THE YEAR IN FASHION WWDFRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY Terry J. Lundgren NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR Macy’s Inc.’s chief executive offi cer is the staunchest defender of the department store and one of retailing’s most innovative players, fulfi lling omnichannel initiatives, setting a site for Macy’s fi rst overseas store and unveiling a dramatic renovation at Herald Square, among other major accomplishments this year. THE TOP 12 STORIES 1. ALIBABA’S MAGIC TOUCH 2. OSCAR DE LA RENTA: PASSING OF AN ICON 3. TECH WEARABLES GET REAL 4. THE MARIGAY MOVEMENT 5. THE SAGA OF SEARS 6. THE CYBER FRAUD EPIDEMIC 7. ETERNAL YOUTH 8. ACTIVE TAKES OFF 9. THE FLIGHT OF DOV CHARNEY 10. THE ITALIAN TAX MAN 11. ALL THINGS KARDASHIAN 12. GAULTIER’S BOLD MOVE PLUS: ● They Said It ● Beauty’s Biggies ● Party Hardy PHOTO BY KYLE ERICKSEN T:21 in S:20.5 in S:13.375 in T:13.875 in T:13.875 44765RL_WWD_TRIBUTE_AD.indd 1 12/18/14 1:57 PM MISC. PRINT SPECS Stock: SNAP Quantity: N/A Inks: 4c Process Match PMS 295C & PMS 7406C Notes/Misc: Logo page - yellow = 4c tint match 7406C and blue = 4c tint match 295C T:21 in S:20.5 in S:13.375 in S:13.375 in T:13.875 in in T:13.875 T:13.875 44765RL_WWD_TRIBUTE_AD.indd 1 12/18/14 1:57 PM MISC. PRINT SPECS Stock: SNAP Quantity: N/A Inks:Inks: 4c Process Match PMS 295C & PMS 7406C Notes/Misc: LogoLogo pagepage -- yellowyellow == 4c4c tinttint matchmatch 7406C7406C andand blueblue == 4c4c tinttint matchmatch 295C295C 4 WWD FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 WWD.COM Calvin’s E-commerce Push DIGITAL BRIEFING BOX FOR MORE COVERAGE, FIND US ON WWD.COM, SOCIAL AND MOBILE. mobile, with sales from mobile surpassing the 50 By RACHEL STRUGATZ percent range as well. While mobile adoption in the U.S. is still less NEW YORK — Calvin Klein is out to cover the than that of China, mobile traffi c to calvinklein.com ON PINTEREST Marchesa world — and it’s using e-commerce to do it. here has been increasing steadily between 40 and “Simply put, we started with one operating 50 percent year-over-year. Smartphone sales are platform in one continent and, within the last few growing, but at a slower rate than traffi c, as custom- PRE-FALL 2015: months, operate in three continents now and [soon] ers still prefer to use desktops and tablets to trans- See the most pinned this will be four [continents],” Steve Shiffman, chief act. For instance, for the fi ve days from Nov. 26 to looks from the season. executive offi cer of Calvin Klein, told WWD in his Dec. 30, mobile comprised 40 percent of traffi c for offi ce at the brand’s headquarters here. “By 2016 Calvin Klein and 20 percent of sales. we will be in at least 20 different countries.” All of the brand’s e-commerce sites will sell New e-commerce destinations already have broad assortments of licensed categories and prod- launched in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, uct across men’s and women’s Calvin Klein Jeans Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Calvin Klein Underwear. Categories like fra- Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, grance, apparel and accessories, home, perfor- Sweden and the U.K. mance and children’s will Dedicated sites will roll out in vary by region. Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Each site will also have Kong, Macau, Singapore, dedicated social media inte- Taiwan, South Korea and gration, with user-generated Japan through 2016. Calvin galleries containing im- Klein’s Chinese site, calvin- ages from the #mycalvins klein.cn, will go live in March. campaign. Since it began in The two-year e-commerce February, Shiffman said the project is the most ambitious campaign has garnered 400 to date for Shiffman since million impressions and 11 he became ceo of the PVH million engagements span- Corp.-owned company in July. ning 25 countries. The online initiatives started “The monetization of the with the U.S. e-commerce hashtag has been pretty im- GEORGE CHINSEE PHOTO BY site, which was revamped in pressive,” Shiffman said of August. To date, the improved the #mycalvins campaign and Reem calvinklein.com already saw of the logo underwear prod- Acra year-over-year double-digit uct, an initiative he stressed increases during the start of the company continues to the online holiday shopping pursue. “It still has legs and season (from Black Friday to we’re going to further invest Cyber Monday). in social and commerce.” Global retail sales for the The e-commerce portals brand last year were in the not only serve as a way to ballpark of $7.8 billion, with integrate the brand’s social upward of 20,000 points of content, but also as a way to sale worldwide. Distribution monetize it. He said influ- includes 3,000 retail loca- encers are adding product tions — made up of freestand- into their social content to ing stores, concessions and increase conversion — and M Missoni Naeem Khan JOHN AQUINO PHOTO BY outlets — throughout North Calvin Klein’s operating plat- America, Latin America, Asia forms “exacerbate the oppor- and Europe. tunity in front of us.” Shiffman declined to break Calvin Klein is expanding online. But content will extend out what portion of online sales beyond the confines of social. ON INSTAGRAM make up the overall business, but was candid about Shiffman is in the process of seeding regional teams the brand’s room for growth in the space. He cited that will create localized product-centric content. Holiday Asian e-commerce statistics that project double- The message of the sites is and will remain the same Trimming: digit growth well out to 2020, and said the brand is though, with a global brand ethos infused throughout. First Lady Michelle keen to take advantage of that. Calvin Klein already He maintained that capturing the vastness of Obama added has a signifi cant presence in the region, with 1,800 the brand — product ranges from high-end ready- her own fi nishing points of sale (a combination of owned and oper- to-wear to underwear and denim to licensed cat- touches to a faille ated and licensed). egories like fragrance — is a point of differentia- fi t-and-fl are Talbots “[E-commerce] in North America is decent but tion. The challenge is maintaining one synergistic dress she wore to it has room for upward mobility. We expect the on- voice across all price points, verticals and markets. a recent holiday line business to grow at a signifi cant rate,” he said. “We’re both aspirational and also accessible. “It’s my vision to manifest the entire Calvin Klein Not that many brands can do that. It’s a formidable event. The do-it- lifestyle and have there be a digital fl agship for us opportunity for us,” Shiffman said. “We do control yourself touches in each market.” social and marketing because ultimately, the con- included a thin, For now, the Chinese e-commerce presence is sumer has to see one brand. We can’t allow it to be black ribbon relegated to Alibaba’s Tmall.com, where Calvin fragmented. We have oversight with every aspect. around the waist Klein launched an offi cial presence three months I’m not going to say its heavily controlled because and crinoline ago. More than half of traffi c in China comes from it’s not; it’s a partnership.” as an underlay. PHOTO BY MICHELLE MAROS PHOTO BY American Apparel Said to Draw Bid FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA (BLOOMBERG) — American Apparel Inc. founder largest shareholder, with a 44 percent stake. @ WWD.com/social Dov Charney, who was fi red by the company this However, he shares the voting rights on the stock week, is working with private equity fi rm Irving with Standard General, a New York-based hedge TO E-MAIL REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS [email protected], USING THE INDIVIDUAL’S NAME. Place Capital on a bid to acquire the retailer, ac- fund that loaned Charney money earlier this year WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLISHING, LLC. cording to a person familiar with the situation. to help him build his holdings. COPYRIGHT ©2014 FAIRCHILD PUBLISHING, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 208, NO. 126 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014. WWD (ISSN 0149-5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, The offer would value the company at $1.30 to The clothing chain is struggling with red ink Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in March, April, May, June, August, October, November and December, and $1.40 a share, according to the source. and sluggish sales. It has racked up more than $300 two additional issues in February and September) by Fairchild Media, LLC, which is a division of Penske Business Media, LLC. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 11175 Santa Monica Blvd., 9th Fl, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, The acquisition talk follows six months of tur- million in net losses since 2010, forcing it to raise and at additional mailing offi ces. Canada Post: return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Cre, moil at the apparel company, which fi rst suspend- money to make ends meet — most recently in July Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 6356, Harlan, IA, 51593. ed Charney as chief executive offi cer in June be- when it received a capital commitment of $25 mil- FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P.O.