fashionologie

Simon Fuller Leaves 19 Entertainment; Roland Mouret, Victoria Beckham, and Storm Models Could Be Affected by Company Buyout

fashionologie — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:07:54 PDT

>> Two months ago, Simon Fuller, the founder of 19 Entertainment, which owns controlling stakes in Storm Models, Victoria Beckham Collection, and RM by Roland Mouret, announced that he was leaving the company to start a new company pursuing film and other entertainment projects. He is currently retained as a consultant at 19 Entertainment.

For the past year or so, rumors have surrounded Fuller. Last June, it was announced he was teaming with Topshop's Sir Phillip Green for a global entertainment company; soon after, word came that Kate Moss might somehow be involved. Then, in November, Fuller was rumored to be pairing with Victoria Beckham for a New York-based modeling agency, which Beckham then denied.

But yesterday came news that 19 Entertainment's owner CKX (Fuller sold to CKX in 2005) is discussing the sale of 19 Entertainment to One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase. Without Fuller and with a potential new owner, there's no confirmation on what the buyout might mean for Storm Models, Victoria Beckham Collection, and RM by Roland Mouret.

fashionologie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:29:22 PST

>> Beckham Denies Modeling Agency Plans with Fuller, But Some Aren't Convinced -Earlier this week, British tabloid the Daily Mail was convinced that Victoria Beckham might be involved in Simon Fuller's New York modeling agency plans, but today, her spokesperson says otherwise: "There is absolutely no truth in the story regarding Victoria Beckham and Simon Fuller opening a modelling agency in New York. Victoria is concentrating all her efforts on her fashion line and her family." Deny she may, but some from the London side say that ideas are indeed being batted around between Fuller and Beckham, and model television of some kind is involved . . . he is creator of the Idol franchise, after all. [Vogue UK, The Imagist]

Kate Moss Caught Between Entertainment Ventures, Now That Simon Fuller Has Acquired Her Modeling Agency Storm

fashionologie — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:42:40 PDT

>> Any hope that Sir Phillip Green and Simon Cowell may have had for Kate Moss to act as a judge on one of their shows in development may have just gone down the tubes: Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol, which helped Cowell rise to fame, just took a majority stake of 51 percent in Moss's model agency, Storm.

Fuller has been in talks with Storm's founders, Sarah Doukas and her brother Simon Chambers, for the past year and aims to “help create new joint entertainment platforms for its talent, as well as developing the Storm brand in new and exciting directions.” Doukas hopes the partnership "will provide Storm with the opportunity to work competitively, creatively and on an international level," and Fuller elaborated that the deal will allow them to “push the boundaries, blur the lines and redefine what a model agency should be in this fast moving world, where fashion is playing an increasingly important role in setting and reflecting cultures and tastes.”

So who will Kate go with? »

Gisele Bundchen Guarantees Sales, Will Lie on Hospital Floors Naked for Work

fashionologie — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:33:30 PDT

>> Waves were made last month when Gisele Bundchen replaced Kate Moss in her longstanding run atop the Models.com Top Icons list. But Gisele can sell, according to The Independent - she commands up to $20 million for a single contract, and when she was signed by C&A in Brazil for a series of advertisements, sales increased 30 percent.

Photographer Alice Hawkins, who once shot Gisele at her Manhattan penthouse triplex, says the model is "very clever about making money - it’s an interest of hers.” And she keeps it in the family - she now employs four of her five siblings, as her manager, her lawyer, her accountant, and her web developer.

Her business savvy caught the attention of economist Fred Fuld, who developed the Gisele Bundchen Stock Index, which charts the performance of companies who have employed Gisele like LVMH, Volkswagen, and News Corp, who financed the The Devil Wears Prada, in which Bündchen had a cameo role: “She could have become the spokeswoman for General Motors or Ford, both of which have received government bailouts and may yet declare themselves bankrupt. But Volkswagen is in much better shape, and is even considering buying Porsche."

Fuld found, reports The Independent:

By the end of 2007, Gisele’s index was up 29 per cent in comparison to the Dow’s 6.5 per cent. And when she terminated the Victoria’s Secret contract, parent company Limited Brand’s share price fell 31.5 per cent. And, although the Gisele Index is down 15.7 per cent between 2007 and 2009, it still managed to outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was down over 30 per cent during the same period.

Not only does Gisele sell well and choose her investments and opportunities wisely, she also gives high client satisfaction, according to Nick Knight: “Where some models take the money [for commercial, rather than editorial, work] and are then embarrassed to enter into it, when she’s decided to do the campaign, she’s 100 per cent behind it. If they ask her to say ‘This is the best lipstick in the world’, she does. It’s slightly tongue in cheek, but you get swept along with her enthusiasm.”

"I’ve made her lie naked on hospital floors" »

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:25:37 PDT

>> Simon Fuller Now Shopping for a New York Modeling Agency? -Simon Fuller has continously been creeping into the fashion industry since he began backing Roland Mouret in 2006. Since, he has worked with Victoria Beckham to launch her industry-acclaimed eponymous collection, partnered with Claudia Schiffer to represent her name, image, and brand rights, and just a couple of months ago he took a majority stake in London's Storm agency, home to the likes of Kate Moss and Jourdan Dunn. Now, word is going around that Fuller is "scanning the New York [modeling agency] market for 'opportunities'" - a New York counterpart to his latest London acquisition? As The Imagist points out, "that would represent a whole new ideal of management that could pose huge challenges for some established players in the trade." [TI]