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PARIS — The Karl Lagerfeld label is heading to the Pitti Uomo trade show with a new unified men’s wear collection and a capsule line curated by the designer’s longtime personal assistant Sébastien Jondeau.
The label plans to fuse its Lagerfeld and Karl Lagerfeld labels under a single Karl Lagerfeld collection, which will be presented for the first time at the fair taking place in Florence from Jan. 9 to 12.
“Pitti represents an exciting platform to showcase our Karl Lagerfeld men’s collection and vision,” said Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive officer of Karl Lagerfeld. “It is our mission to continuously excite our consumers with great stories and make them a part of our brand experience.”
Jondeau, who has appeared in the label’s advertising campaigns and often flanks Lagerfeld on the red carpet, has designed a range of clothes spanning from sweatshirts to tuxedos, inspired by his multitasking lifestyle and love of sports such as boxing and motocross.
The Karl Lagerfeld Curated by Sébastien Jondeau collection, which includes ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear, will launch from August in Karl Lagerfeld stores worldwide, online at karl.com and via select wholesale partners.
“It’s everything I like to wear, like an ideal version of my wardrobe,” Jondeau told WWD

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WOMAN’S HOUR: Call it the Harvey Weinstein effect. Two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett is to be president of the jury at the 71st edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, making her the 12th woman to fill the role in the festival’s history. Spanish director Pedro Almodovar occupied the seat last year.
The festival will be held from May 8 to May 19 – the day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding – and this year will open on a Tuesday and end on a Saturday.
The 48-year-old Australian actress, who has been vocal in her support of the women who have come forward in the Weinstein affair after a series of sexual assault statements were made against the producer, is also one of 300 female Hollywood actors, directors, producers, agents, writers and executives backing the recently launched Time’s Up initiative to help fight sexual harassment in the workplace.
Declaring she was “humbled by the privilege and responsibility” of the role, Blanchett in a statement on Thursday shared some of her own achievements as a festival regular. Most recently, in 2015, she attended the event for “Carol” by Todd Haynes, a film that she co-produced with the Weinstein Co. and

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YEE GOES THE FOOD ROUTE: Patrick Yee, who left his role as chief executive officer of Laird + Partners last month, has lined up a new gig. He has been named chief marketing officer of Daily Harvest, a New York-based subscription service specializing in frozen, plant-based, one-step-prep foods, which recently closed $43 million in Series B funding.
“For me, more than ever, food is such a reflection of your personality and your style,” Yee said. “I was personally moved so much by how my experience with food has evolved over the years — in that gap between how I aspire to eat versus the way that I end up eating, when I haven’t had lunch at 3 p.m. and I’m rushing to try to find something, or I’ve got to get out of the door and I have minus five minutes. I think for the modern professional, it’s such a challenge to eat the way that you want to. There’s been this larger shift of wellness and food, and it’s a huge driver of your lifestyle.”
Prior to joining Laird + Partners, Yee was executive vice president of marketing and strategy at Refinery29 for eight years. Before that, he was founder and

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Linger a little too long in a store and loss prevention may get a bit suspicious. Wander aimlessly in a hotel lobby or rest your feet atop a coffee table staring aimlessly out the window? No problem.
As the competitive landscape has demanded new skill sets from brands and the delivery of experiential and immersive retail — whatever that may mean — marketers these days are increasingly taking their cues from the hospitality industry. More specifically, hotels offer everything from inspiration on service in a store or retail center to some companies embarking on far more ambitious projects, such as their own boutique hotels for the ultimate in brand immersion.
The convergence is certainly not new.
“Although it’s not a regular thing, it’s growing and the boutique lifestyle industry is growing very tremendously. The industry has been design-oriented for a while,” said CBRE Hotels managing director Bruce Baltin, citing Ralph Lauren’s work on the Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica and the Armani Hotel Dubai.
“You look at hotels, travel and fashion historically and you can see intersection from designers who have done suites or the interior. We’ve seen hotels and designers collaborate on uniforms. You see that in the restaurant business, too.

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In the first fashion deal of the year, Elie Tahari Ltd. and Bluestar Alliance LLC have formed a new joint venture company, TBH Brand Holdings LLC.
This confirms a WWD report Dec. 7 that the two companies were in negotiations. The deal, which closed Jan. 1, is effective immediately.
Elie Tahari has contributed the intellectual property for the Tahari and T Tahari collections, along with related trademarks, into the joint venture with Bluestar, which will be responsible for the day-to-day management and licensing of those brands domestically and internationally.
In addition, TBH Brand Holdings will assume responsibility for the licensing management of the Elie Tahari core trademark with a focus on expanding the brand’s global presence and the opening of Elie Tahari stores worldwide.
The designer will retain ownership and manage the Elie Tahari brand.
In a separate but related transaction, Elie Tahari, Arthur Levine and Les Schreiber have contributed the intellectual property of the Tahari ASL trademark into a new company, TASL Brand Holdings LLC. With this partnership, Levine will continue to spearhead the growth of Tahari ASL, which will be licensed to a third party.
All combined, the family of Tahari brands exceed $500 million in retail sales today. Under Bluestar’s new leadership, the

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They may serve breakfast, too.

Sam Adams’ Utopias beer is aged up to 24 years and bottled at 56 proof.