David Beckham's Lifestyle Brand Launches, Features Shirtless Torso
LatestLook forward to seeing David Beckham’s nude torso on a lot more billboards. He’s launching his own branded company: his new cologne will hit stores in September, and his first men’s wear collection is launching at some unspecified date later this year. “It’s not my natural inclination to see myself as a brand, I’m just a person who has been fortunate to explore other interests and passions outside of the game I love,” says Beckham, who says he was inspired to start his own clothing line after being the face of Emporio Armani. “They told me that their gross turnover in 2007 was €16 million [$22.7 million at current exchange] and after the campaign in 2008 it went up to €31 million [$43.9 million] in 2008. It proved to me that there is a real market for good-looking, well-made men’s bodywear.” Beckham’s partner in the venture is Simon Fuller, the Spice Girls manager-turned-backer of Victoria Beckham and Roland Mouret. [WWD]
Here’s one of Walter Pfeiffer‘s shots of Tilda Swinton for the new Pringle of Scotland campaign. Tilda’s bowl cut is pretty boss, and also probably un-attemptable by anyone else on this planet. [Telegraph]
Louis Vuitton‘s fall campaign just hit the Internet, and as previously rumored, it features a bunch of models. Zuzanna Bijoch, Daphne Groeneveld, Gertrud Hegelund, Nyasha Matonhodze, Anaïs Pouliot and Fei Fei Sun, to be precise. As not previously rumored, it also has dogs! Cute little Japanese Chins. Awwwww. [WWD]
Prabal Gurung for J. Crew is pricey — there are some $400 and $450 pieces. This “exploding bow” top costs $295. [The Cut]
Jeffrey Campbell knocked off Alejandro Ingelmo‘s wicked shoes for Chris Benz. [Fashionista]
- David Lynch is opening a night club in Paris called Silencio. Reports Women’s Wear Daily, “The basement venue will be entirely conceived and designed by the director — right down to the furniture — and will feature a bar, restaurant, movie theater, concert hall and art library.” [WWD]
- Ralph Lauren told Oprah that he came up with the brand name “polo” because, “I couldn’t call it basketball.” Polo, he said, seemed “more sophisticated.” [WWD]
- The Hermès family, which is fighting a hostile takeover bid from Bernard Arnault and his company LVMH, wants to corral their stake (which together comprises more than 50% of the publicly listed company) into a non-listed holding company. The French association of minority shareholders is fighting Hermès, Hermès is fighting LVMH. The French courts are currently looking into whether Hermès’ planned move is legal and whether LVMH’s acquisition of more than 20% of the company was legal. [WWD]
- Gwyneth Paltrow‘s latest GOOP missive features her “picks” for Spring fashion “basics.” These include a $785 Stella McCartney jersey dress, an $1840 Chloé silk blazer, and a $1595 Proenza Schouler satchel. The total cost to be basic like Gwyneth: $18,301. [GOOP]
- Supermodel Nadja Auermann is on trial for tax evasion in Berlin. The German government wants up to €270 million from her in taxes for the years 1999-2002. Auermann contends that she was not a German resident until 2002, so shouldn’t owe any taxes for those years. Auermann cried on the witness stand when asked why she returned to Germany in 2002; her mother was dying and she returned to care for her. [Racked]
- Niki Taylor is pregnant. [PopEater]
- Celebrity journalism (Joan Didion: “I avoid situations in which I have to talk to anyone’s press agent”) really is kind of a chore. Especially when for all the hours of travel and preparation and question pre-approval and PR wrangling, the only insight gleaned is that Kate Moss likes…jam. [Telegraph]
- London: there is now a musical based on Coco Chanel‘s life. [Vogue UK]
- The Council of Fashion Designers of America turns 50 next year. President Diane von Furstenberg is still hoping a bill that would offer limited copyright protection to clothing designs will pass Congress. But even if not, she says, “It’s the best news that mass merchants like H&M and Target hire designers. It means we really have made an impact on the industry, because our role is to increase the value of design.” [WWD]
- Yves Saint Laurent has licensed its name to cigarettes in Europe for years; we recall having a room-mate in Paris who smoked them exclusively. A blogger noticed this distasteful but very old news, and then the New York Daily News noticed the post and ran an apopleptic, and completely incoherent, “story” about this Important Issue Of Our Day (without referencing the blog, of course). Other fashion brands that have sold cigarettes under license include Versace, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and Cartier — and Pierre Cardin, but no surprise there. [StyleCaster, NYDN]
- Every fashion show held at Lincoln Center this September just got more expensive. IMG, which runs New York fashion week, is raising prices on its Lincoln Center venues by an average of 8%. The Theater, the largest venue and the one favored by brands including DVF and L.A.M.B., will now cost $54,000 instead of $50,000. The cheapest venue, The Box, which is favored by designers like Mara Hoffman and Mandy Coon, will run $16,500 instead of $15,000. To rent for a few hours, just long enough to mount a show. [WWD]
- Gap has launched a strange and kind of complicated new “name your price” website. Like Priceline, but for clothes, we guess? If your price is accepted, you print out a coupon and go to a nearby store to collect your item. [Gap]
- Target’s first-quarter net income rose 2.7%, to $689 million. Yay! More money for Target to give to Tom Emmer and his ilk. [WWD]
- Richemont‘s profits for fiscal ’10 rose an eye-popping 79% to $1.52 billion, but that includes the one-off boost the conglomerate got from acquiring Net-A-Porter. [WWD]
- Sears lost $170 million during the first quarter. [WWD]
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