Twisted Sisters W to Makepersonalappearancesonbehalfoftheinitiative
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s SECTION II: MARKETING: Brands FASHION: WWDCoterie focus on the gold at Fall looks the Winter Olympics, from St. John pages 8 and 9. Collection (right) and s NEWS: Oscar de la Renta Escada, said in talks with potential page 4. beauty investor, page 2. Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • February 10, 2010 • $3.00 WSportswearWDWEDNESDAY Twisted Sisters By Julie Naughton and Pete Born Gathering two of music’s most eccentric (and eccentrically dressed) personalities in one room at a restaurant known as a cross-dresser paradise is a recipe for spontaneous personality combustion — especially when the two in question are Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper at Lucky Cheng’s in Manhattan. It’s a sartorial match made in heaven (or, for some, that other place) — Lauper, who rose to fame in the Eighties as much for her outrageous getups and rainbow-hued hair as for her number- one records, and Gaga, who wears everything from a hair bow made of her own hair to Giorgio Armani Privé. It’s also a meeting to talk about sex: specifically, the ad campaign for the MAC AIDS Fund, where the two have teamed up. Both women are expected to make personal appearances on behalf of the initiative. See Twisted, Page6 SEN K RIC E Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga PHOTO BY KYLE KYLE PHOTO BY 2 WWD, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 WWD.COM De la Renta Said Eyeing Beauty Venture By Lisa Lockwood In August 2008, Arden filed a counterclaim against de la Renta, alleging that under terms WWDWEDNESDSportswearAY NEW YORK — Oscar de la Renta may be cooking of the designer’s cosmetics and fragrance li- up a new beauty deal. censing agreement, YSL was the actual owner FASHION According to sources close to the company, of the brand’s trademark rights and was the s 4 St. John Collection, Escada and Kimberly Ovitz de la Renta is in discussions with a private eq- only party that could sue for infringement. are mixing it up for fall with textured jackets, Art uity investor who might take a minority stake The issue went to arbitration and a deal was Deco ensembles and oversize cardigans. in a newly established company, Oscar de la worked out in late December. Renta Beauty. Sources speculate a deal could be De la Renta has been actively expanding GENERAL reached within the next few weeks. on the international and domestic fronts in re- In December, de la Renta got back his beauty cent years, and developing a beauty business 1 Separated by a generation, pop stars Lady Gaga license from L’Oréal as a result of arbitration in-house would take some serious financial and Cyndi Lauper got together to talk about their stemming from an 18-month legal dispute that investment. involvement in the MAC AIDS Fund. involved the license holder, YSL Beauté, which At a WWD luxury forum in September, Bolen Oscar de la Renta is said to be negotiating with was acquired by L’Oréal in 2008, and the distrib- said through the recession and beyond, “noth- 2 a minority investor in his relaunched beauty utor Elizabeth Arden Inc. ing is off the table as far as moving the business company, which could have broader implications. Alex Bolen, chief executive officer forward.” Bolen was up front about the reces- of Oscar de la Renta, declined sion’s impact on the luxury sec- The power of personality is alive and well for comment on negotiations for a tor during his talk and said 8 Winter Olympics marketers, as they put their new beauty deal. the firm needs to develop a prestige and cash behind top athletes. Sources told WWD a private wide range of products and equity investor was introduced prices. “We have opportuni- 10 Bergdorf Goodman opened a shop on Tuesday to de la Renta’s firm through ties at the high [end]. We have for infants to size 6 on its seventh floor called a financial intermediary. The opportunities at the low. We Little BG, with a floor-to-ceiling tree house. potential investor already has need to pursue both of them,” 11 Weakness in the U.S. Dockers and Signature holdings in the beauty indus- said Bolen. lines and soft sales in Europe and Japan hurt try and would focus on de la In recent seasons, de la quarterly and year-end results for Levi Strauss. Renta’s fragrance business, Renta has entered the fash- as well as expand the brand ion jewelry category, now a 14 Reports the EU was set to aid Greece with its into cosmetics and skin care. growing multimillion-dollar debt crisis helped push retail stocks up 1.2 Eventually, the investor could business. At the other end of percent and the Dow back over 10,000. conceivably get involved in the spectrum, the designer 14 Even as fourth-quarter sales rose 8.6 percent at the apparel and retail side of has been doing a strong busi- A look from St. John International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., profits de la Renta’s business, which ness in furs and bridal gowns Collection. slid 3.1 percent to $47.4 million. has seen much better results priced at more than $20,000, in recent years than the beauty Bolen said. WWD Coterie Section II is included in this issue. business. De la Renta’s whole- Overseas retail expansion is Classified Advertisements.................................................................................................15 sale business does about $100 one area where the company has TO E-MAIL REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS million in volume. been on the move. In September, [email protected], USING THE INDIVIDUAL’s NAME. The Oscar fragrance. De la Renta’s classic original fra- de la Renta opened its first store in WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2010 grance, called Oscar, was developed the Middle East, in Dubai, as well FAIRCHILD FASHION GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. in partnership with Milton Stern and launched as a directly owned store in Madrid and a fran- VOLUME 199, NO. 29. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in January, July, October and December, two additional issues in April, May, June, August, and November, in 1977. Over the decades, the fragrance license chised one in Athens. The company also opened and three additional issues in February, March and September) by Fairchild Fashion Group, which is a division of Advance has changed ownership several times, being ac- a 400-square-foot boutique in Harrods in London Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé quired in succession by Avon Products Inc., El- in September. The company has nine freestanding Nast Publications: S. I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, President/CEO; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice President/COO; Jill Bright, Executive Vice President/Human Resources. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and Sanofi SA, YSL Beauté and finally L’Oréal. At its stores globally and an online site. at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services peak in the late Eighties-early Nineties, Oscar Building international sales through its Tax Registration No. 886549096-RT0001. Canada Post: return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: P. O . Box 503, RPO and its subsequent fragrance siblings generated wholesale business has been another key pri- West Beaver Cre, Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6 POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P. O . Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615–5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK a combined wholesale volume of $110 million. It ority. The designer’s collections are available ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P. O . Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008, call 800-289-0273, or visit currently does an estimated $30 million in whole- at Boutique 1 in Dubai; Saks Fifth Avenue in www.subnow.com/wd. Please give both new and old addresses as printed on most recent label. Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address sale volume, according to industry sources. Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Harvey within one year. If during your subscription term or up to one year after the magazine becomes undeliverable, you are According to The NPD Group, the original Nichols in Riyadh. Last year, the company inked ever dissatisfied with your subscription, let us know. You will receive a full refund on all unmailed issues. First copy of Oscar fragrance is still in the top 100 of women’s a deal to operate freestanding Oscar de la Renta new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions and reprint requests, scents in the U.S. In addition, the entire Oscar boutiques in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United please call 212-630-4274 or fax requests to 212-630-4280. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. 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