fashionologie

Tamara Mellon Said Poised To Launch Own Label

fashionologie — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:48:01 PST

>> Tamara Mellon, the founder and chief creative officer of Jimmy Choo who abruptly resigned from the brand over the weekend and will depart at the end of the month, is said to be prepping the launch of her own lifestyle brand, in the vein of Tom Ford and Tory Burch.

According to one of WWD's industry sources, funding is already in place for a Tamara Mellon brand, but a timeline for launch or details on positioning could not be learned. Mellon, whose net worth is estimated to be about $240 million, has declined request for interview since her resignation Sunday. However, according to WWD: "Another industry source said Mellon’s next step should come as no surprise: The source said her ambitions had always stretched beyond Choo, and that money - and a high profile - are important to her."

Tamara Mellon Exits Jimmy Choo

fashionologie — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:19:40 PST

>> Tamara Mellon, who cofounded Jimmy Choo in 1996, has severed her ties with the brand. She recently served as chief creative officer, but no longer had any financial interest in Choo following its $800 million acquisition by private Italian luxury goods group Labelux in May.

According to Labelux, Mellon left “to pursue [an] independent career,” and the company has no plans to replace her as chief creative officer. “The creative side of the company is extremely strong and the design direction will continue,” said Reinhard Mieck, Labelux’s chief executive.

Tamara Mellon Exits Halston, Which May Be Pillaging BCBG Max Azria for New Blood

fashionologie — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:54:14 PDT

>> With Sarah Jessica Parker, Harvey Weinstein, Marios Schwab, and now board member Tamara Mellon no longer involved with Halston, and rumors of clashes between the remaining board members, brand owners Hilco Consumer Capital are looking for a strong figure to help rebuild the brand, which is now focusing solely on the contemporary Halston Heritage line.

Max Azria put in a bid for Halston when a sale or additional investment was being considered by Hilco, and although neither panned out, the dealings may have provided the leader Halston is looking for: Ben Malka, who has been president of BCBG Max Azria Group since 2001, is said to be close to joining the brand to head up the Heritage business - and he may be bringing Marie Mazelis, creative director of Herve Leger and Max Azria, with him. Mazelis has confirmed that she plans to leave BCBG Max Azria Group, but would not comment on her next move: “I haven’t made a final decision yet.” Malka, for his part, denied that he was joining Halston on Friday.

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.

Tamara Mellon Casts Herself in Jimmy Choo's New Fragrance Campaign

fashionologie — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:00:44 PST

>> Designers appearing in their own fragrance ads is no new concept - Marc Jacobs did it recently for Bang, and Yves Saint Laurent did it back in the '70s for YSL Pour Homme. But the latest to be captured - for Jimmy Choo's first-ever fragrance - is Tamara Mellon, in the campaign shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. [The Cut]

Fashion in 50 Seconds 08/09/10 Hermés's New Coloring Book, Versace's New Phone

coutorture — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:14:45 PDT

Start 'em young: Hermés's new $130 coloring book.

Donatella's calling. Style has a pic of the new Versace phone.

Is Tamara Mellon eyeing a Jimmy Choo sale?

Alexander Wang launches his first-ever video ad campaign with Abbey Lee Kershaw and Zoe Kravitz.

Things to discuss: Tonchi's September W Cover.

Tamara Mellon Eyeing Jimmy Choo Sale?

fashionologie — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:32:44 PDT

>> Is Tamara Mellon heading toward a sale of Jimmy Choo? Mellon, who founded the brand with shoe designer Choo in 1996, is rumored to be in talks with banking advisors about a possible sale of the brand - which would bring an estimated £450m and £500m (approx. $715m to $795m) - or an initial public offering.Choo sold out of the brand in 2001, while Mellon remains president and holds a just under 18 percent stake. The majority shareholder is private equity group TowerBrook Capital Partners, which bought its stake in 2007, with the intention to transform Jimmy Choo into a £1bn business within five years. Both TowerBrook and Mellon declined to comment on the rumors.

Flashback: Lauren Santo Domingo in Sassy, February 1993 (Plus a Look at the Launch of Derek Blasberg's Book Classy Last Night)

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:29:23 PDT

>> Lauren Santo Domingo, along with Chloe Sevigny and Dasha Zhukova, hosted the launch party for Derek Blasberg's new book, Classy, at Barneys in New York last night - with the likes of Zac Posen, Jessica Stam, Jack McCollough, Terry Richardson, and Lazaro Hernandez - before bringing the scene back to her house for a celebratory private dinner. But before Classy, there was Sassy. A number of pictures of Santo Domingo in the '90s hit the web recently, and today, more popped up of her modeling in the March 1993 issue of Sassy.

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Angela Lindvall, M.I.A, and Whitney Port Step Out in Jimmy Choo for H&M

coutorture — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:18:45 PST

Jimmy Choo and H&M celebrated their collaboration last night in West Hollywood with a performance by M.I.A and model presentation of Jimmy Choo for H&M clothing and accessories. The crowd was mainly dressed in black, as attendees including Olivia Wilde, Angela Lindvall, and Hayden Panettiere sported pieces from Tamara Mellon's first ever ready to wear collection-think black sequin jackets, leather pants, and belted jumpsuits. Mellon herself modeled a one-shoulder leather mini dress which will retail for less than $250 when the collection hits H&M stores mid month.

Los Angeles 11/02/09. WireImage

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Jimmy Choo Pairing Up with H&M for 2009 Holiday Season

fashionologie — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:35:14 PDT

>> H&M collaborates annually with a guest designer for every holiday season, and 2009 is all about Jimmy Choo. Founder Tamara Mellon has pledged to do a collection of shoes, bags, and accessories for both men and women - plus a range of women's clothing: "The perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!” The collaboration marks the first time H&M is working with an accessories brand, and will hit around 200 stores on Nov. 14. The shoes are expected to be limited to select stores and will cost from $60 for a pair of ballet pumps to $200 for a pair of boots.

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