Over 400 Condé Nast Employers Stage a Walkout
On Tuesday, more than 400 employees from Condé Nast, the parent company of prestigious publications including Vanity Fair, Vogue, and GQ, staged a historic 24-hour walkout and work stoppage in response to the company’s plan to lay off staff. According to the NewsGuild of New York, the walkout is the result of “unlawful handling of layoff negotiations and bad-faith bargaining,” during the Pitchfork merger into GQ a few weeks ago. Protests on social media echoed the sentiment, with slogans like “bosses wear Prada, workers get nada!” — a reference to The Devil Wears Prada movie that riffed off characterizations of Anna Wintour. Anne Hathaway, who played Mia Thermopolis in the movie, showed solidarity by walking out of a Vanity Fair set. The protest follows numerous negotiations between the company and the union after Condé Nast announced a 5% reduction in its workforce. Subsequently, the media conglomerate revised its plans, indicating the layoff of 94 unionized members, constituting around 20% of the Condé Nast Union. In January, the company affirmed its commitment to the 94 layoffs while nearly halving the proposed severance, as reported by CNN. Ben Dewey, vice chair of the CNE unit of the Condé Nast Union, emphasized, “Our 24-hour walkout is about standing firmly behind our colleagues and showing Condé Nast management that we will not tolerate their disrespect at the bargaining table regarding these layoffs. It is time to start bargaining in good faith with us.” The NewsGuild of New York has filed an unfair labor practice claim on behalf of the Condé Nast Union, citing regressive bargaining. [CNN]
Hyères Festival Taps Nicolas Di Felice
Artistic Director of Courrèges, Nicolas Di Felice, will lead the fashion jury for the 39th edition of the International Festival of Fashion, Photography, and Accessories — Hyères, which is dedicated to supporting emerging talents. Festival founder Jean-Pierre Blanc lauds Di Felice as “among those who defend fashion with a signature.” The program is scheduled to take place from October 10th to 13th at Villa Noailles, with specific details still in development. The accessories jury will be chaired by Finnish designer and Creative Director of the label Camper, Achilles Ion Gabriel. The photography jury will be led by photographer and artist Coco Capitán. Di Felice will collaborate with a distinguished panel to determine the winners, including casting directors Piergiorgio Del Moro and Samuel Ellis, photographer Carlijn Jacobs, visual artist and stage director Theo Mercier, Interview Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg, Fashion Director of British Vogue Julia Sarr-Jamois, Laura Arguelles (Director of the textile department of embroiderer Lesage Paris), actress Hari Nef, and artist Marine Brutti. The 2024 prize nominees include Romain Bichot, Dolev Elron, Logan Goff, Gaëlle Halloo Lang, Fabian Kis-Juhasz, Victor Koehler, Victoria Baia, Tal Maslavi, Julie Mouly-Pommerol, Lilian Navarro, and Kenshiro Suzuki. These finalists will compete for prestigious awards such as the Première Vision Grand Prize (the main fashion prize), the 19M Chanel Métiers d’Art Prize, the Mercedes-Benz Sustainable Collection Prize, and the “Atelier des Matières.” Finalists also have the opportunity to create their own fabric with textile manufacturer Puntoseta and receive a year of mentoring from recruitment specialist Stirling International. In addition, the prize winner will be invited to design capsules with festival partners, the Chinese luxury label Icicle, and Galeries Lafayette. The Hyères fashion competition has propelled the careers of numerous designers, including Viktor & Rolf, Anthony Vaccarello, Julien Dossena, and Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh. [WWD]
LVMH C-suite Changes
Sidney Toledano and Michael Burke are transitioning to new roles at LVMH. Burke is set to succeed Toledano as the head of LVMH Fashion Group, while Toledano will assume an advisory role to LVMH Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault. These changes will take effect on February 1st, although the transition process began a year ago. Burke’s move follows his decision to step down as Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton after a 10-year tenure. At that time, Pietro Beccari, then Chairman and CEO of Dior, assumed his role, subsequently succeeded at Dior by Delphine Arnault. In an interview with WWD, Burke expressed, “I’m coming into this job standing on the shoulders of a giant. How do I build upon this incredible success story that Sidney has written over these last years?” [WWD]
Mamuor Majeng Launches ½ Mamuor
Top 50 model Mamuor Majeng recently launched his brand, ½ Mamuor, presenting his debut ready-to-wear collection off-schedule during couture week. Cast by Anita Bitton and personally styled by Majeng, the collection draws inspiration from his childhood experiences as a soldier in Sudan. The collection was characterized by a variety of outerwear pieces, including fur coats and leather trenches. Notably, military influences are evident through the incorporation of army core. Distressed denim played a significant role, complemented by accessory pieces like eye patches and even baby dolls.
See What the Models Are Wearing Off-Duty During Couture S/S 24 Week Days 3&4
As couture week officially wraps, catch up on all of the street style here.
And don’t forget some of this week’s final Couture fashion week content with behind-the-scenes moments with Rejoice Chuol at Schiaparelli, Chu Wong at Valentino, and Runway Spotlights at Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier by Simone Rocha.
