Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection

The Target and Neiman Marcus collaboration has been in the works for some time. The retail giant is set to launch a limited-edition holiday collection on December 1, 2012. The collaboration is the first of its kind and will feature 24 CFDA designers, including the following: Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and Tory Burch, Alice + Olivia, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Eddie Borgo, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marchesa, Philip Crangi, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Robert Rodriguez, Rodarte, Skaist-Taylor, Thom Browne and Tracy Reese.

Official Logo for Target + Neiman Marcus Collection 

The roster sounds more like something out of an editorial spread for Vogue. Not only that, TFG has just learned that Karlie Kloss will be the leading face of the campaign! This high-fashion collaboration is the first of its kind and will be massive. We have seen designers take the fast-fashion plunge before, but never as a group. 

The 24 CFDA Designers for Target + Neiman Marcus

Such collaborations with retailers give designers a chance to spread their name to a new demographic as well as take preemptive measures against knockoffs. Rather than allowing fast-fashion retailers to cash in on inexpensive copies of their designs, these collaborations allow the designers to essentially "knockoff" themselves, creating affordable lines with mass appeal for which they will also receive the financial benefit. Designers feel good about the collaboration because it strengthens their brand name, while consumers are happy to receive authentic designer goods at low price points. 

Karlie Kloss

The Target + Neiman Marcus collection will range from $7.99 to $499.99, with most items less than $60. Each designer will create 1-3 items. As excited as I am for these collaborations, I personally have never had much luck making it over to the store in time before the items sell out. Nevertheless, the Target + Neiman Marcus collaboration is one I'll personally mark my calendar for. You never know when your luck will change. 

Reactions to YSL's Rebranding: Much Ado About Nothing?

In the last few weeks, the fashion world has been buzzing about Hedi Slimane's decision to change the Yves Saint Laurent brand name to Saint Laurent Paris. As the newly appointed creative director of the French fashion house, Slimane not only decided to rebrand YSL, but he also chose to move the company's creative studio to Los Angeles where he resides. While changing the name of such an established brand is a big move, I must admit that the dramatic outbursts over the Internet are a bit surprising, especially given the little understanding or research regarding the details behind this decision. "This is a travesty!" "I can't breathe...this is horrifying" and "Shame on you Hedi" are examples of the reactions that we've come across online. We admit that a change in something so familiar and iconic can be a bit unnerving, but really?  

What readers may not realize is that Slimane's move is solely for the brand's ready-to-wear line. The YSL logo will remain in tact for a lot of the products, including the brand's footwear and beauty lines. So while many have drawn analogies to the failure of the Gap logo change that took place in 2010, the familiar YSL logo remains alive and well. Furthermore, the name change actually happens to be more in line with Yves Saint Laurent's roots. As shown in the following photograph, the new name was inspired by what the label's founder originally called the brand when it launched in 1966- Saint Laurent Rive Gauche- using the same font and nomenclature. 

Yves Saint Laurent in front of his first store in 1966

Slimane believes the new name will restore "the house to its truth, purity and essence and taking it into a new era" while still "respecting the original principles and ideals." Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve made the following statement to his staff in an internal memo: 

"This change celebrates our legacy and heritage, while boldly marking our ambition for the future. It will allow us to return to the fundamentals of YSL and revive the spirit and the intentions that reigned over the creation of 'Saint Laurent Rive Gauche' in 1966: principles of youth, freedom, and modernity."

Hedi Slimane

Many fashion insiders are already approving the decision, including Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent's partner, Pierre Bergé. The change is essentially a message, providing Slimane with a clean slate that will allow him to modernize the French fashion house while honoring its origins. As brand strategists continue to debate the outcome of Saint Laurent's move, TFG believes that as long as Slimane maintains the label's essence that consumers have come to know and love, there will not be any long-term damages for the company. In the end, the fashion will speak for itself more than the label. We here at TFG look forward to Slimane's new vision and welcome YSL to Los Angeles.

Valentino Fashion Group Bought for $858M by Qatar Monarchy

Valentino, owned by the Permira private equity group, has just been bought by Mayhoola for Investments, an investment vehicle backed by the royal family of Qatar. Terms of the deal with the Middle Eastern monarchy were not disclosed, but the sale is estimated to be around 700 million euros, or $858 million at current exchange rates.

According to WWD, Valentino’s chief executive officer Stefano Sassi stated that the brand’s shareholders were impressed by the buyers’ “level of ambition and strong desire to further develop the label.  They took control not only of the brand, but also of the projects behind it.” Mayhoola is looking forward to backing the management in their continued growth since Permira took over the brand in 2007 and ultimately turn Valentino into "a global luxury goods powerhouse."

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and his wife Sheikha Mozah

For all the political turmoil in the Middle East, it certainly does love its fashion. A number of other investment vehicles have acquired stakes in the luxury and retail world. For example, Qatar Holding LLC took control of Harrods for a reported $2.22 billion in 2010 and also has a 1.03 percent stake in LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and a 5.2 percent share in Tiffany & Co. With such financial backing of the luxury sector, if rethinking our political strategy in the Middle East didn't peak your interest before, perhaps it does now.

France Launches Anti-Counterfeit Ad Campaign

France has always been good to fashion. Many of the industry heavyweights are French fashion houses. Furthermore, France is one of the few countries that offers copyright protection for original fashion designs. And as if that weren't enough, the French luxury goods association Comité Colbert has just launched a major advertising campaign against counterfeit goods, placing 10,000 of the following posters in France’s 18 airports this summer to raise awareness of the issue among tourists and help curb counterfeit sales.

The campaign features seven visuals created by Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Lacoste, Longchamp, Louis Vuitton and Van Cleef & Arpels. According to a press release on Comité Colbert's site, eight out of 10 European businesses are negatively impacted by counterfeiting while half of European citizens believe that counterfeiting discourages businesses from developing new products and putting them on the market. If customs catches anyone with a fake, he or she can face a sentence for up to three years in jail and face a €300,000 fine. We here at TFG support the Comité Colbert's proactive measures in fighting against counterfeits and find the ads to be sassy yet effective. What do you think?

Fashion Becomes Political: Made In USA Campaign

As part of the Obama administration's initiative to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, the fashion industry has become one of the key players in the Made in America campaign. Francisco Sánchez, undersecretary for international trade at the Commerce Department, has stated that he has focused on this particular sector because collectively it represents more than 600,000 jobs in the U.S.

 

The campaign is also part of the administration's efforts to meet its goal in the National Export Initiative to double exports by the end of 2014. Commerce officials have been sent to both New York and Los Angeles to discuss the issues with industry insiders and get a better idea of how sourcing decisions are made, the kind of jobs the industry provides, intellectual property challenges, and trade issues.

 As the administration is in the process of also negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement- a broad regional pact between the U.S., Vietnam, Australia, Peru, Brunei, New Zealand, Chile, Malaysia and Singapore, with the potential of Japan, Mexico and Canada also joining the talks- the "Made in USA" label is becoming more significant in its discussions. As negotiations continue and developments are made, TFG will be sure to follow up on this story. Who knew politics could be so fashionable?