Kim Jones to Fendi
After the death of Karl Lagerfeld and two seasons under the helm of Silvia Venturini Fendi‘s sole direction, Fendi announced this week that Kim Jones will inherit Lagerfeld’s 54-year tenure and come on board as artistic designer. The New York Times reports that he will be responsible for haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women while maintaining his current position as artistic director at Dior Men. Venturini Fendi, the only family member still in the company, will continue to design accessories and men’s wear.
LVMH Leaves Tiffany & Co. at the Altar for Billion Dolllar Transaction
With the U.S. threatening to slap tariffs on a range of French products, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs has asked fashion conglomerate LVMH to postpone it’s $16.2 billion acquisition with Tiffany & Co. until Jan. 6, 2021. Originally planned to take place November 24th, WWD reports that Tiffany has already shot back filing suit in the Delaware Court of Chancery to try to enforce LVMH to abide by the contract and that according to Tiffany Chairman Roger Farah “…there is no basis under French law for the Foreign Affairs Minister to order a company to breach a valid and binding agreement, and LVMH’s unilateral discussions with the French government without notifying or consulting with Tiffany and its counsel were a further breach of LVMH’s obligations under the merger agreement.” [WWD]
What Will Happen to London Fashion Week? Will It Be Canceled?
Two weeks before London Fashion Week, England has announced at a critical moment that it will limit gatherings to six people to curb the rapid increase in positive cases of coronavirus and the bottleneck at testing laboratories. The strict measures follow a sudden rise in the number of people being infected with the virus, with almost 8,500 positive tests being recorded in England in the last three days. There’s no word on how this will affect the few heritage brands like Burberry and Simone Rocha that have chosen to present collections this season but most likely audiences will be scrapped. [GUARDIAN]
Vogue Forces of Fashion
Forces of Fashion, Vogue’s annual summit, is going digital this year. The two-day event will be held on November 16th & 17th and cover fashion’s role in supporting and championing sustainability as well as social responsibility. The speakers include Jonathan Anderson, Alber Elbaz, Virgil Abloh, Ethan James Green, Sarah Burton, Daniel Lee of Bottega Veneta and musician Lizzo . Tickets can be purchased through the Forces of Fashion website. [Vogue]
Prada Show This Season Will be Phy-gital
Mark your calendars: The hotly anticipated debut of Raf Simons as co-creative director at Prada will occur on September 24th. The exact location? Unknown. The exact format? Also not yet clear. What we do know is that the show will take the form of a series of small screening events in NY, Seoul, Tokyo, and Shanghai. With the rapid rise of new COVID cases in sister fashion capitals London and Paris, there is no word yet as to whether there will be a live audience or not. [WWD]
Katie Grand Out at LOVE, In at Perfect
After 12 years Katie Grand has announced she will be leaving LOVE, the magazine she founded. On Instagram Grand announced her departure through a post where she explained that “telling beautiful and important stories will never change. But it’s time for something new, it’s time for something different.” That something different? The Perfect Magazine apparently as she announced today that the new multimedia project, born after her abrupt LOVE departure, will her new editorial focus. She will now work as EIC of the new magazine entity and focus on charity work with The Red Cross and Sarabande, a foundation supporting emerging artists. No word on who will take over as LOVE Editor-in-Chief — or if the publication will cease to exist. [BoF]
Man Repeller is Rebranding
Formerly named Man Repeller, the fashion site now known as Repeller has undergone major changes following a turbulent year. The more inclusive name is meant to reflect the company’s newly found commitment to “a transformation that extends beyond the surface level.” Along with the rebrand and site overhaul, the company’s founder Leandra Medine Cohen has returned after stepping back from the brand earlier in the year and undergoing antiracism education. [Repeller]
