type here...

Tag: major

The Latest Appointments: Chanel, Daimler & Condé Nast

Luxury LuxuryActivist -

5837_anna_medium

Anna Wintour has been appointed artistic director at Condé Nast

The Latest luxury industry appointments at Barneys, Daimler, Chanel, Tod’s, Condé Nast, Aquascutum, Raymond Weil, Walpole, Sofitel & Volvo

Richemont has announced the retirement of Ms Pilar Boxford, effective 1 April 2013. She will step down from the Group Management Committee at that time after serving the Swiss conglomerate since 1979. Following her retirement, she will continue as a consultant, supporting the Maisons on key public relations matters.

Henrik Fisker has resigned as executive chairman, citing “several major disagreements” with top management on business strategy, according to an email he apparently distributed to several major news organisations. According to Brand Channel, Fisker was integral to the design of the company’s cars as well as its name.

Shiseido Co. President Hisayuki Suekawa will step down for health reasons at the end of March 2013. Chairman Shinzo Maeda, who was president from 2005 to 2011, will take on the added role of president.

Mark Taylor, COO, Acquascutum

Aquascutum has hired former Juicy Couture finance director Mark Taylor as its chief operating officer for its UK business. Mr. Taylor took up the position in early March, replacing former Aquascutum boss Tim Dally, who stepped down due to ill health. He will report directly to Aquascutum International’s executive director and general manager, Andrew Chan.

Source: Fashion United

Jennifer Sunwoo, EVP, Barneys

Barneys New York has confirmed that Jennifer Sunwoo has been promoted to executive vice president and general merchandise manager for women’s, effective immediately. The former Bergdorf’s divisional merchandise manager of designer sportswear, joined Barneys in 2011 as the senior vice president of women’s designer fashion.

Source: WWD

Christine Dagousset Global President, Fragrance & Beauty, Chanel

Christine Dagousset, currently executive vice president of fragrance and beauté at Chanel Inc. in the U.S., has been appointed global president for the division. Ms. Dagousset began an 11-year tenure with L’Oréal as an intern in the household products division. In 1998 she was approached by Chanel to become senior vice president for global skincare, based in France.

Source: WWD

Victor Luis, CEO, Coach

Coach Inc. has named Victor Luis, head of the company’s international business, to succeed Chief Executive Officer Lew Frankfort next year. Frankfort, who was named CEO in 1995, will become executive chairman as of January 2014. Coach named Luis president and chief commercial officer in the interim and said he’ll also join the board.

Source: Bloomberg

Anna Wintour, Artistic Director, Condé Nast

Condé Nast has promoted Anna Wintour to the newly created role of artistic director, further to her duties as editor in chief of Vogue and editorial director of Teen Vogue. “The establishment of an Artistic Director is a reflection of our commitment to preserve and champion all that exists ‘Only at Condé Nast,’” Charles H. Townsend, the chief executive of Condé Nast.

Source: Fashionista

Dieter Zetsche, CEO, Daimler

Daimler has extended Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche’s term until the end of 2016. The automaker has also named manufacturing manager Wolfgang Bernhard as head of the Daimler Trucks division, switching roles with Andreas Renschler, who will oversee production and purchasing at Mercedes-Benz cars and vans.

Source: Bloomberg

David Chu, CEO, Georg Jensen

Georg Jensen has appointed David Chu – the original founder of Nautica – as its new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Chu previously served as Georg Jensen co-chair of the Board of Directors and chief creative officer. He will continue to serve as a board member as well as the chief creative officer, overseeing the design direction and strategy for all products.

Source: Retail Jeweller

Ann McLaughlin Korologos, Jean Tomlin, Board of Directors, Michael Kors

Michael Kors Holdings Limited has appointed Ann McLaughlin Korologos and Jean Tomlin to the Company’s Board of Directors. Ann McLaughlin Korologos is a former U.S. Secretary of Labor with extensive experience in the areas of international markets, marketing, regulatory and government affairs, policymaking and corporate governance.

Jean Tomlin has over 35 years experience in human resources, employee relations, training and development. Since 2006, Ms. Tomlin has served as Director, Human Resources of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Source: BusinessWire

Stuart Sklar, VP, Raymond Weil North America

Raymond Weil has appointed Stuart Sklar as vice president of North America. Sklar previously held the positions of vice president of national sales at Bulova, senior vice president at Movado Group, and president at Maurice Lacroix.

Source: JCK Online

François Tauriac, Managing Director, Richard Mille

Richard Mille has appointed François Tauriac as managing director. Mr. Tauriac has spent his entire career at the Figaro Group as a journalist, starting out in the politics department of the group’s French daily newspaper. He has also developed a number of innovative online and digital applications, including the first magazine television channel on YouTube: “Very Watch”.

Source: FHH

Sirinate Meenakul, Global Brand Director, Sofitel So

Sofitel Luxury Hotels has appointed Sirinate Meenakul as its first Global Brand Director for the Sofitel So label, the ‘boutique hotel’ vision of Sofitel. Mr. Meenakul has served almost two decades in the hospitality sector, and will spearhead and strategise the overall brand positioning of Sofitel So.

Source: eTravel Blackboard

Alessandra Facchinetti, Creative Director, Tod’s

Tod’s has hired former Gucci and Valentino designer Alessandra Facchinetti as creative director, where she will oversee the company’s womenswear line. Her first collection will be presented during the Milan fashion week in September 2013. Facchinetti, who debuted as designer of Prada’s edgy brand MiuMiu in 1994, made her name as creative head at Gucci, Moncler and Valentino.

Source: Reuters

Robin Page, Interior Design, Volvo

Volvo has hired the man responsible for designing the interiors of the Bentley Continental and Mulsanne. Bentley’s head of interior design, Robin Page, has confirmed he’s joining Volvo to head up the interior design department at the Swedish automaker.

Source: Motor Authority

Sue O’Brien, Board of Directors, Walpole

Sue O’Brien has been appointed to the Walpole board of directors, the luxury brands trade body that represents British brands. In addition to her new role, O’Brien has been the group chief executive of Norman Broadbent since 2008, and she created the Human Capital Consulting Group which helps deliver and assess innovative leaders of the future.

Source: Fashion United

For more in the series of The Latest Appointments, please see our most recent editions as follows:

- The Latest Appointments: Bulgari, Burberry & Four Seasons
- The Latest Appointments: Harrods, Balenciaga & Louis Vuitton
- The Latest Appointments: Christie’s, Richemont & Ferrari

Fashion Roundup: Golden Globe Trends Aside Lady Gaga’s Ripped Pants

On the spot LuxuryActivist -
7X7 for Rihanna on Complex7X7 for Rihanna on Complex

What a fashionable 70th Anniversary Golden Globe Awards ceremony! Just take a look at some of the greatest trends spotted at this year’s first major event of the awards season -- from bold and ravishing red dresses to pale nude shades. (Fashionista)

Kate Upton alert! The new Brigitte Bardot of her generation, Kate Upton, has come a long way from being a ‘Sports Illustrated’ cover model to a high fashion icon. Upton features on the cover of the January issue of Elle France, including a great sunny and fun editorial spread. (styleite)

Celebrity red carpet appearances in 360 degree view! E!’s Glam Cam allows viewers to review for themselves the amazing outfits on all your favorite stars. From Zooey D to Golden Globe winner Lena Dunham, Kelly Osbourne, and many more. (E!)

Pants these days are getting too tight, so tight they are liable to actually rip. Well, this horrifying tale actually happened to Lady Gaga on stage this week, and in front of thousands of Canadians! The mega stars black latex pants could not handle the pressure and ripped at the butt crack. What does Gaga do? She moons the crowd! You can always count on Gaga to make the best of an awkward situation -- good for her! (Huffington Post)

And the battle continues between Rihanna and Beyonce. Who will have the sexiest cover by the end of the year? Rihanna covers ‘Complex’ February/ March issue 7 times in 7 different outfits. All photos were photographed by Zoe McConnell and styled by Mel Ottenberg, featuring breathtaking looks for the hot singer. (MTV Style)

Closing this week’s list of fashion highlights, here are your best and worst from the Golden Globes: featuring Halle Berry as one of the worst wearing a dress which can be describes as a “curtain” and Emily Blunt showing great taste in a delicate green dress. Take a look:

Fashion Roundup: Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis Split, Emma Stone On The Cover of Vogue, and Is Kate Upton The World’s First Social Media…

On the spot LuxuryActivist -

Fashion Roundup: Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis Split, Emma Stone On The Cover of Vogue, and Is Kate Upton The World’s First Social Media Supermodel?

It’s the end for the world’s most fashionable couple! CFDA fashion icon Johnny Depp and Chanel muse Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated after 14 years together and 2 children.

The pair, who have never married, have been living separate lives for months after moving to Los Angeles from France and haven’t appeared on a red carpet together in more than a year. Paradis, a French model, singer, and actress is currently in France promoting her movie Je Me Suis Fait Tout Petit. Depp was recently named the Council of Fashion Designers’ fashion icon for 2012 and received the Generation Award at the MTV Movie Awards this year. (People)

Emma Stone gets around! She recently appeared on the cover of New York magazine, where she talked about being flattered by comedian Jim Carrey’s creepy public crush. Stone is also making her debut on the cover of Vogue’s July issue with photos shot by fashion photographer Mario Testino. This cover comes just in time for the release of her Spider-Man movie with costar Andrew Garfield, who is now her boyfriend. Could this pair take Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’s spot as “Most Fashionable Couple?” (Vogue)

Fashionista.com is asking if Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton is the world’s first social media supermodel. (We thought Coco Rocha had that title?) According to the blog, Upton has made strategic decisions on social media platforms like YouTube and Twitter, posing for controversial fashion photographer Terry Richardson in photos and videos that went viral. (Fashionista)

We’re not really sure why Alexa Chung is famous. She was the host of a now debunked MTV talk show and she shows up at all the major fashion shows. She also has a killer style. Whatever the case, the brands seem to love her--pushing her to appear in their ads. Her newest endeavor? A modern French brand named Maje that has tapped the British TV presenter to be the face of their Fall advertising campaign. She plays the part of “elegant yet edgy” 60s heroine for the shoot. (WWD)

Jennifer Hudson is a singer, actress, and role model for girls who want to shed pounds in a healthy fashion. Now, she’s also a fashion designer. The “American Idol” alum has put together a budget-friendly fashion line for QVC, which caters to average-size women from sizes 6 to 16. The line includes affordable dresses, leggings, skirts, and coats. She isn’t the first celeb to turn fashion designer for QVC. Nicole Richie, Heidi Klum, and even the Kardashians have come before her. (Stylelist)

Mihara Yasuhiro

On the spot LuxuryActivist -

You can always hear the call of the wild in a Miharayasuhiro collection. Since Yasuhiro added menswear to his sneaker empire eight years ago, the label’s eponymous(ish) founder has been roaming the great outdoors, producing collections that merge a romantic notion of nature with an urban sensibility. The richly textured silhouettes are rooted in English tailoring, but executed in spliced-and-diced fabrics printed with painterly motifs from his homeland, and often presented alongside live performances by Japanese artists. For spring/summer 2013, Yasuhiro turned his gaze upon American rockers, transforming hard-as-nails leathers into something altogether more poetic to create an anti-hero outlaw.

This year, Yasuhiro is gracing the UK with two major events: a place in Tate Britain’s Pre-Raphaelites Victorian Avant-Garde exhibition, where his spring/summer 2012 womenswear film Ophelia Has a Dream by Paolo Roversi will be shown alongside Sir John Everett Millais’ Ophelia, and a pop-up store at London boutique Browns’s menswear store, the scene of our interview.

How did you approach the design of your Browns installation?
I wanted the room to give an insight into the work that goes into my clothes. So I wallpapered the space with images from the shoe factory I use in Tokyo, and the chairs in here are inspired by the workers’ chairs in the factory. I like the look of the chipped paint – you can see it’s been in use. Each chair represents a different stage in the work process and the craftsmanship and hours that go into making the pieces, like the camouflage and Japanese motif suits from AW12.

Could you explain your thoughts behind this idea of weaving in camouflage with traditional Japanese clouds and cherry blossoms?
My collection is called Inside Out, and plays on different aspects of that notion. There’s a Japanese expression that says your outside shows your inside, but I wanted to challenge this idea by creating pieces that show both – pieces where you don’t know which is which. The needlepoint prints are part of this idea and were done at an old obi factory in Tokyo. The flowers and waves are traditional patterns from the kimono, blended with camouflage to contrast the ancient and pure with the military connotations of modern amouflage. It’s also about what’s hidden. Camouflage is about hiding among the trees and flowers, but this camouflage clearly displays itself. So I was playing with the hidden meanings of an outfit.

Is the idea of man versus nature something you think about?
I find the contrast very beautiful. Tokyo especially is a very grey city – all concrete and asphalt – and the reality is that most fashion today is seen in a grey cityscape environment, so people become the nature element. I like to draw on nature themes in my work, but I also like to then do them in an all-grey medium, like the Japanese obi prints.

How much of your work process is an intellectual response and how much is an emotional one?
Good question. I think I’m more of a realist than a dreamer. At art college I was very caught up in the emotional side, and a lot of artists probably maintain that way of working. But as a designer, the practical can overtake the emotional. Patternmaking and production are quite unemotional. Everything for me starts with an emotional response, but I have to intellectualise my feelings. The point where I’m most emotional is when I have to explain a piece to the craftsman who’s going to make it. Then I tend to get very passionate. But a lot of the time it’s a hidden emotion.

Is there an idea or concept that you always return to?
The idea of ‘sublime meets ridiculous’ really fascinates me. For example, these two contrasting tartans on the jacket I’m wearing might seem ridiculous to some, but at the same time the expression is also very noble. I’m always looking at the clash between the two, and how things might change depending on the viewer.

You’ve collaborated with samurai guitarist Miyavi and Japanese design studio WOW for your shows. What is your secret to a successful show?
A show is such a fleeting moment. When you’ve worked on something for six months, day and night, you want that moment to make an impact. I’m interested in giving people something unexpected. I want them to leave with a story to tell.

Jun Inoue’s live calligraphy at your SS13 men’s show was striking.
Previously, I’ve been a bit against using certain aspects of Japanese culture in my work, and there was a time when I thought something like shodo calligraphy was too Japanese. I’ve had similar feelings towards the kimono. Living in Japan, you can feel very removed from all that nowadays. It’s like a costume from a bygone age that you can’t relate to, and it’s become almost a clich. But I’m seeing all this in a new light now.

So what do you think of non-Japanese designers working with the kimono?
It may look Japanese, but it’s not. But then, tailoring came from the west, and (Rei) Kawakubo and that generation of designers became famous for destroying tailoring. So I think about what western designers think of my tailoring. They might feel I’m destroying the concept of it, but I hope people can see I’m trying to retain the structure while making something new. Which is also why I’m now rethinking my views on aspects of traditional Japanese culture. There’s always more than one side to everything.

What part of Japanese pop culture inspires you the most?
Manga. I love it. I buy manga magazines every week, and my collection keeps growing. Manga is a very immediate and often critical reaction to what’s going on in culture and society right now, and a medium that reaches a huge amount of people. What do you hope to convey with your work? It’s quite simple, really. I want to see people happy. It might be impossible to change the world or the economy, but at least you can change how people feel.

Text by Susanne Madsen
Photography by Gareth McConnell

Taken from the December issue of Dazed & Confused

Advertismentspot_img

Most Popular

Green Notes

Swiss Blog

Top Categories

About us

LuxuryActivist.com is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Since 2010.

Follow us

© LuxuryActivist.com 2025