PARIS PREVIEW/10-17 FACTORS WARY on KMART/2 Women’Swwd Wear Daily • the Retailers’ Dailymonday Newspaper • September 30, 2002 Vol
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PARIS PREVIEW/10-17 FACTORS WARY ON KMART/2 Women’sWWD Wear Daily • The Retailers’ DailyMONDAY Newspaper • September 30, 2002 Vol. 184, No. 65 $1.75 Accessories/Innerwear/Legwear Strip Tease MILAN — The spring collection Tom Ford showed for Gucci on Saturday was short, hot and sexy. It was also a major departure from his dark vision for fall — and not just because it featured pink, soft blue and colorful Asian prints. There was another factor: the special, labor- intensive methods and techniques used to create it. Here, one racy little number that’s a literal embodiment of the term “gold-digger”: a microminidress in strips of 18-karat pink gold. For more on the season, see pages 4 to 7. Is Target Cooling? Slow Growth Feared At Hot Discounter By Evan Clark NEW YORK — Target Corp. may have trouble retaining its status as a retailing phenomenon while it tries to keep up with its own ultrahip image, ultratough competition and ultrahigh expectations. While Wall Street generally remains bullish on the Minneapolis- based retailer, analysts acknowledge the firm, with its own presence expanding and bankrupt Kmart waning, is increasingly going toe-to- toe with Wal-Mart — the world’s largest company and a competitor See Hot, Page21 PHOTO BY PHOTO DAVIDE BY MAESTRI 2 Kmart Vendors Face Double RL Chooses WWDMONDAY West Hollywood Accessories/Innerwear/Legwear Stiffer Credit Terms GENERAL For Newest Store Gucci, Fendi, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana were among the top collections as the Milan shows rolled along. By Vicki M. Young calls seeking comment. LOS ANGELES — Double RL is 4 Although his firm isn’t among heading west. Target Corp. might have trouble keeping up with its own ultrahip image, NEW YORK — Credit is tightening the three changing its terms of Executives at Polo Ralph 1 ultratough competition and ultrahigh expectations. up for vendors of Kmart Corp. doing business with Kmart, Lauren confirmed that the com- Economic concerns both re- Jerry Sandak, executive vice pany is preparing to open a Credit is tightening up for vendors of Kmart Corp., as certain economic lated and unrelated to the bank- president of Rosenthal & Double RL store at 7960 Third 2 concerns have led some factors to limit approvals on receivables. rupt discounter’s woes have led Rosenthal, explained that the Street in West Hollywood, Calif., INNERWEAR: Everything is new when it comes to lingerie at the Saks WWD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 WWD, MONDAY, some factors to limit approvals sharing of lines is one function the division’s third location after 19 flagship: a new location; a fresh, contemporary look, and a new dmm. on their customers’ receivables. of maintaining an overall line of stores in NoLIta in New York Others are forcing suppliers to credit for a particular client. and Place de Victoire in Paris. EYE: Former Clash guitarist Paul Simonon goes back to nature...the share in the risks of shipping The move also helps accommo- The 3,000-square-foot store, 24 insider’s guide to Hollywood ingenues...a slew of California parties. goods to the retailer. date a greater amount of activity at the corner of Third Street and Paris Designer Preview appears on pages 10-17 The picture could get more among clients that sell to the Edinburgh Avenue, is scheduled dire as vendors now have to same customer, he pointed out. to open Saturday. The storefront guess about the retailer’s future Paul Shuldiner, national busi- is currently boarded up with no Classified Advertisements ..................................................................22-23 in determining whether to put ness development director at exterior signs or any indication To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is [email protected], using the individual's name. SUBSCRIPTION RATES work orders through the pipeline Transcap, which provides pur- of what is coming into the space. U.S. and possessions, Retailer, daily one year, $99; Manufacturer, daily one year, $135. All others U.S., before they’ve gotten the nod chase order and trade financing Initially, the store will offer daily one year $195. Canada/Mexico, daily one year, $295. All other foreign (Air Speed), daily one year $595. from factors on financing. in the textile and apparel indus- men’s Double RL and a selec- Please allow 6-8 weeks for service to start. Individual subscription information: (800) 289-0273; outside U.S. (856) 786-2140; group subscription information (856) 786-0963. Some factors were willing to tries, observed: “The decision tion of Double RL jeans for Postmaster: Send address changes to WWD, P.O. Box 10531, Riverton, N.J. 08076-0531. be interviewed for this story on often involves a combination of women, plus men’s and women’s WWD® (ISSN#0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays with additional issues every first Friday of every month and one Saturday edition in April and November by Fairchild Publications Inc., the condition of anonymity, while the economic outlook, the retail- vintage clothing. Next year, a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc., 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001-8191. others, such as Howard Moore at er specifically, and the exposure women’s Double RL will be WWD is a registered trademark of Fairchild Publications Inc.© 2002 by Fairchild Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. All rights reserved. GMAC Commercial Credit, de- to that retailer. Firms have to de- added to the mix when the line No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, clined comment altogether. termine their willingness to bows in the spring. including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner. Editorial Reprints: (212) 221-9595 All factors are still checking have a certain amount of expo- Double RL is a vintage-in- Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and other offices. Kmart and approving orders. sure, whether that level has spired division of Polo Ralph Mailed under Publications Mail Sales Agreement No. 517054. Canada Post Returns to: P.O.Box 1632, Windsor, ON N9A 7C9 GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 However, many factoring firms reached its peak and the firm’s Lauren that, among other things, Printed in the U.S.A. are either charging premiums to threshold for pain.” specializes in high-end jeans All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of service client accounts that sell Shuldiner said that, in the with denim woven on special WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. to the retailer or requiring dif- Kmart case, many firms are be- looms in Japan. For Web site access, log on to www.WWD.com ferent terms, such as shipping coming cautious in “taking on The quaint neighborhood within 30 days instead of the their paper.” stretch of Third Street is grow- customary 60. One midsize firm The situation, while unique ing into a hip shopping destina- based here is doing both. to Kmart, is not necessarily a re- tion. Lulu Guinness opened an Sources said that last week, at sult of any direct action by the accessories boutique there PMA ‘Cooling Off’ Time least three firms — reportedly in- retailer. Some credit analysts about two weeks ago. Shoe and cluding GMAC — began requir- said the current state of the handbag maker Sigerson ing that clients share in the ac- economy, as well as growing Morrison will open its boutique Adds Rancor to Dispute count risks. Instead of assuming concerns over fourth-quarter in January. Aero & Co., a high- 100 percent of the risk, the three holiday sales, has many finan- end specialty store featuring lo- LOS ANGELES — The industry Marine Safety Code.” firms are said to be approving cial institutions evaluating their cally based designers, relocated reacted angrily to news late According to sources famil- between 60 and 70 percent of the overall portfolio risks and po- to Third Street earlier this year Friday that the Pacific iar with past contract negotia- receivables, with their clients as- tential liabilities. from a spot in the trendy Los Maritime Association was shut- tions, the union has used safety suming the balance. Walter Kaye, president of Feliz area. ting down all West Coast ports reminders — which call for 10 Kmart officials didn’t return Continued on page 20 — Kristin Young until 8 a.m. Sunday morning, mile per hour speed limits, following a day of widespread among other rules — as pre- union work slowdowns. texts for work to slow to a crawl. Ports were reopened Sunday After enduring what it calls amid reports that at some sites “strikes with pay” during pre- Bangladesh OK’s the work of loading and un- vious labor negotiations, the CK Sued Over ‘Truth’ loading the large cargo ships PMA conducted productivity was slow in restarting. studies in order to quantify a U.S. Embargo Deal “A plague on both their slowdown. Representatives In Trademark Dispute houses,” was the grim word have repeatedly said the asso- from Robert Krieger, presi- ciation would lock out work- Releasing Trousers dent of freight forwarder ers in case of a slowdown. NEW YORK — Revelations Per- and mass merchandising stores. Norman Krieger. He called The ILWU denies it has ever fume & Cosmetics Inc. last week The suit charged that CK “has By Kristi Ellis the 36-hour port shutdown “a purposely slowed down work. filed a lawsuit against Calvin sold and caused its Truth Calvin nightmare” and said the ac- According to PMA data, a Klein Trademark Trust and Klein products to be sold in food, WASHINGTON — Bangladesh has tion “could cause disruptions crane driver at the Oakland Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co.