shop International is poised to expand its global reach.
The socially conscious skin care retailer said Thursday it was negotiating to buy its head franchisee in Canada. Additionally, the firm said it
acquired a 75 percent stake in its Chinese franchises.
The British parent firm is in talks to buy the 111-outlet Body Shop
Canada from Margot Franssen, her husband Quig Tingley and her sister
Betty-Ann Franssen, owners since 1980. Forty-two of the Canadian locations are corporately owned and 69 are owned by subfranchisees.
Final negotiations are under way, and the company did not say how
much it would pay. Talk of a purchase began circulating two years ago,
when the Canadian owners were approached by a third party. No store
closures are planned if the deal goes through.
“We have tremendous confidence in The Body Shop and we believe
that this transfer in ownership will be a positive step that will strengthen
the company for our franchisees, shop staff, and customers from coast
to coast,” Margot Franssen, president and partner of The Body Shop
Canada, said in a statement.
Also Thursday, The Body Shop acquired 75 percent of Mighty Ocean
Company Ltd., a private company that operates 26 stores in Hong Kong
and two in Macau. The deal will be settled with $133 million in cash
and the issuance of about 1 million ordinary shares.
“The Body Shop in Hong Kong is a strong business and buying a majority stake provides a sound base for our expansion into China. The Body
Inside
The Body
Shop.
Shop Canada is also a high-quality retail company and there are opportunities for further integrating best practice with The Body Shop Americas
region,” said chief executive officer Peter Saunders in a statement.
Worldwide, The Body Shop International has 2,019 stores in more
than 50 countries.
— Carrie Melago
Retro, Vintage Star at FIG in Dallas Fall DFAs to Feature
By Holly Haber
DALLAS — Eye-catching items such as sequined ponchos and embroidered mesh
pants drove business at the Fashion Industry Gallery’s recent market.
Sales representatives were upbeat about business and reported gains at the
four-day event that ended June 6, though the June market is one of the smallest
of the year. Retro and vintage styles especially piqued the interest of buyers, including colorful cashmere sweaters embellished with a brooch or beadwork, novelty skirts and fur wraps.
“The stores’ business seemed to be really trending up and they were in a positive mood,” said Greg Mider, who owns the Mider Group sales firm, noting he had
doubled his bookings of Garfield and Marks and Womyn sportswear. “It was a refreshing and a fun market for us.”
Buyers were enthusiastic about the feminine looks they found for fall and holiday.
Traci Szilasi, owner of the upscale Maison Weiss store in Jackson, Miss., was
stocking the second unit she plans to open in Oxford, Miss., on Aug. 4, which coincides with the store’s 30th anniversary. She picked up Tom K. Nguyen’s rabbit
fur vest with a ribbon belt, brocade skirt and jersey camisole, and ponchos from
Beth Bowley and Inca, along with reversible distressed leather jackets by June.
“They key today is to have very different items that make the customer go
‘Wow,’” said Shelley Cox, owner of Cayman’s boutique in Norman, Okla. “Price is
not so much an issue if it’s special enough.”
Cox praised Rebecca Taylor’s collection for its color, Jon’s bouclé jackets, Poleci’s
metallic trench and Chameleon’s sweaters with jewels and knitted mink wrap. She
also found a new jewelry line in Rebecca Lankford’s layered 18-karat gold necklaces.
Patty Hoffpauir, owner of The Garden Room in Austin, Tex., was hunting for
chic lines sized up to 12 and 14. She found an indigo velvet skirt with a gold and
brown metallic sheer top at Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent and jersey knit skirts
and pants by Jane Jane. She also praised a printed metallic coat and blazer by
Trina Turk “that looked straight out of a vintage shop.”
The market featured a fall and holiday trend talk, slide show and cocktail
party at the Neiman Marcus flagship presented by Ken Downing, the retailer’s
vice president of public relations. His top items were: tweed and men’s wear fabrics, fur and fur trim, pencil skirts, skinny pants tucked into boots, big bags and
the color green in apparel and accessories.
Missoni Retrospective
DALLAS — The Dallas Fashion Awards
will have a colorful flair this fall when
Missoni presents a retrospective show as
the recipient of the annual ceremony’s
Fashion Excellence Award.
“The Missoni family members are
true craftsmen whose designs are as
thoughtful and beautiful today as when
they first burst onto the fashion scene in
1953,” said Bill Winsor, president and
chief executive officer of the Dallas
Market Center Co., which will present
the trophy Oct. 23 during spring fashion
market week. “Their pieces are as much
works of art as stylish garments.”
At the gala, the DMC also will honor
Tiffany & Co. design director John
Loring with an award recognizing his career achievements and the publication of
his book, “Tiffany in Fashion.”
A new award, called Best of Scene, will
be presented to Nygård International as
an outstanding exhibitor in the DMC’s
Scene booth show of contemporary and
bridge collections. Scene bowed in March
at the opening of the FashionCenterDallas
within the DMC’s World Trade Center.
Next year, the Best of Scene winner will
be determined by a vote of retailers, as will
be the winners in each of the 15 DFA merchandise categories. They will be announced
at the event, which is in its 29th year.
— H.H.
Cutter & Buck Profits in Qtr., Year
NEW YORK — Cutter & Buck Inc.’s campaign to concentrate on its core
business has taken it out of the sand traps and onto the greens, returning the company to profitability in both the fourth quarter and full year.
For the three months ended April 30, the Seattle-based golf apparel
and sportswear manufacturer reported earnings of $5.6 million, or 49
cents a diluted a share, compared with a loss of $992,000, or 9 cents,
in the year-ago quarter. Sales for the period increased 5.6 percent to
$38.4 million from $36.3 million.
For Fran Conley, chairwoman and chief executive officer, the strong
results signal the completion of the company’s turnaround and the beginning of a new phase in its growth, one that will include the appointment of a new ceo.
“With the results we have announced today, and with the resolution
of most of the fallout from the 2002 restatement, I have accomplished
more than what I set out to do,” said Conley, in a statement. “It’s time
for a transition.”
Conley assumed the top posts following the resignation of founder
Harvey Jones in April 2002. In December 2002, as part of the company’s release of second-quarter earnings, Conley announced the company’s decision to abandon its retail stores business. “Our balance sheet is
strong and liquid,” said Conley at the time. “However, the retail stores
are a drag on performance. If we keep them, the drag will continue.”
The strategy has paid off for both the company and its investors.
Share prices have increased more than 260 percent over the past two
years, going from a closing price of $2.89 a share on Oct. 7, 2002, to
$10.41 on June 23, 2004. Over the past three months shares have
hovered between $9 and $11 in Nasdaq trading.
According to Conley, a national search firm has been retained to find
her successor, a process that should take between four and six months.
“Although we have many strong people inside the company, the board
will be doing a nationwide search for my successor and I think it’s very
probable that the successor will come from outside the company,” said
Conley during a company conference call last week. Conley has been
asked to continue in her role as chairwoman once a new ceo is in place.
In the quarter, the company’s corporate sales division led all segments with a 12.4 percent increase to $14.9 million from $13.3 million in the year-ago quarter. According to management, the company
has approximately 2,300 corporate customers, many of whom are beginning to spend more.
The bleeding stopped for the year-end period as well, with earnings
of $7.9 million, or 71 cents, compared with a loss of $12 million, or
$1.13, in the previous year. Sales retreated 2.5 percent to $128.4 million from $131.7 million.
— Ross Tucker
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
CLOSE OUTS
We Buy Men’s,
Women’s & Children’s
All Quantities
WE HAVE INSTANT MONEY
We are nice people to deal with
P.S. Large Piece Good Deals
Also HBA and General Merchandise.
Call Rocky 800-762-5488
beauty
IS FOR...
Careers always look better here, especially around the bright
lights of the makeup counter. Join us and experience a new
career at a place that’s like no other store in the world!
Cosmetics Department Manager
We seek a seasoned Cosmetics Manager with a minimum of 2-3 years
retail cosmetic and/or management experience. Successful candidate
must have exceptional leadership, interpersonal, analytical and negotiating
skills; the ability to motivate/lead a team of Counter Managers, Beauty
Advisors and Make-up Artists; and a commitment to providing the highest
standards of customer service in what is a highly visible management position.
We offer attractive salaries and a generous benefits package. If you have
a passion for make-up and natural finesse for color, we would love to meet
you. Please fax resume to: Peter Kaye at (212) 705-2399 or apply on-line
at bloomingdalesjobs.com.
An EOE m/f/d/v.
Production Asst./
Trim Buyer Knits
For Space in Garment Center
Helmsley-Spear, Inc.
212-880-0414
Showrooms & Lofts
BWAY
7TH AVE
SIDE STREETS
Great ’New’ Office Space Avail
ADAMS & CO. 212-679-5500
Private label company seeks
Production Assistant/Trim Buyer with min 5 yrs exp in knit
trim purchases, inventory, and
tracking. Excellent communica tion, organizational and
computer skills a must. Fast
pace environment!
Fax resumes to:
212-997-7761 Attn: Laura
Admin.
Showroom Administrator
PATTERNS, SAMPLES,
PRODUCTIONS
Handbag Co. seeks upbeat, organized,
responsible team player for general office
duties. Must have Word/Excel knowledge,
and be able to maintain all aspects of
the showroom. Fax resume: 212-239-0432
Admin
Since 1967
All lines,Any styles. Fine Fast Service.
Call Sherry 212-719-0622.
W-I-N-S-T-O-N
APPAREL STAFFING
PATTERNS, SAMPLES,
PRODUCTIONS
DESIGN*SALES*MERCH
ADMIN*TECH*PRODUCTION
(212)557-5000
F: (212)986-8437
Samples and patterns full servcie shop
to the trade. Fine fast work.
212-869-2699.
Apparel Staffing
See Career Openings
@ www.apparelstaffing.com
Fax Resume To (212) 302-1161
Apparel Trim Components
Major global mfr. seeks an energetic &
motivated Account Executive to work out
of our NYC office calling on existing &
prospective accounts - major apparel
brands & retailers - to promote our global
offer, services, and capabilities. Experience in denim, trim management, technical design and/or apparel construction
a plus. Competitive benefits package.
Salary commensurate with experience.
Please Fax resume to: 212-561-6468
TRIM/COLOR
COORDINATOR
NEW YORK CITY
Work closely w/designers on
trim sourcing, development
and establishing color standards for each season. Maintain accurate trim and color
files, conduct market research and compile reports.
Must be able to communicate trim qualities, colors
and specifications to vendors. Qualified candidate
must have 2+ years trim development exp, and be proficient in Excel, Word and
PDM. Should also be able to
work under pressure, meet
deadlines and have strong
communication skills. Please
fax resume and salary history to: (212) 632-4322. No
phone calls accepted. EOE
PATTERNMAKER
Great opportunity for highly motivated
individual at a top fashion doll co.
located in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The
right candidate must be able to make
patterns from designer sketches, sew
own outfits for dolls, be hardworking
and detail oriented. Make the move
from the fashion industry to the doll
industry. Contact Joe Petrollese at:
845-339-9537. EOE. M/F
PATTERN & SAMPLE
MAKERS
Leading mfg. of women’s apparel located
in the Philadelphia area is now hiring
skilled Pattern Makers experienced
w/ Lectra Modaris. Applicants must
be detail oriented. We are also hiring
experienced Sample Makers. Great
benefits pkg. including medical and
401K. Send your confidential resume.
Fax 215-396-9017 or
Email to peggyg@notations.com
PETROJEANS
Bryant Pk Duplex 1100, 2000, 4500 FT.
20 Ft Ceilings - Great Windows/Views
SoHo-Sublet Penthouse 2000 FT
Prime Manhattan Jon 212-268-8043
Design
Exciting Opportunity!
Major West Coast Denim Co. seeks innovative DESIGNER for JUNIOR JEANS
LINE. Candidate needs to contribute to
the development of seasonal lines, concepts, and consumer relevant product
opportunities. Support the development,
evolution, and communication of a brand
look. Domestic & overseas travel. Must
be able to work in a fast-paced & fun
environment. Please E-mail resumes to:
HotTrend@hotmail.com
Design
Separation Artist
The largest U.S. Gravure printer seeks an
experienced digital color separation artist.
Knowledge of PhotoShop, Illustrator, or
AVA software a plus, but not mandatory.
Background in textile industry helpful
but not essential. Qualified individual
should be creative, with an eye for design.
This position requires working closely
with the Engraving Manager to develop
projects from initial scan of artwork to
final full color separation. Candidates
should be professional and self-motivated
with strong communication skills. Excellent salary and benefits.
Please fax resume Attn: Pamela
Parnell 212-967-5099 or email:
pamela@transprintusa.com
Hot young contemporary/young men’s
denim line seeking Sales Executives
for all regions. Qualifications: 3-5 yrs.
whole sale experience, contacts with
dept. & specialty stores, denim industry
experience.Please e-mail resume to:
aishikawa@lawmanjeans.com
SWEATER SALES
Judith Ripka Companies
Seeking the Best in Class!!!
Unique opportunity to join a team of Sales
Pros at a flagship Madison Ave., Short Hills,
NJ, East Hills, LI, locations. 3+ years of
luxury sales exp. req’d. with polished
presentation/exceptional communication
Major
information
technology
skills and proven track record. Strong
company seeks responsible person
client following a must. Excellent benefits
with extensive knowledge of all
package & high income earning potential
aspects of EDI transactions, IT,
available. Cosmetic or fashion exp. is a
Database,
Window
system,
and
+++++
Please send resumes:
trouble shooting.
Must have
Attn: Theresa @ Fax: (212) 244-4560
experience in garment industry,
Major Sleepwear Manufacturer looking
Fax resume: 212-967-8018
for highly detail oriented individual with
strong sense of color to handle approval
tracking process from design concept
to production stage. Minimum 3 yrs
experience required. Proficient in Excel
and E-mail. Walmart and Retail Link
exp. a plus.
Fax resume w/ sal req. to: 212-685-4341
Attn: Lauren
Midtown Manhattan / Los Angeles
Are you creative & goal oriented?
Exciting new opportunities to work
We are an international firm that
with one of the fastest growing cosmetic
designs & produces handbags
companies in prestige cosmetics distri& GWP fashion accessories.
bution. Benefit Cosmetics is based
We currently seek a relationship
in San Francisco, California.
PRODUCTION
builder with Sales Management
PRODUCT MARKETING
experience and a proven record of
finding & developing new clients.
This position works side-by-side with Visit and evaluate factories specializthe co-Creators, Creative team, and ing in knit woven fabrics & garments
If you are a team player and believe
Product Development. The ideal candi- in Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong
in accountability, and thrive in an
date must have relevant cosmetic expe- Kong and other countries as required.
exciting work environment...
rience including specific color market- Utilize contacts in same countries to
we should talk.
ing experience, the ability to actively find factories for best quality and
Learn more about our business, and
participate in the creative process, price. Negotiate price and delivery;
apply for this strong opportunity by
drive the execution process, and be a visit factories to oversee start-up of
viewing our website careers section:
proven team player.
new production; set-up and oversee
www.macher.com
control standard with buyers;
PACKAGING/SOURCING EXPERT quality
inspect & approve final garments and
This position requires an expert with a printing of fabrics. Travel (international)
creative and innovative flair in product minimum 20% of year plus domestic
packaging. Relevant cosmetics experi- trade shows. Excel, Microsoft Outlook Established textile design studio seeks
ence with sourcing and interactions & Microsoft Word skills required. B.A. exp. sales rep to sell advanced CAD
with suppliers required. Candidate & 5 yrs. exp. in garment production services to apparel & home markets.
must be a demonstrated team player and quality control or 7 yrs exp. in
Call 212-244-1426
with the ability to work as an integral same. 45+ hr. wk. Fax resume & letter
part of the creative process. Position attn: HR, 212-575-5778.
reports to the Product Development
Manager and works closely with the
co-Creators and Creative team.
Mfr./Importer of Branded Jr. Knit Tops
Please submit resume,
& Sleepwear seeks exp’d. Sales Pro for
along with salary requirements
its NY Showroom. Must be energetic,
and references via email to:
willing to travel, and have existing concareers@benefitcosmetics.com
tacts in Chain, Specialty & Major Dept.
Stores. Minimum 2 years showroom sales
exp. req’d. Fax or E-mail resumes to:
Import and domestic ladies contempo- 212-719-9328 / ahills@jamatex.com
rary sportswear: Wovens and Knits.
Create/monitor calendars, negotiate
pricing, purchase bulk fabric/trim, facilitate import shipping, manage prodFast growing Cosmetic Co. is seeking uct coordinator. Great opportunity for
assistance with licensees & in-house a motivated team player. Candidate
creative dept on the development of must be computer literate, organized,
cosmetic lines for multiple brands. and have excellent communication
Candidate will be working closely with skills. Minimum 5 yrs experience.
licensors & creative teams on brands Please send resume & salary requirements: resumebox2004@yahoo.com
development and instrumental in the
approval process. This position requires
a person who is very detail oriented,
and has the ability to multitask while
meeting a deadline. Computer Skills
Required: Micro Soft Office. E-mail to:
Ladies, Men & Chldn. Broad technical
KGR04@optonline.net
knowledge of yarn, fashion trend. Be
expd. in computer design & graph ability. Able to work under direction and
design to need of customer.
Please fax resume: 215-739-5150
VF, the global leader in creating powerful brands of apparel, is seeking a
Molding Technician for its Intimates
Division. The successful candidate will
possess 2 years experience in a mechanical background preferably in
apparel, strong communication skills,
proficient PC skills, attention to detail
is essential. Qualified candidates should Sweater
co.
seeks
experienced,
e-mail resume & salary requirements to:
energtic technical designer. Evaluate
kathy_scotto@vfc.com
1st prototype through production,
specing, fitting, grading and also comFor more information about our
munication with factory overseas.
company, please visit our website at
Good spoken English is a must.
www.vfc.com
VF Intimates is an EOE
Fax resume to: 212-302-6527
EDI Specialist
19
Product Coordinator
SALES PROFESSIONAL
Head of Men’s & Women’s Sweater
Sales. Exp. Rqrd. Must have technical
knowledge of yarns, computer literate
& travel rqrd.
Please fax resume: 215-739-5150
Tory By TRB is currently seeking Sales
Professionals for Full-Time positions
with its Flagship Store in Nolita. Ideal
candidates will have a minimum 3 years
of fashion retail experience, a strong
clientele base, and will be customer
service driven.
Tory By TRB offers a competitive salary,
graduated commission structure, and
a full benefits package. For consideration, please Fax or E-mail resume to:
(212) 334-3038 / inquiries@toryltd.com
For more information about Tory By TRB,
a luxury women’s apparel & accessories
collection, please visit our website at:
www.toryltd.com
Director of Productions
Sales Rep
Showroom Sales
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
Licensing Coordinator
SWEATER DESIGNER
Molding Technician
Tech Designer
Chinese Bilingual
Major Swimwear Apparel
Designer
Independent Sales Reps Needed
Midwest, Southeast & New England
Established branded swimwear
company is seeking independent
sales reps to manage and grow
existing territories.
Current
account base already exists.
Should have 3-5 years of apparel
or swimwear sales experience.
Fax cover letter and resume to:
513-874-1878 Southeast + Midwest
Positions
732-254-1409 New England Position
WWD
Health&Beauty
SECTION II
Cosmoprof
Show Update ❋ Vegas Beauty ❋ New Products ❋ HBA Report
PHOTO BY CORBIS
REDISCOVERS AMERICA
2
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
SECTION Il
W W D H E A LT H & B E A U T Y
Cosmoprof’s Second Act
Will Cosmoprof’s luxury brand identity carry over — and stick — to its second Las Vegas show? By Andrea Nagel
ALL EYES ARE ON COSMOPROF NORTH AMERICA’S NEXT FORAY INTO THE
United States this July 18-20. With last year’s show garnering mixed results — long
lines and a somewhat confusing layout hampered some attendees’ experiences — this
year’s effort in Las Vegas could decide the global beauty trade show’s future in the U.S.
Cosmoprof, which relies largely on a global presence at each of the shows it produces, also has had an economic recession in Western Europe to confront, as well
as the combination of the weak dollar and the strong euro, making exporting problematic for many would-be show goers. At this year’s Bologna, Italy, show, it was
reported that discounting prices by as much as 30 percent had become a common
way of doing business for local beauty retailers.
Despite the challenges, however, Cosmoprof officials are out to make this year’s
U.S. effort an unforgettable one. Acknowledging several of last year’s complaints, the
show has moved from the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center to the new, more
compact Mandalay Bay Convention Center. A greater emphasis on education and the
development of a summit focused specifically on wellness and the spa industry
promise to make attending the show more than just walking a trade show floor.
Preliminary exhibitor commitments show that the new efforts, along with positive
results from last year’s show, have pushed exhibitor attendance up from 613 to more
than 700, as of June 16, with 30 percent of exhibitors coming from outside the U.S.
“This could be one of the elements that draws attendees,” said Laura Zaccagnini,
general director of Sogecos, the organizer of Cosmoprof, explaining that foreign beauty exhibitors are of particular interest to U.S. drugstore and specialty store buyers
who may not typically attend such a show. One need only look at the success U.S. drug
store chain CVS has had with the addition of Finnish beauty brand Lumene to the mix
to see how well received international beauty brands can be with U.S. consumers.
And with several new countries attending Cosmoprof this year, buyers and distributors will have more companies from which to choose, beyond the original 25.
Several new “country pavilions” — blocks of trade show floor space occupied by
exhibitors from specific countries — including Argentina, Australia and Indonesia,
join pavilions by France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Products from Belgium, China,
Israel, Jordan, Korea and Mexico will also debut at Cosmoprof this year.
And like last year, buyer delegations have been organized, with Cosmoprof paying
a buyer’s airfare and hotel expenses in exchange for attendance at prearranged oneon-one business meetings with manufacturers appearing to meet the retailers’ needs.
One of the highlights of this year’s show is its expanded scope of education,
which now includes 29 classes on nails alone, and more than 30 classes available
each day throughout the three-day event.
The new locale and more classes aside, the Wellness Summit is probably
Cosmoprof ’s best effort at catering to attendees this year. The three-day event
costs $199 and includes a medi-spa panel, a session with Lydia Sarfati of famed spa
Repêchage, an Esthetics Manufacturers’ & Distributors Alliance panel, a yoga and
Pilates session and a speech by integrative health guru Dr. Andrew Weil. Summit
registration also entitles attendees to access to all pavilions and a guided spa tour
around Las Vegas. The Wellness Avenue education area offers classes by dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad, eyebrow shaping discussions with Anastasia Soare, a
microdermabrasion discussion with Amby Longhofer of DermaNew and a trendspotting speech on consumer buying habits by Avance’s Dee DeLuca-Mattos.
There will also be the third annual Beauty and Health Observatory, which this
year is presenting a conference on “The Evolution of the Wellness Venues — The
Trends of Wellness.” An international survey to help shape the conference was
conducted by Future Concept Lab.
Classes by The International Dermal Institute, founded in 1983 by Jane and
Raymond Wurwand and headquartered in Torrance, Calif., will also be offered at
Cosmoprof. The training facility aims to educate skin therapists with credible,
thorough and advanced training in skin therapy. The IDI class curriculum includes
basic skin care education, including European skin care techniques, aromatherapy, hydroxy acids and exfoliation techniques, acne treatments and sun damage and
aging skin treatments. There’s also coverage of Chinese acupressure, treatment for
rosacea, speed waxing and reflexology.
While education may be a driving force in some business executives’ attendance, others are only considering attending Cosmoprof if they expect ample business opportunities.
One bath and body manufacturer, who perused the show floor last year and
asked not to be named, is taking a wait-and-see attitude on whether he will attend
Cosmoprof due to last year’s lackluster performance.
“I am not sure what the identity of the vehicle was [last year] or the U.S. branding of Cosmoprof is. I am awaiting the global people I know to dictate whether we
will be there or not. The only reason we go to these conferences is for the global
market and to meet with distributors to expand into available markets. For us
that’s the deciding factor,” he said.
Another maufacturer, Jeff Tannenbaum of Sorme Cosmetics, is giving the show a
second chance, because he sees potential in the U.S. version. “Cosmoprof, quite
HEALTH & BEAUTY AIDS EDITOR
ANDREA NAGEL
EDITOR, WWDBEAUTYBIZ
JENNY B. FINE
PRESTIGE MARKET
BEAUTY EDITOR
JULIE NAUGHTON
BEAUTY NEWS EDITOR
MATTHEW W. EVANS
frankly, is a show that you never know how it will turn out. I have been in the business for 28 years, and we have reps that go to the Italy show. If 20 percent of the people you talk to at these shows do 10 percent of what they say they will, the show is a
home run. Besides, this show used to be the old [Beauty and Barber Supply Institute
trade show]. They are trying to make it into Cosmoprof. They are getting there.”
Unipro executive Chiara Loprieno said that last year’s show was “absolutely
productive” for the firms her Italian association represents, “as is demonstrated
by the confirmation of their presence during this second edition.”
Mary Albanese of Zotos International is excited about attending Cosmoprof this
year, as last year’s show for the hair care company went well. She pointed out what
may be keeping other hair care companies from feeling the same way, though.
“This industry is known for having shows in the spring and fall. People are resistant to change. So it may take some time to build up that interest,” Albanese said.
Of course, in addition to education and business-to-business opportunities, there’s
the excitement of Cosmoprof ’s trade show floor. As it did last year, Cosmoprof will feature five pavilions for each of its different exhibitor categories. Pavilion A will feature international cosmetics and personal care companies. On display will be a gamut
of finished products, from prestige department store fragrances to color cosmetics.
Pavilion A will also feature health products, hair accessories and home decor items.
In Pavilion B, packaging, contract manufacturing and private label exhibitors will be
found. Design agencies and packaging machines round out this pavilion’s exhibitor list.
In Pavilion C, wellness, professional skin care and spa products and equipment
will be presented. Everything from suntanning lamps to electro-stimulation accessories and hydro-massage baths will be there, in addition to complimentary wellness education seminars. A spa demonstration stage will also be in Pavilion C,
highlighting the newest product spa lines and spa treatments.
Everything needed to stock the shelves of a salon will be featured in Pavilion D.
Hair care, tools for hairdressers, professional clothing, scissors, razors and products for nail reconstruction will be offered there.
Hairstylists will have an entire area, Pavilion E, dedicated to them. There they
will be able to see and learn about the latest hair innovations at Looks Mainstage
& Expo. Looks features international artists from the U.K., Spain, Japan and the
U.S. in 90-minute hair and fashion presentations.
Most of the growth on the trade show floor has occurred in packaging, contract manufacturing and private label areas, as well as in the wellness pavilion, Zaccagnini said.
BEAUTY MARKET EDITOR
KRISTIN FINN
BEAUTY MANAGER
RANDI SEGAL
SECTION DESIGNER
AMY LOMACCHIO
BEAUTY ASSOCIATE
BRYN KENNY
ACCOUNT MANAGER
TRACY HUPP
PHOTOGRAPHER
GEORGE CHINSEE
PUBLISHER
SARAH MURPHY
ART DIRECTOR
ANDREW FLYNN
PHOTO RESEARCH COORDINATOR
ERIC RUSS
VICE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, BEAUTY PETE BORN
“THE SALON BUSINESS IS JUST LIKE
ANY OTHER. THE KEY TO SUCCESS
IS KNOWING HOW TO ADD VOLUME.”
© 2004 American Express Company.
— Jonathan Antin, Owner, Jonathan Salon
“On Bravo’s reality show Blow Out, the big question is whether I have what
it takes to fill two high-end salons. If you ask me, filling them with clients
was never in doubt. And now, neither is filling their every square inch with salon chairs, shampoo bowls
and beauty lighting. In fact, with OPEN:The Small Business Network from American Express, I can
get enough purchasing power to furnish an entire chain of high-end salons. And while my business
won’t be going nationwide tomorrow, it pays to be prepared for whatever reality throws your way.”
SM
The OPEN Network gives you the tools to make big things happen.
But only when you have an American Express® Business Card.
To apply, call 1-800-NOW- OPEN or visit OPEN.AMERICANEXPRESS.COM
4
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
SECTION Il
W W D H E A LT H & B E A U T Y
Gambler’s Delight
How does Sin City approach a day of beauty? By Jennifer Laing
IT’S GOOD TO BE A HIGH ROLLER IN LAS VEGAS. NOT ONLY
is airfare (on chartered G4s, no less), hotel suites and entertainment provided gratis, many spa and beauty services are also offered for free.
One hotel VIP manager recently admitted to scheduling “everything but a facelift” for companions of important guests. Another
source revealed one hotel winning the visit of a particularly soughtafter guest over another hotel by offering to fly in celebrity hairstylist José Eber and his team to make over the guest’s entourage .
But if you’re more likely to hit the nickel slots than the craps
table, spa and salon options abound for you, too. Here, a list of the
town’s most exclusive beauty spots.
CANYON RANCH SPACLUB AT THE VENETIAN
The 36,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch SpaClub offers 120 spa
services and 17 kinds of massage, including its most popular, the
Canyon Ranch massage, a 50-minute Swedish technique for $145$155, depending on the day of the week.
On its busiest days, Friday and Saturday, SpaClub routinely
performs more than 700 services, most on guests of The Venetian.
VIPs like Al and Tipper Gore, Ivana Trump and Martha Stewart
are treated to a private lounge and changing rooms and use of a
back staircase if necessary.
To accommodate the hotel’s high-rolling guests, SpaClub has
one of its 150 massage therapists on call in “the bull pen.”
“A casino host may call over and say a guest just lost several
million dollars and needs a massage,” said Maria Sawyer, director of sales and marketing at SpaClub.
As thanks, one therapist was tipped $2,000 for an in-room massage and a reservationist was given a $250 gift certificate to the
spa as a gratuity for booking a guest.
THE ROCK SPA AND SALON AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL
According to spa manager Sherri Maher, the bi-level Rock Spa
and Salon at the Hard Rock Hotel caters to an array of celebrities
and beautiful people, as well as some serious gamblers, at its fairly simple, bi-level facility.
“We get a lot of partiers,” said Maher. “Our spa is like a recovery
center. People use the facilities to sweat out toxins ingested the night
before so they’re in good shape to do it all over again that evening.”
While guests of the Hard Rock Hotel — a roster that is said to
include Gwen Stefani, David Spade and Howard Stern — enjoy
the facilities, the Spa and Salon also hosts visitors from the overbooked spas of other hotels.
The Rock Spa’s entire menu of services — from a De-Stress
Eye Treatment for $20 to an 80-minute Hot Stone Massage for
$170 — is available in the hotel’s VIP penthouse suite (which also
houses a bowling alley and media room). According to an insider,
Jennifer Lopez recently had her eyebrows waxed in the penthouse by a Rock Spa aesthetician.
For an extra $25, many guests opt to have their massage, facial
or pedicure performed poolside in one of the hotel’s 36 cabanas.
To accommodate the hotel’s high rollers, the spa will often
send one of its massage therapists directly to the casino floor to
perform a service.
“Players don’t want to leave the table,” said Maher. “We’ve had
pit bosses call us up to massage guests while they’re playing so
they’re comfortable for as long as possible.”
ELEMIS SPA AT THE ALADDIN
At the 32,000-square-foot Elemis Spa at the Aladdin, guests are offered a menu of treatments incorporating products from the
British skin care brand Elemis, as well as the Parisian face care
line, La Thérapie.
Basic massages account for 30 percent of the services performed, but signature treatments, such as the Musclease Aroma
Spa Ocean Float and the Aroma Stone Therapy are also popular.
And while in-suite massages are offered 24 hours a day, according
to Dennis Montellano, Elemis’ regional vice president, most VIPs
prefer to come to the spa for their treatments during spa hours of
6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to take advantage of the saunas, steam rooms, hot
tubs and gym.
Most high rollers, however, forgo the spa completely.
“Some ‘whales’ do frequent the spas and, depending on the
amount of money they are spending in the casino, are treated to
services for themselves, their friends or significant others,” said
Montellano. “We don’t go after the high rollers. The hotel’s contention is they are here to gamble and we don’t want to do anything that will take them away from that. But if their gambling
hasn’t been rewarding, we pamper them as a consolation.”
THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
The 12,000-square-foot Spa at Four Seasons Hotel boasts 16 treatment rooms and 25 face, body and massage treatments ranging
from a 25-minute Sugar Scrub for $75 to an 80-minute Vie Age
Concept Treatment facial for $235. Among the featured offerings
are an 80-minute Four Seasons Signature Body Treatment for
$215 and a 110-minute Javanese Lulur Ritual for $260.
While most Las Vegas hotels charge a daily fee for use of their spa
facilities, guests of the Four Seasons enjoy complimentary use of the
Spa, including the relaxation room, hydrotone thermal capsule tub,
chilled towels for use after exercise and a poolside spritzing service.
Since the Four Seasons is a nongaming hotel, VIPs do not receive any specific special treatment, but in-room massages are
available for an additional $35.
SPA VITA DI LAGO AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, LAKE LAS VEGAS
Located 17 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, the 30,000-square-foot
Spa Vita di Lago at The Ritz-Carlton offers 24 treatment rooms,
some with private outdoor terraces, and a menu of massages, facials, wraps, scrubs and hair, nail and makeup services.
Among the unique programs offered through the spa is the $95
Stars and Cigars, a one-hour stargazing session with Meade
Instruments GPS telescopes, cigars and a glass of cognac. There’s also
the La Culla treatment, a two-hour facial, body scrub, wrap and massage performed on a table that lowers to bathe the body in steam.
CRISTOPHE SALON AT MGM GRAND
The Belgium-born celebrity hairstylist’s fifth location employs 24
stylists, 10 colorists and a handful of aestheticians to take care of
nails and makeup. Cuts start at $110, highlights at $125, and blowdrys at $65. Among the special services Cristophe plans to offer is
a makeover package that includes cut, color and makeup application, as well as “before” and “after” pictures of the client. While
the salon opened just weeks ago, the savvy Cristophe plans to accommodate the casino’s high rollers any way he can.
SKINKLINIC AT MANDALAY PLACE
The first West Coast location of the New York-based medi-spa
opened in December, offering seven treatment rooms and the
same menu of services as the Manhattan flagship. As in New
York, all the skin personnel are registered nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants overseen by a medical director.
Among the most popular treatments are Botox injections that
start at $400 and Restylane injections that start at $600. According
to Skinklinic founder Kathy Dwyer, clients in Las Vegas do two to
three times the number of treatments as those in New York. Fifty
percent of clients are repeat customers.
The spa has hosted everyone from visiting high rollers and
their entourages to women on girls’ weekends and locals.
While most clients foot the bill themselves, “We’ve had a couple of people where everything was set up by a concierge and
they just had to come in,” said Susan Berezansky, general manager of Skinklinic.
Since Skinklinic is a medical facility, tips are not accepted.
THE ART OF SHAVING AT MANDALAY PLACE
Located in the sky bridge connecting Mandalay Bay and Luxor resorts, the 1,378-square-foot Art of Shaving shop features a retail
area up front and a barber spa in the rear.
The eponymous line of aromatherapy-based shaving products
range from $10 for a Styptic Pen to $65 for five vials of AfterShave Mask. Shaving Cream is $13 to $20.
A range of razors and badger-hair shaving brushes is also
available, priced at $50 for a Pure Badger Hair Brush to $2,300 for
a Sterling Silver Shaving Set with a razor, silver-tip badger brush
and classic stand, all in sterling.
Of the 10 services offered, the most popular is a 45-minute
Royal Shave for $45. A 20-25 minute Traditional Shave is available for $25.
On weekends, when the spa is open until midnight, the four
on-staff barbers can do a total of 40 shaves; there is often a waiting list of 30 to 50 people.
And while the barbers do not make house or hotel calls, casino
representatives have been known to escort VIPs over to the spa
and pick up the tab.
One hotel owner comes three times a week. Generous tips are
common.
“Put it this way,” said John Zilliken, vice president and general
manager of Mandalay Place. “When I retire I’m going to learn to
become a barber.”
PHOTO BY MICHAEL MYERS, DIGITAL IMAGING BY STUDIO PURPLE
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
5
Expand your craft and renew your energy with the three-day
Wellness & Spa Experience at Cosmoprof North America.
Spa professionals benefit from a “show within a show” at Cosmoprof North America. The Wellness & Spa Experience features:
complimentary wellness, skincare and spa education on the Wellness Avenue; dedicated exhibit space for wellness, skincare and
spa manufacturers in the Wellness & Spa Pavilion; new products, techniques and trends on the Spa Demonstration Stage; and the
Wellness Summit, an in-depth, three-day seminar for the spa professional.
Wellness Avenue
Spa Demonstration Stage
Customize a schedule of complimentary wellness and spa education in
the Wellness Avenue. Classes include Internal Skincare with Dr. Howard
Murad, Microdermabrasion with DermaNew, Client Loyalty with Lydia
Sarfati, Hollywood Eyebrows with Anastasia Soare, Thalasso Facial
Treatments with Biomaris USA, the Business of Private Label with Creative
Beauty Innovations, Management and Marketing with SkinCareBiz, Skin
Care Retailing with the International Dermal Institute and more!
Witness step-by-step demonstrations of the latest
products, techniques and trends on the Spa
Demonstration Stage in the Wellness & Spa
Pavilion. With a rotating program of fast-paced
manufacturer education, you’ll receive a crash
course in the most interesting innovations on the
exhibit floor.
Cosmoprof North America is the most comprehensive and international professional beauty industry show on
the continent. Connect with the entire professional beauty industry for a long weekend in Las Vegas this July!
WELLNESS SUMMIT
The inaugural two-day Wellness Summit allows wellness professionals to invest further in their practice. Headlined by integrative
health guru Dr. Andrew Weil, the summit features New York Times personal health columnist Jane Brody, spa nutrition experts the
Clever Cleaver Brothers, a medi-spa panel hosted by Dee Mattos, an EMDA panel hosted by Paul Premo, invigorating yoga
sessions and more.
Dr. Andrew Weil
Renowned author and integrative
health guru Dr. Andrew Weil
delivers the Wellness Summit
keynote on Sunday afternoon. A
Harvard educated M.D., Dr. Weil
is the Director of the Program in
Integrative Medicine at the
University of Arizona and an
active campaigner to expand
medical education to include training in alternative
therapies, mind/body interactions and other subjects
not currently emphasized. In his bestselling book
Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, Dr. Weil presents a
step-by-step program designed to keep the body in
peak working order. Spa and beauty professionals
know that internal wellness affects how people look
and feel. Dr. Weil’s presentation will provide valuable
information on mind-body interaction for wellness.
Medi-spa Panel
Today’s luxury spa treatments are expected
to deliver both aesthetic effects and
medical benefits. Get insights from the
leaders in the medi-spa industry during this
panel, hosted by Dee DeLuca Mattos, Vice
President of Avance. Panel members
include Dr. Bruce Katz (Juva Skin & Laser)
and Dr. Howard Murad (Murad, Inc.).
Clever Cleaver Bros.
The Clever Cleaver Brothers combine
humor and good food for the ultimate
wellness medicine! Classically trained
chefs Lee N. Gerovitz and Steve Cassarino
offer up simple, nutritional recipes for
healthy eating in a live cooking show
known for its light-hearted style.
EMDA Panel
Part of the American Beauty Association, the Esthetics
Manufacturers and Distributors Alliance (EMDA) is a group of skin
care and body care manufacturers and distributors dedicated to
assuring that wellness professionals have
the best access to information on
products, ingredients and industry issues.
Hosted by EMDA President Paul Premo.
Jane Brody
Spa Tours
Jane Brody, women’s health expert and personal health
columnist for The New York Times, closes the summit on
Monday. An outspoken proponent of healthy eating and
regular exercise, Brody’s accessible style arms her
audience with critical information on living a healthy life.
Las Vegas boasts some of the most outstanding spas in the world.
On Tuesday, you have the opportunity to step behind the scenes at
two of these prestigious locations—Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the
Venetian and Spa Mandalay at Mandalay Bay. Led by TSA President
Melissa Yamaguchi.
Your Wellness Summit registration also entitles you to enter all pavilions on the Cosmoprof North America floor, including the
Wellness & Spa pavilion, and provides access to all additional complimentary wellness and spa education in the Wellness Avenue.
w w w. c o s m o p r o f n o r t h a m e r i c a . c o m
Cosmetics &
personal
care
Wellness
& spa
Professional hair,
nail & tools
Packaging,
contract
manufacturing
& private labels
Mainstage
& expo
Des tination Beauty
LAS VEGAS - MANDALAY BAY - JULY 18-20, 2004
at Vegas’ 5-star Mandalay Bay resort hotel
and convention center, the world’s only
all-inclusive international venue for
beauty trade manufacturers, importers,
distributors and buyers.
America’s biggest beauty
trade showcase.
• 19,000 sqm of expo floor.
• 1,000 exhibitors from
over 30 countries.
• 20,000 trade visitors expected.
Organized by: North American Beauty Events LLC
Marketing and Promotion: SoGeCos spa - Italy - Tel. +39.02.796.420 - Fax +39.02.795.036 - sogecos@cosmoprof.it
Sales Office North America: BBSI - U.S.A. - Tel. +1.480.281.0424 - Fax +1.480.905.0708 - info@cosmoprofnorthamerica.com
Sales Office Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Middle East: Fairsystem International Exhibition Services spa - Italy
Tel. +39.051.415.6811 - Fax +39.051.631.0034 - fairsystem@fairsystem.it
MEN at WORK
Your universal beauty business
destination in the USA:
8
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
SECTION Il
W W D H E A LT H & B E A U T Y
Stuff
▲
oscar+dehn’s
thermal solesaver
foot soothers
($40).
Many of fall’s newest health and
beauty items have a treatment theme,
from cooling sore feet to defrizzing hair.
Others simply aim to beautify. Here, some
items set to launch at Cosmoprof North
America’s July show in Las Vegas.
By Andrea Nagel and Bryn Kenny
repechage’s
colour actif
sable mascara
($22). ▲
davines’ momo
moisturizing
conditioner ($16)
and shampoo ($14).
▲ de
ruy perfumes’ fun spray
surprise eau de parfum pocket spray
in six fragrances ($3.95 each).
▲
jingles
international’s
jazz it up styling
cream ($11.99) and
mousse forte
styling ($12.99).▲
▲
posner’s new six-item hair care
line with posner procomplex
includes exotic hair butter
($4.99) and revitalizing
▲
growth treatment oil (6.99).
barex
italiana’s
curly only
redefine
creme ($26).
PHOTOS BY GEORGE CHINSEE
▲
dermanew’s
satin screen
firming daily
moisture with
spf 15 ($60).
▲
zotos international’s quantum
browns daily color replenishing
shampoo and conditioner ($5.99 each).
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
EBay: The World’s Corner Beauty Store
A mecca for hard-to-find items, as well as what’s on trend, eBay emerges as beauty’s virtual stomping ground. By Kristin Finn
MAKING THE CUSTOMER HAPPY IS THE GOLDEN RULE OF RETAILING, AND
eBay is certainly taking this task seriously. With more than $120 million in health and
beauty sales for 2003, and approximately 300,000 of these items available each day,
health and beauty is emerging as one of the fastest-growing categories on the Web site.
And unlike many other retail channels, eBay’s health and beauty sales show no
signs of hitting a plateau. According to Sam McDonagh, senior category manager
for eBay health and beauty, sales have been growing at a consistent rate of 82 percent a year. This performance has recently elevated the category to be featured
as a direct link on eBay’s home page, which also features some of the site’s top
revenue-producing categories, such as motor vehicles, fashion and collectibles.
“[Health and beauty] is one of our fastest-growing categories on the site,”
McDonagh said.
In 2003, eBay generated global net revenues of more than $2 billion in 28
international markets. Net revenues for the first quarter of 2004 exceeded
$756.2 million, and gross merchandise sales, or the value of goods traded on
eBay, totaled more than $8 billion. For this same period, there were nearly 105
EBay health and beauty sales have been growing
at a consistent rate of 82 percent a year.
million eBay users around the world — McDonagh refers to them as “the eBay community”
— and many of them don’t mind clicking and surfing for their makeup.
But just what are beauty aficionados looking for?
“What we’re certainly seeing is that consumers are
coming to eBay to buy the brands they know and love
A list of the most
at a great value,” said McDonagh. There are close to
popular brands by
15 subcategories within health and beauty, with dozens of options under each one, offering everything
category and the
from antiperspirant to first aid to aromatherapy prodnumber of listings for
ucts. EBay even segments off its most often-used
each brand.
search words, which in order from most popular include perfume, Clinique, Estée Lauder, hair and Bare
Escentuals. But there are two types of products that
HAIR CARE
generally get most of the attention: the hard-to-find
Tigi Bed Head, 275
items that are sold out in stores, and the great deals,
such as liquidation items.
SKIN CARE
Sold-out items appeal to the loyal shopper who’s
Avon, 1,552
weary of searching for a certain item in traditional
retail stores. An example is one consumer’s quest for
BATH & BODY
Stila eye shadow in “Cha Cha” and Bobbi Brown CosBath & Body Works, 2,148
metics’ Shimmer Brick. Various retail outlets had sold
Mary Kay, 807
out of the items, so the consumer looked on eBay,
where she found them—for the same retail price. “The
Avon, 798
breadth of the marketplace sometimes means that
these things will show up on eBay when they’re not
COSMETICS
available in store,” said McDonagh. Ultimately, ShimMary Kay, 1,938
mer Brick was one of eBay’s bestsellers in 2003.
MAC, 1,646
MAC is another often-searched keyword on eBay. “It
Estée Lauder, 870
just keeps showing up. People are looking for products
that they are familiar with. They’ve already bought it in
FRAGRANCE
the offline world and want to replenish what they
already know and love, and they’re finding those things
Estée Lauder, 1,585
on eBay,” McDonagh said.
Avon, 1,305
New products range from prestige brands by ChrisBath & Body Works, 1,164
tian Dior, Borghese and Lancôme to mass brands such
Victoria’s Secret, 1,130
as Revlon, Mary Kay and Maybelline. The most popular health and beauty subcategory on eBay is currentGivenchy, 828
ly body care, followed by fragrance. But tremendous
Chanel, 791
growth is being seen in hair care, which has sales
Christian Dior, 704
growing faster than the overall health and beauty catElizabeth Arden, 674
egory. Fueling this are straightening irons, gel and
mousse, hair color and curlers. “And we’re just startClinique, 665
ing to see it with conditioners and shampoos. We’re
Calvin Klein, 627
seeing that people know what they want, so instead of
Escada, 609
going to the store, they’re buying them on eBay,”
Ralph Lauren, 599
McDonagh said.
In terms of the salon and spa business, self-tanning
Burberry, 546
beds regularly sell on the site for more than $5,000.
“That’s an example of the breadth of the marketplace,”
McDonagh said. “We’re selling Aveda shampoos for $10 and tanning beds for over $5,000.
In fact there are some commercial products that are selling in the $25,000 to $30,000
range.” He highlighted salon chairs and professional hair dryers as two items that also
perform well on eBay.
As for which brands sell best, sales on eBay follow the trends. Strivectin, for
example, the stretch mark cream that appears to also diminish wrinkles and is
SKETCH BY DIGITAL VISION/GETTY IMAGES
POPULARITY
CONTEST
THE HIGHEST-PRICED
ITEMS RECENTLY SOLD WITHIN
THE HEALTH AND BEAUTY
CATEGORY ON EBAY
Mist On Tanning Booth
$30,000
Used Tanning Bed
$22,500
Aqua Massage
$20,000
Aqua Massage Bed
$18,000
Aqua Massage Machine
$17,599
ProSun 620LI Tanning Bed
$13,000
Aqua Massage
$10,900
Power Wave XP Hydro Massage Bed
$10,101
To grow the already bustling business,
McDonagh said eBay plans to increase supply of targeted products in the categories it
sees growing, such as makeup, skin care and
hair care. He also said there is a focus on
“improving the activity of existing buyers so
that we pursue the ideal of optimal replenishment and make the eBay process easier
for people wanting to transact. Optimizing
the category structure is one way we can do
that.” So now, when growth is spotted in a
particular product line, the category would
be expanded “so the buyer and seller can get
to each other more easily, to improve the
shopping experience. As those categories
proliferate from a supply perspective and we
see demand, we manage the marketplace to
improve the category structure.”
As far as the competition goes, McDonagh
said he doesn’t believe eBay has specific
competitors “because our market is differ-
Sold-out items appeal to the loyal shopper who’s weary of searching for a certain item in traditional retail stores.
now one of the industry’s hottest items, sells for $90. It usually retails for $135. On
the fragrance front, there are about 170 listings for Estée Lauder’s Beyond
Paradise fragrance. Best-selling seasonal items include sunless tanning products
from Clarins and Fake Bake. And like other beauty channels, eBay is experiencing the impact that fashion has on beauty trends. “Straightening irons on eBay are
just absolutely hot. If you’re looking for a deal, there’s certainly plenty to be had,”
McDonagh said.
ent. We see ourselves as a complementary channel, whether it be online or offline.”
As a company, however, eBay is continually marketing its services to bring more people to their marketplace. One such way is with its print campaign, which recently
began to include beauty. The company also participates in a number of onsite promotions, as well as public relations activities, to get out its overall message —
which is not so much product-specific, but rather about being passionate for the
eBay experience.
9
10
WWD, FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2004
SECTION Il
W W D H E A LT H & B E A U T Y
HBA Report
What will tomorrow bring in beauty? For one, spas are
leaving natural remedies for bioenergetic ones. Nail polish
is now safe enough to eat. The Aussies are coming and a
small beauty company is expanding its reach with a new
Manhattan-based studio and education center.
By Andrea Nagel and Matthew W. Evans
Not Your Mother’s Spa
BIOENERGY AND AUSSIE PHOTOS BY CORBIS
BIOENERGY APPEARS TO BE THE NEXT “IT” WORD IN SPAS, REPLACING
“natural” and “organic” treatments from coast to coast. According to
Erich Worster, former president of U.S. operations for Jurlique, and
now founder and president of Anakiri BioEnergetic Skin Care, “as a
different kind of health care begins to emerge, beauty products are
being made by companies exclusive to the spa industry,” rather than
by traditional beauty or medical firms, Worster said. Products by
these companies use traditional plant and flower essences and
combine them with antiaging advancements, such as alpha lipoic
acid, and target them to be utilized with energy-field treatments,
such as acupuncture, homeopathy, crystal and gemstone services,
vibrational therapy and Reiki. It’s the classic case of modern
technology catching up with ancient practices, Worster said. “Spas
are again becoming healing places, like they were many years ago. It
is beyond natural. They are now a unique place for health care, with
the more subtle aspects of health care taken into account.”
Nails You Can Suck On
acquarella
nail polish
is free of
harsh
chemicals.
AS THE HYPE ABOUT TOXIC NAIL POLISH GROWS, ACQUARELLA LLC IS IN THE
right place at the right time. Acquarella, which claims to be the U.S.’s
only water-based nail polish system, is free of many controversial
chemicals found in conventional nail polishes, such as formaldehyde,
toluene, dibutyl phthalate and acetone, which some studies link to birth
defects in laboratory animals. According to Polly Deason, Acquarella’s
director of marketing, “Acquarella’s nail system was developed to kickstart a major paradigm shift within the beauty industry, and apparently,
the revolution has begun. Consumers are learning more every day of the
harmful effects of conventional nail polish. Retailers are now contacting
us because Acquarella is a genuine solution to the problem.”
Acquarella offers 19 colors, as well as a nontoxic nail polish remover,
hand moisturizer and a nail conditioner, which is to be used for four days
prior to using Acquarella nail polish. The Tucson, Ariz.-based company
sells its products on acquarellapolish.com and targetdirect.com. The
company is also currently working with Drugstore.com and is penetrating
nail salons and spas.
The Acquarella starter kit, which includes nail polish remover,
conditioner and one nail polish, retails for $42 plus shipping. Follow-up
purchases of Acquarella nail polish cost $18 per bottle.
Invasion Down Under
WHILE THE IDEA OF A BRITISH INVASION MAY BE NOTHING
new, an influx of Aussie beauty companies is becoming the
norm in beauty. Most recently, Sydney-based makeup
artist Napoleon Perdis is calling on U.S. retailers to carry
his 450-item line of color cosmetics, which launched in
the Antipodes in 1993. He is negotiating with two upscale
U.S. retail chains, which are reportedly interested in
launching the brand in 10 to 20 doors in September. The
assortment, which features a military fatigue motif
throughout, includes Lip Lacquer and Lip Patrol lip colors
for $16 and $17.50, respectively; Eye Patrol eye hues for
$16; Minimal Makeup foundations for $30; Light
Diffusing Makeup for $30; treatment items like PreFoundation Skin Primer for $25, and brushes and an
eyelash curler that range in price from $13 to $41. Perdis
believes the line could generate retail sales of $4 million
during its first year in the U.S
Burd Cage
lady burd exclusive
cosmetics’ new
manhattan showroom.
FRESH ON THE HEELS OF ITS ACQUISITION OF BONITA COSMETICS, LADY
Burd Exclusive Cosmetics is relocating its Manhattan showroom
because sales have grown. The state-of-the-art studio now at The
Bush Tower at 130 West 42nd Street will accommodate the
company’s new Lady Burd Makeup Academy, which will open in the
fall. Courses will range from group workshops for professional makeup
artists to private consultations for teens and adults. Beauty workshops
for beginners will teach color, contouring eyes, lips, and face, as well
as foundation and concealing skills. Lady Burd’s cosmetic and skin
care lines will be sold wholesale to students looking to develop
professional private label cosmetic and skin care brands. In addition
to Manhattan, Lady Burd has showrooms in Miami Beach; Boca
Raton, Fla.; La Jolla, Calif., and soon will open one in Los Angeles.
“e dolci profumi volano nella notte” F. Musante
Cosmoprof North America 2004
Visit us at booth 10301A
Italian Trade Commission Los Angeles
1801, Avenue of The Stars - Suite 700 - Los Angeles
CA 90067 • T 001 323 8790950 - F 001 310 2038335
www.italtrade.com/usa • losangeles@losangeles.ice.it
Unipro
Associazione Italiana Industrie Cosmetiche
Italian Association of Cosmetic Industries
Via Accademia, 33 - 20131 Milan, Italy
T +39 02 2817731 - F +39 02 28177390
www.unipro.org • unipro@unipro.org
cur
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in th
era
pie
s
cosm
etic h
air c
are
Showroom Appointments Available.
info@avanceskincare.com
avanceskincare.com
800.777.skin
info@ecrunewyork.com
ecrunewyork.com
888.ecru.nyc