Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, and more are rethinking the rigid schedule.
Category: Luxury
As thousands of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer moved westward in Los Angeles, luxury retail started to board up in fear of riots and looting.
The entirety of famed luxury shopping strip Rodeo Drive was blocked to traffic by early afternoon on Saturday, as protestors were still miles to the east. The Beverly Center, a mall in West Hollywood that houses a number of luxury brands, also decided to close entirely on Saturday, a representative confirmed. The center had just reopened on Friday, after L.A. officials suddenly announced earlier in the week that in-store shopping could resume after months of being prohibited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gucci’s just reopened store on Rodeo Dr. was quickly boarded up on Saturday in fear of protests.
Kali Hays/WWD
On Rodeo, the likes of Gucci, Prada, Dior, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton were being hurriedly boarded up by workmen as of midday on Saturday. A number of the stores had slowly started to reopen since Wednesday, allowing shoppers inside and refreshing merchandise displays. On Saturday, the same stores were again locked and emptied of all merchandise as police stood at traffic barricades.
In Beverly Hills and the Downtown area of L.A., an
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Fears among retailers and brands that protests in Los Angeles over the death of George Floyd would devolve into looting have been realized in some areas.
On Saturday evening, an Alexander McQueen store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was broken into and looted, according to live video aired by a local CBS station. Dozens of mainly young men streamed into the McQueen store after the glass of its doorway was broken. A large display window was tagged with “Make America Pay.” The store had not been boarded up like most of its neighbors had earlier in the day. Some that entered the store ran out with handfuls of merchandise and handbags.
Not long before, the Gucci store on rodeo was tagged with “Eat the rich” and protestors attempted to breach its blue plywood barricade, but left when police approached. Dozens of police, many in riot gear, have been present in and around Rodeo since early afternoon as protests in L.A. began to grow and move west from the Fairfax/Grove area of L.A.. The police did not attempt to stop the looting of the McQueen store.
As of 6:30 p.m., the CBS station was showing video of a Nordstrom department store within The
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Rodeo Drive Podcast Launches May 29
There’s a new podcast dedicated to Rodeo Drive launching May 29, just as the famed Beverly Hills shopping thoroughfare reopens for business.
“It has absolutely been an adjustment, and it took us by surprise,” Rodeo Drive Committee president Nicola Cagliata said of adapting to the new climate amid the coronavirus pandemic. “A lot of the boutiques are starting to put handbags back in the windows.”
Since Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti gave retailers the go-ahead to start reopening for in-person shopping on May 27, luxury giants Gucci, Saint Laurent, Dior and Louis Vuitton have resumed their boutique business, while Tom Ford, Fendi and Mikimoto are expected to follow Monday.
Now that the industry is hoping to ramp up consumer spending again, “It’s a good opportunity to tell the story of Rodeo Drive,” said Cagliata, adding that the podcast has actually been in the works for some time.
One of those stories will be that of Giorgio Beverly Hills, established in 1961 by “godfather of Rodeo Drive” Fred Hayman. The first episode will explore the story behind the luxury boutique and how it put Rodeo Drive on the map. Those sharing insights will include Hayman’s son, Robert; designer Zandra Rhodes, and Decades owner Cameron Silver.
“A
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LATE SHOW: Amid serial cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, one major fashion event has confirmed it will hold a physical edition this year: the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography will take place from Oct. 15 to 19, organizers said Wednesday.
The 35th edition of the festival was initially scheduled for April 23 to 27, but Jean-Pierre Blanc, the festival’s founder and general director, said in March that it would be postponed until October. Unlike other events that were initially postponed, and then ultimately canceled their 2020 editions, Hyères is now set to go ahead.
The program is unchanged: Jonathan Anderson will head the fashion jury of the festival; Paolo Roversi will lead the photography panel, and Hubert Barrère, artistic director of Chanel-owned embroiderer Maison Lesage, will take the lead for the accessories prize.
The accompanying exhibitions will stay open until Nov. 29 at the Villa Noailles, the modernist villa built in the Twenties that hosts the annual event, and other locations around the Mediterranean town. France partially lifted its lockdown measures on May 11, and the Villa Noailles reopened to the public on May 15.
Sponsors of the Hyères prizes include Chanel, Hermès, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Kering, Chloé, Première
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Price hikes at a time of global economic devastation? It’s happening in luxury. As reported by WWD’s Tianwei Zhang on Tuesday, with luxury shopping reopened in China, some brands are increasing their prices, none more dramatically than Chanel. Rumors across social media that significant increases would soon go into effect sent shoppers racing to Chanel outposts in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou in search of pre-markup acquisitions.
Chanel confirmed the price hikes to WWD. They range from 5 to 17 percent in euros, and apply to “a small portion” of the house’s handbag and small leather goods offerings. The changes go into effect over the next couple of days in China, and are not limited to China. In keeping with Chanel’s policy of global price consistency instituted several years ago, adjustments have been or will be instituted around the world. Any increases above 17 percent reflect currency and exchange rate fluctuations. The price hikes apply only to the iconic 11.12 and 2.55 handbags as well as the the Boy, Gabrielle and Chanel 19 bags and some small leather goods. Prices on seasonal bags, ready-to-wear and shoes will not be impacted, nor will fragrance and beauty.
Chanel is not alone in upping prices
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LONDON — Gucci is launching a series of digital campaigns targeting the 520 Chinese Valentine’s Day, as 520 sounds like “I Love You” in Mandarin.
Brand ambassadors Chris Lee and Ni Ni will join popular idol Lu Han and Song Yanfei, and four other friends of the house to spotlight GG monogram outdoor, a timely setting for post-coronavirus China, as people begin to go out and travel again.
The campaign will be gradually rolled out on major Chinese social platforms, including Weibo, WeChat, Shipinhao, Xiaohongshu and TikTok. Each platform will have slightly different visuals and tone of voice to drive engagement. Dionysus, 1955 Horsebit, GG Marmont and Ophidia are key items in this campaign.
On Weibo, celebrities will share their encounter with the brand in a radio show format, while WeChat content focuses on the connection between the GG monogram and the idea of love. Readers will be able to participate by sharing their own stories. Gucci’s TikTok videos will be more Gen-Z friendly. The brand launched on TikTok’s China edition last week and has become one of the most followed luxury brands on the platform.
Lu Lan stars in Gucci’s 520 campaign for China.
Courtesy Photo
Lu Han’s 520 campaign, first published on Thursday evening on
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As students transition from the classroom to virtual learning, Parsons School of Design has launched a Retail Revolution podcast that features weekly episodes with experts from a variety of fields offering insights and perspectives on how retailers can weather the coronavirus crisis.
New episodes of the podcast, which is housed on its own web site as well as on Instagram, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Spotify, will air twice a week. So far, episodes have featured Meisha Brown, vice president of department stores for Kering Eyewear; Brandon Roe, marketer and author, and Noam Levavi, chief executive officer of ByondXR.
Producer Joshua Williams, associate director of the master’s program at Parsons, said the school is currently recording new interviews that will be aired soon. Guests will include Donald Rattner, architect and space design expert, and Xiafeng, an e-commerce and digital engagement executive. It is hosted by Christopher Lacy, a customer experience and operations executive who has worked for brands including Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss and Gucci.
“What started out as a podcast to help facilitate our course going from onsite to online, is now turning into its own entity,” said Williams. “We will continue to release new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays through June,
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