A Tale of Two Textures
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PARIS WWD MILESTONES COLLECTIONS LANVIN, NINA RICCI, CHLOE RICK OWENS AND MORE. AT 60 PAGES 6 TO 10. LAUNCHING ANOTHER FORMAT H&M Gets Ready For Other Stories By ALEX WYNNE PARIS — Despite disappointing third-quarter results, fashion behemoth Hennes & Mauritz AB is ramping up store expansion and writing a new chapter with & Other Stories, its new brand set to launch next year. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2012 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY On Thursday, the Swedish retailer said it would launch the concept, aimed at fashion-conscious WWD women with a “personal look,” with eight to 10 stores in Europe’s style capitals. “We’re focusing on the whole look. [For] women creating their look, the shoes, the bag and the neck- lace are just as important as the ready-to-wear,” Samuel Fernström, head of & Other Stories, said in an exclusive interview with WWD. A Ta le The stores, which will average 7,500 square feet in size, are to offer a wide range of categories and prices, including a large shoe and handbag offer, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, lingerie and rtw, with “quality” and “attention to detail” being key, Of Two according to Fernström. “We have different design teams focusing on differ- ent parts of the collection,” he said. The creative de- partment for & Other Stories is based largely in Paris, and is led by head of design Anna Teurnell, although a second, smaller team is based in Stockholm. Tex t u res “Paris brings a tomboy look with poetic hints Nicolas Ghesquière sent out a — tough yet feminine designs, while our atelier in Stockholm is responsible for a minimalistic touch, beautiful Balenciaga collection, some raw edges, sensuality and sharp tailoring,” steering intricate cuts and fabrics Teurnell explained. Prices for & Other Stories “will start where H&M into an accessibly high-chic stops,” the company’s head of investor relations Nils world. The tailoring was at times Vinge said during a conference call Thursday. masculine, other times feminine, They will nevertheless show a wider spread than H&M’s high-end concept COS, starting at 7 euros, or while some surface details had $9 at current exchange, for certain cosmetics, jewelry nearly a trompe l’oeil effect. and footwear items, and 15 euros, or $19, for rtw. The Here, Ghesquière’s multilayered most expensive products will cost around 195 euros, embroidered skirt — made to or $251, for shoes or handbags and 245 euros, or $315, look like tweed — paired with a SEE PAGE 4 structured shirt in ladylike lace. Yohji O the Cuff By AMANDA KAISER TOKYO — Yohji Yamamoto doesn’t believe in runway rehearsals. “I choose models, the models meet the clothing backstage, the very first moment. It’s a kind of love romance. She likes the clothes, the clothing likes her,” he reasoned during an interview at his headquarters here in a warehouse district on the southern side of the city, just more than a week before his Paris runway show today. Known for his rebellious streak, the Japanese designer takes a similarly direct approach to conversation, speaking in English — highly unusual among the Tokyo design community. That doesn’t mean he’s not thoughtful — quite the contrary. He’s pensive and adept at punctuating answers to questions with pregnant pauses and the odd sideward glance — so much so that it can be tricky to discern whether he’s done with SPRING 2013 a response or still lingering in thought midreply. COLLECTIONS Yamamoto doesn’t hold back on a broad range of subjects. He’s no fan of the fast-fashion industry, for instance, nor what he sees as younger generations’ overreliance on Internet technology. He’s philosophical PARIS on Japan and China’s need to work together despite current political tensions, critical of Japan’s failure to fully atone for wartime aggressions, and he bemoans a lack of leadership in his country and its failure to embrace English as the international language of business. And for those wondering, the 68-year-old designer doesn’t picture himself retiring anytime soon. He would PHOTO BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI SEE PAGE 14 2 WWD FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2012 WWD.COM BEAUTY BEAT Markwins Acquires Physicians Formula THE BRIEFING BOX IN TODAY’S WWD channels. Combining the re- than 60 countries. Physicians has By MOLLY PRIOR sources and experience of both been eyeing international expan- companies will strengthen the sion for some time, but has moved Outside the THE MASS MARKET MAY combined portfolio of brands.” slowly on that front. Paris shows. soon have a new powerhouse Physicians brings a more Last year, it expanded be- in the beauty aisle: a company premium offering to Markwins’ yond North America to Mexico, that combines the strength of mass-market cosmetics busi- Turkey, Trinidad, El Salvador and Markwins International Corp.’s ness, which includes Wet ‘n’ Wild Panama. During an interview with value offering with Physicians and value-price kits under its WWD earlier this year, Jackel said Formula’s premium-priced brand home brands, such as The Color Physicians’ international busi- of problem-solution cosmetics. Workshop, and licenses, includ- ness accounts for 13 percent of the The two companies have ing Barbie and Disney Princess. company’s sales, which in 2011 to- signed a definitive merger agree- In addition to creating a new taled $80.9 million. She added that ment under which Markwins will price tier, Physicians’ also offers a growth in Latin America would acquire outstanding shares of well-developed sales and market- continue be a focus in 2012, and Physicians’ common stock for $4.90 ing team in the U.S. market, said that Europe was next on deck for DABROWSKI a share, or nearly $75 million. retailers who nodded to Jackel’s the company. With Markwins as That’s a 15.3 percent premium prowess as product developer. a parent company, Physicians’ KUBA to an offer that Physicians re- Markwins, for its part, offers a international footprint could ex- BY ceived in August from the private global distribution and manufac- pand much more rapidly, said in- PHOTO equity firm Swander Pace Capital turing network. Markwins also dustry observers. of $4.25 a share, or about $65 mil- is riding high on the growth of “Physicians is a good trade- Hennes & Mauritz AB, lion, which the company initially Wet ‘n’ Wild. The brand’s sales mark, maybe it could translate to despite disappointing third-quarter results, is ramping up store expansion and writing a new accepted. Physicians is now re- have surged 26.3 percent year-to- China and other markets,” said PAGE 1 quired to pay a termination fee date, and grown double digits for industry consultant Allan Mottus. chapter with its new brand, & Other Stories. — WITH CONTRIBUTIONS of nearly $1.3 million to Swander. the past 22 months, said George. Yohji Yamamoto Physicians’ board unani- Markwins’ brands are sold in more FROM FAYE BROOKMAN sat down for an interview at his Tokyo headquarters on the southern side of the city, just over a mously approved the agreement PAGE 1 with Markwins, and plans to week before today’s Paris runway show. recommend that shareholders Markwins International Corp. is to acquire Physicians vote in favor of the deal, which PAGE 2 is expected to close later this Formula Holding Inc. for nearly $75 million. year. Physicians and Markwins Andrea Hansen, are based about 10 miles apart the former chief executive officer of Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, has been named president of in Southern California, in Azusa PAGE 4 and City of Industry, respective- Bochic Group Inc. ly. The Physicians management Nike Inc. team will remain intact and as- saw first-quarter income fall as increased costs hurt the bottom line. PAGE 4 sume senior leadership posts at Markwins said Bill George, pres- The new Trussardi ident and chief operating officer men’s eau de toilette, Trussardi My of Markwins. He added, “We have Land, which hits stores at the end of September, is a love letter to Milan. PAGE 12 no plans to make material chang- es in management” or staff. Sheryl Crow George said, “We’ve long is the cover girl for Bloomingdale’s Pink Book arriving in mailboxes starting Monday, which kicks off the been admirers of the brand.… PAGE 12 The company brings a rich, long- store’s October campaign to fight breast cancer. standing history of innovative The front-row scene beauty solutions, a deep man- at Paris Fashion Week heated up Thursday as the jet set started settling into those prime agement team, and it is — like PAGE 13 Markwins — a high-growth orga- seats. nization that sees great hope in Deborah Needleman international [expansion].” was named Sally Singer’s successor Physicians chairwoman and as editor in chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine on Thursday. PAGE 13 chief executive officer Ingrid Jackel stated, “Markwins and Kristen Stewart, Physicians Formula sell non- who sat front row at Balenciaga’s show competing brands in similar Thursday morning, is hoping her next film project will be a screen adaptation of “Lie Down in Darkness.” PAGE 15 Stella McCartney Sales, Profits Climb ON WWD.COM THEY ARE WEARING: Off the runways and onto the officer, said growth in 2011 came from all product sidewalks and streets for some of the best looks from Paris By SAMANTHA CONTI categories and from retail and wholesale sales. “It’s Fashion Week. For more, see WWD.com/fashion-news. been very balanced,” he said. LONDON — Sales and profits at Stella McCartney He added the brand is “less China-driven” than Ltd. are on the rise as the company continues to ex- some of its peers, because it still has a very small CORRECTION pand its retail footprint worldwide.