Disney and Virgil Abloh Securities Link, Veronica Beard Shows in London, a Studio at Printemps
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VIRGIL AND MICKEY: The Walt Disney Co. is jumping onto the Virgil Abloh bandwagon.
Starting Thursday, Disney and Virgil Abloh Securities, the late designer’s creative company, have teamed up to offer never-before-seen artwork of Mickey Mouse as reimagined by Abloh.
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Abloh’s artwork features the designer’s unique interpretation of the famous rodent printed in various colorways on a select assortment of products including sweatshirts and tees for both adults and children. Prices range from $30 to $120 and the merchandise will be available while supplies last.
The limited-edition merchandise will be available at the Brooklyn Museum as part of its exhibition “Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech.” The exhibition has its own dedicated shop within the museum and the merchandise will also be sold online.
“Virgil Abloh was a creative visionary and we are thrilled to have the iconic Mickey Mouse immortalized through his lens,” said Tasia Filippatos, president of consumer products, games and publishing for Disney. “With this special product we celebrate two global icons and the enduring influence they’ve both had on the art and pop culture communities.”
“Building on his past collaboration with Disney, Virgil brilliantly captured the joyful essence of the iconic Mickey Mouse through the unique lens of his imagination,” said Shannon Abloh, Virgil Abloh Securities president. “We are thrilled to share Virgil’s beautiful interpretation with the world through this special limited-edition merchandise.”
“Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech” opened July 1 and features brand-new elements and never-before-seen objects from Abloh’s archive. — JEAN E. PALMIERI
LANDING IN LONDON: New York label Veronica Beard’s cofounders, Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard, staged a fashion show inside Burlington Arcade, a shopping arcade in central London from their fall 2022 collection, followed by an intimate dinner backstage with socialites such as Poppy Delevingne, Laura Haddock and Clara Paget on Tuesday evening. The move is part of the brand’s push into Europe, and follows the opening of its first international retail location in London in June.
The duo worked with London-based stylist Bay Garnett for cues on “British style,” as well as incorporating vintage T-shirts into the show from Garnett’s Oxfam edit.
“It’s a gateway to all of Europe and the Middle East and beyond,” said Miele Beard, adding that all eyes are on “European fashion week and we were able to follow it up in London with this amazing opportunity.”
The label has collaborated with V V Rouleaux Haberdashery on an in-store activation where customers can customize pieces from the fall 2022 collection with a range of trims, fabric flowers and feathers. The show marked the opening of that collaboration, featured at the brand’s London flagship.
“Veronica and I always go on the road to meet our customers, we’ve found that we have a big U.K. customer base, as well as a lot of Americans who are visiting and Indian customers too,” said Swanson Beard.
The pair are focusing on honing their U.K. home and creating community before looking to expand into other countries, they said. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
STUDIO SPACE: French department store Printemps is launching “Le Studio,” an in-house content creation space, positioning itself as the first store to offer a dedicated home for recording podcasts and other media broadcasts.
Printemps, which has recently undergone a rebranding and will soon be branching out globally with stores in the Doha, Qatar, and New York City, aims to up the production of content to support its omnichannel retail strategy.
“Printemps asserts its new role as a media with its customers and its entire ecosystem,” the company said in a statement. “If Printemps thus intends to continue to adapt to new distance consumption models and strengthen the commitment of its international clientele, this hybrid space will also be an entertainment space because it will enable [clients] to attend certain performances directly.”
“Le Studio” will be housed in the heart of its Paris Boulevard Haussmann flagship.
The studio will support its podcast program, launched in November 2021, which hosted a short series of environmentally focused topics including pastry chef Nina Metayer, “Earth From Above” director Yann-Arthus Bertrand, Plastic Odyssey’s Simon Bernard, Beauty Disrupted’s Alban Mayne and shows on secondhand shopping and retail.
The space will also be home to its bimonthly live shopping events featuring influencers and stylists, which teach tips and tricks while promoting the latest trends. That endeavor launched in June 2021.
Under the direction of Printemps Group chief executive officer Jean-Marc Bellaiche, who joined in October 2020, the legacy department store has refocused efforts on expanding its omnichannel and digital presence, including e-commerce from its website and through third-party apps such as WhatsApp. Those sales have doubled in the last three years for the group, Bellaiche has said.
Creating its own content is part of the larger trend of stores adding immersive experiences as retailers fight for space in the attention economy. With the shift to online shopping, retailers are betting on entertainment as part of their offerings and see themselves increasingly in competition with gaming and social media, such as TikTok.
Part of Bellaiche’s strategy is to offer unique experiences. Printemps said its in-house facility will not only speed up content production and the availability of its programs, but the studio will also host shoots for brand partners as well as meet-ups and events. — RHONDA RICHFORD
YURMAN PROMOTION: David Yurman’s executive overhaul continues. The jeweler has now promoted one of its own to the role of chief merchant and product officer.
Lee Tucker has been elevated to the role, which will see him in charge of all merchandising and design departments for both the men’s and women’s categories.
Tucker has been at Yurman for more than 15 years, and was most recently senior vice president of merchandising, marketing and creative operations. He started at the company in 2006 as its director of visual merchandsing. Previously, Tucker worked as a consultant for Halston and Target and held full-time roles at Escada and Club Monaco.
Yurman president Evan Yurman said: “Lee has a proven track record of leveraging his experience and expertise to drive our product expression forward. This new role will give him expanded oversight to continue the brand’s product evolution.”
Tucker said: “It’s an immense honor to help steer the continued evolution of the company’s iconic artistry and rich heritage for the next phase of company growth. I’m pleased to work alongside Evan and the Yurman family to lead the brand’s incredibly talented merchandising and design teams.” — MISTY WHITE SIDELL
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