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JONES BUYS BRIAN ATWOOD. MUSEUM MOMENT PAGE 2 OLIVIER THEYSKENS ON FASHION AND ART, AND HOSTING THE WHITNEY’S ART PARTY. PAGE 14 A BIG MARKET Brooks Bros. in Deal To Open India Stores By JEAN E. PALMIERI NEW YORK — America’s oldest retailer is jumping into the Indian market. Brooks Brothers Group has formed a joint venture with Reliance Brands Ltd. to open monobrand stores in India. The fi rst three stores will open this fall and TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2012 Q $3.00 Q WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY the companies expect to operate multiple units in the country’s 10 largest cities within three years. WWD Under the terms of the deal, Brooks Brothers will hold a 51 percent equity stake and Reliance will own the remainder. Reliance, part of the Reliance Industries Group, was formed in late 2007 to launch and build business with apparel, footwear and other lifestyle brands in the premium to luxury seg- ment. Its current portfolio includes Ermenegildo Zegna, Thomas Pink, Kenneth Cole, Paul & Shark, Timberland, Diesel, British toy store Hamleys, Steve Madden, Superdry and Quiksilver. Its most recent deal was with Iconix Brand Group and its 25-plus labels. “We have partnered with Reliance Brands Ltd. be- cause of their passion for the Brooks Brothers brand, their track record with other premium brands, and their expertise and connections within India,” said Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and chief executive offi cer of Brooks Brothers. Darshan Mehta, president and ceo of Reliance Brands Ltd., said he has been talking to Brooks Brothers for several years about “planting more geographical fl ags outside of Europe, particularly in Asia.” But the idea re- ally took off after Brooks Brothers appointed a managing SEE PAGE 16 OF BRANDS AND BLOGGERS To Pay o r Not To Pay By RACHEL STRUGATZ THE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN bloggers and fashion brands and retailers is entering its next phase. And like in many relationships, money is a big part of the question. There’s been some backlash from designers and Power of Two brands as they question having to pay bloggers from NEW YORK — The American fashion industry gave a pair of thumbs-up to Mary-Kate $5,000 up to $50,000 to work with them. Skeptics ques- tion whether paying bloggers results in signifi cant and Ashley Olsen Monday night, as the Council of Fashion Designers of America handed return on investment, especially in comparison to the sisters’ line, The Row, its Womenswear Designer of the Year award. The duo a magazine or television ad. Besides, some brands strode the red carpet at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, wearing their own designs, contend, if bloggers are journalists, journalists aren’t paid for writing about a company. with longtime booster Lauren Hutton. For more, see pages 4 and 5. Bloggers argue back that their fees have substan- tial ROI because blogs can drive millions of page views a month both on their sites and the brand’s Web site. So why shouldn’t they be paid? And while some bloggers are journalists in the true sense, most of them don’t consider themselves journalists on par with those at The New York Times or the The Wall Street Journal. They are more like columnists, ex- pressing opinions about what they see. “When you want to work with a blogger in a way that you would with any infl uencer — whether it’s a photographer, a stylist, a designer for your windows, a public endorser of your brand, advertising or a de- sign collaboration — that’s where you have to com- pensate because you would compensate anyone for those things,” said Karen Robinovitz, co-founder and chief creative offi cer of Digital Brand Architects, who considers herself the pioneer of “blogger agents.” She pointed out that if a brand sends a blogger a box of clothes with the intent of having them create four dedicated full looks that they need shot for posts, the talent has to location scout — and is responsible for styling, hair, makeup, photography, art direction, retouching, copywriting and posting. “That takes a magazine sometimes 20 people to pull off,” Robinovitz said. The tension between brands PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER SEE PAGE 10 2 WWD TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2012 WWD.COM Jones Group Buys Brian Atwood THE BRIEFING BOX global demand, and the two com- By MARC KARIMZADEH Brian panies combined could be that IN TODAY’S WWD Atwood much more powerful.” NEW YORK — The Jones Group As part of the acquisition, Inc. is bolstering its brand portfo- Atwood’s current and future col- lio with another fashionable name. lections, including his luxury The scene at the Veuve Jones has acquired the major- shoe label, will be incorporated Clicquot Polo Classic. ity of the Brian Atwood brand, into the Jones portfolio. extending its relationship with “We have studied the Brian the footwear designer, whose Atwood designer piece of the contemporary B Brian Atwood business,” noted Dickson. “It’s line, launched in 2011, is in a li- a well-run boutique brand that censed partnership with Jones. is probably, in terms of volume, Jones did not disclose the small, but it is important and has size of the majority stake or the capability of growing.” the sum it paid to acquire the The move gives the Jones 11-year-old business. portfolio another lift as the com- Jones and Atwood are forming pany seeks to reinvent itself with a joint venture, which owns the a brand-centric, rather than a intellectual property of the brand category-centric, approach. and its existing licenses. Atwood Under the leadership of will retain a minority stake in the Dickson and Jones chief execu- PHOTO BY LEXIE MORELAND PHOTO BY company that bears his name. tive officer Wes Card, the company Jones plans to help further purchased brands including Kurt The American fashion industry celebrated its own build the Brian Atwood brand Geiger, Stuart Weitzman, Rachel Monday night at the annual CFDA Awards. PAGE 1 and expand it into new catego- Roy and Robert Rodriguez. ries, which are likely to range cludes Lady Gaga and Victoria “This marks another mile- Brooks Brothers Group has formed a joint venture from jewelry to apparel and help Beckham and worldwide distri- stone in our ongoing mission of with Reliance Brands Ltd. to open monobrand stores in transform the designer into a bution at upscale specialty stores truly developing the Jones Group India. PAGE 1 global lifestyle label. like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth into a powerful portfolio of fash- Milan-based Atwood will con- Avenue, Intermix and Jeffrey. ion brands, ultimately led by ex- The love affair between bloggers and fashion brands tinue as creative director and In September, Atwood will ceptional talent,” Dickson said. and retailers is entering its next phase. PAGE 1 designer of the brand, and will open his first eponymous free- “Brian is another one of those oversee all aspects of design standing boutique at 655 Madison bright stars that we believe will The benefits and opportunities of the nascent U.S.- and image. He lauded Jones for Avenue, next to Michael Kors and be an asset to the company in South Korea Free Trade Agreement were discussed in its business acumen and brand across from Barneys New York. many ways. detail by officials from both governments. PAGE 6 expertise. “Jones is an industry “Our successful launch of B “We will hopefully grow this leader with such an expertise Brian Atwood has been a gradual business over many years to be Top female executives gathered last week to discuss in building and operating global building of a long-term partner- an important part of our portfo- ways in which the digital revolution has changed the way brands,” Atwood said, adding that ship, and the collection demon- lio,” he added. they run their businesses, from hiring practices to dealing he is looking forward to “be able strated to us that there is strong Atwood said he would like with clients to spotting global trends. PAGE 11 to fully realize my brand’s poten- demand for his vision, which to build his handbag assort- tial and what it looks like, smells our team can execute brilliantly ment and expand into apparel On Monday, David Remnick sat with Charlie Rose on like, and anything about it. For against his ideas,” said Richard and other categories. “Anything CBS’ “This Morning” for an old-hat discussion: What will any designer, that’s the dream.” Dickson, Jones’ president and that fits and makes sense for the The New Yorker look like in the future? PAGE 13 The designer already has chief executive officer of brand- brand,” he said. “There are re- a celebrity following that in- ed business. “We believe he has ally no limits.” A Q&A with Olivier Theyskens, who will be an honorary cochair for the annual Whitney Museum Art Party on Wednesday at Skylight Soho. PAGE 14 Organized Retail Crime On the Rise Sir Paul McCartney pulled out his guitar and began singing “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” at the close of the Diamond said Rich Mellor, vice president port said. According to the survey, Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace. PAGE 15 By KRISTI ELLIS of loss prevention at the NRF. 52.1 percent of companies said “Selling this stolen merchandise they were a victim of cargo theft Experiential luxury is gaining a stronger foothold in the WASHINGTON — The number of is a growing criminal enterprise in the past 12 months, up from minds of consumers than discretionary spending on high- retailers victimized by organized and retailers must remain vigilant 49.6 percent last year.

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