The Inside: Pg. 10 VF ZEROING IN?/3 JLO’S NEW SWEETFACE/8 Top HispaWWD Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • June 26, 2003 Vol. 185, No. 129 $2.00 WWDTHURSDAYnic HitsList Sportswear High Contrast PARIS — There are two sides to every story — and John Galliano loves telling both. For Christian Dior, he gives his girl the glam sex appeal of a flouncy dress while simultaneously toughening it up with hardware or military silhouettes. And let’s not forget the element of surprise — this resort, it’s touches of India. Here, his silk georgette gown paired with a satin vest. For more, see pages 4 and 5. Prada Cuts Pay Off: Bertelli Sees Profits Rising 30% in 2003 By Amanda Kaiser and Luisa Zargani MILAN — Prada is on a roll. First, its men’s wear show here Monday was one of the standout presentations of the spring 2004 season. Then Prada chief executive officer Patrizio Bertelli revealed the company is bucking the luxury sector’s wobbles and forecast its net profits this year would leap at least 30 percent above the $31.1 million seen in 2002. The improvement stemmed from the group’s aggressive cost-cutting, he said. Prada’s sales this year should be See Prada, Page12 PHOTO BY STEPHANE FEUGERE PHOTO BY 2 WWDTHURSDAY Sportswear GENERAL FASHION: Sometimes a girl wants a little edge, and other times, she prefers ™ 4 girly. John Galliano at Dior and Vera Wang give her both options for resort. Prada had a good week: Its men’s collection was a hit in Milan, and ceo A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based 1 Patrizio Bertelli forecast net profits in 2003 will grow by at least 30 percent. on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated JLo by Jennifer Lopez, the company run by Andy Hilfiger and Lopez, is 8 launching a line extension called Sweetface for holiday retailing. WWD, THURSDAY, JUNEWWD, THURSDAY, 26, 2003 A PRESSING MATTER The WWDList: The top 10 general retailers on the Internet and the top 10 Does wrinkle-resistant cotton threaten to make ironing obsolete? 10 apparel e-tailers as visited by Hispanics. EYE: Secrets of a wedding planner…A tango in Paris (but not the Women avoid wrinkles on their skin, and says Joe Dixon, Brooks Brothers’ vice president of 16 last)…Lizz Wright gets all jazzed up. they don’t want them in their clothes either. production and technical design. “But women While the Fountain of Youth may be elusive, in don’t like the feel of starch, and they resent the Obituary ..................................................................................................14 the ongoing quest for comfortable cotton higher cost of dry cleaning.” Classified Advertisements ..................................................................13-15 clothing that won’t wrinkle, women (and men) Indeed, sending clothes out for pressing is less To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is are winning the battle. Technological advances common today, according to the Monitor, which [email protected], using the individual's name. have ushered in a new generation of wrinkle- reports that if a garment needs ironing, only 7% SUBSCRIPTION RATES resistant, 100% cotton garments of women would send it to the 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. that deliver on comfort, style cleaners, in contrast with 11% of Please allow 6-8 weeks for service to start. Individual subscription information/Single Copy Sales : (800) 289-0273; and wear life, while retaining a women eight years ago. outside U.S. (818) 487-4526; new group subscription information 212-630-4196 Postmaster: Send address changes to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008. crisp, just-ironed appearance Wrinkle-resistant cotton also WWD (ISSN #0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional throughout the day. has several hidden advantages over issue every month except July, and two additional issues in April and August, by Fairchild Publications, Inc. a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc., 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001-8191. Achieving wrinkle-resistant conventional cotton—improved WWD is a registered trademark of Fairchild Publications Inc.© 2003 by Fairchild Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. All rights reserved. cotton, without compromising the shrinkage control, better color and No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, fabric’s aesthetics, is a deceptively shape retention, and less pilling— 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 complex process. “The cotton however, a wrinkle-resistant gar- Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and other offices. fiber is spun into yarn, woven into ment can cost $5 to $10 more. Mailed under Publications Mail Sales Agreement No. 517054. Canada Post Returns to: P.O.Box 1632, Windsor, ON N9A 7C9 GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 Canada Publications Agreement # 40032712 fabric, dyed, and finished with a Retailers say they haven’t encoun- Printed in the U.S.A. All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of ‘cross-linking’ resin. The resin— tered price resistance because cus- WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. the chemical treatment that gives tomers know they’ll ultimately For Web site access, log on and subscribe to www.WWD.com. fabric its ‘memory’—minimizes “A wrinkle-resistant, 100% save time and money. wrinkling and helps maintain a cotton shirt answers our The Monitor confirms that for smooth appearance,” explains Lou customer’s desire for classic most women, the appeal of T. Protonentis, director of tech- styling and versatility. wrinkle-resistant cotton outweighs In Brief nical services, dyeing and finishing a slight increase in cost. If given at Cotton Incorporated. She appreciates ease of the choice, 53% of the women care, but also wants a ● ADDIO ARMANI: Italian eyewear giant Luxottica has a new Not surprisingly, women are surveyed said they’d prefer to pay board of directors and it doesn’t include Giorgio Armani. As ex- embracing the “wrinkle-less” fabric that feels good.” $35 for wrinkle-resistant, 100% pected, Luxottica’s shareholders chose not to renew the design- lifestyle. The Cotton Incorpo- cotton slacks than $30 for a er’s tenure on the governing body after a well-publicized split be- rated Lifestyle Monitor™ found — Betsy Thompson cotton/polyester blend. Talbots tween the parties late last year. At that time, Armani annulled a that 62% of women surveyed “We introduced wrinkle-resis- 14-year licensing pact for eyewear and switched to competitor said they’d prefer to wear wrinkle-resistant tant cottons two years ago, and now it’s offered 12 Safilo. “Armani continues to be a 5 percent shareholder in cotton slacks over regular cotton slacks. months a year in different sleeve lengths, colors, Luxottica and we have no current plans to divest that stake,” said But the road to wrinkle-resistant cotton, with a stripes and checks, and in a broad range of sizes,” says an Armani spokesman. As for press reports that Armani might be soft, natural feel, has not been smooth. It was first Betsy Thompson, spokesperson for Talbots. “A mulling a stake in Safilo, his spokesman characterized the talk as developed by Dr. Ruth Rogan Benerito, a U.S. wrinkle-resistant, 100% cotton shirt answers our “unfounded speculation.” customer’s desire for classic styling and versatility. Department of Agriculture scientist, who in 1969 ● UNIONS FORM ALLIANCE: UNITE turned to a powerful ally in found a way of cross-linking cotton to reinforce its She wants a fit that works well for day or evening. its drive to organize workers at Cintas Corp., the nation’s leading molecular strands. The early work of this textile She appreciates ease of care, but also wants a fabric supplier of commercial uniforms and laundry services. The ap- pioneer led to the process known as “wash & wear,” that feels good.” parel union said Wednesday in Chicago that it was joining forces but the chemicals used to reduce wrinkling also left Liz Claiborne, a pioneer in wrinkle-resistant with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the effort to fabric stiff and shortened its lifespan. clothing for women, has seen the easy-care category unionize Cintas’ 17,000 workers. “This revives the labor move- Enamored with the convenience aspect of poly- mushroom to become a sizable part of its total ment and is necessary to take on corporate bullies like Cintas,” ester, Americans spent most of the 1970s wearing apparel business. “We’re looking to make women’s said Teamsters general president James P. Hoffa, referring to the it. But by the early 1980s, consumers were no lives easier,” says Debbie Martin, vice president, alliance. UNITE has alleged that Cintas has violated labor laws longer willing to accept the tradeoffs of synthetic group creative director, Liz Claiborne Brands. “We in several instances, including firing workers who had supported unionization. The company also faces a class action suit by truck fabrics, and a sartorial about-face ensued. In a keep evolving—adding new looks, patterns and drivers who claim Cintas deliberately failed to pay them over- landmark move that resonated with consumers’ colors—and women are enjoying the experience.” time. The Teamsters noted that many of its 1.4 million members new back-to-nature sensibility, Levi’s introduced its The CAREFREE category—which offers both wear Cintas uniforms.