Lauder’s Sara Moss to Retire, a No-Heel Shoe, Patou Shines Light on Sustainability
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MOSS TO STEP DOWN: The Estée Lauder Cos.‘ vice chairman Sara Moss is retiring.
Moss, who first joined the company in 2003 as executive vice president and general counsel, will retire effective July 1, according to a statement from the company. In 2019 she became vice chairman, and advised both the board of directors and the Lauder family in that capacity.
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“Sara is an exceptional legal mind, a skilled adviser, a valued mentor, and a much-loved leader whose strategic insights, business acumen and sound judgement have contributed greatly to our company’s success,” said Fabrizio Freda, the company’s president and chief executive officer, in the statement. “Her incredible character, steadfast integrity and deep empathy will be greatly missed across the organization.”
Both internally and externally, Moss also prioritized philanthropy. She was among the first board members of the ELC Charitable Foundation, and cosponsored the Women’s Leadership Network in 2019. She also created the Sara Moss Women’s Leadership Program at New York University Law School, where she is a trustee and member of the board, and is vice chairman of the board of the New York Common Pantry, among other endeavors.
“A trusted senior business adviser for many years, Sara has nurtured strong relationships within our global ELC family and across the wider industry,” said William P. Lauder, executive chairman, in the statement. “It is with great appreciation, admiration and respect that I say her dynamic leadership and expert guidance will be truly missed.”
Added Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus, “Sara will be leaving a legacy of true dedication, passion and professionalism at ELC. On behalf of the company and the entire Lauder family, I would like to thank Sara for her tremendous contributions to our business over the past 20 years and wish her the very best in her well deserved retirement.” — JAMES MANSO
HEEL THYSELF: Have you ever worn down the heels on your favorite sneakers?
Chinese activewear firm Li-Ning went one step further and created a running shoe completely lacking heels, the concept being that this reduces the weight of the midsole, improves the rebound performance and extends the life of the footwear.
The conceptual shoe, dubbed the Dragonflight, is to receive an IF Design Award during a ceremony May 15 at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, winning in the category of “professional concepts.”
Discussions about commercializing the Dragonflight are underway, and so far, no athlete has donned the offbeat-looking sneakers for any recent marathon.
The nonprofit IF Design Foundation, which promotes design and its social significance, received almost 11,000 entries from 56 countries for its 2023 edition.
According to the foundation, the Dragonflight’s unique design ensures “acceleration efficiency and speed performance,” while foregoing a heel is a “research-supported choice for propulsion optimization.”
Carbon plates are embedded in the shoe for propulsion, while the midsole is engineered with “high rebound tech.…It creates a refreshing presentation of running shoe design,” it added.
Other categories for design prizes include interior architecture, user experience and branding. The jury numbers 132 high-profile design experts from some 20 countries. — MILES SOCHA
GOING GREEN: French luxury house Patou has partnered with traceability and environmental impact reporting company Fairly Made to shed light on its core collections.
The move makes the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand the first luxury house to launch a partnership with the French green tech start-up.
Fairly Made has rated 64 products from Patou’s Les Essentiels line, which includes seasonless wardrobe staples such as jeans, black trousers, denim jackets and white T-shirts and tanks, using the platform’s scoring system. Fairly Made’s tech enables brands to evaluate and rate their entire supply chain in five categories including environmental impact, social impact, traceability, recyclability and sustainability.
For its first round, Patou has focused on traceability and recyclability. Ranked on a scale of one to five, Patou received a 2.84 for traceability and 2.39 for recyclability of its goods.
The brand acknowledged that there’s work to be done. “By partnering with Fairly Made, Patou is pushing itself further in its choices and its responsibility to their customers and to the environment. Today, Patou is among the first luxury brands to offer its customers these insights, and by doing so Patou is challenging itself to do better,” it said in a statement.
It’s the first step for the brand, which will evaluate all ready-to-wear and leather goods from the upcoming fall 2023 collection.
Since the century-old house was relaunched under creative director Guillaume Henry in 2019, Patou has focused on traceability, giving each product a QR code that deep dives into its materials, packaging and production methods.
Fairly Made has been working with LVMH and its brands since its founding in 2018. — RHONDA RICHFORD
DYNAMIC DUO: Since Linda Evangelista and Steven Meisel first met in 1987, they have been making images together, many of the most iconic in fashion. Now, those images are part of new book, “Linda Evangelista Photographed by Steven Meisel,” that will be published by Phaidon on Sept. 13, the final day of New York Fashion Week.
The book, which features an introduction by William Norwich, has over 190 images spanning a quarter of a century and represents Evangelista’s first book.
Evangelista, 57, is one of the world’s most recognizable and photographed models of all time, and has been Meisel’s muse and friend for over 35 years. She has graced more than 700 magazine covers and has walked the runways for countless ready-to-wear and haute couture shows worldwide. — LISA LOCKWOOD
OBSTACLE CLIMBER: Mango Man is looking to the sports world for its latest campaign.
The Spanish fashion brand has tapped French soccer player Antoine Griezmann as the face of its spring 2023 collection and its accompanying campaign, titled “Move Forward.” The campaign is based on the concept of overcoming, highlighting “the importance of not giving up and achieving in order to fulfill one’s goals and overcome any obstacles that appear along the way in life,” according to Mango.
“Move Forward is an expression that represents my life and connects me to Mango Man, its values, its style and the characteristics of the garments,” Griezmann said. “After falling down, I have always got back up again, I have tried again and I have had the determination to look forward and pursue my next goal.”
Griezmann appears in the campaign modeling casual styles from the spring collection, including linen suits, suede jackets, printed shirts and more. The collection centers around linen and knitwear pieces and is designed in an earthy color palette of neutrals, green and brown tones. It also offers accessories like backpacks and footwear.
The “Move Forward” campaign with Griezmann is Mango’s latest initiative of the year. In January, the brand continued its sustainability efforts by releasing a circular design denim collection.
Mango is also going forward with its plans to expand in the U.S. This February, the company signed an agreement to open seven stores in shopping centers in the U.S. this year operated by Brookfield Properties. — LAYLA ILCHI
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