>> Hermes Denies Jean Paul Gaultier Is Leaving —Despite rumors last week that Jean Paul Gaultier would be exiting Hermes after his Spring 2010 show for the label, Hermes has categorically denied the story: “These rumours are without foundation. Jean-Paul Gaultier is not quitting any of his responsibilities.” Hermes holds a minority stake in Gaultier's own label. [FashionMag.com]

>> Rumor: LVMH May Sell DKNY, Make Bid On Hermes —Word is that LVMH is shopping around DKNY, with no plans to sell Donna Karan Collection, because it wants to focus on high-end luxury brands with a strong international recognition; DKNY's only response was to state that long-term company policy is to not comment on rumors.  European private investment firms are also buzzing that in addition to dropping DKNY, LVMH may be selling Moet-Hennessy to make a grab for Hermes. [Fashionista, DKNY Twitter]  

>> Jean Paul Gaultier is said to be resigning from his role as creative director of Hermes, reports Fashion Week Daily, with his Spring 2010 collection, to be shown in October, his last under the label.

A Hermes spokesperson did not return requests for comment, and no reason for the resignation was suggested. Gaultier has been with Hermes since 2003, when he took over after Martin Margiela's resignation as creative director; under his direction, the brand has flourished, on the runway as well as on the sales floor.  In July, the company reported an uptick of 12 percent in second quarter sales — especially notable in this year's tough market.

Also worth note: Gaultier's own label is tied to Hermes — the brand invested $23 million in June 1999 for a 35 percent stake in Jean Paul Gaultier, and then-CEO Jean-Lous Dumas was quoted saying the acquisition was "a love match rather than a business arrangement . . . I believe that Gaultier has the capacity to be what Hermès has become."

>> Bernard Arnault, Francois Pinault Are Playing Nice, Still Rich —With the lapse of almost a decade since the fight over Gucci, LVMH's Bernard Arnault and PPR's Francois Pinault are experiencing a detente, symbolized by their willingness to appear on the cover of French business magazine Challenges together this week.  The accompanying story credits Arnault's wife, Helene, with the warming of feelings when she embraced Pinault's wife Maryvonne at an event last November.  Since, the Arnaults invited the Pinaults to dinner on May 26. The magazine also tabulates France's largest fortunes, with Arnault (14.58 billion euros) in second, the Hermes family (7.68bn euros) in fourth, Pinault (4.95bn euros) in sixth, and Alain Wertheimer and family, owner of Chanel, (3.5bn euros) in tenth. [WWD]

>> THE MODELIZER —Talk in the last week has centered on which model might be poised to give Raquel Zimmermann a run for a place on top of the heap — Lara Stone or Natasha Poly — but her Fall 2009 campaign run is shaping up well so far — she's shot Gucci and Jean Paul Gaultier, both with Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Giorgio Armani with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and Hermes with Eric Valli — all supposedly before she bleached her hair.  Speaking of the new hair, the first editorial with it on display appears in the July 2009 issue of Vogue Nippon, captured by Mert and Marcus (above). [WeLoveModels, TFS]

>> Back in October, Giorgio Armani didn't seem very keen on pulling a Valentino and retiring — especially since he had no heir in line — but at 74, he's still looking into other contigency plans for his privately-owned label.  In fact, odd as it may seem, he explored — unsuccessfully — a merger with Hermes, in hopes to unite the companies’ strengths in clothes and accessories.  If it had gone through, he maintains, the deal “could have been something fantastic. Hermes has such class, such prestige.”  The dealbreaker, according to Armani, was that there were too many Hermes family shareholders to reach an agreement.

The alternatives left include going public with a stock market listing — which Armani ruled out, and acquisition offers from other bigger companies, which Armani has so far turned down.  As for an heir, he's still looking, but without much success: "If I’m no longer the one that takes a bow at the end of the fashion show, then we’ll find another solution, though it’s hard to imagine what that might be.  I keep trying to find people who can do things for me. In the end I am always the one who does them.”  In the meantime, he's giving more responsibility to his relatives — niece Roberta Armani handles celebrity relations for the company, and nephew Andrea Camarena sits on the board and runs marketing and licensing.
*image: source

>> Tuesday en route to New York, an heir to Hermes pulled a Naomi Campbell.  While on an Air France flight, Mathias Guerrand-Hermes, 36, attacked the captain, grabbing his crotch and then trying to punch him.  Afterward, he was restrained by the captain and three flight attendants, handcuffed, shackled, and tied to a seat in first class until he was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of interfering with flight crew members.

Hermes started behaving strangely three hours into the flight, after taking a prescription aspirinlike drug, Propofan, and “quite a bit of alcohol.”  When asked for comment, the fashion house Hermes released a statement Wednesday, saying that "Mr. Mathias Guerrand" had no company role and that there would be no comment.

This is no Gucci murder, but perhaps if Mathias keeps up the behavior, he can have a Ridley Scott movie about him one day.
*image: source

>> THE MODELIZER —The runways have brought plenty of surprise walkers this week — Iselin Steiro and Natalia Vodianova at Balenciaga, Ana Claudia Michels, Frankie Rayder, and Dewi Driegen at Givenchy . . . and now Naomi Campbell is rumored to be appearing on the Hermes runway on Saturday. [Chic Report]