Shadowbox Boxing Studio Opens in New York

Follow the fashion crowd on social media, and you’ll likely have noticed a peculiar phenomenon: The waif is out; the gym rat is in. Pretty young things who once posted selfies around the clock are shamelessly showing off their exercise routines — and no workout is more in vogue than boxing. When Adriana Lima needed a post-baby slim-down before the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, she put up her dukes. Gigi Hadid attributes her sculpted arms to the sport. Designers are picking up the banner, too: Alexander Wang designed boxing gloves for his H&M collaboration last fall, as did Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel — ringside, Cara Delevingne and Binx Walton traded gloves for lace-up boots and quilted bags in the ad campaign. And as part of Louis Vuitton’s Celebrating Monogram project, Lagerfeld created a full set of boxing accessories. Retail price: $175,000. Just in time to cash in on the trend comes Shadowbox, a boxing studio catering to women that’s opening next month in New York’s Flatiron District. Whitewashed and spalike, it’s more beauty salon than gym, with C.O. Bigelow bath and body products available in the locker rooms. “We’re going to try to bridge the gap between what’s great about the sport traditionally

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The (Re)Education of Kanye West

On the last day of New York Fashion Week, as the likes of Terry J. Lundgren and Huma Abedin shifted in their seats at Ralph Lauren’s 10 a.m. show, Kanye West emerged from backstage and quietly took his place. Though he had been ubiquitous in the preceding weeks, it was surprising to see him here, as he usually gravitates toward designers of more recent vintage, and there was something different about his appearance, too. He looked, well, sedate. The hostile Kanye who’d snarled at a reporter for asking about his “damn kids” was gone. You might even say he was happy. In the insular, clubby world of fashion, he was sitting in what passes as its royal box, to the left of Ricky Lauren in the section reserved for the family. Finally, as far as the kingmakers were concerned, Kanye, designer, had arrived, and he knew it. “I think he’s the greatest designer of our time,” he gushed about his host, before adding a telling correction, “The most important designer of our time.” When West presented his first women’s collection, he came across as a clueless parvenu transparently trying to cash in on his celebrity for design credibility. Critics were not kind. A

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French Institute Alliance Française Reveals Program for Fashion at FIAF

VIVA FRANCE: The French Institute Alliance Française has rolled out its roster for this spring’s Fashion at FIAF festival. First off, FIAF’s Art de Vivre program will feature three talks. Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will lead things off April 15 at the group’s Florence Gould Hall. On May 11, Kate Betts will discuss her coming-of-age memoir “My Paris Dream” about starting out as a fashion reporter in the Eighties with WWD and then, on May 21, blogger Garance Doré will anchor a panel with her closest collaborators for an in-depth discussion on how to cover fashion. From May 1 to June 13, up-and-coming photographer Grégoire Alexandre will present his first U.S. solo exhibition at the FIAF Gallery. And from April 7 through May 26, FIAF’s CinéSalon program will celebrate Haute Couture on Film, exploring the impact of Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, among others, through such classics as “The Rules of the Game,” “Funny Face,” and “Belle du Jour.”

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Facebook Taps Former InStyle Publisher Karin Tracy

FACEBOOK’S BEAUTY PLAY: Facebook has tapped former InStyle publisher Karin Tracy as its beauty industry lead, a role that helps beauty brands market more effectively on the social media platform. As such, Tracy will focus on developing strategy to help beauty brands drive sales by leveraging Facebook and its sister site, Instagram. In order to accomplish that, Tracy will build and lead sales and account services teams that will not only devise sponsorship opportunities for the brands, but she will also create a media strategy for them, among other things. “Karin understands the beauty media space better than anyone,” said Facebook vice president of U.S. global sales David Lawenda, who naturally trumpeted the sites’ abilities to reach consumers. “With Karin on board we can get even closer to the top beauty brands and ensure that their great work is seen by the people who want and love their products.” For her part, Tracy offered: “The media mix is shifting and beauty marketers are recognizing now, more than ever, the power of digital and increasingly mobile. I’m here to ensure that the industry understands that Facebook and Instagram can drive real business results, not just social metrics. Facebook and Instagram both give this industry

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American Apparel to Delay Annual Report Filing

AMERICAN APPAREL TO DELAY 10-K FILING: American Apparel said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday afternoon that it would delay filing its annual report, or Form 10-K. The company said it is in discussions with its revolving credit facility regarding certain waivers and amendments, talks that would reset certain covenants going forward and allow it to execute the $15 million credit agreement with Standard General. The agreement, once executed, will help fund the company’s near-term interest payments on certain indebtedness and assist with other liquidity needs. The filing also said the expected loss for the year ended Dec. 31 is estimated at $69 million, or 43 cents a diluted share, compared with a loss of $106 million, or 96 cents, in 2013. The company said lower operating expenses were offset by lower sales volume and higher retail store impairments. Net sales for the year were estimated at $609 million, representing a 4 percent decline from $634 million in 2013. The company estimated in the filing that it had $8 million in cash at the end of 2014, and $13 million of availability under its Capital One Credit Facility. The availability under Capital One Credit Facility fell to an

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Lapo Elkann Launches Garage Italia Customs

LAPO GOES CUSTOM: Lapo Elkann has launched a new project in the automotive business. Following the “Tailor-Made” service he developed for the Ferrari brand in 2011, the Fiat scion founded Garage Italia Customs, a Milan-based company specializing in vehicle customization. Under the guide of Elkann and the company’s creative director Carlo Borromeo, the brother of Elkann’s sister-in-law Lavinia Borromeo and husband of fashion designer Marta Ferri, the company offers a complete service to customize cars’ exteriors and interiors. In particular, Garage Italia Customs uses not only classic techniques, such as bodywork, painting and upholstery, but also introduced a range of more affordable and innovative services, including wrapping and wrap-paint which allows an infinite number of personalized solutions. Last week at the Geneva Motor Show, Garage Italia Customs presented its Fiat 500X “Black Tie,” which was wrap-painted to obtain a herringbone effect. The car was also customized with leather-trimmed cashmere sun visors and denim seats.

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J. Crew Posts Q4 Loss, Sales Rise 2.8%

J. Crew Group ended fiscal 2014 with a fourth-quarter loss while a large impairment charge in the third quarter kept it in the red for the year. The company is scheduled to report more detailed fourth-quarter results today. It also released its annual report, Form 10-K, with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Tuesday, allowing for interpolation of fourth-quarter figures. In the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, the New York-based multichannel specialty retailer had a net loss of $30.6 million versus net income of $5.9 million in the comparable three months of 2013. Quarterly impairment totaled $26 million in last year’s quarter and $1.2 million in the prior-year period. Revenues in the quarter rose 2.8 percent to $705.3 million from $686.2 million a year ago. Full-year results included a net loss of $657.8 million, including a $684 million impairment charge in the third quarter, versus net income of $88.1 million in 2013. In 2013, impairment charges totaled $1.9 million. Revenues for the full year rose 6.2 percent to $2.58 billion from $2.43 billion with comparable sales down 0.7 percent versus a 3.1 percent gain in 2013. The annual report didn’t contain a breakdown of direct versus retail sales, but did specify sales by brand. J. Crew’s

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Silas Chou and Daughters Seek Designer Brand For Bold Online Plan

The next generation of Chous is looking to shake up designer fashion and they’re getting assistance from an expert — their dad, billionaire investor Silas Chou, who helped Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors grow into megabrands. Chou’s daughters, Veronica and Vivian, are looking into buying a designer brand that could be converted to an online, fast-fashion powerhouse with designer-level price points and quality. They are each following their own course, but have familial support and guidance from their father, who is chief executive officer of the family business, Hong Kong apparel producer Novel Holdings. Veronica, who is 30 and just coming off a stint as president of Iconix China, said she is also considering an array of other investment options, including tech. But she noted that her sister Vivian, 22 and a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is committed to pursuing the quick-turn designer e-commerce path. The Chous are casting a wide net and talking to many designers. One name that keeps being mentioned by sources is Diane von Furstenberg, where former Tommy Hilfiger ceo and former associate of Silas, Joel Horowitz, is working to professionalize the business as cochairman. When asked about von Furstenberg, Veronica said her family was good

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Italian Fashion Chamber Signs Agreement to Boost Exports

ACROSS THE SEA: The Italian Fashion Chamber and the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to promote and facilitate economic, commercial and political exchanges between Italy and the United States. In particular, this agreement aims to boost the international development of Italian companies in the U.S. and increase exports of Italian fashion products to North America. “I’m very happy about this memorandum of understanding which will facilitate our associates’ relationships with companies operating in the United States, which is now such an important and flourishing market,” said Mario Boselli, president of the Italian Fashion Chamber. According to Simone Crolla, chief executive officer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy, the U.S. is the third-most important market for Italian exports, after Germany and France. In 2014, Italian exports toward the United States totaled 1.8 million euros, or $2.2 million at average exchange rate.

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Jonathan Anderson on Spring Break for Loewe

Three days after the completion of Paris Fashion Week, where Jonathan Anderson showed his second women’s Loewe collection, the Spanish luxury brand put him on a plane to America. The ultimate destination was Miami to officially open Loewe’s first North American flagship in the Design District. It’s an important store for the brand — and for Anderson, his first hard wrought, retail creative design concept, which involved importing an 18th-century granary from pastoral Spain and erecting it within the store’s white box motif. Anderson had never been to Miami and his visit happened to coincide with the American collegiate rite of spring break. “I have no idea what to expect,” he said. “Everyone says it’s like Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ video.” Before he could see it for himself, there were obligations to fulfill in Manhattan, mainly to Barneys New York, which hosted a cocktail party and dinner at Betony on Monday night to celebrate the arrival of the complete range of the Loewe collection in its Madison Avenue store — a coup, as Barneys is the only American retailer to carry the full line. The U.S. is a small market for the brand, which is only beginning to approach

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Paul Smith Names Simon Homes Creative Director

LONDON — Paul Smith has named his first creative director as part of a design studio refresh and a move by Smith to allow him more time to spend on creative and brand-related projects, WWD has learned. Smith, who remains a majority shareholder in the company he founded nearly 40 years ago, has named Simon Homes creative director. Homes has been with the company since 2004, and was previously head of men’s design, working closely with Smith over the years. Homes will have creative responsibility for all men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories collections. His remit will extend to the company’s brand image in fashion shows, showrooms, shop design, the Web site, advertising, visual merchandising and display. Smith said he will remain full time at the company, has no plans to retire, and the business will continue as usual. He said it’s about re-energizing the company rather than planning for the day he leaves. “I’m not going anywhere. Simon’s appointment is about a new energy within the company, really. That’s the idea. We’re good mates, we get on. It’s an acknowledgement from me to say thank you for his hard work and good energy,” Smith told WWD. Until now, Smith had been involved with

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Kara Ross Launches Customization Tool

NEW YORK — Kara Ross is taking a cue from Nike. The New York-based jewelry and handbag designer is launching a new product online and in-store, built around a customization tool that goes live today on the brand’s e-commerce site at kararossny.com. It’s similar to NikeiD, which allows consumers to design every element of their sneaker down to minutest details, but for exotic handbags. The first iteration of #myPURSEonality is a clutch that’s based on the face and highlighting its specific features — including a range of nine clutches as well as an option for shoppers to create their own bag. “We wrapped a whole concept and story around this, created characters, built a backstory for these characters and created animation for them,” Ross said at her headquarters and showroom. “The bags are the component we’re selling but we have a whole conceptual program using the face of these bags to build out the personalities.” There are six small and three larger size clutches in the debut collection, including the $1,595 “Uptown Girl,” a black leather style with white, blue and pink exotic eyes; the $1,795 “Pop Star,” a champagne leather bag with black python sunglasses and red, heart-shaped lips, and the $2,850 “Mogul,”

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Furs Set Pace at Italian Fairs

MILAN — Furs, both real and fake, natural and dyed, in apparel and accessories, were the biggest fashion story at two adjacent women’s ready-to-wear and accessories trade shows — Mipap and Super Pitti. But the buzz at both fairs, held at MilanoFieraCity during Milan Fashion Week, centered on a dip in international presence. This lament came despite upticks in overall attendance and a favorable euro-to-dollar exchange. Mipap — also known as MI Milano-Pret-à-Porter — exhibited 170 collections to 4,065 visitors, an 8 percent upswing from last year’s edition. With 22 percent of visitors hailing from abroad, exhibitors were somewhat despondent over a sparse international presence and its midlevel demographic. While slightly larger than the assemblage of Far East buyers (mainly from Japan and South Korea), the American presence remained stable from the last edition. With the dollar and euro nearly equal in value, the hope was that this would entice more U.S. buyers — and it might in coming market weeks. Aside from small upticks from the Czech Republic and Poland, the Eastern European presence shrank, while Russian buyers were reeling under precarious economic straits in their country. Flora Fedi — the fashion label under the auspices of its Prato-based knitwear factory, Maglificio Denny —

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Macy’s in New Plenti Rewards Program

Consider pulling into a gas station, filling up your tank and earning a point per dollar, then applying those points to get discounts on shoes at a department store, or cough drops at a drugstore. Or imagine getting points for discounts at Macy’s or Exxon just by paying for your auto or homeowner’s insurance. That’s the premise behind Plenti, a new cross-brand loyalty program launching in May whereby shoppers can earn points at Macy’s, Rite Aid, AT&T, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, Hulu and Direct Energy and bundle those points to get discounts at any of those seven companies. “We’ve been talking about this for the last year and a half to two years,” said Martine Reardon, Macy’s Inc.’s chief marketing officer. “It’s the kind of program we have seen in Europe and Mexico and really love the model, this idea of a coalition. There are lots of fabulous rewards programs, but generally they involve one specific brand or company. All of the partners in Plenti really complement each other.” Down the road, there could be additional companies participating, Reardon noted. Macy’s will be aggressively marketing Plenti including print ads, in-store signage and online. The participating companies in Plenti were chosen “based on how important they ranked

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Georg Jensen Returns to Baselworld

LONDON — David Chu has lifted the veil on the new Georg Jensen, and behind it is a trove of precious gemstones, collectors’ watches and a younger attitude. Under owners Investcorp, the Danish brand will return to Baselworld after a five-year hiatus with an expanded fine-jewelry and watch offer, and has a stack of strategies targeted at a younger audience. Among them are store openings in London, Munich and Beijing, and collaborations with product designer Marc Newson and jeweler Jordan Askill. In Basel this week, the brand plans to unveil a revitalized and higher-end watch and jewelry collection, according to Chu, chief executive officer and creative officer. In an exclusive interview, Chu said the brand’s watch offer would feature timepieces with more complicated movements, aimed at collectors. For the first time, the signature Koppel collection will feature models with semicomplications developed by Dubois Dépraz, a master movement manufacturer in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. Jewelry will boast more gold and diamonds, as well as colored gemstones such as rubies and emeralds, done in partnership with Gemfields, a producer of ethically sourced rare colored gemstones. Chu said the company is moving its offer ever higher. “That’s the reason we decided Basel would be the right venue — to

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Eight Finalists Revealed for LVMH Prize

PARIS — Europe remains a hotbed for incubating promising fashion talents: The eight finalists for the next LVMH Prize — all European nationals except for one American — are based in its three main capitals. They are Arthur Arbesser, an Austrian women’s wear designer based in Milan; Sebastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, the French duo behind the Paris-based Coperni women’s label; Craig Green, a British men’s wear specialist based in London; Faustine Steinmetz, a French women’s wear designer based in London; Simon Porte Jacquemus, a Frenchman based in Paris, where he presents his Jacquemus women’s collection; Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, Portuguese designers based in London, where they present their Marques’ Almeida women’s range; Virgil Abloh, an American designer based in Milan, where he does men’s and women’s fashions under the Off-White label, and Demna Gvasalia, a German designer who presents his Vetements women’s line in Paris. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton enlisted 45 experts from retail, publishing and image creation to select finalists from 26 contenders who presented their collections at LVMH headquarters over two days during Paris Fashion Week, with Kanye West and Karlie Kloss among those stopping by to check out the budding talents of tomorrow. Delphine Arnault, second-in-command at

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Riccardo Tisci Makes His Mark in Men’s

When Givenchy management first asked its buzzy couturier Riccardo Tisci if he would also take over men’s wear back in 2008, the Italian designer initially hesitated. “I started out small because I wanted to see if I was capable of doing it,” he recalls. “I had never done men’s wear, and I didn’t want to fail.” As if. Setting a daring template informed by the energy of the street and tinged with sexual provocation, the Italian designer quickly became one of men’s wear’s most influential and original practitioners—and commercial success has followed. The designer says men’s wear now represents half of the Givenchy business, and this month the brand received a high-profile showcase: a new flagship in the Marais district of Paris conceived by Tisci and housing an array of men’s products spanning from sleek suits to the coolest T-shirts and sneakers. Among its furnishings is a giant Persian rug, a key leitmotif in Tisci’s fall collection, hailed by retailers and editors alike as one of the strongest in Paris, rich in surface decoration—from allover carpet prints to dense, tar-like sequins—and deftly mixing muscular tailoring with edgy casual items, from gunshot sweatshirts to kilts worn over pants. The designer—who marks his 10th anniversary at the

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Male Models: Fall 2015’s New Greats

A new crop of models come to the fore during the fall shows. Being ridiculously good looking is part of it, but being chosen for the catwalk requires more than just a pretty face. These boys are forced to be on their feet nearly all day and night for a month—a feat they gladly embrace in their hopes of becoming the next Sean O’Pry. In addition to stamina, they also need to be unfazed by the glamour of the fashion business. Oh, and they have to be under age 25. “Besides the ‘fresh’ factor, they are not affected by the business and are eager to be discovered,” said casting director John Tan of JTC Casting. “They look at the business with bewilderment. Although I do wish this would change because the longevity of a male model’s career is quite short-lived due to this, and the business disillusions them fairly quickly.” Here, M Collections’ top-10 list of models on the verge of stardom.

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