13 posts tagged "Bernard Arnault"
LVMH Invests In Maxime Simoens
Maxime Simoens has just received a huge boost. Today, LVMH announced that it is providing financial backing and strategic advancement to the twenty-eight-year-old French designer’s house, which was launched in 2009. Rumors about LVMH’s interest in the designer have been swirling since Bernard Arnault invested in the house last April. Naturally, LVMH’s support will give Simoens an elevated presence on the international fashion scene, but the designer isn’t quite ready to claim that he’s “arrived” just yet. “This is a super step forward,” he told Style.com. “It’s a step into the big league. But I hope there are many more steps to come. Talking about having ‘arrived’ is something you can only do when you’re looking back. This is just the beginning,” he added, noting that it felt like “the right time” for the partnership. Simoens explained that both he and the luxury group want to focus on high-quality luxury pieces. And while the designer is deep in show preparations, he admitted that he did take a very brief break to pop open a celebratory bottle of champagne. However, he quickly jumped back into fittings and show preparations for his Fall ’13 collection, which he will present in Paris on March 3. This show marks his first on the official Paris ready-to-wear calendar.
Simoens revealed that his Fall ’13 range is “aquatic, slightly ‘glacé’ —frosted. It’s very structured and feminine. For this show, I really tried to get to the essence of my fashion DNA.” The designer gave Style.com an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming collection (seen above and below). So what’s next for his growing brand? The designer says he wants to build “a universe,” up his international presence, and open his first boutique. “[It's] what every young designer dreams of.” Continue Reading “LVMH Invests In Maxime Simoens” »
Nonstop Marc
Marc Jacobs was the guest of honor at the WWD CEO Summit dinner last night. With Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Olivier Theyskens, and Pamela Love, among other New York design stars, looking on, Jacobs sat down with WWD’s Bridget Foley for an engaging interview that ranged from subjects like his favorite living designer (Miuccia Prada) and current projects (a beauty line with Sephora) to his recent absence from Page Six (“Kanye and Kim have taken my thunder,” he said) to the virtues of living in New York City in the pre-cell-phone age. “Everything felt like a first. It didn’t get tired,” Jacobs said. “Now it’s different, but then there were places where young artistic people could live. Madonna performed at the Roxy before anyone knew who Madonna was. Or Jean-Michel Basquiat. So many people were coming up. There were pockets of creativity. And all of that seemed new. And it was pre-computers, too, so people actually talked to each other, and they did go to clubs. I don’t think there were iPhones or text messaging, so everybody either talked to each other or ignored each other, but they did it face-to-face.”
Describing the nonstop work as “like one prolonged day” between now and the Louis Vuitton show in early March, Jacobs alluded to an upcoming meeting about his Louis Vuitton contract. “So the contract,” Foley said, pressing him for more information, but Jacobs demurred. “We’re discussing that this week,” he said, as if to indicate that anything could still happen. When his boss at Louis Vuitton, Bernard Arnault, came up another time, Jacobs was more forthcoming. “I always feel like Babe the Pig, with the farmer, where Mr. Arnault will say, ‘That’ll do, Pig.’ He was very pleased with [Daniel] Buren [our Spring collaborator], and he was very pleased with the train [from Fall 2012]; he’s been a lot more forthcoming. But there’s been a good ten out of fifteen years where it was, ‘That’ll do, Pig.’ “
At the end of the interview, Foley invited the audience to ask questions. Martha Stewart was among the guests who spoke up. “I asked my Twitter followers what they’d like to know,” she began, “and they asked, Who’s your greatest inspiration? And if you cook, and your favorite color.”
“I love red, I don’t cook at all, and who inspires me? Well, all of the people I work with inspire me, and my friends inspire me. I couldn’t give you one name.”
Stewart pressed, “They also asked, Who’s your favorite porn star?”
“Well, my favorite ex-porn star,” he said, “is a guy named Eddie.”
Alexander Wang Said To Be Headed To Balenciaga
According to the New York Times‘ Cathy Horyn, Alexander Wang is the frontrunner to take over at Balenciaga. The move would make a certain amount of sense given that Wang, with his rapidly expanding New York-based line, has shown that he can make the edgy commercial. What then of the rumor, first reported in WWD yesterday, that Balenciaga’s parent company PPR is looking to invest in Christopher Kane’s label? Kane was posited by the Twittersphere as a likely Balenciaga candidate, though he denied it himself. Even after I plied him with several margaritas at a recent London dinner, he insisted he wanted to concentrate on building his own business. If PPR were to invest, it could give credence to the rumor that rival LVMH tycoon Bernard Arnault has struck a deal with outgoing Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghèsquiere, and PPR wants to strengthen its own stable as much as possible. Along with the news today that J.W. Anderson will be doing a capsule collection for Kane’s former boss Donatella Versace at Versus, this could be a rare case of designer shuffling where everyone turns out to be a winner.
Sir Bernard? Arnault To Be Knighted
Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is set to receive an Order of the British Empire for his “services to business and the wider community in the U.K.,” WWD reports. Though he is currently catching flack in France after it was revealed last month that he had applied for Belgian citizenship, he’s getting lots of love from the British and has been approved for the honorary award (the only French national to get it this year) because of his major contributions to relations between the U.K. and France. He joins the likes of Bill Gates, Placido Domingo, and Steven Spielberg, all of whom have received it in the past.
Celine To Move Into Mount Street, Bernard Arnault Takes An Interest In Maxime Simoens, And More…
London’s Mount Street, which has seen a recent influx of luxury retailers, will welcome a Celine shop in the coming months. The LVMH-owned label closed its only London location back in July 2009, shortly after the appointment of creative director Phoebe Philo. [Vogue U.K.]
Maxime Simoens may have parted ways with French label Leonard earlier this month, but LVMH’s Bernard Arnault is reportedly investing in the young designer’s namesake line. Arnault’s usual acquisitions include international luxury brands such as Bulgari, which LVMH purchased last year—which makes Simoens an interesting investment choice. At this time, WWD could not obtain further details. [WWD]
For the alternative bride, Topshop has announced a bridal collection designed by Richard Nicoll. Though no photos have surfaced, the collection is set to hit stores in June. Don’t expect too many girlish frills from Nicoll. [Grazia Daily]
Art-world phenom Damien Hirst reportedly customized a baby monitor for Victoria and David Beckham, whose daughter Harper Seven is now eight months old. Experts say the monitor is valued upwards of £10,000, which means it might just be the most expensive baby monitor in existence. [Daily Mail]