Oh My Cream Lands in London, Vince Celebrates With Nordstrom, Armani Takes to the Air
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CLEANING UP: French beauty concept store Oh My Cream has landed in London, with one location on King’s Road and another opening in November in Notting Hill.
The brand was founded in 2012 by Juliette Lévy and has rapidly grown as it offers a sustainable and clean approach to shopping beauty products.
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“I have always loved coming to London, especially for shopping, but it seems to me that a new generation of beauty destinations is still missing,” Lévy told WWD, adding that her brand’s holistic approach and stocking of exclusively clean beauty brands fills the gap in the capital city’s market. Her ambition is to “become the next favorite beauty destination for English women.”
More businesses are strategizing to set up shop in the U.K. to avoid taxes and delays because of Brexit rules. The French multinational retailer, Sephora launched their U.K. site on Monday with plans to open a physical store in spring 2023.
“Our omnichannel strategy is one of the key reasons for our success in France, that is why our plan in the U.K. is to open many stores, in addition to our e-shop, which will ship orders directly from London as fast as possible,” said Lévy.
Her original plan was to open one site in London, but after falling in love with two locations, Lévy convinced her investors to go for two.
“Opening two stores at the same time sends a bigger signal, and has a much bigger effect in terms of brand awareness,” said Lévy, explaining that she wants to think big from the get-go, which is why she’s setting herself a target of opening 10 to 15 stores in London.
This is the company’s first experience in learning the behaviors of British customers. Lévy hasn’t looked at too much data to try and figure it out. She doesn’t see a massive difference between France and U.K., she said.
“We need to learn more about the London customers before making any decision. I strongly believe in testing and learning. This is what we did in France almost 10 years ago,” she said.
Lévy hasn’t made any major tweaks to the offerings in the store. “For the moment the selection is the same as in France,” she said, except for a few brands that do not pass U.K. compliance rules.
She’s not afraid of changing things up if the customers don’t react the way she wanted to.
“Our job is to curate what is best on the clean beauty market, to take a step back to focus on the brands that are here to stay,” she said. – HIKMAT MOHAMMED
BIG ANNIVERSARY: Vince continues to celebrate its 20th anniversary with the launch of an immersive installation at Nordstrom’s evolving Center Stage shop on the first floor of its New York City flagship.
The installation coincides with the introduction of an exclusive 20th Anniversary collection, as reported last month, which is being sold at 10 Nordstrom locations and on nordstrom.com. The capsule collection and Center Stage installation are being celebrated Wednesday night with an in-store event and private dinner.
Focused on fan favorites, the 46-piece collection includes women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories and is characterized by a bold injection of color. The capsule has a special logo treatment on sweaters, wovens and accessories and a unique tag to note the limited-edition anniversary product.
The Center Stage installation was designed with fabric pebbles evoking the California coastline and sheer circular panels representing the timeless appeal of the Los Angeles-inspired collections. Video and photography will also be projected onto the installation, spotlighting California creatives, Vince fans and longtime Vince employees. The installation will stay up at the flagship until Nov. 5.
The women’s rtw ranges from $295 to $1,495, while the men’s rtw goes from $325 to $695. Key looks include leather cropped flares and collared silk blouses for women and brushed alpaca wool cardigans for men.
“We are thrilled to mark this milestone moment with Nordstrom, which has been instrumental in the success of our brand from the beginning,” said Jack Schwefel, chief executive officer of Vince. “This exclusive collection and Center Stage installation is a celebration of the very best of Vince and we can’t wait to share it with the dedicated and loyal Nordstrom community who has enthusiastically embraced our brand over the past 20 years.”
Following a special model presentation and cocktail event on Wednesday will be a private dinner at Wolf, the store’s restaurant, co-hosted by stylist Kate Young and Vince chief creative officer Caroline Belhumeur.
“Nordstrom has always been such a great supporter and champion of Vince, so when we had this idea to celebrate the anniversary with an exclusive capsule of our most loved pieces, we knew they would be the perfect partner,” said Belhumeur.
Shoppers have the opportunity to document their experience with the collection and installation by using the #ILoveVince hashtag. Installation visitors will also have the chance to monogram limited-edition Vince + Nordstrom tote bags with a purchase from the collection. The Vince 20th Anniversary collection and experience will be available at select Nordstrom locations until Nov. 15. – LISA LOCKWOOD
FLYING ARMANI: If flying business class with Etihad Airways was already a premium experience, wait to see what it will be with a complete refurnishing by Armani/Casa.
The United Arab Emirates’ national airline unveiled its first luxury collaboration with Armani/Casa, set to be inaugurated onboard in December.
The new look, named “The Constellation Collection,” is inspired by the stars and was designed together with Giorgio Armani.
In addition to seats and furnishing, the partnership will include cutlery and serving ware, all labeled Armani/Casa in the airline’s business class.
Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer of Etihad, said: “[Today] we unveil a completely new and elevated way to fly with Etihad Airways — an experience defined by our Emirati heritage yet shaped by a clear vision for our future. Known globally for its Italian luxury and elegance, Armani/Casa is the ideal brand partner to create an unparalleled level of bespoke service and refinement for our guests.”
The collection uses fine textiles and was inspired by the color palette that reflects the surroundings of Abu Dhabi; the dark green is reminiscent of the region’s date palm trees, aquamarine represents the color of the mangroves and slate gray can be seen in Abu Dhabi’s skyline.
In addition, the new design features a matching pillowcase and duvet set with Armani/Casa signature designs and guests on longer flights will benefit from the airline’s new innovative memory foam mattress.
The restyling was designed in line with Etihad’s commitment to sustainability. The materials used have reduced equipment weight by up to 10 percent, resulting in less fuel burn and emissions.
Etihad Airways is one the world’s leading airlines and one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates. In 2018, the airline company teamed with Acqua di Parma to provide its first class guests with an exclusive range of amenity bags such as body lotion, shower gel, hand cream, shampoo and conditioner and a lip balm. – ALICE MONORCHIO
CARING GROUP: CARE, the humanitarian organization, will hold its fifth annual CARE Impact Awards on Nov. 9 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York.
The event will be the organization’s first in-person Impact Awards since 2019. Author, actress and director Amber Tamblyn will host the awards ceremony with a special performance by musician and activist Angélique Kidjo.
The program recognizes honorees for their philanthropy, activism, and work to further CARE’s mission.
The 2022 Impact Award honorees are Tory Burch, executive chairman and chief creative officer, Tory Burch LLC and founder, Tory Burch Foundation (CARE Impact Award for Women’s Empowerment); Christy Turlington Burns, founder and president, Every Mother Counts (CARE Champion of Women Impact Award); Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and former Foreign Secretary (CARE Impact Award for Public Health); Chang K. Park, president and chief executive officer, Universal Remote Control Inc. (CARE Impact Award for Philanthropic Leadership,) and President Samia Suluhu Hassan, president of Tanzania (CARE Impact Award for Global Leadership).
“As we continue to grapple with the devastating impact of compounding crises — from the COVID-19 pandemic, to the fight for climate justice, to the multiple conflicts across the globe, I’m continually inspired by the work of CARE colleagues and programs,” said Michelle Nunn, president and CEO of CARE USA. “CARE remains committed to responding with critical aid to millions of women and families here in the U.S. and internationally. The Impact Awards is an evening to celebrate the amazing power of change agents to provide hope and safeguard dignity around the world.”
The evening will help raise funds for CARE’s Global Hunger Crisis Campaign. – LISA LOCKWOOD
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