MAKING A STATEMENT

Target Eyes Plus Sizes With Ava & Viv Launch

By SHARON EDELSON

TARGET WILL LAUNCH its first new apparel brand since 2008, when Converse OneStar made its debut.

Ava & Viv, which will roll out to stores in mid-February and bow on tar-get.com on Feb. 22, also carries the dis-tinction of being the fi rst apparel brand created at Target Corp. from the ground up to be introduced in several decades.

Rather than aim for a wide swath of consumers — men, women, girls, boys and toddlers as OneStar does, or cater to women and men like Mossimo — Ava & Viv will zero in on plus sizes, an area where Target sees a void waiting to be fi lled. Target wants to grab a hefty piece of the rapidly growing $17.5 bil-lion plus-size market. While Target de-clined to discuss sales projections for Ava & Viv, the retailer has said that 10 of its owned brands, including Merona,

Cherokee, Mossimo, Xhilaration, Circo and C9 by Champion each do at least $1 billion a year in sales.

Ava & Viv will encompass sizes from 14W to 26W and X to 4X. Target’s exist-ing brands, including Merona, Mossimo, Mossimo Supply Co., C9 by Champion, Cherokee and Xhilaration go up to size 18, and 19 in juniors. To further un-derscore its commitment to plus-size shoppers, Target has extended online the range of Merona and Mossimo to plus sizes. “We’re expanding our online plus-size department with the introduc-tion of other lines we’re buying from the market to create more breadth for the consumer,” said Stacia Andersen, senior vice president of merchandising for apparel and accessories at Target, citing Psst, Lily Star and Sugar Kisses.

“The plus-size market is large and it’s growing,” Andersen said. “We feel Target has an opportunity to capture a larger

By JOELLE DIDERICH

AMSTERDAM — Tommy Hilfiger is sounding the death knell for the phys-ical showroom.

The brand, a division of PVH Corp., today launched a digital sales showroom located at its global headquarters here that eliminates the need for samples.

Hilfi ger believes the format, which eventually will replace all its physical showrooms worldwide, will establish an industry benchmark for business-to-business sales.

The interactive system relies on a large touchscreen table that connects to a

13-foot-high wall-to-wall grid of ultra-high-defi nition screens with a resolution of 4,000 pixels. It allows buyers to digitally view the Tommy Hilfi ger sportswear and Hilfi ger Denim collections and to create personal-ized orders that are stored in the system.

“This is something that will revolu-tionize the fashion business,” Daniel Grieder, chief executive officer of Tommy Hilfi ger, told WWD.

“It will change the whole process of or-der-taking in the industry, I’m convinced of that,” he added. “You don’t have to fl y these samples in by plane, you don’t need these huge showrooms anymore, so it has a positive impact from A to Z.”

Hilfi ger Takes the Showroom Digital

SEE PAGE 8

SEE PAGE 12

MILAN — Giorgio Armani’s show here Tuesday exemplifi ed the softer mood seen all over Milan’s men’s runways for fall — from easy blazers and looser pants, as seen here, to overcoats with volume and cozy knitwear. For more on the fi nal day of the men’s shows, see pages 4 and 5.

MILAN FALL 2015

MEN’S COLLECTIONS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY

WWDPRE-FALL

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, ALBERTA FERRETTI AND MARNI WERE AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS. PAGE 6

JENNIFER DE WINTER IS HEADED TO TIFFANY’S

AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NORTHERN AMERICA.

PAGE 2

RINGED INFREE

WHEELING

JEREMY SCOTT DISCUSSES HIS WHIRLWIND SCHEDULE — AND

LOVE OF SOULCYCLE. PAGE 10

MILAN — Giorgio Armani’s show here Tuesday exemplifi ed the softer mood seen all over Milan’s men’s runways for fall — from easy blazers and looser pants, as seen here, to overcoats with volume and cozy knitwear. For more on the fi nal day of the men’s shows, see pages 4 and 5.

MILAN FALL 2015 FALL 2015

MEN’S COLLECTIONS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015 ■ ■ ■ $3.00 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY■

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PHOTO BY KUBA DABROWSKI

WWD.COM2 WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

Jennifer de Winter Joining Tiffany’s

Converse, Ralph Lauren Settle Trademark Dispute

Gucci Set to Name Michele

Yanai Responds to SACOM Report

By LUISA ZARGANI

GUCCI IS expected to announce on Wednesday the appointment of Alessandro Michele as cre-ative director, succeeding Frida Giannini. WWD was the fi rst to

report on Jan. 10 that Michele was likely to take over Giannini’s role. Her early departure from the brand was fi rst reported by WWD on Jan. 12. Michele, in his fi rst appearance on the runway, took the bow at the Gucci men’s show on Monday afternoon, along

with a dozen members of the house’s design team.

With the announcement, the Italian luxury group is slated to confi rm Michele’s appointment to helm the design team.

Gucci officials declined to comment.

SAKS FIFTH AVENUE’S depart-ing chief merchant Jennifer de Winter is taking a job at Tiffany & Co., WWD has learned.

On March 1, De Winter will become Tiffany’s senior vice president, Northern America. It’s Tiffany’s largest region with 106 stores in the U.S. and Canada, in-cluding the Fifth Avenue fl agship.

As of last month, Tiffany oper-ated 296 stores, with 123 in the Americas, 73 in Asia-Pacifi c, 56 in Japan, 38 in Europe, fi ve in the United Arab Emirates and one in Russia.

“Managing our largest sales region, which is comprised of the United States and Canada, Jennifer will leverage her strong leadership and expertise in retail operations and merchandising to drive sales growth across the do-mestic and global tourist custom-er base,” said Jill Beraud, execu-tive vice president of Tiffany.

Saks has yet to fi nd a succes-sor to de Winter. She reported to Marigay McKee, president, who has been playing the major role in reshaping Saks’ buying and fashion direction. The general merchandise

managers reported to de Winter.A 20-year Saks veteran, de

Winter was promoted to her cur-rent title from executive vice president and director of stores in September 2013 when it was revealed that McKee would be joining the retailer from Harrods.

Earlier, de Winter was Saks’ gmm of jewelry, shoes, intimate apparel, hosiery and handbags, and before that, she was the di-visional merchandise manager of jewelry and fi ne jewelry.

— DAVID MOIN AND LAUREN MCCARTHY

WASHINGTON — Converse Inc. and Ralph Lauren Corp. have entered into a settlement agree-ment and filed a joint motion to terminate a trademark in-fringement case involving foot-wear pending before the U.S. International Trade Commission, according to ITC documents.

Converse, owned by Nike Inc., fi led a complaint in October against 32 retailers and manufac-turers alleging they infringed on some of the brand’s trademarks used in certain shoes. The ITC initiated an investigation against the companies in November.

In addition to Ralph Lauren, the ITC complaint named com-panies such as Wal-Mart Inc., Kmart Corp., H&M, Skechers,

Fila, Iconix Brand Group, Aldo Group and Tory Burch.

Converse claimed in the com-plaint that all of the defendants have infringed on its iconic mid-sole trademark design made up of a toe bumper and a toe cap, plus either an upper stripe and/or lower stripe, associated with its “All Star” high-top sneakers that were fi rst introduced in 1917 and renamed “Chuck Taylor” after a Converse salesman and basketball player.

In a redacted version of the settlement agreement on the ITC Web site, Ralph Lauren agreed to destroy its entire inventory of products named in the ITC complaint within 30 days of the agreement going into effect, in-cluding component parts, tools

and molds, advertising, promo-tional materials and packaging.

Several Ralph Lauren shoe styles — 36 in total — were cited as infringing on Converse’s trade-marks in the settlement agree-ment, including washed canvas, Western leather, camouflage shoes and bleached denim shoes.

The company also agreed to cease and desist from manufactur-ing, advertising, promoting, selling, distributing, importing or export-ing the accused products as long as Converse’s midsole trademark remains valid and enforceable.

Ralph Lauren will also make a payment to Converse, although the amount was redacted from the public version of the settlement agreement.

— KRISTI ELLIS

By KELLY WETHERILLE

TOKYO — Fast Retailing chair-man, president and chief execu-tive Tadashi Yanai reacted with surprise and disappointment Tuesday over allegations that two of Uniqlo’s Chinese suppliers were overworking employees and running unsafe factories.

Last week, SACOM, a Hong Kong-based advocacy group, is-sued a report saying that em-ployees at Dongguan Tomwell Garment Co. Ltd. and Pacific (Pan Yu) Textiles Holdings Ltd. were working excessive hours in unsafe conditions, including ex-tremely high temperatures, poor ventilation and floors covered with sewage. Fast Retailing has said its own investigations have uncovered some problems at the two factories in question and is monitoring the situation.

“I’m very surprised by the con-

ditions [of workers],” Yanai told journalists on the sidelines of an event about corporate efforts to bolster the employment of women. “We had done other investigations before, so I am very surprised and disappointed that those conditions exist in those instances.”

Yukihiro Nitta, Fast Retailing’s group executive offi -cer responsible for corporate so-cial responsibility, said that the company had confi rmed the accu-racy of at least some elements of the SACOM report, and is work-ing with the factory and NGOs to improve workers’ conditions im-mediately. He said the group will also be looking into conditions at other manufacturing facilities with which it works. Yanai said he doesn’t believe poor work-ing conditions are the norm in China, where Fast Retailing sources much of its apparel.

“I think this case is an excep-tion, and I think people have a

misunderstanding [of working conditions in China],” Yanai said. “Chinese labor standards are not bad. The majority of factories are up to recent standards and have young employees working hard with the latest equipment and working on time. So you can’t think that [the results of] this in-vestigation are normal.”

On Tuesday, the Japanese re-tailer held a meeting with 300 female store managers, deputy store managers and supervisors of its Uniqlo stores in Japan, to discuss efforts to boost the num-ber of women in supervisory and managerial positions within the company. As of last August only 30 percent of Uniqlo’s store manag-ers in Japan are female. Looking at Fast Retailing as a whole, just 13 percent of employees in mana-gerial or supervisory roles are women. Yanai said he hopes to increase this fi gure to at least 50 percent in the near future.

ON WWD.COM

THE BRIEFING BOXIN TODAY’S WWD

Target will launch its new apparel brand Ava & Viv in mid-February — the fi rst of its kind since 2008, when Converse OneStar made its debut. PAGE 1

Tommy Hilfi ger has launched a digital sales showroom located at its global headquarters in Amsterdam that eliminates the need for samples. PAGE 1

Calvin McDonald, president and chief executive offi cer of Sephora Americas, reorganized the company’s management structure following Margarita Arriagada’s retirement. PAGE 8

Paula Schneider held a call with Wall Street Tuesday to both introduce herself and frame her leadership of American Apparel Inc., in efforts to move the brand beyond Dov Charney. PAGE 8

André Leon Talley is paying tribute to his friend Oscar de la Renta with an exhibition at the SCAD Museum of Art that opens Feb. 3 on the Savannah campus. PAGE 9

Versus Versace has appointed Anthony Vaccarello its new creative director — the latest step in the evolution of Versace’s sister brand. PAGE 9

Jeremy Scott tells all from Moschino’s fi rst U.S. boutique in Los Angeles on Beverly Boulevard. It’s also the fi rst concept store conceived by the creative director. PAGE 10

Talks to sell The Roberto Cavalli Group “are proceeding,” and the sale should be completed by the end of March, chief executive offi cer Daniele Corvasce said. PAGE 11

A self-proclaimed “denim guy,” Adrian Grenier, actor, director and environmentalist, is the new face of Buffalo David Bitton. PAGE 11

The Black Tux is the fi rst vertically integrated suit and tuxedo rental company to be born online — and it just raised $10 million. PAGE 12

THEY ARE WEARING: WWD went off the runways and onto the streets and sidewalks for some of the best looks from Milan Men’s Fashion Week. For more, see WWD.com.

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Milan Men’s Fashion Week street style. For more, see WWD.com.

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Giorgio Armani: Fitted, softly constructed jackets and generous trousers — many resembling jodhpurs — dominated the runway at Giorgio Armani in this laid-back collection with a Far Eastern fl avor. The designer took a bow dressed in a slim, double-breasted jacket made of cashmere jersey, and, following the show, talked enthusiastically about the blurred line between supple knits and jersey for jackets and coats. “One becomes the other,” he said, referring to languid, tailored pieces with military details such as patch pockets, or sturdy zip-front cardigans with a stretched argyle pattern.

Armani also referred to the increasing fusion of Eastern and Western dressing, as in the drop-crotch trousers he paired with the myriad fi tted jackets in the show. But even the designer admitted they won’t work on everyone. “You have to be very handsome to wear them,” he said. There were less extreme trouser silhouettes on offer, although these, too, had a carrot shape and a higher waist.

With all of the soft construction and Asian references, the question remains why Team Armani chose the theme song from Britain’s “Downton Abbey.” Ralph Lauren has made the familiar anthem something of his own — he sponsors the program in the U.S. — and it has nothing to do with Milan — or the Italian peninsula.

Asked about it backstage, Armani said it suited the “refi ned, gentlemanly mood” of the collection. And while no one is asking that he speed dial Ennio Morricone, there was surely some more appropriate music to accompany his fall outing. — SAMANTHA CONTI

Brioni: Brioni creative director Brendan Mullane marked the brand’s 70th anniversary with a return to the runway — a criss-cross catwalk inside Milan’s Castello Sforzesco — in a nod to Brioni’s past as the fi rst men’s wear house to stage a catwalk show. He also set aside the lavish, complex creations of seasons past — the layered prints derived from arty photographs and the hand-painted pieces — and focused instead on showing off the pin-sharp tailoring and classic silhouettes that have drawn clients ranging from Clark Gable and Henry Fonda to Robert F. Kennedy and

Nelson Mandela over seven decades.His lineup featured belted cashmere

overcoats with fl ashes of red under the collar — or fur adorning the lapels — short suede jackets in punchy shades such as cobalt, and a powerful array of checked coats and suits.

There were Black Watch tartans, Glen plaids — and abstract riffs on both. Knitwear took a leading role in the form of cream pullovers with a waffl e weave, or slimmer ones — some dusted with 24-karat gold — with repeating patterns inspired by architectural forms and wrought-iron metalwork from early-20th-century Europe. These understated, elegant pieces, however, were not the stuff of runway fi reworks. They demanded closer attention — and a more intimate setting — where they could be studied and touched. — S.C.

Roberto Cavalli: Journalists swarmed around Roberto Cavalli ahead of his fall men’s show, thrusting their microphones and soliciting his opinion on all manner of current affairs, and fashion. He’s something of a rock star among Milan’s old guard of designers, and dresses like one, too: sunglasses, leather pants and a fl ashy jacquard tuxedo jacket.

The runway didn’t stray far from that lounge-lizard template — all skinny jeans and leathers, slick dinner jackets in animal prints and pointy Western boots. His was a polished and dressy take on rock style — Baroque patterns painstakingly realized with pony skin and velvet appliqué on a dramatic poncho, tiny gold studs tracing fi ligree swirls on a perfecto.

Cavalli also went whole-hog for real fur: fi rst dabbing it on the collars of trim, black Beatles topcoats, then unleashing beefy Chewbacca coats, intarsia ones made into fantasy creatures.

The collection was tame by Cavalli standards — and all the more approachable for it. — MILES SOCHA

Stella Jean: Stella Jean employed a potpourri of Rajasthan-inspired colors and fabrics for fall. She tempered the Indian infl uences, fl itting between European and Indian styles and mixing culturally diverse prints and patterns.

The designer constructed soft,

woolen pants with subtle jodhpur effects, which fell nonchalantly on leather and paisley-patterned ankle boots. They not only felt chic but looked easy to style, be it with a cropped duffl e coat, knitted sweaters in slim, slightly elongated silhouettes, or more sophisticated, bathrobe-y blazers with cozy shawl-collars done in velvet.

Somehow, a Nehru-collared overcoat done in brushed wool, its blue and white patterns mimicking the shape of mirror embroideries, didn’t look jarring paired with edgy trousers in black and yellow chenille checks. This was a rich and fun collection, confi rming Jean, who only ventured into men’s wear in 2013, as a serious young name on the Milan calendar. — PAULINA SZMYDKE

County of Milan: Marcelo Burlon took his guests on a trip to Argentina’s Patagonia region, his native land. Malambo dancers performing with traditional boleadoras opened the show, which offered Burlon’s signature take on streetwear.

Patagonian symbols mixed with elements from the Nineties rave and clubbing culture added a graphic touch to a range of urban staples, including oversize nylon parkas, T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, track pants and nylon parkas. The latter were embellished with pockets and protective padding for a utilitarian look. On the catwalk, the brand also unveiled the fruits of Burlon’s collaboration with Italian eyewear manufacturer Marcolin. The capsule collection included a leather aviator, an acetate frame and an optical style with clip-on sunglasses.

— ALESSANDRA TURRA

Ermanno Scervino: Outerwear, featuring classic sartorial coats, peacoats and duffl e styles, was worked in textured fabrics, including furry wool and Donegal tweed. To enhance the coats’ soft looks, they were paired with cozy knits — mostly loose turtlenecks and crewnecks in striped and Nordic patterns.

While the overall look was very masculine, Ermanno Scervino embraced one of the season’s biggest trends, fi lling the lineup with more feminine and romantic elements. These included delicate embroideries appearing on tailored jackets, as well as silk scarves replacing ties. — A.T.

Dirk Bikkembergs: To say that Dirk Bikkembergs’ collections are athletic would be an understatement. The designer, who refers to his line as “sport couture,” has a deep affi liation with the world of sports, and for fall he turned to free climbing.

To wit: The most prominent accessories of the season were snap-hooks and alpine carabiners — they were everywhere: worn as belts, slung over the shoulder or tied across the chest. This was also true for the few tailored numbers in the lineup, one of which featured a collared vest with multiple pockets that was strapped on top of a navy two-piece suit.

Silhouettes in general were slim or body-hugging, with fi tted perfecto and down jackets as the dominant options. But could a pair of sports leggings, at times wildly printed, be appropriate attire for the streets of Milan — even when it’s styled with a sober black blazer? Hardly. — P.S.

Christian Pellizzari: Like many other designers this season, Christian Pellizzari blurred the line between men’s and women’s wear. The result was a collection where traditional masculine silhouettes were worked in fabrics with a feminine feel. These included a range of jacquard styles, such as tops and suits in micro motifs and a graphic Navajo pattern. They looked chic and modern, as did the textured wool blazers and outerwear pieces decorated with patchworking. Pellizzari also injected the lineup with an urban, street sensibility via bombers and elongated varsity jackets with a sartorial fi nish. — A.T.

The fi nal shows in Milan saw

everything from Eastern infl uences at Giorgio Armani

to rockabilly touches at Roberto Cavalli.

East to West

MILAN FALL 2015

MEN’S COLLECTIONS

Giorgio Armani

Brioni

Roberto Cavalli

Dirk Bikkembergs

Ermanno Scervino

County of Milan

Stella Jean

Christian Pellizzari

WWD.COM5WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

Z Zegna: For his sophomore collection at Z Zegna, designer Murray Scallon continued to build the brand’s identity, expressing a focused point of view with a lineup of pieces where tailoring meets technology and sports. Cue the lightweight nylon parka contrasting with the double-breasted Scottish tweed jacket or a traditional camel blazer worn with high-tech Neoprene outerwear with no seams. “It’s work into weekend,” Scallon said. And the designer promised to keep winter chills at bay with an interactive warming system sewn into a puffer that is wirelessly recharged.

— LUISA ZARGANI

Michael Bastian: The former upstate New Yorker who now resides in Manhattan gave the laid-back, utilitarian wardrobe of his youth a shot of urban sophistication for a peppy collection packed with pattern and color. The designer’s novelty cashmeres were out in force: One said Hug Me, another had the picture of a rat wearing an I Love New York T-shirt, and a third had traffi c lights on the front — and a jaywalker on the back.

In between there was a jazzy, Glen plaid suit in orange and navy with a waft of the Seventies about it, checked jackets with contrasting corduroy elbow patches, and a lineup of wide-wale corduroy trousers in lemon meringue yellow or fi re-engine red. Folksy fl annel shirts were also on offer. When was the last time anyone saw one of those in a fashion showroom?

In a further nod to his cold-weather heritage, there were Seventies-style ski jackets with diagonal stripes across the front, and corduroy slippers embroidered with the New York-loving rat or with guys revving up their snowmobiles. — S.C.

Pal Zileri: Pal Zileri designer Mauro Ravizza Krieger, who is being charged with revamping the label under new owner Mayhoola for Investments, showed “more relaxed volumes,” more contemporary proportions and more leather and sportswear, expanding the brand’s core tailored suits. “There is nothing exaggerated in the looks, and the aesthetic should be practical,” Ravizza Krieger said. A chocolate brown leather jacket, a ribbed sweater in a mustard tone, or the fi tted lines of the tweed suits in a blue and gray color palette certainly fi t the bill.

— L.Z.

Hogan: Having channeled the Eighties for spring, Simon Holloway moved on to the following decade for Hogan’s fall collection. More precisely, the “late Nineties — think New York, gym-to-street, ath-luxury,” said Holloway, who continued his meticulous fabrics research. Standouts were camel hair and cashmere wool military coats, with somewhat oversize and soft shoulders and contrasting black thermal-printed details with a leather texture; a boxy patent-leather jacket lined in shearling, and a cashmere and cotton sweat suit. “The idea is to take extreme classic looks and juxtapose them over gym clothes,” Holloway said. Hogan’s bread and butter — accessories — included a roomy backpack and high-soled, urban sneakers. — L.Z.

Bally: This tactile — and often irreverent — collection took its cue partly from the costumes in Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and had an old-world, hand-me-down feel. “I like to roll up my cuffs and show off my sneakers,” said design director Pablo Coppola. “These clothes are ill-fi tting — and slightly nerdy — on purpose.”

Suits were boxy, with sleeves and trousers slightly shorter than usual, while fuzzy angora and mohair sweaters had a thrift-store vibe. Overcoats came in weasel or bright

yellow ostrich. Casualwear skewed more classic, with leather biker jackets lined in cashmere, a parka made from feather-light goat shearling, and a cool nylon aviator.

Footwear, for which the brand is best known, included lace-up hiking boots in a range of materials such as suede, python and hand-polished leather, all with extra light soles, better suited to urban environments than the Alps. Coppola also took a Seventies turn, making Chelsea boots with slim, fl exible soles in materials such as alligator and buffalo. They were sexy — in an “American Hustle” sort of way.

— S.C.

Iceberg: Iceberg opted for a touch-and-feel presentation in lieu of a runway show to give editors and retailers a chance to appreciate up close Federico Curradi’s knitwear. It turned out to be a good idea.

The designer gave two cues as to where he looked for inspiration: “a Japanese guy in Williamsburg” and “art after midnight” he said, as models posed like living statues in a Milanese palazzo. Those inspirations translated into bomber sleeves on a woolen coat with oversize pockets and accentuated seams; kimono-inspired knit coats loosely belted around the waist, and Mark Rothko-esque prints in blue, green, burgundy and blush pink.

Bouclé and jacquards were just a few of the techniques Curradi mixed on the knitted pieces. One shirt jacket was “brushed like crazy,” as he put it, for an intriguingly deconstructed surface, a foil to the quilted lining inside. Workwear-tinged bottoms, rolled up and wide-leg, fi nished off this spirited, cosmopolitan collection.

— P.S.

Kiton: Kiton presented its collection as

part of an exhibition of photographs and videos that showed its Neapolitan tailors hard at work. They turned out a novel silhouette inspired by the house’s original designs from the Seventies: double-breasted suits in fi ne vicuna fabrics with bold lapels — and a slimmer fi t to appeal to younger clients.

While gray with touches of burgundy and emerald green were the colors of choice for the main collection, Kiton’s Cipa 1960 line let it loose with fl oral patterns, bolder checks and richer colors, including blood red and mustard. A pair of knickerbockers matched with a double-breasted vest, pocket square and woolen socks had a whiff of aristo-glam, suggesting a nobleman gone fi shing in the Alpine countryside. — P.S.

Caruso: Sergio Colantuoni’s dynamic lineup for Caruso, particularly strong on outerwear, was packed with useful details that were not solely ornamental, but fun and functional.

Coats, long and roomy, were extra-light with a butter-soft touch, but made wind- and waterproof. A bicycle cape featured sewed-in straps on the interior that attach to the handlebars. “A man is on the move, everything happens very fast: plane, boat, then scooter. His life is like a skyline that changes all the time,” explained Colantuoni.

To wit: His preferred pants this season: a wide-leg trouser, double belted with two boxy pockets that were made of seemingly weightless leather to avoid excessive carry-on.— P.S.

Woolrich Woolen Mills: Mark McNairy brought the aesthetic of Woolrich Woolen Mills into more urban and mature territories. Instead of sticking to a specifi c theme, he focused his research on performance fabrics, including ballistic nylon and a coated blend of polyester and cotton, which were successfully used for parkas with a utilitarian feel. The more formal offering featured unconstructed suits in classic tailoring patterns. The collection’s attitude looked more grown-up than in previous seasons without compromising its child-at-heart spirit.

— A.T.

McQ Alexander McQueen: The collection is rapidly evolving from its street culture roots into a full wardrobe, packed with prints, tailored pieces and outerwear, all with a chic — but slightly dark — edge. Jackets were made from sturdy color-blocked wool in navy, black and gray, and one gray wool coat had biker zip details and a leather collar. Another piece of outerwear was a hybrid of parka and tailored topcoat.

Leather played a central role in the form of a weighty, toffee-colored biker jacket, a hand-painted black-and-white one with a lived-in feel and a perforated leather bomber in cobalt blue. There were sweatshirts galore — many in the season’s surrealism-inspired collage prints — and one with “Chaos” written on it. — S.C.

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WWD.com/runway.

Trends� Seventies� Nineties’ references, including minimalism or urban� Corduroy� Textured wools� Volume coats� High-waisted pleated pants� Ath-leisure� Black and gray punched up with touches of mustard, green and nutmeg� Luxe fabrics� Fur� Masculine/feminine� Cozy knits� Shrunken blazers� Chunky shoes� Dirt on runways

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McQ Alexander McQueen

Woolrich Woolen Mills

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Alexander McQueen: Victoriana and the haunting sepia images of 19th century photographer Julia Margaret Cameron planted the creative seeds for this polished and demure collection. Sarah Burton, the brand’s creative director, said the lineup had a “portrait-y feel, with links to the men’s wear and its military details,” most evident in the shape of dark green, heavy felt jackets with high necks and epaulets.

There was a quiet allure to Burton’s delicate shearling jackets inspired by riding tailcoats and supple, featherweight leather dresses with wide ruffl es on the skirts or on the elbow-length sleeves. Other dresses, printed with meadow fl owers, had hand-pleated bell sleeves, lace trim inspired by Victorian swatch books, and tulle panels adorned with tiny black-velvet blooms. Dresses were often worn with leather corset-style belts, giving them a signature McQueen edge. The standout for evening was a long tulle dress with fl ocking and jet beading. — SAMANTHA CONTI

Marni: Soundsuits — wearable fabric sculptures by the American artist Nick Cave — served as the main reference for Consuelo Castiglioni’s hyper-chic pre-fall collection for Marni. The inspiration was mostly evident in whimsical multicolor alpaca pieces, which included an elongated vest in a graphic pattern and a cocoon coat in a harlequin-like motif, worn over a striped dress.

A subtler, sophisticated sense of extravagance was offered via a jacquard Lurex coat with matching minidress worked in a festive red-and-blue fl oral pattern. This created a charming contrast to minimalist black-and-white looks, including a cotton and wool canvas coat over fl ared cotton and wool twill pants. — ALESSANDRA TURRA

Alberta Ferretti: Alberta Ferretti portrayed a strong woman for her pre-fall collection. Inspired by the motifs embossed on antique suits of armor, she used them as sophisticated decorations throughout the lineup. They appeared on jacquard velvet or silk that was worked into long, fl uid dresses as well as maxiskirts paired with ribbed knits. The collection’s signature silver accents were enhanced by the elaborate embroideries, embellished with crystals, which added an opulent touch to a cashmere cape lined with fur and a silk minidress. — A.T.

Mary Katrantzou: Mary Katrantzou pared down her inspirations for pre-fall, focusing her attention on graphic patterns. “It’s looking at the most popular tessellations that you fi nd in fabric — the paisley, the houndstooth, the check,” said the designer.

But in Katrantzou’s hands, those patterns were far from workaday. She developed her own densely detailed paisley, incorporating clock faces and telephone dials, and fashioned a check pattern from tiny sequins, using the latter as a panel on a calf-length sleeveless taffeta dress. Other innovations included a blown-up houndstooth pattern embroidered in a red and yellow towelling-like texture on a black ankle-length wool gown. Katrantzou also showed a coated jacquard in shimmering shades of red, green and yellow — originally the reverse of a houndstooth fabric that she developed — used to great effect on a structured minidress. — NINA JONES

MSGM: Creative director Massimo Giorgetti embraced graphics for pre-fall, with pop symbols decorating a range of black-and-white pieces. Clean, simple silhouettes included a masculine double-breasted wool coat with one side embellished with a large star, while hearts appeared on a wool crewneck over a matching miniskirt. A multicolor pattern combined Memphis and Art Deco elements, giving a playful twist to a crepe de chine shirt with a Western feel. This was paired with a fl ared skirt in embroidered tweed featuring fringe trim. — A.T.

Emilio Pucci: Peter Dundas said he focused on extreme lengths for his Emilio Pucci pre-fall collection, which was filled with Seventies references.

The lineup was commercial but somewhat safe, as Dundas stayed in his comfort zone, sticking to signature silhouettes and aesthetic codes. A straight suede coat cinched at the waist was cut long, while a parka with a round hem and a fox-fur collar was short and voluminous. Lace inserts with curved shapes added a graphic touch to minidresses featuring the brand’s well-known colorful patterns or rich beaded embroideries. Dundas also showed a black-and-white version of his signature tailored tuxedos, as well as evening dresses in sexy cuts. — A.T.

Emanuel Ungaro: Fausto Puglisi played with contrasts for his pre-fall collection for Emanuel Ungaro. The designer provided his own take on ladylike looks, which he infused with his pretty, yet bold and modern touch. Knitted pieces had detachable fur details, while little wool jackets and skirts were decorated with the house’s signature oversize polka dots embroidered using tape from old audio cassettes. Lace was done in graphic patterns on a range of tops, while a chic Fifties wallpaper motif on coats and dresses contrasted with the pop feel of a star print peppering fl uid, clean-lined mini frocks. — A.T.

WWD.COMWWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 20156

Pre-Fall 2015

FOR MORE PRE-FALL 2015, SEE

WWD.com/runway.

Alexander McQueen

Alberta Ferretti

Marni

MSGM

Emilio Pucci

Mary Katrantzou

Emanuel Ungaro

T H E N E W D I M E N S I O N

MARCH 26

NEW YORK CITY

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8 WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

By VICKI M. YOUNG

INVESTORS WEREN’T happy with the news that Sycamore Partners and Express Inc. have ended their discussions over a possible takeover of the retail-er by the private equity fi rm.

Shares of the teen retailer fell 12.8 percent to close at $12.59 in Nasdaq trading.

The two said Tuesday that discussions ended “due to the unavailability of financing on commercially acceptable terms.”

Stifel analyst Richard E. Jaffe said Sycamore’s inability to ob-tain favorable fi nancing terms suggests that the banks believed “Express has insuffi cient cash fl ow or operating metrics to war-rant a lending rate that was at-tractive to Sycamore.”

The two parties have been in discussions since June, when the private equity firm dis-closed that it held a 9.9 percent stake in the chain, or 8.3 million shares, and that Express was its next takeover target.

C.L. King & Associate’s Steven L. Marotta said that while the inability of the two to fi nal-ize a transaction was attributed to fi nancing, “we suspect that a disagreement over the ultimate price was the deciding factor.”

While Sycamore can dispose of its shares whenever it wants, it is barred from disclosing con-

fidential information gleaned from its due diligence until June 15, per an agreement between the two parties. Sycamore is also barred until June 15 from reaching out to third parties re-garding additional fi nancing for an acquisition.

Marotta noted, “This may set up an interesting scenario where Sycamore retains a pas-sive stake in the company and speculation brews on another potential bid around June 15.”

Credit ratings agency S&P on Tuesday said the chain’s “BB” corporate credit rating and negative outlook “are not im-mediately affected” by the end-ing of talks between the parties. The S&P last month revised its outlook on Express to negative from stable, refl ecting the teen retailer’s weaker-than-expected operating performance.

Earlier this month, howev-er, Express increased in fourth quarter and full-year guidance for the period ending Jan. 31, based on its performance in the last week of December and fi rst week of January. Michael Weiss, the chain’s chairman and chief executive offi cer, said that its retail performance during those two weeks exceeded the company’s expectations.

Express expects to report fourth quarter and full-year 2014 earnings results during the week of March 8.

Hilfi ger developed the con-cept internally and has been beta testing it with its wholesale partners for six months.

Users of the touchscreen table are greeted by a personalized short movie and can then navi-gate through inspiration fi lms de-tailing the brand’s history, as well as key looks from the season’s col-lections, divided by drop dates. Assortments are laid out on a blank background on which items can be dragged and dropped.

The line book comes with a search tool that allows users to fi nd products by category, color, fabric or fi t. Buyers can also use iPad

minis equipped with comparison tools to make their selection.

The digital showroom comes with a zoom feature to highlight product details and textures, while staples — including polo shirts and jeans — can be viewed in 360 degrees. Hilfi ger will ini-tially provide fabric swatchbooks to complement the online pre-sentation, though these, too, will eventually be phased out.

At the end of the order pro-cess, buyers receive a PDF sum-marizing their selection togeth-er with another PDF containing marketing material.

“Our unique digital show-room concept is a juxtaposition of craft and innovation,” com-pany founder Tommy Hilfi ger said. “The platform refl ects val-ues which are at the heart of our brand DNA: entrepreneurial, inspirational, surprising, inclu-sive and accessible. We believe this is the sales experience of the future and look forward to

working with our retail partners in this exciting new setup.”

Grieder said initial reaction to the digital showroom has been overwhelmingly positive, and he expects to roll out the tool to be-tween six and 12 other locations in June. Within two to three years, all the company’s showrooms worldwide — currently number-ing between 50 and 60 — should be equipped with the technology.

Hilfiger, whose wholesale business represents 50 percent to 60 percent of revenues, also wants to set up digital showrooms in cities where it does not have a presence, with Hong Kong and Moscow at the top of the list.

Though he did not provide an estimate of the savings gen-erated by the new equipment, Grieder noted that the return on investment on a digital show-room is lower than one year, with a cost roughly equivalent to what the company would spend on samples in a 12-month period.

“The whole cycle will be shorter and that makes the whole business more effi cient,” he said, noting that sample pro-duction takes around six weeks.

The system is also more sus-tainable, as it not only reduces the environmental impact of sample creation, from the sup-ply chain and manufacturing to packaging and shipping, but also eliminates the need for printed order forms.

Hilfiger is so convinced of the validity of the approach that it plans to eventually share the technology with competitors.

“We haven’t thought about if we want to sell it to them. Maybe

we go to Google and help them to develop it further, or they help us to develop it further. But I think we should not keep that as a se-cret just for us,” Grieder said.

The concept should filter through to Hilfiger’s retail stores as they continue to evolve to support an omnichannel ap-proach. Online sales account for 10 percent to 12 percent of the brand’s revenues and are rap-idly growing, he noted.

“Brick-and-mortar stores will never die, but I think they will change,” Grieder said, predict-ing that future stores will com-bine digital presentations, enter-tainment and traditional retail.

The company plans to open a new fl agship in Paris in February, but further openings this year will depend on how fast the new digitally integrated retail concept can be developed, Grieder said, indicating the brand was zeroing in on a location in Shanghai.

The executive said business was “booming” in China, India and South America. It is strong in other parts of Asia, as well as European markets such as Germany, France and the U.K. Challenging spots include Italy, Greece and South Korea, as well as the U.S., where price compe-tition remains fi erce, he added.

“We are globally well-posi-tioned, and we are an anchor brand for most of our custom-ers. We are lucky because when we lose in one region, we make it up in another region. So our overall business is per-forming to our plans, and that means also better than last year, clearly,” Grieder said.

Schneider Lays Out American Apparel Plan

Hilfi ger Takes Showroom Digital

Arriagada Retires at Sephora

{Continued from page one}

By JULIE NAUGHTON

CALVIN MCDONALD, president and chief executive officer of Sephora Americas, reorganized Sephora’s management structure Tuesday following the decision of Margarita Arriagada, chief mer-chant of Sephora, to retire.

Her decision to step down was part of a series of changes, involving three top positions. Another senior executive is leav-ing the retailer and a third is being promoted to a high-profile position within the organization.

In a memo to brand partners, McDonald noted that Arriagada and Maureen Watson, senior vice president of mer-chandising, are leav-ing the company, and Artemis Patrick, senior vice presi-dent and general manager of Sephora inside J.C. Penney Co. Inc., will assume Watson’s role.

Arriagada joined Sephora in March 2004 as the vice president and divi-sional merchandise manager of color cosmetics. After nearly a year in that job, she be-came senior vice president of merchandising, a role she held for eight years. She was named to her present position as chief merchant of Sephora in March 2013. Arriagada also held senior roles at Lladró and Macy’s Inc. before joining Sephora.

“Since joining Sephora, Margarita has built a highly talented merchandising team that has a unique sense of what will resonate with our clients and how to work with you, our brand partners, to deliver meaningful differentiation,” McDonald said. “She has made

enormous contributions to Sephora.” Arriagada will retire at the end of January, at which point the chief merchant title apparently will be eliminated.

Watson had been in her role since March 2013, and prior to joining Sephora had been se-nior vice president of global sales and merchandising for Lucky Brand Jeans and chief merchandising offi cer for Babies ‘R’ Us. Watson will remain with Sephora through the end of the fi rst quarter, McDonald said.

Patrick will assume her new role on Feb. 2 and will re-port to McDonald.

“Artemis is a proven leader with a unique ability to motivate

her teams, drive growth and deliver strong results while forming outstand-ing cross-function-al partnerships,” McDonald said. “After a decade in merchandising roles at multiple retailers, Artemis joined Sephora in 2006 as the vice president of mer-chandising for

sephora.com, helping to drive tremendous growth and leader-ship for Sephora in e-commerce. Three years ago, Artemis was promoted to general manager of our Sephora inside J.C. Penney business, then two years ago to senior vice president, driving impressive comp growth in a challenging environment and building a strong team.”

Until Patrick’s successor is named, the Sephora inside J.C. Penney team will report directly to Satish Malhotra, ex-ecutive vice president of Latin America, Sephora Canada and Sephora inside J.C. Penney, McDonald said.

Express-Sycamore End Talks

Artemis Patrick

Daniel Grieder and Tommy Hilfi ger

Tommy Hilfi ger’s digital sales showroom.

By EVAN CLARK

PAULA SCHNEIDER’S trying to move American Apparel Inc. beyond Dov Charney.

The chief executive offi cer held a call with Wall Street Tuesday to both introduce herself and frame her leadership of the company.

“The purpose of this call is not to discuss previous man-agement, but to talk about the future and how we can help the company grow,” said Schneider, who took the helm this month.

That’s a reference to founder Charney, who was ousted as ceo last year amid allegations of misconduct. Charney is threat-ening legal action over his fi ring and still trying to regain a toe-hold at the fi rm.

While Schneider tried to mark a clean break from Charney’s leadership, she also lauded many aspects of what he built.

“American Apparel is one of the most recognizable brands in the world,” she said in a late afternoon conference call with analysts.

To capitalize on that recog-nition, the company will base its strategy going forward on four priorities.

First, Schneider said she would look to fi rm up opera-tions with strong business fun-damentals, pointing specifi cally to planning and forecasting, product development, the ra-tionalization of stockkeeping units, marketing, sales and the supply chain.

Secondly, the ceo plans to in-vest in the brand. “It’s an incred-ible brand,” she said. “It’s about fun. It’s about youth. It’s about freedom. It always has been and always will be about social commentary. This brand gives a voice to everyone, from the 5,000 workers in our L.A. factory to all

the people who wear our clothes. To me, it’s a call to action.”

The hope is that improve-ment in those two areas will lead to improvements in the other two areas: driving earn-ings and building a strong li-quidity profi le.

“Many of the short-term chal-lenges say less about the under-lying strength of the brand and more about the lack of strong fundamentals,” she said.

The question is whether Schneider will have a chance to see her plan through or if the company’s backers and board will decide to sell. John Howard’s Irving Place Capital last year said it might pay as much as $1.40 a share, or $245 million, to buy the company, once it got a look at its private books.

Investors are taking the cau-tious approach. Shares of the fi rm inched up 1.3 percent to 87 cents before the call on Tuesday.

WWD.COM9WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

By JOELLE DIDERICH

PARIS — Catherine Vautrin has ditched men’s suits for a little black dress.

Paule Ka has appointed the former Cerruti boss as its chairman and chief ex-ecutive offi cer, effective in early February. She will replace Antoine Bing, the com-pany’s chief executive director since 2002, who had served as interim chairman.

“It’s true that it’s a bit of a change. You could say that I’m returning to my fi rst love, which is women’s fashion,” Vautrin, who previously worked at

Emilio Pucci, told WWD in an interview.Paule Ka is undergoing a shake-up

following the departure of its found-er Serge Cajfinger. The French fash-ion brand, owned by Change Capital Partners, is also looking for a new cre-ative director, with an announcement expected in the next few months.

Vautrin said she had long been a per-sonal fan of the brand, which is popular with celebrities including Meryl Streep, Lea Michele and Anne Hathaway.

“I fi nd its positioning very interesting. It’s chic, urban, easy sophistication. The prod-ucts are accessible and very well made, what

I would call accessible luxury. I also liked the fact that it’s dressy but not overdressed,” she explained. “I fi nd it very right for today.”

Vautrin had been chairman and ceo of Cerruti until last month, working with its owner, Chinese men’s wear giant Trinity Ltd., to reposition the brand as a purveyor exclusively of men’s wear. Previously, she had her own consulting practice in Italy, in addition to sitting on the board of e-tailer Yoox.

Vautrin spent a large portion of her career at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton — fi rst at Louis Vuitton’s stores network and then as director of the men’s

and women’s ready-to-wear division. She was president and ceo of LVMH-owned Emilio Pucci from 2000 to 2007.

Cajfi nger, who had served as creative director and chairman of Paule Ka since 1987, left the company in July of last year, as reported.

Vautrin said Change Capital Partners has asked her to “capitalize on this very specifi c identity the founder built year after year, give it a contemporary inter-pretation and boost international devel-opment.” She said expansion will focus on the United States, Middle East and Asia.

Paule Ka is present in 56 countries via 475 points of sale, including 60 mono-brand doors. In 2013, the brand reported sales of 50 million euros, or $66.4 million at average exchange.

Vaccarello NamedVersus Creative Head

Talley Honors de la Renta

Paule Ka Taps Catherine Vautrin as CEO

By LUISA ZARGANI

MILAN — Versus Versace has appointed Anthony Vaccarello its new creative director. This is the latest step in the evolution of Versace’s sister brand and comes after Vaccarello’s first capsule collection for Versus, which was unveiled in September in New York.

The Paris-based Vaccarello will be responsible for both men’s and women’s Versus collections under the supervision of artistic di-rector Donatella Versace. His fi rst full collection as creative direc-tor of Versus will be for fall 2015.

“I’ve followed Anthony’s work from his very fi rst collection; as soon as I met him I realized immediately he was the one, he gets it, his talent screams Versus Versace,” Versace said. “I love his fresh energy and innovation, and I love being surrounded by a tal-ent which brings newness to Versace.”

Vaccarello told WWD that he had “no plans to change the mood” of the line, maintaining its Nineties vibe. “Versus is cool, young and easy with an edge,” said the designer, who is known for his provoca-tively sexy clothes. “It’s an additional opportunity to express an-other side of my vision. And it’s fun to work with Donatella.”

In September, Vaccarello showed little black dresses and tai-lored looks held together with gold piercings, and the clothes for the fi rst time were live-streamed and immediately available for pur-chase on the brand’s Web site.

Vaccarello reiterated that Versus will “not follow the calen-dar,” and that the line “will be presented when it will be ready. We haven’t defi ned yet how, when or where it will be shown. It’s a surprise.”

Versus was initially launched in 1989. In 2013, Versace forged a new path for Versus as a seasonless line with a strong digital ele-ment to be designed by Donatella Versace in collaboration with a number of young designers, stylists and creative talents.

After parting ways with Christopher Kane in 2012, Jonathan William Anderson, aka J.W. Anderson, was the fi rst designer to work on capsules for Versus, followed by English-Sri Lankan re-cording artist M.I.A.

Versace has entered a new phase of expansion initiated with the sale of a 20 percent stake in the fi rm to Blackstone Group last year.

By ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY is pay-ing tribute to his friend Oscar de la Renta with an exhibition at the SCAD Museum of Art that opens Feb. 3 on the Savannah campus.

Not long after the designer’s death in October, Talley present-ed the idea to de la Renta’s son-in-law and the chief executive offi cer of the designer’s company Alex Bolen. Although it wasn’t an overnight decision, Bolen and his wife Eliza were in favor of the show and have been kept up to speed about its developments.

“First of all, Andre and Oscar have been friends for about a thousand years,” Bolen said. “We have immense respect for Andre’s professionalism, and we also love him.”

Eliza Bolen, who has known Talley since she was a child, pro-vided her wedding dress for the exhibition. There will also be de la Renta designs for Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker amidst the 70 ensembles on display. The one exception is the Ralph Lauren white tie Andy Cohen wore to escort Parker to last year’s Met Ball. More strik-ing will be Taylor Swift’s Oscar

de la Renta pink dress that she preened in at last year’s Charles James-themed Met Ball, the vel-vet dress Hillary Clinton wore for her 1998 Vogue cover, and four of Laura Bush’s “Oscars” so to speak are among Talley’s fi nds for the show, which will run through May 3.

Another essential compo-nent are items de la Renta designed for his wife Annette. Talley said, “He considered his wife to be his most important muse. Her clothes are wonder-ful, really vital, and they make the exhibit, to me, complete.”

Despite describing the proj-ect as “a work of joy and wonder-ful pleasure because Oscar was a very close friend of mine and also a mentor,” there was a certain amount of emotion tied to the endeavor. Talley needed a mo-ment when shooting de la Renta-designed dress that Elizabeth Cordry wore to her wedding in June, which was the last time Talley saw de la Renta “I had to put on a requiem from Mozart. I turned it off quickly, but I put it on because it was such a moment. The dress was so beautiful and that was the last time I saw him, and I had been to fi ttings with Elizabeth for that dress. It was

Requiem, K. 626 Sir Georg Solti, recorded live in Vienna to com-memorate the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death in 1991,” he said. “The whole thing has been done out of a sense of love and to celebrate Oscar, what he meant to American fashion and his style.”

In addition to the SCAD exhi-bition, Talley is at work on a book titled “Oscar de la Renta: His Legendary World of Style” that Rizzoli will publish in September.

After meeting de la Renta in 1974 when he was at Interview magazine, Talley said he be-came very friendly with de la Renta’s fi rst wife Françoise de Langlade. During Talley’s WWD days in the mid-Seventies, she would call him fi rst thing every morning to see what he had got-ten up to the night before.

Talley made a point of saying the exhibition was by no means a retrospective, but “my interpre-tation of Oscar’s legacy through his work and my memory of it.”

The show, which will be the fi fth one Talley has curated for SCAD, will be staged in the gal-lery named in his honor. The ir-repressible former Vogue editor, a longtime member of SCAD’s Board of Trustees, also has a Lifetime Achievement Award named for him. In what seems to epitomize coming full circle, Talley presented the inaugural award to de la Renta in 2001.

As for whether he wonders what de la Renta would have made of the exhibition, Talley said, “Defi nitely. I don’t move without Oscar on my shoulders. I think, ‘Would Oscar approve? Would Oscar like it?’”

Anthony Vaccarello

and Donatella Versace

A gown worn by

Laura Bush as fi rst lady.

A dress worn by Chelsea Clinton at Carnegie Hall in November 2013.

The dress Diana Taylor donned for the opening the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition.

The ensemble Annette de La Renta wore to her daughter Eliza Reed Bolen’s wedding in June 1998.

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10 WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

JEREMY SCOTT SAT with WWD in the new Moschino space on Monday afternoon to share the latest news, from Katy Perry’s Super Bowl looks to the petty crime that led him to sign the retail lease.— M.M.

WWD: Welcome back to Los Angeles. You got here just in time for the opening. What were the last few days like?Jeremy Scott: I landed in L.A. from Milan Sunday night, had a teeth cleaning Monday morning — I go every three months — went to SoulCycle, then had breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien and got here to the store early. But before Milan, I was in London, first for the Moschino men’s show on Sunday, then for the red carpet premiere of “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Arianne Phillips did costumes for it, and I have pieces from my Adidas collaboration on the main character, Taron Egerton.

WWD: How was the movie? Thumbs-up or down?J.S.: It was really entertaining. It was clever and there were things in there that were unexpected. Like when people shouldn’t die, people died! I like that it didn’t follow movie conventions. There was also a nod to all the James Bond stuff.

WWD: This is the first Moschino store in the world under your creative direction. How did it become a reality?J.S.: I came to look at the space several years ago when a real estate agent brought me when

I was looking for a new studio. I was like, “This place looks beautiful but it’s certainly out of my price range for my studio. We’re not even going in.” So this is a funny story: someone had stolen the taillights off my G-Wagen and I was like, “I can’t drive around like this” so I went to Mercedes-Benz Beverly Hills because it’s on my way home from SoulCycle — I swear I could be SoulCycle’s publicist, but I

don’t get to spin for free — and from there is where I spotted this space again with new eyes, five years later. I was like, “I need a store! That beautiful place.” I got on it, scooped it up, then we started having at it.

WWD: How would you describe the concept?J.S.: I wanted something that would be beautiful in the sense that it could be an open kind of canvas for the collections. The clothes have so much personality already. I also wanted to take the art of window display, which is something that I love and that Moschino is famous for, and kind of make a canvas that could resize and restructure and be anything it wants to be for whichever collection and inspiration.

WWD: Why Beverly Boulevard?J.S.: I looked at Rodeo [Drive], which I drive down nearly every day to go to SoulCycle. But I drive down it and I see people, and I see people taking pictures, but I do not see shopping bags. And I don’t want to have a store that’s just for people to…I mean, I want it to be very photogenic and I want people to come in and do selfies in it…but I don’t want it to just be this dead entity. I want people to come in and live in it and I just don’t feel like, as a Los Angeleno, I don’t go shopping [on Rodeo Drive]. I would go somewhere else if I wanted something from that mecca of things. I know it’s a real status-y thing, I get that, but it just seems kind of empty. I’m happy to have tourists come in, but that seems like only tourists. I love how [café chain] Lemonade is nearby and how people actually do walk around here. For Los Angeles, it’s a difficult task, but there’s a little bit of, ‘I could go do this and this’ in this area. This feels like it could have that energy that I would love for it to have. I love all the Italian design and furniture stores that are here. They are stores I’ve always loved and went to and bought things from, so for me that felt very at home.”

WWD: How would you describe the last 15 months, or even the last 15 hours?J.S.: Is there a word that’s like, whirlwind times a hundred? I definitely realize now I’m constantly on the go, and that’s not just my Moschino world. I have my own line, my Adidas world, my Katy Perry Super Bowl world.

WWD: So what can you tell us about Katy’s Super Bowl look?J.S.: I’m not telling nothing. It’s going to be a challenge, that’s for sure, but I’m super excited about it. I’m honored that she asked me because she’s such a sweet, good friend, but also such a wonderful ambassador of all my designs since the beginning. It’s such a pinnacle for her career, too, so to include me in that is so flattering.

WWD: Not even a little hint?J.S.: The fitting is tonight. It’s like making a Russian Doll. I have to make everything fit together perfectly because she has to keep revealing and revealing. We’ll see at 6 p.m. when I do my first fitting with a portion of it to see if things can kind of [mimes fitting pieces together].

WWD: Why is it so important for you to remain based in L.A.?J.S.: I’m happy here, that’s the

thing. You do your best work where you are happiest. It works pretty well because I can communicate my ideas and send sketches and take pictures from my iPhone and literally e-mail it away. We do moments where we powwow together and ruminate over things and get it going.

WWD: You’re one of the most connected designers out there, technically speaking, with more than 1.4 million social followers.J.S.: It’s very important. What I love about Instagram and Twitter is the interaction. You kind of bond and get a feeling and it’s exciting. The thing that I can’t get over is the fan art. Yesterday I saw this girl from Japan who made a whole book of the first Moschino collection, from the first exit to the last. She drew and colored them all and she has a video where she’s flipping through it and it’s all moments from the show that she’s redrawn [he picks up his pink Barbie phone-shaped cell phone case and shows the video and still shot that he posted on his Instagram page]. That kind of crazy love and dedication, that just blows me away. I feel so lucky that I have such a strong fan base that is so passionate.

WWD: Do the fans drive you to be better?J.S.: I feel like I have such a unique connection with them and that’s different from other designers. It’s like the fuel that fires me. When I see that I want to be better for them and work harder for them and have a cooler everything for them. I don’t want to let them down. I want them to keep sketching and keep being inspired.

WWD: There was a good amount of fur in the pre-fall collection. What will you do about the West Hollywood fur ban?J.S.: We will soon be opening our New York store. And there’s a large amount of fake fur in the collection. I mixed real and fake but the majority is a lot of things people would be surprised are fake.

WWD: What is the rest of the week like for you?J.S.: Saturday I am going to Sundance, where I am Frances Bean’s date for the premiere of the documentary she produced about her father [“Montage of Heck”]. Then I am going to Phoenix for the Super Bowl to be with Katy for the actual performance. Then I come back to L.A. and finish preparations for my New York Fashion Week show on Feb. 18, and I get on a flight the next evening for Milan to prep for the Moschino women’s show on Feb. 26.

WWD: Will you throw an opening party for this store?J.S.: We were thinking of doing an event between the two weekends of Coachella in April. But I think I am going to not do my [Adidas Coachella] party this year. Suzy Menkes asked me to go to Florence to do a speaking event with her for the new condenast.com thing. She said we can talk about whatever I want, so maybe a Q&A. But it’s around that time in April. I know bits and pieces of my schedule because now I have to be more organized and plan ahead. I can’t be as fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants as I used to.

Moschino LandsIn Los Angeles

Q&A

Jeremy Scott

By MARCY MEDINA

LOS ANGELES — Moschino opened its first U.S. boutique in Los Angeles today at 8933 Beverly Boulevard.

The fi rst concept store con-ceived by creative director Jeremy Scott is a 3,500-square-foot space, formerly the Hadid Gallery. It presents Scott’s color-ful, pop vision in a clean, white space with large plate-glass win-dows facing the manicured street all the better to show off the large-form installations, oversize cola cans, atop which manne-quins in graphic crushed can-printed dresses and separates are perched in cheeky poses.

Moschino sits on a stretch of Beverly Boulevard west of fashion-heavy Robertson Boulevard, which is part of the West Hollywood Design District. Most tenants are fur-niture stores, showrooms and art galleries, though Stella McCartney is a few doors east and Jenni Kayne’s retail fl ag-ship and Hedi Slimane’s design studio are a few blocks west.

It’s an appropriate spot for Scott, a longtime fi gure in L.A.’s funkier art and design worlds. His appointment as creative di-rector of Moschino in 2013 has re-invigorated the house, owned by Aeffe SpA, in part, believes chief executive officer Alessandro Varisco, because he brings the Los Angeles energy that is capti-vating the fashion world.

“I understand why Jeremy needs to spend time in L.A., where there is good energy. Frankly speaking, there is a little less energy in Milan right now.”

Varisco said Scott has driv-en the brand’s retooled strat-egy in the marketplace and it’s paying off.

“Five years ago when I joined Moschino, it was a good brand, but we have complete-ly revised the strategy with Jeremy, who seemed to be only a dream for us fi ve years ago. He has the same DNA of [house founder] Franco Moschino in that he is an ex-cellent designer and com-municator. But Mr. Moschino was a communicator for the Eighties and Jeremy is fantas-tic with new channels like the Web. Thanks to his following in social media, we are able to speak to a wider range of peo-ple and have totally changed their perspective of the brand. We have changed the custom-er profi le to a younger, more trendy audience. I see the

numbers boosting in accesso-ries and ready-to-wear.”

All of Scott’s creations from the main line, including ready-to-wear (70 percent women’s, 30 percent men’s), accessories (handbags, shoes, scarves, head-bands, cell phone and camera cases), swim, intimates and fragrance, are on display in the store. Scott placed the cola can print in front, the Spring Barbie capsule in the center, the pre-spring black and gold and ban-dana print collections on the right and denim on the left.

Another oversize cola can that opens up to display more clothes dominates the center of the store, in the back of which is a bare wall featuring the house’s double-C logo, a play on the old Cheap & Chic line. The bathroom is the only space without white

walls; the walls and ceiling are covered in red, yellow and black graffi ti by one of Scott’s friends.

In addition to a strategy of opening stores in “the right cities,” such as Berlin, Madrid, Miami, Tokyo and Seoul, the company also plans to revamp its 13 directly operated stores and 150 franchise shop-in-shop locations in places like Selfridges, Colette, 10 Corso Como and Opening Ceremony.

The Los Angeles

store.

Jeremy Scott at the L.A. store.

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WWD.COM11WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

GRENIER’S LATEST GIG: A self-proclaimed “denim guy,” Adrian Grenier, actor, director and environmentalist, is the new face of Buffalo David Bitton.

Russell James photographed the “Entourage” star with model and wildlife photographer Amber Arbucci. The shoot took place in December inside a dilapidated mansion in Old Westbury, N.Y. The multimedia marketing campaign will launch in March issues of women’s and men’s fashion and lifestyle magazines, as well as in outdoor and online media.

Known for playing Vincent Chase in the HBO comedy-drama, “Entourage,” Grenier, 38, will also star in the “Entourage” fi lm that comes out in June. He is also producing a documentary called “52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale,” which follows the search for the 52 Hertz Whale and which Buffalo is helping to fi nance through its Blank Check Series, which offers visionaries, infl uencers, performers and artists funding to be used to create multidimensional content.

“I got really excited to work with Buffalo, particularly because they were interested in my creative input. I would never want to be ‘the model guy,’ but I really was very excited they actually wanted to do something beyond

a fashion campaign,” Grenier said. “I helped cast my costar and helped choose the photographer as well.”

The striking black-and-white Buffalo images show Grenier and Arbucci wearing denim styles and other looks from Buffalo’s spring collection, such as fl eece jeans, casual button-down shirts and T-shirts. Ads will appear in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, Details, Maxim, Nylon Guys, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Nylon and Vogue throughout March, April and May. Grenier will be doing personal appearances on behalf of Buffalo, and the denim brand plans to sponsor the premiere of “Entourage,” said Dari Marder, chief marketing offi cer of Iconix Brand Group Inc., which is in a joint venture with Buffalo.— LISA LOCKWOOD

ALL ABOARD THE WANG EXPRESS: Spring campaign or spring break? Alexander Wang brought the party to his spring ads, which were shot on a suped-up party bus, complete with disco lights and at least one shot of model Anna Ewers dangling through the sunroof.

Wang is an unapologetic fan of the mobile party. “It’s the secret to prolonging a good night,” he said. “There have been so many times when people leave a club and they have to split up and fi nd taxis or get

stuck in traffi c. They sober up. The party bus is the traveling party. It never stops.”

His art director, Pascal Dangin of KiDS Creative, has come along for the ride several times and had the idea for the concept, shot by Steven Klein and featuring Ewers, Binx Walton, Dylan Xue, Lexi Boling, Sarah Brannon and Vanessa Moody. “It felt so authentic,” Wang said. “All the girls are girls who come out with me. We got the set and said, ‘It kind of just feels like last weekend.’” — JESSICA IREDALE

SPENDING PATTERNS: Talks to sell The Roberto Cavalli Group “are proceeding,” and the sale should be completed by the end of March, chief executive officer Daniele Corvasce said before the brand’s show on Tuesday. As reported, the designer is negotiating to sell a significant majority stake in his company to Italian private equity firm Clessidra SGR SpA.

Separately, asked to comment on ongoing speculation that he is headed to Cavalli, Peter Dundas, in Milan to present Emilio Pucci’s pre-fall collection, gave an embarrassed shrug and declined to comment.

At the show, British rapper Tinie Tempah said he was “always trying to fi nd new exciting ways to incorporate fashion” into his performances, alluding to “possibly” wearing Cavalli in the future. Asked by one Italian reporter what song he would identify the Italian designer with, he briefl y hesitated and then responded with a grin: “Hey Big Spender.”

— LUISA ZARGANI AND ALESSANDRA TURRA

CUT IT SHORT: Giorgio Armani weighed in on Milan Men’s Fashion Week after his signature show on Tuesday. “It should be compacted,” said Armani, adding vaguely that some designs should not be on the runways. “Things should be regulated more.” Asked if he felt men’s and women’s collections should be shown together, the designer responded, “It would be fantastic; I’ve done it in the past, but it would be difficult to combine the timings.” Armani also revealed that renovations at his flagship in Via Monte Napoleone will be unveiled in April, in time for the city’s expo.

Fitting in with the designer’s belief, expressed at the press conference, that women are still feminine wearing men’s clothes, actress Alba Rohrwacher donned a dark velvet, long men’s jacket in the front row of the designer’s show. The petite actress said she was busy endorsing her latest fi lm, “Vergine giurata [Sworn virgin].” “This is another job in itself,” she confessed. “I’d much rather be acting than promoting.” — L.Z.

SKIPPING A SEASON: After deciding against showing a collection at the London men’s shows earlier this month, London-based designer Richard Nicoll will also be taking a season out of the women’s shows in London for fall 2015. The designer told WWD that he was taking the time out to “consolidate [his] business strategy.” “In the 10 years that I’ve been doing my label, the fashion seasonal structure has changed a lot, with increased seasons and commercial pressures,” said Nicoll, who is known for clean, easy silhouettes, often with clever construction and inventive fabrications. “I felt the need to pause and think of the best and most relevant way forward for now,” he said. The designer will deliver his spring collection to stores, and noted that his Richard Nicoll label will continue “but in a different capacity,” with plans to relaunch it for resort 2016. The Australian-born designer counts Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Net-a-porter.com and Selfridges among his stockists. Nicoll continues to work with the British label Jack Wills as creative director on a part time basis. As to future plans, Nicoll said he’s open to “new projects and collaborations.” His next will be working with Wallpaper magazine on its Handmade exhibition, which celebrates craft and creativity. But aside from that, the designer said he’s looking forward to “just having a bit of thinking and researching space.” — NINA JONES

OFFERING ULMART: Taking a page from the playbook of Chinese giant Alibaba — which raised $25 billion in a blockbuster IPO last year — Russia’s largest online retailer is planning to sell $1 billion worth of shares in a stock offering next year. The St. Petersburg-based company said in a statement that it is likely to be valued at $5 billion to $6 billion, according to Bloomberg News.

The company, which saw sales top $1 billion in 2013, is backed by August Meyer and Dmitry Kostygin. The pair were co-owners of hypermarket Lenta, which they sold to TPG Capital in 2011.

— EVAN CLARK

VUITTON’S L.A. MOMENT: Like many luxury houses shining a spotlight on Los Angeles via its art scene, Louis Vuitton has chosen L.A. as the first destination for its “Louis Vuitton Series 2 — Past, Present and Future” exhibition. A nontraditional interpretation of its spring 2015 women’s

ready-to-wear collection, the multiroom exhibit, in a warehouse space in the heart of the Hollywood art and media district, allows visitors to explore the creative process behind the collection

through a series of distinctive thematic spaces that share creative director Nicolas Ghesquière’s influences and inspirations as well as the excitement of a traditional fashion show experience. The entrance to the exhibit, called “Abstract Title,” is through an oversized LV logo. This logo was initially the seal of founder Louis Vuitton, who launched his house as a trunk maker in 1854. Ghesquière revived it from the archives in neon lights. The next room “Talking Faces,” allows visitors to experience the opening animation of Ghesquière’s spring 2015 women’s collection show; “Magic Trunk” shows one of the house’s most recognizable products in hologram projections, blending past inspirations, current designs and future ideas; the “Savoir-fair Room” focuses on the “Malletage” inspired by the inside of a Vuitton trunk; “Backstage” recreates a fashion show’s backstage space; “Infinite Show Room” is a 360-degree projection room showing all 48 looks of this collection and “Accessories Gallery” showcases the objects on the pure white canvas of Marte Mei van Haaster’s scanned, 3-D printed figures alongside heritage pieces. The exhibition will run from Feb. 6 to 22 at 1135 North Highland Avenue and will be open to the public daily. Next stop: Beijing. — MARCY MEDINA

LANGUAGE CLASS: Before taking his front-row seat at the Brioni show, actor James Marsden said he’ll soon be promoting a comedy with Jack Black called “The D-Train” at the Sundance film festival. He said working with Black was “even more fun than you would imagine. We’d been wanting to do a film together, and we finally found the right project. I am really excited about everyone going to see it.” He’s also just signed on to another project, HBO’s one-hour pilot “Westworld” alongside actors including Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Thandie Newton. “I play a newcomer to a town in the American West. I’m young and I’m known for being good with a gun,” said Marsden, who described the drama as a “sci-fi Western.”

Max Irons pulled off quite a feat for his latest movie, “Woman in Gold,” learning to speak German in four months. “I play a younger self of Helen Mirren’s boyfriend,” Irons said.

While enjoying the role and working with Mirren, he admitted “it was quite stressful.” Referring to his brief trip to Milan for the Brioni show, he confessed: “I don’t speak any Italian.”

— SAMANTHA CONTI AND L.Z.

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WWD.COM12 WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015

GREATSBudding sneaker brand Greats raised $4 million in Series A funding and is planning to ex-pand operations, add catego-ries and plant its retail fl ag.

The latest round of funding was led by Resolute Ventures and comes on the heels of a $1.5 million seed round that closed in April. Over the past six months, Greats’ four styles and “Born in Brooklyn, Made in Italy” ethos has helped it draw about $1.2 million in sales.

Founder and chief execu-tive officer Ryan Babenzien said the brand’s sales would hit $6 million to $8 million this year as it branches out.

The ceo is hungry to hire — especially in the areas of e-mail marketing and digital adver-tising — and plans to double his team of nine by year’s end. To accommodate the growth, Greats will move into bigger of-fi ces next month, but will stay in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

“We’re never leaving from Brooklyn as a headquarters,” Babenzien said. “We were born in Brooklyn. It’s part of our DNA. It’s important we stay here.”

Greats is also looking for space to open a fully realized store to open by summer, hav-ing outgrown the tiny, part-time sneaker shop it operates in its headquarters.

Next month, the brand will introduce its fi fth silhouette,

an elevated version of a traditional running

shoe that will be handmade in Italy with leather ac-cents. And then in the

spring, Greats’ fi rst wholesale partnership with Mr Porter will kick off.

After that, women’s is in the offi ng.

Babenzien said, “Every day we get some sort of request or communication from women” looking for particular styles. To meet that demand, Greats will start making smaller sizes of some of the existing styles.

share of the market. We have an opportunity to provide a better experience to the plus-size guest. The experience will be much more distinct and much more compelling. We can increase our share of the market and become more distinct and declarative by offering something that we feel doesn’t currently exist.”

Marshal Cohen, chief indus-try analyst for The NPD Group, said 37 percent of consumers in the U.S. said they wear a plus size on the top or bottom. “Plus sizes only represent 15 percent of the total apparel business’ $116 billion in annual sales. That means it’s underserved.”

Long overlooked by high-end designers and contemporary la-bels, the plight of the plus-size shopper has been well-documented. Target conducted focus groups with these shoppers, who said that they want to partake in the same trends as their smaller-sized cohorts. Typically, large-size options tend to be bland and boring, devoid of the personal-ity and point-of-view seen in regular-size assortments. Experts said it takes about a year for trends to trickle down to the plus-size market.

“This guest is really a fashion-forward woman who happens to be a plus size,” Andersen said. “She wants something happy, fun and bright and made just for her. She wants the same thing found on the ready-to-wear pad. When we put out pieces that stand out a little more, items that are more chic, more trend-driven and more statement in nature, they tend-ed to perform. We’re excited to launch with a very clear aes-thetic and point-of-view based on guest research.”

In the past, Target’s plus-size assortment was, by its own admis-sion, disjointed. “The internal de-sign team would pick and choose different pieces from each of the brands and extend that into plus,” Andersen said. “You’d walk into a store that had bits and pieces designed for different con-sumers by different teams.”

Target is taking a more co-herent approach with Ava & Viv. “We’ve developed one team in-ternally that is focusing on this brand,” Andersen said. “One team works on design, fi t and trends. We’re staying abreast of the trends and how to interpret the trends for the plus-size market. This one brand, Ava & Viv, will serve as our centerpiece in all of our stores. All plus-size merchandise in stores now will be moving online.

If you love a plus size in Merona you can still fi nd it online.”

Andersen said plus-size consumers “are a very vocal group” who’s not shy about complaining about the lack of sartorial op-tions. Target for the last couple of years “ignored plus sizes,”

said Nicolette Mason, plus-size blogger for Marie Claire, who is one of three bloggers hired to help Target promote the brand. “A lot of the plus-size merchan-dise at Target has been de-creased. To have a line and have the real estate in stores devoted to plus sizes, especially a line that’s being designed in-house by Target’s design team, is huge. Target represents great leader-ship in design. Before, a lot of the plus-size apparel had been bought from the marketplace. Now, there will be standardiza-tion in terms of fi t and sizing. A really cohesive collection with a direction and point-of-view is being created. It’s something you

can mix-and-match, from day to night and work to weekend. I’ve seen the fi rst couple of deliveries of the collection. The colors are fantastic, the prints are great and there are exciting silhouettes and shapes. The plus-size customer is going to be very happy.”

The biggest issue with the plus-size market “is that there hasn’t been a lot of variety,” Mason said. “Lane Bryant is the biggest [plus size] brick-and-mortar retailer in the U.S. They’ve made some head-way there.” Mason was referring to Lane Bryant’s partnership with Isabel and Reuben Toledo and an upcoming hook-up with Lela Rose. “Most of the market has ex-clusively been online.” Web sites catering to full-fi gure shoppers in-clude ASOS Curve, Modcloth and Fullbeauty, a $1 billion e-tailer with labels such as Woman Within, Jessica London and Roaman’s.

“It’s very fragmented,” Andersen said of the plus-size market. “Guests wouldn’t tell you there’s one dominant place that’s winning in terms of stores.”

Target could have some com-petition on the plus-size front. “Retailers such as Macy’s and J.C. Penney are trying to ener-gize that business,” Cohen said. “Plus size lost its fl oor space to the accessories boom and never got it back. The women’s busi-ness has leveled out. We’re see-ing a renewed interest by retail to fi nd growth in new places.”

Target has had a complicated relationship with the plus-size community. Chastity Garner, the Garner Style blogger, in August called for a boycott of Altuzarra for Target, because the collection didn’t include any sizes over 16. Garner said she’d stop supporting the re-tailer until it became more in-clusive. “Year after year, season after season, you put out these gorgeous designer collections and you almost never include

a plus range,” Garner wrote on her blog. “Every time each of these collections is about to be released, it feels like a slap in the face. To add insult to injury, over six months ago, you took most of your plus-size cloth-ing out of the store, promising something new and improved and that has yet to happen.” Garner said she would only re-turn to Target when it would “include true plus sizes in your designer range collaborations.”

In a twist, Garner is one of the three bloggers hired by Target. The other is Gabi Gregg, whose Gabi Fresh blog encour-ages large-size women to wear what she called “fatkinis,” re-vealing two-piece swimsuits that celebrate large sizes rather than shaming them. The blog-gers, who served as Ava & Viv’s look-book models, spent time at Target’s Minneapolis headquar-ters, immersing themselves in the brand. “Our public relations team, social media team and

merchandising team tapped into them,” Andersen said. She was quick to point out, though, that the blog-gers “didn’t design the line. We took some of their input on things we’re thinking about for fall. We have asked them to be 110 percent authentic. Their loyal followers would be able to smell something that was awry a mile away.”

“One of our goals with the line is to show the versatility of it,” Andersen said. “We started to look at these fashionable women [bloggers] who hap-pen to be plus size, who have a really good pulse on how to dress for your body. They know what’s trend-right and what con-sumers are responding

to. They are a main source of news and inspiration for their plus-size audiences. They’re not afraid of fashion. They all have a very different aesthetic.”

Ava & Viv will consist of wardrobe basics such as tops and T-shirts as well as blous-es, pants, jeans, skirts, shorts, sweaters, dresses, outerwear and swimwear. “There’s a lot of denim, trend-driven statement pieces and jackets,” Andersen said. “We created a brand for a woman who loves fashion and just happens to be plus. There’s botanicals and a lot of other spring prints that will be a little brighter and happier. The fab-rics will be super fl attering.”

The brand will be updated with new products monthly. “We want to give her reasons to come back to the fl oor,” Andersen said, noting that Ava & Viv’s prices will range from $10 to $79.99. “When we launch a new brand we want to make sure there’s an approchable price point.”

Target Launches Ava & Viv Plus-Size Line

Backers Fund Apparel, Footwear Online Brands

Greats “Royale” high-top sneaker.

The logo for the new brand.

Gabi Gregg, Chastity Garner and Nicolette Mason.

Investors are clearly interested in betting on digital brands with a laser focus. Witness the fl urry of fund-raising happening in the world of online vertical retailing, where a strong emphasis on a single category is helping The Black Tux and Greats build a following and bring in cash to fuel their ambitions. — Rachel Strugatz

{Continued from page one}

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THE BLACK TUXThe Black Tux is the fi rst vertically integrated suit and tuxedo rental company to be born on-line — and it just raised $10 million to vastly ex-pand its inventory and the number of styles it offers to consumers. Including a $2.6 million seed round raised in 2013 and $2.4 million in angel investments, the brand has raised $15 million to date.

Founded by Andrew Blackmon and Patrick Coyne in 2013, the Web site specializes in sourcing, manufacturing and designing its styles in-house. Nothing is for sale at Theblacktux.com — all suits and tuxedos are available for rental fees ranging from $95 to $120, considerably lower than the national chain average of about $150 to over $200. There’s an as-sociate team that services grooms and wedding parties, as well as a trained fi t team that works with a sizing algorithm to make sure consumers order the right sizes.

“We went out and looked at the market for rental tuxedos and suits, and we found that it was pri-marily two manufacturers making everything that is rented in the U.S.,” Blackmon said. “It was very uniform quality. They made suits out of polyester, shirts out of mi-crofi ber and shoes out of plastic.”

This caused Blackmon and Coyne to seek out additional channels with higher quality materials — eventually leading them to Italian wool fabric mill

Tollegno, which wove fabrics specifically for The Black Tux. Factories in Asia — some of the same facilities that make suits for Burberry and J. Crew — sew the goods, making the end result a tuxedo or suit that would retail for about $1,200, according to Blackmon.

“We have been con-strained by supply, not demand. We’ve often been sold out during cer-tain months — all of last year basically,” Blackmon said, adding that the company had more than

20,000 customers on waitlists to rent suits and tuxedos last year.

Blackmon said that the Series A round, led by First Round Capital with participation from Menlo Ventures and The Raine Group, will largely go toward buying inventory – and a lot more of it. They will also move to a larger warehouse in Los Angeles, where the company is based, and double the staff of 50 by year’s end. Blackmon declined to dis-close revenue projections.

Andrew Blackmon and Patrick Coyne