In Heat PARISPARIS — Talk About Steam Heat

TILLMAN BUYS JAEGER/2 FCBID: ZONING OUT/10 WWDWomen’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’TUESDAY Daily Newspaper • March 11, 2003 Vol. 185, No. 50 $2.00 Ready-to-Wear/Textiles

Nicole Kidman at the SAGs, page 24. In Heat PARISPARIS — Talk about steam heat. Tom Ford’s fall Yves Saint Laurent collection, inspired by Diana Ross, whose greatest hits played on the soundtrack, was full of sexy style. In this, his second stellar collection of the season, he voluptuously revisited the Studio 54 of Ross’ heyday, with lingerie looks, leather pants and some terrific coats, among them one that might be the coat of the season. Here, one of his ultra-racy lingerie numbers. For more on the shows, see pages 4 to 9. Wal-Mart’s Weak Link: Sam’s Club Refocuses To Close Costco Gap

By Katherine Bowers BOSTON — In his autobiography, Sam Walton fondly recalled the founding of Sam’s Club in 1983 as a “second childhood.” Lately, though, Wal-Mart’s $31 billion warehouse club division has hit an awkward and somewhat listless adolescence, characterized by ebbing profits and a fuzzy corporate focus. Operating profits declined by 2.4 and 0.7 percent in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Overall, the business IANNONI

G failed to grow its operating income NNI A See Trying, Page20 IOV G

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2003 Rodriguez, Bergdorf Goodman 11, WWDTUESDAY Ready-to-Wear/Textiles

MARCH Team Up for Early Trunk Show PARIS COLLECTIONS , Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano and Valentino were among the key collections as the Paris runways hit the home stretch. By Eric Wilson By moving up the trunk show 4 schedule, which normally kicks NEW YORK —

TUESDAY Even before the off for the fall season in late last of the fall collections wrap April, designers also will have GENERAL up this week in Paris, Bergdorf the opportunity to respond to Sam’s Club is strategizing to stay in the race with such rivals as Costco and its own sibling, Wal-Mart Supercenters. WWD, Goodman is getting behind some the reactions of actual shoppers, 1 of the clear stars of the season rather than buyers or the press, RTW: The Fashion Center BID is recommending that the city lift a zoning with an accelerated trunk show Burke said. 10 rule that side street buildings set aside half their space for manufacturing. schedule, including a personal “This will give them an imme- appearance with Narciso Rod- diate read on the collection and TEXTILES: Swiss silk king Gustav Zumsteg reflects on the closing of riguez on April 2. an opportunity to tweak the col- 12 Abraham, which he built into one of the 20th century’s greatest couture mills. The store will host events to lection if they need to,” he said. EYE: Who wore what to the Screen Actors Guild awards; Canadian twin showcase several fall lines in the Rodriguez’s appearance will rockers Tegan and Sara get set to break through. coming weeks, a few weeks ahead include a three-day trunk show 24 of the normal trunk show sched- through April 4, while BG is also Classified Advertisements ...... 22-23 ule, in an effort to create a more in talks with other designers experimental atmosphere where about staging similarly early To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is designers can gain immediate events. [email protected], using the individual's name. customer reaction to their work, “It’s great to do a trunk show SUBSCRIPTION RATES said Robert Burke, vice president so close to having shown,” Rod- U.S. and possessions, Retailer, daily one year, $99; Manufacturer, daily one year, $135. All others U.S., daily one year $195. Canada/Mexico, daily one year, $295. All other foreign (Air Speed), daily one year $595. and senior fashion director. The riguez said. “The reaction you Please allow 6-8 weeks for service to start. Individual subscription information: (800) 289-0273; strategy is also designed to rein- get from the press and retailers outside U.S. (856) 786-2140; group subscription information (856) 786-0963. force the image of Bergdorf generates a lot of excitement, Postmaster: Send address changes to WWD, P.O. Box 10531, Riverton, N.J. 08076-0531. WWD (ISSN #0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional Goodman as a retailer willing to but the most important reaction issue every month except July, and two additional issues in April and August, by Fairchild Publications, Inc. quickly put its resources behind a you get is from your customers. a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc., 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001-8191. designer of the moment. When it’s so fresh, it will make WWD is a registered trademark of Fairchild Publications Inc.© 2003 by Fairchild Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. All rights reserved. “We have a very demanding for a good experiment.” No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, customer who is extremely fash- Trunk show sales are also an including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner. Editorial Reprints: (212) 221-9595 ion savvy and aware of the collec- important ingredient in his esti- Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and other offices. tions,” said Ron Frasch, chair- mated $20 million in annual Mailed under Publications Mail Sales Agreement No. 517054. Canada Post Returns to: P.O.Box 1632, Windsor, ON N9A 7C9 man and chief executive officer wholesale volume. GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 Canada Publications Agreement # 40032712 Printed in the U.S.A. of the store. “Narciso’s was truly Narciso Rodriguez’s fall collection is As for any tweaking that might All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of one of the best collections we had headed to Bergdorf Goodman. come out of the event, that might WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. seen and we are very anxious to not fare as well. If a customer For Web site access, log on to www.WWD.com present it to our customers as the marketplace as a store that asked to change a look from red soon as possible. This also con- takes a quick and decisive lead to purple, for instance, Rodriguez tinues to enhance our position in on getting collections first.” said the answer would be, “No.” In Brief

● BERGDORF’S ITALIAN WINDOWS: Bergdorf Goodman and the Italian Trade Commission have collaborated on the retailer’s latest windows. In a tribute to Italy’s culture and design, be- Tillman Acquires Jaeger ginning last Friday, the women’s and men’s windows on Fifth Avenue feature such Italian vendors as Giorgio Armani, Roberto By Samantha Conti Cavalli, Moschino, Pucci, Marni, Alberta Ferretti and Valentino set against backdrops of the country’s maps, vintage movie LONDON — Harold Tillman, the posters and pieces of art. The windows will be in until March 20. British clothing and textile en- trepreneur, has purchased Jaeger ● GOIN’ TO THE GINZA: Barneys New York will make its first move for an undisclosed sum, confirm- into the Ginza. The retailer’s Japanese venture will open a five- ing reports in these columns story store in the heart of the district in October 2004. Barneys’ Monday. third Tokyo unit will have 29,000 square feet of selling space, with A statement was issued Mon- two floors underground, and will be bigger than its Shinjuku unit. A day saying that Tillman had pur- company statement said Barneys Japan selected Ginza because “of chased Jaeger Holdings from its mixture of classic and modern image as well as its forward-look- Richard Thompson of River- ing sense of the market.” The new store, the design of which will be hawk Investments. As reported, based on Barneys’ flagship on Madison Avenue, is expected to gen- Thompson had bought Jaeger erate sales of $42.4 million dollars in its first year. Barneys Japan and Viyella from Coats PLC in opened its first store in Shinjuku in 1990 and the second store in January and was preparing to Yokohama in 1993. The company, which is a wholly owned sub- flip both companies. sidiary of Isetan Department Store, projects sales of $92.4 million A Jaeger spokeswoman de- A JJaegeraeger store in Dallas. for the fiscal year ending March 31. In the first half ended August clined to comment. Adding a 2002, the Shinjuku unit generated $27.7 million, up 2.4 percent from dash of intrigue, however, was an iconic brand in the Six- cense for Jaeger Menswear. a year ago, while its Yokohama unit generated sales of $14.7 mil- sources close to Jaeger insisted ties and Seventies and we are As reported, its is unclear lion, a decline of 1.9 percent from a year earlier. that the company had not been confident that, through a fresh whether Bella Freud, who de- sold, and was still under Thomp- approach backed by significant signs a capsule collection for ● SHIPS ALLOY: A shareholder lawsuit seeking class-action status son’s ownership. investment, we can exploit its Jaeger, would continue working was filed against Alloy Inc. and three of its executives in Monday’s statement specified true potential and restore the with the brand. Freud, whose Manhattan federal court last week. Matthew Diamond, chief exec- that Tillman, chairman of suit company to its former glory,” contract expires in June, could utive officer; James Johnson Jr., president and chief operating offi- manufacturer BMB, and a 10 Tillman said in the statement. not be reached for comment. cer, and Samuel Gradess, chief financial officer, were named in the percent shareholder in the U.K. The statement added that BMB Sources here say, however, suit. The lawsuit alleges that the company violated federal securi- clothing manufacturer, March- will share information on supply, that Tillman intends to restore ties laws by issuing misleading statements regarding the merchan- pole, had bought Jaeger in a product sourcing and manage- the Jaeger collection to its clas- dising and advertising segments of its business. A company spokes- personal capacity. ment with Jaeger. The statement sic, traditional roots and there woman said that the “lawsuit is frivolous and that the company “Jaeger is one of the most fa- also said that BMB might eventu- is no intention to keep Freud on will defend itself vigorously.” Milberg Weiss is one of the three law mous names in British fashion. It ally be awarded a marketing li- as a consulting designer. firms representing the shareholders. WWDStock Market Index for March 10

Composite: 91.30 Broadline Stores: 91.55 Softline Stores: 87.54

-1.68 -1.79 -1.16

Vendors: 94.85 Textiles: 90.38 Index base of 100 is keyed to closing prices of Dec. 31, 2002. -1.71 -4.19 DAVIDYURMAN.COM 877 226 1400 © D.YURMAN 2003 AIO T6T SUHCATPLAZA COAST SOUTH 64TH AT MADISON 4 Paris Collections 2003 11, MARCH , Channeling Coco, the Sixties

TUESDAY Chanel: “I just came in the way you people come in. I Chanel Chanel Louis can’t believe it!” Linda Evangelista said, expressing Vuitton

WWD, sympathy to an editor for what the fashion flock must sometimes go through to get into a show. Like everyone else in the audience, Linda had negotiated the door debacle at the Carrousel du Louvre before set- tling into her seat to watch Karl Lagerfeld’s fall show for Chanel. But it was well worth the struggle. Lagerfeld called his collection White Light, a name with an outer- spacey ring. His long, two-part silver runway divided by a smooth, underlit bunny hill of a dome seemed to point to the future in that Sixties kind of way. But when Karl thinks double-C, it’s not about Cardin and Courrèges. To him, those initials mean one thing: the house that Coco built — and that he not only saved, but also has managed miraculously to keep competitive and au courant season after season for 20 years. Lately, he’s been on such a roll that retailers have noticed a surge in young women smitten by the Chanel mystique, and on the prowl for that glorious first jacket. The collection Lagerfeld showed on Monday morning should have them rushing in for numbers two and three — along with their best friends, unless they can’t handle the competition. What was especially appealing about this show was that, unlike those moments when Lagerfeld has played up the crazy kid stuff, this one re- tained a sense of elegance, along with that vague sense of the Sixties and a bit of rock chic thrown in. Lagerfeld showed jackets galore, in suits or with tiny skirts, sometimes over a touch of lace. He worked in some schoolgirl collars and leggings, even leather ones to turn his good girl just a little bad. He mostly focused on a palette of white and gray, and did indulge in a patterned moment, and while some little feather- trimmed numbers were charming, the graphic sweaters felt out of sync. But no matter, because there was so much to love, including the skiwear — only hinted at here. But it was a big hint, because Lagerfeld recruited the Van Ravenstein family — Anna, brother Noel and mom Pat Cleveland — to show it off. And if Pat works the slopes the way she still works the runway, look out ahead. Evening was low-key but sexy. And guess what? Chanel Louis Lagerfeld loves the little black dress — very little — ac- Vuitton cessorized with cozy mittens on a string. Because why should a girl be cold when she looks so hot?

Louis Vuitton: Marc Jacobs knows his way around a retro theme — everybody knows that. Season after season, he has worked various references into remarkably beautiful collections, both at Louis Vuitton and his own house in New York, collections that have solidified his position of influence and as a favorite of the young- and-cool set so sought after by designers of every ilk. For fall, Jacobs shifted his attentions from the Seventies undercurrent that has most often fueled his work to the Sixties — an interesting and odd choice, since Miuccia Prada developed the idea so thoroughly last season. But Prada doesn’t hold a copyright on the decade and Jacobs, like so many others this season, had every right to plunge in. That said, in the Vuitton collection he showed on Monday, the designer’s exact message, save for a yen for the work of Cristobal Balenciaga and Pierre Cardin, was difficult to decipher. Make no mistake, many of the clothes were beautiful, impeccably made and packed with those dressmaker details that have become a hall- mark of Jacobs’ work. But their studied precision and spacey warrior motif often sent them into a retro world too far away from our own; for all their intrigue, clothes this stiff just don’t make a great deal of sense today. There was a tough edge to Jacobs’ futuristic look, and at times, an uncharacteristic trickiness, too. Split-level hemlines, with skirts and dresses cut short in the front and longer and flapping in the back, just didn’t fly. Still, the most wearable looks — the pale gray mini suit with graphic seaming or the witty, graphic furs — will send Vuitton fans into orbit. And the most elabo- rate pieces, trimmed or encrusted with plastic baubles and bubbles, made a strong case for Jacobs’ newfan- gled decorative effects. Despite the collection’s problems, it indicated that designing a collection. Or two. Because despite all of greatest hits trilled from the soundtrack. This was Ford Jacobs is clearly not content to rest on his laurels. He the rumors about a possible Domenico De Sole-Tom playing to a woman the way he wants her to always be wants to continue to push himself to higher heights, Ford exit from Gucci Group, and having told WWD that — in perpetual heat, at her done-up, sexed-up best. He and that’s to be lauded. After all, flying high is how you without a guarantee of autonomy from PPR chairman flashed backward to that good old Seventies heyday get to the moon. François Pinault, he will leave when his contract when Studio 54 thrived, sex was limitless and, unlike expires next June, on Monday night, Ford turned out the norm on runways today, there was more than one Yves Saint Laurent: If the past couple of weeks are any his second stellar collection of the season. way for a disco diva to do her hair and makeup. indication, there ain’t no mountain high enough to It was a swooner. One might even call it Supreme, as Ford dressed his Dianas in colorful, flouncy, tiered divert Tom Ford’s razor-sharp focus when he’s in Diana Ross, who inspired the clothes and whose dresses under small velvet jackets or fur stoles, both

IANNONI G NNI A IOV G Y B 5 WWD, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003 PHOTOS Yves Saint Laurent Saint Laurent of a very strong coat season — a gutsy the coat After the show, François Pinault made his way François After the show, circles. And, when she gives in to a momentary provided what might yearning for overt elegance, Ford just be white number with a grand, fluid ruffle down the front. congratulatory a kiss. It backstage and gave Ford remains to be seen whether circumstances will soon force the two to kiss goodbye. Or if they will Stop! In the name of Gucci Group. Yves Saint Laurent Yves For those times when she has to get dressed, she’ll For dress altogether, sending his girls out in what appeared dress altogether, to be layers of lacy lingerie — the kind that brings out her inner slut. (And let’s face it, even the most pathetic wallflower has one, and longs to channel her now and then.) Nor would he have dared to show everything with fishnets and the most wonderfully flagrant shoes — jewel-toned platforms with glittering Lucite heels. feel plenty sexy in skintight leather pants with lace hip Louis Vuitton

Otherwise, Ford would not have spent so much time would not have spent so much Otherwise, Ford lingering on the possibilities of boudoir chic, as often a hint of lace peeked out from above the neckline of a dress. And sometimes, he seemed to forget about the closed with a wide satin ribbon. He work in jade green, red, deep purple — the colors of provocation, especially in sensuous satins that sometimes looked a But then, refinement even cheesy. little less than luxe, was not exactly the point.

s and Supreme Sex Appeal e 6 Paris Collections 2003 11, A Forties Hit Parade, Dazzling Nights and a Few MARCH , John Galliano: “Fiddle-dee-dee,” pouted Scarlett O’Hara. “War, John Galliano Valentino Stella war, war. This war talk is spoiling all the fun at all the parties this spring.” Pity Scarlett never met John Galliano. Because his McCartney antidote to war talk is revelry — in an Andrews Sisters-Joan TUESDAY Crawford kind of way. For the collection he showed on Sunday night, Galliano staged a campy, witty delight that sweetly

WWD, lampooned that original power woman who emerged during the Forties when, with a dearth of men to run things, women had to take charge. His parade of Model Dearests flaunted their audacious attitude in cartoon drag-queen makeup — paper eyebrows, dime-sized beauty marks, red lips lacquered to a patent leather sheen — beneath which they wore some beautiful clothes. Remember Galliano’s gigantic springtime getups? Gone! And in their place, clothes that threw more curves than a major league pitcher. But then, John was working the war motif; at one point, the line “and his number came up and he was called in the draft” was repeated again and again on the soundtrack. So do you think he would rather be kissed goodbye and sent off to the front by his Boogie Woogie Bugle Babe done up in a cumbersome tent, however fanciful, or a sexpot dress? Duh! Oh, for the memory of a hometown honey in a cherry print! Then there were suits, a flying- buttress collar here, a skirt with multiple ruches there. But these had nothing on the Grable-esque lingerie looks — oh, for the days when garters were more than a bad-girl staple! And when a girl wants to feel cozy, how about a big, frothy sweater in ballet pink, all tied up with ribbons. Not surprisingly, Galliano accessorized to the nines. And if the campy hats don’t make it into — and fly out of — his soon-to-open store, the fabulous bow handbags sure will. And as for those platforms in Ladurée colors — somehow, doesn’t a rhinestone buckle just make the world a brighter place? Valentino Valentino

Valentino: At Valentino, ladylike dressing isn’t a trend that wafts its way down the runway, then gets replaced six months later. Oh, no. Here, ladylike is a way of life. While the fall collection he showed on Tuesday may never go down in history as an all-time favorite, Valentino did send out some truly dramatic and rich clothes that will fulfill his fans’ cravings and then some. Suits came trimmed with fur on pockets and hemlines. A sleek brown fur jacket topped a supple brown suede skirt, while a lyrical white poet’s blouse with lace edges was shown with a filmy accordion-pleat skirt with a wide satin band at the hem. But these were only a few winners in Valentino’s classically luxe parade. Anyone looking for a little Oscar magic is in luck. If Valentino has his way, Harry Winston will get the night off, while his dresses do all the work. The plunging necklines of his fun trompe l’oeil evening dresses came bedazzled and bejeweled with more swags of baubles than most jewelers could find in the safe. As for those looks that didn’t work, suffice it to say that they were so tricky that they simply didn’t belong on the Valentino runway.

Stella McCartney: Stella McCartney knows what makes her customer’s heart race, and honey, it ain’t raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens. The English rappers Big Brovaz kicked out a new version of that old “The Sound of Music” tune at her runway show, listing Stella’s dresses as among their favorite things. Well, why stop there? They could have dropped a rhyme about her great jackets and skirts, too, and what about those light-as-a-feather knits? Though she started the show playing heavy beats, McCartney John Galliano John Galliano kept the tough stuff in the background, softening her fall look and smoothing over any rough spots with modern gentility. And she did it without sacrificing one ounce of sexiness. Cropped jackets and silky windbreakers topped slender skirts in satin or tweed. Spliced satin corsets ran toward the futuristic with their peaked fronts, while McCartney went back to her Savile Row roots to turn out fantastically tailored coats with volume in the sleeves. In keeping with the subdued mood, the palette ranged from pale pink to lemon yellow to dusty mauve to teal, and it made for a look that was serenely seductive without a trace of the campy edge McCartney worked in the past. At the same time, however, what the show lacked was a whiff of the quirky, cheeky fun that is uniquely Stella. She’s buffed up her image to a high shine, but she’s got to remember she’s still just Stella from the block.

Hermès: Martin Margiela’s quiet collections for Hermès speak volumes about what women want. Let the others go in for tambourines and trumpets like a Mardi Gras band, not our man Martin. He knows that Hermès customers count on the house for true luxury, stately clothes and real-deal refinement. This season, Margiela delivered with comfort clothes, including chunky, rich turtleneck sweaters. And he sent out immaculate cashmere coats, especially a pair in midnight blue and camel with their sleeves slit along the inside seam to create a caped effect, and others that came with matching cashmere bags trimmed in soft leather. But while he protected the house’s traditional heritage with the up-close-and-personal detailing his customers demand, Margiela, in his sly way, acknowledged some of the most important trends of the season — no, not the miniskirt, silly — but the men’s wear influence and everyone’s craving for fur, the bigger and bolder the better. The former came in an oversized herringbone coat, for the heiress with a bohemian streak. The latter — a thick fur bolero, cropped jacket and a glorious version with slit sleeves — were for the truly glamorous type who knows that luxury is a precise art.

7 WWD, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003

DUFOUR SEBASTIEN ND A FEUGERE STEPHANE IANNONI, G ANNI GIOV Y B PHOTOS as Suzy : She may Yves Takashi Matteo , made a : At the draped in , the towering, in Vienna this month. in Vienna “Some actresses get she waited outside the show Louis Vuitton smoking Monday, cigarettes. “It must be my new haircut,” quipped Deneuve to one friend, who almost walked right “I’ve just cut past her. it all off.” The short coif, Twenties-inspired Deneuve explained, is for her latest film project, based on the life of Sigmund Freud, which starts shooting BOB DU JOUR be one of the iconic figures in French film, but some people found it hard to recognize actress Catherine Deneuve Rebecca Bernard Arnault Louis Vuitton honcho Louis Vuitton . The final design is expected to hit had his wife , whose company bought Valentino , fashion editor of the International Valentino show on Monday afternoon, show on Valentino surprise front-row appearance at Valentino Monday afternoon, seated next to INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUTE INTERNATIONAL Menkes by a Paris was approached Herald Tribune, fashion student, who breathlessly asked, “Can I have your autograph? I read you all the time!” Suzy happily obliged. “Fame at last,” Can a fan club be far she uttered later. Menkes is the never know. behind? You subject of a six-page feature in this week’s issue of The New Yorker. TEST DRIVE: Carcelle But show. jewels on Monday for the Vuitton a hitch: She has to give them back. there’s a prototype,” she explained, clutching a “It’s panda-shaped pendant studded with diamonds and multicolored sapphires. The quirky necklace was inspired by Vuitton’s collaboration with Japanese artist said Deneuve. all funny about their hair,” “They want to wear a wig or something. I couldn’t care a bit. I’ll do anything for an interesting role.” LADY IN RED: Delphine Arnault Moët Hennessy Louis chic daughter of LVMH chairman Vuitton Marzotto was considered last June. A year ago, LVMH but among the potential suitors for Valentino, Arnault seemed nonplussed by the fuss about her presence. “I sometimes go to other shows,” she said. “I don’t have any Valentino dresses, but I think they’re great.” Murakami priced at about stores later this year, Vuitton $9,000 to $11,000. Catherine Deneuve is Pinault , wife Anna and fought Franço congratulating Tom Ford after his YSL collection. has been made two grooving down Maryvonne Pinault Stella McCartney Nadja Auermann : , Kate Moss François Marianne Faithfull . They smiled : could bolt next , is a hyper-discreet presence , is a hyper-discreet and Pat Cleveland ’s latest creations ’s and Chanel back-to-back : Sure the steamy, , also front row, said she , also front row, There are few major celebrities in “She’s so genius,”“She’s said Evangelista Sonia Rykiel Tom Ford Tom , majority shareholder of LANGUAGE Noel. l Lagerfeld, Nadja Auermann by flanked Evangelista, who made a catwalk Stella McCartney François Pinault Kar and Linda Evangelista. the Chanel catwalk, led by her children and of the eldest Cleveland. “I love the spirit of like a 16-year-old.” She’s her. FAITHFULL FASHION recharging her batteries with a little fashion, attending Chanel. Back in Paris after completing a tour, Faithful just started writing new material. And she said it won’t be as lighthearted as what’s going to been coming down the runways. “It’s be a little dark this time,” she said on the “With sidelines of the McCartney show. going on in the world right everything that’s I think it should be.” Meanwhile, actress now, Thandie Newton traveled from London Sunday afternoon to great when you love support Stella, too. “It’s the clothes your friends design,” she said. BODY Saint at Yves boudoir clothes Laurent on Monday night grabbed attention. But all eyes also were trained on Pinault Gucci Group, to see how he might react to amid the endless speculation that Ford and Gucci Group boss Domenico De Sole year if their autonomy isn’t honored by Pinault. After the backstage and Pinault sped show, It was a embraced Ford warmly. for Kodak moment. Those looking clues earlier in the day were interested to see Pinault and De row Sole flank to flank in the front at for photos and chatted. What talked about a lot of about? “We things,” De Sole said. “We’re not enemies.” friends. We’re QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST of on the fashion scene, shunning publicity and dressing in quiet fashions. But she attended Stella McCartney Monday morning in completely different not what you think,” she said outfits. “No, it’s Laurent, explaining the Saint later at Yves switch from a burgundy dress to black leather just that I it’s “Really, jacket in under an hour. and I was cold.” live close by, SIDELINED: Paris as fashion week winds down. But no matter: Supermodels of yore are keeping the paparazzi snapping. for more front-row appearances on Monday, while Stella McCartney and Louis Vuitton, Linda Evangelista through battalions of cameramen to get to their seats at Chanel. Auermann was, in fact, show. on the catwalk Sunday night at the Y-3 “But no one probably noticed, because they put a hat on me,” she said with a laugh. comeback for Dolce & Gabbana during Milan quickly realized that the Fashion Week, runway is easier to negotiate than the crush “Is of editors and buyers on its perimeter. that what you have to go through to get into Once these shows?” she asked incredulously. she was tickled to see settled, however, legendary model Fashion Scoops mès Her ermès H Hermès Stella McCartney

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Lanvin

Dries Van Noten

Véronique Branquinho: Artsiness, or maybe just the look of elegant disarray that Dries does so well, in a aqua or yellow. stubbornness, may have carried Véronique riotous explosion of prints, colors, textures. Just layer The bow motif served as decoration when the orna- Branquinho to the edge of the fashionable anything and everything — the bolder, the better. And ment was flattened out on the front or back of knee- consciousness in recent seasons, but — drum roll, the hits were aplenty: vintagey tweed coats in dusty length skirts and lovely narrow dresses or trousers. please — Véronique the Chic is back. colors; upholstery-patterned skirts and clashing Meanwhile, Elbaz lent romance to the military theme Of course, Branquinho, that shy thing, would be jackets; brocade princess coats, some festooned with by positioning zigzagging bows on an officer-style jack- mortified by the fuss. But in her quiet, stealthy way, she giant raccoon collars; delicate floral beaded shells and et, or by transforming the epaulets on a midnight blue slid right back into the slipstream with a collection of silver sequin tunics, worn under loose, kimono-sleeved trench into a stack of flat bows. Largely circumscribed fresh looks that don’t dismiss the chic-clothes canon. jackets. But while the concept seemed hardly new — in black, blue and brown, the collection got a burst of Striking coats — including one in supersleek black, think Marni — it did provide lots of options and plenty light from a red pleated dress, while a bevy of dresses hooded and cut with a capelet over the shoulders — of great clothes. in distressed silver sequins oozed sexy glamour. In the sent a tingle down the spine. Breathy tops, made of three seasons since his arrival, Elbaz has established a spliced tulle and satin, and pleated wrap skirts that Lanvin: Sticking to a handful of themes and varying rich and luxurious vocabulary for Lanvin. swished along with a sliver of tulle peeking out were them in multiple incarnations can yield splendid sweet without overdoing it. results, as Alber Elbaz demonstrated with a striking Givenchy: At Givenchy, Julien Macdonald, by all No tricky stuff here. Still, Branquinho served up a and composed fall effort for the house of Lanvin. In accounts a very nice guy, has opted not to take the high little ginger: satin dresses with criscrossed rhinestone this case, Elbaz chose the world of ribbons and bows, road, nor the low, but a middle-of-the-road stance. straps and satin and tulle, and another in black with the penultimate feminine frill, and juxtaposed them That’s what nice guys do. They accommodate. He sharp silver flames leaping up its front. After a few with industrial-style zippers to produce a sporty, tamed the overtly vampy look that has visited his past seasons of sitting in the shade, finally, Branquinho has more updated edge. His exploration of old-world ele- collections for the house, and offered more salable turned up the heat. gance-meets-modern chic came through equally stuff instead, including plenty of leather-and-fur combo strong in his mix of lace and satin with strict jersey coats with high, standing collars. Knit banding pulled Dries Van Noten: A Belgian by birth but a world and python with fur. the sleeves in nice and tight — and leather skirts even traveler at heart, Dries Van Noten has, season after Although classic in its bent and full of terrific tighter — while a smattering of silver zippers brought season, transported his audience to every corner of the clothes that women can wear, the collection had noth- the look up to speed. It all looked neater than it has in earth. He has always been rooted in the ethnic school ing dowdy about it. Elbaz’s pleated black cocktail the past — less gaudy. And yet, aside from the slick of fashion, favoring fanciful ideas from Asian exotica to dresses were elegantly au courant and hit the season’s sequined tweed, something was not right. Paris flea-market fare. vibe for sophistication. In them, he fused strips of rib- The look was too much and still not enough. If This season, however, Dries chose to stay closer to bon on lace so they fanned out as the models walked. Macdonald had gone further, he would have ventured home, rummaging around the attic for some Forties That effect was equally fetching in knee-length skirts into Versace territory, where the girls just want to have inspirations. No war-bride numbers here, but rather that, when puckering open, revealed a shot of intense fun. And if he’d pumped up the chic quotient, it could

9 WWD, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003

IANNONI G ANNI IOV G Y B HOTOS P . and Eve Steven Dave was busy . , the chic Jennifer Lopez Craig McDean Anne Christensen Details are leaking about Details are leaking , chief executive officer of : The video for Barneys New York launched Barneys New York You can’t face the army of Japanese You ’s new fragrance, due out in new fragrance, due ’s “We wanted it to look very French,” “We has stepped in to host a book party f the new Moschino store. ior o ior ’s book, “Red Carpet Diaries: Confessions of book, ’s ’s No. 1 single “All I Have,” is a major ’s r -directed video, J.Lo packs her Coach bags Marco Gobbetti The one-level space has a glass-slipper Corso Como was the beneficiary. Christensen Corso Como was the beneficiary. The inte The in Paris over the weekend on a major construction not a new boutique. The designer, project, but it’s who has long had an address on the Rue de Seine, is moving to a new apartment just up the street that Furstenberg said that Von boasts a view of the river. but it a Paris signature boutique is still a priority, looks as if her first European foothold will be in zeroing in on a location in London’s London. She’s Notting Hill neighborhood, which could open as early as September. ACTION PACKED: style paparazzi outside the shows wearing the same old, same old. Just ask Moschino, as he welcomed guests to a party first Thursday evening to inaugurate Moschino’s Paris store. The 2,000-square-foot shop, which stocks Moschino Cheap and Chic and the accessories collection, is located on the Left Bank’s a very French tony Rue de Grenelle. “It’s liked that neighborhood,” continued Gobbetti. “We a lot.” baroque chests of drawers and columns chandelier, wrapped in layers of bright red felt. Gobbetti said he expects first-year sales of around $3 million. CONSTRUCTION TIME: Furstenberg Von Diane stylist for the New York Times Magazine, who Times stylist for the New York garners oodles of coverage in Japanese magazines When she arrived in Europe, reps from like Spur. many Japanese fashion magazines handed Christensen her tear sheets from last season — which made her realize she had packed most of the same things. swooped in to give her show-week wardrobe a refresher. EVE OF STEVEN: PERSONALITY PROFILE: Stella McCartney the advertising Sources said that September. an image of the designer campaign will feature taken by herself, in profile, STORE GALORE: said Cojocaru last week. And now a Glamour Boy” in New York Giorgio Armani for the People magazine fashion writer during Armani said that, after L.A. tour next week. Giorgio’s designer on Rodeo Drive’s inducted as the first he’s of Fame” on March 19, he will host a party “Walk for Cojocaru the next night at the future site of his which is Emporio Armani store on Brighton Way, currently a raw space. The best part is that Giorgio has already gotten into the Hollywood spirit and has booked a celebrity deejay: rapper-cum-actress THIS IS HER…NOW LL Cool J the end of the accessories moment. Toward Meyers and leaves her cheating man, played by LL. The Lopez walking down a city image of a tear-stained arms full of four Coach bags, a block in the snow, stylist teddy bear and a tea kettle is priceless. Video Julie Jo contacted Coach directly about using the bags, and the company sent over two Signature pieces (the carry-on train case and travel satchel, in bags (weekend khaki) and a pair of Transatlantic carryall and cosmetic satchel, in black), all of which were used. Consumer response has been “great,” according to Coach. La Lopez strikes again. Fashion Scoops Akris Akris Ann Demeulemeester “Ka-ching,” said the clothes. No hype, no pretense, “Ka-ching,” All this success has obviously inspired Kriemler to carry over into evening, The youth injection didn’t Perfect for her next appearance at the Grammy’s: a Perfect cropped jacket and matching back-flap apron, worn rock together to create a trompe l’oeil tailcoat. Well, on, Ann. Akris: antics here. What Albert Kriemler no over-the-top delivers instead is quiet, quality fashion that talks big at the cash register — a winning formula that attracted of Neiman Marcus, retail honchos such as Burt Tansky and Saks Fifth Avenue’s Frasch Ron Bergdorf Goodman’s top merchandising team to Akris’ modest showroom presentation over the weekend. And in June, the Swiss- based company will open a 5,000-square-foot flagship on Madison Avenue. loosen up a bit, giving his fall collection a younger focus with just a whiff of the Sixties. That translated into miniskirted suede suits as well as sporty pieces — a red wool peacoat paired with a brown leather skirt, or a creamy bulky knit cardigan zipped up over a wool mini. fur obsession, Kriemler also picked up on this season’s using it to trim tiny fitted jackets, tossing a fur scarf over a simple sweater and pants, or shaping sheared mink into a high-collared jacket worn over skinny black wool pants. where the designer stuck to more traditional, however, conservative bad fare. This is both good and bad — because it would have appealed to a less-mature audience, and good for those Akris devotees who like things just the way they are. Givenchy lemeester If Annie Hall had her own rock Ann Ann Demeu Avril Lavigne, should she ever want to smarten up a Avril In a fit of whimsy, she took scissors to that example of In a fit of whimsy, bit, could take a lesson from this sophisticated look. severe conformity, the basic black suit, then severe conformity, staple with careful origami. An reconstructed everyman’s extra-long dark blue vest topped a miniskirt crafted from the zipper fly serving pants, an upside-down pair of men’s as a slit. Oversized blazers and coats were paired with baggy cinched pants or worn with a miniskirt over leather ties came into play leggings. Snappy wide men’s throughout, as did laced-up combat boots. Demeulemeester’s motorcycle boots are all the rage among fashion editors this season, and she was smart to send out a quick follow-up. have turned up somewhere neighboring Celine. A pair of black dresses trimmed in slithering bands of gold link hit it right, but much of the collection seesawed, never coming into balance. Macdonald has made a move in the right direction, but his diplomacy can only take the collection so far. Ann Demeulemeester: band, then Ann Demeulemeester is the one she’d ring up No one can do the before heading out on a world tour. intellectual rock thing like Demeulemeester can, and for slightly androgynous approach that fall, she took a moody, proved it. She’s always favored black clothes, but this time her commitment was nearly complete, save a mere quite as dark as midnight. handful of pieces that weren’t get the wrong idea. Demeulemeester’s approach But don’t weighed-down or dour. wasn’t

Givenchy

ray and Feminine Frills

r a 10 Ready–to–Wear Report MARKET BASKET 2003 BURTON REDUCES STAFF: For the second time

11, within a year, Burton has cut its global workforce by about 9 percent, with most of the FCBID Pushes Zoning Change layoffs in its Burlington, Vt.-based corporate

MARCH office. Pink slips were handed out in various

, areas of the company, a Burton spokeswoman said Wednesday. By Scott Malone Last April, the snowboard brand cut 10 NEW YORK — The Fashion Center Business Improvement percent of its employee base — again with the TUESDAY District has begun quietly lobbying the city on behalf of a con- home office absorbing the bulk of the troversial proposal that could permanently change the face of reductions. Streamlining expenses is a priority for Laurent Potdevin, who was promoted to

WWD, the Garment District. FCBID officials are recommending that city officials lift the president of Burton in November. special zoning regulations put in place in 1987 that require “Even if it was a booming economy, we landlords of buildings on district side streets to set aside half would be scrutinizing our expenses, resources their space for manufacturing. The special preservation area and workforce,” he said. To try to reduce encompasses side street buildings on West 39th and 38th Streets overhead, Burton has consolidated operations between Seventh Avenue and Ninth Avenue, and on West 37th, for two offshoots, Gravis Footwear, and Analog, a 36th and 35th Streets between Broadway and Ninth Avenue. new sportswear and outerwear label, which ships The FCBID argues that to a great extent, manufacturing has to stores this fall. Instead of having separate already left the district. Between 1989 and 2000, apparel man- senior management teams, David Schribner ufacturing employment in zip code 10018, a larger area encom- heads Gravis and Analog as president. passing the preservation district, fell 30.6 percent to 14,601, according to “Remodeling the Fashion District,” a 49-page report DRESSED TO THE NINES: In its Miss Dorby the FCBID has compiled to support its position. If the decline division for fall 2003, the $2.2 billion continues, building vacancies are a likely outcome in the dis- Kellwood Co. will launch a day-to-evening trict, FCBID officials contended. collection called nine2nine. Total fashion-related employment, which also includes tex- It will consist of day-to-evening dresses, two- and three-piece outfits, jacket dresses and tiles and wholesale trade in the FCBID area in 2001 was Fashion tenants occupy separates with retail price points between $49 49,438, representing 46.6 percent of all jobs in the area, ac- 17.6 million square feet cording to the report. The FCBID is roughly bordered by West and $99. The nine2nine line will be aimed at of office space. 35th and 40th Streets to the south and north and Fifth and national department stores and will be Ninth Avenues to the east and west. produced in misses’, petites and plus sizes. FCBID officials contend that the neighborhood hasn’t en- go to the government and say what they want,” he said. Evelyn Socias Rivera has joined nine2nine as joyed the level of economic growth seen by many other areas George Kaufman, chairman of the FCBID and a district land- design director and will report to Richard of Manhattan over the past decade and suggest that loosening lord, said: “We believe that a cooperative effort of the city, the Weissman, president of Miss Dorby. up on the zoning restrictions could help turn the area into a property owners and the fashion industry can produce a plan more vibrant and attractive community. For instance, Chelsea which will provide benefits to all of the interested parties.” AMEREX TAPS MAHONEY: Kevin Mahoney has and TriBeCa have seen tremendous economic growth and de- Teddy Lai, executive director of the Greater Blouse, Skirt been named president of Amerex’s women’s velopment since the early Nineties. & Undergarment Association, a group of Chinatown and mid- and men’s divisions. Officials at UNITE and local apparel-manufacturer town contractors, contended that lifting the special Until last week, he headed up only the groups said they oppose the proposal, which they zoning would hurt manufacturers. men’s side of the business, and now adds said could mean the end of the road for mid- “Once we allow them to lift the protec- Weather Tamer, Gerry, One Madison, Static, town apparel manufacturers. tion, it means that the Garment Center Rampage, Mudd, Alpine Studio and Jones New Barbara Randall, executive director of is going to disappear,” said Lai, who York outerwear to his responsibilities. Mahoney the FCBID, said apparel manufacturing sits on the the FCBID board as an continues to be based at the company’s New in midtown — and throughout the na- observer. York office and reports to Glenn Palmers, tion — has been in decline for the He noted that the proposal president and chief operating officer of the past few decades as a result of would be particularly painful to a Amerex Group. Federal policies and larger eco- city industry that has been in nomic trends that are beyond its sharp contraction since the dev- NUMB NUMBERS: According to the marketing control or that of any other local Garment district astating Sept. 11 attacks that firm NPD Group, the amount of money spent on apparel last year decreased by 1.7 percent to powers. workers deliver closed much of Chinatown to $163 billion compared with 2001. In that figure, “The fashion industry is just clothes to traffic for weeks and put about taking the course that the market half the manufacturers there the amount of money spent on women’s apparel sidestreet out there is dictating,” she said, out of business. dropped by 6.1 percent to $83.6 billion. pointing out that her organiza- factories. “During the period when tion’s responsibility is to the neigh- Chinatown was in sharp de- ADDING TWO LAYERS: ITA Ltd. a leading maker of borhood as a whole, not just to the cline, many of these manufactur- shearling merchandise, has added two labels, fashion industry. “We’re a neighbor- ers did move up here to uptown,” Sawyer of Napa and Quadriga, to its portfolio. hood-improvement organization. Our Lai said. “Now you are telling Both lines are being shown at the company’s mandate is to improve the neighbor- those people to leave?” New York showroom at 260 West 39th Street hood.” The FCBID asserts that lifting the and ship to stores in August. They are expected Lifting the special zoning require- special zoning requirements would to boost ITA’s $25 million annual sales by 25 ments would leave the buildings zoned for make it easier for landlords to rent space percent, a company spokeswoman said. commercial or manufacturing uses, which for apparel showrooms. Many floors on side Shearling designer Dominic Bellissimo, who could allow anything from the current makeup of street buildings are occupied by showrooms, and has a signature line owned by ITA, is the sample houses, contractors, warehouses and showrooms the age and condition of the buildings have made rents creative force behind the Sawyer of Napa line. to advertising, publishing and other industries, which had in- on the side streets cheaper than on the avenues — a plus for Founded in 1869, Sawyer of Napa plays up its filtrated Seventh Avenue and Broadway buildings in recent small companies or those just starting out. heritage this fall with barn jackets and raw- years. The report said that rents in zip code 10018 were on aver- edged long coats. There are also more updated The FCBID is also suggesting the city amend zoning rules on age 14.8 percent to 17 percent lower than in the rest of pieces like cropped jackets in distressed skins the blocks between Eighth and Ninth Avenues to allow residen- Midtown. While the entry of major corporations like Bates with side ties and zippers. tial uses. That, the organization contends, would be an advance Worldwide into the neighborhood have raised some fears that Quadriga, a Spanish collection, will be toward the FCBID’s long-term goal of making the district a “24- small fashion companies could get muscled out of the district, making its debut in the U.S. market. Known hour neighborhood” with more restaurants, entertainment and FCBID officials and others have noted that the age and condi- for its cross-stitching, fringe, buckles and shopping options than it currently affords. tion of many of the side street buildings limit their appeal to over-the-top styling, the line will retail from The report also contains recommendations for the FCBID blue-chip tenants. $1,395 to $2,795. itself. It plans to begin a study of retail space in the district to Currently, fashion tenants in the district occupy 17.6 million see how to attract more appealing stores and to continue its square feet of office space. Of that space, 37 percent is “mixed Sawyer of work on improving security, lighting and cleanliness. use” with some manufacturing, 28 percent is used for show- Napa is a The FCBID has a large and diverse board, which includes rooms, 14 percent for offices, 14 percent for manufacturing, 4 new label district landlords, tenants, government officials and UNITE, percent for design and 3 percent for warehousing. at ITA. as well as nonvoting members from various fashion organiza- Bud Konheim, chief executive of Nicole Miller, which man- tions. But the real power in the organization is believed to rest ufacturers half its products in New York, said the biggest dan- with the landlords, who hold the Class A directorships. ger to changing the zoning would be if showrooms could no Bruce Raynor, president of UNITE, said he opposed the longer afford the rents. proposal. “That would be a bad thing, if the landlords all of a sudden “We think it’s a bad thing,” he said. “The preservation of the start squeezing out the Garment Center and the showrooms,” he garment industry in New York is critical to the preservation of said. “That would mean the end of New York as a fashion capital.” thousands of jobs. Even in this economy, to give in to the needs However, he said he didn’t believe that to be an “immi- of real estate developers over the needs of workers that are nent” event. FCBID officials acknowledged that getting the struggling at hard jobs in an industry that’s facing terrible special zoning lifted will be no easy feat. Zoning requests are problems from offshore competition, that’s facing a weak econ- handled by the City Planning Commission, but because of the omy, that’s facing a harsh winter which has hit retail, and then various interest groups involved, officials said they expected to do something like this, is a serious policy mistake.” to need to get Mayor Michael Bloomberg or one of his deputies AQUINO Jerry Scupp, deputy director of the FCBID, said the organiza- involved to meet success.

JOHN tion didn’t want to make this move unilaterally. Rather, he said, They said they’ve held meetings with city officials from a Y B apparel manufacturers should try to turn the proposal into an op- few departments, including the Department of Business OS T

O portunity to bargain with the city to gain other types of support. Services, over the past two months. City officials did not re- H

P “This is the best opportunity that the manufacturers have to spond to requests for comment. 11

to the way in which audited reports are that resulted from a string of The ad and its twin began WWD, presented. Should the changes be newsstand overstatements at Dennis popping up on Web logs last week. instituted in July, as is expected, audit Publications and Gruner + Jahr, both Depicting a kneeling girl, a boy and MEMO PAD reports will provide detailed of which were first reported in WWD. a glistening glob of something on TUESDAY breakdowns of how initial numbers And Rosie O’ Donnell is currently her thigh, the images have a SHOPPING BY ANOTHER NAME: Lucky submitted by the publishers deviate contesting Gruner + Jahr’s lawsuit seemingly dubious pedigree. One for Men is official — now stop from what is found by the ABC. against her. She claims that G+J site said they arrived from an ,

calling it that. “I rather feel that In other words, it’s going to be a manipulated financial data for her agency in Europe, while another MARCH ‘Lucky’ has a feminine resonance to lot more damaging for publishers to magazine to prevent her from said they had already run in it,” James Truman said. "I think we’ll lie than it is to tell the truth. exercising an escape clause in her Brazilian Maxim (which makes probably come up with a new title." For example, under the old contract, which would have allowed sense, until you realize there is no And Condé Nast will come up with system, the audit report showed the her to walk if newsstand sales and Maxim in Brazil). Not that readers 11,

it fast. Unlike the original or Teen overall variation over the six-month revenue fell below a certain level. The had much trouble swallowing it, 2003 Vogue, Lucky’s X-Y incarnation will be reporting period on rate base only. situation at G+J reportedly has led especially in a season featuring fast-tracked for a monthly schedule Now, deviation will be measured on a some publishing executives to argue trimmed Gs in magazines abroad. from the very beginning, according to month-by-month basis, in newsstand that G+J President Dan Brewster Mission accomplished. But Truman. The first issue is planned for and in subscriptions. That could have should be asked to step down from Puma’s agency of record, Gyro the first half of 2004, and others dramatic implications for the way his side gig as the chairman of the Worldwide, apparently isn’t that should roll out from there. Before then, fashion magazines report their Magazine Publishers of America. The calculating or tasteless. A several key decisions regarding the age numbers since they tend to sell much MPA claims that isn’t happening, but spokeswoman for the agency denied and affluence of its readers must be more heavily in March and September no one should get too incensed — the ads were their work, and a Puma made. Will it highlight shirts, ties and and have often, therefore, moved the Brewster’s gig is up in October spokeswoman said the company was suits, as GQ’s service pages do now, or numbers around from issue to issue to anyway. — Jacob Bernstein still investigating as to who the will there be pages of trainers, T-shirts make the off-months look more vital. creator(s) was and, more important, and jeans? “I think a man, perhaps The vote followed an emergency WE ALMOST SPIT, TOO: This is not a whether they could be sued. — G.L. more so than a woman, has a larger meeting in Chicago on February 20 real Puma ad. But maybe it should be. The faux Puma ad. difference of what they buy at 22 and 35,” said Truman. “And I can’t give you an answer on that now.” It also needs an editor, and Truman hasn’t interviewed anyone yet. “I need to take care of GQ first,” he said. Speaking of GQ, he has yet to finish the first round of interviews, and hasn’t added any more candidates to the magic number nine. “I think we’ll have an announcement at the end of March.” Whoever lands the new Lucky gig won’t have Kim France or Andrea Linett — the original’s newly promoted creative director — looking over his shoulder. Despite the timing of Linett’s rise, she won’t have carte blanche to make suggestions. “We’ll be keeping them separate,” Truman said. — Greg Lindsay

A NEW MATH: Ad buyers can worry a little less about Enron-style accounting at magazines. After a series of circulation mini- scandals by magazine companies that inflated their newsstand sales, the board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations gave first passage last week to a series of proposed changes

Lands’ End Growth Continues at Sears NEW YORK — Lands’ End is taking up more acreage at Sears, Roebuck & Co. The Hoffman Estates, Ill.- based retailer continued its roll- out of Lands’ End merchandise this month, including the line in another 218 stores, or 23 new markets. After Sears acquired the traditionally styled direct merchant in June, it launched a test in November, installing the brand in 183 of its full-line stores across 10 markets. The line is now in nearly half of the firm’s 870 full-line doors, and will be rolled out to the rest of the chain for fall. “We gained a lot of knowledge from the launch and are applying the key learnings to the spring and fall 2003 rollouts,” said Sears executive vice president and general manager of softlines Kathryn Bufano. Customer research conducted during the test showed, for instance, that customers preferred an in-store shop of Lands’ End merchandise, rather than a presentation that mixed the brand with other labels. About 60 percent of surveyed hardline customers at Sears said the introduc- tion of Lands’ End product made them more likely to shop for apparel at Sears. — Evan Clark 12 Textile & Trade Report 2003 11, MARCH

, Abraham: A Victim of the Times

By Robert Murphy

TUESDAY PARIS — Swiss silk king Gustav Zumsteg, who built Abraham into one of the 20th century’s greatest couture

WWD, mills, was known to weep out of sheer emotion when fin- gering a bolt of good cloth. But now he mourns the passing of the company that has been a part of his life for 72 years. “Times have irrevocably changed,” he said in an interview last month. “The way we once worked hasn’t the same sense. It’s not meaningful today.” Abraham, which Zumsteg joined as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1931, declared insolvency in October after Zumsteg stopped providing it with financing. He had owned the Zurich-based mill for almost 30 years, buying it in 1968 in partnership with his mother, Hulda, and in A green and white cotton print from 1996 selling it to its final owner, Erich Biehle. Abraham’s spring 2002 collection. At its zenith, Abraham supplied the best fashion houses with some of their most luxurious fabrics. Zumsteg worked with the greatest couturiers, including Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga, Valentino, Christian Lacroix,

Bill Blass, James Galanos and Geoffrey Beene. AITRE But Zumsteg was most closely associated with Yves M Saint Laurent. Abraham’s fabrics were a staple of his collections, sometimes making up 60 percent of the fabric in YSL’s offering. DOMINIQUE AND

“Gustav Zumsteg was my ally, my friend and my collabo- A rator for some 45 years,” said Saint Laurent, who in January MITR retired. “I used his fabric in my most beautiful dresses. His T talent was a never-ending source of inspiration. I owe him ROBER Y

many unforgettable moments. His work was linked to mine B in the strictest way. Often we had the same ideas at the same A multicolored silk

time. We dreamed of the same things, loved the same print from Abraham’s HOTOS print from Abraham’s Yves Saint Laurent and Gustav Zumsteg P painters, the same countries and the same colors.” spring 2002 collection. at an exposition in Peking, China, 1985. ABRIC

Abraham counted on the rarified world of couture for F a big slice of its sales, and could not survive in the new century as couture orders diminished. The decline of its Times have irrevocably “We actually have much of the same archive [as core business and the rise of cut-rate competition from “ Abraham] because most of the fabrics, or a lot of the fab- the Far East proved too much to resist. changed. The way we once rics that were developed at YSL over the years, were “Abraham was amazing and it had an amazing developed with Abraham, so we have all those archives archive,” said Tom Ford, Gucci Group creative head and worked hasn’t the same sense. as well,” said Ford. designer of Gucci and YSL ready-to-wear. Although Ford For the last seven years, Zumsteg’s role in Abraham has called the loss of Abraham “sad,” he stressed that its clo- It’s not meaningful today. been diminished. When he sold it in 1996 to Biehle, a Swiss sure would not impact his designs for YSL. ” fashion executive who’d gotten his start at the mill and went — Gustav Zumsteg, Abraham founder on to work as a designer in Givenchy’s licensing department, Zumsteg, now 87, planned to retire from fashion. Abraham But former Abraham employees, speaking on condition fabric of anonymity, said he continued to fund the company since on the haute unloading it, and contended that his financial largesse was couture the only reason the company stayed afloat as long as it did. runway at Yves Last year, disappointed and frustrated, he turned off Saint Laurent, the spigot. spring 1998. “The time came to cut the lifeline,” Zumsteg lament- ed. “There was nothing else to do. I guess I made a mistake in evaluating my successor.” Biehle said that when he purchased the firm, he found it in a state of disarray and overly dependent on the diminishing sales to couture houses. “The company was so much equated with Saint Laurent when I took it over that I had to try to take it down another road in order to build a new business and move toward luxury ready-to-wear,” said Biehle. “The problems were compounded between Abraham being in disarray and the market changing and becoming more difficult. It proved too much to overcome.” Biehle said he planned to develop new lines and licenses when he acquired the mill. The only licenses Abraham had when he acquired it was for Saint Laurent’s scarves. It was a project he was familiar with — he had designed the first scarves the mill produced under that license in the early Seventies. But Saint Laurent decided not to renew the licensing deal when Zumsteg left. Biehle also said he had hoped to offer lower-priced sportswear-oriented fabric collections and branch out into accessories. These strategies failed to bear fruit. At its height, in the early Nineties, the company generated some $60 million in sales. In its last full year of operations, sales are believed to have dwindled below $7 million, with losses of about $800,000. “We made some good contacts with companies like Gucci and Celine,” said Biehle. “But Abraham had so many problems — problems that I wasn’t aware of when I bought it. It was so backward, had a lot of debt and was stuck in the past. In short, I made a bad investment and I’ve lost a lot of money.” However, Abraham’s employees and competitors painted a different picture. Although the terrain undeniably has grown more difficult for top-notch European mills that work at the couture and luxury rtw level, they contended Abraham Abraham fabric at waxed irrelevant under Biehle’s stewardship. They YSL Haute Couture, traced the demise to bad management decisions and fall 1989. lack of creative vision. Continued on page 17 sI t takesm a art polymer to move an entire industry.

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©2002 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. The DuPont Oval Logo and Sorona are registered trademarks of DuPont. DuPont™ and The miracles of science™ are trademarks of DuPont. 14 Te x t i l e s Moda In: Focus on Tech, Fashion 2003 11, MARCH , TUESDAY WWD,

Stampa Tessuti Artistici SpA showed nylon fabrics printed with photo- DeMarco California quality images. Cotton fabrics at Lanificio Becagli. Nero su Nero offered Fabrics’ pink and green these cotton-Lurex metallic fiber blends. GGe-Raye-Ray Fabrics’ dark rose cotton and Modal. polyester and spandex. MILAN — Despite a turbulent 2002 for the textile industry, there was no sign of the Italian fabric manufacturers slowing down at this month’s Moda In. Mills continued to churn out new technological and fashion ideas in an effort to stimulate consumer interest at a time of economic slowdown. Trends shown for the spring-summer 2004 season included jacquards Materials and More and prints with ethnic motifs and Oriental designs, transparent nylons, polyester and light cotton blends for lingerie and treated cottons. Colors By Georgia Lee pate. Attendance is expected to be around 3,500 revolved around a vintage look and feel, with nudes, pinks and many buyers, equal to last October’s show. While buyer shades of green and blue. ATLANTA — Despite impending war, an ailing and exhibitor numbers are the same, space has in- At the Limonta stand, stiff silks hung next to cotton crepes and a new economy and the ongoing shift of apparel produc- creased and educational events have been added. fabric created using fibers made from bamboo and wool. tion to China, Material World, a textile trade show “We have to create a learning environment that Other Italian exhibitors concentrated on fabric finishing. Pinato Tessuti focused on the Western Hemisphere, goes on. offers more than just product exhibits, as technol- SpA La Panamà buys cotton fabric from Pakistan and the Far East and With its first spring event set for March 17-19 at ogy is not something people can just look at, feel finishes it, adding color and feel. The company experienced a 40 percent the Miami Beach Convention Center, Material and buy,” said Rick Ludolph, president of increase in production in 2002 and based its spring-summer 2004 collec- World is becoming a biannual show targeting pri- Productive Solutions, a Marietta, Ga.-based busi- tion around two vintage satin corsets found at a Parisian antique market. marily Western Hemisphere manufacturers. The ness-to-business consulting firm, which plans to Pinato Tessuti’s soft cottons attracted buyers from Armani Exchange. next edition of the show is expected to feature sig- participate in the new Technology Solutions area “This is technologically advanced cotton, with great finishes and inter- nificantly larger technology, trend and sourcing of the show. Ludolph is also chairman of the esting weaves; it is really directional with fantastic color sense — we like areas, rounding out the show’s fabrics, trimmings Supplier Resource Division of American Apparel the way a lot of thought goes into the hand feel,” said an Armani buyer, and supplies offerings. & Footwear Association, which helped organize who declined to be named. Show organizers and exhibitors concede that the area. AAFA also cosponsors Material World. American buyer Mimi Levitas, of The Focus Design Group, a contract the current climate is not conducive to big busi- Key initiatives of the show include product de- buying service with clients including Diane Von Furstenberg, Fatigues and ness investments. Impending war could bring in- velopment technology that provides collaboration Helly Hansen, said she came to Moda In especially for the Italian sense of stability to various global hot spots, potentially within the supply chain, which is now decentral- fabric direction. disrupting shipping lanes or production. But the ized and scattered around the world, as U.S. com- “I’m attracted to the laundered silks, and cotton and nylon for Diane bigger concern is that war, and worries about war, panies outsource more functions. Von Furstenberg,” Levitas said. “I like Nero su Nero because all of the will further dampen consumer confidence, in- Ludolph, and others, emphasized that, in the fabrics work together and it is easy from a designer’s point of view to see a hibiting spending and reducing demand. Most current uncertain business climate, U.S. manufac- collection in the one stand.” companies, rather than making big decisions now, turers, retailers and brand managers, want more Lanificio Becagli offered feel-good fabrics, including polyester fleece, are stuck in a “wait-and-see” mode. from existing technology, rather than investing velour and knits. “The market hates uncertainty,” said exhibitor heavily in new systems. Innovation prevailed in the range of fabrics at Star Stampa Tessuti Alan Brooks, president of New Generation “They want to see tangible, quick paybacks and Artistici SpA. Computing, a Miami-based technology firm. “You [good return on investment] in their outsourcing Director Claudio Salvadé said the mill’s machinery had been modi- can plan for bad, or plan for good, but it’s hard to models,” he said. fied to produce full-color processing and photo-image print fabrics. He prepare for ‘don’t know.’” For this need, tech exhibitors, such as Intentia, attributed his company’s 22 percent sales increase in 2002 to this new Just as daunting is the impact of the dissolu- SAP and New Generation Computing are adding technique. tion of quotas for China, and all 145 World Trade features, such as portals to existing software, that Despite complaints from some vendors about the timing — the three- Organization members, set for Dec. 31, 2004. As can gather more information. day show wrapped up on Feb. 11 in Fiera Milano, before the start of Asia becomes more alluring for production, U.S. Sourcing opportunities, particularly in Latin Première Vision — attendance was up 5 percent from last spring’s staging. companies are looking to balance global sourc- America, are expected to be another growth area After finishing production of some fabrics a few hours before opening ing strategies. at the show. time Mauro Clerici, president of Nero su Nero, said his company had Global trade agreements, such as the recently The Atlanta-based American Apparel struggled to make the deadline. passed Andean trade pact, and the proposed Free Producers Network co-sponsors Material World. — Stephanie Epiro Trade of the Americas, can give South American The group now has 200 members from 28 coun- countries trade benefits similar to NAFTA. But in- tries. The majority of international members rep- dustry experts say Western Hemisphere produc- resent four Central American countries, along tion has to increase efficiency dramatically to with the Dominican Republic and Haiti. compete with Asia. U.S. companies, rather than At the show, AAPN will recruit new members and owning off-shore factories, are now outsourcing aid Latin American companies in developing full- Malden Eyes May Chap. 11 Exit more operations, requiring contractors to evolve package programs, which has become a necessity. from sewing facilities to full-package producers. “Only a few companies really do full package NEW YORK — A judge is expected to approve Malden Mills So, where does Material World fit in? now,” said Mike Todero, managing director of Industries’ reorganization plan in the coming days and sources “We acknowledge the war and the economy as AAPN. “Money, to set up front-end and back-end within the company said the firm will exit bankruptcy by late big concerns, but we’re still positive that business operations, is a problem, and getting quality fab- May. can be successful,” said Tim von Gal, a partner in rics is difficult.” Malden filed its plan late Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Urban Expositions, the Atlanta-based trade show Todero added that Latin American countries Worcester, Mass., that will allow the fleece maker to exit Chapter producer of Material World, along with 20 other should be less territorial, and more unified, to 11. Malden submitted three previous reorganization plans, al- trade shows for various industries. Von Gal hinted compete as a block against Asia. though they were each amended and the firm’s Feb. 18 deadline at further expansion for Material World, an up- “There’s too much division and competition to file was postponed until last Friday. coming mega event for next year, that should be between countries, and a lack of regional organi- The plan has an exclusive option for chairman Aaron announced soon. zation,” he said, adding that tremendous opportu- Feuerstein to regain control of the company from secured “The next step is to prepare for 2005,” he said. “A nity still exists, especially for small runs and lenders and unsecured creditors for $92 million; however, he CENTENO

vast number of Latin American contractors are in a quick turns of lifestyle apparel production. must do so before July 30 or the figure increases. In total, he has A Y A

good position, with new trade advantages, to grow.” One step toward a more united front is an ex- three years to buy back the company. According to Malden Mills L A T

Around 250 total exhibitors, about the same panded Andean Pavilion, a 5,500-square-foot booth business manager David Costello, Feuerstein has raised more Y number as last October, are expected to partici- of around 60 manufacturers from three South than half the $92 million and could have the entire figure when B American countries — 37 from the company emerges from court protection. Colombia, around 20 from Peru When the company exits Chapter 11, Malden’s main lender, PHOTOS and the remainder from Ecuador. GE Capital, the finance arm of General Electric, will own 93.5 CO The passage of the Andean percent and Feuerstein will own the remaining 6.5 percent. Once DEMAR

trade pact in November is re- he exercises his option to buy back the company, he will own ND A

sponsible for quadrupling the Malden outright, as he did before the company filed for Chapter A number of South American ex- 11 in November 2001, when it had a debt load of $140 million. G GE-R IN oplin ans hibitors here, compared with the The reorganization plan also mandates that Feuerstein step UR en •P awaii AT n Sate ks •H October show, said Sylvia Reyes, down as chief executive officer, but he will remain chairman FE otto e Loo AESTRI; •C tag ints M OW enim •Vin s &Pr director of textile and apparel and president of the company. According to Costello, if N uroy •D lorals Solid ord ls •F nim sourcing for ProExport, the Feuerstein successfully regains control of the company he will VIDE CH:C opica y •De lets TRET es •Tr rduro s •Eye Colombian trade bureau. The resume his role as ceo. DA S elti o oile Y Nov es •C •V B NTS: rn Dy rints agreement eliminates quotas Malden is based in Lawrence, Mass., and is best known as the PRI S:Ya ids &P NEW TTON el Sol CO Flann CUSTOM DESIGN • PRINTING • DYEING and duties for South American marketer and manufacturer of its Polartec brand fabrics. It cur- INTERNATIONAL SALES AND SHIPPING textile and apparel exports. rently has a sales volume of about $168 million. PHOTOS N 129 WEST 132 STREET • LOS ANGELES • PHONE: 800-877-2066 • FAX: 800-788-5283 Reyes said she expects the — Joshua Greene I

NEW YORK SHOWROOM: TEXTILE ARTS MARKETING • 40 WEST 37TH STREET #802 • PHONE: 212-868-9040 ODA

Continued on page 16 M

16 Te x t i l e s 2003 11, Global Thinking at Material World Oil Price Hikes MARCH , Continued from page 14 She’s also begun to sell Asian-made fab- At Material World, she will show new do- Transfer to volume of Andean total apparel exports to rics, which now represent 20 percent of her mestic and Asian-produced goods, including the U.S. to increase dramatically, particu- business, up from zero a few years ago. high-tech fabrics with waterproofing and TUESDAY larly from Colombia and Peru. Colombian When China’s quotas drop in 2005, she ex- breathable qualities, as well as stretch cor- Fiber Makers U.S. apparel exports, at $800 million in pects that number to rise to 50 percent. duroy for fashion applications. NEW YORK — Get ready for

WWD, 2002, could double in the next two years, “I don’t want to see everything go to Asia, Exhibitor Trimmings, a Miami producer the squeeze play. she contended. ProExport will host a break- with the total demise of production for the of heat-transfer embellishment, including At a time when a weak fast seminar on the status of the new agree- U.S. and our neighbors,” she said. “Asia re- rhinestones, metallics and Swarovski crys- economy and low consumer ment at the show. quires hard work, more time, and we’re con- tal embellishment, targets smaller, high-end confidence is keeping up de- Converter Gail Strickler, president of New cerned about knockoffs there. But with price clients seeking novelty and innovation, flationary pressure on retail York-based Saxon Textiles, said that Latin consciousness so rampant now, companies such as floral and tattoo motifs. While apparel prices, rising oil American countries need to play up their are often willing to sacrifice quality and ex- Susan Shavin, vice president, stresses qual- prices are creating inflation- strongest advantage — quick turns, to compete clusivity for price.” ity control that her domestic company of- ary pressure at the base of with Asia’s vast labor pool and cheap prices. While 30 percent of her business is in the fers, she fears price pressure will only in- the supply chain. Currently, Saxon ships 15 to 20 percent of consumer apparel market, Strickler has de- crease as quotas drop. Sales for 2002 de- Threat of war in the the fabrics she sells to Latin American veloped her sales to niche markets, such as creased 10 to 15 percent, with similar de- Mideast and other factors countries, up from 5 percent in 1999. uniforms, for airlines and hotel industries. clines projected for 2003. have driven oil prices up in recent weeks, and makers of synthetic fibers — who rely heavily on petroleum deriva- tives for their raw materials — last week announced they’d be seeking another round of price hikes, this time for polyester staple. Wellman Inc.’s Charlotte, N.C.-based fiber unit on WHAT’S REALLY ON THE LINE IS YOUR REPUTATION. Thursday said it would raise its prices by 11 to 14 percent, starting with April 6 ship- ments. That follows a 12 to 14 percent hike in March. DAK Fibers LLC, also of Charlotte, said it would increase its prices by 6 cents per pound beginning April 1. Meanwhile, Kosa late last month said it would hike its polyester filament prices by 5 to 10 cents per pound, also effective April 1. Kosa, also of Charlotte, raised its polyester staple prices by 10 to 12 percent last month. DuPont and Solutia have also hiked synthetic-fiber prices in recent weeks. Typically, fiber manufacturers tell their customers they intend to raise their prices by a certain amount and then begin a negotiation price that results in a lower actual price hike, if any. The textile mills and yarn makers that are their primary customers have little leverage to hike their selling prices, since retailers adamantly oppose any increase in selling prices. Market sources had mixed opinions as to whether the fiber makers and fabric suppliers would succeed in rais- ing their prices. Consultant Mary O’Rourke, of New York’s Jassin-O’Rourke Group, said Asian fabric mills had recently passed along price increases and that she expected mills elsewhere in the world to follow suit. “It’s a given with the U.S. mills that a price hike will be necessary, but the Asian mills are also now swinging over that way,” she said. “You can expect at least a 7 percent increase in fabric prices.” Rick Darling, president of Li & Fung USA Ltd., the New York arm of the international sourcing powerhouse, said retail realities mean it will be impossible to pass along www.amefird.com price hikes. “We are seeing continued deflation at the unit price The garments you manufacture are only as good as the thread that holds them together. So you can’t afford level, and we don’t see that to compromise when it comes to thread. At American & Efird, we make the highest quality sewing threads easing up,” he said. That will leave manufacturers to oper- in the industry. We deliver the most responsive service to customers like you all over the world. So give ate on tighter margins, he us a call at 1-800-861-3256...because your reputation depends on it. There is a difference. contended. — Scott Malone 17 WWD, TUESDAY ,

Abraham: A Victim of the Times MARCH Continued from page 12 today. But you have to be on top. You have to be flexible. ment, marks the end of an era, according to Zumsteg. “Abraham lacked a head of the company,” offered We turned around a collection in a month, for example. “You either have to change with the changes of the

Martin Leuphold, art director at high-end Swiss mill You have to make the goods worth their price. The world world or give up,” said Zumsteg, who continues to live in 11, Jacob Schlaepfer, which supplies couture houses such has changed. Competition comes from everywhere.” Zurich, where he owns the Kronenhalle restaurant, which as Lacroix, Dior and Emanuel Ungaro. “When Zumsteg At Jacob Schlaepfer, Martin explained that many mills is decorated with paintings by Henri Matisse, Marc 2003 stepped away from the company, it lost its creative edge. reevaluated their way of doing business when they first Chagall and Pablo Picasso. “That’s a decision that has to Abraham still had a good name but they compromised on came under pressure from competitors in the Far East. be made. You have to want to change…I’m not enchanted quality and creativity. Their products weren’t up to snuff. “A lot of people [predicted] the end of the European with what’s going on [in fashion] today. There comes an Zumsteg believed in his name and he put everything he mill,” said Martin. “They thought you had to go to India age when pulling out entirely makes more sense. had into the company. He made the difference.” to produce cheaper things. Schlaepfer decided to stay “The high-end fabric business has become infinitely “Zumsteg had a very hard time finding a successor,” the course and continue to produce high-quality fabrics smaller,” he continued. “You can’t do what you used to. You commented Olivier Fournier, chairman of the French mill in Europe with a value-added element.” can’t take the same risks. We used to be able to make big Bucol, which works with houses such as Chanel and Dior. He continued: “Many of the firms that compromised investments for couture fabrics. You can’t do that today.” “It’s a very sad twist of fate that Abraham’s gone. It’s bad for their quality by moving production overseas lost in the Meanwhile, Zumsteg said he retains ownership of the market. We need to be numerous in order to thrive.” end. They still couldn’t compete. And they lost their Abraham’s archives. “I haven’t decided what to do with But the number of high-end European silk mills has edge. We’ve seen that, for the last five to six years, busi- them yet. Maybe I’ll donate them to a museum. That’s dwindled. Abraham was celebrated for its prints, and in ness has been wonderful. People appreciate the quality.” where they belong.” recent years that market has contracted. Meanwhile, The passing of Abraham, like Saint Laurent’s retire- — With contributions from Courtney Colavita, Milan high-end rtw firms have looked eastward for fabrics, toward China and India, where prices are some 50 percent cheaper than in Europe. Some luxury fashion houses have taken the preservation of their suppliers into their own hands. Hermès, for example, purchased Bucol in 1995. The company produces high-end silk for Hermès, as well as other fashion houses. Chanel, for its part, acquired the famous Paris embroidery house of François Lesage last year. Seeking to pre- serve France’s couture know- how, Chanel also purchased the haute shoemaker Massaro. It also owns hatmaker A. Michel, feather and flower house Lemaire and buttonmaker Desrues. “Having Hermès behind us means that we have the capital to invest and stay on top of our fame,” said Bucol’s Fournier. Biehle adopted another tac- tic. To compete with Far Eastern mills, he began contracting some of Abraham’s production overseas, according to former employees. But the results were not what he had hoped. “Our clients began to com- plain about the quality,” said one "It’s only now former Abraham executive, who that market forces spoke on condition of anonymity. “Deliveries became patchy. are being Biehle wanted to generate higher margins to cover his losses. brought to bear But he wasn’t able to deliver.” on renewable resources." Indeed, silk mills have found times more taxing. Bianchini- Amanda Smith, attorney, born 1972, USA Ferier, another mythic mill, also known for prints, was on the verge of collapse last year. Its annual losses loomed around $350,000 with sales hovering just under $5 million. But the company was saved when Cedric Brochier, a Lyon-based mill owner, swept in to bail it out. Brochier, who acquired Bianchini in December, conceded that the market has changed. “Couture business, obviously, has become less important,” he said. “The fashion business is based on rtw and that moves exponentially quicker than before. Couture is about a third of business. Rtw is the rest. Bianchini found itself in trouble because it had failed to adapt. It was organized horizon- tally. No one was communicating. "It seems like a no-lose situation. It seems like everybody wins." 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WWDMediaWorldwide® 20 2003 11, Trying It Again at Sam’s Club MARCH , Continued from page one Tom Coughlin also carries the ceo and in 2002, which remained at $1.03 billion. The $31 billion Sam’s Club president titles for Sam’s Club — an indi- Sam’s Club’s numbers look especially pal- chain is facing increasingly cation that the division is being moni- TUESDAY lid when compared with the leaps of Wal- tough competition from rival tored from on high by senior Wal-Mart Mart’s Supercenters and the gains in recent Costco Wholesale Corp. and executives. years of rival Costco Wholesale Corp. even its sibling, Wal-Mart DuBose said he’ll also be recruiting WWD, On a conference call in February, Wal- Supercenters. Here, a outsiders to supplement the internal Mart Stores Inc. chief executive officer Lee warehouse in Corona, Calif. team. He’s bringing on Peggy McCarthy Scott characterized Sam’s Club’s perform- Hildreth, a 14-year Stein Mart veteran, as ance as “very disappointing.” vice president, divisional merchandise Scott’s admission comes after execu- manager for apparel, for example. tives have spent more than three years And there’s no doubt that the need for quietly taking wrench and pliers to the Sam’s Club to find a vision — and man- 564-store chain. agement — that sticks are crucial. Successive management teams (Sam’s Especially since Costco, under increasing Club has had five ceo’s since 1992) have pressure from the tough economy and revised the chain’s strategy — shifting it other issues, has shown its first cracks. from a no-frills, business-oriented club to Profits slipped 5 percent in the second a dressed-up, consumer-friendly concept. quarter ending Feb. 16, causing the com- The new format tested in key Texas mar- pany to miss its estimates. Costco cfo kets replete with kettle corn, tables of Richard Galanti cited spiraling costs of designer duds and celebrity book signings. worker’s compensation in California for But the spiffier stores failed to pro- the miss and said the issue would contin- duce the anticipated return-on-invest- ue to dampen earnings. ment, or much traction against Costco, The third player in the warehouse which has made catering to upscale con- field, Natick, Mass.-based BJ’s, has strug- sumers its calling card. The Issaquah, gled to expand beyond its northeastern Wash.-based warehouse club has 412 power base and recently announced it stores and $37 billion in global revenue, would tweak its strategy to become more making it the warehouse industry’s focused on shopping moms. The company biggest player. Costco had operating prof- has 140 stores and $6 billion in revenue. its of $1.13 billion in the year ending Sam’s Club also needs to stabilize its September 2002. It is the SUV crowd’s shrinking piece of the Wal-Mart corporate Saturday morning haunt and the largest pie. It slipped to 13.5 percent of total seller of first-growth Bordeaux in the sales in fiscal 2002 compared with 15 per- U.S., according to Saveur magazine. cent in 2000. That percentage is likely to Now Sam’s Club appears to be return- sink again in fiscal 2003 with the growth ing to the middle ground — and, appar- of Wal-Mart Supercenters overseas and a ently, to the masses of middle-income modest Sam’s Club expansion plan that families who have built the Wal-Mart calls for roughly 15 new clubs. Sam’s Club empire — with an initiative dubbed “Club will enter the Canadian market this year of the Community.” with six stores — locations have been Broad-stroke demographics explain confirmed in Vaughan, Pickering, and the reasons for Sam’s Club’s shift: 58 per- London, Ontario. Costco, in comparison, cent of Costco’s membership has a house- has 61 stores in Canada. hold income over $75,000 versus 43 per- Wal-Mart is “frustrated with their cent of Sam’s Club, according to consumer inability to solve the Sam’s Club puzzle,” tracking firm Scarborough Research. observed Neil Stern, senior retail partner Under “Club of the Community,” small with Chicago-based retail consultancy business customers — traditionally Sam’s McMillan Doolittle. “It’s the one continu- Club’s forte — will again be top priority. To ing negative in their business and I would keep individual consumers loyal, the com- say they’re extremely dissatisfied with it.” pany will still bring in unusual and presti- Therese Byrne, editor and publisher gious merchandise to add a “treasure hunt” of Retail Maxim, said Sam’s Club has quality of the shopping experience. The “always been an odd asset” of Wal-Mart’s. company has jettisoned plans to remodel “It’s sort of like Target’s Mervyn’s chain. existing stores à la the Texas units. What are they going to do with it, for Pete’s “We do not want to do anything adding sake?” she asked rhetorically. “It’s uneven cost with prettier presentations or signs,” in quality from region to region. And I emphasized William DuBose, who moved don’t think they have the quality equation over from Wal-Mart a month ago to down, the way Costco does.” become senior vice president and gener- George Whalin, founder and president al merchandise manager for Sam’s Club. TThehe vast interior of Sam’s Club in Plano, Tex. of Retail Management Consultants in San “It’s not about the fixtures; it’s about the Marcos, Calif., said Sam’s Club has merchandise.” missed out on prime metropolitan mar- To that end, DuBose has mentally reclas- overall membership, small business own- turn up — Waterford crystal, Levi’s jeans, kets where Costco has planted stakes and sified each department according to the ers typically provide the bulk of sales vol- designer bags or fragrances, or the latest has been hurt by choosing suburban loca- type of customer it serves. Men’s and ume percentage-wise. gadget,” DuBose said. “That’s why we all tions too close to a Wal-Mart. women’s apparel, fine jewelry and personal DuBose insisted Sam’s Club can serve love shopping. That’s the fun in it.” “The comparison is too close,” he said. care products should be consumer-focused both constituencies while keeping within In April, Sam’s Club will launch Regal “So what if you can buy 45-roll packs of “treasure hunts,” seeded with prestigious its 3,800 to 4,000 sku count. jewelry, an exclusive fine-jewelry brand toilet paper at Sam’s Club and only 12-roll brands like Montblanc pens, Waterford crys- To woo small business owners, five that will get redesigned fixtures in new packs of toilet paper at Wal-Mart? That’s tal glasses and Sebastian hair care. staffers at each club have been “refo- Sam’s Club stores. Older stores feature no real incentive to shop at Sam’s.” Office supplies, furniture and food, in cused,” DuBose said. “They know their small, centrally located and often Sam’s Club may be Wal-Mart’s weak contrast, will be reworked to provide the sole purpose is to be out visiting with unstaffed jewelry counters where con- link, but overall “it’s a very strong chain,” best assortment for local businesses — business owners to find out what they sumers fill out purchase tickets to said Darrell Rigby, head of Bain whether that be stocking vats of fry oil or need.” The company is touting “Gold request pieces. Last year, the company Consulting Group’s global retail practice. cases of restroom-style paper towels. Key” extended hours for business mem- started tagging its jewelry point-of-serv- Wal-Mart is wise to pour more resources In February, Scott told analysts he bers only and has swapped out sku’s in ice displays with the slogan “Be Dazzled.” into its supercenter, he pointed out expected Sam’s Club’s results to improve key departments. In office supplies, for A 15-year Wal-Mart veteran, DuBose’s because, “they’ve got Kmart on the ropes, in fiscal 2003. instance, single-line phones have been experience lies in the consumer product so there’s a huge opportunity for them.” In many ways, though, “Club of the exchanged for multiline models. School mix. He worked his way up from a men’s Sam’s Club may be on the corporate Community” is less a bold new vision and supplies are out; neon “Open” signs and wear buyer to vice president and general back burner, he added, but it is healthily more reacknowledgement of fundamen- paper shredders capable of reducing a merchandise manager of men’s and boys’ profitable, adds to buying leverage and is tal rules governing the warehouse indus- phone book to confetti are in. apparel before moving to similar roles another venue for the retailer’s constant try. Clubs must execute on two fronts: Ceiling signs trumpet “We are in over women’s apparel and then health, experiments with price and volume. catering to the small business owners, Business for Small Business.” beauty and pharmaceuticals. Michael Clayman, who publishes the while keeping casual consumers engaged The push to make the assortment He’s also one in a long list of talent weekly journal Warehouse Club Focus, and paying the $35 annual fee, which more compelling to families is subtler. reassigned from Wal-Mart to spruce up said in transitioning back to small busi- adds a chunk to the bottom line. In fiscal Buyers will be working harder to land Sam’s Club. Kevin Turner, the 37-year-old ness customers, Sam’s Club has to make 2000, when an accounting policy change novelty product and prestigious brands, ceo who started as a vest-wearing Wal- sure it doesn’t lose consumer members forced it to break out the number, Sam’s said DuBose, catching customers pleas- Mart hourly associate and became the and their discretionary spending. Club collected $706 million in member- antly off-guard. company’s youngest corporate officer at “That’s going to be the struggle for ship dues alone. “We want consumers to go to a Sam’s age 29, has led the division since August them: how do you keep consumers com- Although a smaller percentage of the Club and be surprised about the things we 2002. Wal-Mart Stores president and ceo ing while you focus on small business,” he 21 WWD, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003 The quarterly numbers ar- Other strong indicators includ- By global region, revenues in Besides selling its private label the Additionally, regional de- “Our recent financial and For the losses year, mounted note. “We continue Quiksilver outperforming its to see peers in the department store channel. Channel checks indicate that the brand’s momentum in the specialty channel is not wan- ing. Quiksilver is positioning itself to generate long-term growth by means of carefully expanding a variety of key brands and territories. In our opinion, Quiksilver has barely skimmed the surface of the international markets.” rived after the markets closed on and Thursday, in- on Friday, vestors reacted by bidding up the firm’s shares $1.51, or 5.8 percent, to close at $27.77 in New Stock Exchange York trading. While Quiksilver’s ticker symbol, ZQK, puts them last, alphabeti- in cally, many portfolios, the firm’s performance has ranked close to the top. The stock has grown 39.9 percent from $19.85 over the past 12 months. That compares with the Standard & Poor’s 500, which has lost 28.4 percent, to 828.89 from 1,157.54, over the same period. ed a 510 basis point expansion of gross margin to 42.4 percent of revenues, and operating margin growth of 160 basis points to 6.8 percent of revenues. Globally, gross margin for the Americas swelled 170 basis points primarily because of cleaner inventory, while European gross margin grew about 100 basis points on the strength of better initial markups and the addition of company- owned retail stores. the Americas increased 13.5 percent to $102 million from $89.8 million. In Europe, revenues jumped 38 percent to $77.2 million from $56 million last year. Additionally, the firm’s new operations in the Asia-Pacific region chipped in $12.1 million. the company for the long-term,” said president and chief executive Jim Famalette. credit card business for $102.8 million, Gottschalks, under the plan first laid out 3, on has Feb. stream- lined its store base, reduced selling, general and administrative ex- by $15 penses million this year and restricted planned capital expenditures primarily cover the maintenance and improvement of the existing store base. partment store player, in an effort to differentiate its offering, will more aggressively pursue private label brands. Private label sales in 2003 are slated to grow by 15 percent to about $80 million, or almost 12 percent of total owned sales. im- and debt our strategic initiatives have substan- reduced tially proved our liquidity and the company enters this new fiscal year in much better financial health than in recent years,” said Famalette. $11.6 million, or 91 cents a share, and compared with earn- year-ago ings of $425,000, or 3 cents a share. Revenues for the 12 months re- treated 2.8 percent to $703.2 million from $723.2 million in 2001. Quiksilver Inc. Gottschalks Inc. For For the three months ended Total revenues caught some we “As approach the $1 bil- Industry observers are like- “We believe that the company Net losses for the quarter Reducing the firm’s net by these and Without items in the Revenues fell 3.3 percent to Last month, Gottschalks laid Quiksilver Earnings Quiksilver Qtr. in 112.8% Soar By Dan Burrows NEW YORK — shredded the slopes in the first quarter as earnings more than doubled on impressive sales and margin gains. Jan. 31, the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based activewear and sportswear company reported net income shot up 112.8 percent to $6.6 million, or 24 cents a di- luted share. By comparison, last year the company recorded profits of $3.1 million, or 13 cents. Earnings per share eclipsed the estimate by 5 cents. Street Wall soaring 30.7 percent major to air, $192.1 million from $147 million a year ago. On a conference call with analysts, chief executive officer Robert McKnight said Jr. the company now expects full- fiscal-year revenues of $875 million to $890 million, putting it on the edge of becoming a billion- dollar company on the strength of its international expansion. lion sales mark, our philosophy remains the McKnight in a statement. same,” “What has changed said is that we are now doing these things in a global context. we Today, have an in- credibly broad base of sales, both from a global perspective and with regard to our portfolio of brands. We also have a well- developed infrastructure to support future growth. Our goal is to continue to leverage our leader- ship position in the market.” wise very bullish about the company’s future. is fashion right and should continue to capitalize on the popu- larity of surf-inspired fashion,” Securities ana- Fargo wrote Wells lyst Jennifer Black in a research Gottschalks Posts $4.2M Loss $4.2M Posts Gottschalks NEW YORK — hopes that proprietary products will help it work its way back from a restructuring-impaired fourth-quarter loss. ended Feb. 1 reached $4.2 million, or 33 cents a share. This compared with year-ago earnings of $10.4 million, or 82 cents. $12.4 million, or 97 cents a share, were items including a charge to close six stores in the Pacific Northwest, costs related to a sale of the firm’s credit card receiv- ables, an impairment charge of long-lived assets in underper- forming stores and a charge for the early extinguishment of debt. year-ago period, Gottschalks income dropped 24.1 percent to $8.2 million, or 64 cents a share, from $10.8 million, or 85 cents, a year ago. $236.5 million from $244.6 million a year ago. Comparable- store sales dipped 1.8 percent. out a five-point strategy to beef have posi- up its operations. “We tioned the organization to effectively operate in an uncertain economy and have strengthened Calvin Klein, of course, was famously unhappy A better alternative, Berton said, may be for Sam’s Club has this type of deal with A recent visit to a Sam’s Club in Natick, Mass. The women’s assortment made more of an Retail pundits who keep score said Costco fre- On its Web site recently, Costco was selling Costco is also clever with its Kirkland private Based on anecdotal evidence, Sam’s Club’s Whalin said given parent company Wal-Mart’s their goods in a Costco or Sam’s,” he said. “If you’ve sell- Costco in goods first-quality season, current got ing at five Bongo percent over going you’re Marche, Bon the or East Macy’s in stuff wholesale Star, and the Big same as to create a problem.” such brands other at but Warnaco’s jeans and underwear dealings with Costco, ware- in up end to chagrined been have Lucky and house clubs, according 2001, to a distribution industry deal gone sour sources. landed hand- made Aloha brand surfboards in Costco. They sold In for $199, roughly $30 less than wholesale, causing indus- surf the throughout consternation of ripples try about the devaluing of core brands. vendors to produce separate, lower-priced flavored like lines their mainstream brands exclusively for a warehouse club. Viewpoint International, parent company of the The DuBose. said brand, Bahama Tommy upscale Island Traders goods stocked at Sam’s — cus-print hibis- pique polos and Hawaiian camp shirts in rayon instead of silk Bahama. mind Tommy — immediately call to in basics, to assorted heavily still is apparel showed dark colors and large sizes. Men’s brands included Reebok shorts Claiborne shirts and, and ironically, an entire table of T-shirts, Calvin Klein jeans – priced $24.84. Izod sweaters, attempt to service trends, with Gloria stretch jeans Vanderbilt and Pierre Cardin gold-embroidered peasant tops. quently outmaneuvers Sam’s brands. in “Sam’s gets good getting brands, Costco gets upscale great brands,” said McMillan Doolittle’s Stern. “If Sam’s has Levi’s, Costco has Polo.” Omega, Raymond Weil and Perrier Jouet Breitling champagne watches, and machines. chrome In espresso its Waltham, about Mass.-based half store an hour — drive from Slates Lizwear, Sam’s Club — Costco the had Laundry, Natick, Mass. and Dockers, Nautica, Klein, Tommy Polo, Hilfiger, and Calvin Op. They jeweled had picture Jay Strongwater frames, Baccarat crystal. Lladro porcelain and label, which is often co-branded with by fridges Kirkland from ranges Product facturers. the manu- Whirlpool to Kirkland jelly beans by Jelly Belly. Member’s Mark label — launched in 1997 — also has a diverse and growing includes assortment. everything The from line paper towels, anodized cookware sets and grills, dishwasher powder blue to Club Warehouse research Focus on Sam’s Club gas in jeans as diverse as items label private new noted Mexico and vending Member’s Mark chocolate-covered machines. cherries CD burners. and various operational strengths, what Sam’s currently Club needs is a has never had to be a terribly creative “Wal-Mart spicy pinch of retailer. And creativity. I think, as good as business the warehouse has gotten, that’s need to go to compete.” exactly where they t year, Sam’s started tagging its jewelry point- t year, “There are a number of companies like Oakley Mark Brutzkus, a partner with Los Angeles- Los with partner a Brutzkus, Mark Adding to the difficulties, many vendors embed “There is simply not enough apparel around for around apparel enough not simply is “There Regardless, Regardless, scooping up better apparel brands “We’re not “We’re going to buy closeouts on last year’s Apparel vice president-dmm Hildreth, who None of the warehouse clubs break out sales

Las of-service displays with the slogan “Be Dazzled.”

keeping very tight control because they don’t want based apparel law firm said Oakley etches an identification Ezra number onto Brutzkus Gubner, ending goods of origin the trace can they so glasses up in an unauthorized retail channels. clauses in purchase orders to keep goods from being from goods keep to orders purchase in clauses resold to warehouse clubs. [Sam’s Club] to grow at a faster Bruce pace,” Berton, observed director of international business for accounting firm Stonefield team at Josephson Marmax “The [TJX Cos.] there. They’ve are been the at it biggest the longest out getting the best picks and in terms of apparel.” they’re is a thankless task made running leaner tougher inventories and with able to vendors pick and chose among discount suitors. last week BJ’s that convenience announced groceries and better apparel brands are the linchpins in its own corporate makeover. stuff,” he said. “We want want don’t to be a great year behind.” product and we starts later this month, will be and working extensively closely with key apparel vendors, said DuBose. data on apparel. Clayman However, has compiled his own estimates based on sku counts, calendar- year merchandise sales and industry research. He estimates apparel accounted for sales, or 4.3 $1.53 billion, for percent Sam’s Club in of calendar year 2002. In comparison, apparel represented 4.4 percent of sales, or $1.81 billion, for Costco and 4.8 percent of sales, or $274 million, for BJs. said. “And said. I “And think apparel is one of the key areas they’ll use to balance that.” Sam’s Club is hoping to turn key categories, like apparel, into a treasure hunt. categories, like Sam’s Club is hoping to turn key

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Est’d. salary benefits, work Major computer commensurate withexp.FAXresume: multi handle to tasks. heavy able and (Excel/Word), construction/lab undergarment testing, production faxes, of E-mails/ standing worldwide daily tracking, include: ties atti- Responsibili- player. team de- great oriented, skills, tail w/ communication strong person tude, firm energetic sportswear seeks women’s public Busy Production Immed. Production UPC creation&entryandfiling. Production Coordinato Production Coordinato Product/Sales Development PRODUCTION ASST. Email resume:[email protected] spro rai’,amn computer & admin, organiz’l, /superior l ersosbefrmitiigcal- maintaining for responsible be ill utb adokn and and checkable references. skills hardworking communication and written oral excellent vendors. have be organized, with Must negotiating projectsand forall budgeting sample book, merchandise, production the of maintaining deliveries production placing on and for up following responsible orders, be will or candidate woven The in sportswear. exp knitted yrs quality 3 and of a control oriented understanding with detail strong Coordinator a hire Production to Company wants Apparel owned Private owr oyo orresume your of Please withsalary historyto: copy a package. forward benefits and compensation a Competitive brands must. luxury with Experience JIL SANDER requirements to:212-354-2661or e-mail COORDINATOR resume withsalaryhistoryand Jil SanderAmerica,Inc. *Sales AreaMgr Fax resumeto:212-869-4329 PRODUCTION COORDINATOR [email protected] Fax: (212)447-9696 New York,NY10022 For considerationfaxyour Ref: Retail,ShopNY PRODUCTION *Ladies Sales 11 East57thStreet : y 212-556-5303 DOMESTIC [email protected] /benefits. Fax: Associate IMPORT OPENINGS AND 212-564-6791 212-704-0232 r r , . 23 WWD, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2003 Y - .** y Sales RAMPAGE RAMPAGE ***APPAREL EMPLOYERS *** We areson. lookingfor a Minimumence Salesper- 3 in yearsto girls accounts. Aggressive experi- Individu- market.als Traveling Weresume to: 212-967-1357 want you!!!! Please fax Lookingfor Salesfor Rampage Manager 3 Girls. -5 Minimum yearsmid-tier experience. Better Great and Opportunity.to dept. Traveling accounts isfax resume to:212-967-1357 stores. a must. Please Do you need exp’d DESIGNERS, PRODUC **CALL 973-564-9236 Jaral Fashion Agc TION, ACCOUNTING, TECHNICAL etc. staff? Textile Sales Agcy lookinggressive for Jr. very ag- Domestic Salesperson to Mfgnotch cover market. lines N which Westock incl. goods, import have novelty heatoff shore mill. Pls fax res to 212-239-0181 top transfer prints & a . — Constance Haisma-Kwok 718-456-2721 Sales JNCO JNCO 212-967-1357 Sales Reps Confidentiality guranteed. 212-244-9023 or e-mail: Sweater Sales [email protected] . Fax resume Much to the embarrassment of the Hong Kong Trade of the Hong the embarrassment Much to local to speak publicly about suspects, While declining than 1,000 exhibitors hired As it stands, many of the more for the HKTDC, commented: a spokesman Lawrence Yau, brings the three-year total The $2.4 million haul at this event y Lookingfor a Salesto Manager handleMinimum 3 major yearswith experience accounts. mid-tierexperience. Must & havepeople skills. dept.store good Salary commen- suratePlease upon212-967-1357 Attn: Mark J. fax experience. Benun. resumes to Lookingfor strongsalesper- son.sales Minimum experience.organized, 3-5 with Must goodskills. Please fax resumes to: people years be est Coast. Please forward resumes to: ith good existing relationships need necklace was stolen from a Belgian dealer. was stolen from necklace the fair, (HKTDC), which organizes Development Council in Hong the sixth major diamond heist these thefts mark extra three years. They occurred despite Kong in the last undercover including additional police, security measures, television security firms and close-circuit agents, private monitors. activities of internal memo warning of the police issued an cocaine syndicates linked to Colombian South American president of the Israel Diamond cartels. Schmuel Schnitzer, do not occur at fairs elsewhere Exchange, said that such heists see [Hong Kong shows] as a in the world. “The criminals must but the organizers need soft touch…and I say it very regretfully, they need to implement stronger to face up to the criticism and security measures.” The HKTDC added even duration. private security for the fair’s personnel after the first-day more surveillance cameras and containing $5,100 was stolen heists. Despite this, a waist bag on day two. Hong Kong citizens — they “The jewel thieves are not native they are not sophisticated — are overseas professionals. But That is the frustrating they use simple diversionary tactics. point.” 2002, diamonds worth $3 million to $14.2 million. In September In June 2001, a at the fair. were stolen in three separate robberies man was arrested after trying to steal a briefcase containing $7.9 million in diamonds and, in a separate incident, 60 diamonds worth $640,000 were stolen. In March 2000, jewelry valued at worth briefcase holding gems $64,000 was taken and a dealer’s $205,000 was stolen. Est’d Mill/Converterestablished of Independent wovens Sales Repnon-competitive seeks for lines.uniform Knowledge trades of able +. include: Territories availa- W Southwest, Midwest and Sweater sales pro forhave junior & current missy. Must w following. Only candidates appl , ahoo.com y Call (212) 221-0870 y sethi@ y (212) 268-8320 HOSIERY SALES - JR’S SALESPERSON Sales Executive enthusiastic, Department Sales Executive Sales Executive edge of women’s hosiery a plus. Please email resume: professional. Strong people Travel approx. 30%. Knowl- Please fax resume to: 212-921-1876 skills, keen sense of fashion, store/Specialty chain focused tenacious follow-up required. New York City based dynamic [email protected] Please fax resume to (212) 268-8320 Please fax resume to (212) 575-5311 ork in New York showroom. Must Les Richards Agc Sales Asst./Order Entry have better Specialtyexperience. and Private Dept.traveling label store required. exp.for right person! Please fax resume to: Great a plus. opportunity SALES-2+ yrsbridge/better exp nec sportswr/dresses/collection to better spec stores/tvl. $Open. selling Missy NY basedhigh sweater energy, detail companyto oriented individual work seeks infollowing a a up great withorders. Must be computer literate. atmosphere customers while on sales Established women’s sweater line seeking energetic,w motivated, go-getter to Manufacturer and Importer of Junior, Missy, Large size sportswear seeks a high energy self-motivated team player to work w/ major accounts nationwide. Must have at least 5 years experience and established contacts. Dynamic sportswearan company aggressiveNYC seeks showroom. salespersonEmail: mann Fax: for 212-869-5047 or their Men’s fullneed fashion of sweater experiencedestablished customers. maker salesperson with in w Uniqlo, once the hottest retail concept in retail concept once the hottest Uniqlo, 201-330-0002 212-765-1394 The company said it still believes the U.K. The company said it still believes extraordinary The Japanese firm will take an 1984. The The first Uniqlo shop opened in 212-268-4442 ortunities to join today’s contemporary leader units will be closed by August. units will be closed by August. back to the five market has potential, so it will scale and then perhaps stores to improve its profitability plan, Fast expand again. Under the restructuring profitable for the Retailing U.K. expects to become next fiscal year ending May 2004. in the fiscal year charge of $25.4 million dollars downsizing ending August 2003 due to the at current measure. Dollar figures were calculated exchange rates. — K.H. 212-764-6912 attn: President of Sales Diamonds worth more than $2.4 million were (212) 779-0964 Please fax resume indicating position of interest to: Mark 212-779-0964 Boutique SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE - APPAREL DRESS SALES Fax resume 212-391-2460 Jeff Friedman 212-768-7856 FABRIC SALES Fast Retailing opened its first Uniqlo store in the U.K. in its first Uniqlo store in Fast Retailing opened SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE - ACCESSORIES ALEXIA ADMOR Please fax a resume or note to: SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE - PRIVATE LABEL TCH Excellent opp Madison Avenue Please fax resume to attn. Mark @ Home and Gift Sales NO LONGER UNIQUE: NO LONGER and is now scaling in the last year hit problems Japan, has U.K. Ltd., its ambitions. Fast Retailing back on its Western close 16 of its 21 stores in Britain said it will British subsidiary, in and around London. to focus on those three years. But with the goal of 50 stores in September 2001, Uniqlo was less the brand recognition for “in the new market, said the low,” sales at each store stayed than expected and Wimbledon, Regent Street, firm. Shops in Knightsbridge, the other 16 Uxbridge will remain open, but Richmond and firm went public in 1994 and experienced fast expansion firm went public in 1994 and fleece jackets became the through the Nineties, when its now 574 Uniqlo stores, but megahit item in Japan. There are fiscal year ended August 2002, its growth has stalled. For the of $236.4 million on sales of the firm announced net profits $2.9 billion. ICE HEISTS: stolen from two different booths on the first day of trade at the dealer One American Hong Kong International Jewelry Show. lost diamonds valued at $1.1 million, while a $1 million ith licensed product. Excellent growth Est’d. Knit/Sweater Co. Licensed Product Sales accessory company. Seeking an ag- EXCITING OPPORTUNITY gressive andpro highly to joindates motivated our will have sales team. 3+ Qualified years candi- of experience RETAIL Industry. Excellent growth opportunity. Ladies’/Missy/Jr. Sportswear Mfr.Sales seeks ProMust for have strong Newcontacts. Fax resume to: dept. York & chain Showroom. store Excellentlicensed opportunity product division/ of available major gift in w opportunity. Please fax resume to attn: Has an immediatea position qualified available salesperson.mission, Salary for clothing + com- allowancebenefits! Fax resume to: and great NY basedseeks "sales genius" contemporaryto for expand a dressstore base. Fax resume (212) 971-9236 "no our brainer" major co. chain & Dept. Seeking an aggressive5-10 salesperson with yearsstore exp., background, strong andbase. Fax resume to: existing dept./specialty customer Great American sportswear co.strong, seeks aggressive, a person experienced with sales- a followingtops for jr’s, kids and plus sizes. in cut and se Top import/domestic converterstock with large inventorygetic seeks pro experienced tokid’s markets. Team player a must. call ener- on missy, junior, men’s & Seeking an aggressive,sales highly pro motivated to jointeam. our home Must and gift& have sales computer analytical,think skills financial plus strategicallyplans. the and Qualified ability execute3+ candidates to years sales will experience in have the Home/Gift l f d R ASIA WA ASIA ellowriverinc.com y .net Call:212-481-4080 Ltd. Fax (212) 302-1161 [email protected] y y g, FOUNDATION [email protected] Call 212-947-3400 Call 212 391-2370 y 212-556-5303 ToddWa 212-779-0964 Attn: Suzanne Fax resume to: 212-840-1451 TEXTILE SERVICE STUDIO TECH. DESIGNER 450 7th Ave. (AGCY) 268-6123 NY NJ NY NJ NY NJ NY NJ NY NJ ith effective communication skills omen’s & junior’s accessory manufac- ith excellent communication skills. Accessories Sales $40-65K $40-65K $40-65K $40-65K TD SWIMWEAR $65K A.D. FORMAN ASSOC. Seeks exp’d painting artists for color- Bkgrd in C&S Knits & Sweaters - Mjr Co SPEC TECHNICIANS All Markets All Markets All Markets Technical Design Associate STORE MANAGER $80K TD Spec Tech TD Spec Tech 212-302-1856 / office@ Apparel Staffin TECHNICAL DESIGNE SusieJessil ings, repeats etc. and CAD U4ia artists. Knowledge of pattern making,& grading computer aGreat opportunity for the right person. must. Exp. w/ overseas. turer. Seekingto an Account manage Executive key accounts. Qualified Qualified candidate mustyears have experience issuing 3uring garments, specs, to fit evaluation meas- and 5 municating com- detailedries. reports to Mustexcellent facto- follow-up be skills. detail Knowledge oriented. with NY base women’s2-3 design yrs house experienced seeks w technical designer Fantastic opportunity tow join a reputable candidates will have 3+in years experience thedustry, Fashion possess Jewelry/Accessory strongground analytical In- and back- relationships withaccount base. Please fax resume to: national Ladies sportswear mfg.a co. looking for Technicaldesign team. Designerdetail Should oriented, be tomotivated. well enthusiastic, organized joinskills & Strong sel our req.multiple Must communication environment. FAX resume: be tasks able in to handle a fastEstablished paced privatelooking label for company highlyw organized is individua of patternmaking, gradinga must. Fax /E-mail resume to JF at: and computer Sr. DSNR - GIRLS SPTS HI$ Est’d private label co.creative indiv for 4/16 line. Computer a must. seeks very exp’ 2 yrs. hi- end fashion & mgmt. exp. Email: ibs@ibsn s f x d . LYST/ A study by Saison Research Institute of Japan Institute of by Saison Research A study EOE. 212-921-9038 — Koji Hirano + benefits. Retail Analyst. Great Stuff 914-723-0626 Diane @ (212) 391-1049 “Young female consumers have luxury brands from overseas “Young Regarding the reasons for buying luxury goods, 43.6 Regarding the reasons for buying Among men, 62.1 percent own a Burberry product and Among men, 62.1 percent own For all the women questioned, Christian For all the women questioned, The survey was conducted in the Tokyo area in September area in conducted in the Tokyo The survey was Fax resume: 212-302-5020 e. Benefits. Fax resume: 212-947-7601 the Kellwood Co. seeks a y Mens sleepwear division of Excellent work environment RETAIL ANA [email protected] Sales Assistant must have a strong merchandiser’ for their self-satisfaction, while the elder consumers trust the quality and traditional status of the brands,” commented the institute. percent of those questioned said, “Its quality and fashion percent of those questioned said, while 34.5 percent replied, “Because I [style] are satisfactory,” just like luxury brand goods.” 40.3 percent own Dunhill. Dior is the must-buy brand, with 78.6 percent Dior is the must-buy brand, with the other top owning a Dior product. Among product; brands, 64.4 percent own a Gucci 64.2 percent, Chanel; 63.7 percent, and 49 Vuitton, Burberry; 61.5 percent, Louis 29.8 Christian Dior, percent, Hermès. Within have the percent of the women questioned cosmetics, while 14.1 percent own brand’s other scarves and 9.4 percent own 50s are in their 40s and accessories. Women Dior, the most loyal consumers of Christian said the study. LUXURY LOVERS: LUXURY monitored women and men out of 1,200 2002 and 1,048 questions. The of 20 and 60 answered the between the ages Group. institute is a subsidiary of Saison has found that 94.3 percent of Japanese women in their 20s women in their of Japanese that 94.3 percent has found a and 92.2 percent of them own goods have Louis Vuitton of women in Among other brands, 57.5 percent Gucci product. Chanel, and products; 51.7 percent own their 20s own Prada half of women in this About Christian Dior. 44.3 percent have bag, according percent, own a Louis Vuitton age group, or 49.1 to the study. CUSTOMER SERVICE Email resume w/ salary requirements: other store sales analysis experience Must have RetailLink, POL and Must be highly organizedgood communication & skills. have Min 3 years exp. e are a contemporary womens SPEC TECH ASST/ENTRY LEVEL ith excellent communication skills. bility to sell, manage staff, and mer- isual skills. Located in charming RETAIL MANAGER/SALES Sales & Production Assistant Sales Asst/Merchandiser SALES ASSISTANT downtown Westchesterevening hours. Village.and competitive salary. Fax resume to: Benefits, No incentives, chandise. Must posses creative taste/e Outerwearindividuals tostarter w/ good computer skills. assist imp sales team. Sel seeksToComp. exp’d measure lit.Jeans Attn: Foula 212-382-3047 pre/production Fax resume gmts. to: Squeeze Est’d watch co.school grad seeking w/ forexclnt 1-2 follow-thru a yrs skills. fashion ing exp. Resp out Must for have productso lay- presentations/rollouts organized, detail oriented, aw team player Three yrs. experience in sameindustry. or Candidate relate must beliterate computer and fluentresume for immediate consideration to in Korean. Pls. fa strong organizational &skills communication withFax resume to: computer literacy a must. Major textileoriented Sales Assistant company fordepartment. sportswear seeks Liaison betweensales mill detail and force,follow-up heavy onsales customer all order orders contact, reports. and Person maintain should be Est’d. ladies’ sportswearmotivated, capable mfr. & seeksto exp’d. individual assist a ourare sales staff. largely Responsibilities clericalpossibilities in with sales advancement in time. Requires W A v boutique lookingManagement forcontemporary someone experience fashion with environment. in a 24 2003 11, MARCH

, Spring Fever In Paris, the runways were awash with color, but one of the splashiest fashion shows of all wasn’t staged there but on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night in TUESDAY eye® L.A. Since when did the SAGs — known for their casual, low- key vibe — become such an all-out fashion parade? Halle Berry and Jennifer Aniston opted for cleavage- WWD, baring Giorgio Armani gowns, while the expectant, goddess-like Catherine Zeta-Jones showed off considerably less décolletage in a purple Empire-waisted Versace. “I might cost more now that I’m nominated,” joked Zeta-Jones who fielded role offers while walking the red carpet. “You’ll have to talk to my producers.” Uma Thurman, looking fresh in a two-piece sherbet-colored Chanel, did a bit of baring herself, as did the white brigade, which included Julianne Moore in a plunging Ralph Lauren and Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore a Narciso Rodriguez dress with black trim. Only Outstanding Female Actor winner Renée Zellweger took the demure route in a black Valentino. In a departure from her floor-grazing gowns, Nicole Kidman went short — well, knee-length — wearing a look from last week’s fall 2003 Gucci show. “I’m cold,” she shivered in the 75- degree weather. “But at least it’s much Nicole warmer here than on the streets of Kidman Uma Thurman New York.” in Gucci. in Chanel. A SARDELL TO

Jennifer Aniston NA O D Salma Hayek in Renée Zellweger SarahSarah Jessica Parker in Giorgio Julianne Moore Catherine Zeta-Jones Halle Berry in Y B

in Ralph Lauren. Carolina Herrera. in Versace. in Valentino. inin Narciso Narciso Rodriguez.Rodriguez. Armani. Giorgio Armani. G A S Double Trouble Tegan, right, and Sara rock the Mercury Lounge. NEW YORK — From the Andrews Sisters to the Jackson Five to the Pointer Sisters, a talented set of siblings is nothing new to the music industry. Now, Canadian rockers Tegan and Sara are getting in on the sister act. The 22-year-old identical twins — whose last name is Quin, although they don’t use it professionally — packed Mercury Lounge last week with a swarm of fans and look-alikes, not to mention an MTV News camera crew. Having drawn comparisons to everyone from the Pixies to the Go-Go’s, the duo hit the city before heading to Austin, Tex., in their 15-seat van to South by Southwest, one of America’s biggest and best- known music festivals, where they will play Thursday, opening for fellow punks the Sahara Hotnights. Then, in April they’ll hit the road again, touring as Ben Folds’ opening act. From top, Tegan But at the New York show, they focus on providing a little ANDREWS entertainment. As Tegan fiddles with her guitar between songs, and

Sara kills time on stage bantering with the crowd. She rambles Sara. KAARE Y on about how “uncool” she feels in New York and her love for released their second album, “If It Was You” deemed “one of the B IT A R

the movie “Best in Show.” best albums of the year” by Billboard. T “What else do I like?” she asks her rapt audience. But the twins aren’t in sync about everything. Although they POR “Soup!” shouts back a groupie, to which Sara nods before growling at share songwriting duties, they compose them separately and even Tegan, “Holy God! Are you almost ready?” live in different cities — Tegan in Vancouver, Sara in Montreal. Plus,

Earlier in the evening, the pair sounded off backstage about their life as twin they are still fleshing out the details of their budding fame — their fears of ERICKSEN;

rock stars. “We don’t care so much about being big superstars,” insists Tegan, the “selling out,” and how to handle the press and their sexual orientation. Both Tegan YLE K

talkative one with the spiky haircut and chin ring. Sara, for the record, sports the and Sara are gay. B

more feminine feathered ’do. “We care more about people liking us and our music.” “It’s kind of intrusive,” Tegan says of the focus on their personal life. “I’m learning AGE

The sisters arrived on the music scene by way of Calgary, where they played in that getting better at interviews means not giving too much of yourself away.” ST ON

high school rock bands and were signed by Neil Young’s record label, Vapor They favor vintage clothing on and off the stage, but there is one contemporary A

Records, at 19. Instead of going to college, they toured around Canada and the luxury they can’t do without. “Expensive jeans,” insists Tegan, who wears Diesel, SAR

States, promoting their first album “This Business of Art.” They’ve since toured with Miss Sixty and Levi’s. “You gotta make your ass look good.” ND everyone from Young himself, to Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright. Last year they — Jamie Rosen A TEGAN