“Our regular client was not queuing on January 3 - 4 in Milan or Rome but was on the slopes in St Moritz or on a boat in the Caribbean. We want to offer a real luxury and not to open our doors to the consumption of young girls who can put the designer handbag of their dreams on their arm with less than 300 Euros. We are not interested in that.” - Giancarlo Di Risio, Versace’s CEO, to Il Sole 24 Ore via Vogue UK.
Quote of the Day
Jan 9, 2009 @ 11:25am
Economy, Giancarlo Di Risio, Il Sole 24 Ore, Versace, Vogue UK
8
posted by guest
Jan 09, 2009 7:04PM
wow. just when i thought it couldn't get any more disgusting (in so many ways) than the quote itself, guest #7 took it to new depths. i can only hope that (s)he realized how depraved his/her comment actually was, and that's why it was given anonymously. or that (s)he's trying to get under people's skin.
if not...well, then, there's really nothing left to say. i feel bad for you, 7.
9
posted by guest
Jan 09, 2009 7:59PM
As arrogant as his comment was I have to agree to a certain extent. I hate when designer brands become mass marketed and commercialized. I also don't like when people buy designer brands because of the image it portrays rather than loving the brand itself, it's so irritating.
10
posted by hipstersdontlie
Jan 09, 2009 9:33PM
It sounds like he is trying to explain why sales aren't that great.
14
posted by Shanna
Jan 10, 2009 12:27PM
That makes me dislike Versace. I think they can expand their brand to new markets while still maintaining that sophisticated and exculsive feeling to their products. As long as they're making a profit and creating brand recognition, it seems cruel to intentionally deny "young girls the bag of their dreams."
16
posted by guest
Jan 10, 2009 7:45PM
It's this elitism and snobbiness that makes those articles so coveted. If he was to welcome every new money 13 year old with open arms, it would be the end of high fashion.
The funny thing is that the more he acts like a catty bitch about the "plebes", the more the "plebes" will want his stuff, because they don't want to be associated with anything that would have their peers as members. They want to feel more elite than the others, even though in reality they're not. There are a lot of people who want to have this hyper-real "fabulously wealthy" lifestyle that is their (sometimes very mistaken) perception of what it is to be wealthy, the clothes are a part of that.
19
posted by purly
Jan 11, 2009 8:47AM
Oh please. How many people actually wear Versace? Even among the rich, the number is pallid. I've crossed paths with their "target market" often enough to know that they aren't that important. I have no idea what their snobbishness brings them, but it certainly doesn't seem to be making them more relevant to people.
I bet they make more money on plastic sunglasses sold in the Bahamas then all their couture dresses combined.
20
posted by guest
Jan 11, 2009 9:25PM
Few wear Versace - excepting the masses of hairwaxed italian boys with their ubiquitous V-butts. And as for loving the brand, not the piece: the name "Versace" was one of the original "Nomi Italiani", a term used by Italians in reference to goods which have transformed from marketable quality to a marketable "nome." If anything. his snobbery is a lame attempt at an impossible redemption.
posted by guest
Jan 09, 2009 11:49AM
This might get some bad feedback, but I'm ok with Versace doing this. I think a lot of designers who have dramatically slashed their prices are going to find it very hard to raise them again. So, good for them.