Marine Rose, Stüssy Collaborate, Franki Sport Line, Franz Kraler’s Opening – WWD

DRIVING DESIGN: British fashion designer Martine Rose is renewing her passion for the art of driving with a capsule collection with cult street brand Stüssy.

Launching Friday, the cross-pollination features T-shirts with Stüssy’s classic “Stand Firm” text and a hoodie with a graphic treatment, as well as a faux leopard fur steering wheel cover; driving gloves; an air freshener; a co-branded car mat set; a fringed flag, and a collaged windscreen.

The capsule is accompanied by a series of images shot inside, or next to, a car, showcasing items from the collection, as well as depicting Rose’s signature laid-back urban cool that has won her numerous fans, including Drake.

The designer’s love for cars can also be felt on the cover of i-D’s fall 2022 issues, where Rose dressed Naomi Campbell and DJ Goldie in looks from her spring 2023 collection. Campbell sat in the driver’s seat inside a red car, while winking to the camera.

The collaboration is the latest one for Rose who previously has worked on a variety of capsules and special projects for brands including Nike, Napapijri and Tommy Hilfiger.

For three years, she shuttled back and forth to Paris, working with Demna on Balenciaga menswear. She is widely regarded as having been a major influence on the brand’s oversize, distressed and vintage-flecked men’s silhouettes.

She made her international debut as the special guest designer at Pitti Uomo in January, bringing her uncool-is-cool flair to Florence, reinventing classics through a subtly sensual lens, at the time when rumors of her being considered to succeed Virgil Abloah at Louis Vuitton Men were circulating. While the top job went to Pharrell Williams in the end, in an earlier interview with WWD, Rose revealed that 2023 was going to be busier than ever, as she has designed a tailored clothing collection with her long-term collaborator Nike that’s set to be released this summer. — TIANWEI ZHANG

NEW LINE: Franki by Francesca’s will introduce Franki Sport collection on Thursday, a tween athletic- and athleisure-focused line. It’s the brand’s first tween athletic collection designed to encourage young girls to feel comfortable and confident in themselves and their activewear.

Geared for sports such as soccer, tennis or cheerleading or lounging at home, Franki Sport features sports bras, leggings, tracksuits, jackets, tennis skirts and run and bike shorts, for tweens ages 7 to 14. Prices range from $24 to $48.

Colorful styles, which are to be mixed and matched, were created with performance and moisture-wicking fabrics that are lightweight, pill-resistant and durable.

“Franki Sport fills a void in the tween athleticwear space. Young girls deserve to feel cool and confident and have the clothes to match. The design is all about having options and delivering pieces that work for a range of activities with long-lasting and durable fabrics for gym class, tennis practice, or hanging out with friends outside,” said Victoria Taylor, executive vice president of merchandising at Francesca’s. “We want all Franki girls to feel comfortable in their day to day lives and Franki Sport extends our line of offerings for the tween age.”

Franki by Francesca’s is operated by Francesca’s Acquisition LLC, the Houston-based specialty retailer.

Franki worked with girls in this age group and brand ambassadors to gauge what the tween girl wanted in her wardrobe and found that this age group was very interested in reinvented sportswear that’s versatile for multiple activities. Franki has partnered with dancers, athletes, cheerleaders and others to help create the line.

To further amplify the launch and reach target audiences, Franki Sport is teaming with Varsity Spirit, a leader in uniform innovation, educational camps, clinics and competitions. Varsity Spirit promotes the well-being of young athletes, most significantly at The Summit, Varsity’s biggest Championship event of the season, which brings together some of the best cheerleading teams at all levels of competition across the globe. At this year’s Summit, Franki by Francesca’s will connect with the cheer community and have a branded booth. A sweepstakes with prizes from Franki by Francesca’s and Varsity Spirits can be entered through QR codes throughout the event. The Summit Event will be hosted at Walt Disney World from April 27 through 30. Franki Sport is available at all Franki’s boutiques and on francescas.com/category/frankiforgirls.

Franki by Francesca’s is in around 100 of Francesca’s 460 locations in the U.S., and there are nine stand-alone Franki stores with two new openings this spring.

SHOP & EAT: The appetite for brick-and-mortar shopping destinations hasn’t waned in the aftermath of the pandemic and luxury retailer Franz Kraler is betting big with a new store opening in Bolzano, Italy, its hometown, which combines retail and fine dining.

The company, which counts a network of seven stores in key ski resort destinations in the Dolomites, such as Cortina d’Ampezzo and Dobbiaco, is relocating its Bolzano unit to a bigger space on central Piazza Walter, inside the Palais Campofranco, a 14th century estate that already serves as a shopping destination.

Covering 1,614 square feet, the space revamped by the Marastoni design studio is defined by a string of arches often framing big screens for video projections. The all-white classical space is peppered by contrasting beige carpeting running through the back of the store.

Opening Thursday, the store is poised to carry a selection of luxury brands, from Gucci and Valentino to Fendi and Christian Louboutin.

Furthering its commitment to experiential shopping, Franz Kraler has teamed with Meta, the fine dining destination founded by Gunther Stecher located at the top floor of Palais Campofranco. Next up is the opening of Meta Suite on the second floor of the palazzo, above the Franz Kraler store.

This is not the first such partnership. Kraler also owns a mountaintop ski-slope lodge in Cortina d’Ampezzo, close to where ski lifts for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be installed, where it plans to add a Michelin-starred restaurant and refurbish the location for lodging.

Last fall Valentino took over the location, as reported, as part of a string of activations several luxury brands were doing in the area. With 2021 sales of 53.8 million euros, Franz Kraler is among a roster of multibrand stores in Italy that are redefining the wholesale business model. — MARTINO CARRERA

ELITE CHANGES: Elite World Group is expanding its board of directors with the appointment of  Michelle-Marie Heinemann Scaglia and has revealed new corporate governance processes.

Chairman and owner Silvio Scaglia praised the new member’s “experience, her impeccable credentials, and her impressive record as an entrepreneur and a multitalented artist,” seeing them as “extremely valuable additions” to the board.

Heinemann Scaglia is a New York-based socialite and entrepreneur, a painter and sculptress, and a classical pianist who has recorded two albums. She is the chief executive officer of luxury lifestyle brand Old Fashioned Mom LLC. She was awarded Goodwill Ambassador from the Swiss boarding school Le Rosey and was the Goodwill Ambassador to Utterly Global Youth Empowerment and trustee to the board. In 2005, she formed Blankets for Warmth, a nonprofit organization that distributed blankets to the less fortunate living on the streets in Manhattan. She and Silvio Scaglia were engaged last October.

While the role and functions of the model and talent agency’s CEO Paolo Barbieri will not change, chairman and owner Silvio Scaglia assumes the lead and supervisory duties normally carried out by the nomination and compensation committee, by the strategy committee and by the communications committee on more complex company boards.

The chairman underscored “the excellent job” done by Barbieri, “who has successfully led the extraordinary team of people who constitute EWG to new highs in both market share and profitability.” Barbieri joined EWG in 2013. Vittoria Ceretti, Mariacarla Boscono, Kendall Jenner, Adut Akech, Isabeli Fontana, Pleun Keijsers and Loli Bahia are among the models represented by the agencies of the group.

Scaglia has been in the media and gossip pages for the past year due to a very public divorce — that included court litigation — from his previous wife Julia Haart, reality star of “My Unorthodox Life” on Netflix, former La Perla creative director and ousted EWG CEO. — LUISA ZARGANI