Pandora’s New Pets, Woon-A-Tai Signs With IMG, Jordan’s Jersey for Sale
RUFF LIFE: Pandora is the latest brand to address the fizzy market for premium pet accessories: Bone, heart and paw-shaped charms are the most striking feature of the Danish jeweler’s pet collars, available in two colors and four sizes.
“Cuteness overload, guaranteed,” its press release purrs, noting that “proud pet parents will now have the opportunity to coordinate with their four-legged friends like never before.”
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Luxury brands have stampeded into pet accessories over the past year amid a spike in pet ownership during the pandemic, and a trend that has seen Millennials lavishing more money on their cats and dogs. In the U.K. alone, an estimated 3.2 million households acquired a pet since the start of the coronavirus health crisis.
Recent entrants into the category include Celine, Gucci, Versace, Moschino and Dsquared2.
The global market for pet products, excluding food, is projected to grow by more than $10 billion between 2020 and 2025, when it is slated to hit $36.89 billion, according to Euromonitor International.
Pandora’s pet collars are part of its fall 2022 Moments collection, built around its collectible charms, with the dangling motifs echoing some of the motifs sported on human wrists, necks and ear lobes.
Pandora’s focus group surveys with 3,600 consumers in the U.S., Italy and China revealed keen interest in pet products.
“As a brand whose purpose is to give a voice to people’s loves, we wanted to meet this demand and provide the pet owners with the opportunity to accessorize their furry friends,” said Sampo Emil Salonen, brand manager for Moments. “We have also seen others stepping into this space, however, we have designed a great range of products that are uniquely Pandora.”
Salonen noted that designing accessories for animals “brought new considerations to our process where we worked with a unique set of materials to create products that cater to them.”
Pandora’s creative directors opted for a plant-based, leather-like material for the adjustable collars, and lightweight stainless steel for the charms, or tags, which can be engraved with messages and other details.
Salonen noted the collars contain up to 76 percent bio-based fibers and corn-based resin, covered with a viscose-based fabric that is resistant to mould and bacteria.
The collection is available starting Thursday at Pandora stores with pet collars priced at $95 and tags at $35. — MILES SOCHA
NEW SIGNING: IMG Models has signed D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, WWD has learned exclusively.
The 20-year-old Canadian actor, who was recently featured on GQ Hype, is best known for his role as Bear Smallhill in the FX on Hulu comedy-drama “Reservation Dogs.”
Courtesy of IMG MODELS/JEFF VESPA
The modeling agency will help build his portfolio in fashion editorials, as well as fashion and lifestyle endorsements.
“I’m so excited to join the IMG Models family,” Woon-A-Tai said in an exclusive statement. “I look forward to this journey in fashion and to continue using my platform to highlight Indigenous voices and stories.”
Born in Toronto, Woon-A-Tai has Oji-Cree, Chinese-Guyanese and German heritage.
He began his career on Canadian television, appearing on Family Channel series “Holly Hobbie,” and later “Murdoch Mysteries,” “Creeped Out” and “Tribal.” His feature film debut came in Tracey Deer’s “Beans,” winner of the 2021 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.
It was in late 2020 that Woon-A-Tai was announced as joining the cast of “Reservation Dogs,” which follows the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma. Filmmakers Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi are behind the project (picked up for season two, airing now), with Woon-A-Tai rising as its breakout star.
Along with an editorial spread in GQ, Woon-A-Tai has been featured in Vogue and Flaunt. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE
HISTORIC JERSEY: ESPN and Netflix documentary “The Last Dance” continues to drive collector interest, and is the subject of a Sotheby’s auction.
The art and luxury house is auctioning Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey from his final season on the Chicago Bulls, which was highlighted prominently in the documentary.
The jersey could go for between $3 million and $5 million, according to Sotheby’s, which would make it the highest auction price for a Michael Jordan jersey. It will be offered in a single-lot sale from Sept. 6 through Sept. 14 and will be on public exhibition from Aug. 17 through Aug. 20 in Monterey, California, and Sept. 6 through 12 at Sotheby’s New York, during the sale.
“The 1997-98 season is perhaps one of the most popular among Jordan fans, as Michael was reaching the height of his abilities while simultaneously pursuing what he understood would be his last chance at an NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables. “The season itself is his ‘magnum opus’ as an athlete, and a testament to him as a champion and competitor. Finals jerseys from Jordan are remarkably scant, and the 1997-98 Finals are arguably the most coveted of them all.”
Courtesy Photo
The 1998 NBA Finals was one of the most viewed of all NBA Finals of all time, and game six of the series, Jordan’s last game on the Chicago Bulls, still holds the record for being the highest-rated and most watched NBA Finals game of all time.
But in game one, things looked different for the team in their “Last Dance,” a term coined by then-coach Phil Jackson. The team arrived in Utah to face the Utah Jazz to a raucous crowd and would lose in overtime despite Jordan putting up 33 points in 45 minutes of play. The series was heavily featured in the documentary and caught a rare moment of Jordan on the team bus listening to Kenny Lattimore’s latest album ahead of its release.
The 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey is one of two Jordan NBA Finals jerseys to appear in auction. Most of the jerseys are privately owned, but one resides in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture since 2016, which Jordan donated.
Prior to this auction, Sotheby’s auctioned Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup match-worn shirt, which achieved $9.3 million, a world auction record for most valuable jersey ever sold and for any sports memorabilia. — OBI ANYANWU
LUXURY SAIL: Dom Pérignon has hit the high seas. The Champagne brand owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has teamed with chef Masa Takayama to offer a three-star Michelin omakase experience while sailing the Hamptons this month.
The brand is offering people the chance to reserve private Dom Pérignon cruises on an 88-foot San Lorenzo superyacht, during which they can dine on a specially curated sushi menu prepared by Masa himself, crafted to pair with recent vintages of Dom Pérignon: Vintage 2012, Rosé 2008 and Vintage 2003 Plénitude 2.
Of course, luxury doesn’t come cheap: the packages start at $15,000 and go up to $30,000 for the ultimate experience. They do, however, include everything from onboard butler service to a DJ.
“This experience with Chef Masa allows us to come together in an unexpected space that embraces our traditions while daring us to explore a culinary thrill in a place of ultimate luxury. Aboard this yacht we welcome a totally new realm of possibilities, brought to life through the energetic dynamism of Dom Pérignon,” said Isadora Bailly, vice president of Dom Pérignon.
For bookings, visit domperignon.com/us-en/champagne/news/dom-perignon-yacht-experience or email reservations@lesbullesdor.com. — WWD STAFF
TO A T: Mr. T, the Parisian restaurant in the trendy Marais, now has a second location in Los Angeles, officially opening Aug. 16.
“When we finally decided to bring Mr. T to the U.S., it was tough choosing between New York and L.A.,” owner Guillaume Guedj told WWD. “But to me, the local products, the produce, fish and meat from California are just some of the best in the world. To be able experiment and evolve our menu with some of the finest fresh materials we can have access to, it was a no-brainer to choose L.A.”
Courtesy of Mr. T/Innis Casey
Guedj is the restauranteur behind Gyoza Bar, Ramen Bar and the two Michelin-starred Passage 53. Opened in 2017, Mr. T — named after the Paris head chef, Tsuyoshi Miyazaki — has become a popular hangout for creative types.
The same may be said for the new L.A. location; located at 953 North Sycamore Avenue, Mr. T is in good company, up the street from artistic boutique Just One Eye, Tartine bakery, gourmet eatery Sightglass Coffee, record shop Supervinyl and hot spot Gigi’s — all openings that have transformed the once-gritty street, on the outer western edge of Hollywood.
“The restaurant still retains the cozy, intimate vibe of the Paris location that people know and love, but we made this one bigger and brighter, with our first outdoor space that matches the energy of the L.A. people,” continued Guedj. “We have always had a lot of American, and specifically L.A.-based, customers at the Paris restaurant who kept asking us to come to the U.S., so it’s been a great opportunity to be closer to them.”
The late architect Richard Altuna designed the interior, working alongside Guedj. Altuna customized brass pendant lamps for the space, an industrial aesthetic using raw stone, white quartz and concrete, with Tzalam wood seating sourced from Mexico.
Courtesy of Mr. T/Innis Casey
Using local ingredients, the menu offers a mix of French, North African and Asian influences: roast lamb kebab; comté mac and cheese with mimolette flambé; uni with koshihikari rice, confit egg yolk and sea urchin crème; chicken tsukune mille-feuille with sweet potato purée and candied kumquat; carrot merguez frites; caramelized half Liberty duck with Weiser Farms potatoes and crêpe.
Cocktails, named after hip-hop hits (there’s a turntable in the private room), include “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” with Japanese whiskey and amaro topped with smoked cinnamon. Guests can also expect Mr. T’s signature drink — vodka, blackberry and mint with St. Germain foam — fine Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Mr. T will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 11 p.m. — R.C.
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