EXCLUSIVE: ANDAM Announces Prize Finalists

PARIS — Coperni, Hed Mayner, Koché and Kwaidan Editions are this year’s finalists for the French fashion prize ANDAM, worth 250,000 euros.
“This year’s selection of Andam finalists was particularly diverse and interesting,” noted Renzo Rosso, head of Italian fashion group OTB, owner of Maison Margiela, who is this year’s mentor to the prize winner. Rosso noted the selection was not linked to a single market trend or “too business driven.”
Coperni, founded by Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, was a finalist for an ANDAM prize in 2014. The designers went on to become artistic directors of Courrèges until 2017 and relaunched their brand earlier this year, taking to the catwalk for Paris Fashion Week in February.
Israeli designer Hed Mayner also showed his men’s wear collection in Paris in February, playing on bulk and layering in neutral tones. Koché, Christelle Kocher’s upscale ready-to-wear label with streetwear and contemporary art references, was featured in WWD’s feature “Ten of Tomorrow in 2016.”
Léa Dickely and Hung La are the design duo behind Kwaidan Editions, a finalist for the LVMH prize last year.
ANDAM, the French acronym for the National Association for the Development of the Fashion Arts, is one of France’s oldest and most prestigious prizes,

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MILAN — Woolrich International has named Stefano Saccone as its new chief executive officer. The appointment will be effective this summer.
Saccone, who succeeds Paolo Corinaldesi, joins Woolrich International from VF Corp., where most recently he was vice president and general manager of Vans EMEA. In the American group, he also covered the role of vice president sales and marketing of Napapijri EMEA and vice president and general manager of Eastpack. In the past, he also worked for Ermenegildo Zegna, Procter & Gamble, Ralph Lauren and Nike.
In his new role, Saccone will lead the expansion plan of Woolrich International — which last year passed under the control of L-Gam, a Luxembourg-based investment firm backed by the princely family of Liechtenstein — in specific markets, including North America, Asia, England and France, along with consolidating the company’s retail plan with a focus on online commerce and an omnichannel strategy.
“It is a privilege to join Woolrich at this exciting time and I look forward to building on the outstanding work of Cristina Calori [the owner of WP Lavori in Corso, the company formerly controlling Woolrich] and Andrea Canè [Woolrich creative director] to further grow the brand and business,” Saccone said, adding that he

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It’s live! Fenty.com opened for business on Wednesday, the public consummation of the much-hyped commitment between Rihanna and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Vocal reaction to the nascent partnership has been mostly euphoric, the deal touted as indicative of fashion’s expanding borders, a major step for Rihanna in her ongoing evolution from global pop star to global pop-culture mogul, and a salient move by LVMH for having brought this creative juggernaut into its fold, a pro-diversity milestone laudable in an industry not as worldly woke as it likes to fancy itself.
No question, the deal puts Rihanna on a well-funded path to potential luxury mogul-hood and puts yet another LVMH brand firmly in the limelight. Yet one aspect of this partnership has been under-discussed: What it represents for the larger industry, in particular, for the pure creation side, and for the future trajectory of the traditionally trained designer.
The celebrity infiltration of fashion didn’t happen yesterday, nor did it start in the design studio. It first emerged on the cover of magazines, when models got shoved aside in favor of actresses. That was long ago, and a great deal has happened since (that models have made something of comeback even as magazines

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In a major move for East-West fashion relations, Adrian Cheng, the Hong Kong-based founder of K11 Group and C Ventures, has been named the first CFDA global ambassador with the mandate to help emerging and established American designers expand their international businesses.
As part of his four-year ambassadorial role, Cheng, the 39-year-old entrepreneur, will support the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s educational programs and play a key role in helping American designers’ strategies in China, and throughout Asia. The CFDA and Cheng will develop a series of international programs, apprentice programs and scholarships that foster cross-cultural exchanges to create innovative business models and approaches. The relationship is also expected to drive growth for the CFDA across Asia.
“My ambition is to build communities that make a transformative impact through art, culture, architecture, design, heritage, craftsmanship and sustainability,” said Cheng. “So it is an honor to become the CFDA’s first-ever global ambassador to work with them to support, nurture and accelerate the next generations of American fashion talent through a global perspective.”
In 2008, Cheng founded K11 Group, which encompasses a portfolio of companies including retail, luxury residences and working spaces. By 2024, there is expected to be 36 K11 projects in nine

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Prada has developed an exclusive collection for online store TheDoubleF, the digital arm of Italian retailer Folli Follie.
The limited-edition collection, which will be available at the e-tailer June 1 to 23, includes 20 pieces for women and 15 men’s styles, spanning from ready-to-wear to accessories and footwear.
“We are honored that such a prestigious brand decided to develop a very articulated, rich collection for us,” said Francesco Galli, Folli Follie chief executive officer. “This project will inaugurate a series of collaborations that we will develop with a range of international brands to offer our customers exclusive, unique products.”

TheDoubleF x Prada limited-edition collection. 
Courtesy Photo

The capsule includes designs mainly crafted from cotton, nylon and nylon gabardine, while the color palette combines black with red, hot pink and emerald green. The pieces, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, skirts and dresses, are embellished with prints and patches featuring lightning bolts, graphic roses, or monster’s hands, done in something of a romantic way. The same motifs return in the accessories, such as chain bags, totes and baseball caps.
A preview of the collection, which will be promoted through a digital campaign with Asian influencers, will be available for selected guests at One-Off, the luxury multibrand store opened earlier

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The Swedish automaker has partnered with Varjo, a Finish company that makes high-end mixed reality headsets.

Jennifer Lopez and Guess Inc. appear to enjoy working together.
The singer and actress, along with the Los Angeles denim label, said Thursday they’ve struck a deal that brings Guess along for Lopez’s “It’s My Party” tour with a range of concert T-shirts and a Lopez-inspired graphic denim jacket.
The tour starts June 7 at The Forum in L.A. and includes more than 30 stops in the U.S. and Canada in June and July, including Madison Square Garden in New York, Prudential Center in New Jersey, American Airlines Arena in Miami, United Center in Chicago and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Guess will provide custom pieces for Lopez’s back-up dancers and Lopez herself will wear Guess- and Marciano-branded pieces during fan meet-and-greets. On the merchandise side, Guess created a line of concert merchandise exclusive to the tour and to be sold within the venues. A few pieces from the line will also be sold in the company’s stores and online.

A piece from the capsule Guess created for Jennifer Lopez’s “It’s My Party” tour. 

As more companies explore the potential in “merch-driven” capsules stemming from the continued consumer interest in the graphic T-shirt, concert merchandise isn’t a far stretch. It’s not the first time Guess has

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AT LAST: Japanese affordable retailer Uniqlo announced on Thursday that its first Italian store will open its doors on Sept. 13 in Milan.
As reported, the company has secured a three-level space in the city’s historic Piazza Cordusio, near Piazza del Duomo, where it will offer LifeWear for men, women and kids over a 16,146-square-foot surface.
Uniqlo Italia’s chief operating officer Kohsuke Kobayashi expressed respect “for Italians and their cultural heritage. There are many similarities between Italy and Japan, ranging from the importance of beauty and the quality of life to instinctively appreciating design and innovation.”
The flagship will occupy one of the main buildings at the central Piazza Cordusio square, which is undergoing significant real estate changes and is increasingly becoming attractive to tourists. In addition to the upcoming Uniqlo launch and Starbucks’ first Milanese unit opened there last year, the area is expected to welcome a luxury hotel under the Melià banner in the future.
Meanwhile, Uniqlo’s products are already available in Italy through the brand’s online store.
Italy is 10th European country entered by the company and marks the brand’s 23rd market overall. The label counts more than 2,000 stores in 22 countries worldwide.
Uniqlo is one of the eight brands controlled by

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GOING GREEN: Within its long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility, Benetton Group said Thursday it plans to convert all of its cotton production to be entirely sustainable by 2025. 
In 2015 the Italian fashion group created a sustainability committee and in 2017 it became a member of the Better Cotton Initiative, a worldwide program that aims to make cotton production increasingly sustainable for the people involved in its production, as well as for the environment. As part of this, last year the group succeeded in having 23 percent of the cotton used for the Sisley and United Colors of Benetton collections be certified by the BCI.
“Cotton is one of the fibers most loved by consumers, who appreciate its versatility and freshness. However, its conventional cultivation — with fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals — negatively impacts the environment,” stated the company. “Our commitment to BCI broadens the sphere of action beyond environmental protection, to include also both social and economic aspects.”
By 2025 the group expects to work with cotton that is 100 percent sustainable for both of its brands — whether organic, recycled or sourced from BCI-certified farmers.

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NEW LOOK: Handbag designer Tara Ghazanfar introduced London’s fashion set to the wonders of Persian cuisine Wednesday night.
Guests like jewelry designers Anissa Kermiche and Leila Kashanipour, influencers Soraya Bakhtiar, Nina Suess and Camille Charriere were among those who took in the feast of colors and spices at the Iranian restaurant Hafez in West London.
The occasion was the launch of the new fall 2019 collection for Ghazanfar’s handbag label Tara Zadeh, which she expanded to include a broader range of styles.
“I will always want to keep our signature Azar clutch in the collections, but I wanted to also bring in more new ideas. You still have this focus on geometric shapes and the play with color and texture, but also a dose of newness,” said Ghazanfar, who hails from Iran and is London-based.

Anissa Kermiche, Tara Ghazanfar and Camille Charriere. 
Courtesy of Abbie Roden

A former graphic designer, Ghazanfar took on the accessories market three years ago and quickly built an audience and key global stockists — including Net-a-porter, Browns, Selfridges and Moda Operandi — around her flair for bold colors and graphic, geometric shapes.
Her signature circular-shaped Azar clutch is a big Instagram hit, but while it will remain a collection hero, the designer felt

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