It’s 2013, and Karl Lagerfeld is standing by his calling Adele “a little too fat.” (Which is weird, because he actually apologized for those comments in 2012?) In a new interview, the designer says he never called her “fat,” just “roundish,” and that in any case “after that she lost eight kilo so I think the message was not that bad.” At the time, Adele sharply rejected Lagerfeld’s comments, so the causal relationship Lagerfeld is implying seems tenuous at best. [Fashionista]
Lanvin’s fall children’s collection is pretty adorable in this video. [YouTube]
Lily Cole launched a collection of jewelry made from wild rubber. The model wants to support Brazil’s wild rubber industry as a way of preserving the Amazon rainforest. “In the short-term the land is more valuable for cattle farming,” Cole explains, “so currently there isn’t enough of a financial incentive to do wild rubber trading, to protect the forest from being deforested.” [Telegraph]
Marc Quinn, the artist who made a statue of Kate Moss out of solid gold, unveiled a portrait of a pregnant Lara Stone at the Venice Biennale. [Telegraph]
• Congressman George Miller of California has come out in support of ending preferential trade status for Bangladesh until the country improves its safety record. Bangladesh’s economy is dominated by the apparel and textiles trade, and currently is the world’s second-largest exporter of apparel (China is number one). In April, 1129 people died when the Rana Plaza building that housed multiple garment factories collapsed, the latest of a string of deadly fires and other preventable industrial disasters. The impact of such a suspension of trade preferences could be devastating to the Bangladeshi apparel industry. Miller reiterated his criticisms of Gap Inc. and Wal-Mart, two U.S. mega retailers that have failed to sign on to a binding agreement to improve safety at its Bangladeshi suppliers. Wal-Mart and Gap contracted with factories involved in some of the deadliest recent disasters, including the Rana Plaza collapse and the Tazreen factory fire that killed 112 people last November. [WWD]
• Puma, meanwhile, signed that agreement. That brings the total number of signatories to 42. Companies that have signed include H&M, Benetton, Inditex, C&A, Primark, Carrefour, Marks & Spencer, PVH, Abercrombie & Fitch, Sean John, and the parent company of Joe Fresh. [WWD]
• A woman who allegedly contracted herpes from a contaminated makeup sample is suing MAC. The alleged victim was given the Riri Woo lipstick from Rihanna’s makeup collection and subsequently developed a cold sore. [CBS]
• The French market regulator has recommended Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy be fined €10 million for its actions in acquiring a 22.3% stake in Hermès. As the New York Times explained in an excellent piece about LVMH’s dealings to acquire the stock, the luxury conglomerate used a variety of subsidiaries over a period of nearly a decade to stealthily take the stake in the publicly traded but family-controlled luxury brand. Hermès is one of the last, and arguably the most prominent and valuable, brand that has yet to fall into the hands of any of the conglomerates that dominate the luxury market, and Hermès is fiercely proud of its independence. LVMH acquired stakes of less than 5% — which at the time was the threshold for disclosure under French law — buried the strategic acquisitions on its balance sheet, and used cash-settled equity swaps to camouflage the purchases. That meant that LVMH’s enormous stake appeared to materialize all at once only years later, when the swaps were settled. The stake apparently came as a surprise to Hermès, which considers LVMH’s actions an attempt at a hostile takeover. Even if the full fine is levied by the regulator, it would be a pittance compared to the estimated $2 billion LVMH has made from the deal. LVMH has denied wrongdoing and is fighting the charges. Developing. [WWD, NYTimes]
• Elle editor-in-chief Robbie Meyers, on makeup and power: