WWD

GHOSTED: Less than 24 hours after stating that it would continue to sell a collaborative collection with Justin Bieber — despite the musician publicly criticizing those designs and saying he did not approve them — H&M has reversed course and has stopped selling the pieces.
On Monday, Bieber posted to Instagram Stories that he hadn’t approved any of the H&M collection, posting “All without my permission and approval [SMH] I wouldn’t buy it if I were you.”

He later posted to his 270 million Instagram followers: “H&M merch they made of me is trash and I didn’t approve it. Don’t buy it.”

Related Galleries

The Swedish fast-fashion chain countered that claim on Monday, telling WWD that “as with other licensed products and partnerships, H&M followed proper approval and procedures.” At that time, the company said the merchandise would remain on sale but said “we need to look into this more to understand, before we take action.”

By Tuesday, however, H&M had changed its tune a bit. In a statement, the retailer reiterated Bieber’s involvement, but noted that the designs are no longer being sold. A company spokesperson told WWD Wednesday, “As mentioned in our previous statement, H&M has followed proper approval procedures. Out of respect for the collaboration and Justin Bieber, we have removed the garments from our stores and online.” 

Representatives did not respond immediately to requests for comment Wednesday.

Bieber’s image was featured on a dress, sweatshirt, T-shirt and tote bag. A phone case and one $40 hoodie were imprinted with “I miss you more than life” — a reference to the lyrics from his song, “Ghost.”

The alliance was not a one-hit wonder for the Grammy winner and the Swedish retail behemoth. The two parties had teamed up back in 2017 for a “Stadium Tour” collaboration, after Bieber had canceled the last leg of his “Purpose” tour dates. The assortment consisted of hoodies, T-shirts with graphic designs, bomber jackets and sweatpants that were reminiscent of his official tour merchandise.

Given their social media reach, global superstars like Bieber have the influence to sway millions of consumers toward or away from a brand. In the past few years, select incidents have led to legal action, including a lawsuit that Ariana Grande brought against Forever 21 in 2019.

The H&M spokesperson did not respond immediately as to whether the retailer is considering or has taken any legal action against the 28-year-old musician. A representative for Bieber did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment regarding any potential legal action against H&M.

He and his wife Hailey have an abundance of endorsement deals and business ventures, including her recent launch of Rhode Beauty. — Rosemary Feitelberg

SHOW MORE: Haute couture week may end on Jan. 26 but the shows will go on, with Patou and Zadig & Voltaire holding off-calendar shows on Jan. 27 in undisclosed locations in Paris.

Starting the day will be Patou, with a 10 a.m. show, the second under the tenure of artistic director Guillaume Henry.

Julia Fox closing the Patou spring 2023.

Courtesy of Patou

The brand’s chief executive officer Sophie Brocart said the date segued with a desire to create “an enjoyable event, a true ready-to-wear show the morning just after couture, a friendly moment with coffees awaiting attendees, for example.”

The morning after couture is “an alternative moment that suits well Patou, less crowded day when we can do things differently, when there is less pressure for attendees and models to run from one show to another, when the agenda isn’t packed” like the womenswear schedule of Paris Fashion Week, she continued.

Patou’s debut show last July was held in the brand’s Ile de la Cité offices, with Julia Fox closing the show in a formfitting dress in a Belle Époque-inspired print.

Zadig & Voltaire, on the other hand, staked the 8:30 p.m. spot on Jan. 27.

Its return last June after five years of showing in New York marked the French label’s reinvention and a doubling down on its roots as a “French fashion house with French DNA,” according to designer Cecilia Bönström.

She told WWD at the time that Zadig & Voltaire had “really grown into an international company” and that it was important for the brand to return as they “really want to be anchored there.”

To follow up June’s scaffolding-inspired set in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs that symbolized its brand being under construction, communication and image director Jordan Henrion said the “effortless luxury” brand would “set everything on fire” for fall 2023. — Lily Templeton

MOVING UP: Matt Rock has been named president, Americas, at Pentland Brands. The role oversees Speedo as well as Pentland’s full portfolio, which includes Endura and Mitre for the Americas region.

Matt Rock

courtesy shot

Rock succeeds Jim Gerson, who is retiring at the end of this year after the successful transition of the Speedo North America business from PVH Corp. into Pentland Brands. Tom Whitmer, previously executive vice president, operations, Americas, has been promoted to chief operating officer, Americas.

Rock, who was formerly president, Asia Pacific, began his career working in sales for Puma and joined the Pentland Brands business in 2005 as sales director for Ted Baker footwear. He was promoted to managing director in 2007 and during that time, increased Ted Baker footwear sales by more than 800 percent and grew distribution from eight to 28 markets. Rock joined the Pentland Brands executive team as global supply chain director in 2015 and was appointed president, Asia Pacific, in 2018, responsible for both the global supply chain and the regional commercial teams. During this time, Rock transformed both functions into multibrand operations and led the development of a “digital-first” China strategy, resulting in a 100 percent growth in sales.

Chirag Patel, chief executive officer of Pentland Brands, thanked Gerson for “his steady leadership throughout the transition. His knowledge, expertise and deep understanding of people were instrumental in successfully onboarding the Speedo North America business,” he said.

Succeeding Rock as president, Asia Pacific, is Abhy Thomas Joseph, and Charlotte Cox continues in her role as president, EMEA.

“The acquisition and transition of the Speedo North America business means we are now a truly global organization. With strong leadership teams now in place across our three key regions — North America, Asia Pacific and Europe — we’re in a great position to deliver on our ambition to build a global portfolio of pioneering brands that make life better,” Patel said.

In 2020, following its acquisition of the Speedo North America business from PVH for $170 million in cash, Pentland Brands outlined its plans to drive an increased emphasis on sustainability and bigger opportunities for its core brands — Speedo, Berghaus, Endura, Ellesse and SeaVees — in the U.S. market. — Lisa Lockwood

IN-HOUSE EXECS: The Fashioneering Lab, a Dallas-based fractional consultancy and think tank that aims to help brands grow, has added eight new executives in residence to offer advice and directions in a number of areas.

Kate Sheldon, founder of The Fashioneering Lab.

Courtesy

Kate Sheldon, Fashioneering’s chief executive, said the new executives include Lars Nilsson, a CFDA member and founder and creative director of Mr. Nilsson; Daryl Kerrigan, a CFDA Perry Ellis award winner and founder of Daryl K., and Kristen Sosa, a former executive of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Other recently added executives in residence are Sharon Graubard, Michael Cleghorn, Elena Bertone, Irene Bernadis and Timothy Parent.

The Fashioneering Lab was launched last year by Sheldon, who has worked as a designer, a design consultant and spent a decade at Neiman Marcus as a buyer of designer collections including Chanel and Christian Dior.

She started her business after noticing her consulting clients, big and small, needed advice on a range of topics, not just design, but also sourcing, optimizing e-commerce, regional expansion, supply chain issues and tech.

The Fashioneering Lab was conceived as a way to offer growth insights from a number of experts for less than the price of full-time hires and to create more communication between strategic advisers.

“When launching The Fashioneering Lab’s consultancy and think tank, I sought to build an entire ecosystem of strategists, thought leaders, and tacticians focused on preparing both emerging and heritage brands for the future,” Sheldon said. “Leveraging our deep-rooted and broad industry expertise, culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing, we are focused on accelerating the adoption of sustainability, circularity, inclusivity, fashion technology and adapting to shifts in work culture and business models.” — Deborah Belgum

Cosabella’s men’s division has a new creative director.Starting this month, Roman Sipe will take the helm as creative director of the men’s division at the Italian innerwear and underwear brand, as well as creative director of men’s at luxury boutique Journelle. Both firms are owned and operated by the Campello family. 
“Roman is a pioneer in men’s underwear; he’s a true creative,” Guido Campello told WWD. 
Campello, whose parents Valeria and Ugo Campello founded Cosabella in 1983, currently serves as creative director of women’s at Cosabella, as well as co-chief executive officer, along with his sister Silvia Campello. “And Roman is an operator,” Campello continued. “He runs his business.”

Luxury lingerie brand Cosabella offers underwear in sizes that fit across all body forms.
Courtesy Photo

Sipe’s business ventures include luxury men’s underwear brand Menagerie Intimates, which he launched in 2015. The designer said he was excited to work with Cosabella — and Campello, in particular — because of the company’s nearly 40-year history. 

Related Galleries

“I’m a self-taught designer. I’m a self-taught brand owner,” Sipe said. “And to have Guido [Campello] as a mentor, as well as Giorgio [Latini], the production manager that we work with in Italy…the research and the knowledge that these men bring to the industry that I’m new to is key. I focus on the beauty of my lingerie and who I am trying to reach. But in order to scale and in order to build brand awareness and grow, I need a mentor within our [intimates] world.”
But Sipe, who is based in Fabriano, Italy, near Cosabella’s factories, is not completely new to the industry. In fact, he’s been in the fashion scene for at least 10 years, between L.A. and New York. His résumé includes celebrity stylist, fashion stylist (with brands such as G-Star and Seven For All Mankind), designer and founder. He also has a bachelor’s degree in finance, styled music videos, contestants on “America’s Next Top Model” and won Macy’s The Next Style Star Competition, a reality show competition that gave him the chance to produce a fashion campaign for the department store. 
“And that is exactly when I decided I wanted to design,” Sipe explained. “And I was like, what am I going to design? The first thing that came to mind was underwear. And I was googling underwear and I didn’t see anything that I would wear.”

Luxury lingerie brand Cosabella now offers underwear in sizes that fit across all body forms.
Courtesy Photo

In the new role, Sipe has been tasked with building out the male body form division, starting with the spring 2023 collections, across Cosabella and Journelle. (Campello and his wife Sapna Palep purchased luxury lingerie boutique Journelle, which has locations in New York and Chicago, along with the e-commerce business, in 2019.) Sipe will also assist Campello on creative direction for Cosabella’s and Journelle’s women’s collections. 
“I always thought I would be the creative director [of Cosabella] forever,” Campello explained. “I thought I had enough creative direction in understanding trends and movement, because I’ve been in this space forever. But very clearly, I think the speed at which the last two years moved, I realized there’s all these worlds out there now that are getting exposure and they need premium products, better products. And one of those places is men’s. The biggest step I took was to understand that I can’t speak to everybody. I know my world. 

“Ultimately, [Sipe] has a comfort level with teaching and talking about that product that’s different from other people,” Campello continued. “I’ve learned a lot already from him, about utility, solution underwear, solution undergarments in that space.”
Campello, who is based in New York, will continue to act as creative director of women’s, with some input from Sipe on the division. He added that it makes sense for Sipe to be based in Italy, near production facilities, in order for him to gain a better understanding of the entire process, starting with the supply chain. 

Luxury lingerie boutique Journelle in New York City. Campello and his wife Sapna Palep purchased the business in 2019.
Courtesy Photo

Meanwhile, Cosabella continues to build out his assortment for men, which launched last fall. Campello is quick to point out, however, that it’s not so much for men, as it is for the male body form. That could take the shape of underwear — which is cut in the same style and fabric across both men’s and women’s — but with added volume in the crotch area to accommodate for men, or bras for men, he explained. 
“We’re a very inclusive brand at Cosabella,” Campello said. “Journelle is becoming inclusive. But to truly be inclusive you need to bring in the people who do those things. Journelle does it by bringing in other brands that we sell. But Cosabella needs that influence,” he added, explaining the need to onboard Sipe. 

Sapna Palep and Guido Campello.
Courtesy Photo

For his part, Sipe’s wish list for the company includes creating sizing guides for men, adding in more lace and bra options, as well as bra fittings for men, while breaking down long-held societal stigmas around men — or the male form — in the lingerie space. He also wants to help expand the range of women who feel comfortable at Journelle by adding more choices for plus-size and transgender shoppers, among others. 
“The most exciting part is coming in and optimizing the male shopping experience: the product, the styles, what we want to do,” Sipe said. “And building what men’s lingerie actually looks like and what it means to actually design for the male form. We have the opportunity to expand what men’s lingerie means. 
“For instance, the fit chart is a really interesting thing for me,” he continued. “Because I know a lot of men who say, I wear a boxer brief. I want to build out a men’s fit guide that lets you know what is proper for what style of pants you’re wearing. I think that’s where my styling experience comes in. And to create a shopping space for men, because most of the time they’re shopping for their partners, their girlfriend, wife, for a woman. But now the goal is to have them come into the store [independently] for Cosabella’s men’s line and with my line. 

“I knew starting my brand, the gays were going to love it,” Sipe added. “The fashion men and women were going to love it. But as my brand grew, I started getting contacted by all different men. And [that experience] has been so much fun. Because all it takes is for people to see [men’s lingerie], to accept it. But also, to see it done right. To understand it and to break down all the walls.”

CLEAN SLATE: It appears that Chanel and Saint Laurent have kissed and made up.Nine months after Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, slammed Saint Laurent for featuring tweed suits similar to classic Chanel styles in its fall 2021 collection, the two houses took out a joint ad in WWD on Thursday pledging their commitment to protecting the intellectual property of French luxury brands.
“French fashion and couture houses are essential elements of the heritage of France. Their creativity, savoir faire and their ability to inspire millions of people around the world contribute to the global influence of French industry. We must protect true creativity and ingenuity from parasitical companies whose business models depend on plagiarism and counterfeiting,” the ad read.

Related Galleries

“Chanel and Saint Laurent also have a long history of mutual respect and are aligned and support each other in defending creation against all attempts from actors whose business models undermine or dilute the value of their creations and investments,” it added.
The statement surprised observers, with some wondering whether it was part of a new industrywide initiative, while others noted the similarity in language to Pavlovsky’s original criticism of Saint Laurent in an interview with WWD published on May 4.  
“How sad to see a brand like that parasite another brand. Saint Laurent is a magnificent brand. I think it’s such a shame not to write your own history and to have to sponge off someone else. But the customers won’t be fooled. The customers will decide which brand makes the most beautiful tweed jacket. I’m not too worried,” he said at the time.
Asked to clarify the meaning of the joint ad, Chanel said it was not directed at any company in particular. It declined to confirm or deny whether the publication was linked to any legal action.
“Our two houses have a deep respect for their peers and for all the houses that contribute to the reputation and excellence of French and international couture. At a time when many companies are trying to profit from the codes, the image and creations of our historic houses, we felt it was appropriate to reaffirm our willingness to protect what makes French fashion so valuable,” Chanel said in a statement sent to WWD.
“We are not referring to any company with this announcement. We are sharing this statement to express our common commitment to protect creativity and savoir faire from business models that depend on plagiarism and counterfeiting. Both houses are aligned and, where appropriate, will support each other in defending creativity from parasitical business practices,” it concluded.
Consider it case closed.
SEE ALSO:
The Bode vs. Stan Brouhaha Over Antique Quilts
Vivienne Westwood Apologizes for Plagiarizing T-shirt
Superdry Sues Asos for Alleged Copying

Amina Muaddi photographed by Pierre-Ange Carlotti for Vogue Arabia December 2019.
Jordanian-Romanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi has been named in Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) and Footwear News (FN)’s 50 Most Powerful Women list. Created by WWD and Footwear News, the newly introduced list features some of the most influential women shaping the fashion industry.
Since launching her eponymous footwear label in 2018, Muaddi’s creations have been worn by stars including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Gigi, and Bella Hadid, and Olivia Rodrigo. “Where I come from, we rarely think dreaming big is possible,” the designer said of making the list.
Muaddi with Rihanna. Photo: Courtesy of Fenty
Alongside Muaddi, the list includes Rihanna, Francesca Bellettini, president and chief executive officer of Yves Saint Laurent, YouTube star Emma Chamberlain, Dior’s creative director Maria Garzia Chiuri, Miuccia Prada, among others. The 50 women chosen are from various backgrounds, who have undertaken different paths to uniquely shape the fashion, beauty, and footwear industries with their impact. The alphabetically arranged list features a description of their journey in the fashion world, as well as leadership advice from each of them.
The footwear designer has a number of successful collaborations under her belt, including working with Rihanna on a Fenty collection in 2021, which also received the FN Achievement Award. More recently, she created a capsule collection with Wolford featuring a range of legwear in bold colors and Swarovski embellishments. The designer also partnered with ASAP Rocky’s creative agency AWGE in 2020 to create shoes that embodied both their unique styles.
Read Next: Go Inside the Vogue Arabia October 2021 Issue for Fashion’s New Frontiers