Coats Go High-Tech - WWD – Women's Wear Daily brings … · Coats Go High-Tech Performance...

November 20, 2014

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Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci’s silk organza jacket, J.Lindeberg’s cotton and spandex turtleneck and A.P.C.’s cotton denim jeans.

Moschino’s nylon jacket,

J.Lindeberg’s cotton and span-

dex turtleneck, Surface to Air’s nylon jacket on

waist and Nudie Jeans’ cotton denim jeans.

It’s Da BombThe bomber jacket continues to take the lead as the “It” outerwear

item for spring. Statement hardware, delicate fabrics and retro references are the elements that inspire this season’s assortment.

For more on the bomber trend, see pages MW4 and MW5.

by JEAN E. PALMIERI

WITH 65 INCHES of snow already on the ground in Buffalo, N.Y., and other Great Lakes cities and below-normal tempera-tures throughout most of the U.S., retailers and outerwear manufacturers are praising the polar vortex.

All this extreme weather calls for more high-performance attributes than ever, whether the wearer is climbing the slopes or walking the city streets. As a result, high-tech fabrics are now penetrating all levels of the outerwear sector.

Sealed seams, water resistance, bullet-proof coatings and antiodor properties are being combined with a modern design aes-thetic to appeal to today’s consumer looking for fashion with function.

Brands are doing it from a position of strength. Thanks to last year’s harsh winter, outerwear sales have been — and continue to be — strong. According to the NPD Group, sales of men’s outerwear in the U.S. rose 7 per-cent to $4.5 billion in the 12 months ending in September, from $4.2 billion the year before.

“Outerwear is one of the bright spots of the season — even coming off a healthy 2013,” said Kevin Harter, vice president for men’s fashion direction at Bloomingdale’s.

The key trend is warmth and perfor-mance without bulk. No consumer wants to look like the Michelin man any more.

“Most state-of-the-art technologies started with extreme sports and skiing. Now, every-thing is air-permeable and heat-induced compression. I sound more like a scientist than a fashion director,” Harter said with a laugh. “But we’re seeing brands like Stone Island, Canada Goose, Herno and Moncler coming out with lighter and warmer coats that look great. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Karen Murray, president of the sports-wear coalition of VF Corp., which includes Nautica, has also experienced the technology revolution. “Jackets are more technical than they ever have been. Over 90 percent of our outerwear utilizes some type of performance features, such as waterproof shells, laminate backing, mechanical stretch, sealed seams, breathability.” There are pockets for gadgets and refl ective taping on some pieces, she said, but the primary message of the day is that the chosen fabrics provide extra warmth and insulation without bulk.

She said high-tech features are “almost a point of entry” today. “Consumers expect it,” Murray said, whether they’re spending $50 or $1,500 for an outerwear piece. “They don’t expect to get wet — they want to be warm. Consumers want functional outerwear that is also fashionable, and it’s our job to make sure our outerwear has a sense of style.”

VOLUME DRIVER

{Continued on page MW6}

Coats GoHigh-TechPerformance features breathe new life into outerwear market.

BAG BOOMTaking a look at the red-hot men’s accessories market as guys become more reliant on bigger bags in which to pack their technology. Page MW7

A Moment With NigoCatching up with Nigo to discuss his projects, including

his new line, Human Made, and life after Bape. Page MW 2

KARL STEFANOVIC: A- FOR STYLE

AND F FOR HYGIENE

WWD: How long have you been with Uniqlo?Nigo: This is the second year.

WWD: How is the partnership working, and what are customers responding to?Nigo: We’ve found that the Uniqlo customer is very interested in classic, well-known charac-ters — Disney and so on. I’ve tried to use those things in a different way, but that’s defi nitely the focus. The fi rst collection I did for them was fo-cused on American pop culture and Americana, but this time, I’ve tried to make it a bit more global and spread out. It was a very concen-trated effort the fi rst time. This is more diverse.

WWD: What have you learned from your col-laboration with Uniqlo?Nigo: It’s pretty much the fi rst time I’ve had to design for anybody else, and it’s made me ap-preciate the diffi culty of the process of design itself. The target is very different. If I’m design-ing for myself, then, as long as I satisfy myself, it’s fi ne. But here at Uniqlo, I have to design something for a much broader customer base.

WWD: Have you brought any of your streetwear background to Uniqlo?Nigo: That’s my background, but, specifi -cally, in this collection, I collaborated with Brooklyn Machine Works, which is an under-ground BMX maker. We love BMX, and I’ve

known Joe [Avedisian], who started the com-pany, for 20 years. So, that goes back to when I started my brand.

WWD: You sold A Bathing Ape three years ago, but you started another brand, called Human Made. Do you still have that line, and how is it going?Nigo: Yes, I do. But it’s, really, when I have time to do it, I do it. It’s very much like satisfying myself, and I’m taking it at my own speed. With this role for Uniqlo and my own brand, I’m still making clothes but in a different way.

WWD: What are you seeing in terms of trends in streetwear in New York, Japan and so on?Nigo: Since the beginning, I’ve not been that conscious of trends, and I’ve always worked on what feels right to me at the time. But I defi nitely feel Supreme is doing very well. It seems like a strong brand to me.

WWD: Are you still working with Billionaire Boys Club and Pharrell Williams?Nigo: I’m still great friends with Pharrell, but I’m not working on BBC at the moment.

WWD: What’s next for you?Nigo: I’m pretty busy right now, and I’ve just got to concentrate on getting all these projects done. I need to keep [focusing] on my creativity.

by JEAN E. PALMIERI

JAGGI SINGH believes there’s life left in the Members Only brand.

Singh, president and chief executive offi -cer, had been the outerwear licensee for the label best known for its poly-cotton bomber jackets since 2009 and purchased it outright in 2012, believing he could revive this “power-ful, iconic American brand. The challenge was how to make it relevant for today,” he said.

The fi rst thing Singh did was to “get our house in order” and “clean up the distribu-tion.” The brand was founded in 1975 and in its heyday, had sales of $200 million. But the jackets had gone down market and sales had dropped below $20 million. However, Singh believed that with a little TLC, they could fi nd their way back into mid-level and up-scale department and specialty stores.

So he set out to create a lifestyle brand under the Members Only banner. So far, he’s signed three licenses: ties and dress shirts with Roffe Accessories; knitwear and bot-toms with TKO, and backpacks with Bijoux International. Sales have returned to the $20 million level.

“And we’re looking to sign more licenses,” he said. “We’re searching for the right part-ners. We’re very close to signing deals for belts, wallets and small leather goods, we’re talking about hosiery, eyewear and underwear, and looking at fragrance.” Singh expects small leather goods to hit the market for fall 2015 and the other classifi cations for spring 2016.

While these categories will be licensed, Members Only has created a sportswear col-lection in-house that launched for holiday at Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor. Among the most popular items are jogger pants, along with cardigans, T-shirts and crewneck henleys.

The brand also has a line of tech accesso-ries such as iPad cases and computer cases that

it is doing in-house and they’re sold at electron-ics stores such as Best Buy and Radio Shack.

“We’re now in six to eight classifi cations and that gives us the meat and muscle to talk to retailers,” Singh said.

Its number-one retail partner is Urban Outfi tters, and Members Only was the com-pany’s top-selling outerwear brand last year, Singh said. “That’s been our biggest success story,” he said, and indicates the brand is mak-ing strides with Millennials. Although it still has a nostalgia customer, Members Only targets the 15-to-35-year-old shopper, a demographic Singh knows is essential to its future success.

Right now, California is the brand’s num-ber-one market, followed by New York. 70 percent of its mix is men’s wear and retail prices range from $88 for the iconic bomber to $798 for leather and shearling.

But expanding internationally is also a goal. Members Only has shown at Pitti Uomo in Florence for the past three seasons and is now sold in six European countries. It also has a “thriving business in Mexico with Liverpool,” Singh said, noting that a distribu-tor has been signed in Korea and others are expected to be added shortly in Canada and South America for licensing and distribution.

Over the summer, Singh hired a new cre-ative director, Gene Uy, who set out to make the brand more modern and contemporary without losing sight of its past. That includes slimming the silhouette. “The feedback we’re getting is that we need to slim down even further,” Singh said. “We’re bringing it from a 46 chest in a medium to a 42.”

For fall 2015, Uy will offer a capsule col-lection of iconic outerwear pieces, called the Transformer. This includes items such as the peacoat and the biker jacket in up-dated fabrics and silhouettes. Flight jackets and varsity jackets are longer and some fea-ture asymmetrical closures. “I’m bringing a

sportswear eye to outerwear,” Uy said. “And everything is more trend-driven.”

Even the signature jackets are getting an update. There are now models with zip-out hoods, fabric choices range from faux leath-

er to real leather, corduroy, real down and synthetic down are also offered. The bomber is available in 15 colors, including seven to eight fashion colors each season.

The women’s collection, designed by Rebecca Leckstein, has also gotten an update. It features everything from cropped leather jackets to puffers, down with boucle details, washed satins and reversible fl oral prints.

The brand is also investing heavily in

its Web site, where business has more than tripled over the past couple of years. Singh recently hired a social media consultant to beef up that portion of the site and make it more relevant to Millennials.

Singh, whose background includes out-erwear licensee for brands such as Kenneth Cole and Nicole Miller, is confi dent that he can signifi cantly grow the Members Only business. “I think it can be a major brand doing $300 million to $500 million like in its glory days — if it’s done right, with other classifi cations and international business,” he said. “That’s ambitious I know, but you have to have a dream.”

Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014MW2

Man ofTHE WEEK

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enough for the Australian viewers not to notice what he’s wearing. If he were on “Good Morning America,”

we would have noticed.

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because we don’t see the grimy cu� s of the shirt.

It’s a little messy on the bottom. They’re a bit too

long, and the Chelsea boot is not helping. A

lace-up would alleviate the wrinkle.

Catching Up With Nigo

Members Only Sets Major Update

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The well-defi ned shoulder gives him enough structure to look

sharp for daytime TV.

It’s a nice shade of blue, but it’s nondescript

enough for the Australian viewers not to notice what he’s wearing. If he were on “Good Morning America,”

we would have noticed.

The sleeves are too long, but in this case, they’re a lifesaver

because we don’t see the grimy cu� s of the shirt.

It’s a little messy on the bottom. They’re a bit too

long, and the Chelsea boot is not helping. A

lace-up would alleviate the wrinkle.

The Australian morning-show host’s confession that he wore the same “cheap Burberry knockoff” suit for a year and no one noticed, has gone viral worldwide. The suit fits him well, but we can smell it from here.

Nigo

Looks from the new collection.

THE STREETWEAR pioneer and founder of A Bathing Ape was in New York City this week to show his spring collection for Uniqlo, where he serves as creative director of the re-tailer’s UT Collection. Nigo, whose real name is Tomoaki Nagao, fi rst launched A Bathing Ape (known as Bape) 20 years ago and sold it in early 2011 to Hong Kong retailer I.T Ltd. for $2.8 million. He has also worked with Pharrell Williams on Billionaire Boys Club and with Coca-Cola, reinterpreting the soft drink’s logo in a vintage-inspired capsule collection. WWD caught up with him to discuss his projects, in-cluding his new line, Human Made, and life after Bape. — JEAN E. PALMIERI

He’s probably a bit of a drinker based on the broken capillaries on his nose — or it could be because it’s always sunny in Australia. Regardless, it’s time to hit the laser machine for some rejuvenation.

Nice teeth — he has a very Tom Cruise smile. (But that can turn creepy at times.)

The fabric of the pants has to be remarkable because after sitting in them for a year, they’re still holding their shape.

This skinny black tie works well with the lapel width, but based on the fact that the tie was the only thing he changed every day, he’s probably a pro at neckwear combinations.

NTA-14-0414-ADV WWD 11-20 ISSUE AD.indd 1 11/11/14 2:15 PM

Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014

Military details, Eighties skinheads and Nineties raver influences are some of the key elements invigorating the bomber jacket this season. Thanks to these references, the ultimate outerwear piece continues to maintain its status as one statement of rebel youth. — ALEX BADIA

Perks and Mini’s nylon jacket, White Mountaineering’s cotton shirt, Everlane’s nylon jacket on waist and Rag & Bone’s cotton pants.

Kris Van Assche’s nylon jacket, Kenzo’s

cotton shirt, Burberry Brit’s nylon jacket on

waist and Acne Studios’ cotton denim jeans.

Louis Vuitton’s silk and wool jacket,

Christopher Kane’s cotton shirt, Burberry Prorsum cotton tank top, Loewe’s

leather jacket on waist and Seven For All Mankind’s

cotton denim jeans.

MW4

Men’s WeekWWD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014


Perks and Mini’s nylon jacket, White Mountaineering’s cotton shirt, Everlane’s nylon jacket on waist and Rag & Bone’s cotton pants.

Kris Van Assche’s nylon jacket, Kenzo’s

cotton shirt, Burberry Brit’s nylon jacket on

waist and Acne Studios’ cotton denim jeans.




cotton denim jeans.

MW4 Men’s Week

FOR MORE IMAGES, SEE

WWD.com/menswear-news.


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cotton denim jeans.

Topman’s nylon jacket, Giorgio

Armani’s cotton shirt, Calvin Klein’s cotton tank top and

Versace’s wool pants.

MW5WWD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014

To this end, Murray said that, for spring, Nautica will introduce a new jacket, the Rainbreaker, which is waterproof, seam-sealed, breathable and lightweight. It will be intro-duced at Nautica stores and internationally.

“Technology is completely consuming everything, and the expectation for technol-ogy is even more pronounced in outerwear,” said Scott Branscum, executive vice presi-dent of sales, merchandising and marketing at Cocona 37.5 Technology, a company that makes a fi ber that helps the body to maintain an ideal core temperature. Before joining Cocona 37.5, he created outerwear for Tumi, Massif and Eddie Bauer.

Branscum said that offering stretch, anti-microbials and water-repellency gives retail-ers “something with which you can engage a customer other than price point.”

Today’s young people have grown up with technology, and they expect innovative features in their apparel. “If it doesn’t have technology, it doesn’t get their attention,” Branscum said. “In the old days, Tefl on was what you used for water-repellency and Lycra was for stretch. That seems medieval now.”

Instead, cutting-edge companies such as Cocona 37.5 and Schoeller Fabrics are work-ing with manufacturers at all levels of the apparel industry to push outerwear forward.

Schoeller, a 150-year-old Switzerland-based company, is widely viewed as among the most innovative fabric producers. It pro-vides fabrics for Theory, Outlier, Isaora, Qor, Mission Workshop, Proof NYC, Aztech and Ninox, among others.

Shannon Walton, a former professional skier who oversees marketing and commu-nications for Schoeller in the U.S., said that, while best known for its stretch wovens, the brand also licenses its technologies to other companies seeking performance features. Among the offerings are Solar+, which ab-sorbs the rays of the sun; Ecorepel, a water-repellent technology inspired by a duck’s feathers; Energear, which allows the body’s energy to be reflected back to the body; Active Silver, which reduces body odor; Cold Black, which provides protection from UV rays; Nanosphere, which is water- and oil-resistant, and 3Xdry, which is water-repellent on the outside but which absorbs and evapo-rates moisture on the inside.

Walton said Schoeller also has fabrics made with Kevlar, so they’re cut-proof and burn-proof. Originally marketed to motorcy-cle racers, the fabric has found its way into more-mainstream applications, as well.

She said that, this spring, Levi’s will use Scholler’s Ecorepel technology in its Commuter Collection, targeted to the urban cyclist. The jeans manufacturer has previous-ly used Nanosphere in the Commuter line.

“The outdoor and ski industries have always loved Schoeller,” Walton said. “But now there’s more interest in bringing tech-nology from the mountain to fashion.” And when fashion brands use one of these proprietary fabrics or fi nishes, they have “the opportunity to talk about the technol-ogy, which means the price can be higher. Now, you don’t need Theory and The North Face: You can just wear one or the other.”That said, outdoor brands such as The North Face are not about to give up their leading positions within the outdoors space and are

working more than ever in the mainstream fashion arena.

Joe Vernachio, the brand’s vice president of global products, said, “Consumers are tell-ing us we don’t just have to be tech-y. We also have to be on trend. We’re no longer sitting in the outdoor space, waiting for trends to come around. We’re bringing advanced tech-nology to the market ourselves.”

He said a commuter in Chicago in the middle of winter, for example, has similar needs to someone climbing the Himalayas. And a pedestrian in Manhattan in a cold rainstorm is no different than a hiker in the Olympic Mountains. “They need the same benefi ts,” he said.

It’s for that reason he believes The North Face has a leg up. “From a technical stand-point, it’s hard for fashion brands to keep up. Most of our products are designed for specific activities, and we have athletes in here all the time telling us what they need and what our product needs to do.”For example, Vernachio said, the company recently developed Fuse Form, a new fabric that replaces polyester with nylon in the fi ll. This technology allows the fi rm to offer a garment that is high performance, durable and packable but still light and functional. “That’s really hard for fashion brands to do,” he said.

To grab its piece of the fashion pie, The North Face has a special urban collec-tion that comprises fi ts and features more suited to the streets than the mountains, “but the technology remains the same,” he said.

“We treat an urban cus-tomer just the way we treat an athlete,” Vernachio added. “If you’re in a cramped sub-way and you’re overheating in one of our jackets, you can just open the vents and even stick your arms out. There’s a nod and a wink there to our technical roots.”

New brands such as Aztech and Ninox have cre-ated sophisticated outerwear by using luxury and performance fabrics with a modern design aes-thetic. Aztech, which launched this fall at Barneys New York, employs suiting-grade wool, high-loft down and premium micro-fl eece bonded with cashmere to offer waterproof, breathable at-tributes. But their design makes the collection just as much at home on the streets of New York.

The same is true at Ninox, a Boulder, Colo.-based brand that delivers “a modern design aes-thetic with updates on classic

silhouettes.” The brand uses organic cottons, Primaloft Gold microfi ber insulation, and Schoeller’s bonded wool and Nanosphere fabrics — and its jackets are all manufac-tured in North America.

Ninox cofounder Allie Thielens said that, because the company is based in Boulder, it is immersed in the outdoors, allowing for a different mind-set than a competitor head-quartered in New York or San Francisco. “This space is growing, and men are real-izing that they also want to spend on their casual clothes, not just their suits,” she said.

Earlier this month, NuDown, a firm founded last year by Silicon Valley entre-preneur Jeff Pickett, introduced NuTech,

a proprietary technology that uses compressed air as insulation. Wearers pump air into dynamic chambers until the garment fi ts tight-ly to the body, providing warmth and comfort.

“Our patented NuTech inflation technology gives outdoor devotees the abil-ity to control their body cli-mate, depending on chang-ing weather conditions or their level of activity,” said

Bob Hall, chief executive of-fi cer of NuDown. “No need

to drop off that extra layer in the base lodge or stop to stow it in a backpack. This is on-the-go fl exibility.” The collection will be unveiled at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market next year.

More-established manufactur-ers also continue to innovate in order to meet the demand of the new technologically savvy con-sumer.

Rainforest turned to Italy for the development of a synthetic fiber called Thermoluxe, which replaces down in a new range of jackets. Thermoluxe traps air and retains heat even in moist condi-

tions, a feat which down is unable to do, ac-cording to president Jack Wu. It’s also high-loft, lightweight and water-repellent. Soft and round, the fi ber clusters don’t poke through quilting as do down feathers, and they are equal to the warmth of 60-fi ll down, according to the marketing materials from the company.

“Consumers constantly complained that down fi ber came out and through the fabric, so we worked with an insulation mill in Italy to develop an alternative,” Wu said. “Today’s consumers are very savvy. We need constant-ly to bring new, innovative products, not only in terms of styling but also functionality in fabrics, insulation, accessories and so on. We see more men who only care about the styl-ing, functionality and fi t.”

European brands are among the lead-ers in blending high fashion with high per-formance — just look at Moncler, one of the fastest-growing luxury brands out there, based on its lightweight down jackets, vests and other apparel.

Carlo Rivetti, president and creative di-rector of Stone Island, based in Ravarino, Italy, said, “For sure, consumers are looking for performance in their outerwear. Then, I think, they are looking for quality more and more. Nowadays, people prefer to in-vest in a jacket as opposed to spending on a jacket. People want items that last and that they can wear often in different situations.”Stone Island answers this demand by pre-senting a “balance between new materials and classic ones,” he said. “Research and new technologies allow us to create brand-new textiles as well as to improve, modify and update the old ones. For instance, our Flowing Camo Refl ex Mat from the spring-summer ’15 collection is one of the evolutions of the very fi rst Refl ective Jacket, made in the early Nineties. The fabric has a coating made of thousands of glass microspheres, but this

season it is opaque and printed with a ‘fl ow-ing’ vertical camoufl age motif.”

In addition, he said the company will in-troduce for spring a high-tech fabric called Hyper Light Membrana TC, a two-layer per-formance fabric made of a lightweight nylon, laminated to be breathable and featuring a water- and wind-resistant membrane.

Italy-based Duvetica Industrie focus-es on gray goose down for its jackets. But beyond that, the brand offers an “urban sportswear” product that uses soft-to-the-touch lightweight fabrics, such as coated wool, washable fl annels and cotton-nylon blends as well as nylon ripstop, according to Stefano Rovoletto, one of the owners.

Herno also offers ultralight down jack-ets, but it, too, has branched out into coated cotton raincoats and peacoats with micro-geometric prints; parkas with laser-cut and welded stitching; bomber jackets with wind-proof nylon sleeves, and a trench in cotton and polyurethane. The company’s “air-tech transpiration project” has resulted in an assortment of slim-fi tting, breathable, light-weight and packable bombers that have mesh inserts in an impalpable fabric that is simi-lar to parachute cloth. The brand has also teamed up with Gore on a collection of fi eld jackets, bombers, trenches and raincoats that are waterproof, windproof, breathable and lightweight and employ the company’s signa-ture Gore-Tex and Windstopper technologies.


Subhead

{Continued from page MW1}

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Headline Goes Dek goes here for this dek goes here for this dek goes here for this.

Outerwear Brands Go High-Tech

FOR MORE IMAGES, SEE


Nautica’s new Rainbreaker

jacket.

Schoeller is a leading

fabric developer.

Rainforest has incorporated Thermoluxe synthetic fi ber into its coats.

A North Face jacket.

A look from the Ninox line.

Stone Island

outerwear.

Men’s Week WWD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014 MW7

by DAVID YI

THE MAN PURSE, the men’s handbag, or simply, the “murse.”

Whatever the term, it’s undeniable that men are becoming more reliant on bigger bags in which to pack all of their technology. It’s even big on the runways. In the spring 2015 shows, brightly colored men’s bags were prominently featured from Fendi to Dior Homme, especially elevated backpacks and soft briefcases in bold prints.

As indispensable items such as the iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Note con-tinue to increase in size, trouser and coat pockets are no longer stow-away options.

This is part of the reason that so many es-tablished brands are refocusing their energies into the men’s handbag category and retailers are quickly expanding their accessories de-partments to capitalize on the growing trend.

In the 12 months ended August, total men’s accessories sales reached $14.1 billion, a 10 percent jump over 2013, according to The NPD Group. Bags were the fastest-growing sector, increasing 24 percent over last year to reach $1.9 billion in sales. This outpaced even the red-hot jewelry category, which post-ed a 12 percent increase to reach $3.7 billion.

Coach Inc., for instance, has seen growth in its men’s accessories line in the past year and has grown from $100 million to now $700 million. Today, the men’s division comprises 14 percent of its overall business.

The brand’s growth falls in line with a recent study by Euromonitor International which found that, in the men’s sector, hand-bags, backpacks and cross-body bags were the most sought-after items, with sales of handbags and cross-body styles rising 5 and 6 percent, respectively, over the past year. Internationally, men’s personal accessories accounted for 30 percent of all global retail sales in 2014, said Sulabh Madhwal, an ana-lyst for Euromonitor.

“Manbags are gradually becoming more mainstream as they serve as alternatives to business bags,” he said. “Wallets and coin pouches are also likely to see appre-ciable growth for the male segment [from] 2014 to 2019.”

Madhwal expects that over the next fi ve years, bags will continue to drive the men’s accessories business.

“With the growth of phones, like the new iPhone models, along with other technolo-gies like the iPad and Mac computer, guys are needing a lot more space for all of their stuff,” said Richard Carroll, senior vice president of marketing and creative director at Randa Accessories. Carroll said Randa, which is the industry’s largest licensee with-in the accessories space with brands such as Dockers, Ryan Seacrest’s Distinction and Vince Camuto, among others, is also seeing growth in hats, belts, gloves and scarves.

“It’s a big business,” he said. “Brands are absolutely behind if they don’t have accesso-ries. Accessories anchor brands.”

Blake Mycoskie, the chief executive offi -cer and founder of Toms, agreed. The chari-table footwear company, now in its eighth year, will be venturing into bags in the fi rst quarter of 2015.

“I think a certain segment of the men’s bag business has gotten more casual,” he said. “Herschel has done a great job with the fash-ionable backpacks, for instance. I think now guys need more space for all that they need in the day. It’s not just a lap-top any more; it’s their iPhone, iPad or tablet or Kindle. These are definitely reasons why bags are becoming an everyday necessity.”

Mycoskie projected that his handbag line, which will make its debut with styles for men and women at a price point that ranges from $79 to $269, will eventually grow to 10 percent of the compa-ny’s overall sales, with men’s bags accounting for around 2 percent.

In Toms’ signature do-good fashion, every bag sold will result in the donation of a birth kit to women in Africa. The kit

will include: a tool to cut the umbilical cord, drapery for the new baby, antibacterial soap, gloves and more.

Even smaller brands like Phillip Nappi are seeing great returns by venturing into accessories.

“Bags are now a necessity, we don’t have enough of them,” said Nappi, who cofounded his leather goods company in 2011 with his wife, Dana.

His men’s handbags launched this sum-mer and Nappi said they already comprise about 10 to 15 percent of sales.

“The backpacks for men and handbags have done extremely well,” he said, “which isn’t sur-

prising as we’ve had customers come in and demand bags.”

In March, Nappi said the brand will

expand further into small leather goods, passport holders, men’s card holders and wallets.

Shinola Detroit, the rising watch brand, is also expand-ing its leather accesso-ries business and re-cently hired Richard Lambertson and John Truex as design direc-

tors to oversee the area. While timepieces still account for the majority of Shinola’s business, accessories sales have doubled in the past six months, a spokeswoman said.

“We are anticipating a huge potential in accessories in general,” said Daniel Caudill, Shinola’s creative director.

Retailers also see the potential within the accessories category.

Tom Kalenderian, executive vice presi-dent and general merchandise manager of men’s wear for Barneys New York, said in-vesting in the growth of men’s leather goods has been a key initiative for the company this year and the retailer has expanded space in its stores to accommodate the growth. Brands that have seen growth and expansion include Balenciaga, Givenchy, Prada, Saint Laurent, Prada and Valextra, among others.

“The strategy is working and men are spending on bags, small leather goods and travel bags at an accelerated rate,” Kalenderian said.

Jewelry has also been popular and Barneys has actually turned to a few wom-en’s brands including Monique Péan, Loren Stewart, Feathered Soul and Suzanne Felsen to request special men’s products to meet the demand.

Bergdorf Goodman is seeing growth in men’s jewelry as well, especially bracelets.

“Jewelry is expanding and it’s so much more personal now,” said Bruce Pask, the store’s men’s fashion director. “It’s no longer occasion-based. What we’re seeing are men wearing personal items for everyday wear. These pieces have become part of their daily wardrobe and they are comfortable with these pieces as part of their identity.”

At Bergdorf, the trend is away from lay-ered chains and toward more structured pieces from brands such as Eddie Borgo and Chrome Hearts.

Kalenderian summed it up this way: “There isn’t a meaningful men’s designer that doesn’t think about serving the total look of the men’s consumer today,” he said. “Accessories not only complete the picture and express the vision of the designer, but also create new business opportunities to expand those brands.”

Men’s Accessories on a Growth Spurt

Woolmark Judges RevealedNRF: Thanksgiving Shoppers Will Be Pickyby ARNOLD J. KARR

CONSUMERS ARE going to force retailers to work even harder to pull them into the stores this Thanksgiving weekend.

A survey of nearly 6,600 U.S. con-sumers conducted for the National Retail Federation by Prosper Insights & Analytics revealed a slightly lower level of certainty about their shopping intentions for the holiday weekend. While the percent-age of those likely to shop dropped to 29.5 percent this year from 30.6 per-cent a year ago, those who replied that they might head out of their homes and into the stores rose to 31.6 percent from 31.3 percent. But those who don’t expect to use the four-day stretch to do their shopping rose to 38.9 percent of the sample from 38 percent in 2013.

Fewer expect to shop on Black Friday, Thanksgiving Day or the two weekend days. The percentage planning to shop on Black Friday dropped to 68.2 from 69.1 last year, while the corresponding number for Thanksgiving Day dropped more sharply — to 18.3 percent from 23.5 percent — despite the plans of more stores to be open for more hours on the holiday. Those planning to shop on Saturday and Sunday dropped to 42.9 and 21.6 percent, respectively, from 43.8 and 24.2 percent a year ago. Of the would-be Saturday shop-pers, 72.7 percent said they would

shop specifi cally as part of Small Business Saturday.

The total who will or might shop translated to about 140.1 million in this year’s survey, down from 140.3 million last year.

Nearly three-quarters — 74 percent — who plan to shop on Thanksgiving did so last year. In 2013, the percentage was 69.2.

“Consumers today want more than just the discounts they’ve been showered with since the start of the recession,” said Matthew Shay, NRF’s president and chief executive offi cer. “They want exclusive offerings and a good reason to spend their discretion-ary budgets. We could witness a sea change this holiday season as con-sumers’ reliance on extremely deep discounts over the biggest shopping weekend of the year shifts to more of a ‘wait-and-see’ mentality around what retailers will be offering on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.

“We are positive retailers have a few tricks up their sleeves that will draw their customers to their stores and Web sites, deciding the deals are worth it after all.”

Getting the attention of shop-pers will be a bit more complicated as they appear less likely to monitor promotional opportunities through traditional sources. The most popu-lar option in both years, monitoring advertising circulars, dropped to 47.9 percent from 49.1 percent. E-mails from retailers remained the second

most utilized option, but dropped to 31.4 percent from 33.5 percent of the sample. Retailer apps dropped to 24.9 percent from 29.6 percent while re-tailers’ Web sites fell to 24.3 percent of the sample from 27 percent.

In its projections for the season, RetailNext, the San Jose, Calif.-based retail metrics monitoring ser-vice, listed Black Friday as the likely busiest day of the season, with the remainder of the top-fi ve days clus-tered more closely around Christmas — Dec. 20, Dec. 21, Dec. 13 and Dec. 19. It expects Thanksgiving Day to be busier than a year ago, although those gains could be offset by softer sales the rest of the weekend.

Based on its monitoring activities to date, the company expects sales to be fl at to down 1 percent for the November-December period, better than last year’s 3.6 percent decline, with similar improvement in traffi c (down about 4 percent versus a 6.5 percent decline last year), conversion (up 0.5 percent versus down 0.2 per-cent) and average transaction value (up 3.5 percent versus up 2.4 percent).

Shelley Kohan, vice president of retail consulting, said the fi rm expects double-digit growth in online sales to continue, “but it might be lower than in the past. This year, much of the on-line activity is intended to drive sales into the stores and use their online ac-tivities to attract consumers to a physi-cal store experience that’s more pleas-ant, fun and entertaining.”

THE JUDGES for the International Woolmark Prize have been revealed.

The 2014-15 competition marks the first time there will be one overall winner for women’s wear and one for men’s wear.

Paul Smith; Dylan Jones, editor in chief of GQ UK; Tim Blanks, editor at large, style.com, and Nick Wooster will judge the men’s award, which recognizes design excellence using Merino wool. The men’s final will be held on Jan. 9 on the fi rst day of London Collections: Men.

The women’s wear award, which will be decided March 17 in Beijing, will be judged by Victoria Beckham; Angelica Cheung, editor in chief, Vogue China; Franca Sozzani, edi-tor in chief of Vogue Italia, L’Uomo Vogue Italia and vogue.it, and editorial director of Condé Nast Italia, and Colin McDowell, fashion writer.

Matchesfashion.com has signed on as the exclusive online retailer for the men’s award. MyTheresa.com will carry the winning women’s collection.

Isetan, Joyce Hong Kong, Harvey Nichols, 10 Corso

Como, David Jones and Saks Fifth Avenue will stock both the winning women’s and men’s collections, beginning in August 2015.

Five regional competitions were held in the U.S., Asia, Australia, Europe and India and the Middle East to select 10 women’s and men’s fi nalists who each received $43,599 at current exchange toward their next collection, as well as an in-vitation to participate in the in-

ternational final. The overall win-ners of the men’s wear and wom-en’s wear finals will each receive $87,000 at current

exchange rate to assist with fabric sourcing and mar-keting of their collection.

The men’s finalists are Asger Juel Larsen (Europe); Public School (U.S.); Sise (Asia), Strateas.Carlucci (Australia), and The Emperor 1688 (India and the Middle East). The women’s fi nalists are Augustin Teboul (Europe), Bird on a Wire (India and the Middle East), M. Patmos (U.S.), Strateas.Carlucci (Australia), and VMajor (Asia).

For fashion from the 10 fi -nalists, see WWD.com.

— LISA LOCKWOOD

Shinola will soon roll out a leather goods factory to complement their booming timepiece business.

Toms is planning to venture aggressively into

accessories come 2015. EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 AM THURSDAY

FOR FASHION PHOTOS OF THE 10 FINALISTS, SEE

WWD.com.

by Khanh T.L. Tran

LOS anGELES — as importers wind down the busy holiday shipping season amid ongoing ne-gotiations to finalize a crucial labor contract be-tween waterfront employers and dock workers, productivity at the West Coast ports is gradually improving.

Even with longshoremen working full shifts, the increased volume of imports has exacerbated the congestion at 29 ports. In the past 12 months, the Port of Los angeles reported that cargo volume increased 7.5 percent.

In Long Beach, “the 10 percent jump in cargo in September has caused the backup to extend through October and into november,” said port spokesman art Wong.

as of Wednesday morning, 11 ships were an-chored outside the ports of Los angeles and Long Beach. Usually, the two busiest ports in the nation don’t have ships awaiting entry.

“Things are slowly improving,” said Phillip Sanfield, a Port of Los angeles spokesman. “We be-lieve most of the holiday goods have already made it in. There may be a little bit remaining.”

The Port of Tacoma is facing the same issues that have affected productivity for the past few weeks. “Longshore crews are working full shifts, but we’re seeing productivity at about 60 to 70 per-cent of what we would normally expect to see,” said Tara Mattina, a Port of Tacoma spokeswoman.

In anticipation of the expiration of the six-year contract between the Pacific Maritime association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on July 1, a number of companies began to move cargo as early as april. For instance, on Tuesday, TJX Cos. said that, to avoid delays, it ac-celerated deliveries of holiday merchandise sold at its off-price stores.

against the backdrop of the labor negotiations, which are being held daily, trade groups are be-coming more vocal about the need to sign a new contract and avoid repeating the 10-day port lock-out in 2002 that drained the national economy of billions of dollars. In a joint op-ed that ran on nov. 14 in nine Southern California newspapers, the heads of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, national retail Federation and national association of Manufacturers urged both the PMa and ILWU to

work with a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to avoid a shutdown that could cost up to $2 billion a day.

Wrote Thomas Donohue from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Matthew Shay from the nrF and Jay Timmons from naM: “The shut-down of 2002 has not been forgotten by business-es that rely on the West Coast ports, and another shutdown would only make companies more hesi-tant to make long-term commitments there. Ports just over the borders in Canada and Mexico have already taken market share of the cargo that once flowed to U.S. West Coast ports, and expansion of the Panama Canal next year will make it easier to bypass the West Coast entirely in favor of East Coast ports that more directly serve many major U.S. markets.”

In response to the op-ed, Wade Gates, a spokes-man for the PMa, said, “We would support any and all efforts designed to get the ports working again and to reach a new contract with the union that ensures the ports stay competitive in the future.”

In contrast, the union said it doesn’t see a need for calling in a federal mediator. raising the alarm about an imminent shutdown is also a public-relations ploy, said a spokesman. “[The op-ed] will have no impact on the negotiations, which have to be resolved by both sides working hard to reach a settlement,” said Craig Merrilees at the ILWU.

by rOSEMary FEITELBErG

nEW yOrK — Just as the “The Last Emperor” underline of his new book’s title suggests, Valentino Garavani proved to be a master in diplomacy during Tuesday’s Q&a with Fern Mallis at 92y here.

This was on full display during the event — whether he was deftly dodging questions about his age, (“What? I don’t understand,”) or how the scent of a McDonalds once in-fused a villa he was working in, (“I am very fussy about food. It is best to jump this ques-tion.”) Time and again, the designer effort-lessly led his interviewer to breezier mo-ments in his fabled career, with the sold-out crowd laughing approvingly. When Mallis pressed for details about how a 15-day Saint-Tropez holiday once cost him a job early on, Valentino described the importance of his younger self “dreaming all the time...and God gave me all the satisfaction to one day have myself a yacht.”

recalling how at 17-and-a-half years old, he asked his father for permission to move to Paris, the designer said that would be like “someone today asking their par-ent if they want to go buy something on the moon.” as for meeting — and his long partnership with — Giancarlo Giammetti, who was in the audience, Valentino said, “I never knew about business all my life, yeah, yeah, yeah. he took care of the busi-ness, the marketing.” he then turned to the audience with, “She wants to know every-thing. I’m going to tell you which under-wear I’m wearing.”

as fans clustered around him at the post-talk reception, the designer’s hooded eyes looked a little weary, though his gray suit

was crisp as ever. In the end, he said he en-joyed “turning” the interview and making it his own, emphasizing that “he was very happy,” and called Mallis “divine — she let me say everything.”

and, like any seasoned statesman, there was a little room for legacy building. “My life, I dedicated to beauty, to nice things,

to women. I tried to do my best, but I don’t know. In a certain way, at the end, I am quite proud because I did it with lots of love.”

here, Valentino highlights scenes from his past and gives insights about today’s fashion landscape.

Finding Success“It’s very important for a designer not just to have an idea but to know how to realize it...The way we used to work, now it is more difficult because life has changed. People work in a different way. People can still be successful, but what I did, and colleagues of mine did, doesn’t exist any more.”

His Own Work Ethic and How Maria Grazia Chiuri and Peter Paolo Piccioli Rate“I was so concentrated in my design and creativity. I had lots of assistants but I never asked them to do something instead of me. I was too concentrated, too jealous of my designing. They do a very good job because they respect the Valentino name. no, I don’t miss designing. I know they work. I see a lot of them. I’m glad they are doing very well.”

Favorite Celebrities“Meryl Streep — sometimes she comes to lunch and goes to see the cook to ask for the recipe. I have lots of friends. anne hathaway, Jennifer Lopez, Keira Knightley...Gisele [Bündchen] is for me the top of the top.”

Meeting Elizabeth Taylor in Rome

in the Sixties“She was still Mrs. [Eddie] Fisher. She said, ‘I have to tell you, if the dress is beautiful and it suits me, I’m going to wear it.’ So I tried my best and she did wear it...I prom-ised her one dress [her dealbreaker for a photo with the designer] and she chose the most expensive one.”

Dressing Jackie Kennedy for Her Wedding to Aristotle Onassis“WWD was the first to call to ask, ‘Did you make the dress?’ I said I had no idea. nobody called me for the dress. It was a dress she bought from my collection. It was offered in short and long. The month after the wedding I sold 30 pieces of the short one. This was high fashion.”

Critiquing the 2008 “Last Emperor” Documentary About His Life“The film shows some things that were very private. I’m screaming. I’m yelling about the collection. I am usually not this way. But when the moment is the moment, I must ac-cept it.”

Primo Socials like Begum Aga Khan, Jacqueline de Ribes, Jackie Kennedy, Lee Radziwill, Audrey Hepburn, Gloria Guinness, Maria Agnelli

“Go on, go on...I have to tell you, I think I was one of the happiest, lucky and fortunate people in the world. Sometimes I ask my-self, ‘Did you do something to get all these things?’ and of course, I said yes.”


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Valentino as Diplomat Revealed at 92Y

Longshore crews are working fuLL shifts, but we’re seeing productivity at about 60 to 70 percent of what we wouLd normaLLy eXpect to see.” — TARA MATTINA, PORT OF TACOMA

“

Fendi, Dimore Studio Team for Design Miami W. Coast Ports on Reboundby LUISa ZarGanI

MILan — Fendi has teamed with Dimore Studio to create a roman Lounge at the Design Miami fair next month.

Dimore Studio founders Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran re-interpreted an ideal Fendi apart-ment in rome with some of the brand’s most representative details, such as the Selleria leather and fine stitching or color-blocking.

“Who better than Dimore Studio for this?” enthused Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive offi-cer of Fendi. “They are young, but they have a standing and reputation at a global level.” Salci and Moran have already designed pieces for Fendi’s Paris and Milan flagships, said Beccari, highlighting how their design is characterized by “the richness of materials and the use of leather and steel,” and their skill in recreating “Italy’s Sixties era.”

This is the seventh year Fendi will show at Design Miami and Silvia Venturini Fendi said Dimore Studio’s “translation of Fendi codes is truly distinctive, sophisticated, with a unique personality and a whispered luxury expressed through the details and the materials chosen.”

In a neutral space, Fendi will display a selection of bespoke piec-es that reflect the bond between the brand and the design studio. The collection comprises two different kinds of lighting, horizontally along the walls of the space and vertically from above a bookcase in iron pipe painted black, with oxidized brass feet, dividers and shelves in glass yellow, brown, pink and gray that play with the same colors of the hor-izontal light. Vertical volumes pay homage to Ferdinando Innocenti,

while horizontal volumes pay hom-age to akira yoshizawa’s origami.

There will be a grand square table with a base consisting of seven frames in black painted iron and one in oxidized brass and a smoked glass top, as well as two chairs, with shell and crocodile burl inlays lined in cream and yel-low Selleria roman leather with details in oxidized brass, called “conversation pieces.” a daybed padded with foam, lined with natu-ral sheared mink, with oxidized brass details and tubular structure will be placed on a puzzle wool carpet made of triangles in seven shades of gray with yellow wool Selleria stitching.

“This is an extraordinary proj-ect, a perfect example of one of those roman salons that we love in those gorgeous palazzos that blend modern and antique,” said Beccari.

The executive also touted the relevance of Design Miami. “It’s one of the most important events in the world, at the vanguard of design, and Fendi has been there since early on in the beginning, showing its proximity to design. It’s one of the appointments at the maximum level in the world.”

The Italian brand has had a home line, Fendi Casa, since 1987, which Beccari said was one of the company’s most profitable busi-nesses. In July, Fendi said it was entering its first branded real estate project globally, partnering with Château Group to develop Fendi Château residences, a 12-story waterfront condo in Miami slated for completion in June 2016. It will feature 58 units — apartments and penthouses — from 3,300 to more than 7,000 square feet with 10-foot ceilings and ocean-view terraces.

Valentino Garavani and Fern Mallis

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