The Artsy Victorian NEW YORK — Vera Wang Showed Some Guts Thursday, Letting Loose with a Collection That Had an American-Victorian Flair with a Touch of the Wild West
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JOHANN RUPERT JOINS THE BULLS/2 TOMMY IN MILAN/4 Women’sWWD Wear Daily • The Retailers’ DailyFRIDAY Newspaper • September 16, 2005 • $2.00 Beauty The Artsy Victorian NEW YORK — Vera Wang showed some guts Thursday, letting loose with a collection that had an American-Victorian flair with a touch of the Wild West. Sometimes moody, but mostly chic, Wang bunched, gathered and cinched looks, as she did in this ensemble of a blouse, jacket and pants. For more on the shows, see pages 6 to 13. Handing Over the Reins: CEO Jean-Louis Dumas Set to Retire at Hermès By Miles Socha PARIS — Jean-Louis Dumas — who for almost three decades personified Hermès and led the family-controlled firm to the pinnacle of the luxury sector — is stepping down. On Thursday, after the markets closed here, Hermès International said Dumas, 67, would relinquish his functions of artistic director and chief executive officer, effective in January. Hermès cited only “personal reasons” for the decision, but Dumas’ increasingly frail appearance and reduced public profile suggest his health has been declining. See Dumas, Page17 PHOTO BY TALAYA CENTENO TALAYA PHOTO BY 2 WWD, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 WWD.COM Richemont’s Rupert Upbeat on Luxury By Samantha Conti Johann company will issue full interim results on Nov. 17 for the six WWDFRIDAY Rupert LONDON — Johann Rupert, ex- months ending Sept. 30. Beauty ecutive chairman of Compagnie Rupert said the 13 percent Financière Richemont SA, said rise in jewelry sales was pow- FASHION he’s upbeat about the luxury ered by the launch of new prod- The New York shows hit the homestretch with collections from Calvin Klein, goods market generally — and uct lines at Cartier, Richemont’s Vera Wang and Badgley Mischka. with regard to his own compa- biggest-selling brand. Those 6 ny’s performance. lines include the Tankissime “I remain optimistic for the and Pasha 42 watch models, and GENERAL luxury goods market and that opti- the Panther yellow gold and Jean-Louis Dumas, who for nearly three decades led Hermès to the top of mism is borne out by the high rate Baby Love jewelry lines. 1 the luxury sector, is stepping down as artistic director and ceo. of growth in sales that Richemont He said Lancel is showing has seen in recent months,” he signs of recovery with “good” After a manufacturing crisis this summer led to the liquidation of their said in a statement Thursday. sales growth, although Alfred 2 company, Suzanne Clements and Inacio Ribeiro are back in action. The statement reported over- Dunhill reported a “more mod- Johann Rupert, executive chairman of Richemont, said he’s upbeat about all sales growth of 16 percent in and IWC. est” increase during the period 2 the luxury goods market and his own company’s performance. the five-month period to Aug. 31. Richemont also holds an 18.5 despite its strong performance Tommy Hilfiger opens a retail/corporate complex in Milan today, the brand’s The biggest growth area was percent stake in British American in Asia-Pacific and increased first Italian foray since it bought the country rights from Fincom in March. watches, where sales rose 23 per- Tobacco, an investment that has demand in the U.S. 4 cent. The highest-performing ge- provided a steady flow of cash. By division, the writing in- EYE: The New York Fashion Week celebrity circuit was in high gear, led by ographic region was Asia-Pacific Indeed, Rupert said Richemont strument manufacturers, includ- 15 Cartier’s bash at Gotham Hall, while all tried to keep up their stamina. with sales growth of 20 percent. would receive dividends of 170 ing Montblanc, reported a 13 per- BEAUTY: Queen Latifah held court at BB King’s in Manhattan to announce “Our specialist watchmakers, million pounds, or nearly $310 cent spike in sales, followed by 22 the Cover Girl Queen Collection, a color cosmetics line for women of color. in particular, have performed million, from BAT during the cur- the leather and accessories impressively. The increase has rent fiscal year. houses, which reported a 6 per- U.S. and Chinese negotiators will head back to the bargaining table to try to reflected the new product Rupert warned, however, that cent sales increase. Sales at 28 hammer out a comprehensive apparel and textile import agreement. launches that we have seen over growth rates for the fiscal year Richemont’s “other businesses” China won’t bow to political pressure for a sharp revaluation of the yuan and the last year and the increased ending March 31, 2006 would division rose 27 percent and 28 will continue an incremental approach to currency reform, experts said. sell-in to our retail partners,” likely not match those of the Rupert said that growth was added Rupert. first five months, due to tough driven chiefly by sales at the The Geneva-based Richemont comparisons with last year. He Paris-based fashion house Chloé. SUZY owns numerous brands, including said that was especially true for By region, sales in the The invitations have gone out for the wedding of Delphine Arnault and Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, the watch business. Americas grew by 18 percent, 14 Alessandro Vallarino Ganci…Prince Harry turns 21. Chloé, Alfred Dunhill, Montblanc, Richemont only supplied followed by Europe with 15 per- Lancel, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget sales growth percentages. The cent and Japan with 11 percent. Classified Advertisements ..................................................................30-31 To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is Industry Group Forming to Deliver Katrina Aid [email protected], using the individual’s name. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPYRIGHT ©2005 FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. NEW YORK — Hurricane Katrina has spurred cre- dustry and asked them to help launch and ad- VOLUME 190, NO. 60. WWD (ISSN # 0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional ation of an organization intended to aid fashion minister an industry-wide effort to channel ap- issue in June, July and November, two additional issues in April, May, August and December, and three additional issues in companies help disaster victims rebuild their lives. parel, accessories and even home furnishings to February, March, September and October by Fairchild Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Publishers Inc.: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Representatives of several firms met Thursday those affected by the disaster. Chairman; Steven T. Florio, Vice Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, C.O.O.; John W. 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