Everyone was really outraged a few weeks ago when hack photographer Tyler Shields destroyed and then lit on fire that $100,000 Birkin. But, according to Mulberry’s Emma Hill, Hermes may be setting their own bags on fire.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Hill said:
Hermes is not messing around when it comes to counterfeits. Last month, the legendary luxury label shut down 34 counterfeit sites–and won $100 million in damages–and now they’ve helped the French police bust an international crime ring that produced and sold knockoffs of their bags, WWD is reporting.
Apparently, the illegal operation was making millions in Hermes counterfeits–one Paris public prosecutor put profits at 18 million euros (or $22 million) for just one branch of the ring–and they were doing it all with the help of actual Hermes employees.
Want to see Daniel Craig as James Bond running, lounging and generally looking dashing in Tom Ford suits? Check out this video in which the costume designer for the new 007 flick talks about how ‘supple’ the suits are. {Vanity Fair}
An open house was held to celebrate the latest batch of CFDA incubatees, who moved into their Fashion Incubator studios about a month ago. {WWD}
Duchess of Cambridge and all-around regular gal, Kate Middleton, has the fashion world abuzz because she apparently wore cubic zirconia earrings to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Needless to say, they’re already sold out. {HuffPost Style}
So, turns out that whole destroying-and-lighting-on-fire-a-$100,000-Birkin-in-the-name-of-’art’ was maybe not such a great idea after all.
Photographer/publicity stuntman Tyler Shields set off an internet shit storm yesterday when he posted photos of his girlfriend and Clint Eastwood progeny, Francesca Eastwood ripping into a $100,000 Birkin bag with a chainsaw, eventually lighting it on fire. Understandably many people found this photoshoot to be rather insensitive–or downright offensive–at a time when many families are struggling financially.
In fact, according to TMZ, some people were so upset that they even sent death threats to Francesca and Tyler–Not that that’s a first for the photographer.
France’s largest luxury conglomerate wants to get even more luxurious–and they’re taking inspiration from a luxury brand they’ve been admiring for a while now: Hermès. LVMH has been buying shares in Hermès since 2010 and their unyielding interest in the heritage brand has prompted speculation that LVMH intends to one day add Hermes to their own portfolio.
For now, though, they’ll settle for using Hermès as a business model in an effort to ensure that Vuitton retains its image as “exclusive” and its “high-end mystique,” says a report from Reuters. The challenge Louis Vuitton faces, along with many widely recognizable name brands who feature heavily in rap songs and knock-off operations, is expanding and increasing profits without seeming too mass or attainable, especially given the ubiquity of their signature monogram. Their solution is to just keep providing even more expensive products and services that even fewer people can afford–like artisanal made to order handbags (that won’t look like Canal St. knock-offs)–and a more exclusive shopping experience.
Really? Kristen Stewart is named the best dressed woman of 2012 by Glamour UK. {Glamour UK}
Taylor Tomasi Hill styled this super cute swimwear vid for Moda Operandi that has us fiending for a beach romp. {Fashionologie}
Step away from the varnish! Neon nail polish is apparently illegal to produce in the US. {SheFinds}
Carolina Herrera to receive Honorary Degree From FIT: The designer will walk the stage with the graduating class of 2012, to receive an honorary doctor of fine arts degree. No student loan debt required. {WWD subscription required}
HuffPost Style Takes a Look Back at the Year in Pippa Middleton’s Butt: Get out your magnifying glasses, folks, The Huffington Post has 17 slides of Pippa Middleton’s derrière, which we think looked best on April 29, 2011 {HuffPost Style}
Get Advice from Gilt Founders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis: The BFFs and business partners answer all your questions about doing business with your friends and frenemies. {Buzzfeed/Shift}
LVMH now owns 22.3 percent of Hermès and the Hermes family is doing whatever they can to prevent that percentage from rising.
Ever since LVMH bought a huge stake in Hermès in 2010, Hermès, an old luxury label rooted in craftsmanship and tradition, has worried about a hostile takeover by the French conglomerate. Shortly after the purchase, Hermès essentially told Bernard Arnault to back off, saying it was a “cultural battle,” not a financial one. Last year, Hermès created a separate family holding company that controls over 50% of shares and protects them from LVMH.
And now Hermès has made another move to protect themselves.
Today we learned that Mulberry was releasing its newest it-accessory, the Del Rey bag, a month earlier than its original May 14 release date. The bag’s namesake, of course, is fashion darling (and critical disaster) Lana Del Rey, who hit it big (like, really, astronomically big) in late-’11/early-’12 with her lo-fi YouTube music videos and Read more →
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached a world record-breaking high of $640 million and people are pretty excited about it. (Confession: for the first time ever, I bought a lottery ticket last night–please cross your fingers for me).
Obviously $640 mill is a lot of dough–and while the smart thing to do would be to put it all in savings, we’re pretty sure we’d blow a good chunk of it on bags, shoes, and other covetable fashion items.
Read on for a list of all the crazy expensive things you could buy with the winnings–and still have some spare change left over.
Hermes is the ultimate in luxury. So it follows that yesterday’s fall show was a luxurious experience in spite of the rain and dropping temps. The setting was the courtyard of the beautiful École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts. Heat was pumped into the tented space and waiters stood at attention with flutes of champagne and glasses of fresh grapefruit and raspberry juice. Attendees were posh fangirls in their silk Hermes scarves. This is the 1% (.05%?).
In addition to loaded VIPs and editors, a few notable names were there, both on and off the runway. Carine Roitfeld was there, making only her second Paris fashion week appearance (she was at Dior and showed up later last night at Givenchy), trailed by a film crew. Curious? Us, too.
The weekend is coming to a close and with it, I’m more than halfway through Paris fashion week. I’m having trouble even remembering what I did two hours ago, let alone yesterday, as my head is spinning with all the fashion spectacles I’ve taken in. ANTM must be seeping into high fashion consciousness as I Read more →
