fashionologie

Jimmy Choo Sold For More Than $811 Million; Tamara Mellon To Stay On

fashionologie — Mon, 23 May 2011 07:44:25 PDT

>> After two months of seeking offers, Jimmy Choo is being sold to German luxury goods company Labelux - which also has holdings in Bally and Derek Lam - for an undisclosed price.

Labelux is said to have paid more than 500 million pounds ($811 million) for Choo. The brand was originally valued at 549 million pounds ($889.4 million), and had net sales of 150 million pounds in 2010.

The current Jimmy Choo management team, including CEO Joshua Schulman and chief creative officer Tamara Mellon, a co-founder of the company, will remain in place. Mellon, who retains a 17 percent stake in the brand, is understood to have made tens of millions of pounds from the deal, and she and Schulman are expected to make an investment alongside Labelux.

“Jimmy Choo is a perfect fit for us, and we see ourselves as long-term strategic investors,” said Reinhard Mieck, CEO of Labelux. “Joshua, Tamara and the management are going to need to deal with us for a very long time. We are thinking about strategies today that will take us beyond this generation to the one after that."

Labelux plans to increase Jimmy Choo's brand presence in China, as well as in men's shoes and handbags.

Jones Group Reportedly Among the Three Potential Buyers for Jimmy Choo

fashionologie — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:10:01 PDT

>> Namesake designer Jimmy Choo and LVMH are no longer in the running to buy the Choo label - which is said to be valued at between £400 million and £500 million (or up to $813.4 million) - but Jones Group (which owns Nine West and last year bought Stuart Weitzman) reportedly is. Although a Jones Group spokeswoman declined comment on the matter, the company is said to be one among three potential buyers, the other two of which are German luxury company Labelux, which owns Bally, and US buyout firm TPG. The next bids are expected in mid-May. [WSJ, Reuters]

Even More Spring 2011 Ads Have Turned Up - A Look at Dior, Prada, Armani, Bottega Veneta, and More

fashionologie — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:38:10 PST

>> The deluge continues; after yesterday's introduction to the Spring 2011 Chanel, Tom Ford, and Marc by Marc Jacobs campaigns, today brings another onslaught - Karlie Kloss's third straight campaign as face of Christian Dior; a first look at Kasia Struss for Miu Miu (Sasha Pivovarova and Querelle Jansen are also said to have been cast by the label); and perhaps our favorite campaign of the season so far, Alex Prager's take on Karolina Kurkova for Bottega Veneta, left.

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Fashion in 50 Seconds 03/09/10 Sarah Jessica Parker's Chanel Ink, Jessica Stam For Vogue Turkey

coutorture — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:50:22 PST

Zoe Saldana's Givenchy Haute Couture gown was the most searched for dress post Oscars, followed by Miley Cyrus' Jenny Packham and Sandra Bullock's Marchesa, respectively.

Sarah Jessica Parker accessorized her Chanel Haute Couture Oscar dress with Peter Philips' limited edition temporary tattoos.

Former Aquascutum designers Michael Herz and Graeme Fidler will take the reigns at Bally.

Tom Binns is launching a handbag collection and collaborating with John Eshaya on t-shirts.

Jessica Stam will wear Giles Deacon on the cover of the first issue of Vogue Turkey.

Cathy Horyn "liked the Givenchy show a lot," and felt something "confident and personal" was missing from Celine.

Source: Getty

Former Aquascutum Designers To Head Up Bally; Peter Dundas Exits Revillon

fashionologie — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:25:36 PST

>> Not a week after Bally confirmed that creative director Brian Atwood has shown his final collection for the label and longterm designers Michael Herz and Graeme Fidler resigned from Aquascutum, word comes that Herz and Fidler are expected to be take over creative directorship at Bally.

A Bally representative did not respond to requests for comment, but Fashion Week Daily cites sources saying that the decision came from Bally management's desire to focus more on ready-to-wear; Atwood's ready-to-wear allegedly didn't sell as well as accessories for the brand. Herz and Fidler are finishing up at Aquascutum, but will supposedly present their first Bally collection in Milan for Spring 2011.

Meanwhile: who might be replacing Peter Dundas at Revillon? »

Confirmed: Brian Atwood Leaving Bally; Current Brand Owners Repositioning Label, Looking for More Fashion Investments

fashionologie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:21:16 PST

>> Those rumors last September of Brian Atwood stepping down from Bally have proven to be correct: the designer just presented his last collection for the label for Fall 2010 and is moving on to focus on his own label.

Atwood was hired in 2007 to revamp and revitalize the Swiss brand's image - but in April 2008, Bally was sold to Labelux Group, which has also recently purchased stakes in Derek Lam, Solange Azagury-Partride, and Zagliani, and it sounds like Atwood was asked to leave. It's rumored Labelux wants the brand more focused on its Swiss heritage, as exemplified by the Spring 2010 Bally ad campaign, featuring Christy Turlington against a background of Alps.

Labelux is also on the prowl for acquisitions »

fashionologie — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:19:15 PDT

>> Brian Atwood to Leave Bally? -Despite a Bally spokesperson dismissing rumors of Brian Atwood departing the brand - "Brian is still the Creative Director for Bally. He is currently working on the next collection and, no, he is not leaving" - multiple sources say otherwise. Supposedly, the designer and label had been in negotiations, and he is expected to step down by the end of this year; he was informed of the decision a few days ago, according to one source, but plans to continue his eponymous line. [FWD]

Bally Sticks With Christy Turlington for Fall 2009 Ad Campaign

fashionologie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:37:56 PDT

>> For Fall 2009, Bally stuck with the same team as Spring 2009 - Mario Sorrenti photographing Christy Turlington and Oriol Elcacho, this time styled by Lori Goldstein in a darker, more sophisticated light - because as Creative Director Brian Atwood put it, "For me Christy is simply the perfect Bally woman; graceful, intelligent, and natural; she exudes a sophisticated ease; her sensual beauty is perfectly complimented by Oriol's strong and confident presence. Both Christy and Oriol are wonderful to work with; consummate professionals who allow the process to flow so seamlessly, it is difficult to call it work." If rumors are to be believed, he'll be sharing Christy with Yves Saint Laurent this season, because Stefano Pilati thought she was the consummate YSL woman.

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Milan Fashion Week: Bally Fall 2009

coutorture — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:00:23 PST

Image Source

Since taking helm of the 150 year old brand in 2007, Brian Atwood has made Bally a fashion forward brand to watch. This season Atwood turned to Helmut Newton's photos of Bianca Jagger and Charlotte Rampling to inspire a collection that was full of sex appeal and luxe thirties and eighties references.

Fashion In 50 Seconds 02/06/09 Retail Gets Re-Imagined & More

coutorture — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:25:27 PST

Challenged to do something different, New York retailers re-imagine the shopping formula with multi-purpose operations...

Jane Shepherdson has turned British retailer Whistles right around and the Spring 09 collection looks like another hit.

PETA's campaign against Giorgio Armani is becoming more aggressive now that Donna Karan has vowed not to use fur.

Bally will launch an e-commerce site later this month offering shoes, accessories, and small leather goods.