WWD articles from August 2008

WWD archives from August 2008

WWD FRIDAY.(Women's Wear Daily)(Brief article)(Photograph)
August 1, 2008... Beauty Women's Wear Daily [euro] The Retailers' Daily Newspaper [euro] August 1, 2008 [euro] $2.00 A BID FOR JIL SANDER?/2 MERVYNS GETS FINANCING/3 CAPTION(S): The Four Tops It's every man for himself with LVMH's new...

On The Right Track: Revlon Back To Black, Sales Gain Momentum.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Molly Prior Revlon Inc.'s buttoned-up, head-down approach to righting its business has begun to click, as the beauty firm reversed year-ago losses in the second quarter. Like its industry peer, Avon Products Inc., Revlon has...

Investors Said Interested In Sander.(Jil Sander AG)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: Andrew Roberts MILAN -- The plot thickens at Jil Sander AG. According to sources, Change Capital Partners, which owns Jil Sander, has received at least one nonbinding offer of interest in the fashion brand from "Chinese...

Robertson To Lead Sean John.(Dawn Robertson)
August 1, 2008... Byline: David Moin Dawn Robertson, the former president of Old Navy, has joined Sean John as president, WWD has learned. Praising "the brand and its potential," Robert said Sean "Diddy" Combs "is a terrific marketer and the brand has...

Dolce & Gabbana U.S. President To Leave.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Marc Karimzadeh NEW YORK -- It looks like Dolce & Gabbana will have to start searching for a U.S. president again. Christophe Albarran, president of the company's U.S. subsidiary, has handed in his notice after just...

Quote Of The Week.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... "There are no sacred cows. This is not a time to hunker down. This is a time to be aggressive and create change." -- Rick Darling, Li & Fung Ltd.

In Brief.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... VUITTON HIRE: Louis Vuitton North America Inc. has tapped Geoffrey van Raemdonck to be senior vice president of the Northeast region. Van Raemdonck will have responsibility for store operations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states,...

Sony Reaches Settlement With LVMH.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Matthew Lynch Kanye West might want to proceed with caution in using one of his favorite aliases, "The Louis Vuitton Don." LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton is taking aim at musicians who get a little too cozy with its trademarks....

Fashion Scoops.(FrostFrench Ltd., PPQ)
August 1, 2008... TRIPPING THE CENSORS: Despite Coty's best efforts, network TV censors in the U.S. have refused to allow the company to run the steamy ad Steven Meisel shot for its new Calvin Klein Secret Obsession women's scent, due out this fall. The brand's...

Mervyns Gets Interim Financing Ok.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Vicki M. Young Mervyns, the bankrupt Hayward, Calif.-based midtier department store chain, said on Thursday that it received interim bankruptcy court approval of its $465 million debtor-in-possession financing facility. The...

Claiborne Updates Logo.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: Whitney Beckett The clothes and marketing plan for Liz Claiborne's spring relaunch under Isaac Mizrahi are under wraps for at least another month, but the first clue about the brand has been released: a new label and mark. The...

Hugo Boss Posts 2nd-Quarter Loss.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: Melissa Drier BERLIN -- Hugo Boss reported a net loss of 6.1 million euros, or $9.5 million at current exchange, in the second quarter on a 9 percent rise in sales to 321.1 million euros, or $502 million. A company...

Givenchy: Manning The Market.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Jennifer Weil and Julie Naughton It's a man's world at Parfums Givenchy this fall: The LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton unit will add a new facet to its successful Pi fragrance franchise, as well as a new music-related concept...

Guerlain's New Man: Homme Set For Fall Launch.(Guerlain Homme)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Jennifer Weil PARIS -- In tandem with Guerlain's 180th birthday, the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand is introducing a men's scent, Guerlain Homme, in the fall. The idea was to "reinvent Guerlain fragrance...

Dior Eyes New Consumers With Sport.(Dior Homme Sport)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Jennifer Weil PARIS -- Parfums Christian Dior hopes to tap into a casual Zeitgeist -- and a new male consumer -- with Dior Homme Sport, due out this fall. The fragrance from the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned...

Kenzo's Lucky Seven: Power.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Jennifer Weil PARIS -- Parfums Kenzo is banking on flower power again for its new men's scent, Kenzo Power, due out starting at the end of August. It is the seventh fragrance for guys from the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis...

Lancome's Buzzword: Oscillation Mascara.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Julie Naughton Lancome is lashing out with a new mascara this fall -- one the company believes will add volume not only to lashes, but to the brand's bottom line. Oscillation, a vibrating mascara that the beauty powerhouse...

Rocawear's Man About Town.(9IX Rocawear)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Julie Naughton Elizabeth Arden hopes to bring added urban appeal to department stores this September with 9IX Rocawear, the first fragrance to be launched under its Rocawear license. In November 2007, Arden signed its...

Color Line Aims To Seize The Night.(Illamasqua)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Brid Costello LONDON -- Illamasqua wants to own the night. The color cosmetics brand, which will bow in October, is setting itself up as a makeup line for women looking to unleash their alter egos after dark. ...

Next For Fresh: Fragrance, Bath, Makeup.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Michelle Edgar Fresh is expanding its fragrance portfolio this fall with the launch of its latest scent Strawberry Flowers, created in celebration of Sephora's 10th anniversary. In addition, the company is expanding its bath and...

Revlon Revs Up Product Pipeline.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Michelle Edgar Revlon Inc. has a busy second half planned with the launch of two new makeup lines in the Revlon and Almay portfolios -- Beyond Natural for Revlon and Almay's Bright Eyes line. In addition, the company also is...

Hairstylist Designs Tools For The Masses.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Faye Brookman NEW YORK -- Hairstylist Masood Max is out to revolutionize even the most mundane hairstyling tools. Two years ago, he started marketing a multifunction hair straightener with tiny pins that detangled hair...

Industry Watchdog Asks Neutrogena To Tweak Ads.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Andrea Nagel Johnson & Johnson's Neutrogena brand has received several recommendations for its ad claims from the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus based on a challenge filed by Unilever...

Natural Players Ready For Competitors.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Andrea Nagel Burt's Bees, Nature's Gate and Kiss My Face until now have enjoyed relatively little competition in the small but growing subsegment of natural hair care. But it's only a matter of time before shampoo titans, such...

Bath Treats Garner Both Retail And Spa Appeal.(ME Bath)
August 1, 2008... Byline: Rachel Brown ME Bath believes that two lines are better than one. The Los Angeles-based bath and body care company, known primarily for its ice cream version of bath fizz, is segmenting its retail and spa products. The...

School Project Yields Beauty Range.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Kavita Daswani LOS ANGELES -- Given that her first love is teaching children to grow vegetables and fruit, Lisa Ludwigsen knew that if she was going to have her own body care line, ingredients picked straight from nature had to...

Snippets.
August 1, 2008... CRAGGS BLOG: David Craggs, president, Professional Division of L'Oreal USA, has started a blog in an effort to help fight diversion. L'Oreal's Professional Division makes the Kerastase, L'Oreal Professionnel, Redken, Matrix, Biolage and...

Net Down, Revenue Up At Iff.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Matthew W. Evans Second-quarter profits at fragrance supplier International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. declined 14.5 percent to $67 million, or 83 cents a diluted share, from $78.4 million, or 87 cents, in the same period a year...

Unilever's Profits Dip 19% In 2nd Qtr.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Brid Costello LONDON -- Unilever said Thursday its second-quarter profits slumped 19 percent to 978 million euros, or $1.53 billion at average exchange for the period. The Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant attributed the...

Shiseido Sales Drop 5.4% In 1st Qtr.
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Koji Hirano TOKYO -- Shiseido Co. Ltd. reported Thursday its operating profits and net sales were down in the first-quarter '08-'09, due to sluggish domestic business. Its operating income in that quarter, ended June...

Chief Merchant Leaves Hot Topic For Wet Seal.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Alexandra Steigrad Maria Comfort has resigned as chief merchandising officer of the Hot Topic division of Hot Topic Inc., to join The Wet Seal Inc. as president and chief merchandise officer of the Wet Seal division. The...

Drugstores Top Nrf's List Of Fastest-Growing Chains.(National Retail Federation)
August 1, 2008... Byline: David Moin Drugstore and restaurant chains were the fastest-growing retailers last year, according to the National Retail Federation's "Hot 100" list. Apparel ranked fifth. The trade organization said two drugstore giants,...

Aeffe 1st-Half Earnings Up 2 Percent.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Andrew Roberts MILAN -- Italian fashion group Aeffe SpA on Thursday reported a 2 percent gain in first-half revenues and earnings, and confirmed growth in full-year sales and profits. The company, which operates the...

Hertie Department Store Files For Bankruptcy.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Melissa Drier BERLIN -- Hertie, the struggling German department store chain, filed for bankruptcy Thursday, underscoring weaknesses in the German retail sector. The 73-door, second-tier group, owned by the British...

Cavalli Club To Open In Dubai, Florence.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Luisa Zargani MILAN -- The first unit of Roberto Cavalli's latest venture, Cavalli Club, is set to open in Dubai in November, and a second store is to launch in Florence by yearend. A club on the U.S. West Coast also is...

Luxottica 2Q Income Drops 14.2%.(Luxottica S.p.A.)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Andrew Roberts MILAN -- High exposure to the U.S. market hit Luxottica Group SpA for the second straight quarter, but the Italian eyewear giant still expects to meet its full-year targets. Luxottica, which has eyewear...

Safilo Group Shares Hit New Low.(Safilo Group SpA)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Andrew Roberts MILAN -- Shares of Italy's Safilo Group SpA fell to their lowest-ever level on the Milan Bourse Thursday, a day after the company revised down its full-year outlook after the declining dollar and a weak...

Memo Pad.
August 1, 2008... GOT EM: Brangelina sure love People magazine -- or at least the checks the weekly keeps writing the celebrity couple. The title has again scored the exclusive North American rights to photos of Brad Pitt 's and Angelina Jolie 's latest children...

GQ, FGI Event Looks At 'fashion's Footprint'.(Fashion Group International)
August 1, 2008... Byline: Kiyanna Stewart GQ Partnered with fashion group International Wednesday night to host a panel event, "The Fashion Footprint," aimed at fostering an environment conducive to the discussion of fashion's relationship to the green...

Rosa Cha Opens First U.S. Store In N.Y.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Sharon Edelson NEW YORK -- Rosa Cha elevates the swimsuit from the familiar to the unexpected with strategically positioned cutouts, jewel-like necklaces on tops, embroidery with ropes and shells and elaborate patchworks of...

Scad Students Take On Retail.
August 1, 2008... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg It looks like a few fashion students could be about to get their big breaks at retail. This fall, Henri Bendel Limited Edition collection will include a floral printed cashmere sweater designed by students...

Man Found Guilty Of Gucci Options Fraud.(Timothy Khan)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Matthew Lynch A Canadian citizen who fraudulently sold Gucci stock options to an unwitting investor was sentenced to more than four years in prison in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday. Timothy Khan pleaded guilty in...

Obituary: Bridal Executive Ovadia 'obie' Cohen.(Obituary)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Byline: -- Rosemary Feitelberg Longtime bridal executive Ovadia "Obie" Cohen died of cancer July 25 at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., said his daughter Esther. He was 84. Born in Jerusalem, Cohen was a member of Irgun,...

Henkel Profits Drop, Shares Up.(Brief article)
August 7, 2008... Byline: -- Damien McGuinness BERLIN -- Despite plummeting second-quarter profits, Dusseldorf-based Henkel said it has managed to deal with rising raw material costs and reported a sales increase, sending its shares up 4.5 percent to...