TALKING TED BRITISH BRAND TED BAKER MAKES A BIG STATEMENT ON NEW YORK’S FIFTH AVENUE. PAGE 6 ANNA PIAGGI DIES FASHION EDITOR WAS 81. PAGE 3 SYCAMORE’S STRATEGY Talbots Names Team To Direct Turnaround By VICKI M. YOUNG TALBOTS HAS A new executive team to go along with its new owner — both of which hope to turn the spe- cialty retailer around. Michael Archbold is the new chief executive offi - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY cer and chief fi nancial offi cer, effective immediately. Archbold is an industry veteran with more than 25 WWD years of experience, holding c-level positions. He was most recently president and chief operating offi cer of The Vitamin Shoppe. Prior posts include a stint as cfo and chief administrative offi cer of Saks Inc. In addition to Archbold, Lizanne Kindler was named president. Kindler, who joined Talbots in 2008 and left in 2010, was most recently executive vice pres- ident for product development at Kohl’s Corp. She also had a stint on the merchandising team at Ann Inc. be- fore her fi rst tour of duty at Talbots. The fi nal new member of Talbots’ troika is Michele Mandell, who has been named chief operating offi cer. Mandell, who retired from Talbots in 2009, is a 26-year veteran of the retailer. Her last position at Talbots was MARINEAU executive vice president of stores. Sources familiar with the appointment said Mandell’s history with the com- GUY Surf Punk BY pany is expected to serve as the “foundation” to reener- The Agenda trade show, held Aug. 1 and 2 in gize the struggling business as it seeks to bridge the soul Long Beach, Calif., offered a fi rst look at the of Talbots with a modern vision to move forward. LAGERFELD Archbold said, “By restoring the company’s focus spring action sports collections. Key trends on Talbots’ classic styling, we will be able to recon- AND included brash patterns and aggressive colors nect with the company’s historical customer base. PIAGGI that look especially great in layers upon layers. Lizanne, Michele and I look forward to working close- ly with the other members of the Talbots’ leadership Here, Dakine’s Lycra spandex and polyester rash team and the company’s more than 8,000 committed MOLONEY; guard, Lip Service’s nylon shirt and Hurley’s and hard-working associates to reestablish the brand polyester skirt and nylon and Lycra leggings. as the category leader.” NATALIE Private equity fi rm Sycamore Partners closed on McCallum surfboard; e4hats visor; Breathe its acquisition of The Talbots Inc. on Friday, a trans- Boardwear belt; Vans shoes. For more surf action that also ended the tenure of former ceo Trudy ASSISTANT: F. Sullivan. The transaction was valued at $391 mil- style, see pages 4 and 5. lion, including net debt. Following the deal’s close, FASHION SEE PAGE 12 CLARIZIO; JACK G-III Buys Vilebrequin By DAVID LIPKE ASSISTANT: NEW YORK — G-III Apparel Group Ltd. is set to PHOTO make a splash in the luxury swim market by acquir- ing Vilebrequin from Netherlands-based private eq- uity fund Fashion Fund I B V. COSMETICS; The deal is for a total purchase price of 85.5 mil- MAC lion euros, or about $106.2 million, of which 70.5 mil- lion euros ($87.6 million) is in cash and another 15 USING million euros ($18.6 million) is in unsecured promis- sory notes, due Dec. 31, 2017, at an interest rate of 5 MYLES percent a year. JEN In addition, the agreement stipulates contingent BY future payments of up to 22.5 million euros ($27.9 mil- lion) based upon set performance objectives over the MAKEUP three years ending Dec. 31, 2015, which could make the total deal worth up to $134.1 million. GROUP; “An opportunity to acquire a preeminent luxury WALL brand such as Vilebrequin does not happen very often. Vilebrequin sets a global standard for excel- THE AT lence and commands exceptional loyalty at a pre- mium price in each of its markets,” said Morris SEIJI BY Goldfarb, chairman and chief executive offi cer of G-III Apparel Group. “We believe that this brand is HAIR very powerful and expect to add more retail locations throughout the world, as well as develop the business MODELS; beyond its heritage in men’s swimwear, accessories and resort-wear.” Last year, Vilebrequin rang up sales of 45.1 million euros, or $55.9 million, with a substantial majority de- TANNER/MAJOR rived from the U.S. and Europe. There are currently 185 freestanding Vilebrequin stores and shops-in- PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE; STYLED BY KIM FRIDAY MODEL: SEE PAGE 12 2 WWD WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 Yurman Bolsters Exec Ranks THE BRIEFING BOX David Yurman’s retail boutiques. A col- By RACHEL STRUGATZ ored version of the collection is already IN TODAY’S WWD carried exclusively at the brand’s stores NEW YORK — David Yurman is ex- (this includes four global shops-in-shop) panding its executive team, as the com- and the brand’s Web site. On the grounds pany’s chief executive officer Glen Senk Senk sees an opportunity to improve the of Lollapalooza details plans to fine tune the brand’s company’s supply chain management. He’s in Chicago. supply chain and bolster its digital and spent half of his first five months “out in the international presence. stores,” and said sales staff most often request Following Senk’s Feb. 27 appointment as that deliveries be more predictable, timely ceo and an investor in the company, three and containing complete collections. hires effective Monday were revealed: “This is an important part of taking great care William Paretti, chief marketing officer; with the customer — and having product when Brendon Lynch, vice president of retail, she wants it. This is not a sexy initiative, but it’s and Ruth Sommers, chief sourcing officer. an important one,” Senk said, adding that this is In early May, Jill Unruh was named chief where Sommers’ expertise in managing complex talent officer. supply chains for multichannel and multinational Prior to joining David Yurman, Paretti businesses — at her own company, Noi Solutions, as held the post of vice president of market- well as American Eagle, Ann Taylor and for 15 years SAWITOSKI ing at the LVMH subsidiary Moët Hennessy. at Limited Brands — will be useful. ERIC Before that, he was vice president of media Digital is another area Senk is focusing on — BY services at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis citing that within the luxury space, as many as PHOTO Vuitton for the U.S., Canada and Latin 70 percent of customers begin their journey on- The Talbots Inc. has a new executive team to go America and previously director of advertis- line. This means that a digital flagship must be along with its new owner — both of which hope to turn ing and marketing at Prada USA. reflective of the brand’s DNA, and tell the com- the specialty retailer around. PAGE 1 Lynch spent the past 17 years at pany’s story in a way that makes sense. He also Anthropologie, most recently as executive pointed out that the younger consumer is the G-III Apparel Group Ltd. is set to make a splash in director of retail, where the business bal- fastest growing part of the business — an audi- the luxury swim market by acquiring Vilebrequin from looned from just two to 173 stores. Unruh, ence that’s extremely active across a range private equity fund Fashion Fund I BV. PAGE 1 whose responsibilities run the gamut of digital, social and commerce platforms. from recruiting, executive training, su- “It has to be as sensuous as the product is, Iconic fashion journalist Anna Piaggi died in Milan pervising and developing the review and right now we fall short. It’s an opportunity on Tuesday at the age of 81. PAGE 3 process and overseeing the general for us and we’re looking to do that,” Senk said, well-being of the employee population, noting that subtle changes have been imple- In the magazine cover sweepstakes, athletes joined the jewelry company in May from mented on davidyurman.com in the past sev- appear to be no match for the new three Ts: Urban Outfitters Inc., parent company eral months, but more drastic changes will twentysomethings, TV and “Twilight.” PAGE 9 of Anthropologie. Senk is the former be unveiled in the coming year. Jewelry from David Yurman. ceo of Urban Outfitters. “When I think of marketing, there Perry Ellis’ impact on American sportswear will be He told WWD that three of the four positions are are many, many aspects of marketing. I think of documented in a coffee-table book tentatively titled newly created, with the exception of Lynch’s post. branding and strategy and research, but also CRM, “Perry Ellis: An American Original.” PAGE 11 “I love the vision that David and Sybil [Yurman] database and digital marketing and social media,” have crafted. I am here to make sure that the foun- Senk said. “Billy [Paretti], besides being very left dation is in place, support their vision and almost brain-right brain and very creative, has very deep ON WWD.COM put a magnifying glass on this vision to make sure and substantial functional experience.” that we have got the right structure in place and that North America is by far the almost 33-year-old THEY ARE WEARING: It’s been 21 years since Perry we methodically execute it,” Senk said. company’s biggest market, but it also has a presence Farrell founded Lollapalooza, and the sartorial scene He maintained that business is “very healthy,” in Europe and Asia.