ALL HE SURVEYS BORGO’S MUSIC KARL LAGERFELD AND FENDI INVITED GUESTS LIKE RIHANNA MATCH NEW BAG AN EXCLUSIVE AND SARAH JESSICA PARKER TO JEWELRY DESIGNER PREVIEW OF THE H&M THE 83RD FLOOR OF A NEW YORK LOVES COACHELLA HIGH RISE TO FETE THE BRAND’S EDDIE BORGO IS INTRODUCING COLLECTION. NEW FLAGSHIP. PAGE 22 HIS FIRST HANDBAG COLLECTION. PAGE 18 PAGE 18 FINE-TUNING THE GAINS At NYFW, Brands Focus On Social Media’s ROI By RACHEL STRUGATZ BEEN THERE, done that. Fashion is looking for the next big thing in digital — but this week is shaping up to be more of the same as brands forgo just chasing buzz to focus on social media programs that drive conversion and bring a re- MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2015 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY turn on investment. WWD Face it, there aren’t that many new bells and whis- tles out there. Most of the digital initiatives this fash- ion week are in keeping with previous efforts to reach the masses online, and the big platforms are sticking to the tried and true. Just look at the #FashionFlock program that Twitter kicked off last week. The platform has 50 infl uencers — designers, bloggers and celebrities from Marc Jacobs to Nina Garcia — tweeting the goings-on of fashion week Hot & to the wider world. It’s essentially the same thing the microblogging platform did in September, except that Mophie is now an offi cial partner and the program in- cludes twice as many participants. “Each fashion week we’re seeing more and more activity on Twitter, and it’s gotten to the point where Collared if you’re not participating in the conversation, you’re missing out,” said Rachel Dodes, head of fashion Who knew swans and dandies could partnerships at Twitter. “It’s not just about being on fi nd such chemistry? Joseph Altuzarra Twitter anymore — it’s about how you’re tweeting.” identifi ed common ground. Both, he said, Where there has been some innovation, it has been more incremental, building on past practices. embraced “the performative aspects of Tommy Hilfi ger, for instance, will take the live dressing,” so it made sense that they tweet a step further at its show this morning. The would commingle beautifully on the runway. brand is going to tweet out one 30th anniversary look from its forthcoming collection and users can add The results were alluring and steamy, additional graphics and text using Twitter’s Mirror fi lled with fl amboyant fur action by day, technology. While the technology hasn’t been used in this way before, the real newness is that the brand and by night, exquisite is letting followers see its fashions before showgoers. embroidered dresses Instagram doesn’t have any over-arching fashion such as the one week initiatives. The Facebook-owned image and here, collared in COLLECTIONS SEE PAGE 21 lace and worn with a tony upgrade on NEW YORK kinky boots. For FALL 2015 Retailers Flock to Mark more on fall, see pages 6 to 15. China’s Year of the Sheep By CHARLOTTE MIDDLEHURST SHANGHAI — China’s era of lower but more stable economic growth — dubbed “the new normal” — has raised questions over the vigor of consumer sentiment. But as the country enters the Year of the Sheep, the outlook for retailers appears anything but sheepish. Last year, China’s retail sector glided into the New Year period with steady growth. The run-up to this year’s holiday period has been longer — with the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival season kicking off Wednesday — and less certain. Statistics released in January re- vealed that China missed its 2014 GDP growth target of 7.5 percent — though only marginally, at 7.4 percent — indicating slower growth across most retail sectors, with the exception of online and outlet malls. Volatility in the Shanghai stock market also caused tremors for investors. Retailers remain optimistic, though. One reason is that this year’s holiday buildup coincided with Valentine’s Day, helping spur sales of watches, jew- elry and lifestyle categories. Another bonus is that travel retail is increasing, and with gift-giving back, this is good news for luxury brands. While neither the Chinese government nor major retail organizations seem to be releasing Chinese New Year sales forecasts, FocusEconomics Media predicts that mainland China’s nominal retail sales in the fi rst quarter will climb 12.3 percent over the corresponding period in 2014. But the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, citing economic un- certainties, said it expects Chinese New Year retail PHOTO BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI SEE PAGE 20 T:21” S:20.75” Totes, TargetStyle. Get a handle on everything. The Merona Mega Tote. $36.99 Grab it online. Pick it up in store. Expect More. Pay Less. S:13.625” T:13.875” Pricing may vary by location and online. ©2015 Target Brands, Inc. The Bullseye Design is a registered trademark of Target Brands, Inc. C-000157-02-005_IrresistibleFashionWeekAds-Woman'sWearDaily 1 2/6/15 5:02 PM US Promo C-000157-02-005 Set Date 02/12/15 CAN Promo N/A Set Date N/A Irresistible Fashion Week Ads Market: Woman’s Wear Daily TRIM: 21” x 13.875” ACD: Michael Ian Kaye BCM: Jasmine Vazquez/Mallary Barr PL: N/A LOG: N/A LIVE: 0.125” x 0.125” CM: N/A PM: Mariam Omari CA: N/A PS: Periscope BLEED: 0” x 0” AD: Yego Moravia TCP: N/A PD: Peter Lauricella US Printer: PUB CREATED AT: 100% AG: Mother CW: Greg Matson PB: Cathy Budd/Jennifer Bartle CAN Printer: N/A COLOR: See Below AP: Jordanna Vogel CE: N/A M: N/A Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black Apple Macintosh, Application/Version: InDesign 10.1 FINAL Layout N/A Date: N/A F I N A L Mech N/A Date: N/A PRODUCTION Mech Release Ashish Negi Date: 01/28/2015 PRODUCTION 2 TARGET | PERISCOPE Final Board Krishan Arya Date: 01/30/2015 01/22/2013 Final Production Denise Gray/AN Date: 02/05/2015 LASER OUTPUT @ None PRO T:21” S:20.75” Totes, TargetStyle. Get a handle on everything. The Merona Mega Tote. $36.99 Grab it online. Pick it up in store. Expect More. Pay Less. S:13.625” S:13.625” T:13.875” T:13.875” Pricing may vary by location and online. ©2015 Target Brands, Inc. The Bullseye Design is a registered trademark of Target Brands, Inc. C-000157-02-005_IrresistibleFashionWeekAds-Woman'sWearDaily 1 2/6/15 5:02 PM US Promo C-000157-02-005 Set Date 02/12/15 CAN Promo N/A Set Date N/A Irresistible Fashion Week Ads Market: Woman’s Wear Daily TRIM: 21” x 13.875” ACD: Michael Ian Kaye BCM: JasmineJasmine Vazquez/MallaryVazquez/Mallary BarrBarr PL: N/A LOG: N/A LIVE: 0.125” x 0.125” CM: N/A PM: Mariam Omari CA: N/A PS: Periscope BLEED: 0” x 0” AD: Yego Moravia TCP: N/A PD: Peter Lauricella US Printer: PUB CREATED AT: 100% AG: Mother CW: Greg Matson PB: Cathy Budd/Jennifer Bartle CAN Printer: N/A COLOR: See Below AP: JordannaJordanna VogelVogel CE: N/A M: N/A CyanCyan,, Magenta,Magenta, Yellow,Yellow, BlackBlack AppleApple Macintosh,Macintosh, ApplicationApplication//Version: InDesignInDesign 10.110.1 FINAL Layout N/A Date: N/A F I N A L Mech N/A Date: N/A PRODUCTION Mech Release Ashish Negi Date: 01/28/2015 PRODUCTION 2 TARGET | PERISCOPE Final Board Krishan Arya Date: 01/30/2015 01/22/2013 Final Production Denise Gray/AN Date: 02/05/2015 LASER OUTPUT @ None PRO 4 WWD MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2015 WWD.COM VF Frustrated by Acquisition Drought THE BRIEFING BOX its contemporary coalition — Seven For All Mankind, By ARNOLD J. KARR Splendid and Ella Moss — as its Outdoor & Action IN TODAY’S WWD Sports coalition, the largest of the fi ve into which the VF CORP. REMAINS poised for acquisitions de- company is organized, logged the largest improve- spite going several years without one and ending ments in sales and operating profi ts for the quarter. New York Fashion Week 2014 with a nearly $400 million write-off on Seven In the three months ended Jan. 3, VF’s net in- street style. For more, For All Mankind and other contemporary business- come declined 66.8 percent to $122.1 million, or 28 see WWD.com. es purchased during the last decade. cents, from profi ts of $367.7 million, or 82 cents, in As a fi rm always on the prowl for its next pur- the year-ago quarter. Excluding the noncash, pretax chase, VF has come up frequently as a possible buyer charge, adjusted earnings per share for the quarter for companies ranging from Lululemon Athletica Inc. were 98 cents, matching analysts’ consensus esti- to Puma, but it hasn’t pulled the trigger on an acqui- mates and helping to lift the stock $4.26, or 6 per- sition since completing the largest in its history, the cent, to $75.26 despite the lower reported earnings. $2.3 billion purchase of The Timberland Co., in 2011. Quarterly revenues were up 8.8 percent to $3.58 Eric Wiseman, chairman, president and chief ex- billion from $3.29 billion in the fourth quarter of ecutive offi cer of the Greensboro, N.C.-based apparel 2013 and rose 11 percent on a constant currency giant, told WWD Friday that the absence of a transac- basis. Gross margin rose to 49 percent from 48.2 tion wasn’t from a lack of either interest or effort.