Marc Jacobs is leaving Louis Vuitton

Final salute: Marc Jacobs addresses the audience at his final show for Louis Vuitton in Paris on October 2, following a spectacular 16-year tenure at the brand. Source:DailyMailUK

MARC JACOBS is leaving Louis Vuitton . The news was confirmed this morning after the Louis Vuitton spring/summer show at Paris Fashion Week 02/10/2013.

When Marc Jacobs stepped onto the runway after the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2014 show at Paris Fashion Week, he smiled and accepted the applause for what was to be his final reverence for the label.
The designer, who has worked at the helm of Vuitton for the last 16 years, is leaving to focus on his eponymous label ahead of an IPO (Initial Public Offering), the LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault confirmed this morning.

And Jacobs made sure he went out with a bang at Paris Fashion Week by presenting a celebration of his greatest hits including clothing inspired by his first ever collection, shown on a set featuring pieces from previous shows.

Mr Jacobs' 2014 collection for Louis Vuitton was imbued with signature elements from his 16-year run at the label, which he has transformed from a dusty heritage luggage purveyor to a commercial luxury powerhouse.

The show was staged with Mr Jacobs's evolved flair for lavish settings.

'To the showgirl in all of us,' read his notes for the collection, which was presented among reinvisioned versions of the elevators, escalators, carousels, fountains, and hotel corridors that he has previously created for Louis Vuitton's seasonal grand displays.

In fact, fashion's overall commercial expansion, which has skyrocketed in the last decade, can be easily traced through photos of his tenure at Vuitton. 

His evolution at the label is a prime example of the industry's transition from an exclusive tribe to a novel, friendly affair.

It was Mr Jacobs who masterminded and evolved the modern idea of themed collections, over-the-top settings, and dramatic staging effects. His adeptness at these grand events grew alongside the expansion of digital media.

Seasoned pro: In the last 16 years, Mr Jacobs steered the Vuitton brand through a variety of successful phases, the most fruitful of which was the brand's obvious foothold in the 'logo-mania' trend of the early aughts. Source:DailyMailUK

In memory: Mr Jacobs recreated many of his most successful Vuitton moments for his final show, including a reinterpretation of the fountain he created for the label's fall 2010 show

Mr Jacobs now leaves Vuitton (which he joined in 1997), after starting its ready-to-wear business from scratch, as well as growing its overall commercial popularity and cool quotient.

In the last 16 years, Mr Jacobs steered the Vuitton brand through a variety of successful phases, the most fruitful of which was the brand's obvious foothold in the 'logo-mania' trend of the early aughts.

When he was appointed to Vuitton, the brand's holding company LVMH also bought a majority stake in his namesake brand and later helped him launch a diffusion line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, for spring 2001.

In memory: Mr Jacobs recreated many of his most successful Vuitton moments for his final show, including a reinterpretation of the fountain he created for the label's fall 2010 show. Source:DailyMailUK

Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman commented: "Marc has provided fashion with so much during his years at Vuitton.

"It's important to know how to exit, as well as arrive, and it's going to be exciting to see how this impacts on the creativity of his own line."

Nicolas Ghesquiere

And as for Louis Vuitton, while no announcements regarding Jacobs' successor have been made yet, former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere is reportedly the frontrunner.

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Luxury goods theft causes Hermes collection preview cancellation

HERMES HMRS.PA accessories worth 400,000 euros ($550,900) were stolen in Milan, forcing the French luxury goods group to cancel a presentation on Wednesday even after the items were recovered by police, a company spokeswoman said.

An Italian man born in 1966 was arrested in connection with the theft from a van in Milan's fashion district on Tuesday morning, police said.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera said the theft had occurred when the two French drivers of the van containing the collection left it unattended to go and get breakfast.

Hermes canceled the presentation as the collection, including its 6,000-30,000 euro ($8,300-$41,300) handbags, was being held by police as part of the investigation.

The robbery was the second in Milan's "golden quadrangle" in six months. In May, six people armed with clubs looted luxury Swiss watch shop Franck Muller in nearby Via della Spiga, throwing petrol bombs into the street as they escaped.

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Britons: Number One in E-Commerce Revolution

A study by the British Retail Consortium has found that almost 1 pounds in every 5 pounds is spent through computer, tablets and smartphones, making Britain the most tech-savvy nation in the world when it comes to online shopping reports MyRetailMedia.

Retail spending made via the internet (excluding food) accounts for 18.3% of all retail spending, according to the BRC’s figures.

Britons are also expected to spend more than 20.4 billion pounds in the run up to Christmas, with some 10 billion pounds being spent in December alone, according to a separate study.

The BRC said: “Online sales of non-food products in the UK grew 12.1% in October versus a year earlier. The online penetration rate was 18.3% in October, the highest level ever recorded by our monitor over 23 months”.

Britain’s love of online shopping is so strong that the rest of Europe, and even the USA, are behind the UK in terms of online spending.

This trend has not gone unrecognised and many retailers are working on their multi-channel offering in order to survive.

The shift has led to a major re-think about the problem of Britain’s high streets with many retailers urging the government to reconsider business rates.

The BRC is not alone in their online spending forecast either. The IMRG, the trade body for web stores, is predicting that Christmas web sales will increase by at least 15% compared to the previous year.

Spokeswoman Tina Spooner said: “Already we are seeing a number of retailers ramping up their online offering in the run up to Christmas.

“Click & Collect, next day delivery and even on-hour delivery slots are just a few of the options on offer to attract the lucrative festive shopper at this highly competitive time of year”.

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Woman sues Prada after she couldn't get champagne splashes out of her £1,000 skirt - and wins

MELBOURNE woman has successfully sued luxury fashion label Prada because champagne stains on a £971 ($1660) skirt she wore once won't clean off, reports the  Australian paper, the Herald Sun.

Catherine Whitty  spent £971 ($1,660 in Australian dollars) on the silk skirt for her 40th birthday party, but a guest dampened the night by spilling French bubbly over the Italian creation.

Ms Whitty was surprised when her drycleaner said the stains couldn't be removed, and that any liquid - including rain or splashes from washing hands - would have damaged the delicate silk.

Catherine Whitty sued Prada over a champagne-stained skirt. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: HeraldSun

She launched tribunal action, arguing sales staff at Prada's flagship store on Collins St knew she was buying the piece for a champagne celebration and should have warned it was unsuitable.

Ms Whitty told the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal she'd chosen the A-line skirt because it was a timeless piece that she expected to wear many times.

The frequent Prada patron said she expected the garment would be fit for "common usage" and that she would be able to remove simple stains to allow for multiple outings.

The Princes Hill physiotherapist said she'd checked the washing instructions on the skirt before purchase, and the label said "professionally dryclean".

Ms Whitty said no Prada sales assistants had advised her the fabric would be irreparably damaged if alcohol - or water - were spilt on it.

Prada retail operations manager Albin Cheng said staff had proffered the skirt based on fashion, not what would be served at the party.

He argued the stains were not a fault of the garment, but of Ms Whitty's failure to take due care while wearing it.

"This was not caused by us," Mr Cheng told Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Ms Whitty's delay in taking the skirt for cleaning hadn't helped, he claimed.

The party host waited until Monday morning after the Saturday-night mishap in the belief her preferred shop was shut on Sundays.

Mr Cheng said a search of Prada's customer database revealed that four months after the party, Ms Whitty had bought another item of the same material, raising questions about whether she really did doubt its quality and wearability.

Ms Whitty told the tribunal she'd bought other silk items from Prada and was "usually a very happy customer".

Ms Whitty in the skirt at her birthday party. Source: HeraldSun

But she was highly dissatisfied at being able to wear the damaged skirt only once, and also by Prada Australia's handling of her complaint.

She said she'd spent several frustrating months trying to get the brand to respond to her concerns before launching tribunal proceedings.

Tribunal member Peter Moloney found in favour of Ms Whitty, and ordered Prada Australia refund the full £971 ($1660) to her.

Mr Moloney noted unless sold with a warning, garments were usually be expected to withstand some use and exposure to normal hazards of life such as spills or a rain shower.

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Content thanks:HeraldSun

Christian Louboutin wins case against anti-Islamic group

Christian Louboutin

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN has won an injunction in Antwerp against Belgian activists Women Against Islamisation, an anti-Islamic group which used one of it's famous red soled shoes in advertising images without permission. The Belgian anti-Islam campaigners must remove all posters including imagery from the luxury foot wear company.

Thee campaign group Women Against Islamisation featured a image of a woman's legs wearing Louboutin heels with the distinctive red sole, visible on one of it's posters.

Women Against Islamisation unauthorised poster pic:AFP/GETTY

Beside the image of her wearing the shoes a key showed what it claimed was Islam's view of a woman, as measured by the length of her skirt, Words ranging from "Sharia compatible from "whore" just above the knee to "stoning" at the top of the thigh.

Women Against Islamisation unauthorised poster  pic:AFP/GETTY

The poster by the far-right Vlaams Belang shows a woman wearing the iconic red-soled stilettos.
The legs belong to Anke Van dermeersch, a senator from the party.
A judge at the Antwerp court has given the party 24 hours in which to take down the posters.

Miss Van dermeersch, a former Miss Belgium, called the decision a political ruling. Her party has issued another advert, this time with the senator lying down and wearing similar-looking, but yellow-soled stilettos.

Revised poster showing yellow sole and heel

Louboutin said it had not authorised the posters and said the original advert tarnished his image.

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Victoria Beckham to open her own boutique in Mayfair, London

Victoria Beckham is set to open her own boutique in London's upmarket Mayfair

VICTORIA BECKHAM is set to further cement her career as a fashion designer by opening her own boutique in London’s upmarket Mayfair as reported by Daily Mail UK.

After months of negotiations, the 39-year-old former Spice Girl has signed a deal to open the shop, selling her collections of clothing and handbags by joining the fashion elite with a store located in Dover Street in the heart of the fashion district, in Dover Street, just a short walk from Old  Bond Street - places Victoria at the heart of the capital’s fashion district.


Victoria first hinted at her desire to open a flagship store for her brand in April, when she told British Vogue that London would be the perfect location.

She said at the time: ‘This is where I want to have my first store. I’d like to do something that is really new, really fresh.  Something a little bit conceptual – but not too much.’

Her designs have proved popular with the likes of Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow, but have previously only been available online, in fashion outlets and department stores.

A source close to Victoria said: ‘She’s really excited about getting things moving quickly.

‘Obviously there is still a lot to do, but the hope is to open the store properly early next year with one of the biggest fashion parties of the year.’

It was reported last week that Victoria and husband David's business empire now boasts earnings of almost £100,000 a day

The news comes after it was reported last week that Victoria and husband David’s business empire now boasts earnings of almost £100,000 a day.

The Dover Street location, just a short walk from Old Bond Street, places Victoria at the heart of the capital's fashion district

The three companies which handle their family’s branding empire recorded combined turnover of more than £35 million a year, according to Companies House documents.

Content thanks: DailyMailUK

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Future of Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton in doubt

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Jacobs greets the audience during his Spring/Summer 2014 collection show during New York Fashion Week September 12, 2013. Pic:Reuters/Eric Thayer

MARC JACOBS may be on the verge of leaving Louis Vuitton when his contract ends next month as designer's future at the French luxury brand remains unresolved, an industry source told Reuters on Wednesday 25 September 2013.

Since joining the group in 1997 Jacobs has steered Vuitton's growth into a global luxury brand which generates nearly 7 billion euros ($9.46 billion) of revenues a year and more than half of parent LVMH's (LVMH.PA) operating profits.

"His contract may not be renewed," the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity, without going into further detail. The French magazine Challenges this week said his departure had already been approved internally.

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton declined to comment on Wednesday.
The potential move comes as the brand, famous for its LV-embossed canvas bags, is trying to regain some of its lost prestige, having failed to anticipate quickly enough consumers' move away from logo-branded products, particularly in China.

Louis Vuitton's sales growth has slowed down to 5-6 percent this year after decades of more than 10 percent annual sales growth, driven by an aggressive international expansion and demand in Asia, where it opened shops earlier than rivals.

Uncertainty about future growth at Louis Vuitton has been weighing on the stock price of LVMH shares which have gained 7 percent since the beginning of the year while the European luxury sector has gained more than 17 percent on average.

Marc Jacobs helped develop Louis Vuitton's women and men's ready-to-wear lines and runs his own eponymous brand which ranks among the most profitable smaller fashion subsidiaries within LVMH, fuelled by demand in the United States and Japan.

The Marc Jacobs brand also launched in August a cosmetics products line in the United States, exclusively distributed by Sephora, LVMH's beauty products retail chain.

"Nothing has been decided yet," a separate industry source told Reuters about Jacobs' contract.

On Tuesday Louis Vuitton announced it had hired Proenza Schouler accessories designer Darren Spaziani as part of its upmarket drive and efforts to beef up its high-end offering of leather bags.

Earlier this month, signs emerged that Louis Vuitton's revamp could be yielding results as the brand's new bags have been flying off the shelves since their summer launch, according to a Reuters survey of shops in Milan, Paris and London.

Looking ahead, names in the hat to replace Marc Jacobs include that of Nicolas Ghesquiere, a darling of fashion editors, who left Balenciaga last year after having successfully infused new life into the Kering (PRTP.PA) fashion brand.

Ghesquiere is regarded as close to Delphine Arnault, Louis Vuitton's deputy chief executive and one of LVMH's main talent-spotters. She is also the eldest child of Bernard Arnault, founder and chief executive of LVMH and France's richest man.

Industry sources said it was possible that Marc Jacobs's fashion show on October 2, as part of Paris Fashion Week, could be his last.

Jacobs introduced collaborations with famous artists such as Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse to help make Louis Vuitton bags more relevant to fashion followers.

"Marc Jacbos has done fantastic work at Vuitton but I think that today we need to reframe the leather goods and fashion proposition which has until now mainly been focused on the bags," a luxury goods expert said, declining to be named.

Content thanks: Reuters

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