Dior Changes Its Mind, Gigi Hadid Goes Natural, Swim Sales Cool
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DIOR, ON SECOND THOUGHT: It seems Dior had a change of heart over its compensation demands following a Valentino couture show in Rome on July 8 that was said to crimp retail business.
According to sources, Dior is asking Valentino to disregard a previous letter demanding financial compensation of 100,000 euros, citing “cordial relations” between the two luxury houses and “mutual respect.”
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As reported, Dior had claimed Valentino’s couture show on the Spanish Steps and nearby streets caused disruption to its boutique in the Italian capital.
In a letter sent to Valentino on the night of the show by the retail manager of Christian Dior Italia and seen by WWD, the French brand requested to be compensated for lost revenues in the store. This is located on the corner of Via Condotti and facing the Spanish Steps, where onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the display. Dior demanded the payment be made in 15 days from the date of the letter.
According to Dior, Valentino, which had been requesting permits to stage the event in such a key location in the city from the police and several authorities for months, in its own letter sent out to retailers on June 27 “guaranteed regular foot traffic to the stores.” But Dior said this was “not reflected in any way” by the situation on the evening of the show, according to its initial letter.
Dior stated that access to its boutique was “hampered” and customers were “refused access and blocked at the barriers,” so that the store “remained empty and could not operate from the early hours of the afternoon,” a fact that Dior alleged was “amplified” by the event being scheduled on a Friday, “a day when surely proceeds are [significant].”
In the first letter, Dior warned that if the amount was not paid by Valentino in two weeks, the company would “adopt all the necessary measures to protect its rights.”
It is not known what precipitated the backpedaling of Dior’s demands, which were met with snarky remarks and scoffing on social media, viewed by many users as “petty” also given the size of the brand, part of the largest luxury group in the world. — LUISA ZARGANI
GIGI, NATURALLY: Gigi Hadid is the latest supermodel following Kate Moss, Naomi Campell, Irina Shayk, and her sister Bella, to star in Self-Portrait’s fashion campaigns.
The glowy American Palestinian model appears in a series of images shot by Zoë Ghertner, documenting a usual day for Hadid in New York City, crossing Fifth Avenue at 49th Street in a beige tailoring ensemble, picking up dry cleaning in a classy lace dress, and waiting for a taxi while carrying the brand’s debut handbag.
“I’ve always wanted to capture a day in the life of the Self-Portrait woman so when exploring how best to present our fall 2022 collection, doing just that seemed like the perfect opportunity,” said Han Chong, founder of Self-Portrait, Kate Middleton’s go-to brand.
“Gigi was the perfect woman to bring this idea to life — free-spirited, hard-working and a true ray of sunshine — she brought effortless energy to this campaign. It’s a very special collection for me, one deeply grounded in the core values of the house, so being able to share this story with Gigi is a true dream,” he added.
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In the campaign, Hadid sports key looks from the brand’s fall 2022 collection, which includes sexy separates, tailored dresses and chic eveningwear numbers with diamanté details on shoulder straps and around the bra line.
Chong believes that his customer is ready to get dressed up again this fall.
“I’m hoping to be able to help inspire them to do that with this collection. I’ve been wanting to design a collection that felt more elevated, and which truly celebrates eveningwear — a category that’s always been close to my heart,” he added. — TIANWEI ZHANG
SALES COOL OFF: July and August are prime time for summer vacationers in the U.S., but some travelers aren’t packing up new swimsuits for their getaways as they did last year.
With pandemic-related travel restrictions largely vanished nationally, many consumers are gearing up to take a break from the working life to unwind away from the daily grind. Netflix-inspired jaunts, splurge stats and bucket-list trips are among this summer’s travel trends.
In a recent survey conducted by The NPD Group, half of the respondents indicated that they will be taking a vacation before Labor Day. Designers, retailers and swimwear brands competing in the women’s area are vying for market share in what is reportedly a $5.2 billion industry. Several nontraditional swimwear labels like Kim Kardashian’s Skims have jumped into the pool, so to speak.
Swimwear manufacturers had a lot to celebrate last year, thanks to the category posting a 23 percent gain in U.S. revenue. All those months of self-isolation, WFH and stay-at-home measures led to a boost across the board for men, women and children. Along with the pent-up demand, some shoppers had more money to spend on their swimming attire. Swimsuits were a key item for all those revenge travel trips, according to the NPD Group’s director, apparel industry analyst Kristen Classi-Zummo.
This summer isn’t quite so sunny when it comes to swimwear sales. For the first half of this year, swimwear sales have dropped by 13 percent compared to the same selling period last year. Women’s swimwear was the leading reason for that decline. One possible bright spot — depending on whether preference or predicaments like sourcing issues caused the change — was the upswing in the average selling price by nine percent. That said, many other aspects of vacationing have also risen, including gasoline prices, hotel stays and airline tickets.
International flights are up 31 percent and domestic ones have hiked up 25 percent compared to last year, according to Kayak.com. Swimwear-suitable locales like Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain are popular with some summer vacationers, according to Hopper’s Hayley Berg. Boohoo has taken an anticipatory approach to summer travel by debuting a destinations wardrobe with a dedicated area for Miami, a busy port of call this summer.
With inflation, recession risks, job security and housing costs weighing on some shoppers’ minds, some may prefer to use whatever swimwear they bought last year. One change of pace is the fact that women’s swimwear that retails for $100 or more is the fastest-growing category. Conversely, swimwear retailing for less than $70 is fueling drops in sales, according to NPD.
From a demographic viewpoint, Baby Boomers are the only generation that is bolstering 2022 swimwear market share. That is consistent with the group’s increased spending throughout retail, according to NPD.
Inclusive sizing and plus-size swimwear presents another opportunity in pool- and ocean-friendly garb, with sales up 6 percent year-over-year. NPD said a recent survey indicated one-third of U.S. women, who wear a size of 14 or larger, felt there are not enough swimwear options for them.
Given the spike in summer travel, Classi-Zummo advised brands and retailers to explore their entire customer bases. She was not immediately available for further comment Tuesday but had indicated that a summer sojourn was in the works complete with a new swimsuit. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
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