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SPECIAL EDITION Fashion. Beauty. Business. PARISOCTOBER 5, 2016 The Collections RoboParis Chic Talk about wearable tech. Karl Lagerfeld took inspiration from computer wires and digital graphics for his kinetic Chanel show, which played the cyber motif against delicate lingerie pieces, the fusion called “Intimate Technology.” For more on Chanel and the Paris collections, see pages 6 to 9. Photograph by Giovanni Giannoni Giovanni by Photograph WE ARE BOLD WE ARE INNOVATORS WE ARE www.tefron.com OCTOBER 5, 2016 3 MEN’S TOP 5 O’Shea Exit Spurs Questions TRENDING About Direction of Brioni ON WWD.COM ● The creative director joined Justin O’Shea “disconnected and inconsistent with the men’s wear firm in March. the identity of the brand. Kering has realized it is necessary to reflect on the BY LUISA ZARGANI WITH CONTRIBUTIONS brand, work on a drastic repositioning FroM JEAN E. PALMIERI operation.” He also observed that O’Shea believed MILAN — Will Brioni be able to get back Brioni was a fashion brand and Pesci on track? admitted it was so in the Fifties and That was the question being asked fol- Sixties, “but not after that. For 40 years, lowing the abrupt departure Tuesday of from the Seventies onward, it was a the venerable Italian men’s wear brand’s men’s ready-to-wear luxury brand, creative director, Justin O’Shea, after hinging on craftsmanship, quality and only six months in an experiment that exclusive materials. You can’t modify 40 clearly didn’t work. years of history.” The company said “the strategy of Another industry observer said “this revitalization of Brioni that started at the is a dangerous situation for Brioni. In six beginning of this year is set to continue seasons, the company has overturned being implemented through a long-term what was normally accepted by Brioni plan aimed to further establish the brand customers and the exit of O’Shea belies as a leader in the luxury men’s wear a state of confusion. It’s the second time category.” in one year that the creative director has While Brioni chief executive officer been let go without a successor.” Gianluca Flore thanked O’Shea, whom Another executive, who also requested he had hand-picked for the role, no fur- anonymity, said “the first mistake was ther indications of future strategies were of parent company Kering Group’s rev- that O’Shea was promoting himself and Kim Kardashian revealed. The company did indicate that enues and “this should not be taken too the second was that the changes were at Paris the fall 2017 collection will be presented bad by investors.” Kering’s shares rose terrible.” He also questioned the change Fashion Week. to buyers at Brioni’s Milan showroom 3.2 percent Tuesday to close at 186.55 of Brioni’s logo, something that should from mid-November and will not be euros, or $208.94 at current exchange. not be taken lightly, he emphasized. cott shown on the runway. O’Shea was previously global fashion “O’Shea thought the Gothic lettering Brioni Parts S Numerous sources said O’Shea was director at Mytheresa.com who while at belonged to Brioni, but it was only found abruptly fired while he was traveling in the e-tailer was known for wearing Bri- in the Rome store in the Seventies and Ways With Paris, with observers speculating the oni suits. He was appointed the brand’s had been ruled out. It has nothing to do oare by Joshua Joshua by oare reason was that the changes he initiated creative director in March, succeeding with Brioni, Gothic is Kanye West.” Justin O’Shea S were not in sync with the brand. The Brendan Mullane. His arrival raised some The executive also lamented the intro- ● O'Shea had joined the general consensus is that Brioni now eyebrows given his lack of design experi- duction of “a vulgar element that was men's wear firm in March. hutterstock; hutterstock; needs to take a look back to its history ence and that his focus at Mytheresa was distant from Brioni’s history and that S instead of trying to push too hard to women’s wear, not men’s wear. did not reflect its affluent customers. ● Celebrities Rally A/REX/ become edgy and cool, as O’Shea did by Heavily tattooed and prone to the use Brioni remains a big brand but who is its F signing the members of Metallica as the of expletives, O’Shea had candidly spo- target?” Around Kim Kardashian faces of the brand’s fall ad campaign. ken about wanting to create styles that He also questioned O’Shea’s posting After Robbery at Gunpoint “Virtually all men’s wear brands are would appeal to gangsters. Indicating his of a Brioni-branded coffin on Instagram At Paris Fashion Week under pressure, as suits appear to be eagerness to immediately shake things a few hours before his exit on Tuesday. a mature category. Brioni is no excep- up, he skipped the men’s shows in Milan “Coffins at such a difficult moment today ● Justin O’Shea Reacts tion — and possibly more so — as this in June and instead showed his first is disturbing, with all that is going on in Carly Erickson/B by taple To Brioni Departure S brand was more exposed than most to effort for the house last July during Paris Paris and in the world. The decision to Russian consumers, who are still on the Couture Week. It was a see-now-buy-now [part ways with O’Shea] must have been ● Kim Kardashian Held Up back foot,” said Luca Solca, managing collection that was immediately available taken very quickly, if only a few hours director at Exane BNP Paribas. “Breaking in Brioni flagships, at the brand’s online earlier he was posting the coffin on At Gunpoint in Paris Hotel with tradition to inject fresh energy into store and at selected retailers. Instagram.” ● Azzedine Alaïa, the business — the same way as Gucci The collection relied on a heavy Interestingly, several high-end men’s and Saint Laurent very successfully emphasis on the Seventies à la “Shaft,” wear retailers in the U.S. had not even Surface Magazine did — hasn’t seemed to have worked at and WWD reported at the time that it been given the opportunity to view Host Dinner in Paris Brioni, at least so far. The risk is always “had a bit of a pimp vibe going on.” O’Shea’s first collection. eugère; Grunberg by George Chinsee; George by Grunberg eugère; that of losing ‘traditional’ customers — to One men’s wear executive, who “They switched everything to women’s F whom Metallica, for example, may have requested anonymity, said O’Shea’s couture week so we didn’t see it,” one téphane téphane appeared irksome — without gaining exit is “not surprising at all.” He’d been store said. NEWSMAKERS S new ones. Justin’s departure may be the operating according to Kering’s fashion Another merchant agreed. “We didn’t beginning of a new attempt to relaunch model where designers are given “very see the collection. That’s the first thing This Week’s Most Brioni on a path to success.” expansive management autonomy in the that struck me when we went to Milan Talked About Names Daniele Alibrandi, luxury goods creation of the collections and the image for pre-collection. Justin was like the analyst at Intermonte, said “a change of the campaigns, but this fits a fashion invisible man. No one talked about the In Our Industry in the creative leadership of a fashion brand more, not a luxury brand.” O’Shea inspiration, the evolution, nothing. hutterstock; Kardashian by by Kardashian hutterstock; house is often a necessary step in order steered Brioni in such a different direc- The showroom was in disarray and we S to transform stagnant brands and boost tion without successful results, he said. were expecting some new excitement, business results. It always brings some Francesco Pesci, a former Brioni ceo, but there was none of that. Plus, they edia/REX/ risks especially when you go too far from said Flore was correct in going with the showed the line during women’s couture M your roots. Justin O’Shea was a radically see-now-buy-now format, as it was in when there were no men’s buyers there. new figure, who liked to be called ‘the line with Brioni’s own history. “Brioni’s There was a massive disconnect.” anti-Gucci.’ Sometimes turning the page collections were made to order until The retailer believes that parting ways Justin O’Shea Joelle Grunberg pays off, sometimes not and this might the second half of the Fifties, when with former creative director Mullane department stores started asking for was a mistake. “He was so talented and have been the case.” and Penske hutterstock Alibrandi underscored that Brioni different sizes, initiating ready-to-wear.” just getting into his stride,” the merchant S accounts only for around 1.5 to 2 percent Pesci noted that O’Shea’s collection was said. “The shows were great, the product A/REX/ was great. He had really turned the F corner. The product and the craftsman- ship were just where they needed to be Indicating his eagerness to immediately shake and then they made the move to Justin. things up, O’Shea skipped the men’s shows in He’s cool, he has tattoos, but he has no Jeff Staple Anastasia Soare history at all in men’s wear. You’ve got Milan in June and showed his first effort for the to have someone with a legacy for such a luxury heritage men’s brand.