Balmain Lands in Atlanta, Krakoff’s House Party, Ahrendts Gets New Gig – WWD

NEW IN ATLANTA: Balmain has opened a store at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, representing the first U.S. store of its new concept based on the Madison Avenue store in Manhattan, which opened in 2020.

The store, located at 3500 Peachtree Road in Atlanta, features men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, in addition to eyewear.

Featured in the store is the pre-fall 2023 collection with the fall 2023 collection launching in coming weeks. An exclusive red, white and blue monogram Unicorn sneaker, retailing for $1,650, will only be available at the Atlanta store location.

The 2,000-square-foot store combines the details of a classical Parisian apartment — marble, brass rails, mirrors — with the industrial elements, such as raw exposed ceiling, steel and concrete, that are typical in New York City.

Phipps Plaza is home to such designer brands as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli, Cartier, Celine, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tom Ford and Versace.

This is Balmain’s sixth store in the U.S., following Madison Avenue, Bal Harbour, Florida, Houston, Las Vegas, and Melrose Place in Los Angeles. Additional stores will open in Dallas and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, in the fall. — LISA LOCKWOOD

HOUSEWARMING PARTY: On Friday evening, John Hardy creative director Reed Krakoff opened the doors to his new home out east. Krakoff, with wife Delphine Krakoff, hosted an outdoor cocktail party at their newly constructed Amagansett beachfront home in celebration of the jewelry brand and the last weeks of summer.

The event also marked the launch of John Hardy’s new Spear collection, which debuted Aug. 1 with bracelets and a choker necklace.

“With Spear, I challenged myself to preserve the foundation of the brand’s core designs so the brand evolves seamlessly. Spear was designed to bridge tradition with an edgy and modern perspective,” said Krakoff of his inspiration for the new line, which retails starting at $1,995. Krakoff is approaching his one-year anniversary with the Bali-inspired brand. “At John Hardy, there is an endless opportunity to interpret and innovate something that’s already so beautiful, which I find extremely inspiring and rewarding,” he said.

Guests — many wearing pieces from the new collection — included Amy Lefévre, Athena Calderone, Candace Bushnell, Joey Wölffer, Coco Bassey, Dee Poku, Cynthia Rowley, Todd Snyder, and Sultan and Princess Deena Ali Al-Juhani Abdulaziz. — KRISTEN TAUER

AHRENDTS’ LATEST GIG: Angela Ahrendts has been appointed a senior operating advisor at SKKY Partners, a private equity firm founded by Kim Kardashian and Jay Sammons.

SKKY Partners focuses on both control and minority investments in high-growth consumer and media companies across the consumer landscape, including fashion, luxury, food and beverage, health and wellness, beauty and personal care, and leisure.

Most recently, Ahrendts was senior vice president, Apple Retail, where she reimagined Apple’s retail experience, redesigned the stores and re-crafted the roles of 70,000 employees globally. Earlier she was chief executive officer at Burberry Group plc for nearly nine years, where she tripled the business and quadrupled the share price. During her tenure at Burberry, Ahrendts was a member of the U.K.’s Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council and was named honorary dame commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

At SKKY Partners, she will work with Kardashian, Sammons and the rest of the SKKY team to identify and evaluate prospective investment opportunities while serving as a resource for the companies SKKY invests in. She is expected to bring her expertise to SKKY to help support the firm’s investments in the next generation of consumer brands.

“As we continue to expand SKKY Partners and focus on identifying strategic investment opportunities for the firm, it was the perfect time to have Angela join us,” said Kardashian, cofounder and managing partner. “Angela’s wealth of leadership experience and deep understanding of building brands and influencing culture makes her a natural fit for the firm.”

Ahrendts said, “Kim and Jay have created something truly extraordinary with SKKY Partners. Their focus on backing the next generation of industry-disrupting brand with a mission to leave each company they invest in better than it was before is truly inspiring. I look forward to bringing my expertise to the team, along with my experience working with creative business leaders, as we invest in great consumer companies and continue to build a great firm.”

Ahrendts currently serves on the boards of Ralph Lauren Corp., Airbnb Inc. and WPP plc. — L.L.