Fratelli Rossetti Taps Huebl, Oscar’s Auction, Revolve Returns – WWD

STEP UP: Johannes Huebl switched his fashion status from Fratelli Rossetti’s customer to collaborator.

The German tastemaker, who is a front-row fixture with his wife Olivia Palermo during fashion weeks, has tied up with the label on a capsule collection dedicated to a specific desert boot he purchased a long time ago and grew particularly fond of.

“I don’t exactly remember when it was, but long before I met the Rossetti family,” said Huebl, adding that he wore it so much that he “probably had it fixed by a shoe repairman in New York about 10 times just because I loved it so much and it was the best design for an ankle desert boot that I hadn’t seen in any other shoe brand.”

“I received so many compliments on that shoe that when I then met the brothers — Diego, Dario and Luca Rossetti — I showed them an old photo of it on my camera roll and they weren’t as affected as I was with the success of it,” he recalled with a laugh.

Huebl eventually convinced the brand to put an emphasis on the model, which resulted in a dedicated, focused capsule collection for spring to be launched on Friday at the Fratelli Rossetti stores in Milan, New York and Bruxelles, as well as on the brand’s e-commerce.

The range will offer the design in five colors, including the terra-cotta, burgundy, vicuña, blue navy and camel earthy shades. Retailing at 330 euros, each pair will be marked with the signature of Huebl engraved on the leather sole.

“The colors are all so different, I just can combine them so fabulously with all parts of my wardrobe,” said Huebl showing the burgundy pair through Zoom and defining that specific option “molto Italiano — so chic, and you don’t see this shade too often.”

Yet it’s the comfort of the model to really do the trick for Huebl. “There are so many companies that have these expensive design sneakers and sometimes I wear them and I have blisters immediately walking around the block, which doesn’t fulfill the task of a shoe for me,” he noted. Huebl also underscored that are plenty of Fratelli Rossetti designs on his shoe rack, ranging from slip-ons to lace-up options, admitting he has a soft spot for the category.

His wardrobe includes “another precious item” from the brand: a suede bomber jacket, which he also purchased in the past. In his mind, it further proves that the brand “really has a wide range of well-designed, well-crafted pieces in their product line.”

“Our partnership was born in a very natural and spontaneous way, from the first time we met there has always been a great feeling,” said the company’s chief executive officer Luca Rossetti, confirming the mutual love and adding that “Johannes’ international style embodies perfectly the essence of our brand.”

This match could open to new future developments product-wise, as Huebl confirmed there are “multiple ideas on the table” that could potentially lead to continue the collaboration between the two parties. “Whenever I go to Milan, the company is one of the closest that I work with, so it almost feels like family,” he concluded. — SANDRA SALIBIAN

 

OSCAR’S AUCTION: Oscar de la Renta has launched an online auction to purchase Sarah Jessica Parker’s “And Just Like That” premiere dress.

The auction takes place on de la Renta’s resale platform, Encore. All proceeds of the auction, which went live Tuesday, will be donated to UNICEF.

The dress was crafted in Oscar de la Renta’s New York City atelier, cut from pewter silk chiffon with magnolia hand embroidery and a blush tulle underskirt. The dress is in excellent condition and fits sizes XS to S. The minimum opening bid was $5,000.

The auction will be up until Thursday at 9 p.m. EST.

“It was a privilege to wear this dress to the ‘And Just Like That’ premiere last December, and I’m humbled and honored to partner with my friends at Oscar de la Renta to now auction it off via Encore. All proceeds of the sale will be donated to UNICEF, an organization I feel called to support now more than ever given current geopolitical conflicts and the immediate and growing threats posed to so many innocent children. It feels meaningful to bid adieu to the dress this year, and I look forward to seeing what closet she calls home next,” Parker said.

As reported, Oscar de la Renta entered the fast-growing resale business in November. It was begun to provide de la Renta’s clients with a sustainable alternative, extending the life and utility of exceptional vintage pieces. The brand is working with individual clients and reputable vintage sellers to curate an exclusive selection of one-of-a-kind Oscar de la Renta pieces.

In addition to selecting between cash payment or store credit, sellers on Encore by Oscar de la Renta may opt to donate the proceeds of their sales of one of their charitable partners: Habitat for Humanity, Dress for Success, World Central Kitchen and The Colleagues of Los Angeles. — LISA LOCKWOOD

REVOLVING BACK AGAIN: Revolve Festival is back, WWD has learned exclusively.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the e-tailer’s two-day event returns to La Quinta, Calif. Produced in collaboration with The h.wood Group this year, the party will be held on April 16 and 17 from 1 to 8 p.m.

“Revolve Festival has always been our penultimate global cultural event and a showcase of everything our customers care about,” Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer of Revolve Group, told WWD in a statement. “Where they go, we go, so it’s a place we always want to be.”

Now in its fifth year, typically hosted in a sprawling estate during the first weekend of Coachella festival, the bash features Instagrammable activations and big-name performers. Cardi B, Migos, SZA, Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky have all held concerts, bringing out the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kaia Gerber, Brooklyn Beckham, Hailey Bieber, Orlando Bloom and the Jenners.

“The essence of Revolve Festival this year remains the same: It’s a celebration of life and living it to its fullest where we always marry the things we are most known for — fashion, lifestyle, music and, most importantly, fun,” Gerona continued. “Our partnership with The h.wood Group allows us to do even more at the intersection of fashion and entertainment, which we are always exploring. This is a time to come together again, and we cannot wait to deliver the best immersive experience for our community. With the luxury of being able to return to the desert, we are excited to deliver a new level of curated performances in partnership with The h.wood Group, next-level visually immersive experiences, and a diversified approach to our social media and marketing.”

This year’s acts will be revealed in early April, according to Revolve, which last collaborated with The h.wood Group — the hospitality group behind hot spots Delilah and The Nice Guy — for its “Homecoming Weekend” Super Bowl event in February (headlined by Justin Bieber and Drake). — RYMA CHIKHOUNE

GREEN SHOOTS: No longer cooped-up consumers have been making tracks to the great outdoors for months, and brands are trying to meet them there with free activities, preferred hikes advice and occasional giveaways.

Jack Wolfskin is one of the latest companies to amp up its commitment through a new partnership with the free streaming platform WaterBear Network, which aims to raise global awareness about the preservation, restoration and expansion of wild lands, wild animals and wild plants. As a founding partner, Jack Wolfskin will have a dedicated channel on the WaterBear Network app and platform, which debuts this spring.

The two parties will also team up to produce a series of films that highlight the discovery of nature, conservation and re-wilding.

Last year, the National Park Service received 297 million recreation visits — a 25.3 percent gain compared to 2020.

While video content is increasingly a pursuit with a wide swath of outdoor and fashion labels, land preservation is more engrained in the industry and it remains a hot-button issue for some. Patagonia has said it will boycott the 2023 Outdoor Retailer show in Utah unless pledges are made to preserve lands. The company’s chief executive officer Ryan Gellert recently said the company will not return to the trade show in Salt Lake City until a firm commitment is made to protect the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. REI and The North Face have also vowed to boycott the trade show when it returns to Utah from Denver.

Last fall, L.L. Bean built upon its founding sponsorship of MasterCard’s “Priceless Planet Coalition,” by pledging an additional $500,000 to support its mission to restore 100 million trees by 2025. One of the greatest champions of preserving land around the globe, former Patagonia CEO Kristine Tompkins. As founder and CEO of Tompkins Conservation, she committed to expanding Chile’s national parkland by 10 million acres in Patagonia in 2018. She and her late husband Doug, a founder of the North Face and Patagonia, first became dedicated to land conservation in the ’90s. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

BALLERINI’S NEW DEAL: Kelsea Ballerini is Cover Girl’s newest face.

On Tuesday, the cosmetics company, which was acquired by Coty Inc. from P&G Beauty in 2016, revealed it had tapped the renowned country singer as one of its latest ambassadors. Ballerini is one of the biggest stars in the country music world, with her hits like “Peter Pan” and “Homecoming Queen?”

“I’ve been a fan of Cover Girl for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had an iconic tube of Cover Girl mascara in my makeup bag, and I even wrote in my journal at age 14 that one day I dreamed of being a Cover Girl,” Ballerini said in a statement. “Makeup is another creative outlet for me, and I’ve always said if I wasn’t doing music, I would probably be a makeup artist.

“I’m excited and honored to partner with Cover Girl, and I can’t wait to share more about my favorite products from the brand,” she continued.

Ballerini made history as the only female country artist to log three consecutive number-one singles from a debut album.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kelsea Ballerini into the Cover Girl family. She is a lover of beauty, constantly experimenting with fun makeup looks as part of her creativity,” said Stefano Curti, chief brands officer of consumer beauty at Coty. “Kelsea expresses her true self on and off the stage and lends her voice to causes that are important to her, like using cruelty-free beauty products, a value we at Cover Girl hold close as a Leaping Bunny certified brand.”

He continued, “We’re so excited to have Kelsea join an iconic lineup of Cover Girls who share the same passion for accessibility, inclusivity and individuality.”

Ballerini will be the face of a Cover Girl collection, yet to be announced, to arrive this spring, and will be joining the company in a multiyear partnership. — CONCHITA WIDJOJO