Princess Diana Memorabilia Heads to Auction; Hermès Unveils Performance in California
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FEELING SHEEPISH: Princess Diana’s red, white and black sheep sweater is going under the Sotheby’s hammer in September, and if that was not enough to make royal watchers swoon, there’s more memorabilia to come.
On Wednesday, Sotheby’s and others involved with the sale confirmed that two letters from Buckingham Palace will be auctioned together with the jacquard jumper, as they call the knit in Britain.
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One letter details the repairs Diana requested after she accidentally damaged the “much loved” knit, which was made by the company Warm & Wonderful. The other one is a thank you note.
According to the first letter, Diana requested either a repair or replacement, which the Warm & Wonderful founders, Sally Muir and Joanna Osborn, failed to deliver.
Instead, they knitted the soon-to-be-princess a whole new sweater, prompting a thank you letter from Diana’s then private secretary, Oliver Everett.
On Wednesday, Muir and Osborn revisited the episode, which took place in 1981.
“When we heard from the palace, we were so mortified that the cuff had come off her jumper that we kept it secret, and stashed the letters away in a file,” the designers said.
“Almost nobody spotted that the second time she wore the sweater it was, in fact, a different jumper. That is, until eagle-eyed Jack Carlson, our partner in reviving the brand, asked us about it, and we had to come clean. He is a trained archaeologist, so forensic in detail, and had noticed it was slightly different,” they added.
Carlson is the creative director of Rowing Blazers, which began reviving the Warm & Wonderful designs in 2019 after the company ceased to operate in the mid-’90s. A cotton edition of the sheep sweater is available on Rowing Blazers’ website.
Carlson spotted the differences between Diana’s sweaters not only because of his archeological training, but also because he was aware that in the early days of Warm & Wonderful, no two sweaters were the same.
“They were made all over Britain on hand-operated machines that people had in their homes. It was a true cottage industry, in the original sense of the term, so each sweater was a little different,” Carlson told WWD.
“I realized very early on that Diana must have had at least two different Warm & Wonderful sweaters because, if you study the photographs, you can see several differences. I asked Joanna and Sally about this in one of our first meetings, and to my delight, they told me I was the first person to notice it,” he added.
There is also a Warm & Wonderful sheep sweater with a similar sheep design in the permanent collection of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Actor Emma Corrin wore another replica, also created by Warm & Wonderful, in season four of “The Crown,” adding to the sweater’s mystique.
Carlson argues the sweater’s popularity was already blowing up before the Netflix show aired. “Diana and her style are part of the zeitgeist and the sweater has been on many people’s mood boards for years. But Joanna and Sally are the original designers, and people value that authenticity.”
The then-newly engaged Lady Diana was first snapped wearing the sweater to watch her fiancé Prince Charles play in a polo match in June 1981. That same sweater will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York as part of the house’s inaugural Fashion Icons sale.
Muir and Osborne said they discovered the sweater earlier this year by accident.
“This past March, as we were rummaging through the attic searching for an old pattern, we spotted a small box,” they said last month when the sale was announced.
“Inside, tucked away beside a cotton bedspread was Diana’s original red sheep sweater from 1981. Now, almost four decades later, this one-of-a-kind sheep sweater is ready to make its way into the hands of a fortunate collector,” the designers added.
Online bidding will be open from Aug. 31 through Sept. 13 and the sweater will be displayed in New York starting Sept. 7. It is being offered with an estimate of $50,000 to $80,000. — SAMANTHA CONTI
PEGASUS PERFORMANCE: Inside a dark airport hangar, Hermès is unveiling a poetic and cinematic performance celebrating the French luxury brand’s love of craftsmanship and the skills that go with it.
At the Santa Monica Airport in Southern California, “On the Wings of Hermès” tells the Greek tale of Pegasus, the mythical winged horse, and his seven foals on their quest to find lightness as they grow their wings and fly.
The eight-day event that launched on Saturday takes place inside the Barker Hangar’s vast space, which now resembles a sound stage where seven overhead screens are positioned around the warehouse-like area.
The one-hour performance, held three times a day, incorporates dance performances, hand choreography and cinema. There are seven mini staging areas where all the action takes place on platforms but is projected to the screens. You can see a mini circus, a humorous opera where “Kelly” handbags sing and dance or a story of two lovers carried away by the wind into the sky. Tickets are available to the public through the brand website.
“This is a multidisciplinary installation that mixes theater and dance. There is this whole sense of film, which we thought was particularly relevant to the Los Angeles area, which is the headquarters of film,” said Diane Mahady, president of Hermès’ American division, who was in town for the event and will return later this month for the opening of a new store at Westfield Topanga. “It’s really this idea of craftsmanship, which is at the center of things that Hermès does.”
This is the fifth time the performance, created by Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael and choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey with her Astragales dance company, has been presented by Hermès. It debuted in March 2022 in Paris at the Grande Halle de La Villette and has traveled to Japan and Taiwan. The creative performance will continue to travel around the world. — DEBORAH BELGUM
DINNER SERVICE: Dinner Service NY is embarking on its latest collaboration in the music world.
The streetwear brand is teaming up with rapper Kota the Friend on a capsule collection that celebrates the musician’s latest album release, titled “Protea.” The collection offers T-shirts, bowling shirts, bucket hats, cardigans and other styles.
The collection leverages the “Protea” album art by incorporating the cover’s bright yellow hue for styles like a cardigan and short-sleeve dress shirt. The album art, which depicts musicians playing music in the desert, is also printed onto several pieces.
“Someone said the album is perfect for the music you’d put on at a cookout or a barbque. I love that and wanted the merch to match,” Kota the Friend said. “The ‘Protea’ flower serves as a beautiful inspiration and the album artwork is cleverly incorporated into the designs. The artwork depicts two people escaping from the world and coming together as one, leaving everything behind in a hot air balloon. It’s vibrant and matches the vibe of the album.”
The collection continues Dinner Service NY’s mission of designing sustainable streetwear. The collection is made with plastic-free fabrics and without the use of toxic chemicals.
This is Dinner Service NY’s latest collaboration with a musician. The streetwear label has also teamed with independent musicians such as Tayla Parx, Augie Bello, Bryce Xavier and Nic D, among others.
Dinner Service NY’s collaboration with Kota the Friend will be available to purchase starting Monday on the brand’s website and at its NoLIta store. Prices range from $40 to $155. — LAYLA ILCHI
RALPH x GAMING: Ralph Lauren is furthering its stake in the gaming world with a new collaboration.
The brand is partnering with G2 Esports, a European entertainment and gaming company. The partnership is anchored by a fashion collection, which is comprised of T-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, tracksuits and baseball caps designed with a cobranded Ralph Lauren and G2 Esports crest.
The partnership also makes Ralph Lauren the official outfitter of the G2 Esports team, which will wear the capsule collection. G2 Esports’ League of Legends team will debut the collection during the LEC Summer Finals, which kicks off in Berlin on Saturday.
“We are really excited to announce this collection with Ralph Lauren,” said G2 Esports chief operating officer Sabrina Ratih. “At G2, partnerships are all about creating better experiences and offerings for the consumer, bringing fans closer to the brand and attracting new audiences. This collaboration does all of that and more.”
The partnership with G2 Esports is Ralph Lauren’s latest venture in the gaming world. In October, the brand teamed with video game Fortnite on a digital apparel and accessories collection, as well as a physical apparel collection. For the collection, Ralph Lauren changed up its well-known Polo Pony logo, replacing it with Fortnite’s signature llama.
In 2021, Ralph Lauren made two forays into the metaverse. The brand collaborated with 3D avatar platform Zepeto in August, where the brand created a fashion collection for Zepeto’s virtual world and then teamed with online gaming platform Roblox in December to create a winter-themed virtual fashion collection.
Ralph Lauren’s capsule collection with G2 Esports will be available on G2 Esports’ website starting Friday. — L.I.
TOD’S IN SAINT-TROPEZ: In time for the sun-kissed riviera holidays, Tod’s has opened a new boutique in Saint-Tropez.
Located in Rue François Sibilli, the decor of the boutique is linear and in sync with the sophisticated interiors of the brand’s stores, yet it has an unfussy and relaxed quality in tune with the French resort town.
Several elements add character to the space, such as silver mirrors, Tod’s custom-made vitrines, suspended shelves with Travertino marble and details in the brand’s signature Vacchetta leather.
The new boutique carries the men’s and women’s accessories collections, ranging from the Di Bag and the Bubble Gommino, marked by supersized pebbles — a signature of the brand. The store also offers the exclusive customization services My Di Bag and My Gommino through initials or a special lettering in selected colors.
There are also a selection of T Timeless bags and and raffia sandals from the current Full Summer collection, together with this season’s Tod’s Riviera slip-on for men.
There are eight Tod’s boutiques in France.
As reported, chairman and CEO Diego Della Valle touted the “outstanding” results at the Tod’s brand as he commented on the parent group’s 23.2 percent increase in revenues in the first quarter, which rose to 270.5 million euros, compared with 219.6 million euros in the same period the year before.
Sales of the Tod’s brand climbed 24.4 percent to 130.2 million euros in the first three months of the year.
Tod’s Group, which also includes the Roger Vivier, Hogan and Fay brands, is publicly listed in Milan.
In the first quarter, group retail sales rose 23.6 percent to 193 million euros, representing more than 70 percent of revenues.
As of March 31, the group comprised 333 directly operated stores and 89 franchised units, compared to 318 directly operated and 86 franchised stores at the end of March last year.
As reported, creative director Walter Chiapponi will exit the Tod’s brand after his spring 2024 show in Milan in September. — LUISA ZARGANI
MISSONI BEACH: Missoni has unveiled its new Missoni Resort Club outpost in collaboration with Nikki Beach Costa Smeralda, located in the Cala Petra Ruja bay in the Sardinian luxury destination of Porto Cervo.
Drawing inspiration from the brand’s iconic graphic patterns, the beach club has been customized with fabrics and decor rendered in a color palette of deep blue, ocean turquoise and vibrant emerald green accents, in a nod to the natural landscape of the Sardinian coastline.
Key elements revisited by the brand include umbrellas, sunbeds, cushions and common areas, which refreshed with vivid hues the distinctive essential aesthetics of the Nikki Beach format.
The Italian fashion company launched the Missoni Resort Club project last year, customizing the Le Carillon beach club in Paraggi — a gem bay near Portofino — and the One&Only Reethi Rah resort in the Maldives. Led by Alberto Caliri, creative director of Missoni Home Collection, the project targets exclusive and strategic international locations to be outfitted with Missoni fabrics and decor to offer visitors an immersive experience into the brand’s lifestyle.
This has proved to be a successful, go-to move for many luxury brands looking to enhance the engagement with their customers throughout the summer season, too, especially in Mediterranean destinations. For example, this year Valentino took over the beach club at cliffside luxury hotel Palazzo Avino in Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast, as part of the activations promoting its Valentino Escape 2023 collection; Dior confirmed its customization of Il Riccio in Capri, while Fendi personalized the Puente Romano Resort in Marbella, Spain.
Saint-Tropez was another key target of fashion companies’ divide-and-conquer summer strategy, as Gucci took over the iconic Loulou Ramatuelle Beach Club, Jacquemus brought its Instagram-friendly aesthetic to Indie Beach in Ramatuelle while Loro Piana opted for the exclusive La Réserve à la Plage location in Pampelonne. — SANDRA SALIBIAN
BARBIE BOOM: Thanks to the highly anticipated “Barbie” movie, the doll industry is expected to surge to $14 billion by 2027. Sales of dolls and accessories are predicted to increase by 16 percent by 2026, compared to 2022, following a decline in sales during the pandemic, according to new research from Euromonitor International.
Loo Wee Teck, head of toys and game at Euromonitor International, sees the movie jump-starting interest in Barbie and dolls globally, which in 2022 generated $12.1 billion in sales and is forecasted to reach $12.5 billion in 2023.
“After a dismal 2022, when sales of dolls were negatively impacted due to high prices amid the economic uncertainly, owner Mattel is set for a strong 2023 as a result of the Barbie film’s halo and the relaunch of Monster High dolls, new Disney Princess and Frozen toys,” Teck said.
Part of that halo is the Barbiecore fashion trend, which picked up after trailers for the film, which stars Margot Robbie and will be released July 21, hit in summer 2022. More brands have been incorporating pink into their collections.
“The Barbiecore trend in fashion started last year with the Balmain x Barbie collection, but 2023 has seen a lot more brands embracing rich bright pink shades from Valentino to H&M collections, in anticipation of the much-awaited release of the Barbie movie,” said Marguerite Le Rolland, Euromonitor Internationals’ head of apparel and footwear.
As reported, “Barbie” is reportedly expected to generate more than $93 million at the box office on its opening weekend — a substantial increase compared to initial lowball estimate of $55 million. — LISA LOCKWOOD
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