According to BOF, the French luxury industry is using its riches to save the historic monument, the Notre-Dam after the devastation of a mysterious fire destroyed the famous church.
The families behind luxury groups LVMH and Kering, two of France's largest companies, have pledged to donate a combined €300 million to help rebuild historic Notre-Dame, the 856-year-old cathedral, which survived two world wars, but was devastated by fire Monday night.
Kering chief executive Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father, Francois Pinault, said around midnight local time that they would donate €100 million via the family investment vehicle Artemis to help finance repairs to the building, which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1991.
Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of rival luxury group LVMH, followed the gesture with a pledge of €200 million.
LVMH employees will also serve as volunteers — "including creative, architectural and financial specialists" — to support the reconstruction of the cathedral, which is already in progress.
The brand behind Vogue, New Yorker and Vanity Fair are forced to take some austerity measures after losses of up to $120 Million last year. They have taken measures to cut spending and be more digitally savvy, but it is expected to adopt strategies to ensure that it does not disappear completely.
After Boston Consulting Group did a monthlong audit of their internal systems, Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., the chief executive of Condé Nast, plans to address senior staff members on August 8th.
The company having lost more than $120 million last year, plans to put three of its 14 magazines — Brides, Golf Digest and W — up for sale, three executives said. The marquee titles, including Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker are safe, for now.
The decades-long magazine boom that made the ostentatious possible, is a thing of the past. A shift in media-consumption has elevated Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube above the printed page. Before Time Inc. was sold to the Meredith Corporation, it experienced sharp declines in annual revenue. The ad buying firm Magna projects print magazine ad sales will fall by a double digit rate this year.
The $120 million loss in 2017 came about because of a sharp decline in ad revenue generated by the print magazines. Gains in the digital arena have helped offset the loss, but not enough to make the company profitable. Condé Nast reached its decision to entertain offers for Brides, Golf Digest and W partly on the recommendation of Boston Consulting Group.
This story appeared in the New York Times.
Video platforms like Zoom have rekindled the technology side of businesses, and helped reimagine how retail can target everyone working from home, to shop from home and new creative partnerships are springing up.
In June, Frame entered into a four-month pilot agreement with Bambuser AB to bring its consumers a new kind of shopping experience through live video shopping.
“This partnership allows us to create an even more immersive shopping experience and engage with our customers in real-time in circumstances when we can’t interact in-person,” said Jens Grede, cofounder and creative director of Frame. “We’re always looking for ways to enhance our shopping experience and Bambuser’s live shopping video feature allows us to blend our off-line and online channels in an engaging and entertaining way that more prominently highlights our current collections.”
Bambuser was founded in Stockholm in 2007 as the “world’s first company with a platform for interactive mobile live video broadcasting” though introduced live video shopping just last year. The company’s proprietary streaming technology is an end-to-end solution that enables mobile livestreaming directly on a brand or retailer’s web site.
“With the live shopping videos, we’re taking a leap into the future of retail and allowing brands to interact with their audience in the way they interact with each other, online or via smartphones,” said Sophie Abrahamsson, chief business development officer at Bambuser. “As the e-commerce space has grown over the past few months, retailers are looking for more efficient ways to deliver their products and brand experience to their consumers while they’re unable to interact in-person.”
“Brands like Frame are interested in taking their e-commerce channel to the next level by creating an even more engaging digital shopping experience where consumers can shop their latest pieces while also asking everything they want to know about it and getting feedback in real-time,” Abrahamsson said.
“We’ve seen an increase in e-commerce sales over the past few months and believe that consumers will continue shopping online even as some cities begin to reopen,” Grede said. “We pride ourselves on providing authentic and seamless customer experience and believe that brands need to create an e-commerce platform that helps consumers shop on their terms. Right now, consumers are looking for seamless and contactless ways to shop their favorite brands whether it’s shopping online, curbside pickup or one-on-one virtual shopping appointments — and our biggest priority is to continue to ensure the health and safety of our customers and workforce.”
Through the new functionality, Frame will be hosting live shopping videos on a monthly basis tapping into its large base of influencers and stylists to present the newest products and collections. The videos will highlight clothing fit, fabric technology and styling.
“Working with influencers and stylists has been a part of Frame’s DNA since Day One having collaborated with notable names in the industry like Imaan Hammam, Karlie Kloss and Tamara Mellon to name a few,” Grede said. “It only made sense to continue providing our customers with the best content and insight into fashion with stylists and influencers who’ve been longtime friends and supporters of the brand.”
The first live shopping video was hosted by Zanna Roberts Rassi, E! News style correspondent. During the session, Roberts Rassi walked through how to style various looks from the brand’s latest products and answered questions submitted by viewers.
According to Bambuser’s web site, its live video shopping technology sees an average of 6.2 times engagement rate compared to the industry average and 4.7 times the add-to-cart rate.
“Technology is a driving force that’s helping consumers and businesses alike navigate through the new normal we’re living in. It can help us now more than usual, as it allows us to connect people, products and data together, as well as give you access to share information around the world practically instantaneously so that everyone can stay connected. For businesses, this is crucial in order to survive during these unprecedented times by efficiently connecting virtually with their teams and customers,” Abrahamsson said.
On July 10, Bambuser announced a new partnership with Moda Operandi.
Lanvin has let go of artistic director Olivier Lapidus, less than a year after his initial appointment. The remaining in-house design team will be responsible for the women's collection until a replacement is found. The struggling brand has announced additional leadership changes: Joann Cheng, president of Fosun Fashion Group and chairman of the Lanvin board of directors, will become the interim chief executive of the house. Nicolas Druz, who has served as Lanvin general manager since 2017, will take up the new position of managing director of Fosun Fashion Group to "support the group's current and future business expansion in Europe." Ms Cheng continued "We sincerely thank Mr Druz and Mr Lapidus for their contributions to Lanvin's glorious heritage". "In seeking candidates for the permanent positions of CEO and artistic director, we want to ensure we find people who share the spirit of Lanvin. The re-launch of Lanvin with fresh talents, while adhering to the values that the brand has maintained since 1889, is fundamental to returning the maison to its rightful position at the top table of the world's most lauded and innovative fashion houses."
“She has something very real [about her], and here we wanted to take that reality to a new level. I felt that, on a classical shoot, we couldn’t get that depth.” she said. Ramsay-Levi seems determined to establish: the personality of the women she is designing for.